THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2021 www.thepeninsula.qa29 JUMADA II - 1442 VOLUME 25 NUMBER 8530

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2 RIYALS

Amir meets Foreign Minister of Spain

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain, H E Arancha Gonzalez Laya, and her accompanying delegation, at the Amiri Diwan office yesterday. The meeting dealt with discussing relations between the two countries and reviewed aspects of strengthening and developing them, in addition to discussing most prominent regional and international developments. �MORE STORIES ON P3

Qatar-Saudi border trade to resume from SundayQNA — DOHA

The General Authority of Customs (GAC) has issued several regulatory and precau-tionary controls about the movement of imported and transiting goods from the Salwa border port in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Abu Samra border port in the State of Qatar.

The GAC announced that commercial movement through Abu Samra port would start fol-lowing the requirements and procedures from Sunday, Feb-ruary 14.

In a statement published on its website, the GAC revealed a set of regulatory and preventive controls and procedures related to commercial shipments at the Abu Samra border port.

The measure includes that truck drivers coming from Salwa border port in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia must obtain a certificate authenti-cated by the Saudi Ministry of Health proving that they have been tested for COVID-19, within 72 hours of their entry into Abu Samra port.

Drivers and trucks

transporting goods to Qatar via Abu Samra are not permitted to enter the country. With prior coordination with the port administration, the goods will be unloaded and re-loaded onto local trucks by the importer or his representative in the port. Trucks and drivers will return to Salwa port in Saudi Arabia immediately after completing the unloading process at Abu Samra port.

All importers of goods through Abu Samra port are obligated to prepare local trucks and notify Abu Samra port administration of the dates and numbers of the trucks.

The GAC stated that customs procedures on imported goods are carried out at the port per the Customs Law provisions, regulations and the customs procedures guide. The customs declaration for restricted goods is presented to the competent authority through the electronic customs clearance system (Al Nadeeb) to take the appropriate decision regarding them.

The statement said due to prolonged shutdown at Abu Samra port and the transfer of specialised laboratories to other locations, samples of the goods would be taken for examination and analysis by the competent registration authorities in the country. �P3

Qatar okays emergency use of Moderna vaccineQNA — DOHA

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has issued an emer-gency use authorisation for Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine in the country.

Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine was approved after the MoPH’s Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Control carried out an extensive review of the vaccine and assessed the results of clinical studies con-ducted on thousands of vol-unteers. The approval by MoPH follows similar author-isation of Moderna's vaccine by health agencies in the US, Canada, the EU, the UK and Switzerland.

Chair of the National Health Strategic Group on COVID-19 and Head of Infec-tious Diseases at HMC, Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal, said: “The comprehensive clinical trial process on Moderna COVID-19 vaccine has showed it is safe and highly effective. The authorisation from MoPH means we can soon begin administering the Moderna vaccine along with the Pfizer- BioNTech vaccine as we expand our national vacci-nation programme in Qatar.”

Moderna is the second COVID-19 vaccine to be approved for use in Qatar.

Dr. Al Khal said with high demand for COVID-19 vac-cines around the world, Qatar

will now benefit from the availability of two vaccines.

He said both vaccines have shown similarly high levels of safety and efficacy in trials. People should not be con-cerned about which vaccine they are offered, he said.

Director of Pharmacy and

Drug Control and Chair of the Vaccine Procurement Task-force, Qatar, Dr. Aisha Ibrahim Al Ansari, said: “Qatar’s proactive approach to securing vaccine agreements has proved highly effective. We were clear from the outset that we only wanted to administer interna-tionally approved, safe and effective vaccines for the people of Qatar.

“We will soon receive the first delivery of Moderna vaccines and while this will be a limited quantity initially, this is an encouraging development and we can expect regular, larger deliveries of both Moderna and Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines to arrive in Qatar in the next days and weeks.”

Sheikh Joaan welcomes Saudi Sports Minister Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) President H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani met yesterday with Minister of Sports and Chairman of the Olympic Committee of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, and his accompanying delegation at Hamad International Airport. The Chairman of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee is visiting Doha at the invitation of the QOC President to attend the final day competitions of the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020. President of the Qatar Football Association, H E Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani; Secretary-General of QOC, H E Jassim bin Rashid Al Buainain, and several QOC officials attended the meeting.

Number of Mahaseel outlets rises to 95SIDI MOHAMED THE PENINSULA

Mahaseel outlets in the country selling local products have jumped to 95 in the current season, from 44 in the previous season.

“This is evidence of the com-pany’s success in expanding its marketing base, and the farmers’ desire to buy their products and their quality as well, as the company is keen on the quality of products so that the products remain competitive,” said Mahaseel’s General Manager Mohamed Al Ghaithani, while speaking to Qatar Radio yesterday.

Al Ghaithani said the biggest challenge for the company is to inform the consumer of the value of the local product and its value compared to the imported product.

“At Mahaseel, we are keen on marketing products that have good specifications only. The

local product is distinguished as it reaches the marketing places in less than 24 hours and therefore is fresh, while the imported products take a longer time of about four days. So we encourage spreading the culture of buying the local product,” he said.

He said the company suc-ceeded in marketing 3.5 million kilogrammes of locally-produced vegetables in the Qatari market, during January 2021. This is triple the amount marketed during the same period last year.

“The reason for the com-pany’s success in marketing its

products is the increase in farmers’ confidence in the mar-keting services provided by the company, because of the trans-parency in dealing and the speed of payment of their dues within a period not exceeding one to two weeks,” he added.

Currently, Mahaseel supplies more than 30 varieties of vege-tables to the local market. Moreover, 350 local farms are currently registered with Mahaseel to benefit from the marketing and agricultural services.

Al Ghaithani added that there is a dedicated team in the company for communicating with farmers, and following up their suggestions and taking them into account in order to improve the services provided by the company to them. This has created trust between farmers and the company, which in turn has increased the number of farmers and suppliers to the company compared to last year.

FAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

The age limit for the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination in the country has further been lowered, a top health official has said, while expressing hope that sufficient number of people will be vaccinated by summer.

“For non-Qataris the age limit is reduced to 50 years and above or those with compli-cated chronic illness; and for Qataris all age groups. Hope-fully soon the next phase will be announced and non-Qataris also will have a lower age

group,” said Head of Vacci-nation at MoPH Dr. Soha Al Bayat during an Instagram live Q&A session yesterday.

She urged everyone to reg-ister on the Ministry's website to receive the vaccine. “If you haven’t registered yet on the website that was announced weeks ago please go ahead and register or book an appointment with your health centre to receive the vaccine,” said Dr. Al Bayat. “The online registration will facilitate when you meet the requirements of priority groups to get an appointment to receive the vaccine,” she said. �P4

Truck drivers coming from Saudi Arabia must have a negative COVID-19 test certified by Saudi health ministry and taken withing 72 hours.

Incoming drivers and trucks will not enter Qatar. The goods will be unloaded at the border port from where they will be carried by local trucks.

People exporting goods from Qatar through Abu Samra port must comply with Saudi customs requirements.

Expats aged above 50 eligible for vaccine

Mahaseel is

currently

supplying more

than 30 varieties

of vegetables to

the local market.

02 THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2021HOME

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Amir receives message from Amir of Kuwait

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani with the Speaker of the National Assembly of the State of Kuwait, H E Marzouq Ali Al Ghanim in the Amiri Diwan, yesterday.

QNA — DOHA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received yesterday a message from the Amir of the state of Kuwait, H H Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah dealing with the strong bilateral relations and means of boosting and enhancing them, in addition to the most prominent regional and inter-national developments.

The message was conveyed by the Speaker of the National Assembly of the State of Kuwait H E Marzouq Ali Al Ghanim, during his meeting with the Amir at his office in the Amiri Diwan last morning.

At the outset of the meeting, the

Speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly conveyed the greetings of H H the Amir of the state of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah to H H the Amir, wishing him success and the Qatari people further progress and prosperity.

For his part, H H the Amir entrusted the Speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly to convey his greeting to the Amir of Kuwait, wishing him health and the Kuwaiti people further progress and development.

The meeting was attended by the Speaker of the Shura Council H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud.

PM and FIFA President review cooperationQNA — DOHA

Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani met yesterday with President of the International Feder-ation of Association Football (FIFA) H E Gianni Infantino, on the occasion of his visit to the country to attend the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020.

During the meeting, they reviewed the coop-eration relations between the State of Qatar and FIFA and ways to enhance them, in addition to the latest developments related to hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

NSD: 18 health centersprovide services to nearly 9,000 peopleQNA — DOHA

The Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) has received 8,977 Qataris and non-Qataris across 18 health centers on National Sport Day.

Among them 3,293 patients were received at general medicine and family medicine clinics, while dental clinics received 212 patients, in addition to all urgent cases units that were received in the centers inAbu Baker Al Siddiq, Al Ruwais, Al Shee-haniya and Al Kaaban, Gharrafat Al Rayyan, Rawdat Al Khail, Muaither and Umm Salal, where each case was dealt with according to its necessity.

PHCC has stated that it also pro-vided a number of specialized clinic services, including ENT and derma-tology clinics, in addition to pharma-ceutical, radiology and laboratory services during National Sports Day to meet the needs of all patients. PHCC through its health centers received and examined suspected COVID-19 cases round the clock at Rawdat Al Khail and Umm Salal Health Centers. Also drive through swab test facilities were func-tioning at health centers.

PHCC noted that the community

call center provided 138 for virtual medical consultations to the clients that contacted without prior appointment with the service line 16000. It said that virtual counseling achieves the speed of patients, whose cases are classified as urgent, to obtain the necessary health care and any prescriptions for drugs they need through a specialized doctor, while ensuring social distancing.

PHCC confirmed that all the health centers on duty during National Sport Day were keen to receive visitors without delay in ful-filling their needs or increasing their waiting time, pointing out that meeting the needs of the visitors is one of the main priorities it is keen to achieve, as this is one of the most important pillars of the national strategy for health, and in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.

Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, with President of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), H E Gianni Infantino.

All the health centers on duty during National Sport Day were keen to receive visitors without delay in fulfilling their needs or increasing their waiting time.

Dr Abdullah Yusuf Al Mal meets Japanese AmbassadorTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Major General Dr. Abdullah Yusuf Al Mal, Advisor to H E the Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Follow-up Committee for the Implementation of the Global Program of the Doha

Declaration issued by the 13th UN Crime Congress met yesterday with Ambassador of Japan to Qatar, H E Kazuo Sunaga.

The meeting was part of prepara-tions for the 14th UN Crime Congress, which Japan will host this year. “The

State of Qatar welcomes Japan’s hosting of the 14th UN Congress on Crime Pre-vention and Criminal Justice, which will complete the achievements made within the framework of the outcomes of the Doha Congress held in 2015”, said Dr. Al Mal.

03THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2021 HOME

Sheikha Moza meets Minister of Foreign Affairs of SpainH H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation and Education Above All, met yesterday with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain, H E Arancha Gonzalez Laya, and her accompanying delegation. During the meeting, several topics of joint interest related to education and scientific research were discussed, in addition to ways of enhancing research cooperation with Qatar Foundation and Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU).

Shura Council Speaker discusses parliamentary topics with Kuwait National Assembly SpeakerQNA — DOHA

The Speaker of the Shura Council H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud met yesterday with the Speaker of the National Assembly of the State of Kuwait, H E Marzouq bin Ali Al Ghanim, and his accompanying delegation.

During the meeting, they discussed developing cooperation between the Shura Council and the Kuwaiti National Assembly, enhancing joint Gulf parliamentary work, coordinating positions between the two councils in regional and international parliamentary activities, as well as reviewing a number of issues related to parlia-mentary work. The meeting was attended by Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council, H E Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Sulaiti, Member of the Council and Chairman of Qatar-Arab Parliamentary Friendship Group, H E Saqr bin Fahad Al Muraikhi and Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to Qatar, H E Hafeez Mohammed Al Ajmi.

The Speaker of the Shura Council H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud with the Speaker of the National Assembly of the State of Kuwait, H E Marzouq bin Ali Al Ghanim

Doha Jewellery & Watches Exhibition 2021 to be held in MayTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC), has announced a new date for the 18th edition of its leading business event Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhi-bition (DJWE) which will now be held from May 24 to 29.

This decision follows the recent announcement by the State Cabinet to reimpose restrictions in the interest of maintaining the health and safety of all residents.

Secretary-General of QNTC and Group Chief Executive of Qatar Airways, H E Akbar Al Baker, remarked: “To ensure the safety and wellbeing of our guests and people, we have decided to postpone DJWE for three months following the announcement of new measures from the State Committee. Having grown and evolved over the year to become a global

leader in the luxury goods industry and the highlight of the events calendar in Qatar, the Doha Jewellery & Watches Exhibition is a must attend event for anyone with an appre-ciation for the finest craftsmanship and offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy a journey of elegance, heritage and luxury. Combined with more offerings during the summer months, an exciting line up of events and presence of interna-tional celebrities, the highlight of QNTC’s calendar of events DJWE will return to dazzle its audiences in May.”

DJWE is QNTC’s flagship exhibition attended by top luxury watches and jewellery brands as well as jewellery

connoisseurs from Qatar and all over the world. The 2020 edition of the Doha Jewellery & Watches Exhibition features almost 130 exhibitors from 14 countries and was enjoyed by more than 32,000 visitors from 175 countries. The event show-cased a range of exciting

workshops including an Objectif Horlogerie session in addition to The Art of Rarity with dia-monds workshops run by De Beers, local talent also took pride of place as the Young Qatari designers pavi l ion featured prominently.

Already recognised as one of the most important and unique jewellery and watch events in the world, the 18th edition of the Doha Jewellery & Watches Exhibition will feature a stunning array

of exhibitors showcasing the latest and most exclusive pieces from many international brands.

QNTC and its subsidiary Qatar Business Events Corpo-ration (QBEC), which also oversees Doha Exhibition & Convention Centre, continue to work closely with MoPH to

implement health and safety measures. These are carried out along with international best practices, in the organising of events such as DJWE, priori-tizing a safe experience for exhibitors and visitors.

The Qatar Clean pro-gramme, a joint initiative by QNTC and the Ministry of Public Health, continues to be imple-mented across all hotels and restaurants. Businesses in the sector are encouraged to apply for their Qatar Clean certifi-cation as soon as possible, to ensure their continued oper-ation, and for the safety of guests.

QNTC has reiterated the requirements for event organ-isers, whereby approvals must be obtained from the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) prior to holding exhibitions, confer-ences and events, and licenses from the Council.

Secretary-General of QNTC and Group Chief Executive of Qatar Airways, H E Akbar Al Baker

FM highlights strength of Qatari-Spanish relations

QNA — DOHA

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul-rahman Al Thani affirmed that bilateral relations between the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Spain are distinguished, adding that the two countries are looking forward to strengthen and develop these relations in the future in various fields.

During the joint press con-ference held yesterday with Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooper-ation of the Kingdom of Spain, Arancha Gonzalez Laya; Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani pointed out that the current visit of the Spanish Min-ister to Doha comes in the framework of the distinguished relations between the two coun-tries, affirming that they are strong and historic relations.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister added that the meetings and talks held between the Spanish Minister, Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and officials in the country dealt with the

bilateral relations between in the economic side and in terms of cooperation in the develop-mental fields as well as the dif-ferent regional issues of joint interest.

Regarding the Qatari-Spanish relations in the investment field, he pointed out that Qatar has investments in Spain, explaining that Qatar seeks to increase its contribu-tions and investments in Spain, and the latter, in turn, is looking to increase its investments in Qatar, expressing, in this context, his thanks to Spain for its support and contribution to the World Cup 2022 projects in Qatar.

He expressed Qatar’s aspi-ration to strengthen its cooper-ation with Spain in the future, adding that the two sides exchanged views on various regional issues.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs hailed the Spain’s role in various regional issues, especially the Palestinian issue, and Spain’s firm stance on the two-state solution, adding that the two sides discussed various issues, related to developments in the

GCC, the Iranian nuclear agreement and other issues such as Afghanistan, Libya, and Lebanon.

He praised discussed that the agreements signed today in the cultural and sports fields, adding that he looked forward to con-tinue consultations and cooper-ation between the State of Qatar and Spain and that these visits will lead to fruitful results for both countries. He affirmed Qatar’s confidence in the durability of the Spanish economy, pointing out that the economic partnerships between the two countries which Qatar is seeking to develop after the end of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed that the two sides are working to exploit the investment opportunities available to both sides. He praised Spanish com-panies operating in Qatar, affirming that this partnership is welcomed and appreciated by Qatar.

Responding to a question on the two phone calls the Deputy Prime Minister received from US Special Representative for Iran and the US National Security Advisor and the role Qatar can play in the region given its ties with Tehran and whether lines of communi-cation were open between the

two sides, he said that commu-nication, whether with the American side or the Iranian side were ongoing.

He added that this was normal given Iran is a neighbour of Qatar and any-thing that would happen in the region would directly impact Qatar. He said that the US for its part is a strategic ally of Qatar, noting that it was important to avoid escalations in the region. He said that the two calls were regarding consulta-tions on Iran and other issues, stressing that Qatar is working on de-escalation through a political and diplomatic process to return to the nuclear

agreement. He said that these efforts were part of a wider inter-national one carried by all coun-tries and not just Qatar. Qatar was more than ready to con-tribute to regaining stability in the region if any of the involved parties request so, noting that Qatar is continuing its effort in that regard given its importance to the country, he added.

For her part, Spanish Min-ister for Foreign Affairs said that her visit to Qatar was the first since she assumed her position, praising the distinguished bilateral ties, and noted that the two sides want to build on it to overcome the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

She expressed her hope that this year will be the end of the pandemic so that life can go back to normal as soon as pos-sible, noting that this was one of the topics she discussed in Doha yesterday. She touched on an agreement signed between the two sides in the culture and sports field to enhance that type of activity between the two coun-tries. She said that Spain wants to be a main part of World Cup 2022 in Qatar, adding that Spain has high expectations for its par-ticipation in the global sporting event.

She noted that the agree-ments signed yesterday will boost bilateral partnerships, particularly after the corona-virus pandemic. She said that the two sides signed an agreement to expand cultural partnerships and promote Qatari history and culture, stressing that the Kingdom of Spain supports Qatar’s efforts in hosting the World Cup 2022.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain, H E Arancha Gonzalez Laya, during a joint press conference held in Doha, yesterday.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs hailed role of Spain in various regional issues, especially the Palestinian issue, and firm stance by Spain on the two-state solution, adding that the two sides discussed various issues, related to developments in the GCC, the Iranian nuclear agreement and other issues such as Afghanistan, Libya and Lebanon.

Qatar-Saudi border trade to resume from Sunday

FROM PAGE 1

It will be released after the importer undertakes that the restricted goods won’t be disposed of until approval was given by the competent authority, except goods of a dangerous nature will be kept at the port until the exami-nation results and laboratory analysis is released.

The Customs obligated all exporters of goods through the Abu Samra port to the Salwa port to comply with the instruc-tions issued by Saudi Customs before proceeding to export or re-export the goods, to avoid any delay or rejection of the goods upon arrival at the Salwa port.

It also stated that goods exported or re-exported from Qatar are transported by local trucks through Abu Samra port to the Salwa port, as deter-mined by the Saudi authorities at Salwa port in this regard.

The controls and proce-dures also apply to the shipment of transporting animals through Abu Samra port. It is expected that the scheduled maintenance work at Abu Samra port will start during the second quarter of 2021 for approximately 14 months, with the continuation of passenger and commercial movement through the port following the requirements of the scheduled maintenance work.

Eight arrested for

violating home

quarantine rules

QNA — DOHA

The designated authorities arrested yesterday eight persons who violated the requirements of the home quarantine, they committed to following, which they are legally accountable for, in accordance with the proce-dures of the health authorities in the country. The violators, who are currently being referred to the designate pros-ecution, are: Ali Mohammed Sultan Mohammed Al Khawar, Ali Abdul Razzaq Noman Ali Al Jaabri, Radwan Ahmed, Vishnodas Calabur Akal, Samer Jabr Al Sayyid Abu Libdeh, Farid Mohammed Hamed, Mohammed Hassan Eid and Abdul Mohsen Ali Mohammed Fetais Al Marri.

Minister meets Acting Charge D’affaires of Saudi EmbassyThe Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi met yesterday with Acting Charge D’affaires of the Embassy of the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Qatar Ali Saad Ali Al Qahtani. During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral cooperation relations between the two brotherly countries, in addition to issues of common interest.

04 THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2021HOME

QU-LAWC hosts conference on ‘Law in the Face of Global Crises’THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar University’s College of Law hosted a two-day conference under the theme of ‘Law in the Face of Global Crises: Means and Challenges.’

Prominent national and international legal experts and practitioners attended this year’s event.

The conference was attended by Assistant Foreign Minister and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs H E Lolwah Al Khater and Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal, Chair of the National Health Strategic Group on COVID-19 and Head of Infectious Diseases at HMC.

Dr. Hassan bin Rashid Al Derham, President of Qatar University, opened the con-ference in which he noted the rapid changes society continues

to witness.“Qatar University is aware

of the rapid and successive changes and developments that human society has undergone in recent years, which has been reflected in many concepts, scientific the-ories, and practical practices.

"It is natural for those concerned with science and legal studies to be at the fore-front of responding to these repercussions and their dimensions by researching, analysing, and drawing con-clusions from realistic appli-cations and methods of dealing. There is no doubt that what is being seen at various levels in terms of crises, disasters, and even catastrophic crises, foremost of which is COVID-19 pan-demic will be the focus of

legal intellectual interest.”“This conference organized

by the College of Law comes as a model of the college’s con-tinuous hard work. We appre-ciate efforts made by the college,” he added.

Dr. Khaled Saleh Al Shamari, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs of the College of Law, thanked Al Khater and Dr. Al Khal for joining the conference.

Dr. Khaled said: “The con-ference title is chosen in line with the new changes on the global level in the past and the current time. The conference covers three main themes from ‘International Conventional Relations and Global Crises,’ ‘National legislation and its role in addressing global crises’ and the third theme is ‘Global Crisis and Litigation Systems.”

Ooredoo auctions artworks from ‘The Art and the Mobile’ InitiativeTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Ooredoo has begun auctioning the smartphone masterpieces created by local Qatari artists as part of The Art and the Mobile initiative.

A select group of artists was chosen to take part in the challenge — a unique project intended to enrich Qatar’s cultural and artistic scene and showcase its young and upcoming artists — and given several smartphone devices as their can-vases. These devices are now being auctioned to raise funds for good causes.

The auction began on Ooredoo’s Instagram page yesterday and runs until February 14, with new devices auctioned each day. Bidding for each device begins at QR5,200, with minimum bid increments of QR100, and the highest bidder at the close of each day’s auction at 9pm walks off with the device.

Director PR at Ooredoo Sabah Rabiah Al Kuwari said: “We’ve been so excited to see the unique masterpieces created by our gifted local artists as part of this initiative, and we’re delighted to see them being auctioned off to raise funds for a good cause. We’re committed to supporting arts and culture as part of our corporate social responsibility strategy and committed to

supporting the communities we operate. This initiative is the perfect way in which we can fulfil both commitments and showcase the incredible artistic talent we have here in Qatar.”

Ferns N Petals offers exclusive giftsTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Ferns N Petals has given the customers a love shot and brought relief in their love life with the exclusive range of gifts for the most romantic time of the year. Season of Love is almost here, and there is love all around. The brand has launched exclusive gifts that will help customers express their feelings with ease.

From beautiful roses to delicious cakes, the brand offers phenomenal gifts that will help impress your Love. Ferns N Petals provides hassle-free gift delivery in Doha, Al Khor, Al Mashaf, Dukhan, Mesaieed,

Wakrah and Wukair, and all across Qatar.

Customers can avail mid-night delivery of Season of Love gifts and make the day a

memorable affair. Visit qa.fnp.com right to take a glimpse of premium and thoughtful Season of Love gifts offered by Ferns N Petals.

Ashghal begins South Al Meshaf projectTHE PENINSULA - DOHA

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) a n n o u n c e d t h e commencement of works on the Roads and Infrastructure Project in South Al Meshaf (Package 9) which is part of Ashghal’s plan to implement infra-structure projects for citizens’ subdivisions in the southern regions of the country.

Upon completion, the project will develop a 23km-long network of internal streets in the area and a 9.5-km-pedestrian and cycle track, equipped with road safety features and street lighting as well as road signs and marks, to regulate the traffic flow and enhance safety on the roads.

This is in addition to upgrading infrastructure facil-ities to respond to residents’ needs and urban growth in the future.

The project is located South of Doha and South West Al Wakra while being bordered by Rekayya Street to the South, Al

Wukair Road to the North and by The Southern Part of Doha Express Highway to the East.

The upgrading works, will be implemented into three geo-graphical zones which will be carried out successively, where the duration of each phase will be one year. Full completion of the project is scheduled for Q4, 2023.

Eng. Hamad Al Maejeba, Project Engineer at the Southern Area Section of the Roads Projects Department in Ashghal, said that the project serves 682 citizens’ subdivisions in South Al Meshaf Area pro-viding upgraded infrastructure services including a 23.5-km-long foul sewer network, 56 km

of surface and ground-w a t e r d r a i n a g e network, 9.5 km of Treated Sewerage Effluent (TSE) network and a 9-km-long potable water network.

In addition, new sewage pipelines will be provided and con-nected with Qatar’s main sewage network. Construction works will also include an emer-gency flood area with a total capacity of 40,000 m3 to provide proper protection for the entire area against flooding and excess rainfall.

Package 9 of the Roads and Infra-structure in South Al Meshaf Project is being implemented by the joint venture of Devel-opment Company for

Road Works and Qatar B u i l d i n g E n g i n e e r i n g Company, at a cost of approx-imately QR544.5m and is part of the New Subdivisions Program which is carried out by the Public Works Authority and includes a number of development projects across Qatar.

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Vodafone Qatar has partnered with Commercial Bank (CB) to offer its ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ instalment plan that lets customers purchase the latest devices such as smartphones, mobile Wi-Fi devices and accessories and pay later with easy monthly instalments.

Customers who hold a CB Credit Card will be able to pur-chase the device of their choice with the option to pay back the Credit Card monthly instal-ments over three, six or twelve months at 0% interest rate. Their purchase should amount to a minimum of QR500 per

product.Diego Camberos, Chief

Operating Officer, Vodafone Qatar, said: “Vodafone is always looking for ways to make our products and services more accessible to people as part of our commitment to offer a leading customer experience. We are delighted to partner with Commercial Bank to give many of our joint customers the flexibility to purchase the best devices and accessories from Vodafone on the spot, and pay l a t e r i n a f f o r d a b l e instalments.”

Commenting on the new partnership, Roya Khajeh, AGM and Head of Cards and

Payments at Commercial Bank, said: “As we strive to meet our customers’ needs and expecta-tions, we are delighted to join hands with Vodafone to provide our cardholders with attractive benefits on their favorite devices by spreading their repayments over a number of months in easy installments with ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ by Commercial Bank. We, at Com-mercial Bank, are devoted to proactively serving customers and offer tailored products and services that can simplify their d a y - t o - d a y b a n k i n g transactions.”

Customers can avail the instalment plan at the following Vodafone stores located in: Doha Festival City, Villaggio, Landmark, City Centre, Mall of Qatar, The Pearl, Furrousiya, Industrial area, Wakra, Lulu D Ring, Lulu Gharaffa and Kharatiyat.

Should a CB customer not avail of the instalment plan at the time of making a purchase from Vodafone but later wish to convert their transaction into monthly instalments, can easily do so under the ‘CB Easy Pay’ option accessed via the Award-Winning CB Mobile App.

The conference title is chosen in line with the

new changes on the global level in the past

and the current time. The conference covers

three main themes from ‘International

Conventional Relations and Global Crises,’

‘National legislation and its role in addressing

global crises’ and the third theme is ‘Global

Crisis and Litigation Systems.

Dr. Hassan bin Rashid Al Derham

President of Qatar University

Vodafone partners with Commercial Bank to offer instalment plan

Expats above 50 eligible for vaccine

FROM PAGE 1

She also expressed hope that sufficient number of people will be vaccinated by summer this year against COVID-19 around the world and in Qatar.

In reply to a question, Dr. Al Bayat said, “To be honest we still don’t know for how long we will have to live with COVID-19. But by summer, we hope that the majority of the population across the world will receive the vaccine and make it very difficult for it to transmit from one person to the other.

“And most probably based on the scientific data we have, it may become something that we live with like the flu. But it will be weaker and much more under control and no longer a pandemic.” Dr. Al Bayat also explained the dif-ference between the COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and others.

“There are so many other countries and companies that have developed the COVID-19 vaccine or are in the process of developing one. Those vac-cines are available around the world, being used and have a

good outcome. The one we have in Qatar so far is Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. And we are looking into the pos-sibility of bringing other vac-cines,” she said.

“If you talk about the tech-nology, yes there are two types. There are the types like Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna who are using the mRNA tech-nology and there are some other companies using the standard traditional way of developing vaccines by using a weakened or killed virus as part of the vaccine to stim-ulate the body’s immune system to develop antibodies,” she added.

mRNA vaccines are a new type of vaccine to protect against infectious diseases. To trigger an immune response, many vaccines put a weakened or inactivated germ into the body. Not mRNA vac-cines. Instead, they teach the cells how to make a protein — or even just a piece of a protein — that triggers an immune response inside the body. That immune response, which produces antibodies, is what protects us from getting infected if the real virus enters the body.

05THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2021 HOME

Qatar’s embassies, consulates abroad continue NSD activitiesQNA - DOHA

The diplomatic, consular and representative missions of the State of Qatar abroad have organized sporting activities marking the National Sports Day, amid precautionary measures and procedures.

In Amsterdam, the Embassy of the State of Qatar in the Kingdom of the Netherlands organised sporting events on the occasion of the National Sports Day, with the partici-pation of Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Nether-lands H E Abdulla Hussain Al Jaber, and the embassy staff.

In Ottawa, the Embassy of the State of Qatar to Canada organised sports events on the occasion of the National Sports Day, with the participation of the embassy staff.

In Beijing, the Embassy of the State of Qatar in the Peo-ple’s Republic of China organised sports events on the occasion of the National Sports Day, with the participation of the embassy staff, as the events included a number of sports activities.

In New Delhi, the Embassy

of the State of Qatar to the Republic of India organised sports events on the occasion of the National Sports Day, with the participation of Ambassador of the State of Qatar to India H E Mohammed bin Khater Al Khater, as well as members of the embassy diplomats and local employees.

In Tokyo, the Embassy of the State of Qatar to Japan organized sports events on the occasion of the National Sports Day, with the participation of Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Japan H E Hassan bin Mohammed Rafi Al Emadi, members of the diplomatic mission and all embassy employees.

In Tirana, the Embassy of the State of Qatar in the Republic of Albania organized sports events on the occasion of the National Sport Day, with the participation of Acting Charge d’Affaires at the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Albania H E Abdullah Ibrahim Muhammad Al Emadi, the diplomatic staff and embassy employees.

In Abidjan, the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Cote

d’Ivoire organized sports events on the occasion of the National Sport Day, with the partici-pation of Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Cote d’Ivoire H E Jaber bin Jarallah Al Marri, and members of the embassy.

In a speech on this occasion, His Excellency stressed the importance of doing sports and making it a lifestyle.

In Chisinau, the Embassy of the State of Qatar in the Republic of Moldova organized sports events on the occasion of the National Sport Day, with the participation of embassy employees, where the activities included walking and running.

In London, the Embassy of the State of Qatar in the United Kingdom organized a virtual discussion session on sports as health and diplomatic means on the occasion of the National Sports Day.

In the virtual event, Acting Charge d’Affaires at the Embassy of the State of Qatar to the UK H E Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Jaber, and a number of sports, academic and government figures in the State of Qatar and the UK have participated.

QF inspires fans to be the change at FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020THE PENINSULA -DOHA

Throughout the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020 Qatar Foundation (QF) has been educating and inspiring fans about how the power to make change happen lies in their hands.

As supporters arrive for games at the Education City Stadium – which will host tonight’s final between German giants Bayern Munich and Mexican challengers Tigres – they have been given a Qatar Foundation welcome through activities that reflect sport’s capacity to energize people, and also allow them to discover more about Education City.

On the way to the stadium, fans have been invited to engage with Qatar QF’s Stu-dents of Change campaign, launched this year with the aim of empowering people from all walks of life to recognise that each of them can be a driver of positive change. A graffiti wall offered passing fans the chance to share their thoughts on the change they would like to see in the world, for others to read as they head to and from games at the Education City Stadium.

Meanwhile, fans have also been given a musical

accompaniment to their matchday experience with groups of musicians from QF member Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra performing on the approach to the stadium, alongside community dance groups representing the home countries of the competing teams.

And specially-trained “edu-cational” volunteers from QF, as well as welcoming fans and helping them to find their way, have given supporters an insight into QF’s focus on sus-tainability and the inclusive activities available at Education City, while also sharing useful words and phrases in Arabic to help fans learn the language, reflecting QF’s role in pre-serving and promoting the Arabic language.

“Ever since I knew I would be coming to Doha, I was enthralled by the charm of the biggest sporting events,” said volunteer Nikhil Sangroula, 21, from Nepal, a student at QF partner university Georgetown University in Qatar.

“I have a unique oppor-tunity to create a sense of welcome for visitors and explain the Education City com-munity to them. It is a great learning experience to see the

management of such a huge event in an unprecedented time, and, as a fan of football, it is an experience of a lifetime to share the same spirit as fans from around the world.”

QF’s activation at the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020, organized through working with the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) – also epitomized the organiza-tion’s commitment to sustain-ability and environmentally-friendly practices, being awarded Level 1 Eco-Event status as part of a recent program launched by Qatar Green Building Council. This award provides a framework for hosting events that have a low carbon footprint and can be a tool for educating and informing people, and enhancing social wellbeing and economic growth.

Ahead of the tournament, QF’s Oxygen Park was the venue for fashion experts from Qatar, Egypt, and Mexico – all of whom are home to teams participating in the competition – identified by the SC held a workshop for fashion students from QF partner university Vir-ginia Commonwealth Uni-versity in Qatar, to enhance cross-cultural understanding.

Fans invited to engage with QF’s Students of Change campaign.

QU, Al Salam Petroleum sign oil research MoUTHE PENINSULA - DOHA

Qatar University’s College of Engineering and Al Salam Petroleum Services Company have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding cooperation in drilling fluids and oil fields chemicals.

The signing ceremony was held at Qatar University. Dr. Omar Al Ansari, Vice President of Qatar University for Aca-demic Affairs, and Abdul Salam Abu Issa, CEO of Al-Salam International Investment Limited, signed the MoU in the presence of officials from both sides.

Dr. Al Ansari said, “This partnership supports the col-laboration between Qatar Uni-versity and Al-Salam Petroleum Services Company and helps with the transition to a knowledge-based economy and opens the doors for com-panies to benefit from the uni-versity’s facilities. Also, the col-laboration enriches partner-ships with faculty members who specialize in scientific research. It encourages organ-ising various joint events and initiatives that serve all partic-ipants and benefit Qatar and the Qatari society.”

This memorandum con-tributes to activating com-munity partnership, facilitating the transfer of knowledge and technology to serve the uni-versity and society, and deep-ening the relationship with the industrial sector towards more cooperation and joint inter-action in a way that supports

the educational and research process,” he added.

Also speaking on the MoU, Abu Issa said, “The Memo-randum of Understanding will contribute to strengthening cooperation between us in a way that contributes to achieving one of the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030.

“The aim is to find a balance between an oil-based economy and a more knowledge-based economy, to diversify the Qatari economy, and it will open the door for the exchange of expe-riences and information that enriches scientific research and research studies related to the field of oil and gas. Al-Salam Company will support one of the Gas Center research in the 13th cycle of the National Pri-orities Research Program (NPRP) sponsored by the Qatar

National Research Fund (QNRF). Finally, I would like to thank Qatar University for their cooperation with us, and we look forward to furthering cooperation with the university.”

Dr. Muhammad Ali Saad, head of the Gas Processing Center at the College of Engi-neering at Qatar University, stated that the MoU represents the beginning of strategic coop-eration with Al-Salam Company. He highlighted the Center’s readiness to share its research capabilities to support Al-Salam Company in drilling fluid technologies and chem-icals used in oil and gas fields. Dr. Saad also thanked the company for their confidence in the Gas Processing Center and their support for the research at the Center.

Dr. Omar Al-Ansari, Vice-President of Qatar University for Academic Affairs, and Abdul Salam Abu Issa, CEO of Al-Salam International Investment, at the MoU signing ceremony.

Mowasalat celebrated National Sport Day encouraging employees to engage in sports while following COVID-19 protocols.

MoPH: 451 new virus cases, 260 more recoverTHE PENINSULA - DOHA

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) yesterday announced the registration of 451 new confirmed COVID-19 cases. Among them 39 were travellers returning from abroad.

Another 260 people have recovered from the virus, bringing the total number of recovered cases in Qatar to 147,451.

All new cases have been introduced to iso-lation and are receiving necessary healthcare according to their health status.

The total number of positive COVID-19 cases recorded in Qatar is 155,453and there are 7, 749 active cases under treatment.

There are 75 new cases of hospital admis-sions taking the total number of patients in the hospital to 568. Twelve were admitted to intensive care, and so 70 people continue to receive medical attention in ICU.

While the first phase of COVID-19 vaccina-tions has started in Qatar and in the coming months it will be available for the public for free, the Ministry has stressed it is important for

everyone to play their role in controlling the virus by following precautionary measures including adherence to physical distancing, avoid close contact with others, crowded places, and con-fined closed spaces where other people con-gregate, wearing a face mask and washing hands regularly.

The Ministry further said that measures to tackle COVID-19 in Qatar have succeeded in flat-tening the curve and limiting the spread of the virus.

Due to the measures put in place by Qatar’s government and the support of the public in fol-lowing preventive steps, Qatar succeeded in sup-pressing the spread of the virus since its peak in July. However, over the past month in Qatar has seen a gradual and consistent increase in the number of new daily infections.

“Additionally, and of great concern, is the recent increase in both the number of people admitted to hospital with COVID-19 and the number of people admitted to ICU with COVID-19,” said the Minsirty in the daily COVID-19 update report.

Mowasalat marks National Sport DayTHE PENINSULA - DOHA

During the National Sport Day, Mowasalat (Karwa) encouraged all its employees to honuor the occasion and practice various sports while adhering to COVID-19 precautionary measures.

The company set an example in terms of providing face masks, maintaining social distancing, preventing gath-erings, allowing only individual games, and following all other instructions issued by the com-mittee organising the National Sports Day and the Ministry of Public Health.

On this occasion, Fahad Saad Al Qahtani, Mowasalat (Karwa) CEO, said: “This year, National Sport Day comes under exceptional circum-stances, but we encourage our staff not to be deterred by the needed preventive measures. This day is an opportunity to see the value of physical activity, and it should serve as a moti-vation for everyone to continue practicing all year round.”

He added: “We understand that healthy drivers are the basis of a safe and efficient

transport system for all. Regular exercising is an important pillar to maintain this. So far, we have built the infrastructure for a variety of different games, an in- and outdoor gym, and even board games like Carrom and Chess. We see this as a contri-bution to a balanced lifestyle for our staff, the bedrock of the company’s sustainable devel-opment towards serving our community in the best way possible.”

Mowasalat (Karwa) was

founded in 2004 and has ever since played an important role as the national company for solutions in mass and individual transport, and mobility services for major events.

Its Karwa Driving School ensures the best training for the public, as well as for profes-sionals. Lately, Mowasalat (Karwa) added limousine and wheelchair accessible vehicles to the fleet to cover the broadest possible range of transportation needs in the State.

Kalyan launches special jewellery editionTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Gearing up for the season of love, Kalyan Jewellers has announced the launch of its special l imited-edition jewellery line, crafted to win hearts.

The collection comprises of exquisitely crafted jewellery – lazer cut pendants studded with diamonds and rubies on del-icate chains to form symbols of love. Keeping in sync with the fashion trends of 2021, the col-lection introduces a wide range of finely crafted exquisite jew-ellery with refreshing designs crafted in 18K gold.

The special edition encom-passes handcrafted jewellery pieces put together with a perfect blend of rose gold and diamond studded pendants and bracelets with a hint of rubies on some designs. The limited edition offers pocket-friendly, lightweight jewellery pieces that patrons can gift their loved ones, to express their affection.

To make this season more jubilant, Kalyan Jewellers has announced a social media contest for customers who shop

for over QR500 to get a chance to win a memorable staycation. This special offer is valid across the jewellery brand’s show-rooms in Qatar till February 20, 2021.

Kalyan’s Four Level Assurance Certification on gold jewellery is a special initiative to continue enhancing the brand’s commitment towards offering the very best to its loyalists.

While jewellery retailed at Kalyan Jewellers goes through

multiple purity tests and are all BIS hallmarked, the 4-level product certificate promises customers assures purity, iden-tifies exchange and buy-back terms and provides a detailed product description. Also, it ensures free lifetime mainte-nance of ornaments at any of the brand’s showrooms.

Kalyan Jewellers offers a wide array of intricate jewellery designs in contemporary and traditional motifs including ear-rings, bangles and necklaces.

The company offers its patrons, Muhurat, the bridal jewellery line curated from across India along with exclusive sections featuring Kalyan’s popular house brands such as Tejasvi – Polki jew-ellery, Mudhra — antique jew-ellery, Nimah – gold-studded with semi-precious stones, Glo –diamonds jewellery, Ziah –diamond jewellery, Anokhi – uncut diamonds-studded, Apoorva – diamonds jewellery (illusion setting collection), Antara –Diamonds jewellery (light weight, prong setting) and Hera – daily wear diamonds and Rang – precious studded jewellery.

06 THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2021 MIDDLE EAST

Palestinian rival factions agreeon procedures for electionsREUTERS — GAZA

Rival Palestinian factions agreed on Tuesday on steps aimed at ensuring Palestinian elections are held as planned later this year and pledged to respect their results, a joint statement said.

No Palestinian elections have been conducted in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem for 15 years amid a deep rift between Pres-ident Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah nation-alist group and the Hamas movement.

The two dominant factions — Fatah holds sway in the West Bank, and Hamas rules Gaza — convened on Monday for talks in Cairo to prepare for parliamentary elections on May 22 and a presidential vote on July 31.

A joint statement at the end of the two-day session said both groups and 12 other Palestinian factions, including the Islamic Jihad movement, pledged “to abide by the timetable” for balloting and “respect and accept” the results.

Islamic Jihad later issued a

statement saying it would not field can-didates in the elections, citing its oppo-sition to interim peace deals the Pal-estine Liberation Organization signed with Israel in the 1990s. Islamic Jihad did not take part in Palestinian bal-loting in 1996 and 2006.

There has been widespread scep-ticism that elections will even happen this year.

Many Palestinians believe they are mainly an attempt by Abbas to show his democratic credentials to new US President Joe Biden, with whom he wants to reset relations after they reached a new low under Donald Trump. At the Cairo talks, the groups agreed on the formation of an “election court”, with judges from the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, to rule in any election-related legal disputes, the statement said.

It said Fatah police would guard voting sites in the West Bank and Hamas police would deploy in Gaza, effectively freezing out more secretive security services whose presence might

intimidate voters. Fatah and Hamas also agreed to release detainees held on political grounds in the West Bank and Gaza and allow unrestricted cam-paigning. Abbas, 85, announced in January the dates for the votes, and he is expected to run for re-election.

The last ballot, in 2006, ended in a surprise win by Hamas in its first par-liamentary elections. That set up a power struggle between Hamas in Gaza and Fatah in the West Bank.

Yesterday, Palestinians opened election registration offices in Gaza and the West Bank. There are still many

obstacles, amid widespread scepticism about the feasibility of holding elec-tions in three different areas: the parts of the occupied West Bank where the Palestinian Authority exercises limited self-rule, Hamas-controlled Gaza, and East Jerusalem, which is under Israeli control.

But speaking in Cairo yesterday, Jibril Rajoub, the head of Fatah’s del-egation to the talks, insisted that the

elections would go ahead, even if it meant going against the will of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “the will of all the enemies of the Palestinian people”.

There are 2.8 million eligible voters in Gaza and the West Bank, and 85% of them have so far been registered. The voting age is 18. Israel allowed Pal-estinian elections in East Jerusalem last time.

Palestinian women register their names for parliamentary and presidential elections, in a school in Gaza City, yesterday.

A joint statement at the end of

the two-day talks said both

Fatah and Hamas as well as 12

other Palestinian factions,

pledged “to abide by the

timetable” for balloting and

“respect and accept” the results.

Rouhani urges West to restore 2015 nuclear dealAP — TEHRAN, IRAN

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani urged the West yesterday to restore the 2015 nuclear deal as the nation marked the anniversary of the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution — on wheels this time, rather than traditional rallies and marches amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Rouhani said the “era of sanctions” was over and that the agreement is the only way forward.

“There is no other way for the world and for the region,” Rouhani said during a televised speech. “The only path is def-initely the path of diplomacy. The only path is the world’s agreement with Iran. God willing, we will be successful in this path.”

Rouhani also said “God was the one who toppled” former President Donald Trump, who pulled the US out of the nuclear pact and imposed sanctions on Iran. He said Iranians who resisted Trump pressures also were effective in Trump’s overthrow.

Trump lost the US November election to Democrat Joe Biden, who wants to revive the deal, but insists that Iran must first reverse parts of its nuclear pro-gramme. That’s created a contest of wills between the nations. The 2015 atomic deal saw Iran agree to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

On domestic issues, Rouhani, who has served the maximum of two

consecutive terms, urged a high turnout in the June presidential election that will decide his successor. Traditionally, high turnout brings moderate presidents to office in Iran.

Meanwhile, waving Iranian flags, chanting “Death to America,” “Death to Israel” and burning US and Israeli flags, Iranians in cars and on bikes commem-orated the 42nd anniversary of the rev-olution that ousted the West-backed monarchy.

State TV said hundreds of thousands

drove cars and motorbikes through cities and towns, as well as motorboats in ports and around islands, after the government decided to replace traditional rallies and demonstrations with motorcades.

In the capital, Tehran, processions of cars and other vehicles started out from 12 different points yesterday morning, driving through the streets to circle Tehran’s iconic Azadi Square, the traditional place of gatherings for anniversaries.

The country’s military also put three

ballistic missiles on display near Azadi square as army paratroopers jumped in nearby and schools’ chorus performed on many junctions.

The celebrations come at a tense time, amid hopes that Iran will find relief from the harsh economic sanctions imposed by Trump in 2018 and as the country struggles with a surge in coro-navirus infections.

The death toll from COVID-19 in Iran is nearing 59,000. Since the pandemic erupted last year, Iran has reported some 1.48 million confirmed cases of the virus. The country on Tuesday launched its coronavirus inoculation campaign, administering recently delivered Russian Sputnik V vaccines to healthcare professionals.

Iran’s Islamic Revolution began with widespread unrest over the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The shah, ter-minally and secretly ill with cancer, fled Iran in January 1979. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini then returned from exile and the government fell on February 11, 1979, after days of mass demonstrations and confrontations between protesters and security forces.

Anger over America for allowing the shah into the United States to receive cancer treatment in New York would later spark the takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran in November 1979 by student militants and the subsequent hostage crisis, which kindled decades of enmity.

Iranians ride on motorcycles as they participate in the celebration of the 42nd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, in Tehran yesterday.

Plane on fire after Houthi drone attack hits airport in SaudiAP — DUBAI

Yemen’s Houthi rebels yesterday targeted an airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia with bomb-laden drones, causing a civilian plane on the tarmac to catch fire, the king-dom’s state television reported.

No one was hurt in the assault.

The Houthis soon claimed responsibility for the assault.

Col. Turki Al Maliki, the spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen, said forces earlier inter-cepted and destroyed two drones launched by Houthis toward the country’s south. He

condemned the assault as a “systematic and deliberate attempt to target civilians.”

Photographs later aired by Saudi state television showed the aircraft, a 3-year-old Airbus A320 flown by low-cost carrier FlyADeal. It appeared the drone had punched a hole through its fuselage, with scorch marks on the metal. An anchor on state television said there were no injuries on the ground from the fire. FlyADeal did not immedi-ately respond to requests for comment.

Since 2015, the Houthis bat-tling the Saudi-led military coa-lition have targeted interna-tional airports, along with

military installations and critical oil infrastructure, within Saudi Arabia. The Houthis repeatedly have used drones against Saudi Arabia, including crashing them into the king-dom’s Patriot missile batteries, most recently on Sunday when the coalition said it intercepted five “booby-trapped” drones. Those attacks, often striking near the southern cities of Abha and Jizan, have wounded dozens and killed at least one person in recent years.

As recently as late January, US forces stationed at Prince Sultan Air Base near Riyadh trained Saudi troops on how to counter the threat posed by

drones, which can fly low to the ground, evade radar and det-onate against targets in the kingdom.

In November 2017, the Houthis even reached Riyadh’s international airport, deep inside the kingdom. No one was hurt in the attack, which marked the first time that a Houthi missile had come so close to a heavily populated centre. Riyadh is around 1,000 km north of the border with Yemen. The attack late afternoon yesterday reportedly was the first to impact a civilian aircraft at the facility. Flights at Abha airport resumed some time after the attack.

Palestine welcomes EU’s refusal of Israeli settlement QNA — RAMALLAH

The Palestinian Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ministry welcomed the European Union’s positions rejecting all forms of Israel’s settlement policy, along with the associated actions of forced evictions, home demoli-tions and land confiscation.

The Ministry considered such a position insufficient and did not rise to the level of viola-tions and crimes committed by the occupation against the Palestinians.

The Ministry called upon the UN Secretary-General, the UN Security Council (UNSC) and all countries, in particular the European Union States, to take the necessary measures to force Israel, the occupying power, to halt all forms of settlement and end its crimes against the Pal-estinian people.

The Ministry also urged the UN and the EU to ensure the implementation of UNSC Reso-lution 2334, and making the development of relations with Israel contingent upon Israel’s compliance with international law, if not the imposition of deterrent international sanctions to dissuade it from committing its crimes, chiefly the settlement crime, according to Palestine news agency.

The Palestinian Ministry’s press statement came after EU spokesperson issued a statement yesterday expressing the Union’s regret over the large-scale dem-olition of Hamsa al-Foqa com-munity along with the destruction of EU-funded struc-tures in the northern Jordan Valley, considering this to be contrary to Israel’s obligations as an occupying power under international humanitarian law.

US envoy for

Yemen meets

Saudi FM

REUTERS — DUBAI

US special envoy for Yemen Timothy Lenderking met Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Riyadh, Saudi state news agency SPA said yesterday.

“Developments concerning Yemen were discussed, and joint efforts to support reaching a comprehensive political solution to the Yemen crisis were reviewed,” the SPA report said.

Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Yemen was also at the meeting, it said.

US President Joe Biden last week named veteran US dip-lomat Lenderking as a special envoy in a bid to step up American diplomacy to try to end the war which has created what the UN calls the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

Saudi Arabia leads a mil-itary coalition which inter-vened in Yemen in 2015, backing government forces fighting the Houthis.

UN officials are trying to revive peace talks to end the war.

The new administration in Washington has also announced an end to its support for Saudi-led military operations in Yemen.

On Monday, the UN envoy met Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Tehran.

They discussed how to make progress toward a nationwide ceasefire and reviving the political process in Yemen, a UN spokesman said.

Oman, Turkey FMs review tiesQNA — MUSCAT

Omani Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi discussed yesterday morning during a session of consultations with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu various aspects of bilateral cooperation between the two countries and ways to enhance them, especially in the economic and cultural fields.

During the session, views were exchanged on a number of current regional and inter-national issues of common interest, and the importance of supporting all peace efforts in a way that enhances the foundations of peace and sta-bility, Oman News Agency (ONA) said.

Operation launched

in west Baghdad

against ISIS

QNA — BAGHDAD

An extensive joint security operation was launched yesterday to hunt down ISIS operatives in western Baghdad, Karma Island, and east of Therthar Lake.

The security operation was launched this morning in west Baghdad under the supervision and planning of the Joint Operational Command, and was initiated by the operational com-manders in Baghdad, Samarra and Al Anbar, sup-ported by Iraqi Army avi-ation, the Security Infor-mation Cell of Iraq said in a statement.

The Cell explained that the aim of the operation was to clear these areas of ISIS oper-atives, and to tightly control the borders between these areas.

Iraqi Forces carry out security operations constantly in multiple areas to track down the remnants of ISIS.

Members of Israeli border police detain a Palestinian in Tura Al Gharbiya, near Jenin, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, yesterday.

07THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2021 MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Security Council urges Somalia leaders to quickly agree on voteAP — UNITED NATIONS

The UN Security Council has called on Somalia’s federal government and regional states to urgently resume talks and agree on arrangements to hold elections as soon as possible.

A September agreement allows for the president and others to stay in office after Monday’s election date if needed, but United Nations special representative James Swan has warned that going beyond that day brings “an unpredictable political situ-ation in a country where we certainly don’t need any more of that.”

After a closed virtual briefing by Swan, council members issued a statement welcoming efforts by leaders of the government and regional states to find agreement on implementing the September deal but also expressing concern that talks ended without agreement Saturday.

“The members of the Security Council called for Somalia’s leaders to resume their dialogue urgently and

work together, in the interests of the people of Somalia, to reach consensus on the arrangements for the conduct of inclusive elections with a view to holding them as soon as possible,” the council statement said.

It noted the announcement of further talks on February 15.

Estonia’s UN ambassador, Sven Jürgenson, welcomed the new round of talks, saying after the council meeting: “Somali leaders need to overcome the differences, and act in the best interests of the country and the people.”

Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, who is seeking a second four-year term, blamed unnamed “foreign interventions” on Saturday for the failure of the talks and accused Puntland and Jub-baland states of refusing to support the September agreement.

Lawmakers in parliament booed the president, pounding their desktops, as he addressed them after days of discussions fizzled.

The president’s critics

accuse him of delaying to extend his current mandate.

Mohamed said: “There’s still some hope that we can move forward, we just need to set another time for a meeting to solve our problems, and all these issues rest on the shoulders of parliament.”

Uncertainty over the election is ripe for exploitation by the Somalia-based Al-Shabab extremist group, which has threatened to attack the polls. Last Friday, it launched a documentary series

criticising the president and the electoral process, which it accused of being riddled with corruption.

Al Shabab attacked the city hosting the election talks on the night that the president arrived and the following night. No one in town was killed, but security forces on the second night killed four attackers and detained two.

Meanwhile, Somalia is adjusting to the withdrawal of some 700 US military per-sonnel, a process completed in

mid-January, and it faces another security jolt as a nearly 20,000-strong African Union force is set to withdraw by the end of the year.

The Security Council statement “commended the role of the African Union in pro-moting dialogue between Somalia’s parties.” Council members also “condemned ter-rorist attacks by Al Shabab and reaffirmed their support for the national sovereignty, territorial integrity and political inde-pendence of Somalia.”

Somalia Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble addressing the members of parliament, in Mogadishu yesterday.

South Africa scraps AstraZeneca vaccine, to give J&J shotsAP — JOHANNESBURG

South Africa will start vacci-nating front-line health workers next week with a shot that is still in testing — an unorthodox strategy announced yesterday after officials scrapped plans to use another vaccine that a small study suggests is only minimally effective against the variant dominant in the country.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said South Africa would switch to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and not use Oxford-AstraZeneca’s — which was previously heralded as one of the most promising for the developing world because it’s cheaper and does not require freezer storage like some other leading vaccines.

But a small study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, suggested it was poor at pre-venting mild to moderate

disease caused by the variant first detected in South Africa. Experts have said it might still work well against more severe disease.

Those results threw South Africa’s vaccination campaign into disarray just as it was about to start administering the Astra-Zeneca vaccine — the only one authorized for general use in the country.

Officials quickly turned their focus to the one-shot J&J vaccine — which has only been approved for use in studies in South Africa and, in fact, hasn’t yet been authorised for general use in any country. The company has applied for emer-gency use permission from the US Food and Drug Adminis-tration and South Africa’s reg-ulatory authority.

Mkhize, in a nationally broadcast address, assured the public that the J&J vaccine is

safe, pointing to the fact that it has been tested in 44,000 people so far. It will now be used to launch a drive to inoc-ulate the country’s 1.25 million health workers, he said.

“The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been proven effective against the 501Y.V2 variant and the necessary approval processes for use in South Africa are underway,” he said, using the official name for

the variant that experts say is more contagious. That variant recently drove a devastating resurgence of the pandemic with nearly twice the cases, hospitalisations and deaths experienced in the initial surge of the disease in the country.

A study of the J&J vaccine in South Africa, part of interna-tional trials, showed it was 57% effective at preventing mod-erate to severe COVID-19 in a test conducted when the variant was dominant. It provides even better protection against severe disease, with 85% efficacy after 28 days.

South Africa will begin administering the first shots next week, said Mkhize. The first round aims to reach 100,000 health care workers — and is officially being clas-sified as a study of the vaccine, according to Dr. Glenda Gray, president of the South African

Medical Research Council, who led the Johnson & Johnson tests here.

The first doses will come from vaccine sent to the country for testing purposes, and more are expected in March, when a South African pharmaceutical company begins bottling the vaccine here, Mkhize told a par-l iamentary committee yesterday.

In all, the country hopes to vaccinate an estimated 40 million people by the end of the year — or about two-thirds of its population. South Africa plans to use the Pfizer vaccine — though it’s not yet authorised — and is also considering others, including Russia’s Sputnik V, China’s Sinopharm and the Moderna one, Mkhize said. Unlike the J&J shot, none of those vaccines has been clin-ically tested against the variant prevalent in South Africa.

Ghana suspends

parliament amid

COVID-19 surgeAP — ACCRA, GHANA

Ghana’s parliament has been suspended for at least three weeks following a surge in COVID-19 cases among parliament members and staff.

Speaker Alban Bagbin announced the suspension late on Tuesday, saying that at least 17 members of parliament and 151 staffers have tested pos-itive for the coronavirus. He has urged lawmakers and other parliament staffers to get tested.

Meetings, however, will continue of the parliament appointments committee to nominate ministry posts for the administration of President Nana Akufo-Addo, who was re-elected in December.

Ghana’s Health Services confirmed that there have been 73,003 cases, including 482 deaths, in the West African nation since the outbreak began last year.

At the end of January, Akufo-Addo warned that the total number of active cases of COVID-19 had more than doubled since the beginning of the year, from 1,900 to more than 5,300 at that time.

“Our hospitals have become full, and we have had to reactivate our isolation centers,” he said, adding that the daily rate of infection stood at 700.

Ghana has also recorded a number of variants, including one from the UK, he said, adding that, “we should all understand that our current situation could get very dire if efforts are not made, both on the part of government and by you, the citizenry, to help contain the virus.”

UN hails formation of InterimExecutive Authority in LibyaQNA — NEW YORK

The UN Security Council welcomed the agreement reached by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) on the formation of the new unified Interim Executive Authority in Libya until the elections are held later this year.

The Council said in a statement that the agreement is an important milestone for the political process in the Libya, calling on the Interim Authority to urgently agree on the for-mation of an inclusive gov-ernment, as outlined in the roadmap agreed by the LPDF in Tunis, and to make the necessary preparations ahead of national presidential and parliamentary

elections scheduled for December 24, 2021.

The Security Council also called on all parties to fully implement the ceasefire agreement reached in October 2020 and urged member states to respect and support the full implementation of the agreement, including through the withdrawal of all foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya without further delay.

The Security Council called

for “full compliance” with the arms embargo by all member states, in line with the relevant Security Council resolutions, stressing the importance of a credible and effective Libyan-led Ceasefire Monitoring Mechanism under UN auspices.

The Council welcomes the critical steps towards UN support for the mechanism through the swift deployment of a UN advance team to Libya. The Security Council looks forward to receiving proposals on the tasks and scale of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism from the Secretary-General. The Security Council reaffirms its strong com-mitment to the UN-facilitated Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political process.

Erdogan addresses party lawmakersTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan leaves his seat to address members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament, in Ankara yesterday.

Ethiopia to close 2 refugee camps in TigrayBLOOMBERG

Ethiopia is going ahead with plans to close two camps run by the United Nations’ refugee agency in Tigray region, saying one is too close to the Eritrean border and the other is in an inhabitable location.

Hitsats and Shimelba camps were heavily damaged in Ethiopia’s conflict in the northern region and the 20,000 refugees that sheltered there fled to nearby towns or to other refugee camps.

“Hitsats is in an arid area, in the Dedebit desert. It is not conducive to livelihood, not comfortable for the refugees,” Agency for Refugees and Returnees Affairs Director General Tesfahun Gobezay told reporters on Tuesday. Shimelba is only 20 km (12 miles) from the border.

Guidelines by the UN refugee

agency recommend that camps should be at least 50 km or a day’s journey from national borders and potentially sensitive areas such as military bases. “But again, sometimes that’s just not possible,” said Chris Melzer, a spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

In January, satellite images showed the two camps had been destroyed extensively. Neither the UN nor ARRA have assessed the damage. Of the 19,200 Eritrean ref-ugees that had been sheltering there, 4,600 have been relocated to Adi Harush and Mai Aini camps, Gobezay said.

Moving them to Mai Aini and Adi Harush may be in their best interest, given “all the current options and cir-cumstances,” the UN said in a statement.

“Considering the reports of attacks on Hitsats and Shimelba, the reports of abductions, destruction, looting, and killing of humanitarian staff, UNHCR concurs with the decision that the two camps can no longer be considered safe, and that the search for alternative and more secure sites is reasonable,” it said.

Ethiopian federal troops entered Tigray in response to an attack on November 4 and toppled the region’s dissident ruling party that had set itself in opposition to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed since he came to power in April 2018. While the government announced victory on November 28, the region’s leader has vowed to con-tinue with the fighting that has killed thousands of people, displaced hun-dreds of thousands more and threatened to destabilise the Horn of Africa.

The UN Security Council

called on the Interim

Authority to urgently

agree on the formation of

an inclusive government.

Kenya launches

$34m project for

climate changeREUTERS — NAIROBI

Kenya yesterday launched a $34m project aimed at cush-ioning the effects of drought caused by climate change, targeting communities living in arid regions of the country.

Finance and environment ministry officials said the five-year Green Climate Fund would go towards helping 620,000 people in 11 regional counties in arid and semi-arid areas and would aim to restore over 500,000 hectares of rangelands.

Keriako Tobiko, the min-ister for environment and for-estry, said these areas account for 80% of the East African country’s land mass, and were more susceptible to the effects of climate change.

“These areas and commu-nities living in these areas are most vulnerable; pastoral communities, nomadic com-munities and really this pro-gramme helps to address the most deserving of cases,” Tobiko told an online briefing at the project’s launch.

Kenya loses 2.0-2.4% of its gross domestic product annually due to effects of climate change.

Uganda restores Internetafter election clampdownBLOOMBERG

Uganda said it has restored full access to the Internet and social-media networks after shutting them down on the eve of elections last month, according to Information Minister Peter Ogwang.

President Yoweri Museveni secured a sixth term in the January 14 vote after a campaign that was marred by violence and allegations of numerous irregularities. At least 54 people were killed in pro-tests following the arrest of the main opposition leader, musician-turned-politician Bobi Wine.

The government had clamped down on social-media platforms after Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. announced they had blocked accounts sus-pected of belonging to state actors. Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, had banked on technology in his bid to unseat Museveni, one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.

“We apologise for the inconveniences caused, but it was for the security of our country,” Ogwang said on his Twitter account.

The G-7 should take on a role like that played by the US government in Operation Warp Speed - working directly with pharmaceutical companies to tap unused vaccine-making capacity around the world, and helping set up supply and distribution networks.

08 THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2021VIEWS

CHAIRMANDR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFDR. KHALID BIN MUBARAK AL-SHAFIeditorinchief@pen.com.qa

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMEDm.salim@pen.com.qa

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

EDITORIAL

THE State of Qatar has been actively engaged in the reconstruction process following a massive blast at Beirut port in August last year. Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani visited Beirut on Tuesday where he met President of Lebanon, H E General Michel Aoun, as well as the caretaker Prime Minister and the Speaker of the Parliament.

The Foreign Minister reiterated Qatar’s support to Lebanon, saying Doha will always be proactive to support the Lebanese people and help them to overcome the crisis. After the port blast, Qatar dis-patched two field hospitals to Lebanon to aid the recovery efforts. Doha is also reconstructing a hos-pital destroyed in the blast. In addition, the State of Qatar is helping rebuild more than 55 public schools, 20 technical institutes, and 80 university buildings in Lebanon. It is also providing scholarships to 400 uni-versity students in Beirut.

The Foreign Minister also handed over a written message by Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to the Lebanese president, in which H H the Amir expressed Qatar’s support for Lebanon and encouraged the parties to give priority to the national interest over political interests in order to achieve political stability in Lebanon.

During his visit, Qatar’s top diplomat also called on all Lebanese parties to accelerate the efforts to find a solution to the political impasse, saying Doha will support any path leading to the formation of a government. The Foreign Minister hoped that a gov-ernment supported by all factions would bring sta-bility to the country. He wished the various Lebanese political groups success so that they prioritise the interest of the Lebanese people and work to form a government as soon as possible. “We look at the future of Lebanon as a promising and positive future, but this matter requires stability and requires a formed government. We in Qatar wish them all success in their consultations,” he remarked.

H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the process to form a government was an internal Lebanese matter, and added that Qatar --- which has good ties to various political factions in Lebanon --- is ready to play a role if requested by the Lebanese parties to do so.

Qatar’s message and the visit by the Foreign Min-ister complement the international efforts for political stability in Lebanon. Doha has also said that allocating an integrated economic programme to Lebanon requires the formation of a government.

Qatar stands by Lebanon

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Quote of the day

We are still not where we want to be. We were late to authorize. We were too optimistic when it came to massive vaccine production and perhaps we were too confident that, what we ordered, would actually be delivered on time.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of European Commission

Peter Ben Embarek and other members of the World Health Organisation team, tasked with investigating the origins of the coronavirus disease, arrive at the Pudong International Airport in Shanghai yesterday.

BLOOMBERG

A scramble for COVID-19 vaccines has broken out among some of the world’s wealthiest nations. This is understandable - but too narrow a focus on their own needs is shortsighted as well as ethically wrong. Letting the pandemic rage on in poorer parts of the world will imperil their own efforts to end the emer-gency. Self-interest aligns with what should be a moral imper-ative. Increasing the supply of vaccines for everybody needs to be given a much higher priority.

The European Union recently took a controversial step to secure doses for its citizens, restricting the export of vaccines until its own orders have been met. But the rich world in general has done what it can to corner scarce supplies. More than half of the 12.5 billion doses planned for delivery this year are spoken for, mostly by developed nations. Canada has bought enough to vaccinate its population five times over. Poor nations can hope to inoculate only a fraction of their populations this year. If current trends hold, many won’t complete their vaccinations until 2024.

Allowing the pandemic to continue uncurbed across much of the globe would be unfor-givable - and, it must be empha-sized, dangerous for everyone. It

greatly increases the risk of deadly new strains, and if these prove resistant to current vac-cines, even fully inoculated countries might suffer new surges. In addition, persistent global economic dislocation will weigh on the rich countries’ recoveries. Helping poorer coun-tries cope is the smart thing to do, as well as the right thing to do.

The success of additional vaccine candidates will help to expand potential supply, but manufacturing capacity will con-tinue to pose a problem. How best to ramp up production? A group of countries led by India and South Africa is pushing for intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines to be waived during the pandemic. But greater output requires technology as well as access to intellectual property. It would be better to recruit the vaccine makers as willing allies - both in scaling up their own manufacturing as quickly as possible and in forming partnerships with other producers. Drugmakers lacking viable COVID-19 vaccines of their own should come forward to produce under contract, as Sanofi has begun to do for Pfizer and BioNTech. Rich countries could use their financial muscle to encourage this.

China, Russia and India should provide more data about

their own vaccines and subject them to further vetting by the World Health Organization, so they can be used more widely. (A study recently found the Russian vaccine to be highly effective.) A clearinghouse for information about the global vaccine supply chain would help governments to identify bottlenecks and head off delays.

In grappling with all these challenges, what’s needed most is global leadership and coordination. The G-7 should take on a role like that played by the US government in Oper-ation Warp Speed - working directly with pharmaceutical companies to tap unused vaccine-making capacity around the world, and helping set up supply and distribution networks. Fully funding the WHO’s Covax program would provide the money companies will need to scale up pro-duction, including to upgrade facilities, train staff, and procure antigens, vials and syringes. The cost could be substantial - but only a fraction of what rich countries will lose if the pandemic goes unchecked.

Such efforts are not at the front of governments’ minds. They should be. If ever there were a moment for ambitious and effective global action, it’s now.

THE WASHINGTON POST

All eyes are on Denmark, which subjects a large share of its coronavirus cases to genomic surveillance. That window into the pandemic shows the virus variant B.1.1.7, which is far more transmissible, has moved rapidly through the Danish population, as it did in Britain. A new study, though preliminary, suggests the same is happening in the United States; the number of people infected with it is doubling about every 10 days. Every effort must be made to use all known coun-termeasures, including face masks, distancing, good hygiene and shutdowns. But only vaccines can save the day - if administered in time.

The variant, first seen in Britain, is significantly more transmissible than the older variants. In the United

States, if unimpeded, it could drive daily new case counts - now declining to about 107,000 - back to the January peaks of more than 200,000. Hospitalizations and deaths would rise too. In Denmark, genomic surveil-lance shows the new variant had a reproduction number of 1.07 - spreading fast, while the old variant was 0.78, indicating decline. One Danish expert told Kai Kup-ferschmidt of Science mag-azine, “This is the calm before the storm.”

The new variant has shown a tendency to keep spreading even during lock-downs. Denmark had already closed schools and restau-rants, but rules were tightened by cutting the number of people allowed to gather from 10 to five, among other things. In the United States, stricter lockdowns may be politically difficult,

given pent-up fatigue and frustration.

To avoid the onrushing locomotive of the new variant, there is only one escape: immunity. Enough people develop immunity either naturally, which would require a large share of the population being infected and developing antibodies, or through an effective vaccine. There might only be six to 12 weeks before the new variant triggers another surge. While the pace of administering the vaccines has increased, only a fraction of the U.S. popu-lation has been vaccinated. As of Monday, the United States had administered 41.2 million doses, or about 12.5 doses per 100of the popu-lation. Only 9.1 million people have received two doses recommended for the pair of mRNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. In total, 59.3

million doses have been delivered by the manufac-turers, and more are coming.

One approach to speed up vaccination would be to tem-porarily delay the planned second dose for the two vac-cines and use those doses to get as many people first shots as possible before the variants hit. The Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorization is based on a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine in 21 days and Mod-erna’s in 28 days. For now, no compromise should be made on giving the second dose. But the government should study as quickly as possible whether second doses could be admin-istered later without loss of efficacy. In the meantime, the new variants, including those first identified in Brazil and South Africa as well as B.1.1.7, only increase the urgency of the vaccine rollout now underway.

We need an Operation Warp Speed for the world

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A viral locomotive is heading straight at us

Established in 1996

09THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2021 OPINION

After the head of the World Trade Organization stepped down in August, member countries overwhelmingly rallied behind a successor: 163 nations backed the Nigerian economist Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a two-time finance minister who ascended the ranks of the World Bank.

Every member but one: Donald Trump’s America.

Okonjo-Iweala was poised to become the first woman and African national to lead the global body in its 25-year history until the United States emerged as the lone holdout. Electing her would be “a mistake,” the Trump adminis-tration’s chief trade negotiator said, citing a lack of trade experience.

Her fortunes reversed with the election of President Joe Biden, who signaled support for Okonjo-Iweala on Friday, all but assuring her victory in the everyone-must-agree race once members meet to vote in Geneva.

For the United States, dropping resistance to Okonjo-Iweala’s selection represented Biden’s first con-crete step toward distin-guishing his trade policy from Trump’s and fulfilling his promise to revive interna-

tional cooperation.But for Okonjo-Iweala,

securing that backing is only the start of what promises to be a grueling diplomatic assignment.

Even supporters of the WTO agree that it needs sub-stantial changes in deciding and enforcing the rules of global trade. Trump’s refusal to permit the appointment of new judges kneecapped its appellate system and ability to settle disputes. Rules that require all-member approval thwart any agility.

Okonjo-Iweala’s first pri-ority would be to ease the flow of goods - particularly protective gear, drugs and vaccines - at a time when countries are hoarding sup-plies, she said.

“Global recovery cannot take place without trade,” she said in a recent Zoom interview. “That is where my mind is. That is my number one.”

When the Trump adminis-tration dismissed her can-didacy in October, Okonjo-Iweala stayed mostly quiet. The Americans had endorsed a rival she admired: Yoo Myung-hee, the South Korean trade minister who worked on the revised US-Korea trade pact Trump lauded in 2018.

But Okonjo-Iweala didn’t expect Robert E. Lighthizer, the outgoing US trade

representative, to bash her credentials in a January interview with the Financial Times.

She has “no experience in trade at all,” he said. “We need a person who actually knows trade, not somebody from the World Bank who does development.”

The Nigerian candidate, who became a US citizen in 2019, rejected that view.

“When you’re a woman of color in a leadership position - a woman, first of all, and then of color - these comments are not too surprising,” she said. “You see them as you make your leadership journey.”

In Nigeria, she said, the trade minister reported to her.

“My résumé speaks for itself,” she said.

Okonjo-Iweala met Light-hizer twice for virtual inter-views last year. She recalled the conversations as routine and pleasant.

The disconnect reminded her of advice from her late father, a mathematician and diplomat. His words became her mantra as she left home to study economics at Harvard University in 1973.

“If you encounter a problem because you are a woman and you’re Black and you’re African, take that problem, that weakness they have, and make it your strength,” she said. “Keep

going.”She went on to earn her

doctorate at MIT. She spent 25 years at the World Bank, climbing to the No. 2 role. She sits on the boards of Twitter and GAVI, the international vaccine alliance focused on distributing doses to devel-oping nations.

“She has championed causes and people who have been left behind,” said Una

Osili, treasurer and research director for the Association for the Advancement of African Women Economists.

Okonjo-Iweala was the first woman to serve as Nigeria’s finance minister, holding the role from 2003 to 2006 and then again from 2011 to 2015.

During her tenures, she drew praise for significantly reducing the country’s debt and fierce criticism for slashing fuel subsidies - a move that initially doubled gas prices and triggered pro-tests nationwide.

Her efforts to quash fraud sparked ire that she said led to her elderly mother’s brief kid-napping in 2012.

“She was a warrior to stop corruption,” said Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, who worked with Okonjo-Iweala at the World Bank. “Very brave. With threats to her life. She stood up and pushed ahead with a clear message.”

She also steered Nigeria out of a trade disaster, said Florie Liser, the assistant US trade representative for Africa under former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

“When I hear people say in this debate that she has no trade experience. I’m thinking: You all just don’t know,” Liser said. “You really don’t know.”

In the early 2000s, Nigeria was at risk of losing benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which gives most African nations duty-free access to the American market. At issue was a US diaper producer that had invested millions in a Nigerian factory but couldn’t source the materials it needed because of steep tariffs.

“She flew to Washington, sat down with us and sorted it out,” Liser said. Okonjo-Iweala also helped pave the way for AGOA’s very existence, said the trade law’s architect, Rosa Whitaker, who launched the United States Trade Representative’s Office of African Affairs.

At the time, the United States wanted to improve trade relations with African nations - some of which were hesitant after a history of bad deals with global powers.

“She was an informal adviser, the person we’d come

to,” said Whitaker, who now runs a consultancy in Wash-ington and Accra, Ghana. “She was ready to open doors and make it happen.”

The WTO was caught flat-footed by the Trump adminis-tration’s objection to Okonjo-Iweala’s selection.

Lighthizer saw her as allied to trade policy tradi-tionalists such as Robert Zoe-llick, who during the George W. Bush administration had finalized the negotiations that brought China into the WTO, according to one Geneva-based trade official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss confi-dential matters.

Biden has promised to scrap his predecessor’s hos-tility toward multilateral organizations. That explains why the other 163 WTO members have been delaying for months a final decision on the next director general until the new administration has a chance to get up to speed.

“Everybody is really, really cutting the Americans a lot of slack,” said the Geneva-based trade official. “We want these guys back.”

Global trade plummeted last year as countries sealed borders and adopted new supply-guarding rules.

As demand soared for masks and gloves, more than 100 countries and territories imposed export restrictions on coronavirus-fighting essentials, according to the International Trade Center.

Okonjo-Iweala is calling for an overhaul that would shift the collective emphasis on individual interests to helping the most vulnerable.

“No one is safe until eve-ryone’s safe,” she said.

The stark inequality of vaccine rollouts worldwide, for instance, means inocu-lation will be a slow journey for much of the globe, giving the virus ample time to spawn more variants.

“Let’s straighten out the rules so they work for the world, for the ordinary human being,” Okonjo-Iweala said. “We shouldn’t just be thinking about this pandemic - we should build the framework for the next one.”

Danielle Paquette is The Washington Post’s West Africa bureau chief. David J. Lynch is a staff writer on the financial desk who joined The Washington Post in November 2017.

Nigerian economist set to make history as head of WTO

SHAWN DONNAN & JOE DEAUX BLOOMBERG

Joe Biden began his presidency much as his predecessor did, promising to restore hope to a blue-collar middle class battered by decades of relentless job losses from auto-mation and foreign competition. But the realities of trying to stoke US manufacturing employment in the wake of an economic crisis are quickly endangering his plans.

After a period of recovery last year, US factory payrolls stagnated in recent months, then went into reverse in January. The country is on course to repeat a pattern seen in every recession since manufacturing jobs peaked in June 1979: a structural step-down in employment even amid a sustained expansion in output.

As Biden starts to lay out plans for the long-term economic rebuilding program designed as a follow-on to his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, the business calculus of American manufacturing looms as a headwind.

A Bloomberg analysis of

plant-closure notifications sent by companies to state officials around the country shows the fallout from the pandemic is far from over. Employers, who have already cut a net 582,000 factory jobs compared with the pre-COVID-19 level, aim to emerge leaner and meaner from the crisis.

In Ferndale, Washington, Mayor Greg Hansen watched Alcoa, the biggest US aluminum producer, close a smelter last year that operated for more than half a century. The decision put 700 workers, the equiv-alent of 5% of the town’s residents, out of work without any obvious pathway to another job.

In nearby Bellingham, Safran Cabin, which makes overhead baggage compartments and ceiling panels for Boeing airplanes and Mit-subishi regional jets, will be shutting its local plant by year-end, laying off another 250. That’s left Hansen con-fronting the same problem plaguing small American factory towns for decades. “We need to try to figure out what do we do now and make sure we have good blue-collar jobs” for those affected, Hansen says. “That’s a much bigger, more difficult puzzle to figure out.”

Companies like Caterpillar Inc., one of the world’s largest machinery makers, are trying to plan for what remains an uncertain recovery. Wall Street analysts don’t expect its sales to return to pre-pandemic levels until at least 2025.

In a move intended to boost morale, the company has reinstated employees’ annual salary increases and kept health care premiums unchanged for at least some employees for the first time in years, according to a person familiar with the moves, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak with the media. But its 2020 annual government

filing will likely show employment dropped for a second straight year. Caterpillar didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Papermaker Georgia-Pacific announced in January it would close its Easton, Pennsylvania, cup plant by year-end, with 190 workers losing their jobs in three waves beginning in March. The work -- making cups for theme parks, hotels, offices and other commercial users -- will shift to a plant in Lex-ington, Kentucky, where only 50 jobs will be added. The privately held company won’t specify whether that capacity boost will entirely make up for the Pennsyl-vania loss. But it’s hard to see it as a bet on a rapid rebound in demand for paper cups, which collapsed in the pandemic. “This was a strategic decision based on business needs,” says spokesman Eric Abercrombie.

How much US industrial capacity will end up being cut is unclear. Industrial production in December was 3.6% lower than a year earlier, with capacity usage 5.3 percentage points below its 1972-2019 average, according to the Federal Reserve. More recent data from purchasing-manager surveys show orders for manufac-tured goods expanding at the start of 2021.But there are bigger ques-tions over the return of jobs -- and the political reverberations that would accompany a failure to bring them back in important swing states like Michigan and Pennsyl-vania. States like those helped Donald Trump win the White House in 2016 and Biden win it back in 2020, and are likely to con-tinue as partisan battlegrounds for many elections to come.

United Steelworkers President Tom Conway is already worried about a jobless recovery. “That’s

what happened in 2009,” Conway says. “We’ll see productivity take a big pop with no significant increase in the workforce” and remaining employees “working 12-to-16-hour days for months on end,” he fears.

“Chip shortages are wreaking havoc on the manufacturing sector -- particularly autos -- and job losses are likely to extend over the next several months.”

Biden and his team are well aware of the danger. Even as the president woos business support for his relief plan -- showcased in an Oval Office meeting Tuesday with chief executives -- he’s planning a bigger role for the government in this recovery, with money for both research and demand creation, via infrastructure programs, pro-curement policies, reshoring initia-tives and long-term priorities including climate change.

Signing an executive order Jan. 25 to encourage more federal gov-ernment purchases of American-made products, Biden dismissed “the defeatist view” that the US couldn’t create more manufacturing jobs. “I don’t buy for one second that the vitality of American manufacturing is a thing of the past.”

Biden is due to visit the industrial state of Wisconsin next week. That’s in the run-up to a congressional address in which he is expected to lay out his “build back better” plan, including components to create more manufac-turing jobs that advisers hope will spark some bipartisan action.

“In the area of manufacturing and infrastructure -- and they are related -- there could be and should be some bipartisan interest,” Biden economic adviser Jared Bernstein said in an interview. “There are lots of states that are red, blue and purple that would very much be interested in signing on to a jobs agenda with high-

value-added manufacturing jobs.”US manufacturing still faces

plenty of long-term challenges. In a forthcoming study of Indiana, experts at the left-leaning Brookings Institution and right-leaning American Enterprise Institute found that the most manufacturing-intensive US state was plagued by declines in productivity and investment and a rotation from pro-duction jobs to warehousing ones.

Between 2001 and 2019, Indiana lost 72,000 manufacturing jobs, the report found. Which puts the last year in perspective: there were 36,000 fewer factory workers in Indiana in December than just one year before.

Mark Muro, one of the report’s authors at Brookings, says the ominous reality is it will likely take Indiana years to get those jobs back -- if it’s even possible.Meantime, Indiana companies are signaling more pain. In Silver Lake, the Wabash Valley furniture factory is due to shut in early April. At the Manchester Tank and Equipment Company plant in Elkhart, some 128 job cuts will be final by the end of July. In Fort Wayne, the Avery Den-nison plant on Independence Drive will be gone by year-end.

Some aren’t waiting around.When Matthew Cunningham went to work at what is now the Acuity Brands plant on the outskirts of Indi-anapolis at age 19, he expected it to be a job for life. But when the maker of industrial-grade lighting fixtures announced before Thanksgiving it was closing the plant, Cunningham, now 42, decided not to wait for the $6,000 severance the company was offering.

He found a job at a tomato cannery earning $22 per hour before tax -- better than the $19.78 an hour he had at Acuity.

Biden’s next economic challenge: Getting manufacturing jobs back

DANIELLE PAQUETTE, DAVID J LYNCH — THE WASHINGTON POST

A file photo of Haruhiko Kuroda (right), Governor of the Bank of Japan, with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former finance minister of Nigeria, during the 75th anniversary of the Bretton Woods system of monetary management in Paris.

Okonjo-Iweala was poised to become the first woman and African national to lead the global body in its 25-year history until the United States emerged as the lone holdout. Electing her would be “a mistake”, the Trump administration’s chief trade negotiator said, citing a lack of trade experience.

As Biden starts to lay out plans for the long-term economic rebuilding program designed as a follow-on to his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, the business calculus of American manufacturing looms as a headwind.

10 THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2021ASIA

Anti-coup protesters defy crackdown in MyanmarREUTERS — YANGON

Protesters returned to the streets of Myanmar yesterday despite the shooting of a young woman the previous day, with some deploying humour to emphasise their peaceful opposition to this month’s military takeover.

Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing, 19, was the first known serious casualty of the protests and her wounding rallied support for the movement seeking to reverse the February 1 coup and free elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her allies from detention.

“We cannot stay quiet,” youth leader Esther Ze Naw told Reuters. “If there is blood shed during our peaceful protests, then there will be more if we let them take over the country.” There were no reports of vio-lence yesterday and in many places protests took on a festive air, with bare-chested body builders, women in ball gowns and wedding dresses, farmers in tractors and people with their pets. Some set up a protest line in inflatable rubber tubs.

Thousands joined demon-strations in the main city of Yangon, while in the capital, Naypyitaw, hundreds of gov-ernment workers marched in support of a growing civil diso-bedience campaign.

A group of police in Kayah state in the east marched in uniform with a sign that said “We don’t want dictatorship”, according to pictures published

in media. Earlier, soldiers took over a clinic that had been treating wounded protesters in Naypyitaw on Tuesday, a doctor there said.

The teenager was shot when police fired, mostly into the air, to clear the protesters. Her brother, Ye Htut Aung, said the family — though supportive of the protests — had urged her against going but she insisted.

The army’s True News Infor-mation Unit said in a statement the security forces only used non-lethal weapons and the police were investigating. It said two police had been injured by the “rioters” and were in hospital.

Protesters draped a big por-trait of Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing from a bridge in Yangon. A doctor at the hospital where she was being treated told

Reuters she was not likely to survive.

Human Rights Watch said a 20-year-old man also wounded by a bullet was in a stable con-dition, while doctors said three other people were being treated for wounds from suspected rubber bullets.

Protesters were also hurt in Mandalay and other cities, where security forces used water cannon and arrested dozens. State television said four police were also hurt by protesters throwing stones.

The protests are the largest in Myanmar in more than a decade, reviving memories of almost half a century of direct army rule and spasms of bloody uprisings until the military began relinquishing some power in 2011. The military, which has imposed restrictions on gath-erings and a night curfew in the biggest cities, justified its takeover on the grounds of fraud in a November 8 election that Suu Kyi’s NLD party won by a landslide. The electoral com-mission dismissed the army’s complaints.

Western countries have con-demned the coup but taken little concrete action to press for the restoration of democracy.

The US State Department said it was reviewing assistance to Myanmar to ensure those responsible for the coup faced “significant consequences”.

UN human rights investi-gator Thomas Andrews voiced

concern at the use of lethal force.“Myanmar military per-

sonnel and police need to know that ‘following orders’ is no defence for committing atroc-ities and any such defence will fail, regardless of their place in the chain of command,” he said.

He said that “hundreds of arbitrary detentions” had been recorded since the coup.

The United Nations main human rights body is set to con-sider a resolution on Friday that would condemn the coup in Myanmar and demand urgent access, a text shows.

Avinash Paliwal, a senior lecturer at London University’s School of Oriental and African

Studies, said Myanmar would not be as isolated now as it was in the past, with China, India, Southeast Asian neighbours and Japan unlikely to cut ties.

“The country is too important geo-strategically for that to happen. The US and other Western countries will put sanc-tions - but this coup and its ram-ifications will be an Asian story, not a Western one,” Paliwal said.

Underscoring that Asian stance, the prime minister of neighbouring Thailand, Prayuth Chan-ocha, himself a former army chief who seized power in a 2014 coup, said he had received a letter from Myan-mar’s new junta leader, army

chief Min Aung Hlaing, asking for help to support democracy.

“Thailand supports the democratic process. The rest is up to him to see how to proceed,” Prayuth said.

Suu Kyi, 75, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for cam-paigning for democracy and remains hugely popular at home despite damage to her international reputation over the plight of the Muslim Rohingya minority. She has spent nearly 15 years under house arrest and now faces charges of illegally importing six walkie-talkies and her lawyer said he has not been allowed to see her.

Monks protest against the military coup on a street in Mandalay, Myanmar, yesterday.

Twitter suspends more India accounts amid free speech debateAP — NEW DELHI

Twitter said yesterday that it has suspended some Indian accounts after it was served with several blocking orders by India’s Ministry of Electronics and Infor-mation Technology over the past 10 days related to massive farmer protests.

The social media company said in a blog post that the accounts will continue to be accessible outside India. None of the suspended accounts belonged to journalists, news organiza-tions, activists or politicians, as doing so “would violate their fun-damental right to free expression under Indian law,” it said.

The company said such an action would also go against its “principles of defending pro-tected speech and freedom of expression.”

The move comes after Twitter temporarily blocked hun-dreds of accounts last week, including those of news websites and activists. Online outrage ensued soon after, and the company subsequently restored access to those accounts, prompting the Indian gov-ernment to serve it with a non-compliance notice.

The clampdown on Twitter accounts comes as thousands of farmers have camped outside New Delhi for over two months

in a protest against new agricul-tural laws they say will devastate their earnings. The government says the laws will boost pro-duction through private investment. Critics say Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has used the demonstration to escalate a crackdown on free speech.

The largely peaceful rallies turned violent on January 26 after a group of farmers veered from an agreed protest route and stormed New Delhi’s 17th century Red Fort. Hundreds of police and farmers were injured in clashes.

In an order to Twitter last week, the government identified a number of accounts it said used

provocative hashtags to spread misinformation about the pro-tests as well as incite violence.

The government invoked an information technology law under which it has the power to direct online intermediaries and internet service providers to block certain content without providing any explanation. It threatened Twitter officials with a fine and imprisonment of up to seven years for violating its order.

Pawan Duggal, a cyberlaw expert and Supreme Court lawyer, said the government’s response to Twitter was a “19th century mindset to deal with a 21st century problem.”

“India does not have a

dedicated regulatory law on social media. This gives the government a legal position to use other infor-mation technology laws to reg-ulate social media and initiate criminal action against those who violate its orders,” Duggal said.

He said Twitter had the right to go to court, the “best remedy available to them at the moment.”

In its blog post, Twitter said it has taken steps to “reduce the vis-ibility of the hashtags containing harmful content” by preventing them from trending on the platform. It also said it has acted against over 500 accounts, including permanently sus-pending some of them, for vio-lating Twitter’s rules.

Hong Kong to ease coronavirus restrictions as daily cases fallREUTERS — HONG KONG

Hong Kong will ease strict coro-navirus restrictions from February 18, re-opening sports and entertainment facilities and extending dining hours, Health Secretary Sophia Chan said yesterday, as the city logged a steady decline in daily cases.

Chan said catering busi-nesses would be able to operate until 10pm, granting them an additional four hours. Beauty salons, theme parks, cinemas and all sports facilities would be allowed to resume with con-ditions in place.

“We are cautiously opti-mistic on the pandemic,” Chan

told a news conference, adding that she hoped the city could quickly get back on its feet.

New cases have fallen to below 30 a day from over 80 at the end of January.

Separately, a government advisory panel for COVID-19 vaccines said yesterday that China’s Sinovac vaccine was safe and effective, bringing it a step closer to getting the greenlight in the Asian financial hub.

The panel said it was awaiting further information from Sinovac and would there-after make a recommendation to the government, which has the final decision on whether

to approve the vaccine.Hong Kong’s government

last week said it was exempting Chinese drug maker Sinovac from publishing results of its third phase clinical trials in medical journals due to the “urgency” of the need for vaccines.

The BioNTech vaccine - the first vaccine approved in Hong Kong- was required to have published their results in a medical journal before being examined by the advisory panel.

The first batch of one million BioNTech doses is expected to arrive in the second half of February.

Participants take part in a coronavirus disease vaccination mock drill at the COVID-19 vaccination centre in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday.

Vaccination mock drill

Sri Lanka to lift

ban on burial

of virus victims

AP - COLOMBO

Sri Lanka will begin giving permission for Muslims who die of COVID-19 to be buried, the prime minister said yesterday, following an outcry over a previous ban.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa gave the assurance in response to a question from a lawmaker in Parliament.

Sri Lanka has required the cremation of all people who die from COVID-19, saying the virus in human remains could contaminate underground water.

Muslims and non-Muslims have protested the rule over the past year, calling it unsci-entific and insensitive of Muslim religious beliefs. The United Nations and the United States have also raised con-cerns with the government.

The World Health Organ-ization and Sri Lankan doctors’ groups have said COVID-19 victims can either be buried or cremated.

Muslim lawmaker Rishard Bathiudeen said he is happy with Rajapaksa’s assurance, but that the government should implement it by with-drawing the compulsory cre-mation rule.

“Many people have been cremated before and their families are living in great agony. I am happy that they showed some compassion even at this stage, but it has to be implemented soon because people are dying every day,” he said.

Sri Lanka is a predomi-nantly Buddhist country where it is customary for Buddhists and Hindus, the second largest religious group, to cremate the dead.

Muslims make up about 7% of the country’s 22 million people.

Sri Lanka has reported 71,211 coronavirus cases, including 370 deaths.

New Zealand to inoculate high-risk people firstREUTERS — SYDNEY

New Zealand will first admin-ister COVID-19 vaccines to quar-antine personnel, front line health workers and airline staff, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said, as the government formally approved its use yesterday.

New Zealand’s medicines regulator last week provisionally approved the use of the COVID-19 vaccine jointly developed by US drugmaker Pfizer Inc and Germany’s BioNTech.

“Now we’ve reached the crucial stage of approval for the first vaccine, we are in a much better position to start having a conversation with New Zea-landers about how we plan to proceed,” Hipkins said in a statement.

Authorities expect the Pfizer vaccine to arrive in the country by end-March but they had expressed concerns about export curbs. Pressure has been mounting on Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to start inocula-tions for the country’s 5 million people soon even though New Zealand has virtually eliminated

the virus. With just under 2,000 confirmed cases and 25 deaths since the pandemic began, New Zealand largely escaped the high number of cases and deaths from the virus compared with many other developed countries thanks to border closures and lockdowns.

But the emergence of highly contagious variants abroad and more overseas residents returning home has raised con-cerns of the virus spreading in the community again.

Ardern’s critics have said New Zealand has fallen behind the rest of the world after prom-ising in November that it would be first in the queue for COVID-19 vaccines.

“When the first batch of vaccine arrives, we will be ready to go,” Hipkins said, adding information campaigns will begin next week.

New Zealand will get 1.5 million vaccines from Pfizer, which will provide enough doses to vaccinate 750,000 people, while the medicines regulator is in talks with AstraZeneca, Janssen and Novavax regarding the approval of their COVID-19 vaccines.

8 sentenced to death in Bangladesh for publisher’s murderAP — DHAKA

A special tribunal in Bangladesh’s capital yesterday sentenced to death eight Islamic militants for the 2015 killing of a publisher of books on secularism and atheism.

Anti-Terrorism Special Tri-bunal Judge Majibur Rahman announced the verdicts in a packed courtroom in the presence of six defendants. Another two, including sacked military official Sayed Ziaul Haque Zia, remain at large.

The judge had earlier issued arrest warrants for them. The prosecution said they belonged to the banned militant outfit Ansar al Islam.

In October 2015, suspected militants hacked to death Faisal Abedin Deepan of the Jagriti Prokashoni publishing house in a market near the Dhaka Uni-versity. On the same day, another publisher, Ahmed Rashid Tutul, survived a near simultaneous attack also in Dhaka. Both victims were publishers of

Bangladeshi-American writer and blogger Avijit Roy, who also was hacked to death in February 2015 when he was returning from an annual book fair in Dhaka.

The judge said prosecutors were able to prove the charges against all the eight accused. He said they acted against free thinkers with a larger aim to destabilize the country.

Razia Rahman, Deepan’s wife, expressed satisfaction with the verdict. The defence said they would appeal.

Mya Thwate Thwate

Khaing, 19, was the first

known serious casualty

of the protests and her

wounding rallied

support for the

movement seeking to

reverse the February 1

coup and free elected

leader Aung San Suu Kyi

and her allies from

detention.

11THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2021 ASIA

Chinese unmanned spacecraftsuccessfully enters Mars orbitREUTERS — BEIJING

An uncrewed Chinese space-craft yesterday successfully entered orbit around Mars after a 6-1/2-month journey from Earth, China’s space agency said, in the country’s first inde-pendent mission to the red planet.

The robotic probe carried out a 15-minute burn of its thrusters at 7.52pm Beijing time (1152 GMT), the China National Space Administration said in a statement, slowing the space-craft to a speed at which it could be captured by the pull of Mars’ gravity.

In May or June, the Tianwen-1 will attempt to land a capsule carrying a 240kg rover in a rapid seven-minute descent onto a massive plain in the northern hemisphere of Mars known as Utopia Planitia.

If the landing is successful,

the solar-powered rover will explore the Martian surface for 90 days, studying its soil and seeking signs of ancient life, including any sub-surface water and ice using a ground-pene-trating radar.

Tianwen-1, or “Questions to Heaven”, the name of a Chinese poem written two millennia ago, is China’s first independent

mission to the planet after a probe co-launched with Russia failed to leave the Earth’s orbit in 2011.

The probe is one of three reaching Mars this month. The Hope spacecraft launched by the United Arab Emirates suc-cessfully entered the planet’s orbit on Tuesday. Hope will not make a landing but will orbit Mars gathering data on its weather and atmosphere.

Tianwen-1 will also have an orbiter component surveying the Martian atmosphere with a range of instruments including a high-resolution image camera.

The two probes join six other orbiting spacecraft above Mars launched by the National Aero-nautics and Space Adminis-tration (Nasa), the European Space Agency (ESA) and India.

In the United States’ most ambitious Mars mission, the 1-tonne Perseverance probe is

expected to arrive on February 18. It will immediately attempt a landing in a rocky depression with precipitous cliffs called Jezero Crater.

On the surface, Perseverance will gather rock samples for retrieval by a future mission. Two other Nasa rovers — Curi-osity and InSight — are currently

operating on the planet’s surface.Perseverance will also

attempt to deploy a small heli-copter named Ingenuity in the thin Martian atmosphere.

The Long March 5 Y-4 rocket, carrying an unmanned Mars probe of the Tianwen-1 mission, takes off from Wenchang Space Launch Center in Wenchang, Hainan Province, China on July 23, 2020.

Victoria keeps cap on arrivals after cluster at quarantine hotelREUTERS — SYDNEY

The Australian state of Victoria stepped back yesterday from plans to let more people return from abroad each week, following a cluster of cases linked to a hotel at Melbourne Airport used for quarantining arrivals from overseas.

Eight COVID-19 infections were linked the hotel after two more people — one a guest in quarantine and the other a worker — tested positive in the past 24 hours, state authorities said.

The remaining guests were

transferred to another hotel to serve their quarantine and more than 100 workers were also placed in quarantine, authorities said.

Everyone arriving in Aus-tralia has faced a mandatory 14-day quarantine period at a hotel, including tennis players competing in the Australian Open tournament that got underway in Melbourne earlier this week.

The cluster has stirred fears of a fresh wave of infections in the state hardest hit by COVID-19. Victoria had more than 20,000 cases last year,

forcing authorities to implement a strict lockdown lasting more than 100 days, the most severe action taken by any Australian state.

Brett Sutton, Victoria state’s Chief Health Officer, said they believed cluster can be traced back to the use of a nebuliser - which vaporises medications before being inhaled.

“We think that the expo-sures are all to that event, the use of a nebuliser,” Sutton told reporters in Melbourne.

“The virus was carried out into the corridor and exposed the authorised officer, and the

food and beverage service worker and also the other resident.”

Responding the latest scare, Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews said a plans to increase from next week the cap on international arrivals from 1,100 a week to 1,300 had been suspended.

Last March, Canberra set a cap on people returning to the country at just over 6,000 per week. The government said late last year that 30,000 Australian citizens and permanent resi-dents remained on a register of people wishing to come home.

Maori leader ejected from parliament for refusing to wear ‘colonial noose’REUTERS — WELLINGTON

A New Zealand Maori leader who was ejected from parliament this week for refusing to wear a necktie in the chamber said forcing him to a Western dress code was a breach of his rights and an attempt to suppress indigenous culture.

Speaker Trevor Mallard twice prevented Rawiri Waititi from asking questions in the debating chamber on Tuesday, insisting that MPs could only ask a question if they were wearing a tie.

Waititi, 40, who became an MP for the first time in the election last October, was wearing a taonga, a Maori

greenstone pendant instead.When Waititi continued

with his question after being stopped a second time, Mallard ordered him to leave.

“It’s not about ties, it’s about cultural identity, mate,” Waititi said as he exited the chamber.

Speaker Mallard said that while ties were outdated in his view, an overwhelming majority of members asked that the rule be retained in consul-tations on the issue in the last few months.

The incident kicked off a debate about colonialism in New Zealand, and sparked outrage from around the world with #no2tie soon trending on Twitter. Speaking to Reuters yesterday, Waititi said he was

not surprised by the treatment of the speaker as Maori people had been facing this type of treatment for hundreds of years.

“Maori have not been treated equal in its own country and indigenous people all over the world have been subjected to discrimination due to racist systems that keep our peoples in second place,” he said.

“For us to stand up against subjugation, to stand up again assimilation, to stand up against those who try and make us look, feel, make us think like they want us to think... this was standing up against that.” Waititi wore the same attire to parliament yesterday and this time he was permitted to speak.

Pakistan suspends winter ascents

after three climbers go missingAP — ISLAMABAD

Pakistani authorities suspended all winter ascents, effective immediately, after three climbers went missing while attempting to scale K2 amid harsh weather in the country’s north, a moun-taineering official said yesterday.

The development comes after Pakistan’s climber Ali Sadpara, Jon Snorri of Iceland and Juan Pablo Mohr of Chile lost contact with base camp on Sat-urday. Their support team has not received any communica-tions from the 8,611-metre high K2, the world’s second highest peak, sometimes referred to as “killer mountain.” A search and rescue operation could not resume for the straight second day yesterday because of bad weather, said Karrar Haidri, head of the Pakistan Alpine Club.

He said about two dozen climbers from various countries, who were trying to scale K2, were heading back to their base camps after the immediate sus-pension of winter expeditions.

Located in the Karakorum

mountain range, K2 is one of the most dangerous climbs — one never accomplished in winter until last month, when a team of 10 Nepalese climbers made history by scaling it.

Bad weather has plagued the search. It was halted on Monday as heavy clouds enveloped most of K2. Since then, no helicopter could fly amid diminishing hope for the survival of missing climbers, Haidri said.

He said authorities were to meet yesterday to decide how to handle the situation amid con-tinuing bad weather. At K2, winds can blow at more than 200kph and temperatures can drop to minus 60 degrees Celsius.

In one of the deadliest moun-taineering accidents ever, 11 climbers died in a single day trying to scale K2 in 2008. Sad-para’s son Sajid Ali Sadpara, who had began the climb with his father but was forced to abandon the summit attempt after his equipment failed, has said only a miracle could bring the climbers back alive.

Maori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi speaks in Wellington, New Zealand, on Tuesday.

4 blasts hit Kabul, district police chief among deadREUTERS — KABUL

Four blasts rocked Afghanistan’s capital yesterday, killing two people, including a police chief who had been attempting to crack down on the city’s growing insecurity, marked by almost daily assassinations.

“In the wake of three ter-rorist attacks in Kabul this morning, Mohammadzai Kochai, police chief of district five of Kabul was martyred along with his bodyguard,” interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said.

Another three people were wounded, he added.

A separate blast later hit a car near the upmarket international Serena Hotel, although a police spokesman said there were no casualties.

District five, where Kochai was based, is a transport hub between the capital Kabul and Afghanistan’s southern prov-inces, many of which are domi-nated by the Taliban.

Kochai had sought to crack down on the high levels of

insecurity in the district in recent months. The Taliban did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the attacks. The group has denied involvement in a recent wave of targeted assassinations which the gov-ernment and many foreign powers have blamed on it.

Almost daily deadly attacks with small, magnetic bombs attached to the undercarriages of vehicles, roadside explosive devices and shootings are unnerving Afghan officials, activists and journalists.

The attacks are concentrated in urban centres and come as protracted peace talks take place in Doha between Taliban mili-tants and the Afghan government.

Officials say the talks have largely stalled as US President Joe Biden’s administration reviews how to handle the peace process, including a troop with-drawal agreement Washington signed with the Taliban under previous President Donald Trump.

Pakistan commutes

death sentence

for two mentally

ill convicts

AP — ISLAMABAD

In a landmark ruling, Pakistan’s top court yesterday commuted the death sentences of two mentally ill prisoners who have spent decades on death row, the first such ruling in this conserv-ative Muslim-majority nation.

The decision by the Supreme Court was quickly hailed by Justice Project Pakistan, a rights group that has fought an extensive, years-long legal battle for the two inmates.

One of the two prisoners whose sentence was commuted, Kanizan Bibi, has spent 30 years on death row. She was 16 when she was charged with murdering her employer’s wife and five children. The police said she was having an affair with her employer, who was also arrested and later hanged. She was diag-nosed with schizophrenia in 2000. The second prisoner on death row whose sentence was commuted, Imad Ali, 55, was convicted of murdering a reli-gious scholar in 2001. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2008. In 2016, Pakistan’s Supreme Court halted the exe-cution of Ali, just days before he was to be hanged.

“Because of certain miscon-ceptions, the implications of mental illness are overlooked and the vulnerability or disability that it causes is not given due attention,” Judge Manzoor Ahmad Malik said in his opening remarks yesterday before a five-member panel of the court.

Thai pro-democracy groups vow to intensify protests as leaders chargedBLOOMBERG — BANGKOK

Thai pro-democracy groups have vowed to intensify their protests calling for monarchy reform and a new constitution, a day after a Bangkok court sent four of their leaders into pretrial detention on royal defamation charges.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered yesterday in central Bangkok for a second day to demand the immediate release of leaders, and to protest the government’s “inaction” toward their demands. One of the key protest leaders, Panusaya Sith-ijirawattanakul said earlier that

the refusal of bail is a sign that authorities are adopting a con-frontational stance.

A court on Tuesday denied bail to lawyer Arnon Nampa, student leader Parit Chiwarak and two others accused of breaking Thailand’s lese majeste law. The detained leaders are among activists who have spear-headed a movement that’s broken long-held taboos about publicly discussing and ques-tioning the country’s monarchy, which sits at the apex of power in Thailand.

More frequent protests will pile pressure on Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha’s

government, which is facing a no-confidence vote next week and battling a slump in the trade- and tourism-reliant economy. While political analysts expect the authorities to charge more activists in the coming days under the lese majeste act to weaken the protest movement, Prayuth has said the government is merely enforcing existing laws.

Thailand’s lese majeste law is one of the harshest in the world, mandating as many as 15 years in prison for each instance of defaming, insulting or threat-ening the king, queen, heir apparent or regent. Since late November, the authorities have

charged at least 58 activists who have led demonstrations and called for a review of monar-chy’s powers.

‘No Compromise’ The Bureau of the Royal Household has said it doesn’t give com-ments to the press. Prayuth said yesterday Thai people should help one another and learn from protests in the past when asked about today’s planned gathering. The movement that started mid-2020 is demanding constitu-tional reforms and the resig-nation of Prayuth, who ruled the country as junta leader for five years before becoming premier after 2019 elections.

Pro-democracy protesters walk on a street during a rally demanding the prime minister to resign, in Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday.

In May or June, the

Tianwen-1 will attempt

to land a capsule

carrying a 240kg rover

in a rapid seven-minute

descent onto a massive

plain in the northern

hemisphere of Mars

known as Utopia

Planitia.

Pleasant weather

12 THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2021EUROPE

“We are still not where we

want to be. We were late to

authorise. We were too

optimistic when it came to

massive production and

perhaps we were too

confident that, what we

ordered, would actually be

delivered on time,”

European Commission

President Ursula von der

Leyen told the EU

parliament.

EU chief admits to failings in vaccine rolloutAP — BRUSSELS

As the European Union surpassed 500,000 people lost to the virus, the EU Commission chief said yesterday that the bloc’s much-criticized vaccine rollout could be partly blamed on the EU being over-opti-mistic, over-confident and plainly “late.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen defended the EU’s overall approach of trying to beat the pandemic with a unified vaccine plan for its 27 nations, even if she admitted mistakes in the strategy to quickly obtain sufficient vaccines for its 447 million citizens.

“We are still not where we want to be. We were late to authorise. We were too opti-mistic when it came to massive production and perhaps we were too confident that, what we ordered, would actually be

delivered on time,” von der Leyen told the EU parliament.

On the vaccine authori-zation, which left the EU three weeks behind Britain in starting its vaccination campaign, von der Leyen promised action. She said the EU would launch a clinical trial network and adapt the approval process to get doses quicker from the labs into the arms of a needy population.

“It’s is true there are also lessons to be drawn from the procedure we have followed. And we are already drawing them,” she told legislators.

The European Medicines Agency has approved three coronavirus vaccines for the bloc so far - from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca - and is reviewing others.

Despite weeks of stinging criticism as the EU’s vaccine campaign failed to gain

momentum compared to Britain, Israel and the United States, the main parties in the legislature stuck with von der Leyen’s approach of moving forward with all member states together.

“The key decisions were right,” said Manfred Weber, the leader of the Christian

Democrat European People’s Party.

The Socialists and Demo-crats party leader Iratxe Garcia said “Fiasco, catastrophe, dis-aster: they ring very true to our citizens,” but added her party will stick with von der Leyen on the bloc moving together. “Crit-icism is necessary but with a constructive spirit.” Von der Leyen’s assessment came as the bloc’s death toll passed a landmark of 500,000, a stunning statistic in less than a year that fundamentally chal-lenges the bloc’s vaunted welfare standards and health care capabilities.

It came as the bloc was fighting off the remnants of a second surge of COVID-19 that has kept nations from Portugal to Finland under all kinds of lockdowns, curfews and restric-tions as authorities race to vac-cinate as many people as possible.

The last official weekly figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control are expected today but Johns Hopkins University produced a daily tally showing EU virus deaths at over 500,800 yesterday.

Von der Leyen stuck with her promise to have 70% of the EU’s adult population vacci-nated by the end of summer and blamed big pharmaceutical companies for not keeping vaccine production up high enough.

“Indeed, industry has to match the groundbreaking pace of science,” von der Leyen said. “We fully understand that dif-ficulties will arise in the mass production of vaccines. But Europe has invested billions of euros in capacities in advance, and we urged the member states to plan the vaccine rollout. So now we all need predictability.”

Ireland may fine

residents €2,000

for holidaying

abroad

REUTERS — DUBLIN

Ireland’s government is considering increasing fines for residents who break current COVID-19 restrictions to travel aboard on holiday to €2,000 ($2,426) from €500, Prime Minister Micheál Martin said yesterday.

Non-essential travel oversees is a breach the top level of COVID-19 regulations that limit people to exercising within 5km of their homes, except for travelling for work, education or other essential purposes.

While passenger numbers are down 97 percent year-on-year, the government said two-thirds of Irish arrivals at airports are returning holiday-makers, which an official in Martin’s department described as “a very concerning statistic”.

“There’s a sense €500 is not a sufficient disincentive to travel abroad, that will be increased and the government is considering increasing that to €2,000 to act as a significant deterrent,” Martin told par-liament. Ireland is in the process of introducing a 14-day quar-antine in hotels for all people arriving from Brazil and South Africa, and for anyone arriving without evidence of a negative coronavirus test.

People use their sledges at Volkspark Wilmersdorf during a sunny day following a snowfall, in Berlin yesterday.

Vaccination centres in Germany to hit capacity by end of MarchREUTERS — BERLIN

Germany will run up against limits on its capacity to inoc-ulate people against COVID-19 by the end of March, health ministry documents showed, as an expected increase in supply puts its network of vaccination centres to the test.

Germany has so far been starved of shots as drugmakers faced production problems, but shortages are likely to ease as deliveries accelerate, according to a revised vaccine strategy released by the health ministry.

The strategy update came as German biotech startup

BioNTech launched a new facility in the German town of Marburg, expecting first vac-cines made there to be dis-tributed in early April.

BioNTech’s shot, made in partnership with US drug company Pfizer, was the first to win approval for use in the European Union.

Germany is also getting vac-cines from Moderna and Astra-Zeneca. The Pfizer and Moderna shots need to be kept frozen, while Astra’s can be stored in a fridge, making it suitable for administration by family doctors.

Around 2.4 million people have been vaccinated in

Germany, or 2.9% of the popu-lation, since it started vaccina-tions in December, health min-istry data showed.

Initial shortages should give way in the second quarter to more abundant supply, when Germany expects to receive 77 million vaccine doses. Chan-cellor Angela Merkel has promised shots to all adults who want one by the end of the summer.

To reach this target, vacci-nations will be offered at general practitioners’ clinics, working in parallel with the existing network of more than 400 vaccination centres, the plan document read.

“It is becoming clear that the vaccination centres will have to continue to operate for a longer period of time, even after doctors’ practices are involved,” it read.

In the plan, Germany’s Institute for Statutory Health Care (Zi) recommended increasing the daily capacity of vaccination centres to 300,000 from 200,000 to meet targets.

According to Zi calculations and based on drugmakers’ delivery commitments, Germany will be able to inoc-ulate around three million people a week from May and administer around one million shots a day by the end of June.

AstraZeneca said yesterday it was looking into options with IDT to speed up output of fin-ished COVID-19 vaccine in the second quarter, and that both companies planned to invest in adding capacity at IDT Biologika’s production site in Dessau, eastern Germany, to go on stream by the end of 2022.

That investment would include up to five 2,000-litre bioreactors capable of making tens of millions of doses per month of AstraZeneca’s vaccine.

The investment could also allow for the production of other vaccines using a similar manufacturing process, they added.

COVID-19 patients recovering in Spainneed to wait six months for vaccineREUTERS — MADRID

Spain’s health ministry said yesterday that people under the age of 55 without major health complications who have previ-ously contracted the corona-virus will have to wait six months from their diagnosis before receiving a vaccine.

The measure, which appears to be unique in Europe,

will apply to the three vaccines currently being distributed in Spain, and is provisional pending further research.

Justifying the decision to prioritise those without a history of COVID-19, the min-istry said that cases of rein-fection within six months were “exceptional”. A major British study published last week found 99% of participants who

had previously tested positive retained antibodies for three months, while 88% still had them after six months.

“If vaccine is in short supply and they are confident that they can reliably and confidently identify previously infected people, there is some rationale to this,” said Eleanor Riley, a pro-fessor of immunology at Britain’s University of Edinburgh.

UK promises $4.8bnmore to remove unsafecladding in towersREUTERS — LONDON

Britain said it would give an additional £3.5bn ($4.8bn) to remove dangerous cladding on high-rise residential buildings, more than three years after flammable cladding was blamed for a deadly tower block fire in London.

More than 70 people died in the 2017 blaze at Grenfell Tower, a 23-storey social housing block in west London, shocking Britain and sparking an inquisition about how the building had been allowed to become a tinderbox.

The cladding used on the block was identified as central to the rapid spread of the fire, and has since been found on buildings across the country, necessitating expensive removal or round-the-clock fire watches.

In the face of prolonged criticism that much of the remediation work has been too slow or non-existent and huge costs were being heaped onto leaseholders, the government yesterday tripled its financial support package.

“This means the

government is providing more than £5bn including a further £3.5bn announced today,” housing minister Robert Jenrick told parliament.

He said the funds would go towards the removal and replacement of unsafe cladding for all leaseholders in high rise residential buildings of 18 metres or above, and residents would not have to pay towards the removal.

To help pay for the support, the government announced a new tax on the residential property development sector that should raise £2bn over 10 years from 2022, and a separate levy on developers building high rise blocks.

However, those in lower rise building were not covered by the package and would instead have to finance the work through loans. Jenrick said the cost of this loan scheme would not exceed £50 per month.

Campaigner Paul Afshar said leaseholders felt betrayed by the loan scheme: “We were hoping for a solution to stop the sleepless nights and, for millions living in buildings less than 18m, there has been none.”

Spread of variantsin France notexponential,says specialist

REUTERS — PARIS

More contagious variants of the new coronavirus are taking hold in France but their spread is not currently as fast as initially feared, Bruno Lina, a French virus specialist and a member of the scientific body advising the government, said.

“For now, we have the feeling the introduction of these variants is somewhat curtailed”, Lina told France Inter radio. He added that the variant first detected in Britain now accounted for around 30-35% of COVID-19 cases in Paris/Ile-de-France region, and that the one stemming from South Africa represented 2-3% of COVID-19 cases in France at present.

Police bust gang

hijacking mobiles

of US celebrities,

10 arrested

AP — LONDON

Police have arrested 10 people in the UK, Belgium and Malta for allegedly hijacking mobile phones belonging to US celebrities including internet influencers, sports stars and musicians to steal personal information and millions in cryptocurrency, authorities said.

The European Union police agency Europol said that the gang is believed to have stolen more than $100m in crypto-currencies by using so-called SIM swap attacks.

These attacks involve deactivating a victim’s mobile phone SIM card, either by tricking the phone company or using a corrupt insider, so that the number can be transferred to another card under the gang’s control. The arrests were the result of a joint inves-tigation by UK, US, Canadian, Belgian and Maltese police, Europol said.

Investigators found that after accessing victims’ phone numbers, they were able to take control of apps or accounts by requesting password reset codes sent via SMS. Then they were able to steal money, cryptocurrencies and personal information, including contacts synced online, as well as hack into and post from social media accounts, Europol said. Europol has warned that SIM swapping is a growing threat carried out by fraudsters.

Eiffel Tower workers

use blowtorch to melt

ice; cold snap continuesAP — PARIS

Workers at the Eiffel Tower used a blowtorch to melt the ice collecting on its surfaces and snow was blocking roads and halting trains and school buses yesterday across northern France.

Amid a European cold snap, areas in Normandy and Brittany unused to such icy conditions were closing highways for lack of snow-clearing equipment. In parts of the Paris region, local authorities halted school buses and urged parents to keep their children at home.

Snow blanketed the French capital and froze the Eiffel

Tower.“When negative tempera-

tures return, my floors get par-tially covered with ice! To get rid of it, we need to use a blow-torch because ice-control salt is too corrosive for the metal,” tweeted the monument, which has been closed to the public for months because of coronavirus restrictions.

Parts of central and northern Europe as well as Britain have been gripped by a cold weather front since the weekend. Heavy snowfall tangled traffic and stranded drivers in Germany and the Czech Republic. Some took advantage of the frosty

climes. Cross-country skiers glided across the Charles Bridge in Prague, children sledded in the

usually snowless parks of Bel-gium’s capital of Brussels, and the deep winter freeze has

reawakened the Dutch national obsession with skating on frozen canals.

A view shows the snow-covered Champ de Mars near the Eiffel Tower, as winter weather with snow and cold temperatures hits northern part of the country, in Paris, France, yesterday.

13THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2021 EUROPE

EU Commission proposes raising migrant deportationsREUTERS — BRUSSELS

The European Commission has proposed speedier deportations of migrants who do not meet asylum requirements, according to a document sent to EU states yesterday that envisages “effective enforcement” of removal decisions.

The proposal, which was also made public, says while deportations would be vol-untary, the EU would help home countries better reintegrate migrants in a move it hopes would encourage more people to make the return journey. The Commission could also poten-tially fine EU governments that do not meet proposed new deportation rules.

Tuesday’s 12-page proposal is part of a broader Commission plan launched last September to overhaul broken migration rules to resolve years of bit-terness among EU states and provide a better welcome for refugees fleeing the Middle East and Africa.

In 2015, more than a million people made it to EU shores, overwhelming security and welfare networks, and inflaming far-right sentiment.

“The Commission will

pursue a better-functioning common EU system of returns,” said the document, dated Feb-ruary 10, using EU terminology for deportations.

The document signals quicker deportations, referring to “implementation of the return procedures, such as the issuance of return decisions and their effective enforcement”.

The Commission hopes that by increasing the number of deportations, it can convince EU governments to open up more legal pathways to those granted asylum and provide them with access to schools, healthcare, housing and jobs.

The proposal said it was unrealistic that the EU, a

wealthy bloc of almost 500 million people, could take in all migrants. The document said that in 2019 only 30 percent of those applying for asylum for the first time were recognised needing protection.

However, EU states return home just a third of those who are due to be deported and few are willing to go voluntarily, although the Commission noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had made sending people back harder.

“Even though travel restric-tions remain in place across the globe, asylum and return pro-cedures should continue,” the Commission said, listing a lack of resources in EU states, long appeal processes and migrants who try to hide from authorities as obstacles to speedier deportations.

After years of focusing on agreeing an EU relocating system to house asylum seekers across the bloc, the focus on deportations aims to show EU governments that only those in need of help would be given it, and that states should assist them.

Feuds over where to locate people have caused tensions between the Mediterranean-shore

countries where they mainly arrive, the reluctant eastern states, and the richer northern states where many of the newcomers aspire to live.

However, the Commission proposal, which must be agreed by all 27 EU governments, aims

to create a voluntary system, meaning that migrants are helped to reintegrate into their home countries with money and other support from the EU.

“The Commission will adopt a voluntary return and reinte-gration strategy,” the document

said, adding that the bloc could broaden its aid and counselling programmes for returnees. “Voluntary returns combined with effective reintegration strategies increase the acceptance and success rates of these operations.”

European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis and Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal leave after giving a joint news conference, in Brussels yesterday.

Two more bodies

found in rubble

six weeks after

Norway landslide

AP — COPENHAGEN

Six weeks after one of the worst landslides in modern Norway’s history, search teams have found two more bodies in the rubble, author-ities said.

In total, nine bodies have been found so far and one other person is believed to have died in the landslide, which swept away homes in a residential area in the village of Ask on December 30.

Last month, authorities said there was no hope of finding survivors and stopped the search in below-freezing temperatures. Helicopters and drones with heat-detecting cameras had flown over the ravaged hillside in Ask, which has a population of around 5,000 residents and is part of the Gjerdrum municipality.

The landslide destroyed at least nine buildings with more than 30 apartments in the village, located 25km northeast of Oslo.

After the two latest bodies were found, police spokes-woman Mari Stoltenberg said late Tuesday there was now an increased hope of finding the last missing person.

Stoltenberg said the victims, which haven’t been identified yet, were found under two metres of quick clay, which can rapidly change from solid to liquid form when it is disturbed. The exact cause of the landslide isn’t yet known. However, combined with excessive precipitation and damp winter weather, the quick clay may have con-tributed to the landslide.

In 2005, Norwegian authorities warned people not to construct residential buildings in the Ask area, saying it was “a high-risk zone” for landslides, but houses were built there later in the decade.

A landslide in central Norway in 1893 killed 116 people.

Putin’s hopes for fast recovery threatened by worker deficitBLOOMBERG — MOSCOW

Vladimir Putin’s hopes of getting his economy growing again quickly are likely to be dashed by Russia’s shrinking workforce.

Employers, especially in construction, are struggling to find enough people to fill jobs because coronavirus restric-tions have halved the number of immigrants. Companies ranging from gold miners to builders say they’ve been forced to push up wages to attract locals.

Almost half of construction companies surveyed by the national builders union said

they have increased pay. MIC Group, a Moscow-based con-structor, has hiked wages by as much as 15 percent on average and that’s helped bring in more staff, said Andrey Ryabinskiy, head of the board of directors.

“It was hard enough to find qualified workers before the pandemic, but now we’re feeling it much more,” he said.

The Kremlin is relying on a rapid recovery from the pan-demic to quell growing dis-content over falling incomes and rising consumer prices. Despite the success of its Sputnik vaccine, Russia is behind on its ambition to inoc-ulate 60 percent of the

population by the middle of the year.

Russia has already lifted most of its coronavirus restric-tions and a recent rally in oil prices should help an economic rebound kick in as soon as the second quarter, but the pace of growth could be limited without an ample supply of workers. A shrinking labour force could shave about 25 basis points off potential growth every year for the next decade, according to Bloomberg Economics.

Russia usually relies on an army of labourers from other parts of the former Soviet Union to help meet the increased demand when the economy

picks up, but most borders have been closed for almost a year.

“If the shortages are not solved by March, it will be a big problem,” said Madina Khrustaleva, an analyst at TS Lombard in London. “The need for labour in agriculture will a l s o g r o w d u e t o seasonality.”

Migrant workers usually make up about seven percent of Russia’s workforce and con-tribute about six percent of gross domestic product, according to Evgeny Vinokurov, chief economist at the Eurasian Development Bank.

Developer JSC Inteco, whose contractors use migrant

labour for as much as 70 percent of their workforce, is experiencing slowdowns in “a substantial number of projects,” according to President Alex-ander Nikolaev. The company has had problems finding local replacements for migrant workers with the right skills even after it pushed up wages by 30 percent.

“Construction sites are still noticing the shortage of workers, despite the fact that they increased wages,” said Anton Glushkov, president of Nostroi, the national builders union. “This will ultimately result in an increased cost of construction.”

Czech Premierreviews massvaccination drive in SerbiaAP — BELGRADE

The Czech Republic’s prime minister visited Serbia yesterday to find out more about the Balkan nation’s mass inoculation program with Chinese and Russian vaccines that have not yet been approved by the European Union’s drug regulator.

Czech leader Andrej Babis has been seeking vaccines outside the EU’s common program after deliveries from EU-approved Western drug companies have been delayed. With a team of experts, Babis last week also visited Hungary, which has been the first EU country to give a green light to the Russian vaccine.

Thanks to the Chinese and Russian vaccines, Serbia is currently second in Europe after Britain in the rate of the vaccination rollout per capita.

“I have been trying to gather as much information about other vaccines that have not been approved,” Babis said in Belgrade after meeting with Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic.

Babis told reporters before the trip that the Czech Republic is not ready to use the Russian Sputnik V vaccine before it wins the EU nod from the European Medicines Agency.

He said in Belgrade yes-terday that his EU nation wants to be “ready” once the approval comes in.

“It is of utmost importance for us to get as many safe vac-cines as possible,” Babis said. “We should abandon politics and talk about people’s health, because the (virus) situation in the Czech Republic is not good.”

The Czech Republic, a country of 10 million, has recorded over 1 million infec-tions and seen more than 17,600 confirmed virus deaths.

Poland: Media suspend news coverage to protest ad taxAP — WARSAW

Independent media outlets in Poland suspended news coverage and other programming yesterday to protest a planned new adver-tising tax that they view as an attempt by the country’s right-wing government to undermine press freedoms.

The government says the “solidarity” tax would raise money to bolster state finances badly strained by the corona-virus pandemic. But 45 media companies signed a letter that said they already pay many taxes and that the advertising tax could push some to collapse.

“We strongly oppose the use of the epidemic as an excuse to introduce another new, excep-tionally heavy burden on the media,” they wrote as websites and TV screens in Poland went dark for 24 hours.

Gazeta Wyborcza, the coun-try’s leading newspaper and a liberal critic of the populist gov-ernment, called the advertising tax “a powerful blow to free media.” In place of the usual news items on its webpage was a black screen and a warning that if the tax is passed, the pub-lication’s readers could one day lose access to independent news.

Broadcaster TVN, which is

owned by the US company Dis-covery Inc, also joined the protest. Viewers who turned to all-news station TVN24 and other channels only saw a black screen and the words “Your favourite programming was supposed to be here.”

The United States and the European Union stressed their support for media diversity yesterday.

The chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in Warsaw, Bix Aliu, called free media “a cor-nerstone of democracy,” and said “the United States will always defend media independence.”

In Brussels, a spokesman for the EU’s executive arm acknowledged the media protest, saying “We have seen the black screens.” Poland

belongs to the 27-nation bloc.“We expect member states

to ensure that their fiscal or other policies will not affect the duty of ensuring a free, inde-pendent and diverse media eco-system,” European Commission spokesman Christian Wigand said. “This is, of course, all the more important in times of the pandemic, which has hit the media sector hard.”

The first pages of Poland’s main private newspapers have black front pages with the slogan ‘Media without choice’ in protest against a proposed media advertising tax at a shop in Warsaw, Poland, yesterday.

Birth control trauma: Justice soon for Roma womenTHOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION — LONDON

Hundreds of women in the Czech Republic who were ster-ilised under an unofficial policy to curb the country’s Roma population are hoping to finally win a long battle for compen-sation.

A bill expected to be debated in the Czech par-liament yesterday envisages granting each woman a one-off payment of 300,000 Czech Koruna ($14,100).

Most of the sterilisations

occurred in the 1970s and 1980s during the communist regime of the former Czechoslovakia, but activists say the practice continued into this century.

Although the Czech gov-ernment expressed “regret” in 2009 for the sterilisations, it did not offer compensation.

Elena Gorolova, who was sterilised at 21 and has helped lead a 15-year campaign for compen-sation, said some women were offered financial incentives in exchange for being sterilised or told their children would be taken away if they had more babies.

Others, like Gorolova, were ster-ilised during Caesarian births or told the procedure was a tem-porary that could be reversed.

Europe’s human rights watchdog has urged lawmakers to pass the bill, saying it may be a last chance to deliver justice. Some victims have already died.

“This opportunity should not be wasted,” Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic said in a letter to Czech parlia-mentarians last year.

“Although the harm inflicted on the victims, both physically

and mentally, can never be undone, establishing a... compen-sation mechanism would provide these women with a measure of justice that has eluded them for such a long time.”

The Roma, who are Europe’s poorest minority, number about 240,000 in the Czech Republic — approximately two percent of the population, according to the government.

Many live in poverty on the margins of society and face dis-crimination in education, employment and housing.

No one knows how many

Roma women were sterilised, but human rights activists estimate hundreds could be eli-gible for compensation. The last known case was in 2007.

“It has had a devastating impact on every one of us,” said Gorolova, spokeswoman for the Group of Women Harmed by Sterilisation.

The social worker was ster-ilised after the birth of her second son in 1990. “When the doctor told me... I was in shock. I began to cry. I had always wanted a little girl, my husband did too,” she said.

The proposal says while deportations would be voluntary, the EU would help home countries better reintegrate migrants in a move it hopes would encourage more people to make the return journey.

14 THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2021AMERICAS

El Salvador oppn wants President’s removalAP — SAN SALVADOR

Opposition lawmakers in El Salvador on Tuesday proposed starting a process that could lead to the removal of President Nayib Bukele from office just two weeks before his party is widely expected to win a majority in legislative elections.

El Salvador’s historical parties from the left and right appeared poised to unite against Bukele who ran an out-sider’s campaign that carried him to the presidency less than two years ago. He maintains broad popular support, but has battled against the opposition-controlled legislature at every turn.

“We’re either facing a criminal or a nut; we’re facing a deranged person who is lacking the faculties to do the job,” said Deputy Ricardo Velásquez Parker, a lawmaker from the conservative Nation Republican Alliance party, or ARENA. Velásquez proposed invoking a provision in the con-stitution that would allow for Bukele’s removal if he’s found to be physically or mentally unfit.

He accused Bukele of sowing hate and cited the January 31 killing of two people leaving a Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, or FMLN, rally. Three guards working for the Health Ministry were arrested in connection with the killings.

The proposal has the support of the leftist FMLN and the Christian Democrat Party. It goes to the Legislative Assem-bly’s political committee, which is controlled by those parties.

Together, the three opposition parties control 63 of the assem-bly’s 84 seats. Eventually, the proposal would need the support of at least two-thirds of the body’s members and the unanimous support of a five-doctor panel appointed by the assembly.

Bukele, 39, quickly responded via Twitter, calling it an attempted coup in the run-up to national elections.

“It’s incredible, but revealing, to see the self-pro-claimed ‘defenders of democracy’ maintain total silence before this attempted parliamentarian coup d’etat, just days before a democratic election in which all of the polls say they will lose 80 percent of their seats,” Bukele wrote.

Bukele’s electoral victory broke a three decade-long hold on power by ARENA and the FMLN. Both have suffered high-profile corruption scandals and the public was primed for the young Bukele, who had come up in the FMLN but cast himself

as an outsider ready to speak directly to the people.

The upcoming elections were the first chance for Bukele’s supporters to give him the legislative support he had been lacking.

Lawyer and political analyst Tahnya Pastor criticized the move, warning that doctors who supported the opposition’s maneuver would be violating their oaths. “They are playing with fire,” she said.

Eduardo Escobar, executive director of the nongovern-mental organization Citizen Action, cautioned that the law-makers had better think care-fully about taking this step.

“In spite of the fact that the legislative assembly has this constitutional power, this must be handled with total seri-ousness” because of the potential political conse-quences, he said.

“In that respect, perhaps it would not be very convenient to try to remove the president of the republic with this mech-anism and above all in a pre-electoral moment.”

Bukele has faced criticism inside and outside El Salvador for not respecting democratic institutions, including the Leg-islative Assembly — he sent heavily armed troops to sur-round it a year ago during a clash over security funding —and the Supreme Court, which has repeatedly shot down his executive actions during the pandemic.

He enjoyed a cozy rela-tionship with the Trump administration, supporting some of its hardline policies on immigration.

Police officers escort migrants as they are deported in northern city of Iquique, Chile, yesterday.

Chile to expel illegal immigrantsREUTERS — SANTIAGO

Chile was to expel more than one hundred Colombian and Venezuelan migrants who entered the South American nation across its remote northern border, the interior minister said on Tuesday, part of a broader plan to crack down on a recent flood of illegal immigration.

The government’s decision comes after two migrants died earlier this month of exposure after entering Chile from Bolivia through a highland pass in the Andes Mountains. The sparsely populated region is known for relentless day-time sun and frigid nights.

The center-right adminis-tration of Sebastian Pinera said criminal gangs have begun shuffling increasingly desperate migrants — displaced by

political crisis and the corona-virus pandemic — across Chile’s perilous highland border, putting them at risk.

Interior Minister Rodrigo Delgado said the country would send them back in an effort to crack down on the practice, beginning with more than 100 migrants scheduled to be flown home.

The dusty “altiplano” border community of Colchane, which lacks even basic services, has been overwhelmed by migrants despite the fact that Chile’s borders have been closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, officials said.

Many of the migrants there came from Venezuela, the gov-ernment said, part of a broader, ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Venezuela’s economic col-lapse unleashed the biggest migratory crisis in recent South

American history, prompting millions over nearly a decade to flee the country out of desperation.

“Venezuelan migration has become, objectively, a regional emergency,” interior minister Delgado told reporters on a visit on Tuesday to Colchane.

He said the Pinera admin-istration was coordinating with neighbors Peru and Bolivia to combat the problem.

Opponents of Chile’s crackdown on illegal immi-gration say heavy-handed policing of borders only hurts the migrants involved, and will do little to stem the flow of immigration.

They have called instead for more humanitarian refuges in the rugged border mountains and for boosting regional coordination.

Coast Guard

rescues 3 Cubans

stranded on

island for 33 days

AP — FORT LAUDERDALE

Two men and a woman who said they had been stranded on a deserted island for 33 days were rescued after they waved flags to get the attention of a US Coast Guard helicopter crew as they flew over while on a routine mission off the Florida Keys, the agency said.

“We were alerted to them by the flags that they actually had in addition to a large cross that they put out there for themselves,” helicopter pilot Mike Allert told WPLG.

Allert said he decided to fly back around Anguilla Cay to investigate and a crew returned to the island later on Monday to drop water, food and a radio.

The trio was stranded on an uninhabited Bahamian island between Key West and Cuba, the agency posted on Twitter.

A helicopter crew returned on Tuesday to pick them up.

Coast Guard officials tweeted that the trio was from Cuba. They told officials their boat had capsized in rough waters and they were able to swim to the island.

The trio told the crew they had survived on coconuts, conchs and rats, news outlets reported.

It was not immediately clear whether they were migrants attempting to come to the United States, or if they were just lost at sea, US Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Brandon Murray told the South Florida SunSentinel.

They were taken to the Lower Keys Medical Center, where none appeared to have serious injuries.

Colombia failing to protect rights defenders: ReportAP — BOGOTA

Colombia has failed to protect human rights activists in its remote communities, resulting in hundreds of slayings since the government reached a peace deal with the country’s biggest rebel movement in 2016, an international moni-toring group said yesterday.

Armed groups, including some that emerged from the now-demobilized Revolu-tionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, are responsible for part of the killings, researchers with Human Rights Watch said in a report.

“Authorities’ failure to exercise effective control over many areas previously con-trolled by the FARC has in large

part enabled the violence against human rights defenders,” the report said.

“The government has deployed the military to many parts of the country but has failed simultaneously to strengthen the justice system and ensure adequate access to economic and educational opportunities and public services.”

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has documented more than 400 slayings of activists since 2016, of which 108 happened in 2019 and 53 in 2020. The figure for last year could increase because 80 additional reported killings are still being verified.

Human rights defenders include community, Indigenous,

peasant and Afro-Colombian leaders as well as victims’ and women’s rights activists.

The 2016 peace deal with the FARC ended five decades of war. But the group has suffered deep divisions, with some of its members heading to main-stream leftist movements while others have given up on the peace process and returned to arms.

While the accord included strategies for remedying problems that have kindled conflict for decades, the gov-ernment has been slow to implement initiatives to strengthen authorities’ presence in rural areas, combat illegal economies and address the dearth of legitimate economic opportunities, according to the report.

Left to act as quasi gov-ernment officials, the leaders of Indigenous groups and other social organizations are put at increased risk as armed groups can target them. The New York-based human rights organi-zation said some rights activists have been killed for their support of government pro-posals started under the accord, including substituting food crops for the cultivation of coca, the plant from which cocaine is produced.

Among the slayings men-tioned in the report is that of Deiver Quintero Pérez, who organized activities for children to keep them away from armed groups in his northern Colombia community.

He was shot multiple times in the head in February 2018,

and his body was found by a river. Prosecutors have said another rebel group, the Popular Liberation Army, killed him because he appeared to be assisting the government.

“Colombia has had the highest number of human rights defenders killed of any Latin American country in recent years, but the govern-ment’s response has been mostly talk, with little mean-ingful action,” José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

“The administration of Pres-ident Iván Duque frequently condemns the killings, but most of the government systems to address the problem are barely functional or have serious shortcomings.”

Brazil vaccinates indigenous people

Municipal health workers leave an Indigenous hut after administering the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, in the Sustainable Development Reserve of Tupe in the Negro river banks in Manaus, Brazil, on Tuesday.

Canada bans cruises until 2022, blocks Alaska tripsBLOOMBERG — OTTAWA

Canada is extending its ban on cruise ships through February 2022 because of COVID-19, effectively shutting down popular summer trips to Alaska for another year.

The prohibition will allow authorities to focus on the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine and limit the spread of new variants, the government said in a statement Thursday.

The decision is a setback for an industry trying to get back in business after being in dry dock for almost year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Alaska is one of the industry’s top desti-nations — it attracted a record 1.33 million cruise guests in 2019 — and the ban will also affect New England cruises that travel north to Montreal and other stops.

“This extension, if not amended as pandemic condi-tions improve, or through action by US authorities, would potentially require our brands to cancel our Alaska and Canada/New England cruise vacation seasons this year,” Carnival Corp, the largest cruise operator, said in an email.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd, which also sails to Alaska, said it was studying

the order and hasn’t cancelled cruises that visit Canadian ports.

“We are currently exploring several initiatives that may allow such cruises to continue, especially for the important Alaska season,” Norwegian said. “Given the fluidity of the current environment, we will also continue to work with the Canadian government to amend their current sus-pension.” Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Outbreaks of COVID-19 on cruise ships early in the pan-demic led to deaths among pas-sengers and crew, and stranded several ships as port after port turned them away, ultimately leading to a shutdown. The industry is still closed in the US, but cruise companies have been aiming to gradually return to service and get most of their fleets back to sea by year-end.

Maritime Law Maritime law bars foreign-flagged ships from transporting passengers directly between two US ports, so Alaska voyages typically make stops in Canada. Alaska represents about 5% of the global cruise-line deployment, according to the Cruise Lines International Association, the trade group known as CLIA.

Mexico has the most deadly virus outbreak in Latin AmericaBLOOMBERG — MEXICO CITY

Mexico has surpassed Panama and Peru to become the dead-liest spot for COVID-19 in Latin America.

A recent surge in deaths has brought the virus’s toll to 59.2 per million people, just above Panama’s, according to data

compiled by Bloomberg. Mex-ico’s fatalities are now the 15th highest worldwide per capita.

Mexico has taken a lax approach to the virus, calling on citizens to regulate their activ-ities rather than forcing them to lock down. The nation has also been plagued by under-testing for the virus, and despite a

recent increase, still has one of the highest positivity rates in the world. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who has just recovered from the virus, still refuses to wear a mask.

Mexico has reported 1,936,013 Covid-19 cases and 166,731 deaths as of Thursday evening.

In Mexico City, the rate of excess deaths per million people is the highest in the world, according to data ana-lysts. Fatalities have been 123 percent greater than expected in regular times, they said. At 77,469 as of Febraury 3, that’s more than twice the official virus toll of 29,146.

El Salvador’s historical parties from the left and right appeared poised to unite against Nayib Bukele who ran an outsider’s campaign that carried him to the presidency less than two years ago. He maintains broad popular support,

15THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2021 AMERICAS

Democrats: Trump 'inciter in chief' of Capitol attackAP — WASHINGTON

The first full day of arguments are beginning in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, as House Democratic prosecutors said the former president was no “innocent bystander” but the “inciter in chief” of deadly attack at the Capitol to overturn the election.

Prosecutors in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial said Wednesday they would prove that Trump was no “innocent bystander” but the “inciter in chief” of the deadly attack at the Capitol aimed at overturning his election loss to Joe Biden.

Opening the first full day of arguments, the lead House prosecutor said they will lay out evidence that shows the pres-ident encouraged a rally crowd to head to the Capitol, then did nothing to stem the violence and watched with “glee” as a mob stormed the iconic building. Five people died.

“To us it may have felt like chaos and madness, but there was method to the madness that day,” said Representative Jamie Raskin.

The day’s proceedings were unfolding after an emotional Tuesday start to the trial that left the former president fuming after his attorneys delivered a meandering defense and failed to halt the trial on constitutional grounds. Some allies called for yet another shakeup to his legal team.

Trump is the first president to face an impeachment trial after leaving office and the first

to be twice impeached. The riot followed a rally during which Trump urged his supporters to “fight like hell,” words his lawyers say were simply a figure of speech. He is charged with “ inci tement of insurrection.”

Senators, many of whom fled for safety the day of the attack, watched Tuesday’s graphic videos of the Trump supporters who battled past police to storm the halls, Trump flags waving. More video is expected Wednesday, including some that hasn’t been seen before.

House Democratic prose-cutors yesterday plan to use Capitol security footage that hasn’t been publicly released before as they argue that Trump incited the insurrection,

according to Democratic aides working on the case.

Security remains extremely tight at the Capitol, fenced off with razor wire and patrolled by National Guard troops.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden would not be watching the trial.

“Joe Biden is the president, he’s not a pundit, he’s not going to opine on back and forth argu-ments,” she said.

The House impeachment managers described police officers maimed in the chaos and rioters parading in the very chamber where the trial was being held. Trump’s team coun-tered that the Constitution doesn’t allow impeachment at this late date.

That’s a legal issue that could resonate with Senate Republicans eager to acquit Trump without being seen as condoning his behavior.

Lead defence lawyer Bruce Castor said he shifted his planned approach after hearing the prosecutors’ emotional opening and instead spoke con-versationally to the senators, saying Trump’s team would denounce the “repugnant” attack and “in the strongest pos-sible way denounce the rioters.” He appealed to the senators as “patriots first,” and encouraged them to be “cool headed” as they assessed the arguments.

Trump attorney David Schoen turned the trial toward starkly partisan tones, arguing the Democrats were fueled by a “base hatred” of the former president.

Republicans made it clear that they were unhappy with Trump’s defense, many of them saying they didn’t understand where it was going - particu-larly Castor’s opening. Loui-siana Senator Bill Cassidy, who voted with Democrats to move forward with the trial, said that Trump’s team did a “terrible job.” Maine Senator Susan Collins, who also voted with Democrats, said she was “per-plexed.” Sen. Lisa Murkowki of Alaska said it was a “missed opportunity” for the defense.

Six Republicans joined with Democrats to vote to proceed

with the trial, but the 56-44 vote was far from the two-thirds threshold of 67 votes that would be needed for conviction.

At one pivotal point, Raskin told his personal story of bringing his family to the Capitol that day to witness the certification of the Electoral College vote, only to have his daughter and son-in-law hiding in an office, fearing for their lives.

“Senators, this cannot be our future,” Raskin said through tears. “This cannot be the future of America.”

The House prosecutors had

argued there is no “January exception” for a president to avoid impeachment on his way out the door. Representative Joe Neguse referred to the corruption case of William Belknap, a war secretary in the Grant adminis-tration, who was impeached, tried and ultimately acquitted by the Senate after leaving office.

If Congress stands by, “it would invite future presidents to use their power without any fear of accountability,” he said.

It appears unlikely that the House prosecutors will call wit-nesses, and Trump has declined a request to testify.

Members of former President Donald Trump’s legal defense team arrive prior to the start of opening arguments in the impeachment trial, in Washington, DC, yesterday.

Elderly man arrested in Minnesota clinic shootingREUTERS — BUFFALO

An elderly gunman shot one person to death and wounded four others inside a Minne-apolis-area medical clinic on Tuesday before the suspect, believed to be a disgruntled former patient, was arrested at the scene, police said.

Gregory Paul Ulrich, 67, also described by authorities as an individual well known to law enforcement, was taken into custody shortly after late-morning gunfire erupted at the Allina Health Clinic in Buffalo, Minnesota, about 35 miles northwest of Minneapolis.

Local media reported an explosion accompanied the shooting, but officials said they could not immediately confirm those reports. The Minneapolis

Star Tribune, citing an emergency dispatch audio, said a bomb exploded in the clinic about 30 minutes after the gunfire.

Buffalo Police Chief Pat Budke told reporters investi-gators believe the suspect, a longtime Buffalo resident, acted alone and singled out the clinic over a personal grudge against the facility or its staff.

“The history we have as a department with this individual makes it most likely that this incident was targeted at that facility or at someone in that facility,” Budke said.

The police chief referred to an unspecified past “conflict” the suspect had with local healthcare providers.

Ulrich was scheduled to appear for arraignment in the case today, police said.

Five people wounded by gunfire were transported to area hospitals, Allina Health executive Kelly Spratt said at the news con-ference. Spratt declined to say whether the victims were clinic patients or staff.

One of the victims later died, according to Christine Hill, a spokeswoman for the Hen-nepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. Three others were listed in critical but stable condition at North Memorial Hospital in nearby Robbinsdale, Minneapolis television station KMSP reported.

Video footage of the clinic broadcast by KMSP-TV showed several front windows shat-tered and an empty wheelchair on the sidewalk near the entrance after the shooting.

Bomb squad investigators

called to the scene were exam-ining a suspicious package found in the clinic’s lobby. Addi-tional “suspicious devices” were found at a nearby motel where Ulrich was staying, said Wright County Sheriff Sean Deringer.

The sheriff said the motel was evacuated as a precaution, and nearby schools were also placed under security lockdown. The sheriff said there were records of several “calls for service” to police about Ulrich dating back to 2003. “He’s no stranger to law enforcement,” he added.

Earlier, Minnesota Gov-ernor Tim Walz told a separate briefing he understood that “improvised explosive devices” were involved but did not say whether any had been detonated.

Two masks protectbetter than one: CDCAP — NEW YORK

US government researchers found that wearing two masks are better than one in slowing coronavirus spread, but health officials stopped short of recommending that everyone double up.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yes-terday reported the results of a lab experiment that spaced two artificial heads 6 feet from each other and checked to see how many coronavirus-sized particles spewed by one were inhaled by the other.

The researchers found that wearing one mask — surgical or cloth — blocked around 40 percent of the particles coming toward the head that was breathing in. When a cloth mask was worn on top of a sur-gical mask, about 80 percent were blocked.

When both the exhaling and inhaling heads were double-masked, more than 95 percent of the particles were blocked, said the CDC’s Dr. John Brooks.

“The first challenge is to get as many as people as possible masking. And then for those that do mask, to help them get the best benefit out of that mask,” Brooks said.

The study had many limi-tations: The researchers used one brand of surgical mask and one kind of cloth mask, and it’s not clear if results would be the same with every product. But it echoes some earlier research that suggests two masks are better than one.

“It works,” Brooks said.The CDC also was updating

its guidance to address wearing two masks. If done correctly, a cloth mask worn over a surgical mask can tighten the gaps around the mask’s edges that

can let virus particles in, the CDC said.

The agency also said it was taking down a do-it-yourself page, which went up last year when masks were in short supply and the CDC was encouraging people to take steps to interrupt viral transmission.

Some Americans have already started doubling up. Experts believe that’s at least partly out of concern about new strains of coronavirus that have been found to spread more easily than the one that has driven the US epidemic for the past year

CDC guidance has evolved over the course of the epidemic.

Mask-wearing has long been common in some coun-tries during respiratory out-breaks, especially in parts of Asia, but not in the United States.

When the COVID-19 crisis began and masks disappeared from store shelves, US health officials actively discouraged the general public from wearing them. “Seriously people - Stop Buying Masks!” then-Surgeon General Jerome Adams wrote in a tweet almost a year ago.

Two months later, after it became clear that infected people who did not exhibit symptoms could spread the virus, the CDC began recom-mending people wear masks in public.

Mask-wearing increased and some places enforced mask mandates, but many Americans continue not to wear them. A recent University of California survey suggested that only about half of US adults wear masks when in close contact with people outside their household.

FBI launches

probe after

Alabama inmate,

activist injured

AP — MONTGOMERY

Three Alabama correctional officers are on leave as the FBI helps to investigate a prison altercation that hospitalized two officers and two inmates, including a well-known prison rights activist, the state prison system said.

The Alabama Department of Corrections said the incident occurred between staff and inmates at William E Don-aldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer on January 30. The two officers suffered stab wounds and Robert Earl Council and Ephan Moore, both inmates at the prison, were taken to hospitals for treatment of their injuries, the prison system said.

Council, sometimes known as Kinetic Justice, is a prison rights activist who has been involved with prison strikes and other organization efforts. He is serving life without parole for murder.

The US Department of Justice is waging an ongoing lawsuit against Alabama, alleging that state inmates are subjected to unconstitutional levels of violence from both inmate-on-inmate assaults and a pattern of excessive force. The state has denied the federal accusation.

The department said it could not release further infor-mation until the investigation is complete.

Senate hearing begins for OMB Director pickNeera Tanden, President Joe Biden’s nominee for Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), greets Senator Rick Scott before a hearing with the Senate Committee on the Budget on Capitol Hill in Washington, yesterday.

Georgia county launches criminal probe into Trump election meddlingREUTERS — WASHINGTON

Prosecutors in Georgia’s biggest county have opened a criminal investigation into former US President Donald Trump’s attempts to influence the state’s 2020 election results, ordering government officials yesterday to preserve documents in the second known criminal probe facing Trump.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis sent letters to state officials, including Republicans Secretary of State

Brad Raffensperger and Gov-ernor Brian Kemp notifying them of the investigation and seeking to preserve “all records potentially related to the administration” of the state’s November 3 election.

“This investigation includes, but is not limited to, potential violations of Georgia law pro-hibiting the solicitation of election fraud, the making of false statements to state and local government bodies, con-spiracy, racketeering, violation of oath of office and any

involvement in violence or threats related to the election’s administration,” Willis said in the letters, dated February 10.

The letters asked state offi-cials to preserve records, including “those that may be evidence of attempts to influence the actions of persons who were administering that election.”

The investigation by Willis, a Democrat, is the most serious probe facing Trump in Georgia after he was recorded in a Jan. 2 phone call pressuring

Raffensperger to overturn the state’s election results based on unfounded voter fraud claims.

Although the letters do not specifically name Trump, a spokesman for Willis said the investigation would include the former Republican president’s January 2 call in which he urged Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to overturn his Georgia loss. The transcript quotes Trump telling Raffensperger: “I just want to find 11,780 votes,” which is the number Trump needed to win.

In addition to the January phone call, Trump made another call in December to Georgia’s chief elections inves-tigator, Raffensperger’s office has said.

In a statement, Jason Miller, a senior Trump adviser, accused Democrats of attempting “to score political points by con-tinuing their witch hunt against President Trump,” adding “eve-rybody sees through it.”

On Monday, Raffensperger opened his own fact-finding investigation into the call.

The day’s proceedings were unfolding after an emotional Tuesday start to the trial that left the former president fuming after his attorneys delivered a meandering defense and failed to halt the trial on constitutional grounds. Some allies called for yet another shakeup to his legal team.

16THURSDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2021

You Ask, officials answer

Are the management options same for all the speech language

disorders?Speech language interven-

tions for different speech lan-guage disorders are not the same. Although we follow some general techniques to improve the receptive and expressive language of children, it cannot be used with all the other speech language disorders. Eg. For misarticulation, we use a r t i c u l a t i o n t h e r a p y approaches/techniques. Voice therapy techniques are used for voice disorders.

Can you talk about voice disorders in children?

Voice problems can be seen in children and it is mostly characterised by hoarse or breathy voice. In children, voice disorders are mostly seen as a result from straining the voice. Some of the examples of vocal straining are frequent yelling, shouting, speaking in background noise, singing incorrectly and frequent throat clearing. This can lead to vocal nodules which are small growths on the vocal cords.

What is apraxia of speech?

In apraxia, what is affected is the person’s ability to plan or programme the movements needed for speech production. It is a cortical problem, meaning that it is as a result of central nervous system lesion. In apraxia, the Broca’s area of the brain is damaged.

The speech errors that we see in apraxia are inconsistent and unpredictable. If we compare the error patterns that occur in spontaneous speech versus repetition, we will find only fewer errors in sponta-neous speech. Repetition task will be difficult for them. In apraxia, it has been found that when producing overlearned material or material that has become automatic, the person will speak clearly.

When talking about childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) as mentioned before, the brain struggles to develop plans needed for speech. The brain has difficulty directing or coor-dinating the movements in ways that result in accurate sounds and words spoken with normal speed and rhythm. The speech muscles aren’t weak with this disorder.

The following are usually noticed in CAS between 18 months and 2 years. However, only with these symptoms it is difficult to give the diagnosis of CAS.

- Onset of first words is delayed

- Spoken words are very much limited

- Produces only few con-sonants or vowel sounds

The other speech charac-teristics seen in CAS are:

- Smooth movement from sound, syllable or word to another is difficult

- When attempt to make the correct movement for speech sounds, groping move-ments are seen with jaw, lips or tongue

- Vowel distortions- Improper stress patterns

when saying words- Errors are inconsistent.

They make different errors when trying to say the same word again

- Imitating simple words are difficult

- Inconsistent voicing errors are also observed, eg., ‘den’ instead of ‘ten’.

( If you have any queries, you can send it to editor@pen.com.qa)

Answers provided by: Merlin Thankam Thomas,Senior speech and language therapist QISH, Doha

Don’t worry, but don’t wait! Child Development - Part 4

W ALRUWAIS : 19o → 21o W ALKHOR : 13o → 26o W DUKHAN : 18o → 23o W WAKRAH : 15o → 29o W MESAIEED : 15o → 29o W ABUSAMRA : 15o → 23o

Misty to foggy at places at first becomes moderate temperature daytime with some clouds, cold by night.

Minimum Maximum16oC 28oC

WEATHER TODAY

LOW TIDE 12:23 – 23:11

HIGH TIDE 04:44 – 15:40

PRAYER TIMINGSPPPPRAYRRRAAAYARA MMMMIINNNNNNNNNGGGGGGMMMMMMMMMIIINNNNNNGGGGNNNNGGGIINNNNGNNNNNNNNN

PRAYERTIMINGS

FAJRSUNRISE

04.53 am 06.12 am

DHUHR 11.48 am

ISHA 06.57 pmMAGHRIBASR 03.01 pm

05.27 pm

Qatari artist focuses on pandemic in solo exhibitionRAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULA

Qatari contemporary artist Faraj Daham has risen to prom-inence for his seminal works which are inspired by the trans-formation of the world around him and respond to the rapid changes experienced in Qatari society.

In his latest solo exhibition which opened on Tuesday at Al Markhiya Gallery at the Fire Station, Daham encapsulates in about 50 mixed media pieces and steel work how the unprec-edented emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the world and trans-formed the society.

Daham calls the exhibition titled “Precaution” (Al Ehteraz) “a result of the COVID-19 pan-demic — an abrupt event that has dismantled the world’s immunity.”

Since the COVID-19 out-break last year, artists around the world including those in Qatar have been creating art pieces taking inspiration from the pandemic and Daham puts his own interpretation of these challenging times in these unique artworks.

One of the major exhibitions presented by Al Markhiya

Gallery for this season, “Pre-caution” speaks to the viewer through the pieces fashioned from a variety of distinct mate-rials using common colours that reinforce the message it is sup-posed to convey.

“Precaution and prudence take the form of different gar-ments; a leather shield, silver metal chains or a leather veil attached to the neck or hand, containing a roll or a piece of paper that is difficult to decipher. Our modern trans-lation of precaution in this time

of pandemic takes the form of, mask, gloves, and other means of protection from a force we cannot see or understand,” he said.

Faraj Daham is a renowned Qatari artist who has exhibited his works in Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, QM Gallery AlRiwaq, and Katara, among others. He also has numerous international partic-ipations, including exhibitions in Spain, Korea, China and India.

“Our World Is Burning” a contemporary art exhibition held at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris and “Lived Forward: Art And Culture In Doha From 1960-2020”, an exhibition held at Mathaf focusing on genera-tions of artists and cultural activists who played a pivotal role in Doha’s cultural scene were two of the latest exhibi-tions Daham took part in.

In 2019, he featured in a solo exhibition titled “See the Unseen” at the Fire Station Artist in Residence, following his month-long residency at “What about Art?” Foundation in Mumbai, India as part of Qatar-India 2019 Year of Culture. “Precaution” exhi-bition is open for public viewing until March 25 following COVID-19 safety protocols.

Some of the artworks created by Qatari artist Faraj Daham on display at ‘Precaution’ exhibition which opened on Tuesday at Al Markhiya Gallery at the Fire Station. PIC: RAYNALD C RIVERA/THE PENINSULA

WHO expert group recommends use of AstraZeneca vaccineAP — GENEVA

Independent experts advising the World Health Organization yesterday recommended the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine even in countries that turned up worrying coronavirus variants in their populations.

There had been doubts about the vaccine’s effectiveness against a variant that emerged in South Africa. The advice is used by health care officials worldwide, but doesn’t amount to a WHO green light for the UN and its partners to ship the vaccine. That approval could come after sep-arate WHO group meetings on Friday and Monday to assess whether an emergency-use listing for the AstraZeneca vaccine is warranted.

The recommendations

largely mirror those issued earlier by the European Medicines Agency and UK regulator MHRA. The AstraZeneca vaccine is important because the UN-backed COVAX Facility, which aims to deploy coronavirus vac-cines to people in need around the world whether in rich or poor countries, hopes to start shipping hundreds of millions of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine starting later this month.

Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the WHO’s chief scientist, called the findings from the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts an “important milestone.” She noted that the vaccine requires storage at refrigerator temperatures — not the far colder temperatures required of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine that the group has already recommended for use. Smoke rises above a factory at sunset in Rugby, Britain, yesterday.

Sunset wonders

COVID-19 maths:

All the virus in

the world would

fit in a coke can

REUTERS — LONDON

All the COVID-causing virus circulating in the world right now could easily fit inside a single cola can, according to a calculation by a British math-ematician whose sum exposes just how much devastation is caused by miniscule viral particles.

Using global rates of new infections with the pandemic disease, coupled with estima-tions of viral load, Bath Uni-versity maths expert Kit Yates worked out there are around two quintillion - or two billion billion - SARS-CoV-2 virus par-ticles in the world at any one time.

Detailing the steps in his cal-culations, Yates said he used the diameter of SARS-CoV-2 — at an average of about 100 nanometers, or 100 billionths of a meter — and then figured out the volume of the spherical virus.

Even accounting for the coronavirus’ projecting spike proteins and the fact that the spherical particles will leave gaps when stacked together, the total is still less than in a single 330 millilitre (ml) cola can, he said.

Clubhouse tops Japan chart as CEOs, celebrities embrace chat appBLOOMBERG — TOKYO

Clubhouse, the invite-only drop-in conversation app attracting Silicon Valley leaders in the US, has jumped the pond to become a hit in Japan where company heads, celebrity musicians and politicians have embraced the latest social-media phenomenon.

The iPhone-only app topped the country’s download charts with more than 440,000 new installs last week, according to Sensor Tower data. The first week of Feb-ruary has also seen it sweep across the wider Asia region, with China enjoying a

short-lived romance with the audio-only service before it was swiftly blocked after users started discussing politically sensitive topics.

“This app, which has more time-devouring elements than Twitter, is very addictive,” said artist and musician Emi Kusano. “Especially for people like me who like to talk.”

Even mercurial investor Masayoshi Son appears to have an account, though he hasn’t yet taken part in any fireside chats. When his SoftBank Group Corp. reported record earnings on Monday — illustrated by an extended metaphor about golden eggs — several

Clubhouse chatrooms popped up to discuss the results, with a combined audience of more than 500.

Base Inc. founder and Chief Executive Officer Yuta Tsu-ruoka described his Clubhouse experience as akin to a company general meeting, helping him gather feedback and requests from users.

He wants to do it again in a month’s time and is among an expanding group of business leaders adopting the platform.

“There are a lot of people feeling alone right now, so they want to talk and listen with others,” Hironao Kunimitsu, founder and CEO of games

maker Gumi Inc., told Bloomberg News. Clubhouse is more casual and has fewer hurdles to sharing than a platform such as YouTube, “where you have to worry about things like your hair-style,” he added.

“You can have something similar to a dinner conversation.”

While celebrities enjoy a direct channel to their fans on Twitter and Facebook, Club-house offers a more intimate experience. It allows the audience to listen in real time and offers the slim, tantalizing chance of asking a question or even having a conversation.

In his latest solo

exhibition which opened

on Tuesday at Al

Markhiya Gallery at the

Fire Station, Daham

encapsulates in about

50 mixed media pieces

and steel work how the

unprecedented

emergence of the

COVID-19 pandemic has

shaken the world and

transformed the society.

The social audio app Clubhouse is seen on a mobile phone in this illustration picture taken February 8, 2021.