SPORT | 12BUSINESS | 01

QNB supports global

shipping industry to

cut emissions:

Al Khalifa

Dominant

Al Sadd

crush

Sepahan 3-0

Wednesday 19 February 2020

25 Jumada II - 1441

2 Riyals

www.thepeninsula.qa

Volume 24 | Number 8172

Watch the best of football on beIN SPORTS, on the gowith the new Qatarna 5G plans

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met at the Amiri Diwan yesterday with the Secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council, H E Nikolai Patrushev, and his accompanying delegation. H E Patrushev conveyed the greetings of the President of the Russian Federation, H E Vladimir Putin, to H H the Amir and his wishes for His Highness of health and happiness and for the Qatari people of more development and prosperity. H H the Amir entrusted H E Patrushev to convey his greetings to H E the President, wishing him health and wellness and the Russian people continued progress and development. The meeting reviewed strategic relations between the two friendly countries and ways to enhance and develop them, especially in the security field.

Amir meets Secretary of Russian Security Council

Qatar Airways and Bulgaria Air sign codeshare agreementTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar Airways announced yesterday that it has signed a codeshare agreement with Bulgaria Air. Sales started from yesterday with the first code-share flights to operate from March 2.

The agreement will provide Bulgaria Air passengers with a seamless connection to desti-nations in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Qatar Airways’ passengers will benefit from access to two new destinations in Bulgaria: Varna and Burgas.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, H E Akbar Al Baker, said: “This agreement with

Bulgaria Air follows other recent partnership announcements we have made with airlines across the world, demonstrating our commitment to working with our peers to provide passengers seamless connectivity and unri-valled service.”

Bulgaria Air Chief Executive Officer, Hristo Todorov, said: “It is a great pleasure for Bulgaria Air to add Qatar Airways to its partnership network, which is undoubtedly one of the most respected and prestigious airlines in the world. We are delighted that they have chosen us as a partner enabling our passengers to travel quickly and conven-iently to over 170 destinations

with Qatar Airways. This coop-eration is only a part of our long-term development strategy and we are happy to welcome the passengers of Qatar Airways onboard our aircraft.”

Qatar Airways first launched services to Sofia, Bul-garia on September 22, 2011 beginning with a four-times weekly service. In the years since, due to the strong demand by travellers, the service has grown to 14 weekly flights.

A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was named ‘World’s Best Airline’ by the 2019 World Airline Awards, managed by the international air transport rating organisation Skytrax.

Ministry of Public Health confirms case of Middle East Respiratory SyndromeQNA — DOHA

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) declared that a case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) has been confirmed.

The Ministry announced that the patient has been admitted to the hospital to receive the necessary medical care in accordance with the national protocol to deal with confirmed or suspected cases of the disease.

MERS is a viral respi-ratory disease that is caused by one of the coronaviruses (MERS-CoV), but it differs from the novel coronavirus known as (COVID19), which has recently spread in several countries.

Both viruses differ in terms of the source of infection, mode of transmission, and the disease severity.

The Ministry of Public Health confirmed that no cases of the novel coro-navirus (COVID19) have

been diagnosed in Qatar so far.

Only three cases of MERS-CoV were registered in Qatar during the past two years.

The Ministry of Public Health, in cooperation with the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, is taking all nec-essary preventive and precau-tionary measures to control the disease and prevent it from spreading.

The Ministry of Public Heal th ca l led on a l l members of public, and especially people with chronic diseases or those with immunodeficiency dis-orders, to adhere to public hygiene measures.

This includes washing the hands regularly with water and soap, using hand sanitisers, as well as avoiding close contact with camels and seeking medical advice when experi-encing symptoms of fever, cough, sore throat or shortness of breath.

Ashraf Ghani

named winner

of Afghan polls

REUTERS — KABUL

Afghanistan declared incumbent Ashraf Ghani winner of the presidential election but his main rival rejected the result and vowed to form his own government, raising the threat of new turmoil amid hopes of a US peace deal with Taliban mili-tants.

Polls were held on Sep-tember 28 to select a president for the fourth time since US-led forces overthrew the Taliban government in 2001. But the process was marred by allegations of rigging, technical problems with biometric devices used for voting, attacks and other irregularities..

Ghani won 50.64 percent of the vote, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) said yesterday. Abdullah Abdullah, Ghani’s main rival, was named runner-up with 39.52 percent.

But Abdullah Abdullah said he and his allies had won the election and would form the government. �P13

Qatar achieves leading position in international maritime transport sectorSACHIN KUMAR THE PENINSULA

Qatar has made significant investment in transport sector which has placed the country in a leading position in global maritime sector. Qatar’s maritime sector has secured high ranks in several global rankings, said Minister of Transport and Communica-tions, H E Jassim bin Saif bin Ahmed Al Sulaiti, yesterday.

“Qatar has worked to develop laws and legislations in the field of transport, and has invested widely under the wise leadership of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to develop infrastructure projects for the transport sector and its support services in order to keep pace with the changes and developments that are pro-gressing, and to be a true legacy for future generations, thus achieving QNV 2030 goals,” said H E the Minister in his inaugural speech at the Qatar Maritime and Logistics Summit at Sheraton Hotel.

“These investments have achieved a remarkable devel-opment for the maritime transport sector at all levels and contributed to placing Qatar with a leading position and a distinguished reputation on the map of the global maritime sector,” H E the Minister added.

Under the patronage of Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani; the Qatar Maritime and Logistics Summit began at the Sheraton Hotel, yesterday.

The two-day summit, being jointly organised by Mwani Qatar and Lloyds List, has attracted experts, decision makers and specialists in the fields of ports, maritime and logistics sectors from across the globe.

Addressing the gathering, H E the Minister pointed out

that Qatar has ranked 12th glo-bally in the quality of port infra-structure in the World Bank’s Competitiveness Report 2019, and it has jumped four places in the efficiency of seaport services index to become 15th globally.

H E the Minister of Transport and Communications said that in terms of efficient logistics services, Qatar has ranked second in the Arab world and 30 globally, and its ranking rose from 26 to nine globally in the international shipments index in just two years. It reflects the significant growth in the volume of Qatar’s international freight thanks to the advanced capabilities of Hamad Port and its important role in securing stable and sus-tainable supply chains that provide customers with inte-grated and competitive services.

H E the Minister said that the Ministry of Transport and Communications has taken advanced steps to issue guide-lines, a first of its kind in the region, to secure marine assets in the applications of operating

ports and ships. Its application will enhance the employment of the latest protection methods for marine electronic assets and information.

H E the Minister said Hamad Port’s advanced infrastructure and modern technologies have contributed in attracting inter-national shipping companies and have played an important role in smoothening handling operations, providing more comprehensive services and solutions that allow customers to achieve maximum benefit in an ideal competitive envi-ronment for business.

H E the Minister said that these advantages and close relations that were built with global partners have strengthened Qatar’s com-mercial share and contributed to transform Hamad Port into a regional trans-shipment hub with annual trans-shipment growth of 30 percent in 2019.

To enhance this growth in the coming years, agreements have been signed with the major shipping companies in the world.

H E the Minister stated that Hamad Port accounts for 27 percent of marine trade in the region, thanks to its advanced capabilities in addition to its important role in securing stable and sustainable supply chains that provide customers with integrated and competitive services.

H E the Minister pointed out that the Ruwais Port, which plays a major role in stimulating trade exchange with neigh-bouring countries, has managed to maintain steady growth in the volumes of handling pro-vided. He added that the Doha Port, after the development operations carried out by the Ministry of Transport and Com-munications, will support the State’s plans and enhance the returns of the tourism sector through cruises. �P3

Hamad Port accounts for 27 percent of marine trade in the region, thanks to its advanced capabilities in addition to its important role in securing stable and sustainable supply chains, H E the Minister of Transport and Communications said addressing the Qatar Maritime and Logistics Summit.

Qatari Diar announces completion of

95% of Lusail City’s infrastructureQNA — DOHA

Qatari Diar Real Estate Company confirmed that the city of Lusail is nearing completion, as about 95 percent of the city’s infrastructure has been completed on an area of 38,000 square kilometres, pointing out that there are parts of the city that have opened and already witnessed a population presence like Jabal Thuaileb.

Lusail City is considered the largest project of the Qatari Diar Company, it is more than just a real estate project, it is a comprehensive planned city, and it reflects the progress made by Qatar on a large scale.

The CEO of Diar Company Engineer Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah, said in press state-ments on the sidelines of the launch of a Tarsheed Carnival in its fourth edition in Kah-ramaa Awareness Park, that work is currently underway to complete the remaining prep-arations for hosting the 2022 World Cup, the most prominent of which is the opening of the

commercial street and the supply of areas of tourist attrac-tions and vital sites, in addition to the final aesthetic touches, the city will host the Lusail Stadium, which is scheduled to host the opening and final match of the World Cup.

He added that with the establishment of the Lusail project, which is considered one of the largest smart cities in the world, it has relied on rationalisation systems, energy efficiency and reduced con-sumption of resources, stressing that cooperation with the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) comes within the framework of the company’s keenness to implement the best standards of rationalisation.

He emphasised that the principle of central rationali-zation and refrigeration was taken into consideration starting with the design, and this was taken into account in the lighting, water and elec-tricity systems at the city level, adding that the city of Lusail implemented all smart

systems in the preservation of the environment, to achieve the principle of sustainability and conservation of natural resources.

He explained that the city currently includes two fuel sta-tions, and it is expected that two branches of Al Meera Consumer Goods Company will be opened in the next year, in addition to establishing a mosque in the Marina Lusail area, stressing that all services provided to the population and the public will be provided in accordance with the highest international quality standards.

Qatari Diar Real Estate Company was established in 2005 by the Qatar Investment Authority. Qatari Diar was entrusted to support Qatars growing economy and to coor-dinate the country’s real estate development priorities.

In 2018 Qatari Diar has a shared capital of $8bn, with 60 investment projects under development or held in 24 countries around the world, combining a value of over $35bn.

OFFICIAL NEWS

02 WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2020HOME

Minister of Foreign Affairs meets Belgian counterpart

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani (left), met yesterday with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Belgium, H E Philippe Goffin, during his current visit to Belgium. During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral cooperation and relations as well as international and regional issues, in addition to issues of common concern.

Amir sends congratulations to President of Gambia

DOHA: Amir H H Sheikh Tamim

bin Hamad Al Thani, Deputy Amir

H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad

Al Thani and Prime Minister and

Minister of Interior, H E Sheikh

Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz

Al Thani, sent yesterday cables

of congratulations to President

of the Republic of Gambia, H E

Adama Barrow on the occasion

of the anniversary of his coun-

try’s Independence Day. - QNA

PM meets Secretary of Russian Security CouncilQNA — DOHA

Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani met with Secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council, H E Nikolai Patrushev, at the Amiri Diwan yesterday.

During the meeting, they reviewed cooperation and relations between Qatar and Russia and the prospects for strengthening and developing them, especially in the security field.

The meeting also discussed the efforts of the two countries in the field of combating terrorism, in addition to a number of regional and international issues of common concern.

Then, H E the Prime Minister and Min-ister of Interior and HE the Secretary of the Russian Security Council witnessed the signing of a memorandum of under-standing in the security fields between the Government of the State of Qatar and the Government of the Russian Feder-ation. The meeting and the signature were attended by a number of Their Excel-lencies the Ministers. From the Russian side, they were attended by a number of

Their Excellencies members of the accompanying delegation. The Prime Minister and Minister of Interior also

hosted a luncheon banquet in honour of the Secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council and his accompanying

delegation at the Amiri Diwan. The banquet was attended by a number of Their Excellencies Ministers.

Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani meeting with the Secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council, H E Nikolai Patrushev, at the Amiri Diwan, yesterday.

Qatar donates $5m for reconstruction of earthquake-affected areas in AlbaniaQNA — BRUSSELS

The State of Qatar has announced donating $5m as a contribution to the recon-struction of the earthquake-affected areas in the Republic of Albania and to alleviate the serious humanitarian conse-quences of the damage caused by the earthquake.

The announcement came in the speech of the State of Qatar, delivered on Monday by Assistant to Minister of Foreign Affairs and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H E Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater, at the international donors’ conference, “Together for Albania” hosted by the European Union (EU) to support the reconstruction efforts in Albania after the earthquake

that struck the country at the end of November.

Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama, European Council Pres-ident Charles Michel and senior officials attended the conference.

H E Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater thanked the EU for hosting the conference; for its remarkable efforts towards the humanitarian crisis in Albania and for standing beside the Albanian people in their ordeal to overcome the humanitarian and negative repercussions that resulted from the devastating earthquake.

Al Khater said the wide par-ticipation of the international community in this conference confirms the sincere interna-tional will to provide support to the government and people

of Albania for reconstruction. “Driven by the State of

Qatar’s keenness to continue fulfilling its humanitarian obli-gations towards the interna-tional community, I am pleased to announce that the State of Qatar has provided an amount of $5m to contribute to the reconstruction of the earth-quake-affected areas in the Republic of Albania and to alle-viate the serious humanitarian consequences of the damage caused by this earthquake,” she added.

Al Khater expressed appre-ciation for holding the con-ference and for all the countries and regional and international organisations participating in it to fulfil their moral and humanitarian obligations and support Albania.

Agricultural Research Dept holds scientific symposium

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) represented by the Agricul-tural Research Department hosted a high level British delegation from the Food and Environment Research Agency during their visit to Doha.

On the occasion, a scien-tific symposium was organised which was attended by Sheikh Dr. Falih bin Nasser Al Thani, Assistant Undersecretary for Agriculture and Fisheries Affairs at MME, Director of the Agricultural Research Department Hamad Saket Al Shammari and a number of researchers in the relevant departments of the Ministry.

Some lecturers and guests from Qatar University and the Ministry of Public Health and other research centers in the country also attended the event.

The delegation will also visit a number of the most important farms and research centers in the country, such as Agriko Farm, Baladna Farm, Central Food Laboratory, Aquatic Research Center in Ras Matbakh.

At the symposium, Hamad Saket Al Shammari, Director of the Agricultural Research Department, said the workshop on agricultural research technologies comes within the activities of the field of agricultural technology research.

He said the workshop is the first to be held in Qatar within the activities of the project of developing agricul-tural technology research that is concerned with applied studies, training and devel-opment in the field of agricul-tural technology research with the aim of finding special solu-tions to solve environmental problems

Al Shammari said that the workshop identify and define types of applications for agri-cultural research, the impor-tance of using microbiology applications of microor-ganisms that affect plants and exchanging experiences and information and implementing recommendations in the various projects fields

WCM-Q announces world-class research training opportunities for Qatari students

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatari high school and college students with a love of science are invited to apply for a summer research internship at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q), a leading biomedical research institution.

Applications are now open for the WCM-Q Research Internship for National High School Students, which is offered as a two-week or four-week program that earns par-ticipants 50 to 100 volunteer hours.

Applications are also open for the WCM-Q Research Internship for National College Students, which is offered as a four-week or eight-week program and teaches both lab-oratory skills and research man-agement skills. Both internships are part of WCM-Q’s Biomedical Research Training Programs for Nationals initiative.

WCM-Q launched its bio-medical research program in 2009, with a stated focus on dis-eases that are prevalent in Qatar and the region, like diabetes and obesity. Since then it has gone from strength to strength, with its researchers publishing more than 1,000 scientific papers in some of the world’s leading research journals.

Qatari high school and college students are invited to apply for the summer intern-ships in the college’s labora-tories as part of WCM-Q’s out-reach programmes and its ambition, under the Qatar Foundation umbrella, to increase local, homegrown

research capacity in Qatar. WCM-Q is an overseas location of Cornell University, an Ivy League school.

The training programmes offer students the chance to learn key research skills and to work alongside world-class professional scientists to tackle major scientific problems of high significance.

These internships provide Qatari nationals with valuable opportunities to learn new skills and take the first step towards successful careers in science and research.

The internships also give Qatari nationals the chance to be a part of Qatar’s ongoing mission to diversify its economy, which has seen the country establish itself as a key regional scientific and educational hub in recent years.

This training programme is supported by the Biomedical Research Program, which is funded by Qatar Foundation.

The deadline to apply for both the Research Internship for National High School Students and the Research Internship for National College Students is May 7, 2020.

Students can visits the uni-versity's website for more information.

Minister of

Foreign Affairs

meets European

Union officials in

Brussels

QNA — BRUSSELS

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met separately yesterday with President of the European Parliament, H E David Maria Sassoli; Chair of the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee, H E David McAl-lister; European Commissioner for Energy, H E Kadri Simson; and the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with the Arab Peninsula, during his current visit to Brussels.

The meetings reviewed the cooperation relations in addition to issues of mutual concern.

Internships offer students an opportunity to work alongside professional scientists.

03WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2020 HOME

Shura Council Speaker meets UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding AffairsSpeaker of the Shura Council, H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud, met with Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, H E Rosemary DiCarlo, on the occasion of His Excellency’s participation in a two-day parliamentary hearing in New York. The meeting reviewed ways to enhance cooperation between the State of Qatar and the UN, and discussed the most important issues related to the parliamentary field. A number of members of the Shura Council and Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the UN, H E Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani, attended the meeting.

Speaker of Shura Council meets IPU President, Secretary-General

Speaker of the Shura Council, H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud, met separately with President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), H E Gabriela Barron, as well as IPU Secretary-General H E Martin Chungong, on the sidelines of His Excellency’s participation in a parliamentary hearing at the UN headquarters in New York, held under the title "Education as a Key to Peace and Sustainable Development: Toward The Implementation of SDG 4". During the meetings, they reviewed cooperation and relations between the Shura Council and the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as well as issues of mutual interest, especially with regard to cooperation in the parliamentary and legislative areas.

QNB Official Sponsor of 17th edition of DJWETHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) and Qatar National Bank (QNB), the largest financial institution in the Middle East and Africa, signed a sponsorship agreement yesterday at a press conference, announcing the 17th edition of DJWE, for which QNB will be an official sponsor.

The sponsorship agreement was signed by Yousef Ali Darwish, General Manager Group Communications of QNB, and Ahmed Al Obaidly, Director of Exhibitions at Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC), in the presence of H E Akbar Al Baker, Secretary-General of QNTC and Group Chief Executive of Qatar Airways.

Speaking on the occasion, Ahmed Al Obaidly said: “We are pleased to have QNB as the Official Sponsor of the 17th edition of the Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition (DJWE), where exhibitors and visitors will be able to benefit from the financial services provided by the largest financial institution in the region.”

He added: “This year’s edition of DJWE is the largest in terms of number of exhibitors, space, and international partic-ipation, and it offers the jew-ellery and watches fans an opportunity to learn about the finest international and local brands, compare them, and

acquire them in one visit.”The exhibition will run for

six days from February 24 to 29, at the Doha Exhibition and Con-vention Centre (DECC).

It will feature 127 exhibitors from 14 countries, and showcase 500 local and inter-national brands. DJWE brings together up and coming designers and the world’s most prestigious jewellery and watch

brands to present exclusive pieces, while showcasing the latest trends and developments in the industry.

Yousef Ali Darwish, General Manager Group Communica-tions of QNB, said: “Our spon-sorship of DJWE is a testament to our dedication and com-mitment to support the exhibi-tion’s goal in highlighting Q a t a r ’ s p o s i t i o n

as a commercial hub for pro-fessionals and enthusiasts in the field, and as a global destination to attract visitors from all around the world.”

QNB is now among the list of sponsors of the 17th edition of DJWE, which includes Qatar Airways as its airline partner and the JW Marriott Marquis City Center Doha as the official hotel partner.

H E Akbar Al Baker (centre), Secretary-General of QNTC and Group Chief Executive of Qatar Airways, along with Yousef Ali Darwish, General Manager Group Communications of QNB; and Ahmed Al Obaidly, Director of Exhibitions at QNTC, at the sponsorship agreement signing ceremony.

PHCC to provide 24-hoururgent care services at 10health centers by 2021FAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

In a bid to expand its services, the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) will provide 24-hour urgent care services at ten health centers by 2021, said Dr Mariam Abdul Malek, the Managing Director.

At present, PHCC provides urgent care services at six health centers and it will be extended to another four centers by 2021, said Dr Abdul Malek, while speaking to the media on Sunday.

“By providing urgent care services, we are supporting to reduce the pressure on Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) hospitals. At health centers, we stabilise patients and send them to a hospital or discharge them depending on the con-dition,” she said.

PHCC is operating through 26 primary health care centers distributed into three regions. Currently, it provides 24-hour urgent care services at Abu Bakr Al Siddiq, Rawdat Al Khail, Al Gharafa, Al Kaaban, Al Sha-haniyah, and Al Shamal Health Centers.

The health centers will provide care for patients

between 11pm and 7am, for non-threatening medical needs, such as minor burns, sprains, severe headache or earache, dehydration, and dizziness.

The urgent care center will be led by teams of a doctor and nurse, supported by a pharmacy and x-ray service.

Dr Abdul Malek said inte-grated care provided by the PHCC together with HMC ensures smooth delivery of care to patients. “We are focusing on integrated care in line with the National Health Strategy 2018-2022,” she said.

“It aims to improve con-tinuity and timely access across the continuum of mul-tiple settings and levels of care and deliver the right care in the appropriate setting, underpinned by referral guidelines, care pathways and evidence-based practice,” she added.

“Integrated care is not only giving comprehensive care, it is also to protect patients’ life. And we have family medicine model. It gives comprehensive kind of care to the patient, detecting the disease at the beginning or by prevention, which is more important,” she said.

Al Sulaiti meets

with Ukraine

Infrastructure

MinisterTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim bin Saif bin Ahmed Al Sulaiti met yesterday with the Ukrainian Minister of Infra-structure H E Vladyslav Kryklii.

The two ministers dis-cussed means of enhancing cooperation in the fields of transportation, ports, and avi-ation. They also discussed several matters of common interest between the two friendly countries.

The meeting, which was held on the sidelines of the Lloyd’s Qatar Maritime and Logistics Summit (QMLS) 2020, was attended by the Ukrainian Ambassador in Doha, H E Andrii Kuzmenko.

Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti also held talks with H E the Assistant Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Lawrence Barchue. The meeting reviewed the relations between the State of Qatar and IMO in the field of mar-itime transport and means of further developing them.

Experts discuss challenges, opportunities in maritime sectorSACHIN KUMAR THE PENINSULA

Under the patronage of Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, the Qatar Maritime and Logistics Summit began at the Sheraton Hotel yesterday.

The high-profile summit began with the inaugural speech by the Minister of Transport and Communica-tions, H E Jassim bin Saif bin Ahmed Al Sulaiti.

Addressing the summit, Abdulrahman Essa Al Mannai, CEO of Milaha Group (Qatar Navigation) said that the company has always been focusing on sustainability, flex-ibility, strength and continuity in its field of business, in addition to the traditional areas.

He noted that almost 90 percent of global trade is mar-itime trade, stressing that it’s necessary to pay attention to this issue because of its great importance for economic performance.

Al Mannai stated that Qatar has witnessed very big changes in all stages of supply and supply chains, making it the only country in the Middle East with sufficient local capabilities in the import and export supply chain today, which is evidence of its great strength, especially in the past three years.

On infrastructure, Al Mannai noted that great effort has been made in this field, especially with regard to shipyards, ports, roads and large installations, and in the support system as well, including cooperation between the government and the private sector and investment in technology, expressing his belief that the current period is the best period to conduct commercial activ-ities in Qatar.

The summit focuses on industry-wide, long-term chal-lenges and opportunities as well as a number of important topics such as trade, global trends, port development, financing, tech-nology, digital security, cyber-security, safety, security and sustainability and many other topics related to shipping, port and logistics sectors.

Under the title of “Liquefied Gas Transport in Transition”, the second session discussed Global trade trends in 2020-30,

Changing world trade patterns and their impact on maritime and logistics, Sustainability in LNG shipping, Safety in the LNG supply chain 2020-30, Sustain-ability and the supply chain in 2020-2030. The third session featured topics about Liner shipping between 2020 and 2030 and how port businesses are a critical node in the transport network and in the final session, experts have dis-cussed supply chains and shipping in the age of change

and safety 2020-2030. The findings of summit will

be drawn together to build an understanding of how global transport hubs will evolve throughout the 2020s. The summit will conclude today with a field tour in Hamad Port, were the participants will have the opportunity to explore port’s facilities, stages of devel-opment and the cutting-edge technology that port has fea-tures, and by setting the agenda for the next Qatar Maritime and

Logistic Summit.The two-day event is wit-

nessing attendance of over 450 experts, decision makers and specialists in the fields of ports, maritime and logistics sectors as well as representatives and members of international organizations such as the Inter-national Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), the Inter-national Maritime Organization (IMO), and the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS).

Minister of Transport and Communications, H E Jassim bin Saif bin Ahmed Al Sulaiti (third right), and Minister of Municipality and Environment, H E Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie (second right), and other dignitaries at the opening of the Qatar Maritime and Logistic Summit in Doha yesterday.

Over 450 experts, decision makers and specialists in the fields of ports, maritime and logistics sectors are participating in the two-day conference.

04 WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2020HOME

Labour Minister meets UN official

The Minister of Administrative Development, Labour, and Social Affairs, H E Yousef bin Mohamed Al Othman Fakhroo met with the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate, H E Michele Coninsx. During the meeting, they discussed areas of joint cooperation and ways of supporting and developing them.

NHRC Chairman meets Executive Director of CTEDQNA — DOHA

Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), H E Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri, met yesterday with

Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED) of the United Nations, H E Michele Coninsx. During the meeting, the two

sides reviewed ways to protect human rights and reject extremism and violence, as well as cooper-ation in various human rights matters.

Uplift work under way inConstituency Number 8to ease people’s livesSIDI MOHAMED THE PENINSULA

The work is underway to develop many roads, pedestrian crossings to serve the residents of Constituency Number 8, said an official at the General Direc-torate of Traffic.

“Some streets in the constit-uency will be converted from existing two lanes to four lanes and more services will be added to roads,” he added.

“The work is underway to develop A Ring Road into a four-lane one instead of the two lanes. The development of B Ring Road will be in three lanes instead of two lanes and will include service roads, pedes-trian crossings and other tracks for bicycles,” said First Lieu-tenant Khaled Nasser Al Mulla, Traffic Planning Officer.

This came during an inter-active session attended by CMC member, representatives from

General Directorate of Traffic, held under the community part-nership programme. Under the programme, the General Direc-torate of Traffic held a consult-ative gathering at the private Majlis of Sheikha bint Yousuf Hasan Al Jufairi, CMC member of the Constituency Number 8, Old Airport.

Al Mulla said that the work is also underway to improve the traffic network in a number of areas, including Al Ghanim Al Atiq, Airport Road, among others in addition to reviewing the entrances and exits of the main streets in the areas of the Constituency Number 8, and finding permanent solutions to the problem of traffic jams.

First Lieutenant Ahmed Mohammed Al Kathiri, Traffic Awareness Officer, participated in the programme, in addition to Captain Asmaa Gohar Saeed, Officer from the Licensing Department, and Lieutenant

Sarah Zayed Walid, System Officer from the Department of Administrative Affairs.

Speaking about the aims of the meeting, First Lieutenant Al Kathiri said that these visits were within the framework of the General Directorate of Traf-fic’s keenness to communicate with all members of society and listen to their proposals and ideas on the traffic situation as well as inform them about future traffic plans and projects specific to their areas.

It also aims to spread the traffic culture to enhance safety

and security concepts to reduce deaths and severe injuries resulting from traffic accidents, Al Kathiri affirmed, adding that the community partnership programme implemented by the General Directorate of Traffic within its annual oper-ating plan with the aim of com-municating with all groups of society to spread the traffic awareness among people.

Al Jufairi praised the efforts of the Ministry of Interior rep-resented by the General Direc-torate of Traffic in achieving security and stability for all

citizens and residents in the state, especially the efforts made by the Traffic Department, stressing that it is an example to be followed in the quality and excellence of the services provided to the public.

She praised the initiative of the Department and its con-tinuous communication with members of the CMC, expressing her hope that such meetings and visits to continue. Al Jufairi noted that the Constit-uency Number 8 is considered one of the largest geographical area, as it includes 25 areas, and

includes massive commercial activities.

The attendees discussed some details about the problems of entrances and exits in the main streets, the need of repro-gramming some traffic signals in the area, congestion on the commercial airport road and the streets surrounding Ihraj Street.

First Lieutenant, Ahmed Mohammed Al Kathiri, urged the attendees to report imme-diately the traffic violations through the application of Metrash2 by taking photo-graphs of the violation and the location, explaining that the General Directorate of Traffic works to verify the violation.

The officials of the General Directorate of Traffic meeting with citizens at the residence of CMC member representing Constituency No. 8, Sheikha bint Yousuf Hasan Al Jufairi. PICS: QASSIM RAHMATULLAH/THE PENINSULA

Public Prosecution organises training program on combating money laundering, terrorism financing

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Public Prosecution organised a training program on confidentiality and main-taining the privacy of infor-mation and statistics, in addition to the contribution of confiscation and money recovery in enhancing the effectiveness of laws and procedures to combat the crimes of money laundering and terrorism financing at the

Institute of Criminal Studies. The program is part of a

series of training programs in the area of combating money laun-dering and terrorism financing.

The three-day training program aimed at raising the capabilities of prosecutors and employees of other law enforcement agencies in the State of Qatar in preserving information privacy, combating money laundering and ter-rorism financing and enhancing

their knowledge of the mech-anisms of work and obligations imposed by the list of interna-tional sanctions.

Representatives of the National Counter Terrorism Committee, National Anti-Money Laundering and Com-bating the Financing of Ter-rorism Committee, General Authority of Customs, the Qatar Financial Information Unit and the Judiciary Supreme Council participated in the program.

Research vessel Janan departs to study marine environment in EEZSANAULLAH ATAULLAH THE PENINSULA

The research vessel, Janan, started yesterday a three-day sea trip to study the marine environment in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) within the programme of monitoring the marine environment of Qatar.

The programme is imple-mented by the Ministry of Municipality and Environment represented by the Department of Monitoring and Environ-mental Laboratory in cooper-ation with the Environmental Science Center, Qatar University.

The study is being con-ducted by a research team con-sisting of a number of specialists and researchers in the field of monitoring the quality of the marine environment at the Department.

Director of Monitoring and Environmental Laboratory Department, Eng. Hassan Ali Qasimi; Head of Water Envi-ronment Quality Section, Ali Al K u w a r i , a n d a

number of representatives of Qatar University are also part of the team.

“Amid environmental

challenges at the local, regional and international levels, the Monitoring and Environmental Laboratory Department

initiated to work on establishing an integrated information system for environmental data based on programmes for

monitoring the pollution of water, air and soil of the country to ensure that they do no exceed the permissible limits and standards,” said Eng. Hassan Ali Qasimi.

Qasimi was speaking to the media persons at the departure of research vessel, Janan, for survey at Doha Port yesterday. He said that the Department prepares periodic reports on the results of measuring different pollutants in the country and compare them to the permis-sible limits and set environ-mental status indicators to use them as early warnings in a timely manner to avoid any environmental consequences.

“The Department is cur-rently implementing the Qatar Marine Environment Moni-toring Programme, after devel-oping and amending it, which aims to protect the marine environment and conserve its resources through continuous monitoring of environmental pollutants in the coastal areas and EEZ of Qatar,” said Qasimi.

He said that the Department will submit a report with

recommendations about current situation of envi-ronment in the country to the decision makers. This trip is special because samples will be collected from within the coun-try’s marine waters and from different depths and far from the coastal areas which will produce accurate and excellent results for the marine environ-mental situation.

Ali Al Kuwari said that this trip comes within the pro-gramme of monitoring the sit-uation of the marine envi-ronment of Qatar, which was launched by the Department.

He said that this programme includes studying the environ-mental elements of soil and marine waters, whether shallow or regional coastal waters deep in the sites Qatari water.

“This trip is part of the pro-gramme currently being under-taken by the Department which aims to monitor 15 coastal and regional marine sites that have been identified to cover all marine waters from the shore to the country’s water,” said Al Kuwari.

The Director of Monitoring and Environmental Laboratory Department, Eng. Hassan Ali Qasimi; Head of Water Environment Quality Section, Ali Al Kuwari with research team before the departure of Research Vessel, Janan. PIC: BAHER AMIN/THE PENINSULA

Kahramaa’s fourth Tarsheed Carnivalshowcases sustainability achievementsSANAULLAH ATAULLAH THE PENINSULA

Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramma) represented by the National Programme for Conservation and Energy Efficiency (Tarsheed) opened yesterday a sustainability bazaar, the first mobile market to offer eco-friendly materials as part of a ten-day carnival at Kahramaa Awareness Park (KAP).

The fourth Tarsheed Car-nival, with a theme of ‘It Is Time For Change’, is an important platform to create awareness of sustainability and envi-ronment protection. Gov-ernment institutions and private

companies will showcase their achievements in sustainability sector in the form of various activities at the carnival which will run until February 27.

Tarsheed Carnival will receive school students in the morning from 8am to 12pm and general public in the evening from 4pm to 9pm. The carnival will be open to general public on weekend in the evening only.

“The fourth Tarsheed Car-nival will host many events such as the Sustainability Bazaar, which is the first mobile market that provides environmentally friendly materials to support small and medium youth projects, within the framework of Kahramaa’s support for these

projects within the framework of its social responsibility,” said President of Kahramaa, Eng. Essa bin Hilal Al Kuwari.

He said the carnival wit-nessed a great turnout from the public and school students, which reflects the response of the community to the initiatives by Tarsheed programme.

“The programme helped in achieving goal of reaching all groups and segments of society and understanding the message of rationalisation in reducing electricity and water con-sumption and protecting the environment,” said Al Kuwari.

Vodafone Qatar’s Chief Executive Officer, Sheikh Hamad Abdulla Al Thani, said:

“Environmental sustainability is one of Vodafone Qatar’s stra-tegic pillars, the one we have integrated as a strong corporate value across the business, from

our supply chain to all our activities, and down to opera-tional level. We look forward to demonstrating these values to visitors at the Tarsheed Carnival

through our digital safety awareness activity, AmanTech, which is one of the ways we help educate and engage our next generation.”

The President of Kahramaa, Eng. Essa bin Hilal Al Kuwari, and other officials and guests with schoolchildren at the opening of the fourth Tarsheed Carnival at Kahramaa Awareness Park, yesterday.

Sheikha bint Yousuf Hasan Al Jufairi

05WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2020 HOME

Kosovo Independence Day celebrated

FROM LEFT: The Minister of Justice and Acting Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, H E Dr. Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi; Ambassador of Republic of Kosovo to Qatar, H E Amir Ahmadi; Director of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H E Ambassador Ibrahim Yousef Fakhroo; and Ambassador of Eritrea to Qatar, H E Ali Ibrahim Ahmed, cutting the celebration cake during the Kosovo Independence Day reception held at Diplomatic Club on Monday. PIC: BAHER AMIN/THE PENINSULA

EU official praises outcome of Doha International Conference on Social MediaQNA — DOHA

The EU Special Representative for Human Rights, H E Eamon Gilmore, praised the outcomes of the International Conference on “Social Media: Challenges and Ways to Promote Freedoms and Protect Activists”, which was organised by the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) in cooperation with the Office of the UN High Commis-sioner for Human Rights ( O H C H R ) , E u r o p e a n Parliament, International Federation of Journalists, and International Alliance of National Human Rights Insti-tutions.

In a press conference on Monday, His Excellency expressed appreciation and admiration for the recommen-dations reached from various workshops and meetings, adding that OHCHR will study these recommendations, they put them in its considerations and deliberations.

The European official extended thanks the NHRC for organising this conference, which he described as “very important”, explaining that the topic of social media is a new and somewhat important topic, because it affects communi-cation and interaction between

everyone, especially in this new digital era.

He pointed out that in this context, that the experience of the European Parliament was shared during the conference, indicating that new technology and social media can be used to work on important issues.

The European official pointed out that his discussions with the Qatari side focused on the work carried out by the European Union regarding freedom of expression, social media and digital media, in addition to the various ways to support civil society and provide financial and practical support that can be provided to activists and human rights defenders, as well as addressing fears of external interference, especially during election periods and others.

Talks with the Qatari side also allowed looking into the work and welfare conditions for workers, said Eamon Gilmore pointing that he visited a construction site in this framework and met with migrant workers and the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, where he obtained a summary on the conditions and welfare of expa-triate workers, working in the preparations of the World Cup.

The EU Representative for Human Rights underlined the outstanding relationship between the European Union and the State of Qatar, which is reflected in the representation of the European Parliament, the European Council and all parties in this international conference.

Eamon Gilmore expressed his appreciation for the coop-eration between the authorities in the State of Qatar and the International Labor Organi-zation, considering it to be “very important”, and valuing the degree of progress and improvement in working and workers conditions in the State of Qatar.

He further emphasised the importance of legislation related to workers conditions and welfare, and the need to ensure the continuity of these improvements after the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

In response to a question about his meeting with the workers at the work site, he explained that what attracted attention during this meeting was that the workers’ answers to his questions were identical to the answers of the officials, indicating that many factors are taken into consideration when assessing the labor situation.

The European Union Special Representative for Human Rights, H E Eamon Gilmore (centre), addressing the press conference. PIC: SALIM MATRAMKOT/THE PENINSULA

Japan to further diversify,deepen ties with QatarSACHIN KUMAR THE PENINSULA

Japan aims to further deepen and diversify relations with Qatar. The bilateral relations between the two countries, which will complete 50 years next year, have reached new heights.

“Next year marks the 50th anniversary of our bilateral relations. In the last half century Qatar and Japan have built cooperation and friendship. We would like to diversify and deepen these relations. Apart from energy and other commercial fields, we would like to strengthen our exchanges in science, tech-nology, education, culture and sports as well,” said H E Kazuo Sunaga, Ambassador of Japan to Qatar, talking to reporters about embassy’s plan for cel-ebrating National Day of Japan. It was his first interaction with media since his arrival to Qatar in September last year.

The Embassy of Japan in Qatar will host a reception to celebrate National Day of Japan at the Ritz-Calrton Hotel, today. This year is special for the Jap-anese people as it marks the first celebration of the birthday the new Emperor Naruhito. Japan celebrated enthronement of new emperor in 2019 and he was born in February.

“Our economic relations with Qatar have always been excellent and it is visible in imports and exports between the two countries. Japan is also contributing to Qatar’s infra-structure development. We have win-win economic rela-tions with Qatar” said HE the Ambassador.

H E the Ambassador said that last year was a historic year for Qatar Japan bilateral rela-tions because Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani had

visited Japan twice in 2019. H H the Amir had participated in the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Naruhito of Japan, in October. This visit came nine months after H H the Amir’s visit to Japan in January of last year during which a number of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed in different fields, in addition to the signing of a joint declaration on the establishment of a strategic dia-logue mechanism between the governments of Qatar and Japan to strengthen the existing relations and encouraging cooperation.

“Japanese government and Japanese people are very grateful for H H the Amir for his visits to Japan, particularly the visit in October,” said the ambassador.

He added that the visits reflect the depth of our rela-tions and gives a clear indi-cation of the determination of both countries’ leadership to develop those relations to

advanced stages of long-term strategic partnership.

The number of tourist vis-iting Japan from Qatar has jumped by 36 percent in 2019. About 5,000 people from Qatar visited Japan last year com-pared to the 3,675 in 2018.

“The number of visa issued by the Embassy of Japan in Qatar has seen a consistent rise in the past few years. The Embassy had issued about 5000 visas, last year, 3,675 in 2018 and 3,101 visas in 2017,” said the ambassador.

The number of people coming from Japan to Qatar is likely to increase in the coming years, and FIFA World Cup in 2022 will play an important role in attracting tourists from Japan. The ambassador said that football is a popular sport in Japan and many soccer lovers are expected to visit Qatar to watch the football world cup in 2022. This will increase person-to-person interaction between the residents of both the coun-tries. He said that FIFA World Cup in 2022 will be a big success and Japan can contribute in suc-cessful hosting of this mega event by sharing latest technologies.

This year is a special year for Japan because Japan will host the Olympics this year. “We also believe that the FIFA 2022 will be a great success. Before this big event, we have Tokyo Olympics this year in Japan. Therefore we would like to cooperate with Qatar in sharing our experience in hosting a mega event,” said the ambassador.

H E Kazuo Sunaga, Ambassador of Japan to QatarPIC: ABDUL BASIT/THE PENINSULA

A-G meets Chief of UN Cybercrime, Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Financing of Terrorism DepartmentAttorney-General, H E Dr. Ali bin Fetais Al Marri, met yesterday with the Chief of the Cybercrime, Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Financing of Terrorism Department of the United Nations, H E Neil Walsh. They reviewed ways of strengthening future cooperation between the two sides in the field of combating money laundering and terrorism financing. The meeting was attended by Regional Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for GCC, Dr. Hatem Ali.

HBKU Press launches re-designed bilingual academic publishing platform THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press has launched its re-designed academic publishing platform, QScience.com, with improved discoverability features and the latest in Open Access academic publishing options.

The bilingual user interface supports the publication of scholarly content in both Arabic and English. The platform boasts a modern interface and a responsive site design for opti-mised display which is intuitive to use. It provides users with a streamlined experience as a result of more navigation options and powerful search and

discovery tools. It also features article recommending tools, like TrendMD, which leads to the increased discoverability of pub-lished content.

In alignment with HBKU Press’s aim to include our journals in recognized indexing bodies, the new publishing platform feeds into ingestion tools like Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed Central, and Scimago to include proper citation of all Open Access articles published on QScience.com.

“HBKU Press has always sought to be a trailblazer in the region when it comes to online, academic publishing. With this new site, we have developed a state-of-the-art platform that

meet the needs of authors from the region while attracting readers and scholars from all around the globe,” said Dr Rima Isaifan, the Head of Academic and Journals Publishing at HBKU Press. “Most importantly, this site is compatible with both Arabic and English content while meeting the benchmarks of the industry’s best practices for online academic publishing platforms.”

Scholarly publishing in Arabic language poses significant technological challenges for proper display of material online. One of the main targets for the new interface was to ensure that it could accommodate hosting Arabic content.

The number of tourists visiting Japan from Qatar has jumped by 36 percent in 2019. About 5,000 people from Qatar visited Japan last year compared to the 3,675 in 2018.

06 WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2020HOME

PHCC to expand ‘Screen For Life’ Program with fourth screening suiteTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

‘Screen For Life,’ Qatar’s free National Breast and Bowel Cancer Screening program, is to be expanded as details of its take-up and cancer detection rates reveal world-class results.

The program, which entails a full-service network of highly skilled professionals offering step-by-step, best practice partici-pants support, is operated by the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) in line with its mission to provide the population of Qatar with world-class cancer screening services.

Figures released show Qatar now has a breast cancer screening uptake rate of 52 percent and a bowel cancer screening uptake of 49 percent. This indicates that the National Breast and Bowel Cancer Program in Qatar is in line with the key areas when compared to similar national programs worldwide.

Dr Shaikha Abu Shaikha, Manager of Screening Programs at PHCC said the results demonstrated Qatar’s world-class com-mitment to early detection of both breast and bowel cancer – the two most prevalent cancers recorded in the country.

‘The figures speak themselves and have to be judged alongside the reality that early screening can lead to a 98 percent survival rate in the case of breast cancer and 90 percent in bowel cancer,” she explained.

‘Screen For Life’ is leading the mission to ease the burden of cancer on Qatar and help build a healthier, happier population through its ongoing, wide-ranging awareness drive and outreach program. The ‘Screen For Life’ marketing team works tirelessly to engage with communities to share the pro-gram’s goals and enhance breast and bowel cancer awareness levels across the country.

Dr Shaikha said the program would soon expand with a fourth screening suite and the introduction of second level screening using ultrasound and attributes the program’s

world-class performance to its 360-degree support philosophy.

‘Screen For Life’ support begins with staff at the dedicated call center (8001112) con-tacting eligible people and inviting them to attend a screening. Currently women aged between 45-69 are encouraged to undergo a free mammogram every three years for breast cancer detection whether or not they have concerns or symptoms, while anyone in the 50-74 age bracket is encouraged to undergo screening for bowel cancer every two years.

On the screening day participants are welcomed by a PHCC nurse who gives them a full briefing on the process and procedures. If results prove normal, the participant is invited back for another screening after three years for breast cancer, or two years for bowel screening. However, if the results are abnormal, which doesn’t necessarily mean the participant has cancer, the participant is recalled for further assessment. ‘Screen For Life’ guides the participant closely through the next steps and secures an appointment with specialists at Hamad Medical Corpo-ration (HMC) which closely collaborates with the program.

“The very word cancer can often strike fear into people, we fully understand this and provide support which helps allay the level of worry through the process,” said Dr Shaikha. “We work with HMC to ensure that the process is completed as quickly as pos-sible and that participants do not have to wait long for appointments. ‘Screen For Life’ is by the participant’s side, every step of the way ensuring always have somewhere to turn for support.”

“Qatar offers excellent cancer care and screening is free for citizens and residents in the country. We are indeed fortunate to have this level of care and I would urge all to ensure they take advantage of it,” said Dr Shaikha.

Qatar, UN discuss joint cooperationin combating terrorismTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The National Counter-Terrorism Committee at the Ministry of Interior held a meeting with the delegation of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Direc-torate yesterday. The meeting reviewed aspects of cooperation in the fight against terrorism and the efforts of the State of Qatar in this regard.

Major General Engineer Abdul Aziz Abdullah Al Ansari, Director of the of International Cooperation Department and Chairman of the National Counter Terrorism Committee at the Ministry of Interior said that the meeting comes to review the efforts of the State of Qatar.

He added that delegation would review the efforts of all sectors concerned with the implementation of Security

Council resolutions, including for infrastructure, borders, customs, health, security, airport and port, as well as maritime borders. The resolu-tions also include the law enforcement, legislation issues, and human rights issues.

He added that the com-mittee gets support from

international organizations, such as Interpol, the Inter-national Customs Organi-zation, the International Civil Aviation Organization and the Sea Organization. They are all supportive of the United Nations in checking the extent to which states implement Security Council resolutions. He explained that the State of Qatar has made many achievements at a l l l e v e l s t o counter-terrorism.

The meeting preparations began more than two months ago and contacted all the evaluation bodies in the country and working groups were formed on legislation, law enforcement, border control, combating terrorist financing and combating violent extremism, as well as defining the efforts of the State of Qatar in all fields, he explained.

National Counter-Terrorism Committee with the UN CTED delegation during the meeting.

MoI organises workshop on security reputation for 2022 World CupTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Public Relations Department & Planning and Quality Department of the Ministry of Interior organised a workshop on security repu-tation for the 2022 World Cup, with the participation of a number of department directors in Ministry of Interior.

The workshop examined the security indicators and themes in the annual global reputation report issued by the Reputation Institute and the risks and asso-ciated efforts that can form a road map to address them in line with security efforts and contribute to achieving a dis-tinctive security reputation in the target and candidate coun-tries for the 2022 World Cup.

The workshop organised yesterday in cooperation with the Reputation Institute.

It aims to help the Ministry of Interior present a safe and successful world cup in 2022,

as well as observe how to enhance the security reputation during the world cup in light of

the security pillars of the World Reputation Index 2019-2020.

Brigadier Abdullah Khalifa Al Muftah, Director of the Public Relations Department at the Ministry of Interior said that the workshop comes as part of the ministry’s efforts to consolidate concepts of institutional repu-tation, integrate them into the operational plans of different departments and committees, and spread a culture of

institutional reputation at the level of departments.

The Director of Public Rela-tions stressed the importance of the workshop in light of the accelerated efforts to host the World Cup 2022 and enhance the security reputation for this even in line with public security plans on the one hand and the plans of the Security Com-mittee of the SCDL on the other hand.

Officials and participants during the workshop on institutional reputation.

Spanish artist opens exhibition at KataraTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Spanish artist Gabriel Diaz Romero has launched a solo exhibition titled “The Road” at Katara Cultural Village on Monday.

Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, General Manager of Katara, inaugurated the show in the presence of Belen Alfaro, Ambassador of Spain to Qatar.

The exhibition held in Building 18 runs until February 28, and includes paintings and other conceptual artworks which depict road signs to suggest various stories related to the development of Qatar.

Lauding the concept of the exhibition, Al Sulaiti said: “The artist Gabriel Diaz Romero has transformed road signs into sym-bolic artwork about the siege, sending an artistic message indi-cating Qatar’s success in over-

coming the consequences.”He added: “Katara is devoted

to present high-level and distin-guished art experiences. Art remains the crossroads of all cul-tures and societies and surpasses all boundaries towards amazing expressive potential.”

For her part, the Spanish Ambassador appreciated the high artistic value of the exhi-bition, saying: “it is an attractive exhibition that includes many artistic and cultural intersections inspired by the nature of Arab culture and the rise and devel-opment of Qatar.”

She also Emphasised that Katara represents a distinctive edifice to present the most eminent local and international artistic and creative experiences.

The artist expressed his grat-itude to Katara for the cooper-ation in organizing his exhibition

and for the positive interaction he received for his ideas. He said that he wanted through this exhi-bition to shed light on great dis-tinct stories, as he considered that the destination always waits for the heroes. He said that he relied on road signs to highlight the success story of Qatar and its resilience in the face of the blockade.

He also pointed out that Qatar’s organization of the 2022 World Cup is the path of success to achieve beautiful and amazing goals. This exhibition is a tribute to this collective effort, an indi-cation for the expected future.

Romero worked as an art teacher in middle and high schools in Spain. He also pre-sented various art exhibitions in several countries around the world. He is a member of the artist groups “My Mother’s Voice” and “Mountain Children.”

Spanish artist Gabriel Diaz Romero ((left) explains one of his works to Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti (centre), General Manager of Katara, and Belen Alfaro, Ambassador of Spain to Qatar, at the launch of Romero’s solo exhibition titled “The Road” at Katara Cultural Village on Monday.

The meeting reviewed aspects of cooperation in the fight against terrorism and the efforts of the State of Qatar in this regard.

The workshop examined the security indicators and themes in the annual global reputation report issued by the Reputation Institute and the risks and associated efforts that can form a road map to address them in line with security efforts and contribute to achieving a distinctive security reputation in the target and candidate countries for the 2022 World Cup.

Spouses of envoys call on communities to support riders at Commercial Bank CHI Al ShaqabTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Commercial Bank CHI Al Shaqab Presented by Longines will bring the world’s best riders to Doha, and is the perfect opportunity for Qatar’s expa-triate communities to show support for athletes from their own countries.

This was the unanimous message from members of Qatar’s Spouses of Head of Missions (SOHOM) and ambassadors who visited Al Shaqab, member of Qatar Foundation, for a tour of the equestrian center yes-terday. A key part of their visit was to learn more about the Commercial Bank CHI Al Shaqab Presented by Longines, Qatar’s premier equestrian competition, which takes place from 27 to 29 February at the Longines Arena at Al Shaqab, and will see top-ranking riders compete in the Olympic disciplines of showjumping, dressage, and para dressage.

The SOHOM group and the ambassadors were in awe of the

exceptional facilities and the magnif-icent Arabian horses of Al Shaqab. They expressed their enthusiasm for the upcoming Commercial Bank CHI AL Shaqab Presented by Longines event. The consensus was that the event presents a perfect opportunity for the expatriate community in Qatar to come together to watch world-class equestrian sport and enjoy the family entertainment on offer, while sup-porting their compatriots.

Lilian Muzel, Vice President of SOHOM and spouse of the Ambas-sador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Qatar,, said: “As a group, SOHOM is involved with the social part of the work done by our respective embassies, and it’s important that we keep up to date with the latest information regarding events such as Commercial Bank CHI Al Shaqab Presented by Longines.

“The preparations are truly impressive, especially considering the logistics involved in bringing together

the world’s best riders and horses to compete against each other over three days.

“The entertainment and fun activ-ities on offer at the festival area add to the attraction, and makes the event a perfect outing for the whole family.

“All of us will be encouraging our communities to show up in numbers at Commercial Bank CHI Al Shaqab-Presented by Longines, and to support and cheer the riders from our countries.”

CHI (Concours Hippique Interna-tional – International Equestrian Competition) is the official title awarded by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) to international equestrian competitions with three or more equestrian disciplines. Com-mercial Bank CHI Al Shaqab Pre-sented by Longines is one of only five CHI competitions worldwide and the first and only equestrian event of its kind in the Middle East and Asia region.

The SOHOM group and ambassadors were in awe of the exceptional facilities and the magnificent Arabian horses of Al Shaqab.

07WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2020 HOME

One important issue to be stressed within the framework of Munich Security Report 2020 is a list on page 15 of the document of crisis areas to watch in 2020.

08 WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2020VIEWS

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFDR. KHALID BIN MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

editorinchief@pen.com.qa

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMED

m.salim@pen.com.qa

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED OSMAN ALI osman@pen.com.qa

EDITORIAL

DOHA is fast becoming the world capital of conferences and conventions. The latest global gathering of experts hosted by Qatar, the International Conference on “Social Media: Challenges and Ways to Promote Freedoms and Protect Activists”, brought together some 300 government and private organisations, human rights defenders, media workers, tech community and experts in the field. Over the course of two days, they discussed the impact of social media on the society and governments at large, and how to free up social media platforms and media activists from the shackles of control and muzzling from influential quarters with vested interests.

The conference made several recommendations, which if implemented in its true spirits and nature, can lead to path-breaking legislations across the world. The recommendations drew attention to cybercrime, hate speech, methods used to spread unwelcome concepts and the existence of unclear and vague laws in some countries that do not clearly understand the crime and some penalties inconsistent with those crimes.

The recommendations demanded that laws should define content, be transparent and with an option to evaluate the procedures periodically in consultation with all stakeholders. It also called on states to ensure that there are no restrictions on freedom of expression and the law should clarify that if the speech is an incitement to violence or inconsistent with the right to privacy, it should be penalised as it constitutes to a form of repression. It stressed the necessity of pro-moting human rights under the Paris Principles to ensure that the organisations concerned are not subject to threat, including activities on the Internet and proposed that social media companies implement the human rights law as a reference to protect the civil rights.

Now-a-days, whether it is Twitter or Facebook almost everybody makes a journey to the cyberworld several times on any given day. Figures of daily traffic pulled by social media sites are enough for anyone to realise the power of influence that social media commands over our daily life and how it influences our opinions. As social media is easily accessible, it can fast become a meeting point of similar ideas and views. It is easy to get one’s opinion about and opposition to anything -- whether it is government policies or social ills – across in lightning speed. Same is the case when it comes to spreading hatred or incitement to violence.

As it is a powerful double-edged sword, usage of social media needs great caution and self-control. It can be used by groups with vested interests, individual or governments to purge their critics or opponents. Hence, clearly defined legislations ensuring the rights of everybody and protection of social media activists is the need of the hour.

Advocating social media freedom

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Quote of the day

With business activity deferred and demand for

services reduced there is some impact on the

Chinese economy but it is limited, short term

and manageable.

Zhang Ming, China's EU envoy

German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaking during Munich Security Conference.

This year’s Munich Security Conference was held amid an atmosphere of deepening global geopolitical conflicts. This meeting carries vital importance for those who will be assessing global politics in the first quarter of the 21st century for decades to come, in terms of its dilemmas, and the actors who stood and did not stand together on certain issues. Rather than creating positive solutions aiming to solve problems, the conference demonstrated the depth of current global problems and further pointed at the possible future tensions that are likely to happen. When we look at it from this perspective, it would not be fair to say that the conference was futile. The biggest contri-bution of the event to interna-tional relations is, without doubt, the circulation of the concept of “Westlessness,” which was brought to the agenda as a result of the Munich Security Report 2020, prepared right before the conference. It is not easy to thor-oughly define this concept. For now, we can make do with “the isolation of the West,” and we can say that the essence of this concept alludes to deep disa-greements within the North Atlantic alliance.

One important issue to be stressed within the framework of Munich Security Report 2020 is a list on page 15 of the document of crisis areas to watch in 2020. For us, the most remarkable aspect of this 10-country list is that Syria is not on it. The simplest expla-nation is that Syria, with its grave problems and immigration issues, has now become a taboo. The report not mentioning the Syria crisis shows that the fate of the process has been left up to the deals with the US and Russia, rather than the international community. According to experts working for the Munich Security Conference and in light of Inter-national Crisis Group assess-ments, the following 10 countries need to be watched closely in 2020:

1. Afghanistan 2. Yemen 3. Ethiopia 4. Burkina Faso 5. Libya 6. The US, Iran, Israel, Iran Gulf Region 7. The US and North Korea 8. Kashmir 9. Venezuela 10. Ukraine

In the wake of the con-ference, Syria failing to make the list in spite of its high level of humanitarian and political crisis is food for thought. Let us now return to the Munich conference and the concept of “West-lessness,” which is expected to have a big impact on interna-tional relations from now on.

- Wide gap between US, EU weakened ‘Western world’

The concept of “West-lessness” questions the global role of the overbearing political and military structure embodied within the North Atlantic alliance - Nato, as we know today. The first explanation of the meaning of the concept came from German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in his speech at Munich. According to Steinmeier, the concept, which represents the global fall in Western influence, emerged as a result of two factors, including the direction of US President Trump’s policies after he took office. For Steinmeier, the Trump administration has moved the country further away from its peacemaking and peacekeeping role. This change of approach weakens the image and power of not only the US, but also the entire “Western world” on a global scale.

According to Steinmeier, the second factor resulting in the concept of Westlessness is that Europe is drowning in its own domestic problems. In addition, some other global problems seemingly out of the European framework are about to create issues for Europe, but it is safe to say that the old continent is not ready for this challenge. That the Western world, represented mainly by Europe, has lost its capacity to solve problems locally, globally, and especially in regions it once saw as its natural domain are seen as signs of the West’s decline. Steinmeier’s warning while explaining the concept was also quite important. The German pres-ident criticized the US pulling out of the agreement aimed at reining in Iran’s nuclear program, saying that we are going through an era where “international agreements are easily breached.” Stating that the UN’s importance declines every day, the German president said destructive dynamics are at hand in global politics. He warned that the infamous “Great Power Com-petition” is back.

It is useful to mention Stein-meier’s example together with the US “Peace Plan of the Century,” which seeks to overrule UN resolutions on Pal-estine, sowing further chaos in the region. That the German president said “international agreements are easily breached” reminds us of conditions before the two world wars.

While dealing with the concept of Westlessness, which indicates there is a huge gap between the US and Europe today, we need to ask the question “which West?” as observers from Turkey. What exactly does the “West” or the “Western world” mean? Appar-ently the US and Europe have two distinctly separate concepts of the West today. Who exactly is the West represented by Europe? Are we allowed to evaluate the

UK within this West? The UK’s complicated relationship with China sends the UK into further conflicts of interest. Therefore, having left the EU, does the UK constitute a third version of the West? If we bear in mind that the concept of Westlessness emerged in Germany, we can ask the fol-lowing: Is the idea that the West is in decline and has lost its global power merely a German delusion? Having lost its loco-motive power within the EU, is Germany projecting its own loss of power onto the entire Western world?

While seeking an answer to this last question, it is useful to think about the ruling German CDU’s alliance with the extreme right-wing AfD party in Thur-ingia, and the ensuing crisis. This crisis resulted in Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, whom Angela Merkel saw as her suc-cessor, announcing she would not seek the chancellorship in 2021. However, the crisis does not seem to end here. US Ambas-sador to Germany Richard Grenell said they would “reor-ganize right-wing politics in Germany” in May 2018, even before he presented his letter of credentials. We see that this pro-jection came true in recent years. Consequently, this situation shows that Berlin is trying to define itself and the entire Western world on a new axis. The current complicated situ-ation of France on a domestic and international scale under President Emanuel Macron also demonstrates that the issue is far too heavy for the current Western realpolitik to bear.

One answer for the concept of Westlessness, originating in Munich and detailed by Stein-meier, came from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on day two of the conference. Pompeo said that ideas about the decline of the West, alluded to by Stein-meier and Macron, do not reflect reality. In his speech, he said: “The West is winning, freedom and democracy are winning, we are all winning together.” He called claims that the transat-lantic alliance is dead “grossly over-exaggerated,” complaining that the US’ European partners are failing to capitalize on this alleged win. According to him, the three sources of anxiety for the Western world are Russia, Iran, and China, which laid bare the conflicts among the parties once again. Saying that the European countries should not be collaborating with Chinese Huawei in 5G technology, he said tech brands controlled by Beijing are Trojan horses, nothing more. Pompeo accused Russia of pitting Western allies against one another through dis-information operations, adding that Iran also disrupts stability in the Middle East through cyber-attacks.

Mehmet A. Kanci is a jour-nalist from Ankara focusing on Turkish foreign policy

The West discussed its existence in Munich

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Sidra Medicine wraps-up ISPCAN Qatar 2020 congress with focus onchild safety, violence against childrenTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, wrapped-up the Interna-tional Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) Qatar 2020 congress with a focus on child safety, domestic violence and violence against children.

ISPCAN was held in Qatar for the first time, and in alignment with the coun-try’s efforts to advance its child pro-tection efforts and end abuse and vio-lence against children. ISPCAN Qatar 2020 is organized by ISPCAN and Sidra Medicine’s Child Advocacy Program (S-CAP).

The last day of the congress featured opening keynote speech by Dr Bernard Gerbaka, describing current challenges of corporal punishment in the Arab world and discussing child protection issues in children with disabilities. Other sessions covered the art of interviewing children in suspected child abuse cases;

ways to discriminate accidental from non-accidental injuries and the evidence behind the classification of injuries.

The ISPCAN Qatar 2020 congress also featured a community message for Qatar, reaffirming the support and collaboration of key stakeholders from Sidra Medicine and its partners in child protection including stakeholders from the healthcare system, legal and police as well as some players from the Qatar National Football team – highlighting the need to work as a team to stop child abuse.

Professor Khalid Al Ansari, Chair of Emergency Medicine and founder of the Child Advocacy Program, Sidra Medicine, said, “The congress was a huge success with over 400 delegates from over 35 different countries coming together for this important cause. The turnout and the participation reflect the commitment of the local and global community to prevent and end Child Abuse and Neglect. I believe a key outcome of this year’s congress is the update on ways to

identify cases and intervene in the most appropriate manner.”

“The congress looked at practical solu-tions to combating child abuse and finding ways to implement these solutions within a family frame, taking into consideration religious and educational settings, psycho-logical support, as well as online safety measures for children,” he added. The con-gress sessions were led by paediatricians, social workers, psychologists, lawyers, mental health professionals, governmental policy-makers and agencies that work

toward the prevention and treatment of child abuse, neglect, and exploitation across the globe. Other key topics covered at the congress included the role of faith actors in protecting children; online and digital challenges in child safety and elec-tronic-based child sexual abuse prevention and mitigation; and vulnerable and hard to reach youth.

During the closing ceremony, par-ticipants issued the congress recommen-dations for an action plan against Child Abuse and Neglect including the critical

role of positive parenting as an alter-native to corporal punishment. Corporal punishment is harmful to the child with studies proving a rise in anxiety, psycho-social isolation, depression as well as sleep and eating disorders in children. ISPCAN Qatar 2020 key message was that positive parenting should be based on having realistic expectations and setting consistent rules and responsibil-ities and that it can be applied through active learning that will result in a high degree of empathy.

The ISPCAN Qatar 2020 congress organisers and speakers.

Abdulla Al Mushaifri is the Qatar National Award

winner at Sony World Photography Awards 2020

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The World Photography Organisation and Sony Middle East & Africa has announced Abdulla Al Mushaifri as the Qatar National Award winner for the Sony World Photography Awards 2020.

The National Awards program is an initiative set up by the World Photog-raphy Organisation and Sony to support local photographic communities across 63 countries/regions from around the world. The program awards one pho-tographer from each nation for a stan-dalone image, and presents them with the opportunity to showcase their work to a global audience at the renowned Sony World Photography Awards 2020 exhibition at Somerset House, London from April 17 to May 4.

Abdulla Al Mushaifri was anonymously selected by judges for the photograph Silma (pictured), entered into the Portraiture cat-egory of the open competition. This is a por-trait photo of a young girl from Oman, wearing her traditional costume.

Speaking about his success as the Qatar National Award winner Abdulla said; “First of all I want to thank Sony for organising this contest. Winning the Sony World Photography Award in 2018 was a game changer for me. I attended the award ceremony in London and had the opportunity to see the great entries from all over the world. I gained a lot of knowledge and could improve my

understanding of photography. I became more focused on taking great images and pushed my limits to repeat my success. As the first Arab to win the Sony World Photography Award for the second time, I feel very proud of my achievement. I would like to thank Sony for making my dream coming true.”

Over 345,000 images were sub-mitted to the Sony World Photography Awards 2020 competition and over 190,000 entered the open competition (from which the National Awards winner was selected) – the highest number of entries to date. As the National Award winner, Abdulla Al Mushaifri will receive Sony Alpha ILCE-7M3K camera ( A7M3 Body + 28-70mm Zoom Lens - SEL2870).

Ooredoo renews sponsorship of Silver Sword RaceTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Ooredoo said yesterday that it would renew sponsorship of the Silver Sword Race at the upcoming Amir Sword Festival. The Championship, set to be held from February 20 to 22 at the Racing and Equestrian Club, Al Rayyan, is one of the most pres-tigious horse-racing tournaments in the region, attracting the most elite horses from stables around the world. The Silver Sword race will take place on the third day of the tournament.

Speaking of the auspicious

event, Waleed Al Sayed, CEO, Ooredoo Qatar, said: “We are committed to supporting events and activities that preserve Qatari culture and heritage, in line with our corporate social responsi-bility strategy, and we are proud to sponsor this race to be held on the Silver Sword of H H the Amir. This prominent event highlights Qatar’s history and identity, and its well-deserved reputation for hosting and we look forward to enjoying some amazing horse-manship and some memorable races.”

Qatar Race and Equestrian

Club Chief Executive Officer, Nasser bin Sherida Al Kaabi said: “The Amir Sword Festival is a wonderful opportunity to confirm the importance of horse racing in Qatar, with the presence of international par-ticipation from outside Qatar as a result of the reputation of this rapidly developing festival. Having Ooredoo among the sponsors of the festival con-tributes to the success of the event, and we at the Race and Equestrian Club are proud that Ooredoo is a partner with us in sponsoring the Silver Sword

race. This race – one of the most prominent in the festival - is dedicated to the purebred Arabian horse, a breed for which Qatar is well known for its interest. Many high-profile horsemen and trainers partic-ipate in the festival, contributing to the Club’s vision of positioning the country as a global centre for equestrian events. Our part-nership with Ooredoo will create more opportunities for cooper-ation and collaboration, with the aim of continuing to shine the international spotlight on Qatar and Arabian horses.” Officials during the event.

Inter-Continental Hotels Group Qatar donates QR10,000 to Qatar Cancer SocietyTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Inter-Continental Hotels Group (IHG) namely Inter-Continental Doha Hotel & Residences, InterContinental Doha The City, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn The Business Park, Crowne Plaza West Bay, and Staybridge Suites Doha Lusail hosted the annual InterConti-nental Doha Open tournament on November 15 and 16, 2019 at the Doha Golf Club.

This annual event was concluded with an auction and a gala dinner on November 16 and an impressive amount of QR10,000 was raised for Qatar’s leading Cancer Awareness organisation, Qatar Cancer Society.

“This year and as part of our ‘responsible business’ strategic vision, we continued with our charity auction on the awards night of the Inter-Con-tinental Doha Open, where we suc-cessfully raised QR10,000 for Qatar Cancer Society. They are one of the leading humanitarian organisations in Qatar which pledges to work towards increasing public awareness about cancer and cancer prevention”, said Elie Saliba, Resident Manager at Inter-Continental Doha Hotel & Res-idences during the cheque presentation.

Saliba, on behalf of IHG Qatar,

proudly presented the cheque to Zakariya Karazoun, Head of Business Development and Ammar Mashhadani, Public Relations Coordinator from Qatar Cancer Society at the Inter-Con-tinental Doha Hotel & Residences on January 27, 2020.

Zakariya showed their gratitude for IHG’s initiative by presenting a Plaque of Appreciation to Inter-Con-tinental Doha Hotel & Residences and to the major sponsor of the

Inter-Continental Doha Open, Brand Expressions.

To support and contribute towards local charities is key. As we know, every amount is a big help to our local charities. Qatar Cancer Society’s main goal is to increase public awareness about cancer whilst continuously striving to find cures and preventive measures to eradicate the disease. Every effort made can make a difference.

Officials handing over the cheque to Qatar Cancer Society at the Inter-Continental Doha Hotel & Residences.

Call for enhanced coordination between CSOs to protect digital rightsIRFAN BUKHARI THE PENINSULA

Nighat Dad, Executive Director of Digital Rights Foundation, has said that social media conference in Doha discussed different challenges around social media, Internet and digital spaces with openness.

“The conference was good in a way that it happened in Qatar. There was openness in discussing different chal-lenges around social media, Internet and digital spaces. There were experts from all over the world and also from the region from governments to cor-porations as well as social media experts, human rights activists and journalists,” she said while talking to The Peninsula on the conclusion of International Conference on ‘Social Media: Challenges and Ways to Promote Freedoms and Protect Activists’ which was held on February 16-17 in Doha.

Dad is Executive Director of Digital Rights Foundation, working in Pakistan, on cyber harassment, data protection, and free speech online. She has bagged an array of prestigious awards along the way, including the Human Rights Tulip Award in 2016. She was nomi-nated as Young Global Leader by World

Economic Forum in 2018 and recently was among the 21 Young Leaders from Asia by Asia Society.

On digital rights and free speech online, she said that most countries in the Global South were still grappling with the idea of human rights, and ensuring those vital rights. “These countries are often the ones where we see the most violations of digital rights, as these rights are still seen as wholly separate from human rights.”

She thinks that having umbrella policies at international level while keeping in mind only Global North will

prove problematic and will bring the issue back full circle.

She said that growing nationalism and populism was a global trend devel-oping in offline environment and was also being translated into online envi-ronment. “Social media activists and journalists who exercise free speech and share information or opinions are facing massive resistance online from such forces.”

She said that blocking Internet was blocking many fundamental human rights like right to access to information,

right to freedom of expression. “The governments blocking Internet should be held accountable internationally and local activists should also generate evi-dence to take the authorities to the courts of law to win their rights.”

Talking on the laws to regulate social media content, she said that the Global South also suffered from the habit of copying laws made in the West. “Often times we see progressive laws being passed in Western countries, and soon after, developing countries begin to follow their footsteps, in the name of development and progress. This incessant need to play ‘catch up’ often misses the mark and leads to more issues than solutions.”

Some governments, she says, in our part of the world are working or have already enacted problematic regula-tions around online harm or dealing with hate speech or fake news.

“These rules were inspired by an approach taken by Western countries towards social media companies to control content and hate speech. However, the digital landscape in coun-tries like Pakistan and many others is too young to deal with such legislation. Moreover, such laws would impede freedom of speech, and dampen the growth of developing digital economy,

rather than strengthen it.”Dad added: “EU and UN also need

to think how they can intervene when governments around the world violate international agreements and treaties that they have signed and ratified like International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”

She emphasised on enhanced coor-dination between civil society organi-sations (CSOs) to protect digital rights. “We need to think about civil society organisations, at a country level, regional level and the international level. If we are to look at the global CSO ecosystem, there is very little engagement across organisations addressing the issues around digital rights and its violations.”

She said that in an attempt to protect online civil liberties and the cre-ation of equal and open online spaces, it is also crucial that CSOs engage with one another. “Now is the time that CSOs from across the region sit together, identify similar issues in similar cul-tural contexts, and figure out solutions that are specific to their regions.”

She further said that women led digital right organisations need to be supported and funded to help realise the dream of a safer, more inclusive online world.

Nighat Dad, Executive Director, Digital Rights Foundation, Islamabad, Pakistan. PIC: SALIM MATRAMKOT/THE PENINSULA

“We need to think about civil society organisations, at a country level, regional level and the international level. If we are to look at the global CSO ecosystem, there is very little engagement across organisations addressing the issues around digital rights and its violations.”

Fog blankets base of Kuwait Towers

Iraqis protest against govt

10 WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2020GULF / MIDDLE EAST

Fog covers the base of the Kuwait Towers, in the capital Kuwait City, yesterday.

AFP — GENEVA

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights yesterday called for the creation of humanitarian corridors in northwestern Syria, expressing horror at a Russian-backed regime offensive in the area.

Syrian troops are continuing an assault on the country’s last major rebel enclave that has stoked fears of a humani-tarian catastrophe as civilians flee.

“No shelter is now safe. And as the government offensive continues and people are forced into smaller and smaller pockets, I fear even more people will be killed,” Michelle Bachelet was quoted as saying in a statement.

The statement said Bachelet was “horrified” by the unfolding humanitarian crisis.

“How can anyone justify carrying out such indiscriminate and inhumane attacks?” Bachelet said.

The United Nations estimates that the offensive in the Idlib region has displaced about 900,000 people since the start of December. The area, including parts of neighbouring Aleppo province, is home to some three million people, half of them already displaced from other parts of the country.

Bachelet called on all parties to open humanitarian cor-ridors for the safe passage of civilians, many of whom are stranded in rebel-held areas.

Government air strikes have hit hospitals and refugee camps in northwest Syria and killed about 300 civilians as President Bashar Al Assad's forces press an assault against the last rebel stronghold, he said.

Turkey restarts joint patrols with Russia amid Idlib tensionsREUTERS — MOSCOW

Turkey has restarted joint patrols with the Russian military in northeast Syria after a two-week hiatus, Russia said late on Monday, as a Syrian government offensive in the Idlib region continued to strain Moscow’s ties with Ankara.

Turkey and Russia have

jointly patrolled Syrian territory near the Turkish border since October. But Turkish forces had not shown up since February 3, the Interfax news agency cited a Russian defence ministry official as saying.

A Turkish security source said on February 7 that Ankara’s joint patrols with Moscow had been postponed because of

weather conditions. Their sus-pension coincided with rising tensions between the two coun-tries over Idlib.

Russia-backed Syrian gov-ernment forces have mounted an offensive on Syria’s last mil-itant stronghold in Idlib near the Turkish border, forcing thousands of civilians to flee.

“The latest joint Russian-Turkish patrol took place...”, Russia’s Defence Ministry said in a statement without elabo-rating. A Turkish delegation was in Moscow for a second day of talks as the two countries tried to reconcile their differ-ences over Idlib.

Meanwhile, Syrian troops pressed an offensive yesterday on the country's last major rebel enclave where the mass dis-placement of civilians is sparking fears of a humani-tarian catastrophe.

Around 900,000 people have been forced from their homes and shelters in less than three months, leaving huge numbers to sleep rough in the thick of winter.

The United Nations said that half a million among them were children, some of whom have died of exposure in snow-covered camps.

The UN has warned that the crisis could worsen if no ceasefire is reached to facilitate the relief effort.

"Over the past four days alone, some 43,000 newly dis-placed people have fled western Aleppo where fighting has been particularly fierce," UN spokesman David Swanson said.

A Syrian army tank at the M5 highway connecting Aleppo to Damascus, yesterday. In recent days, Syrian troops and allied forces backed by Russia have stepped up their offensive against fighters and their rebel allies in Idlib and the neighbouring province of Aleppo.

UN rights chief urges Syria humanitarian corridors

Netanyahu corruption trial to begin in MarchAP — OCCUPIED JERUSALEM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial will begin on March 17, an Israeli court said yesterday.

Netanyahu is charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust under a number of cases in which he is alleged to have accepted lavish gifts from bil-lionaire friends and exchanged regulatory favours for more positive media coverage.

In a brief statement, the court said Netanyahu is expected to attend the initial hearing.

Israel will hold its third national elections in less than a year on March 2.

Israel’s opposition leader Benny Gantz says he will work to mend ties with America’s Democratic Party if he wins national elections next month.

The former army chief of staff accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of neglecting bipartisan ties in favor of exclusive support from President Donald Trump’s Republican Party.

With the country now in its third national election in under 12 months, Netanyahu has heavily emphasised his rela-tionship with Trump in the past year of electioneering and has been accused of alienating Democrats in the process. Both Gantz and Netanyahu have called for bipartisan support for Israel in the United States.

Gantz, who leads the Blue and White party, said on Monday that it was “very important that we will emphasise the importance of bipartisan relationship between Israel and the United States.”

Gantz, who recently met Trump at the White House, wel-comed the president’s strong support for Israel.

“But we don’t care if the American president is a Repub-lican or Democrat,” Gantz added. “If he is a good president for the United States,” then that person would be a “good pres-ident for the state of Israel as well.”

Gantz and his running mate Yair Lapid addressed a crowd of around 1,000 mostly English speakers at an event late on Monday in Tel Aviv. Lapid said that Israel faces the task of a “rehabilitation” of ties with the Democrats and with American Jewry in general. The American Jewish community votes over-whelmingly Democrat.

Gantz is trying to unseat Netanyahu in the March 2 vote — after two elections in 2019 failed to yield a conclusive result. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest serving prime minister, seeks reelection while facing indictments on corruption charges. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Pre-election polls indicate that neither Gantz nor Netanyahu has a clear path to a parliamentary majority.

Kuwait reaffirms support to Albania

QNA — BRUSSELS

Kuwait has underlined its firm support and assistance to Albania in the reconstruction efforts after the earthquake that struck the Balkan country last November.

“The State of Kuwait is fully prepared and committed to providing additional aid to the Albanian government,” Kuwait’s Ambassador to Belgium EU and Nato, Jassem Al Budaiwi, told the Interna-tional Donors’ Conference on Albania, which concluded in Brussels.

“I also wish to express the affirmation of the State of Kuwait that officials in the friendly country of Albania can and will overcome the effects of this natural disaster and that they can count on Kuwait’s assistance in this regard,” he said. Al Budaiwi noted that Kuwait previously provided a loan to Albania to finance the costs of the project to rehabil-itate the ‘Vlora River’ Road at the amount of $40.8m.

Muscat International Book Fair from Saturday

QNA — MUSCAT

The 25th round of Muscat International Book Fair will kick off from February 22 to March 2. Omani Minister of Information Dr. Abdulmonam bin Mansoor Al Hasani said that the personality of the late Sultan Qaboos will be the focal topic of the cultural program of this year’s edition of the Book Fair whose theme will evolve around the philosophy of Omani Renaissance set to track by the late Sultan Qaboos.

A keynote signature of the inaugural ceremony will be the launch of “Oman Across Ages” encyclopedia, which explores Omani history, right from pre-historic epochs till the modern age, said the Minister of Infor-mation, noting that this ency-clopedia is considered a great addition that will benefit researchers, historians and other people interested in the Omani history. As many as 946 publishing houses will partic-ipate in the Book Fair, an increase of 64 over last year’s round, in addition to an extra 184 pavilions.

Iran supreme leader says voting is ‘religious duty’AFP — TEHRAN

Iran’s supreme leader said yesterday it is a “religious duty” for people to vote in this week’s general election and strengthen the Islamic republic against the “propaganda” of its enemies.

“Participating in elections and voting... is a religious duty, not just a national or revolu-tionary duty,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a speech, parts of which were aired on state television.

“Elections nullify many of the vicious plots the Americans have in their minds and Zionists have in their hearts against the country,” he said, referring to

US ally Israel. Iranians are set to elect a new parliament on Friday, with conservatives expected to make a resurgence.

Observers expect a low turnout as many reformist and moderate candidates have been barred from running by the Guardian Council. The council, made up of six clerics appointed by the supreme leader and six lawyers selected by the judi-ciary, disqualified more than half of the 14,444 hopefuls.

The move threatens the thin majority of President Hassan Rouhani’s alliance in par-liament. Friday’s election comes after months of domestic turmoil and steeply escalating

tensions between Iran and its arch enemy the United States.

In November, nationwide demonstrations over petrol price hikes turned violent before being crushed in a deadly crackdown. Tensions with Washington have risen since 2018 when US President Donald Trump withdrew from a landmark nuclear agreement and reimposed crippling sanctions.

But they have never come as close to a direct confron-tation as in the past seven months, when it has happened twice, most recently after the US killed prominent Iranian general Qasem Soleimani on January 3. Iran hit back on

January 8 by firing a barrage of missiles at US troops in Iraq.

It had been on high alert for US retaliation that day when they shot down a Ukrainian air-liner in Tehran, killing all 176 people on board.

The downing of the Boeing 737, which the armed forces later admitted was accidental, sparked more protests that turned political. Khamenei said the election would show that Iran’s enemies had failed to divide the nation. “Watch how the people favour the election despite the enemies’ insistence on distancing the people from the system,” the supreme leader said.

Iraqi students taking part in an anti-government march calling for an overhaul of the political system, in the southern city of Nasiriyah, yesterday.

Turkish court acquits 9 activists of terror charges

AP — ISTANBUL

A court in Istanbul yesterday acquitted nine leading Turkish civil society activists of terrorism-related charges in relation to anti-government protests, including philan-thropist Osman Kavala.

The 16 defendants were accused of organising anti-government protests in an attempt to overthrow the gov-ernment in 2013. The court ruled that Kavala, the sole defendant still in jail, should be freed.

The trial against seven other defendants, some of who escaped overseas, will con-tinue. The protests began to protect a small park in central Istanbul from being rede-veloped as an Ottoman-style shopping mall but grew into a wider protest movement across Turkey.

The trial took place yes-terday in a courthouse near the Silivri maximum security prison campus on the outskirts of Istanbul. Rights groups, law-makers and hundreds of sup-porters arrived to observe the trial. The prosecutor had been seeking a life sentence in sol-itary confinement without parole for Kavala, architect Mucella Yapici and Yigit Aksa-koglu, who works on early childhood development and spent 221 days in pretrial detention.

Houthis: Death toll from strikes at 35, mostly kidsAP — SANA'A

At least three dozen people, including 26 children and six women, were killed in airstrikes by coalition forces in Yemen over the weekend, Yemen’s Houthi rebels said, raising the death toll.

The Iranian-backed rebels have said the Saudi-led coalition carried out retaliatory airstrikes early on Saturday in the moun-tainous northern province of Jawf, after their fighters shot down a coalition warplane there the previous day.

The coalition said it was investigating “possible collateral damage” following an operation to rescue the Tornado fighter jet’s two-man crew. It said that the whereabouts of the two pilots remains unknown.

The Saudi-led coalition of mostly Arab states has been fighting the rebels since early 2015, wehn it intervened to restore the col-lapsing authority of the internationally recognised government headed by Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi.

A statement by the Houthi-run health ministry on Monday said the airstrikes hit civilian houses in Al Maslub district.

Tuesday protests continue in Algeria

11WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2020 AFRICA

Haftar’s forces strike Tripoli port in new escalationAGENCIES — TRIPOLI/GENEVA

Eastern Libyan forces attacked the sea port of Libya’s capital yesterday as they targeted a Turkish vessel, an eastern official said, marking a new escalation in the battle for control of Tripoli.

Eastern officials did not provide details about the alleged shipment at the port, which has remained open for food and other imports as rival factions battle for control of the capital.

The eastern-based Libya National Army (LNA) faction, led by Khalifa Haftar, started a campaign in April last year to take the city, which is seat of the internationally recognised government also backed by Turkey. Authorities moved all ships including fuel tankers out of the port after Tuesday’s attack, two port officials said. The Tripoli forces said the LNA had fired four missiles.

Since January, Turkey has sent several ships carrying arms and heavy trucks to Tripoli and Misrata, another western port, diplomats say. The LNA, which is allied to a parallel gov-ernment in the east, supported by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan and Russian mer-cenaries. Eastern ports and air-ports are out of range of the Tripoli forces.

Yesterday's attack hap-pened as the warring sides resumed UN-brokered talks in Geneva aimed at salvaging a fragile cease-fire in the North African country, the UN said, even as eastern Libyan forces stepped up their attacks on the Libyan capital, hitting its port.

It appeared to be the first such attack on Tripoli’s strategic port since Libyan forces loyal to military commander Khalifa Haftar began their siege of the city almost a year ago.

The UN envoy called the port attack a “big breach” of the cease-fire.

Footage shared online show thick black smoke rising from the dock areas of Tripoli, sup-posedly from the shelling.

The current cease-fire was brokered by Russia and Turkey on January 12. But both sides have repeatedly violated the truce, which was supposed to deescalate the fight for control of the Libyan capital.

“We hope to be able in this second round to come to some kind of consensus about what a lasting cease-fire could look like in Libya,” Ghassan Salame, head of the UN Libya mission, told reporters in Geneva.

A UN-supported but weak administration, led by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, holds only a shrinking area of western Libya, including the capital. It’s been fending off an offensive since last April by forces loyal to Gen. Khalifa Haftar. The mil-itary commander is allied with a rival government that controls

much of Libya’s east and south, including key oil fields and export terminals.

The UN support mission in Libya said five military repre-sentatives from each side have met indirectly yesterday in Geneva, more than a week after they ended their first round of negotiations without striking a deal that would help end the fighting in Tripoli.

Salame said the talks would focus on stopping “the frequent violations of the truce,” as well as helping civilians displaced by the fighting return to the capital and its surrounding area.

In the previous round of talks, the U.N. mission said there was “broad consensus” between the two sides on “the urgency for Libyans to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of the country, and to “stop the flow of non-Libyan fighters and send them out of the country.”

Powerful tribes loyal to the eastern the commander Haftar have also largely stopped the country’s oil production, after they seized last month several large oil export terminals along Libya’s eastern coast as well as its southern oil fields.

The country’s National Oil

Corporation, which dominates Libya’s critical oil industry and is based in Tripoli, said losses from the oil closures have reached more than $1.6 billion as of Monday.

The daily oil production has since the closure fallen to 135,745 barrels a day from about 1.2 million. It put the daily losses at close to $59 million.

Libya has the ninth largest known oil reserves in the world and the biggest oil reserves in Africa.

The corporation reiterated its warning that the blockade is quickly depleting fuel that sup-plies Libyan power stations.

The Geneva talks come amid intensified diplomacy

among world powers seeking to end the conflict that has ravaged Libya for nine years and increasingly drawn in foreign powers.

European Union foreign ministers agreed Monday to launch a new maritime effort focused on enforcing the U.N arms embargo around the North African country.

Libya has been in turmoil since 2011, when a civil war toppled long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was later killed.

The fighting for Tripoli has taken a heavy toll on migrants and refugees sheltering in detention centers in the capital. Libya is a major way station for

those fleeing poverty and con-flict in Africa and seeking to cross the Mediterranean into Europe. The Libyan coast guard intercepted more than 300 migrants off Libya’s coast and returned them on Monday to the capital where they ended up in an overcrowded detention center, the U.N. migration agency said.

Human rights groups have criticized the migrant facilities in Libya, saying they are rife with abuses and dangerous conditions. The International Organization for Migration said Tuesday more than 1,500 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya so far this year.

Smoke rises after warlord Khalifa Haftar’s forces launched an attack on a port near the Martyrs’ Square, where celebrations marking the 9th anniversary of February 17 revolution are held, in eastern Tripoli, Libya, yesterday.

Huge locust outbreak in East Africa reaches South SudanAP — JUBA

The worst locust outbreak that parts of East Africa have seen in 70 years has reached South Sudan, a country where roughly half the population already faces hunger after years of civil war, officials announced yesterday.

Around 2,000 locusts were spotted inside the country, Agri-culture Minister Onyoti Adigo told reporters. Authorities will try to control the outbreak, he added.

The locusts have been seen in Eastern Equatoria state near the borders with Ethiopia,

Kenya and Uganda. All have been affected by the outbreak that has been influenced by the changing climate in the region.

The situation in those three countries “remains extremely alarming,” the UN Food and Agriculture Organization said in its latest Locust Watch update on Monday. Locusts also have reached Sudan, Eritrea, Tan-zania and more recently Uganda.

The soil in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria has a sandy nature that allows the locusts to lay eggs easily, said Meshack Malo, country rep-

resentative with the FAO.At this stage “if we are not

able to deal with them... it will be a problem,” he said.

South Sudan is even less prepared than other countries in the region for a locust out-break, and its people are arguably more vulnerable. More than 5 million people are severely food insecure, the U.N. humanitarian office says in its latest assessment, and some 860,000 children are malnourished.

Five years of civil war shattered South Sudan’s economy, and lingering inse-curity since a 2018 peace deal

continues to endanger human-itarians trying to distribute aid. Another local aid worker was shot and killed last week, the UN said.

The locusts have traveled across the region in swarms the size of major cities. Experts say their only effective control is aerial spraying with pesti-cides, but UN and local authorities have said more air-craft and pesticides are required. A handful of planes have been active in Kenya and Ethiopia.

The UN has said $76 million is needed immediately. On Tuesday, US Secretary of State

Mike Pompeo during a visit to Ethiopia said the US would donate another $8m to the effort. That follows an earlier $800,000.

The number of overall locusts could grow up to 500 times by June, when drier weather begins, experts have said. Until then, the fear is that more rains in the coming weeks will bring fresh vegetation to feed a new generation of the voracious insects.

South Sudanese ministers called for a collective regional response to the outbreak that threatens to devastate crops and pasturage.

Yesterday’s attack happened as the warring sides resumed UN-brokered talks in Geneva aimed at salvaging a fragile ceasefire in the North African country. It appeared to be the first such attack on Tripoli’s strategic port since Libyan forces loyal to military commander Khalifa Haftar began their siege of the city almost a year ago.

CAR: 12 killed in clash with UN troopsAFP — BANGUI

Twelve members of an armed group died in a clash with UN peacekeepers and government troops in northeastern Central African Republic (CAR), the authorities said yesterday.

The fighting erupted on Sunday after the Popular Front for the Rebirth of Central Africa (FPRC) entered the flashpoint town of Birao before being repelled, government spokesman Ange-Maxime Kazagui said in a statement.

“The toll is 12 dead on the FPRC’s side,” he said.

The UN force MINUSCA, in a statement, said “heavily armed” FPRC fighters entered the town before being pushed back.

The FPRC is one of the largest armed groups in the CAR, a land-locked impover-ished country where militia groups control most of the ter-ritory, often fighting for control over resources.

The FPRC took over the crossroads town of Birao in 2014, giving it control over the lucrative tax of goods from neighbouring Sudan.

Violence erupted in July between the FPRC and the Movement of Central African Liberators for Justice (MLCJ), which is mainly drawn from the Kara ethnic group. The MLCJ currently has control of the town but outbreaks of fighting remain frequent.

Kazagui, in his statement, said the FPRC had entered Birao from three directions, apparently threatening a site for displaced people and an army base.

Last Thursday, MINUSCA asked France to send war-planes over Birao to dissuade the FPRC from mounting an attack, the UN force’s spokesman, Vladimir Mon-teiro, said on Saturday.

Both militias are among the signatories of a February 2019 peace agreement between the government and armed groups.

Thousands of people have been killed and nearly a quarter of CAR’s population of 4.7 million have been dis-placed by conflict since 2013.

The former French colony is bracing for presidential elec-tions in December.

Stampede toll at refugee camp in Niger reaches 20AP — NIAMEY, NIGER

A local official says at least 20 people died in a stampede in Niger as they were being given food and goods at a refugee camp. Diffa governor Issa Lamine said 15 women and five children were killed and 16 others were injured on Monday at the camp in the southeast for people who fled unrest in neighboring Nigeria. Those who hadn’t received food on Sunday stampeded early Monday at the distribution center, Lamine said. Boko Haram’s decade-long insur-gency in northeastern Nigeria has killed tens of thousands and forced many more from their homes. An offshoot affiliated with the Islamic State group also carries out attacks. And bandits also carry out deadly attacks in parts of northern Nigeria.

13 Al Shabaab militants killed in Somalia

ANATOLIA — MOGADISHU

At least 13 militants of Somali-based Al Qaeda affiliated group Al Shabaab were killed, and several others wounded in a military operation against the group in lower Shabelle region on Monday, an official said. Somalia’s specially-trained forces known as Danab conducted a military operation at al-Shabaab facilities near the town of Leego, located in the northwest of the capital Mogadishu, according to Somali military radio. Ismail Abdimalik Malin, a senior military commander in the region said, “Our specially-trained units from Danab had conducted an operation against terrorist group al-Shabaab that killed 13 militants and wounded several others.” Our aim was to target the militants and kill its commanders and at this time the operation was quick and devastating, he added.

Nigeria military burns homes of ‘pirates’AFP — WARRI, NIGERIA

Nigerian soldiers torched more than 20 homes in a community in the oil-rich Niger Delta after “suspected pirates” killed six people, security sources and residents said yesterday. Gunmen on Sunday attacked a gunboat escorting a vessel in the volatile waters off the Nigerian coast, a Nigerian security source said. “During the ensuing gun battle, four of the soldiers and two civilians on board the vessel were killed,” the source said. Security forces launched a manhunt for the assailants focused on the nearby community of Lutugbene in the wake of the attack. “Soldiers stationed at the Beneside Flow station on Monday afternoon invaded Lutugbene community claiming to be on the manhunt for suspected sea pirates that attacked their boat,” community leader Austin Ozobo said.

“The soldiers ended up burning a minimum of 21 houses.”

Algerian security forces encircle an anti-government demonstration by students and other protesters in the capital Algiers, yesterday. Anti-government protesters were back on the street for the 56th consecutive Tuesday, ahead of the first anniversary of the “Hirak”, a months-long unprecedented reform movement calling for ending a system in place since the country’s independence from France in 1962.

UN demands independent probe of Cameroon deaths

AFP — GENEVA

The United Nations called on Cameroon yesterday to conduct an independent investigation into the “shocking” killing of 23 villagers in a troubled English-speaking region and ensure the perpetrators be held accountable.

Citing information from colleagues on the ground, the UN rights office said two pregnant women and 15 children, nine of them aged

under five, were among those killed. The incident on Friday took place in a region where armed separatists are cam-paigning for independence from the rest of Cameroon, w h i c h i s m a j o r i t y French-speaking.

More than 3,000 people have died and at least 700,000 have fled their homes in the nearly 29-month-old conflict. Rights watchdogs say they have documented killings of civilians and other abuses by the armed

forces as well as by separatists.

“We urge the authorities to ensure that the investigation is independent, impartial and thorough, and that those responsible are held fully to account,” the High Commis-sioner for Human Rights said in a statement.

The UN had previously put the toll from Friday’s attack at up to 22, but Tuesday’s statement said 23 people had died in the “shocking episode”.

12 WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2020ASIA

WHO urges calm as China virus death toll nears 1,900AFP — BEIJING

The death toll from the new coro-navirus outbreak rose again yesterday but Chinese and inter-national health officials sought to calm global nerves, citing a study showing most cases are mild and warning against excessive measures to contain the epidemic.

Nearly 1,900 people have now died and more than 72,000 people have been infected by the virus in China, with hundreds more cases in some 25 countries.

The outbreak is threatening to put a dent in the global economy. Several countries have banned travellers from China and major airlines have suspended flights.

The World Health Organi-sation, which has previously said travel restrictions were unnec-essary, rejected the suggestion that all cruises should be halted after hundreds of passengers were infected on one vessel off Japan.

“Measures should be taken proportional to the situation. Blanket measures may not help,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom

Ghebreyesus told reporters in Geneva.

The WHO has praised China for taking drastic measures to contain the virus.

Authorities have placed about 56 million people in hard-hit central Hubei under an unprec-edented lockdown.

Other cities far from the epi-centre have restricted the move-ments of residents, while Beijing ordered people arriving in the capital to undergo a 14-day self-quarantine.

The official death toll in China

hit 1,868 yesterday after another 98 people died, most in Hubei and its capital Wuhan, where the virus emerged in December.

There were nearly 1,900 new cases — a drop from the previous day. Reported new infections have been falling in the rest of the country for the past two weeks.

Tedros warned that it was too early to tell if the decline would continue. The situation remains dire at the epicentre, with the director of a Wuhan hospital dying yesterday — the seventh medical worker to succumb to the COVID-19 illness.

But a study among 72,000 confirmed, suspected and clini-cally diagnosed cases showed that 81 percent of patients had only mild infections.

Those most at risk were the elderly, and people with under-lying medical conditions.

The study released by China’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention also showed that the death rate stood at 2.3 percent, falling below one percent for people in their 30s and 40s.

Zhong Nanshan, a prominent expert with China’s National Health Commission, told reporters that 85 percent of

patients can improve “if they have good life support, treatment conditions, and nutrients”.

The research was cited by WHO officials, who said the COVID-19 illness was “less deadly” than its cousins, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syn-drome (SARS) or Middle East Res-piratory Syndrome (MERS).

“This is a very serious out-break and it has the potential to grow, but we need to balance that

in terms of the number of people infected,” said Michael Ryan, head of WHO’s health emer-gencies programme.

“Outside Hubei this epidemic is affecting a very, very tiny, tiny proportion of people.” There have been some 900 cases around the world, with only five deaths outside the mainland – in France, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Another 88 people tested

positive for the virus on the quar-antined Diamond Prince cruise ship off Yokohama in Japan, raising the number of infections to 542,

Since the US repatriated more than 300 American pas-sengers on Monday, Britain became the latest country to offer its citizens a way off the boat, after similar plans by Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and South Korea.

Residents emerge from a disinfection channel set up as a protective measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus in Tongzhou, east of Beijing, China, yesterday.

Residents wearing protective face masks walk up stairs in a street in Kathmandu, Nepal, yesterday. The COVID-19 virus, which is believed to have originated in China, has spread to more than 72,000 people.

Prevention is better than cure

Going to India: Trump set to open world’s biggest cricket stadiumREUTERS — AHMEDABAD

US President Donald Trump will inaugurate the world’s largest cricket stadium when he arrives in Ahmedabad, the home base of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday at the start of a two-day visit aimed at smoothing ties strained by trade disputes.

Making his first official trip to the world’s largest democracy, Trump is also expected to visit the humble abode of India’s independence hero Mahatma Gandhi in Ahmedabad.

If his Indian hosts can help it, Trump probably won’t see a slum as they’ve ordered for a 400-metre wall to be built along his route to block the view of where poor people live.

Authorities in Ahmedabad expect to spend around $11-12m on preparations for the visit by the American president that is likely to last around three hours, two government officials with direct knowledge of the plans said.

The sum is equivalent to equivalent to about 1.5 percent of the annual budget for the home ministry in Gujarat.

Security-related costs, with more than 12,000 police officers expected to be deployed, will account for almost half the expense, said the officials, who declined to be named as they are not authorised to speak publicly about the visit.

Ahmedabad municipal commissioner Vijay Nehra, the city’s top civic official, said that authorities had already spent around $4.2m on widening roads and improving infra-structure around the new cricket stadium.

With capacity for 110,000 spectators, the Motera Stadium will dislodge the Melbourne Cricket Ground as the world’s largest cricket stadium.

“Eighteen roads of about 20km in length from Ahmedabad Airport to Motera Stadium have been widened or re-laid,” Nehra said, adding that the improvements had been planned before Trump’s visit was confirmed.

A further $840,000 will go on “beautification” of the city, said Nehra, including erecting the wall to spare Trump’s view.

Ashok Brahmbhatt, sec-retary of Gujarat Cricket Asso-ciation, which owns the Motera Stadium set to be opened by Trump, said it would also spend tens of millions of rupees during the event.

Nehra tweeted on Sunday that more than 100,000 partic-ipants had registered so far to greet Trump as he heads from the airport to the city centre. Trump said last week Modi had promised “millions and millions” of people would line his route.

Trump may also visit the famous Taj Mahal monument in the city of Agra, and all leave for police officers in that city has been canceled, according to a document.

Three in Hyderabad get UIDAI notices to prove citizenshipIANS — HYDERABAD

In what could further add to the fears over National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC), at least three residents of the city have received a notice from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to prove their citizenship.

Three persons, all Muslims and residents of the old city of Hyderabad, have been asked to appear before the inquiry officer on tomorrow along with necessary documents in original to prove their citizenship.

Auto-rickshaw driver Mohammed Sattar Khan is among those issued notices by the UIDAI.

As they have been asked to appear at a function hall, it

triggered speculations that a significant number of people may have received the notices.

Khan received a letter from UIDAI’s regional office here, stating that it received a com-plaint/allegation that “you are not an Indian national and you have obtained Aadhaar through false pretences, making false claims and submitting false documents. An enquiry has been ordered by the regional office, UIDAI, Hyderabad to ascertain the veracity of the complaint/allegation”.

He has been directed to appear before Amita Bindroo, deputy director/inquiry officer, with all necessary documents in original to prove “all your claims of citizenship and if you are not an Indian national, to prove that you have entered the territory of India legally

and your stay is valid”.According to the notice,

failure to appear in person and produce the documents in original will be construed that he had no defence against the complaint and the matter would be decided suo moto. “Accordingly Aadhaar number will be deactivated in terms of Rule 29 of the Aadhaar (enrollment and update) Reg-ulations 2016.” The notice shocked Khan, a resident of Talab Katta area in the city.

The middle-aged man’s father was an employee of the public sector Allwyn company and following his demise, his mother has been drawing the pension. Sattar Khan’s lawyer Muzafferullah Khan Shafat said that UIDAI has no power to question the nationality of any person.

Singapore announces $4.6bn boost to fight virusAFP — SINGAPORE

Singapore unveiled $4.6bn in financial packages yesterday to deal with the impact of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, which has battered the city-state’s economy and sparked fears of a recession.

The financial hub has reported 77 cases of the virus, one of the highest figures outside mainland China, where the pathogen has killed hun-dreds and infected tens of thou-sands. Tourism and trade are both expected to be hard hit by the virus in Singapore, an open economy with close links to China that is badly affected during any global shock.

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat announced financial packages worth a total of $4.6bn as part of the annual budget, and warned that the full impact of the outbreak is yet to be felt.

“The duration and severity of this outbreak and the impact on the global economy are still unclear,” he said.

“We must be prepared... the economic impact may be worse than we projected.” Sg$5.6bn was earmarked to help com-panies and families ride out the looming slowdown, with a large chunk set to go to firms in the most affected sectors including aviation, tourism and retail.

India bars Chinese

wrestlers because

of coronavirus

AFP — NEW DELHI

Chinese wrestlers will be unable to take part in the Asian Championships in New Delhi this week after being denied visas because of the corona-virus outbreak, an official said

India’s government has suspended e-visas for Chinese nationals due to the deadly virus that has claimed more than 1,800 lives since spreading from its epicentre in the central city of Wuhan.

“They are not coming. Of course health concerns remain a big reason and the corona-virus outbreak is deadly,” Wrestling Federation of India assistant secretary Vinod Tomar said.

A Chinese Federation spokesperson was quoted as saying on the governing body’s United World Wrestling (UWW) website: “The wres-tlers are disappointed for sure.”

Japanese world champions Kenichiro Fumita and Risako Kawai are among top wres-tlers taking part.

More passengers leave cruise ship in Cambodia after coronavirus testsREUTERS — PHNOM PENH

More passengers from a cruise ship that docked in Cambodia last week after being turned away at five other ports flew home yesterday, following tests for the new coronavirus, the country’s prime minister said.

An American woman who had been on the Westerdam cruise ship tested positive for the virus at the weekend after a special flight chartered by the cruise line reached Malaysia, prompting renewed scrutiny for the hundreds of passengers and

crew still on board or ashore in Cambodia. “Today more than 300 tourists will fly from Phnom Penh to Dubai on a (Boeing) 777 airplane, I have learned from the ship’s crew,” Prime Minister Hun Sen said in a speech.

He said samples from the remaining passengers were being flown by helicopter for testing in the capital, Phnom Penh. Once health officials have confirmed negative results, the tourists will be allowed to dis-embark. Holland America Line, which is owned by cruise giant Carnival Corp, said 255 guests

and 747 crew are still aboard the Westerdam, which docked at the port of Sihanoukville on Friday, awaiting clearance.

“We anticipate this will take several days and greatly appre-ciate the thoroughness of all authorities involved in resolving this situation,” a statement from the cruise line said. Another 406 passengers who had been trans-ferred to Phnom Penh have tested negative for the infection.

“Cleared guests may travel home, and arrangements are being made for those guests,” the company statement said.

Australia’s NSW state to ease water

restrictions after heavy rains

REUTERS — SYDNEY

Australia’s New South Wales state said yesterday it will ease water restrictions after a deluge of rains filled dams across the country’s east coast to their highest levels in more than two years.

New South Wales (NSW), home to about a third of Aus-tralia’s 25 million people and its biggest city Sydney, in December imposed water restrictions for the first time in a decade following three years of drought. But with 400mm of rain falling in some parts of the state earlier this month, the NSW state government said

curbs will now be eased from March 1 when the quality of the water in the dams is expected to have improved.

Water supplies were tainted by ash and fire debris after the state’s worst ever wildfires, which burnt through millions of acres of bushland.

“A number of initiatives are in place to ensure the water is safe for use, including extensive testing, filtration and nets to catch debris, but we are allowing an extra two weeks purely as a precautionary measure,” said Melinda Pavey, NSW water minister in an emailed statement.

Trump is also expected to visit the humble abode of India’s independence hero Mahatma Gandhi in Ahmedabad. If his Indian hosts can help it, Trump probably won’t see a slum as they’ve ordered for a 400-metre wall to be built along his route to block the view of where poor people live.

The World Health Organisation, which has previously said travel restrictions were unnecessary, rejected the suggestion that all cruises should be halted after hundreds of passengers were infected on one vessel off Japan.

13WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2020 ASIA

Ghani secures second term as Afghan President

AFP — KABUL

Ashraf Ghani has secured a second term as president of Afghanistan, according to final results announced yesterday, lining him up to become the man negotiating with the Taliban over the war-torn country’s future if the US agrees to withdraw its troops.

The results came nearly five months after the September 28, 2019 poll, after vote-rigging alle-gations by Ghani’s main rival, Abdullah Abdullah, who served as Afghanistan’s chief executive, forced a recount.

Election Commission chief

Hawa Alam Nuristani said Ghani had taken 50.64 percent of the votes, compared to Abdullah’s 39.52 percent.

“May God help him in serving the people of Afghanistan... I also pray that peace comes to our country,” she added at a press conference in the capital Kabul.

Abdullah’s team was quick to dismiss the final count, however.

“The results announced by the commission have no legit-imacy,” Abdullah’s election cam-paign spokesman Faraidoon Khwazoon said shortly after the announcement.

When asked about what Abdullah’s team planned to do next, he said they had “many options” and would “firmly stand against the injustice”.

Abdullah lost to Ghani in 2014 in a divisive election that saw his supporters hold violent demon-strations before the US finally intervened to broker an awkward power-sharing deal between the two rivals. Current vice-president Abdul Rashid Dostum, a powerful Uzbek former warlord and Abdullah’s ally, has also threatened to form a parallel gov-ernment if fraudulent election results are announced.

This time, however, the US is unlikely to give Abdullah or his allies much support.

The final results come just as

Washington seeks a deal with the Taliban which would allow it to withdraw troops in return for various security guarantees and a promise that the militants would hold peace talks with the Afghan government.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed a wish to get troops home from Amer-ica’s longest war.

His peace envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, said on Monday that he was “cautiously optimistic” about progress toward an eventual deal, adding that the US has “commitments from the Talibs on security issues”.

Once the deal is reached the Afghan government under Ghani would have to prepare to meet the Taliban and negotiate a

formal peace agreement on behalf of the Afghan people.

Political analyst Atta Noori called the results “a step forward towards the possible talks with the Taliban”.

“A shaky government was in no position to talk with the Taliban. Now is the time for Ghani to act as a statesman and form an inclusive team to talk with the Taliban,” he said, adding

that people from Abdullah’s camp should be among the negotiators.

As for Abdullah’s next steps, Noori said the talks were “more important” than fraud allegations.

Nearly one million of the initial 2.7 million votes were purged owing to irregularities, meaning the election saw by far the lowest turnout of any Afghan

poll. Ultimately, only 1.8 million votes were counted — a tiny number given Afghanistan’s esti-mated population of 35 million and 9.6 million registered voters.

Voters stayed away from polls en masse amid threats of Taliban violence and cynicism that any politician in a country beset with nepotism and corruption could really chart a new course for ordinary Afghans.

Hawa Alam Nuristani, Head of the Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan (centre) speaks during the announcement of the final presidential election results in Kabul, yesterday.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani

UN chief praises interfaith harmony in PakistanANATOLIA — LAHORE

The UN chief, who is on a four-day visit to Pakistan, hailed Islamabad’s efforts for interfaith harmony as he visited yesterday the Kartarpur corridor, a visa-free border crossing with India.

“I was honoured to visit Pakistan’s newly opened Kar-tarpur Corridor — a corridor of hope, connecting two key Sikh pilgrimage sites,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tweeted following his visit to the revered site, where he was wel-comed by Pakistan’s Religious Affairs Minister Noorul Haq Qadri, among other Pakistani officials.

“This is a welcome symbol of interfaith harmony.”

Speaking to reporters in the eastern city of Lahore, Guterres said: “Kartarpur corridor is a practical example of Pakistan’s desire for peace and inter-faith harmony... it will promote tolerance.”

He also visited Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara, the Sikh place of worship, in Punjab’s Narowal district. It is one of the holiest places for the Sikh community as Baba Guru Nanak, the reli-gion’s founder, spent the last 18 years of his life here.

“It is wonderful to see the Sikh shrine and Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus and Christians praying together in peace... this is the

best symbol in the world...” he said.

“It is necessary to say that religion unites us with peace and the best symbol is this shrine.”

The Kartarpur border con-nects Pakistan’s northeastern Narowal city to India’s eastern Gurdaspur district.

The corridor opened last November, just days before the 550th birth anniversary of the Sikhism’s founder.

It can accommodate up to 5,000 pilgrims per day, with plans to double the capacity and remove the compulsion of car-rying a passport.

Besides meeting leaders of the Sikh faith, the UN head

visited Badshahi Mosque, a Mughal era mosque in the Punjab capital.

Earlier in the day, Guterres had an interactive session with students at the Lahore Uni-versity of Management Sci-ences, where he spoke of reforming the UN Security Council where only five members enjoy veto powers.

“We have been trying to reform the Security Council for decades but things aren’t moving,” he said.

The UNSG also met stu-dents dressed in traditional attire at a kindergarten school in Lahore during the first nationwide polio campaign of the year, and vaccinated 3 stu-

dents with the polio vaccine.“My appeal to all leaders is

to fully support the Government of Pakistan and other govern-ments around the world to make sure that we will be able to fully eradicate polio,” he said.

Commenting on Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts, he said in a tweet: “I commend the brave polio vaccine workers — mostly women — working to stamp out polio in Pakistan. Important gains have been made, but we need a concerted push to eradicate this awful disease.”

More than 39 million children across the country are set to be vaccinated during the ongoing campaign.

Smog veils Central Asian cities as smoky stoves choke localsAFP — BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN Snow-capped peaks used to be clearly visible from the streets of Almaty and Bishkek, two of the largest cities in Central Asia that both lie in plains surrounded by mountains.

But now a heavy cloud of dark smog often blots out the view as air pollution regularly soars to levels comparable to those in New Delhi and Lahore, even though Almaty and Bishkek have fewer people and industries than their Indian and Pakistani counterparts.

In the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, a city of one million, and Kazakhstan’s second city of Almaty, which is twice as large, the onset of winter prompts a surge in pollution as people burn coal and other dirty fuels in stoves to heat their homes.

One of those monitoring the situation is Kyrgyz environ-mental activist Kunduz Adyl-bekova, who experiences the problem firsthand.

In the area of small private houses where she lives on the outskirts of Bishkek, the air

quality is particularly bad.“The air here has a kind of

heavy feel,” said Adylbekova, a programme manager at Archa Initiative non-profit Many locals use highly polluting stoves to heat their homes and boil water because they are not hooked up to mains gas. Large numbers of ageing cars and trucks exac-erbate the situation.

In this district, readings of PM 2.5 — a measure of fine particles in the air — regularly reach levels that the United States Environ-mental Protection Agency defines as hazardous to human health. Sometimes readings are four times higher than the EPA minimum “hazardous” level, Adylbekova said, with locals suf-fering the ill-effects.

“Residents are often ill, some suffer from lung problems.”

The bowl-shaped topog-raphy of both cities helps trap pollution.

Even worse, both have coal-fired power stations that date back to the Soviet era.

But other factors have led to a massive increase in the smog problem over the last two

decades. In Almaty, where gleaming skyscrapers reflect the country’s oil wealth, many cite the huge growth in the number of cars since the breakup of the USSR.

Zhalgas Jakiyanov, a mar-keting specialist who works in the business district, said the growing pollution is “already having an effect on our health.” “We don’t just feel it — we can see it,” he added, pointing to the leaden smog cloud that hangs over the city.

“We need to switch to gas heating instead of using solid fuels. There needs to be more emphasis on spaces for pedes-trians,” Jakiyanov said.

Smog also afflicts the capitals of former Soviet republics to the south, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

While environmental groups have long sounded the alarm, now that people can easily access real-time air quality measure-ments online, pollution has become a talking point, particu-larly on social media.

Governments have been slower to acknowledge the problem, however.

Two young women use their smartphones visiting a viewpoint as smog covers Almaty in Kazakhstan, in this file photo.

Pakistan, Turkey mull ways to control illegal migrationANATOLIA — KARACHI

Turkey and Pakistan discussed yesterday ways to deal with the refugee crisis, as well as the influx of irregular migrants from neighbouring states — challenges facing both the governments.

Turkey’s Deputy Interior Minister Ismail Gatalki met Paki-stan’s Interior Minister retired Brig Ijaz Shah in the capital Islamabad along with a four-member delegation, a statement by the Interior Ministry said.

Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Mustafa Ihsan Yurdakul was also present in the meeting.

Gatalki said that as the two brotherly nations faced similar issues, it was easier to expand cooperation between the gov-ernments, and enhance people-to-people contacts.

Ankara could learn from Islamabad in handling the matters in question, he added.

Shah, for his part, said his ministry had devised a system to keep a check on illegal migrants, which was “successfully working”.

Turkey and Pakistan are home to the world’s largest refugee population in the world.

While the transcontinental country hosts over 3.6 million Syrian refugees, about 3 million Afghans live in the South Asian nation.

UN General-Secretary Antonio Guterres on Monday urged the world to support Pakistan in its efforts to shelter Afghan refugees.

He made the remarks during a two-day UN conference held in Islamabad.

Pakistan’s task force arrives in Chinese city of WuhanINTERNEWS — ISLAMABAD

The Foreign Office of Pakistan yesterday announced that a task force comprising two Paki-stani diplomatic officials has arrived in the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan to assist Paki-stani students stuck in the city.

“On Pakistan’s request, China allowed a two-member special Task Force from the Pakistan Embassy in Beijing to go to Wuhan city to meet our students and coordinate all assistance to them,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui tweeted yesterday.

The official added that the task force would be perma-nently deployed in Wuhan and will “maintain close liaison” with the Chinese authorities at the epicentre of the coronavirus. The spokesperson stated that the diplomats would return to

Beijing once the lockdown in Wuhan is lifted and the situ-ation in the city has stabilised.

China has put its Hubei province on lockdown in an attempt to contain the virus, with tens of millions of people placed under effective quar-antine in the province.

A foreign ministry official on Friday had told the Islamabad High Court that Pakistan has dispatched two diplomats to the virus-hit city to assess the problems being faced by Pakistani students.

The official had shared the details while the court was hearing a petition filed by parents of Pakistani students stuck in China.

Earlier, on Saturday, Farooqui had shared that the Foreign Office has established a hotline to facilitate contact with Pakistani students and cit-izens stuck in Wuhan.

Pakistani cop assigned to anti-polio teamkilled in blastAP — PESHAWAR

A roadside bombing targeted a police vehicle in north-western Pakistan yesterday, killing a policeman and wounding three others, offi-cials said. The police were assigned to escort health workers during an anti-polio vaccination campaign in the region.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing in Kolachi, a town in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which borders Afghanistan. Pakistan regularly carries out anti-polio drives, despite attacks and threats by the Taliban who claim the campaign is a Western con-spiracy to sterilise children.

Pakistani security forces were searching the area for the attackers, said police official Wahid Khan. No polio workers were travelling with the police at the time of the bombing, he added. The latest attack came after Pakistan on Monday launched a three-day nationwide vaccination cam-paign against the crippling disease.

Ex-coast guard

chief charged over

bungled S Korea

ferry rescueAFP — SEOUL

A former South Korean coast guard chief was indicted yesterday for allegedly bungling rescue operations at one of the country’s deadliest maritime disasters, when more than 300 people were killed, most of them schoolchildren.

The 6,825-tonne Sewol capsized off the south coast in April 2014, and many of the stu-dents — who were on a school trip — obeyed orders to stay in their cabins as the vessel slowly sank.

The disaster triggered intense public fury when it emerged then-president Park Geun-hye was uncontactable for several hours as the disaster unfolded.

Kim Suk-kyoon, who led the coast guard at the time of the accident, was indicted on accu-sations of “professional negli-gence resulting in death” for failing to take necessary rescue action, said a prosecution representative.

He is the most senior official to face criminal trial over the sinking, but another 10 current and former coast guard officers were also indicted on the same charges.

The results came nearly five months after the September 28, 2019 poll after vote-rigging allegations. Election Commission chief Hawa Alam Nuristani said Ghani had taken 50.64 percent of the votes, compared to Abdullah’s 39.52 percent.

14 WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2020ASIA

Japan targets HIV drug trials to fight virus; cruise ship evacuations continueREUTERS — TOKYO

Japan plans to trial HIV medi-cations to treat patients infected with coronavirus as its growing number of cases poses an increasing threat to the economy and public health, the government’s top spokesman said yesterday.

The government was making “preparations so that clinical trials using HIV medi-cation on the novel coronavirus can start as soon as possible,” Yoshihide Suga told a briefing, but added he could not say how long a new drug would take to be approved.

Japan had 520 confirmed infections by Monday, including 454 cases from the Diamond Princess cruise ship quaran-tined off the port of Yokohama, the health ministry said, with one death from the virus.

Yesterday, there was three more cases confirmed with the virus in Wakayama Prefecture, local media reported.

As the contracting economy fuels a risk of recession, the spread of the virus prompted Tokyo to put limits on the size of public gatherings while some companies are telling employees to work from home.

The HIV trials come as those drugs have been touted as a potential cure for the corona-virus around the world. With no therapy yet proven 100% effective, the epidemic has killed close to 1,900 people in mainland China.

People in China have begun

exploring unorthodox ways to get treated, with some appealing to HIV patients and unauthorised importers for medicine.

In Thailand, doctors said they appeared to have had some success in treating severe cases of the virus with a com-bination of medications for flu and HIV.

As demand for masks sky-rockets, police are investigating a theft of 6,000 surgical masks reported by the Kobe Red Cross Hospital in the central Japanese city, a hospital official told Reuters.

Japanese officials have vowed to work hard to avoid disruptions to the Olympic Games, which start in Tokyo in July. But growing concern over the virus spurred Mongolia’s Olympics archery team to cancel training in Japan, the Kyodo news agency said.

On Monday, US government evacuation flights flew home more than 300 Americans who had been on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

With more than 3,000

passengers and crew, the ship has been in quarantine since early this month, after a pas-senger who had left it in Hong Kong was diagnosed with the virus.

About half of those aboard are Japanese and the rest foreign nationals, many of whom have expressed frus-tration over the quarantine.

The liner will receive meals from World Central Kitchen, a non-profit set up by celebrity chef Jose Andres, in a bid to reduce the burden on crew, said Rai Caluori, vice-president of vessel operator Princess Cruises.

oreign governments including Australia, Canada, Italy and South Korea also plan to take citizens off the cruise liner.

A plane chartered by the Canadian government has left for Japan to evacuate its nationals, TV Asahi said. Canada has said 14 days of quarantine await them on their return.

South Korea is also sending a government charter flight to take home four citizens, and a Japanese spouse, who have no symptoms, a South Korean official said.

Japanese who test negative will begin disembarking as early today, health minister Katsunobu Kato said.

“Everyone wants to return home as soon as possible, so considering that feeling, we are making preparations,” Kato told reporters.

Filipino workers allowed to travel to HK, MacauREUTERS — MANILA

The Philippines yesterday allowed Filipino workers to travel to Hong Kong and Macau, relaxing the travel ban it imposed on China and its special admin-istrative regions to control the spread of the coronavirus.

The Philippines announced its decision before Hong Kong reported that a Filipina domestic helper became its 61st case of coronavirus in the country.

There are more than 180,000 Filipinos in Hong Kong, many working as helpers, according to the Philippines Labour Ministry.

The Philippines had imposed a travel ban on China and its special administrative regions Hong Kong and Macau.

It later included Taiwan in the ban, but lifted it a few days after.

There was no immediate comment from Philippine offi-cials on how the latest devel-opment in Hong Kong will affect its decision to relax its travel restriction.

The Philippines also said it would allow foreign spouses or children of Filipinos and holders of diplomatic visas travelling from China, Macau and Hong Kong to enter the country but they will be subjected to a 14-day quarantine.

Initially, only Filipinos and holders of permanent resident visas travelling from these areas were allowed entry.

Recruiters have appealed to the government to exempt Fil-ipino workers from the travel

ban because many of them are breadwinners. They could also lose their visas if they failed to report for work on time, the Society of Hong Kong Accredited Recruiters of the Philippines has said. In 2019, Filipino workers in Hong Kong sent home $801 million in foreign exchange remittances, central bank data showed.

Filipinos leaving for Hong Kong and Macau for study and employment will be required to sign a declaration that they know the risks of going there, health officials said.

The Philippine government also said it will repatriate Fil-ipino crew and passengers from the quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess who wish to come home.

Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) wearing protective masks stand outside the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, in Pasay City, Metro Manila, yesterday.

Facebook blocks Singapore anti-govt page, slams misinformation lawAFP — SINGAPORE

Facebook yesterday blocked the page of an anti-government website in Singapore following a demand from authorities but slammed the “disproportionate” use of a controversial law against online misinformation.

The widely criticised legis-lation gives ministers powers to order Internet platforms and websites to put warnings next to posts they deem false, and also order pages be blocked in the t ightly regulated

city-state.Political website States

Times Review (STR) — which regularly posts articles critical of the government — was repeatedly accused of circu-lating falsehoods but refused to comply with official demands to put up corrections.

Authorities this week ordered Facebook to block the page for Singapore users. While they have ordered corrections be put up next to posts on several occasions, this was the first time they sought to have

access to a page disabled.Confirming it complied with

the order, Facebook said it was “legally compelled” to restrict access to the page in Singapore.

But a spokesperson added: “We believe orders like this are disproportionate and contradict the government’s claim that (the law) would not be used as a censorship tool.

“We’ve repeatedly high-lighted this law’s potential for overreach and we’re deeply con-cerned about the precedent this

sets for the stifling of freedom of expression in Singapore.”

A post on the STR’s Facebook page said it was shutting but redirected users to an alternative page where the site’s content was available.

Other tech giants, including Google and Twitter, as well as rights groups have expressed concerns about the Singapore law.

But the government insists the legislation is necessary to stop the spread of falsehoods online, and had accused the STR

of circulating misinformation, including about the coronavirus outbreak.

Singapore has reported 77 cases of the virus, which has killed hundreds and infected tens of thousands in China.

The website had been run by Alex Tan, who says he is an Aus-tralian citizen based overseas.

It is the second time that Facebook has taken action under the law. In November, the social network put up a cor-rection next to one of Tan’s posts after an official demand.

North Korean refugees seek political voice in SouthREUTERS — SEOUL

A group of North Korean refugees launched a political party in South Korea yesterday, aiming to give a voice to the 33,500 defectors living in the South and oppose conciliation with Pyongyang.

“We were always con-sidered minorities and aliens,” said Kim Joo il, Secretary-General of the new South-North Unification Party at its launch at a hall in South Korea’s capital Seoul. “North Korean defectors are now the future of unification.”

The decision to set up a formal political party was a sign that defectors are seeking a more direct political role ahead of a parliamentary election in April. Many are strongly critical

of President Moon Jae-in’s administration, which they accuse of sidelining defectors and ignoring human rights in a bid to repair relations with North Korea.

Attendees at the launch event discussed cases that have become rallying cries for defectors, who say the South Korean government provides them too little support.

In prominent cases last year, two North Koreans were repatriated, and a defector and her 6-year-old son who had been denied government ben-efits were found dead of star-vation in their Seoul apartment.

South Korea is technically still at war with the North because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with no peace treaty. While unification is still

a national goal in South, it is widely seen as an increasingly distant possibility.

Kim Shin-ye, 38, one of the defector participants, said the new party’s criticism of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un means some defectors may be worried about publicly pledging support for fear of endangering family back in the North.

“Some who have families in the North are a bit wary about the launch of the party,” she said.

More than a thousand North Koreans defected to South Korea in 2019, according to the South’s Unification Ministry.

“What Kim Jong Un is the most afraid of is when the dignity of the North Korean defectors is raised,” said law-maker Kim Yong-tae.

A group of North Korean defectors pose for a photograph during the launch ceremony of their political party South-North Unification Party, in Seoul, yesterday.

Bushfire crisis hit 75% of Australians: SurveyAFP — SYDNEY

Three in four Australians — almost 18 million people — were affected by the country’s deadly bushfire crisis, according to a survey released yesterday that also pointed to plummeting support for the government and for coal projects.

The Australian National University study showed the vast human scale of the five-month crisis, which killed more than 30 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

“Nearly every Australian has been touched by these fires and many of us will be living with the effects for years and years to come,” said lead social researcher Nicholas Biddle said.

The poll of 3,000 people indicated that 14 percent of the adult population was directly affected — with their homes lost or damaged, or families forced to evacuate.

Those nearly three million people were eclipsed by a further 15 million Australians who had indirect exposure, including being affected by bushfire smoke or having holiday plans hit.

The scale of the impact shocked researchers and will be cause for concern in Can-berra, where the government has struggled to shake public perception that it botched the crisis response and cares little for addressing climate change.

Scientists said the fires were fuelled by drought and unfa-vourable weather conditions

that were exacerbated by climate change.

Prime Minister Scott Mor-rison was criticised for going on holiday to Hawaii in the middle of the disaster and refusing to rule out deeper cuts to carbon emissions.

“Only 27 percent of respondents reported that they were confident or very con-fident in the government,” said Biddle, a drop of 11 percentage points in three months.

“This is one of the largest declines in confidence I have seen in such a short period of time,” he said.

Among people who voted for the government at the last election, support for building new coal mines plummeted from 72 percent before the crisis to 57 percent in January.

Woman dead in another mall shooting in ThailandAP — BANGKOK

Gun violence struck in a Thai shopping mall for the third time in six weeks yesterday when a man fatally shot a woman working at a beauty clinic in a Bangkok mall and wounded another.

The motive for the shooting was believed to be jealousy, and the shooter escaped and remained at large several hours later.

Police Lt Col Sujate Boonkong said the dead woman in the shooting at Century Plaza near Bangkok’s Victory Monument was 28 years old.

The shooting came just over

a week after a disgruntled soldier fatally shot 29 people in the northeastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima before being killed by security forces in the mall where he holed up for about 16 hours.

A masked gunman in January in the central Thai city of Lopburi killed three people and wounded four others in a mall while robbing a gold shop with a handgun fitted with a silencer. One of the dead was a 2-year-old boy.

A school director was arrested less than two weeks later and reportedly confessed, saying he did not mean to shoot anyone.

The spread of the virus prompted Tokyo to put limits on the size of public gatherings while some companies are telling employees to work from home.

HK population falls from mid-year amid protestsBLOOMBERG — HONG KONG

The Hong Kong population at end-2019 declined from the mid-year count for the first time in nearly two decades amid frequent street protests that rocked the city in the second part of the year.

The decline was driven by a drop in so-called usual res-idents, which fell by 7,900 in end-December from end-June, according to data provided by the Census and Statistics Department yesterday. Usual residents make up 97% of the overall population, which fell from mid-year for the first time since December 2002, based on data compiled by Bloomberg.

Usual residents are offi-cially defined as permanent residents who have stayed in Hong Kong for at least three months during the six months before or six months after the reference time period, as well as non-permanent residents who are in the city at the time.

Tensions have flared in the former British colony as pro-democracy demonstrations that started in June grew increasingly violent, plunging the city into recession. Interest from Hong Kong residents in leaving the city has spiked since then, Bloomberg News reported last August.

15WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2020 EUROPE

Global community offers earthquake aid to AlbaniaANATOLIA — BRUSSELS

The international community has pledged $1.25bn to support Albania’s long-term recovery following a devastating earth-quake last November, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

The announcement was made after the “Together for Albania” international donor’s conference organised by the European Union.

Besides EU member states and institutions, several other countries and international organisations participated in the event, including Turkey, the UN and the Work Bank.

EU member states, the European Commission and the European Investment Bank together offered $433.3m help for with post-disaster recovery.

“The EU stands for soli-darity,” von der Leyen said. “The people of Albania know

that they belong in our European family — now more than ever.”

Faruk Kaymakci, Turkey’s deputy foreign minister and director for EU affairs, also commented during the conference.

“The total value of Turkey’s aid and pledge to earthquake victims in Albania is approxi-mately $50.1m,” Kaymakci said.

He said Turkey was among the first responders to the

disaster by sending a search and rescue team as well as human-itarian aid. The country also contributed to rebuilding houses and the Preze Castle Mosque.

“It is amazing how solidarity spread in the heart of Europe,” Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said after the conference.

Rama hailed the “amazing pledges from the EU, Italy and Turkey.”

He called the results “above

magic” and noted they would have considered half the final sum a success.

“It is incredibly heart-warming what we witnessed,” Rama said, visibly struggling with his emotions.

Northwestern Albania was struck by an earthquake on November 26 which killed 51 and injured over 3,000 others and caused severe damage to infrastructure and buildings in 11 municipalities.

Portugal says TAP

airline suspension

by Venezuela

is unjustified

AP — LISBON

Venezuela’s decision to suspend TAP Air Portugal’s flights to Caracas is “completely unfounded and unjustified,” Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva said yesterday.

“I can’t see any kind of jus-tification” for the 90-day sus-pension, Santos Silva said.

Venezuelan authorities took the step on Monday after TAP last week carried oppo-sition leader Juan Guaidó and his uncle home from an inter-national tour aimed at ousting President Nicolás Maduro.

Guaidó’s uncle was arrested upon landing and accused of trying to bring a small amount of explosives into Venezuela. Portugal ordered an official investi-gation into that allegation.

The suspension is a “hostile act” against Portugal, Santos Silva told national news agency Lusa, in comments published by online news-paper Observador.

Portugal is in a coalition of European and Latin American nations, called the “Interna-tional Contact Group,” that has backed Guaidó against Maduro. Thousands of Portuguese migrants live in Venezuela.

Santos Silva said the sus-pension would also hurt Ven-ezuelans because the Portu-guese flag carrier is one of the few international airlines still serving Caracas, with twice weekly flights.

TAP said in a statement it “meets all the legal and safety requirements demanded” by authorities.

Former environment minister seeks to lead Merkel’s partyAP — BERLIN

A former German environment minister yesterday became the first prominent figure officially to declare his candidacy for the leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s centre-right party.

Norbert Roettgen, the 54-year-old chairman of the German parliament’s foreign affairs committee, announced his unexpected decision in Berlin. His chances are at best uncertain against the three potential candidates who so far have drawn the most attention: former parliamentary group leader Friedrich Merz, state governor Armin Laschet and Health Minister Jens Spahn.

The current leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, defeated Merz and Spahn to win the job in late 2018. Still, she struggled to impose her authority. She announced last week that she wouldn’t enter the race to be Germany’s next chancellor and would also give up the CDU leadership, but would remain defense minister.

It isn’t yet clear how and when the next CDU leader — who likely will become the centre-right’s candidate to become Germany’s next chancellor — will be chosen.

Merkel, who has led Germany since 2005, has said she won’t seek a fifth term as chancellor in Germany’s next general election, which is currently expected late next year. The withdrawal of Kramp-Karrenbauer, who was clearly Merkel’s preferred heir apparent, shows some dis-array in the party.

Roettgen’s candidacy could com-plicate some party members’ calls for the main hopefuls to thrash out a solution between them, avoiding a prolonged public leadership fight. But Roettgen said the race shouldn’t just be about “three aspirants somehow being satisfied and then we have peace,” but about a “stra-tegic, substantial positioning of the CDU.”

Merkel fired Roettgen as envi-ronment minister in 2012 after he led the CDU to an embarrassingly heavy state election defeat in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous region, following a campaign marred by gaffes.

Roettgen says he has learned from that defeat. He set out a broadly centrist leadership pitch yesterday , declaring that “the CDU must win back ecological credibility in general and climate policy credibility in particular.”

Otherwise, he said, “we as a party risk losing at least a whole generation.”

Chairman of the German Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Norbert Roettgen (right), arrives to address the press at Press and Information Office of the Federal Government of Germany in Berlin, yesterday.

‘North Macedonia and Albania will deliver on reforms’REUTERS — BRUSSELS

North Macedonia and Albania can deliver on the reforms required to join the European Union, the EU enlargement commissioner said yesterday, in the latest sign that the Balkan neighbours are set to overcome France’s freeze on their aspira-tions.

F r e n c h P r e s i d e n t Emmanuel Macron, who blocked the opening of talks with Skopje and Tirana in October, said at the weekend he was willing to allow them to begin membership talks if the European Commission gave them a positive review next month.

“I am very encouraged by my visits to both countries,” Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi (pictured) told a think-tank event. “They do

not give up on reforms ... and you will see that they will deliver, and if they do that, you can be confident that there should be an opening of negotiations.”

If allowed to go ahead with membership talks, the approval would set the stage for a summit with EU leaders and all six western Balkan candidate countries — Serbia, Kosovo,

Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and North Macedonia — in Zagreb in May.

It may go some way to assuaging concerns in the EU about growing Chinese and Russian influence in the six states and a sense that the bloc is failing to transform the countries scarred by the wars of the 1990s into market economies.

Macron’s comments on Sat-urday at the Munich Security Conference were also likely to reassure other European leaders that France still backs expanding the EU to new members.

“There is nothing but mem-bership on offer,” Varhelyi said.

Macron had refused to approve the start of so-called accession negotiations at a summit in October, saying the process of admitting new

members needed to change. One French minister called the accession process an “endless soap opera”.

This month, the Com-mission suggested reforms to the accession process along the lines of a French proposal made in November, giving EU govern-ments more say and making it easier to stop or reset negotia-tions and freeze funds.

Denmark and the Nether-lands, who supported Macron, are expected to drop their resistance, EU diplomats said.

France and its allies are concerned about the EU’s ability to bring in a region struggling with crime and corruption, anxious not to repeat what they believe was the rushed accession of Romania and Bul-garia in 2007.

Membership talks, once underway, will take years.

Thousands protest in Greece against pension overhaulAFP — ATHENS

Thousands protested in Greece yesterday against a new pension reform as a 24-hour strike paralysed transport and services.

Some 10,000 people dem-onstrated in the capital against the reform, which encourages a longer stay in the workforce, police said.

The labour action brought public transport in Athens as well as intercity trains and ferry ship services to a standstill.

Civil servants also walked off the job and journalists will stage a three-hour work stoppage against the pension reform.

“Everything is going downhill,” Thanassis Grigoro-poulos, a municipal sanitation worker, said. “The pensions will

be at a lower level and we won’t be able to meet our obligations. That is the most important thing.”

Unions also staged protests in other major cities including Thessaloniki, where 2,500 people demonstrated according to police.

“This bill is practically the continuation of (austerity) laws introduced in 2010-2019,” civil servants’ union ADEDY said.

The new conservative gov-ernment says the reform, to be voted by Friday, will make the troubled Greek pension system viable to 2070.

The labour ministry says the overhaul will contain pension increases and reduce penalties for pensioners who opt to continue working after reaching retirement age.

Zoran Milanovic sworn in as Croatia PresidentAFP — ZAGREB

Zoran Milanovic, Croatia’s former leftist prime minister who was sworn in as the coun-try’s new president yesterday, is an experienced politician who made a comeback after being absent from politics for three years.

Intelligent and articulate, the 53-year-old was seen by critics and many Croatians as arrogant and a loner focused on his own ambitions and who lacked the common touch.

With a serious manner, Milanovic has struggled in the past to woo ordinary voters.

But analysts say that during his absence from politics, Milanovic had time to review his wrong moves, and returned as an experienced, calmer pol-itician who is managing, at least for now, to keep his some-times explosive temper under control.

At a modest inauguration ceremony, like during election campaign, he pledged tolerance and to turn the page on the country’s wartime past.

“The wars are over,”

Milanovic said in a reference to Croatia’s 1990s independence war, part of the collapse of Yugoslavia.

“Today ... no Croatian citizen should feel frightened, discrim-inated or in any way excluded due to being different.”

When he was named prime minister in 2011, aged 45, the leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) was perceived by many as a promising young pol-itician, free of the corruption plaguing the rival conservative HDZ party.

But his government, which led Croatia into European Union in 2013, failed to live up to

expectations on much-needed reforms, perpetuating wide-spread patronage and poor eco-nomic trends.

His SDP lost power fol-lowing 2015 elections and Milanovic stepped down as party chief after he failed again in the following year’s snap vote.

He has since been running a management consultant company whose clients have included Albanian Prime Min-ister Edi Rama, according to media reports.

Milanovic threw his hat in the presidential race last June, running as a “President with Character” in a cheeky allusion to his reputation for being stubborn.

He has previously described himself as having a “leftist heart and conservative head”, but has been criticised for a standoffish approach to rivals and the media.

In the campaign he promised to make Croatia a “normal, decent” liberal democracy, with an equal society and independent judiciary.

Born in Zagreb in the year 1966, Milanovic was a top law student.

An avid amateur boxer in his twenties he never took part in matches preferring to remain a sparring partner.

He joined the foreign min-istry during the former Yugoslav republic’s 1990s independence war.

Afterwards Milanovic served for three years with Croatia’s European Union and Nato mission in Brussels and eventually joined the SDP in 1999.

He saw the party as the perfect counterweight to the ‘rural’ values promoted by the then ruling HDZ, whose nation-alist leader Franjo Tudjman

died in December 1999.Milanovic was elected

head of the SDP in the mid-2007 as successor to his mentor Ivica Racan, a former prime minister who died of cancer.

In his spare time he likes to go running or cycling. Milanovic is married to a doctor and has two sons.

Croatia President Zoran Milanovic delivers a speech during the inauguration ceremony in Presidential Office in Zagreb, yesterday.

Today ... no Croatian citizen should feel frightened, discriminated or in any way excluded due to being different: Zoran Milanovic

16 WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2020EUROPE

UK commitment to Northern Ireland in doubt: JournalistANATOLIA — LONDON

Britain’s ruling Conservative and Unionist party, as it is offi-cially called, would be glad to be relieved of the Northern Ireland region, senior journalist Dominic Lawson wrote in The Times newspaper.

His comments came after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson fired Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith last week in a Cabinet reshuffle. The decision was controversial.

“In eight months as secretary of state, Julian, you helped restore power-sharing in Stormont, secured an agreement with us to avoid a hard border, plus marriage equality. You are one of Britain’s finest politicians of our time. Thank you,” said former Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.

Sinn Fein, a Northern Irish political movement that seeks unification on the island of Ireland, topped the polls in the Republic of Ireland’s recent election and is part of a power-sharing government in Northern Ireland, provoking discussions of possible Irish unification across the British Isles.

Lawson wrote: “His (John-son’s)… sacking of the Northern Ireland secretary, Julian Smith, has evaded almost all attention.”

“But not in the province itself. The Democratic Unionist Party declared itself furious: ‘If effectiveness was the meas-urement, then he would still be in place. He had the measure of Dublin and all the Northern Irish parties.’

“It hardly helped the (never

exactly sunny) mood of the dominant unionist party of the north that a few days earlier, Sinn Fein, the former political arm of the terrorist IRA, had taken the most first-choice votes in the Irish elections.

“This was an astounding result, and since (unlike the two parties that had ruled Ireland since independence) Sinn Fein actively campaigns for cross-border plebiscites for a united Ireland, it is unsurprising the unionists are even more than usually spooked.”

From 1968 to 1998, the UK suffered a 30-year, low-intensity conflict both in Northern Ireland and the wider UK called “the Troubles.” This conflict pitted Northern Irish republican nationalists, who want unification with the Republic of Ireland, against

Northern Irish unionists, who want to remain in the UK. Thou-sands died in the violence.

Lawson went on to say that Conservatives have long been concerned with the financial cost of keeping Northern Ireland part of the United Kingdom.

“On one occasion, a Tory (Conservative) secretary of state for the province blurted out the truth to a newspaper - though not in this country.

“In April 1993, Sir Patrick Mayhew gave a remarkable interview to Die Zeit, in which he said: ‘The province costs £3bn a year. £3bn for a million and a half people! For us, there is no stra-tegic or economic interest at stake...The quest for a united Ireland is perfectly legitimate — but without the use of violence.

“People think we don’t want

to let Northern Ireland (leave) the United Kingdom. If I’m com-pletely honest, (we’d do it) with pleasure.”

Lawson then said the Republic of Ireland was no keener to spend that sort of money on Northern Ireland or deal with sectarian tensions in the region.

With Irish nationalists opposed to Brexit and winning elections on both sides of the Irish border and Northern Irish unionists demoralised by John-son’s Brexit deal that they see as driving a wedge between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, as well as the ongoing debate over Scottish inde-pendence — the future of the United Kingdom is being dis-cussed at greater lengths and with greater urgency in local media.

Virus: German govt sends more medical aid to ChinaAP — BERLIN

Germany is sending a second shipment of medical aid supplies to China to help the Asian giant fight the corona-virus epidemic that has infected over 73,000 people.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said yesterday that the government is sending 8.7 tonnes of aid supplies worth $162,000, including protection gear and disinfectants.

“Germany stands firmly on the side of China in the battle against coronavirus and works closely and trustfully with the Chinese officials,” Maas said. “We have the utmost respect for the efforts China has already undertaken.”

The virus, which emerged in central China in December, has killed 1,868 patients in mainland China and five others elsewhere. China has instituted a strict lockdown on over 60 million people in central Hubei

province and other nations are taking their own measures to stop the virus from getting established on their territory.

Europe has had one virus death among its 47 confirmed cases, an 80-year-old Chinese tourist in Paris who was ini-tially turned away by two French hospitals.

Italy says 14 of 25 Italian crew members aboard the troubled Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has been struck under quarantine in Japan, will take an Italian evac-uation military flight home. The other 11, including the captain of the ship, will stay, the Italian Foreign Ministry said.

The Russian Embassy in Japan announced yesterday that two Russians are among the 542 people on the Diamond Princess confirmed with the virus. On Monday, a Russian court sent a woman who had broken out of a locked 14-day hospital quar-antine back into quarantine.

Russian activist under probe over France video scandalAFP — PARIS

French prosecutors yesterday placed a Russian artist and his girlfriend under official inves-tigation over the leaking of a video that brought down a close ally of President Emmanuel Macron.

Pyotr Pavlensky (pictured)and Alexandra de Taddeo are facing charges of invasion of privacy and publishing scan-dalous images without consent over the leaking of the video that forced the governing party’s Benjamin Griveaux to end his campaign to become mayor of Paris.

Pavlensky is also being

probed over an knife fight at a New Year’s Eve party in Paris.

Paris prosecutors yesterday requested he be placed in detention over that incident.

Pavlensky, 35, and de Taddeo, 29, were taken into custody on Saturday and ques-tioned for two days. They will be brought before an investi-gating magistrate later to face possible charges.

Pavlensky, an artist and activist who fled Russia in 2017, has already admitted publishing the scandalous video along with rude text messages.

De Taddeo is believed to have been the recipient of the

video and messages, which were uploaded onto a website created by Pavlensky and widely shared on social media.

Griveaux, a married father of three and former government

spokesman, pulled out of the running for Paris mayor after the scandal broke.

The leaking of the video triggered an outpouring of sym-pathy for the politician in France, where politicians and the media have dismissed rela-tionship scandals as private affairs.

Pavlensky said last week that he had wanted to expose the “hypocrisy” of the 42-year-old who had made families a core theme of his campaign.

With just a month to go until the municipal elections, former health minister Agnes Buzyn was scrambled to take his place as the Paris mayoral candidate

of Macron’s Republic on the Move (LREM) party.

She faces a stiff challenge to oust the Socialist incumbent Anne Hidalgo — Griveaux was already running in a distant third place before the video emerged.

Pavlensky, who has a long record of radical protests, received asylum in France in 2017 after falling foul of Russian authorities.

He was originally detained on Saturday on accusations he pulled a knife during a brawl at a New Year’s Eve party in Paris, before investigators shifted their focus to the leaked video.

Danish social worker convicted of $17m welfare fraudBLOOMBERG — COPENHAGEN

A court in Copenhagen has sentenced a 65-year-old social worker to 6.5 years in prison after she was found guilty of embezzling $17m of welfare money for decades.

Britta Nielsen was extra-dited from South Africa, where she had fled after becoming a suspect in what is considered the worst corruption scandal of its kind.

The Nordic nation is still trying to track down billions of dollars lost through a com-bination of tax evasion and a botched handling of foreign claims on dividend taxes. Meanwhile, Denmark’s biggest lender, Danske Bank A/S, is at the centre of an historic money laundering scandal.

Troops, rebels exchange fire in eastern UkraineAP — KIEV

Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists blamed each other for an outbreak of fighting in the country’s rebel-held east yesterday.

Ukraine’s military said in a statement that the separatists attempted to advance into the Ukraine-controlled territory but were repelled.

Ukrainian President Volo-dymyr Zelenskiy denounced the attack as a “cynical provocation.”

Separatist authorities in the Luhansk region, however, blamed Ukraine for starting the fighting. They claimed the fighting erupted when a group of Ukrainian soldiers tried to make an incursion into rebel-held territory near the village of Holubovske, but got into a minefield.

The chief of the General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces, Colonel-General Ruslan Khomchak, said one Ukrainian soldier was killed and another five were wounded in combat.

He said four separatists were killed and six others were wounded.

The separatists said two Ukrainian troops were killed and three others were wounded and the Ukrainian forces launched an artillery barrage to cover their evacuation.

They said a civilian resident in Holubovske was wounded by the Ukrainian shelling that also damaged civilian infrastructure in the villages of Kirovsk and Donetskiy.

The exchange of gunfire marks the latest spike in hostil-ities in the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine that has killed

over 14,000 people since 2014.A 2015 peace deal brokered

by France and Germany helped reduce the scope of fighting, but sporadic clashes have con-tinued and efforts to negotiate a political settlement have stalled.

During a meeting in Paris in December, the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany made a deal to exchange prisoners and pledged

to ensure a lasting cease-fire in fighting between Ukrainian troops and Russia-backed separatists.

They made no progress, however, on key contentious issues — a timeline for local elections in eastern Ukraine and when Ukraine can get back control of its borders in the rebel-held region.

Zelenskiy said on Facebook that yesterday’s

outbreak of hostilities was an attempt to derail efforts to end the conflict and said he would call a meeting of his Security Council to discuss the situation.

“Our course for ending the war and our adherence to inter-national agreements remain unchanged, just as our deter-mination to repel any acts of aggression against Ukraine,” he said.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy with Ruslan Khomchak (right), Military Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of Ukraine’s Security Council, during a briefing following an outbreak of violence with rebels on the frontline, in Kiev, yesterday.

Separatist authorities claimed the fighting erupted when a group of Ukrainian soldiers tried to make an incursion into rebel-held territory, but got into a minefield.

German arsonist jailed over mosque attack

Spain searches for migrants on boats near Canary IslandsAP — BARCELONA

Spain was searching for possibly dozens of migrants missing on three boats en route to the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, Spain’s maritime rescue service said yesterday.

A Civil Guard airplane was searching for the boats near the islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, off the northwest coast of Africa, the service said.

Earlier, the service said it was searching for 143 migrants in five boats but one returned to Dakhla on Western Sahara’s coast and another was rescued by the Moroccan Royal Navy.

The service said it was now not sure how many migrants were on the three boats still missing.

Authorities were alerted about the missing boats on Monday afternoon.

Helena Maleno, of the human rights group Walking Borders, told The Associated Press that the migrants, including women and children, are believed to have departed from the northwest coast of Africa between Friday and Saturday.

Although the total number of sea crossings to Spain decreased by more than 50 percent in 2019, arrivals doubled via the dangerous Atlantic route to the Canary Islands, whose nearest point is about 100km (62 miles) from the African coast. According to the International Organi-zation for Migration at least 210 people died on that route last year.

‘Mobile World Virus’A man holding his mobile phone walks past a poster by Italian urban artist Salvatore Benintende aka “TVBOY” depecting Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa wearing a protective face mask and holding a mobile phone reading “Mobile World Virus”, a week after the World Mobile Congress was cancelled due to fears stemming from the coronavirus that sparked an exodus of industry heavyweights, in a street of Barcelona, yesterday.

ANATOLIA — COLOGNE

An arsonist who caused considerable damage last May to a mosque in the German city of Hagen in North Rhine-Westphalia state was jailed for 3.5 years.

The 53-year-old man, who set fire to a trash dumpster and cartons outside with the flames spreading to the mosque, was sentenced by a local court.

Omer Oral, an official from the Islamic Community National View (IGMG), one of Germany’s largest Muslim-Turkish associations, said they hope the decision will deter all enemies of Islam.

The mosque, which belongs to the IGMG, was damaged on May 25 last year after the attack.

The group had called for a full investigation into the incident.

Germany has witnessed growing Islamophobia and hatred of migrants in recent years triggered by far-right parties who have exploited fears over a refugee crisis and terrorism.

17WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2020 AMERICAS

Bloomberg makes debate stage, to face Democratic rivalsAP — NEW YORK

Billionaire Mike Bloomberg has qualified for the upcoming Democratic presidential debate, marking the first time he’ll stand alongside the rivals he has so far avoided by bypassing the early voting states and using his personal fortune to define himself through television ads.

A new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll published yesterday shows Bloomberg with 19% support nationally in the Dem-ocratic nominating contest.

The former New York City mayor, who launched his pres-idential campaign in November, will appear in today’s debate in Las Vegas alongside former Vice-President Joe Biden, Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Fellow billionaire and philan-thropist Tom Steyer is still hoping to qualify.

Bloomberg’s campaign said that it was seeing “a ground-swell of support across the country” and that qualifying for

today’s debate “is the latest sign that Mike’s plan and ability to defeat Donald Trump is reso-nating with more Americans.” “Mike is looking forward to joining the other Democratic candidates on stage and making the case for why he’s the best candidate to defeat Donald Trump and unite the country,” Bloomberg campaign manager Kevin Sheekey said.

The Democratic National Committee recently changed its rules for how a candidate qual-ifies for the debate, opening the door for Bloomberg to be on stage and drawing the ire of some candidates who dropped out of the race for failing to make prior stages. The candi-dates were previously required to receive a certain number of campaign contributions to qualify, but Bloomberg, who is worth an estimated $60bn, is not taking donations.

The prime-time event will be a stark departure from Bloomberg’s highly choreo-graphed campaign. He’s poured more than $300m into tele-vision advertising, a way to

define himself for voters without facing criticism. While he’s campaigned in more than two dozen states, he does not take questions from voters and delivers a standard stump speech that lasts less than 15 minutes, often reading from a teleprompter. He encounters the occasional protester, including one who jumped on

stage recently in Chattanooga, Tennessee, yelling, “This is not democracy. This is a plu-tocracy!” But his friendly crowds usually quickly over-whelm the protesters with chants of “We like Mike!” Bloomberg is likely to face far more direct fire in the debate. His fellow Democratic con-tenders have stepped up their

attacks against him in recent days, decrying him for trying to “buy the election” and criti-cizing his support of the “stop-and-frisk” tactic while mayor of New York City that led police to target mostly black and His-panic men for searches.

Bloomberg has barely crossed paths on the trail with his fellow Democrats. He decided to skip the first four voting states of Iowa, New

Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina in favor of focusing on the 14 states that vote on March 3 and the contests that come afterward.

He rarely mentions his rivals by name, though his cam-paign is centred on the idea that none of them can beat President Donald Trump. And Bloomberg, more than anyone, has predi-cated his campaign on a potential Biden collapse.

Former New York Mayor and Democratic presidential candidate, Michael Bloomberg, speaks about his plan for clean energy during a campaign event at the Blackwall Hitch restaurant in Alexandria, Virginia.

Trump calls for all cases stemming from Mueller probe to be ‘thrown out’

REUTERS —WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump yesterday called for all cases stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election to be "thrown out" and suggested he could bring a lawsuit over the matter.

Trump made the comments hours before a telephone con-ference call between lawyers for the president's former adviser, Roger Stone and pros-ecutors. Stone was convicted on seven counts of lying to the US Congress, obstruction and witness tampering.

Prosecutors initially called for Stone to receive a prison sentence of between seven to nine years in the case but, after Trump publicly called the rec-ommendation "unfair," the Justice Department scaled it back. That sent shock waves through Washington and prompted all four prosecutors to quit the case and one to quit the agency. "Everything having to do with this fraudulent

investigation is... badly tainted and, in my opinion, should be thrown out," Trump said in a series of tweets.

"If I wasn't President, I'd be suing everyone all over the place... BUT MAYBE I STILL WILL," Trump continued.

Asked about Trump's tweets on Tuesday in an interview with Fox News Channel, White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham alleged corruption and raised questions about the jury,

adding: "He's frustrated, obvi-ously, and who knows what he'll end up doing." Stone was one of several former Trump associates to have been charged in the Mueller probe and one of only two to go to trial instead of pleading guilty.

Trump's tweets on Tuesday morning came days after the nation's top law enforcement official, Attorney General Bill Barr, said Trump's tweets made it "impossible" to do his job.

Sanders, Bloomberg & Biden in virtual tie in Virginia pollBernie Sanders, Michael Bloomberg and Joe Biden are in a tight three-way race for the lead in a poll of likely Democratic voters in Virginia released yesterday.

Sanders and Bloomberg each have the support of 22% of the likely primary voters surveyed in the March 3 Super Tuesday state by Monmouth University, and Biden had 18%. The poll, conducted February 13-16, has a margin of error of 4.9 per-centage points.

Pete Buttigieg follows the top three at 11%, followed by Amy Klobuchar at 9% and Elizabeth Warren at 5%. Some 11% of those surveyed said they were undecided. Even among those who stated a preference, there’s still flexibility, with just a quarter saying they are firmly set on their candidate choice.

Trump pardons DeBartolo JrUS President Donald Trump (pictured) has pardoned Edward DeBartolo Jr., the former San Francisco 49ers owner convicted in a scandal.

DeBartolo Jr., who built the San Francisco 49ers’ 1980s-’90s dynasty, was involved in one of the biggest owners’ scandals in the sport’s history. In 1998, he pleaded guilty to failing to report a felony when he paid $400,000 to former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards in exchange for a riverboat gam-bling license.The White House announced the surprise decision yesterday, along with NFL greats Jerry Rice, Jim Brown, Ronnie Lott and Charles Haley.DeBartolo Jr., whose San Francisco 49ers won five Super Bowls under his leadership, stepped down as owner in 1997 after two Louisiana newspapers reported he would be indicted for gambling fraud. He avoided prison, was fined $1m and was suspended for a year by the NFL. But the episode effectively ended his NFL career. Rice, an NFL Hall of Famer who played on three of DeBar-tolo’s Super Bowl-winning teams, said DeBartolo “was like that 12th man” of the great 49ers teams.

"Everything having to do with this fraudulent investigation is... badly tainted and, in my opinion, should be thrown out," Trump said in a series of tweets.

Supporters of the indigenous Wet’suwet’en Nation march as part of a protest against British Columbia’s Coastal GasLink pipeline, in Toronto, Ontario, yesterday.

Canada passenger trains to run again, pipeline protests block freightREUTERS — OTTAWA

Passenger operator VIA Rail Canada said yesterday that it would soon resume partial services between Quebec City and Ottawa while the government sought to end anti-pipeline protests that are blocking rail freight in eastern Canada.

VIA Rail said passenger services between the two cities would start tomorrow after it received a notification from Canadian National Railway Co, the country’s biggest rail road.

Protests opposing the con-struction of a gas pipeline project in British Columbia have disrupted passenger trains and goods transportation in Canada.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will address legislators

about the disruption caused by the blockades, his office said.

Earlier in the day he met a group of cabinet ministers which is addressing the crisis.

“We would obviously like to find a way to move forward in a peaceful manner,” Envi-ronment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said before the meeting.

Meanwhile, Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg tweeted support for the Wet’suwet’en indigenous people of British Columbia and their campaign against the C$6.6bn ($4.98bn) Coastal GasLink project.

The demonstrations spread as environmentalists joined the campaign, arguing that Canada - a major energy exporter - should do more to cut green-

house gas emissions.Perry Bellegarde, head of

the Assembly of First Nations umbrella group, called for calm and constructive dialogue.

“The Wet’suwet’en peoples have asked that they be given space for their own internal dialogue... they have told me they want to create their own approach to formalize dis-cussion with federal and pro-vincial governments,” he told a news conference on Tuesday.

Police in British Columbia have mounted a series of oper-ations to clear the protests, angering aboriginal groups who complain the country’s indig-enous population is margin-alized. Some bands insist they can veto on projects on their land, a stance rejected by Canadian courts.

Homeland Security waives contracting laws for border wallAP — SAN DIEGO

The Trump administration said yesterday that it will waive federal contracting laws to speed construction of a wall at the US-Mexico border.

The Department of Homeland Security said waiving procurement regula-tions will allow 177 miles of wall to be built more quickly in Cal-ifornia, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. The 10 waived laws include requirements for having open competition, jus-tifying selections and receiving all bonding from a contractor before any work can begin.

The acting Homeland Security secretary, Chad Wolf, is exercising authority under a 2005 law that gives him sweeping powers to waive laws for building border barriers.

“We hope that will accel-erate some of the construction that’s going along the Southwest border,” Wolf told Fox News

Channel’s “Fox & Friends” on yesterday. Secretaries under President Donald Trump have issued 16 waivers, and Pres-ident George W Bush issued five, but yesterday’s announcement marks the first time that waivers have applied to federal procurement rules. Previously they were used to waive environmental impact reviews.

The Trump administration said it expects the waivers will allow 94 miles of wall to be built this year, bringing the Republican president closer to his pledge of about 450 miles since taking office and making it one of his top domestic pri-orities. It said the other 83 miles covered by the waivers may get built this year.

“Under the president’s lead-ership, we are building more wall, faster than ever before,” the department said in a statement. The move is expected to spark criticism that

the Trump administration is overstepping its authority, but legal challenges have failed. In 2018, a federal judge in San Diego rejected arguments by California and environmental advocacy groups that the sec-retary’s broad powers should have an expiration date. An appeals court upheld the ruling last year.

Congress gave the secretary power to waive laws in areas of high illegal crossings in 2005 in a package of emergency spending for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and minimum standards for state-issued iden-tification cards. The Senate approved it unanimously, with support from Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. The House passed it with strong bipartisan support; then-Rep. Bernie Sanders voted against it.

The administration said the waivers will apply to con-tractors that have already been vetted.

High speed train

hits car in

Florida, 1 dead

AP — POMPANO BEACH

One person died yesterday morning when a car was hit by a high speed train in South Florida, officials said.

The Brightline train, which operates between Miami and West Palm Beach, struck the car at an intersection in Pompano Beach about 10:12am yesterday, said sheriff’s spokeswoman Gerdy St. Louis. One person was confirmed dead.

Witnesses to the crash said the vehicle went around the guard rails, a Brightline spokesman told The Asso-ciated Press. More than 40 people have been killed by the train, which travels at speeds up to 79 mph through some of Florida’s most densely popu-lated cities, according to records. An investigation is underway. No additional details were immediately available.Pompano Beach is north of Fort Lauderdale.

Jury begins deliberating in Harvey Weinstein’s trialAP — NEW YORK

Jurors in Harvey Weinstein’s trial started deliberating yesterday, weighing charges in the landmark #MeToo case that could put the once-powerful Hollywood mogul behind bars for the rest of his life.

The panel of seven men and five women heard instruc-tions in the law from the judge before going behind closed doors to consider charges that Weinstein abused a woman in a Manhattan hotel in 2013.

Jurors will also be exam-ining actress Annabella Sci-orra’s account in considering charges, even though the alle-gation is too old to be charged on its own due to the statute of limitations in effect at the time. About 40 minutes into deliberations the jury sent a note asking several questions about the law.

Prosecutors built their case around graphic, often-har-rowing testimony from those

women, along with three other accusers who were not part of the criminal case but were allowed to take the witness stand because they say Wein-stein used them same tactics on them.

Weinstein’s lawyers contend the acts were con-sensual. They focused on friendly emails some of the women sent to Weinstein and further meetings some of them had with him after the alleged assaults.

A torrent of allegations against Weinstein in October 2017 spawned the #MeToo movement. His trial is seen as a watershed moment for the cause, but Judge James Burke has cautioned jurors that it is “not a referendum on the #MeToo movement.” Wein-stein lawyer Donna Rotunno sent a similar message in a Newsweek essay over the weekend, drawing complaints from a prosecutor who said she appeared to be trying to influence the jury.

18 WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2020AMERICAS

Mexican women protest after 7-year-old’s murderAFP — MEXICO CITY

Dozens of women protested outside the presidential resi-dence in Mexico City yesterday following the murder of a seven-year-old girl — a crime that sparked an uproar in the violence-wracked country.

The child’s body, which showed signs of torture, was found in the capital on Sat-urday. Since then there have been protests at her school, at her funeral on Monday and on social media.

Dressed in black and many with their faces covered, the protesters demanded an end to impunity and violence against women. “Femicide is a state crime,” protesters shouted as they demanded that left-wing

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador take responsiblity to end violence against women.

“Don’t be indifferent, they’re openly killing women,” pro-testers also yelled. Later they observed a minute’s silence, fists in the air, in memory of the dead seven-year-old.

Lopez Obrador has defended authorities’ response to this latest murder.

“We’re taking care of the causes” of violence, he said in his morning press conference.

Asked by journalists, Lopez Obrador said he wouldn’t be against creating a special pros-ecutor’s office to deal with femicide. “I think it’s a really good idea, as is everything that delivers peace and tranquility,” he said. The child had been

reported missing on February 11 and her body was found in the southeast of the capital on Saturday. The local prosecutor’s office on Monday offered a two million pesos ($107,000)

reward for information leading to the identification of her kid-nappers and killers.

It said the mother had gone to pick up her daughter from school but didn’t find her and

began a search. Video footage has since emerged appearing to show the girl being held by the hand of another woman and walking in the street on the day she disappeared.

People participate in a protest against gender-based violence, after the murder of seven-year-old Fatima Cecilia Aldrighett, outside the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico, yesterday.

US blacklists Rosneft unit to hurt Maduro

REUTERS — WASHINGTON

The United States yesterday tightened financial restrictions on Venezuela, blacklisting a subsidiary of Russian state oil major Rosneft that President Donald Trump’s administration has said provides a lifeline to President Nicolas Maduro’s government.

The sanctions imposed by the US Treasury Department increase pressure on Russia, which the United States sees as the main backer of Maduro’s government. The Trump admin-istration has accused the sub-sidiary, Rosneft Trading SA, of propping up the Venezuelan oil sector and actively evading American sanctions.

The United States also issued a general license allowing

companies 90 days to wind down their transactions with the company.

The action freezes any US-held assets of the Geneva-based trading unit of the Russian oil giant and its chairman of the board of directors and president, Didier Casimiro.

“I think this is a very signif-icant step and I think you will see companies all over the world in the oil sector now move away from dealing with Rosneft Trading,” Elliott Abrams, the US special representative for Ven-ezuela, told reporters.

Abrams said Rosneft Trading now handles about 70 percent of Venezuelan oil.

The United States last year recognised Venezuelan oppo-sition leader Juan Guaido as the OPEC nation’s legitimate interim

president and began ratcheting up sanctions and diplomatic pressure on Maduro’s government.

A year later, Maduro remains in power, backed by the military as well as Russia, China and Cuba. His staying power has been a source of frustration for Trump, US officials have said privately.

Rosneft declined to comment. It said in September that any attempts to curb its income in Venezuela would be illegal and that the United States was using the threat of sanctions as a form of unfair competition. Russia and China have called US sanctions against Venezuela uni-lateral and illegal.

The shares of Rosneft fell 2.7

percent, underperforming oil prices and the broader Russian index. The news about the sanc-tions came soon before the close of the Russian market.

The decision to impose sanc-tions on Rosneft Trading was cleared by Trump, a senior administration official said, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday discussed the black-listing with his Russian coun-terpart Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the Munich security conference in Germany.

“Obviously we have deep differences over what is hap-pening in Venezuela and what is the way out for Venezuela,” Abrams said, when asked about Pompeo’s discussion with Lavrov.

It was unclear whether yes-terday’s move will reduce export revenue flowing to Maduro’s government, which continues to enjoy Moscow’s backing in a stand-off reminiscent of the Cold War.

Moscow has acted as a lender of last resort for Vene-zuela, with the government and Rosneft providing at least $17bn in loans and credit lines since 2006, and has also provided dip-lomatic support. Abrams said that the United States will have conversations with China and

India, the leading buyers of Ven-ezuelan oil, and with Spanish officials over Spanish company Repsol’s activities regarding Venezuela.

The United States has also reiterated its call to companies worldwide to cease business with the Maduro government and added that Tuesday’s step was part of a wider campaign.

Rosneft is the world’s largest listed oil company by output. Through units including Rosneft Trading and TNK Trading it took over a third of Venezuela’s oil exports last year, according to PDVSA’s documents and Ref-initiv Eikon vessel tracking data, for reselling to final customers, mainly in Asia. That way it became the largest intermediary of Venezuelan oil amid US sanctions.

US officials have been mindful of the need for caution in targeting a company as large and far-reaching as Rosneft because of the risk of causing unintended damage to American and allies’ interests.

The US Treasury Department eased sanctions on Russian alu-minum giant Rusal and one unit of Chinese shipping company COSCO after they sparked mayhem in markets and supply chains.

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro gestures during a press conference with members of the foreign media at Miraflores Palace in Caracas.

The sanctions imposed by the US Treasury Department increase pressure on Russia, which the United States sees as the main backer of Maduro’s government. The Trump administration has accused the subsidiary, Rosneft Trading SA, of propping up the Venezuelan oil sector and actively evading American sanctions.

Pompeo, Ethiopia PM discuss country’s dramatic reformsAP — ADDIS ABABA

America’s top diplomat in his final Africa stop yesterday discussed reforms with Ethio-pia’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning prime minister as well as regional issues that likely included Ethiopia’s dispute with Egypt over a massive dam project.

The Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was expected to speak to reporters later in the day. A brief statement by Prime Min-ister Abiy Ahmed’s office said

the two discussed strengthening relationships and “continued areas of cooperation.” His country is a key US security ally in the Horn of Africa.

Ethiopia is Africa’s second most populous nation with well over 100 million people, and Abiy is under growing pressure to uphold the dramatic political reforms that won him the Nobel last year. He took office in 2018 and quickly ended a state of emergency, freed political pris-oners and welcomed opposition groups home from exile.

But a major test looms in August with an election that the prime minister has repeatedly vowed will be free and fair. Analysts warn that his loosening of repressive measures has unleashed long-held grievances among some of the country’s more than 80 ethnic groups. Clashes at times have turned deadly.

The US has encouraged Ethiopia to uphold its reforms. Separately, the Trump admin-istration has pressed Abiy and his government to find a

peaceful resolution to its dispute with Egypt over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which is nearing completion.

Ethiopia says the dam is crucial in helping to pull many of its people out of poverty, while Egypt warns that too-rapid filling of the dam’s res-ervoir in the coming years will imperil its share of Nile River waters.

Washington has stepped in to help host several rounds of talks after Abiy warned that his

country could muster millions to fight over the dam issue but preferred to negotiate a peaceful solution.

Pompeo is the first Cabinet official to visit Africa in 18 months. He also stopped in Senegal and Angola on a visit that seeks to reassert US interests on a continent that many have accused the Trump administration of largely neglecting. China, Africa’s top trading partner for a decade now, is a major concern for the US.

Amazon CEO Bezos launches $10bn fund to combat climate changeAFP — WASHINGTON

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has pledged $10bn to a new fund to tackle climate change but activists have urged the world’s richest man to first clean up the e-commerce giant’s own lack-lustre environmental record.

The e-commerce tycoon said the Bezos Earth Fund would “fund scientists, activists, NGOs — any effort that offers a real possibility to help preserve and protect the natural world.” “Climate change is the biggest threat to our planet,” Bezos, whose net worth is estimated to be around $130bn, said in an Instagram post to his 1.4 million followers.

However, Greenpeace USA said Amazon still had “massive climate issues,” asking: “Why won’t Bezos lead by cleaning up his own house?” Hundreds of Amazon employees last month signed a blog criticising

the online retail giant’s climate policies and demanding it do more to tackle climate change.

Amazon has been accused of creating vast amounts of waste from the packaging it uses for doorstep deliveries, as well as for the greenhouse gas emissions from huge vehicle fleets. The company, which in December said its workforce had hit 750,000, has also been denounced over its carbon foot-print because of the high energy consumption of its server farms for its lucrative cloud com-puting activities.

Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, the group behind last month’s criticism, responded to Bezos’ pledge by urging the company to stop working with oil and gas com-panies and swap its diesel trucks for electric vehicles.

“We applaud Jeff Bezos’ philanthropy, but one hand cannot give what the other is

taking away,” the group said in a statement.

Bezos, who maintained his status as the world’s richest person despite an expensive divorce last year, said his new foundation would begin issuing grants later this year.

“I want to work alongside others both to amplify known ways and to explore new ways of fighting the devastating impact of climate change on this planet we all share,” Bezos said in his announcement on Monday.

Last September, he said Amazon would pledge to become carbon neutral by 2040 and vowed that the company would order 100,000 electric delivery trucks. Rather than make investments that the business guru might profit from, the fund would allocate grant money to projects, The New York Times said, quoting unnamed sources.

Watchman

sentenced to 16

years in killing

of Florida tourist

AP — COSTA RICA

A hotel watchman has been convicted of killing a Florida tourist staying at an Airbnb lodging in Costa Rica and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

The court in Pavas found on Monday that Bismark Espinoza Martínez had taken advantage of his position at the Villa Le Mas hotel in Escazu to enter the rooms where Carla Sefaniak was staying and to kill her.

Stefaniak, an insurance agent from Hallandale Beach, Florida, had come to Costa Rica to celebrate her 36th birthday. She had checked into the small hotel on November 27 and had been scheduled to fly home the next day.

Her buried body was found on December 3, 2018. An autopsy revealed that Ste-faniak suffered a blunt force wound to the head and cuts on the neck and arms.

Airbnb was fined the equivalent of about $53,000 for the incident. Costa Rican prosecutors had asked for an 18 year sentence while Stefa-niak’s family had sought the maximum penalty, 50 years.

A witness testified that Martínez had confessed to the crime and police said he had lied about the victim having left the hotel on Nov. 28. Mar-tínez was absolved of robbery charges connected to the case.

Vehicle explosion

leaves 7 dead

in Colombia

AP — BOGOTA, COLOMBIA

A public transportation vehicle suddenly exploded on a highway in Colombia, killing seven people, authorities said yesterday.

The incident happened on Monday evening as the vehicle was travelling from Pasto en route to Cali in southwestern Colombia.

Gen. Jorge Isaacs Hoyos said investigators have dis-carded the possibility of a terror attack, but did not provide a cause of the explosion or give an exact description of the vehicle.

The explosion also set two other vehicles on fire, one traveling in front and the other behind, resulting in several injuries.

Colombia’s El Tiempo newspaper reported investi-gators are examining whether the vehicle may have been carrying explosives, poten-tially for illegal mining or other criminal purposes.

SpaceX announces partnership to send 4 tourists into deep orbitAFP — WASHINGTON

SpaceX announced a new part-nership to send four tourists deeper into orbit than any private citizen in history has gone, without disclosing the date or price tag.

The company signed a deal with Space Adventures, which is based in Washington and has served as an intermediary to send eight space tourists to the International Space Station via Russian Soyuz rockets.

The first of these was Dennis Tito, who paid $20m for an eight hour stay on the ISS back in 2001. The last to go was Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, in 2009.

The tourists would be carried on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, which was developed to transport Nasa astronauts and is due to make its first crewed flight in the coming months. The tourism flights won’t go to the ISS, according to a statement by

SpaceX, founded by billionaire Elon Musk. “This historic mission will forge a path to making spaceflight possible for all people who dream of it, and we are pleased to work with the Space Adventures’ team on the mission,” said Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX.

The date and length of the mission have not been dis-closed, but Space Adventures’ president Eric Anderson said it would be “capable of reaching twice the altitude of any prior civilian astronaut mission or space station visitor.” The ISS orbits at an altitude of 400km.

That would place it well beyond what Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are offering private customers. The two companies are developing vessels to send tourists just beyond the border of space. Tickets for Virgin started at $250,000 when they first went on sale in the mid 2000s.

19WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2020 HOME

CROSSWORD

13 Qatari mothers of patients at HMC’s Al Maha Unit 1 complete basic life support certificationTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Staff at Hamad Medical Corpo-ration’s (HMC) Al Maha 1 Chil-dren’s Unit are helping empower the women who are part of the mother’s support group by providing them with the skills needed to take a more hands-on role in the care of their children. Thought to be the first-of-its-kind in the region, the mother’s support group was launched two years ago and has provided an important platform for the women.

The Al Maha 1 Children’s Unit at Rumailah Hospital provides specialised care for children who have complex, long-term health conditions. The unit cares for children aged three months to 14 years and the length of stay for each child varies from months to years, depending on their diagnosis. More than 90 percent of the children cared for at the 26-bed long-term care facility have their breathing supported by a mechanical ventilator.

Lilllykutty Joseph, Head Nurse at Al Maha 1, said many of the family members of patients at the unit are involved in the day-to-day care of their children.

“Including families as active members of the healthcare team can improve clinical decision making. There is a lot of evidence to show the value of including family members as part of the healthcare team. Since the launch of our mother’s support group, we have seen how effective this structured platform has been in helping to reduce some of the stress on our patient’s families,” said Joseph.

“It has also resulted in improved communication between parents and care teams. We have always taken time to educate and teach family members how to do some of the routine tasks of patient care, but providing the mothers who are part of the support group with additional training has been a goal we set for ourselves,” added Joseph.

A Basic Life Support (BLS) certification was recently offered to women who are part of the mother’s support group. Thirteen Qatari mothers completed the training and some were also trained in tracheostomy care. Joseph said providing the training was an important part of helping to empower the mothers,

particularly when it comes to managing emergency situations that happen outside the hospital.

She said while children cared for at Al Maha 1 are inpatients, many leave the facility as part of planned home visits. The goal is to transition the children, where possible, back into the com-munity and she noted that the home visits are an important part of that process.

“This certification gave them confidence in their abilities by allowing them to have their skills and knowledge evaluated by experts in a safe and controlled environment,” said Joseph.

The mother of one patient who completed the certification explained that the training

provided a confidence boost. Another mother agreed, noting that caring for a child with complex medical needs can be a very isolating and all-consuming experience.

“The training provided me with more confidence in my abil-ities. I feel more confident to help not only my child but also others who may need assistance,” said Mama Salem.

In 2016, staff at Al Maha 1 implemented a successful program designed to help long-term ventilated children live at home. That program has seen over 60 children who had been hospitalised, in some cases for many years, safely transitioned back into the community.

Al Maha Unit mother’s support group pose for a group photo.

Author of The Wounded Healer challenges mental health stigma at QNL eventTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar National Library collabo-rated with Sidra Medicine to host Dr. Ahmed Hankir, physician, lecturer, mental health activist and author of The Wounded Healer, recently.

Dr Hankir presented his award-winning program, which blends performing arts with psy-chiatry to describe his personal

journey as a survivor of psycho-logical trauma to becoming an award-winning “wounded healer.” Dr Hankir has delivered his storytelling approach to chal-lenging the stigma of mental health issues in 13 countries.

“My personal journey serves as a message of hope for eve-ryone, and my struggle with mental illness has not only made me become a better doctor, but

also a better person. I have suc-cessfully overcome psychological distress and embraced my vul-nerabilities overtime,” said Dr Hankir.

“Treatment for mental dis-tress is available and it is nothing to be ashamed of. Seeking help from others is a sign of strength and it really is the first important step. If I can recover, anyone else can, so never lose hope,” Dr

Hankir added. Mohammed Shafi was

among the participants at the event and said: “It is really important for educational institutions to address the stigma related to mental health issues. The lecture was therefore very informative to understand what people with mental health go through and how to help them.”

CROSSWORD

Ayyappanum Koshiyum is a 2020 Indian Malayalam action revenge-drama thriller film written and directed by Sachy. It was produced by Ranjith and P M Sasid-haran under the company Gold Coin Motion Picture Company.

AYYAPPANUM KOSHIYUM

MALL ROYAL PLAZA

Frozen II (2D/Comedy) 2:00pmBloodline (2D/Crime) 4:00pmAyyappanum Koshiyum (2D/Malayalam) 2:00, 6:00, 8:00, 11:00pmLove Aaj Kal (2D/Hindi) 9:00pmNaan Sirithal (2D/Tamil) 11:30pmSonic: The Hedgehog (2D/Action) 2:15, 4:00 & 7:30pm; Fantasy Island (2D/Comedy) 6:00 & 9:30pm Varane Avashyamund (2D/Malayalam) 5:00pm; Anjaam Pathira (2D/Malayalam) 11:30pm

Varane Avashyamund (2D/Malayalam) 11:30am & 5:30pm; Sonic: The Hedgehog (2D/Action) 11:45, 2:00, 4:15, 6:30, 8;45 & 11:00pm; Love Aaj Kal (2D/

Hindi) 11:45, 5:15 & 11:15pm; Ayyappanum Koshiyum

(2D/Malayalam) 2:15, 8:15 & 11:30pm; World Famous

Lover (Telugu) (2D/Malayalam) 2:15, 8:15pm

LANDMARK

AL KHOR

Ayyappanum Koshiyum (2D/Malayalam) 5:45, 7:00, 8:45, 10:00 &

11:45pm

Varane Avashyamund (2D/Malayalam) 6:00, 9:00pm

Love Aaj Kal (2D/Hindi) 6:30pm

Oh My Kadavule (2D/Tamil) 9:15pm

ASIAN TOWN

ROXY

FLIK Mirqab Mall

Ayyappanum Koshiyum (2D/Malayalam) 5:20, 11:35pmBad Boys For Life (2D/Action) 12:50, 3:15, 5:40, 8:05pm & 0:30amBloodline (2D/Crime) 9:00 & 11:00pmDolittle (2D/Comedy) 11:45am, 10:45am & 12:25pmFantasy Island (2D/Comedy) 12:40, 2:50, 5:00, 7:10, 9:20 & 11:40pm; Birds Of Prey (2D/Action) 10;15am, 12:30, 2:40, 4:50, 7:00, 9:10 & 11:20pm; Joker 11:55pmJumanji: The Next Level 1:45, 4:10, 6:35pmLove Aaj Kal (2D/Hindi) 2:30 & 8:40pmMiracle In Cell No.7 (2D/Hindi) 9:35pmOrdinary Love (2D/Drama) 10:55am, 1:50, 3:45, 5:45 & 7:40pmSonic: The Hedgehog (2D/Action) 10:20am, 11:30, 12;20, 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 2:20, 4:20, 6:20, 7:20, 8:20, 9:30, 10:20, 11:30pm & 0:20amSpies in Disguise (2D/Animation) 10:25am & 11:50amThief Of Baghdad (2D/Arabic) 10:30pm

Ayyappanum Koshiyum (2D/Malayalam) 11:00am, 2:30 & 10:30pm; Bad Boys For Life (2D/Action) 10:30pmBloodline (2D/Crime) 9:00 & 11:00pmDolittle (2D/Comedy) 12:45, 4:40 & 6:50pmFantasy Island (2D/Comedy) 1:30 & 8:00pmLatte And The Magic Waterstone (2D/Animation)

11:00am & 2:45pm; Oh My Kadavule (2D/Tamil)

7:30pm; Love Aaj Kal (2D/Hindi) 11:00am, 2:00 & 8:00pm; Sonic: The Hedgehog (2D/Action) 10:30am, 11:30, 12:30, 3:00, 3:40, 5:10, 5:50, 7:30, 9:00, 10:00 & 11:10pmVarane Avashyamund (2D/Malayalam) 5:00 & 10:50pm

Frozen II (2D/Comedy) 2:15pm

Sonic: The Hedgehog (2D/Action) 2:30 & 4:00pm

Love Aaj Kal (2D/Hindi) 6:00pm

Ayyappanum Koshiyum (2D/Malayalam) 4:30, 8:30 & 11:15pm

Ordinary Love (2D/Drama) 7:30pm

Fantasy Island (2D/Comedy) 9:15pm

Oh My Kadavule (2D/Tamil) 11:30pm

Ayyappanum Koshiyum (2D/Malayalam) 2:00, 8:00, 5:30 & 11:00pm; World Famous Lover (2D/Telugu)

2:15pmLatte And The Magic Waterstone (2D/Animation)

2:15pm; Frozen II (2D/Comedy) 3:45pm; Sufna (2D/

Punjabi) 5:00pm; Fantasy Island (2D/Comedy)

9:30pm; Bloodline (2D/Crime) 11:30pmSonic: The Hedgehog (2D/Action) 5:00, 6:45 & 7:30pm; Malang (2D/Hindi) 11:30pm; Love Aaj Kal (2D/Hindi) 8:30pmOh My Kadavule (2D/Tamil) 11:30pm;

Pakistan envoy praisesThe Peninsula

20 WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2020MORNING BREAK

The Editor-in-Chief of The Peninsula, Dr. Khalid bin Mubarak Al-Shafi, yesterday received the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the State of Qatar, Syed Ahsan Raza Shah, at The Peninsula office. The Ambassador was briefed about the evolution of the newspaper over the past two decades since its establishment and its mission, vision and role of the newspaper’s website. The Ambassador praised The Peninsula for its vast coverage of domestic and international events. The envoy and the Editor-in-Chief also discussed cooperation between the embassy and the newspaper. PIC: ABDUL BASIT/THE PENINSULA

Spotlight on diversity, politics and Nazi past at 70th Berlin film festAFP — BERLIN

Diversity, politics and revelations from the Nazi era will dominate the agenda when the Berlin film festival launches its 70th edition in the heart of the German capital tomorrow.

One of Europe’s biggest cinema events alongside Cannes and Venice, the Berlinale will this year showcase female directors and political films from across the globe while also confronting hard truths about its own murky history. Fol-lowing furious debate in Hollywood about the dominance of white and male nom-inees at recent award shows, the Berlinale’s new directors have claimed the 11-day fes-tival will represent the “diversity” of cinema.

“My goal is to ensure a platform for the films. We want to give room to diversity,” said co-director Carlo Chatrian. “I don’t say that we are pre-senting perfect films... but films that rep-resent cinema in its diversity.”

New chiefs Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek take charge of the festival for the first time this year, after former boss Dieter Kosslick ended an 18-year spell at the helm in 2019. Last year, Kosslick signed a “50/50” pledge to commit the festival to gender parity in future, calling for trans-parency in selection and an even gender ratio in top management. At a recent press conference, Rissenbeek pointed out that the majority of section directors were now women after a reorganisation of the fes-tival structure. Yet only six of the 18 films in the running for this year’s “Golden Bear” are directed by women, one fewer than in 2019.

They include British director Sally Potter’s “The Roads Not Taken”, starring

Javier Bardem and Salma Hayek, and “First Cow” by US indie director Kelly Reichardt.

A number of high-profile female figures are also set to grace the red carpet this year. British Oscar winner Helen Mirren will receive a lifetime achievement award, while former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is set to appear for a five-part documentary on her life. Chatrian has warned against “stamping” the Berlinale as a political event, yet politics will be front and centre in the 70th edition. The anniversary has already been overshadowed by revelations that Alfred Bauer, the Berlinale’s founding director, was a high-ranking Nazi.

The prestigious Alfred Bauer prize, previously won by the likes of Baz Luhrmann, was suspended after an investigation by newspaper Die Zeit highlighted Bauer’s standing in the Nazi party. Yesterday. festival organisers announced they had commissioned the Munich-based Institute for Contem-porary History (IfZ) to investigate Bauer’s role in the Hitler regime.

The festival programme also includes a wealth of politically charged films. Controversial Russian artistic project DAU will make its first appearance in Berlin since its 2018 plan to reconstruct the Berlin Wall in the heart of the German capital was thwarted by city authorities. Two DAU films will be shown at the Ber-linale with one, DAU Natasha, among those in competition. Also in the running for the Golden Bear are “There Is No Evil” by Mohammad Rasoulof, an Iranian director currently unable to leave his home country, and Rithy Panh’s “Irradiated”, a work on remem-brance of the Cambodian genocide.

Morocco fortress village hopes to draw ‘Game of Thrones’ fansAFP — RABAT

Millions worldwide may have seen the desert fortress in the hit fantasy series “Game of Thrones”, but fewer know they can visit the Moroccan village of Ait-Ben-Haddou.

The fortified old settlement at the foot of the majestic Atlas mountains enchanted audi-ences in the HBO series and also served as a dusty backdrop in Ridley Scott’s epic swords-and-sandals film “Gladiator”.

But unlike other famous locations from movie and tele-vision history, this UNESCO World Heritage Site has so far missed out on a mass influx of tourism -- something some of its inhabitants are eager to change.

“Several people have told me that they came here to see the filming location of ‘Game of Thrones’,” said Ahmed Baabouz, a local tour guide. “There is tourism linked to cinema here but frankly we have not developed it to the extent it could be.”

it-Ben-Haddou is southern Morocco’s most famous fortress.

Time seems to have stopped at the site overlooking a valley some 30km from the town of Ouarzazate.

After passing through the imposing entrance way, visitors navigate a labyrinth of winding alleys that eventually lead onto a public square where the set-tlement’s inhabitants once gathered.

There is a mosque and two cemeteries — one for Muslims and one for Jews. Most inhab-itants have long since departed though, with a few homes con-verted into stalls selling handicrafts.

The fortress is an ideal film setting, located a short distance from the studios of Ouarzazate, the “Mecca” of Moroccan cinema. Productions ranging from “Lawrence of Arabia” to “The Mummy” have been filmed here.

More recently, scenes from the cult series “Game of Thrones” were shot at Ait-Ben-Haddou, with the site standing in for the fictional Yellow City of Yunkai which is conquered by Daenerys Targaryen, a key character in the “GOT” universe.

Hammadi, 61, is a privileged witness to the location’s cine-matic history. “All of these pro-ductions have contributed to the reputation of the region,” he

said, grinning widely. Hammadi himself has

appeared as an extra in a number of films. And while like most people he lives in a more

modern home in a village on the other side of the valley, he con-tinues to return to Ait-Ben-Haddou to welcome tourists.

On a wall at the entrance to

Hammadi’s former home, photos bear witness to the projects he has worked on.

One shows him dressed as an ancient Roman with director Ridley Scott on the set of “Gladiator”.

“We have a very rich cine-matic heritage that we hope to use to attract tourists,” said tour guide Baabouz, who is 29.

But “nothing indicates that ‘Game of Thrones’ was shot here,” he added. On Morocco’s Atlantic coast, the city of Essaouira also formed the backdrop to scenes from the series. But there too, Moroccan tourism promoters are yet to capitalise on the connection.

In comparison, Northern Ireland, Malta and Dubrovnik in Croatia have attracted hordes of fans from around the world, drawn by their links to the franchise.

To remedy this, Baabouz and other young people in the village are pooling their limited resources towards an ambitious project: a museum in the for-tress, gathering photography from the productions that have been filmed here.

A tourist walks near the Kasbah (ancient fortress) of Ait-Ben-Haddou (background), where scenes depicting the fictional city of Yunkai from the hit HBO television series “Game of Thrones” were filmed, about 32km northwest of the city of Ouarzazate, south of Morocco’s High Atlas mountains.

Inaugural Al Wasmi Garden Festival kicks off in colourRAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULA

The lush green Katara South Hills, the newest destination at Katara Cultural Village, was alive with yester-day’s launch of Al Wasmi Garden Festival — a first-of-its-kind event in Qatar and the first festival to be hosted on the breathtaking hills.

The hills burst with colour and life with five floral themed gardens representing Qatar, France, Japan, Great Britain and India, each of which hosts unique entertainment and activ-ities for visitors. Art Garden, Green Area, Secret Garden, Green Playground, Flower Craft Area and Food and Bev-erage Area are among the other exciting features of the festival.

A large number of people from different nationalities thronged the opening of the five-day festival. Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, General Manager of Katara, inaugurated the event in the presence of H E Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie,

Minister of Municipality and Envi-ronment; H E Akbar Al Baker, Sec-retary-General of Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive; Sheikh Saud bin Nasser Al Thani, Group CEO of Ooredoo; and a number of ambassadors. Al Sulaiti said that the huge number of visitors on the first day of the festival con-firms the success of Katara in its choice of events to organise.

He pointed out that the festival is aimed at raising awareness among people on the importance of envi-ronment and gardening. He explained that the festival presents cultural, entertainment and artistic activities, and visitors will have the opportunity to discover stunning designs of different forms of gardens.

Al Sulaiti invited all families to enjoy a visit to these wonderful gardens in a festive atmosphere, as well as expressed gratitude to fes-tival sponsors namely official sponsors QNTC and Qatar Airways

and silver sponsors Ooredoo and Qommunication.

As a leading tourism destination in Qatar, Katara is a melting pot of cultures which provides interna-tional forum to enhance human rapprochement and promote cul-tural exchange, he stressed. One of the main attractions at the festival is Qatar Airways’ well-decked up French Garden with the famous Eiffel Tower in the middle and where artistes such as mime, accordion player, a string quartet and fairytale characters entertain the visitors.

“We are delighted to support the Al Wasmi Garden Festival. It is a fan-tastic new initiative for Qatar that will delight residents and visitors alike, and is a great addition to our coun-try’s excellent calendar of events. I hope that visitors to the festival will especially enjoy the French Garden by Qatar Airways, inspired by the palace gardens of France,” said Al Baker. Festival visitors can enjoy live performances from popular fairy-tales; workshops such as origami, pottery, ikebana, dream catcher making and mandala painting; pony and camel ride; and art and craft competitions.

They can also take home take home flowers and vegetables sold at a long line of stalls at the venue. Eye-catching daytime fireworks will also be held at 4pm on Friday and Sat-urday. The festival is open today, tomorrow and on Saturday from 10am to 1pm and 4pm to 9.30pm and on Friday from 2pm to 10pm.

A flower market which sells a wide variety of flowers and ornamental plants is one of the features of the Al Wasmi Garden Festival.

H E Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie (right), the Minister of Municipality and Environment; H E Akbar Al Baker (second right), Secretary-General of Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive; Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti (second left), General Manager of Katara; and Sheikh Saud bin Nasser Al Thani, Group CEO of Ooredoo, at the Al Wasmi Garden Festival during its launch at Katara South Hills, yesterday.

FAJR SUNRISE 04.49 am 06.06 am

W A L R U WA I S : 16o↗ 26o W A L K H O R : 16o↗ 24o W D U K H A N : 15o↗ 27o W WA K R A H : 18o↗ 26o W M E S A I E E D 18o↗ 26o W A B U S A M R A 12o↗ 32o

PRAYER TIMINGS WEATHER TODAY

HIGH TIDE 02:38 – 12:48 LOW TIDE 10:21 – 20:05

Misty to foggy at places at first becomes moderate temperature

daytime with some clouds, relatively cold by night.

Minimum Maximum17oC 27oC

ZUHRMAGHRIB

11.48 am05.32 pm

ASR ISHA

03.04 pm07.02 pm