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Qatar-USA 2021 Year of Culture officially launchedTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

In the presence of H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, the Qatar-USA 2021 Year of Culture was officially inaugurated at the Katara Cultural Village Opera House on Friday with a special concert by the Qatar Philhar-monic Orchestra (QPO) and the US Air Forces Central Band (AFCENT Band).

The event was hosted by Qatar Museums and the United States Embassy. Minister of Culture and Sports, H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali; Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the United States, H E Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani; and Chargé d’Affaires, United States Embassy in Qatar, Ambassador Greta C Holtz were also present at the concert. The concert marked the beginning of a year of specially curated exhibitions, festivals, bilateral exchanges, and events to be held in both nations.

The Qatar-USA 2021 Year of Culture is intended to enhance cultural and artistic exchange and exemplifies the renewed commitment of the two nations to foster mutual understanding and promote intercultural dia-logue. The launch follows the

signing of a cooperative agreement on September 14, 2020 between the State of Qatar and the United States of America during the 2020 Qatar-United States Strategic Dialogue in Washington, DC.

The Year of Culture pro-gramme was first launched in 2012 with Qatar-Japan 2012 fol-lowed by Qatar-UK 2013, Qatar-Brazil 2014, Qatar-Turkey 2015, Qatar-China 2016, Qatar-Germany 2017, Qatar-Russia 2018, Qatar-India 2019, and Qatar-France 2020.

Commenting on the concert, H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin

Khalifa Al Thani said: “Music truly is a universal language, speaking directly to the heart, as we learned once again through this stirring inaugural concert for the Qatar-USA 2021 Year of Culture. With the warm collaboration of our Embassy in Washington, DC, under the lead-ership of H E Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani and with the partnership of our colleagues

and friends in the United States, whose distinguished Ambas-sador Greta C Holtz honoured us with her presence at the concert, we expect this Year of Culture to deepen the under-standing between the people of our two nations, expressing our shared humanity and strength-ening the already substantial ties between Qatar and the United States.” �P2

H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (centre), Chairperson of Qatar Museums, at the official launch of the Qatar-USA 2021 Year of Culture at Katara Opera House on Friday.

Amir and Belarus President exchange greetingsQNA — DOHA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani exchanged greetings with President of the Republic of Belarus H E Aleksander Lukashenko on the occasion of the 25th anni-versary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two friendly countries.

In the two cables of mutual greetings on this occasion, H H the Amir and H E the Bela-rusian President expressed their satisfaction with the level of the close Qatari-Belarusian relations over the past decades, confirming their keenness to continue sup-porting and strengthening these relations in various fields for the benefit of the two friendly countries and peoples.

Saudi to reopen embassy in Qatar soon: Saudi FMREUTERS — RIYADH

Saudi Arabia said it will reopen its embassy in Qatar in the coming days, according to a statement by foreign minister yesterday.

It is just a matter of logistics, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan told journalists in Riyadh when asked about embassy reopening. Full dip-lomatic relations will resume, he added.

Riyadh on January 5 announced a breakthrough deal to end the row with Doha. The countries have opened up their air spaces to each other and flights have also resumed.

HMC resumes face-to-face outpatient appointmentsTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

As the country continues its gradual lifting of restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has announced a return to face-to-face appointments for outpatient clinics.

As part of the gradual return to normal, HMC outpatient appointments will be conducted face-to-face with physicians in clinics.

HMC will continue to offer virtual clinics for some follow-up appointments or repeat pre-scriptions. Patients will be con-tacted by Nesma’ak about their appointment and whether their upcoming appointment is face-to-face or a virtual appointment.

HMC’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Abdulla Al Ansari said it was the appropriate time to return to face-to-face appointments.

“Early on in the pandemic

we made the decision to conduct outpatient appoint-ments and other services vir-tually, this was essential to protect our patients, visitors and the wider public from the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Al Ansari.

“As we start to gradually return to normal, it has been decided to resume in-person appointments where clinically appropriate. Measures will be in place to ensure social

distancing and appropriate time between appointments.”

“Follow-up appointments, for example for medication refills, will continue to be con-ducted virtually through tele-phone consultations. We would like to thank our patients and the community for their support and patience during the pandemic.”

All patients attending appointments in HMC Outpa-tients Departments will be

required to show their Ehteraz status and have their body tem-perature taken prior to entry. Only patients with an appointment will be admitted to HMC facilities.

If a patient is experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms on the day of your appointment including fever or chills, shortness of breath or cough, HMC has requested them to not attend and call 16060 to reschedule. �P3

MoPH urges parents to ensure flu vaccine shots for childrenFAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has reminded the public that this year is more important than ever to get the flu vacci-nation, especially for children.

“Children are more suscep-tible to flu. Protect your children from getting the virus, and spreading it. Get them vacci-nated,” said National head for Children and Adolescent Health Strategy, Dr. Sadriya Alkohji.

“This year is more important than ever to get flu vaccination due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Changing seasons and kids interacting with each other in school may lead to spread of seasonal flu during the coming months,” she said in a video message posted by the Ministry on its social media accounts.

Dr. Alkohji urged parents to take an appointment for children at any of Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC)’s health centre to receive the free flu vaccination.

Influenza is a highly infec-tious acute respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus. Influenza affects people of all ages. Flu spreads rapidly and outbreaks of influenza occur almost every year, usually in winter. This is why it is also

known as seasonal flu.According to Dr. Alkohji,

children of ages below 5 years, especially those who are under 2 years are most vulnerable to more complications due to the flu.

“Vaccinate your children against the flu to prevent from getting serious symptoms and spreading the virus among others. Studies reveal that flu vaccination leads to reducing the risk of flu infections, visit to hospital and absentee from schools,” she said.

The flu vaccination cam-paign is a joint initiative of the Ministry, and Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).

The vaccine is available for free across all PHCC’s health centers, HMC (for patients attending clinic appointments) and at more than 50 private clinics and hospitals as well as and semi-governmental health care facilities.

The Ministry recommends a flu vaccine by the end of October, before flu begins spreading in the community. Getting vaccinated later, however, can still be beneficial and vaccination should continue to be offered throughout the flu season, even into later, officials said during the launch of the flu vaccination campaign.

The World Health Organi-sation has urged global wide-spread flu vaccinations this year, amid concerns the same people who are most vulnerable to severe symptoms from COVID-19, such as those aged over 50 and those with chronic health conditions regardless of their age are also at greatest risk from the flu and its complications.

Also it was recommended for children aged between six months and five years of age and pregnant women to be vacci-nated against the seasonal flu.

Qatar Custom Show draws around 3,000 car enthusiastsSIDI MOHAMED THE PENINSULA

With the participation of a number of Qatari teams, the 8th edition of Qatar Custom Show 2021 concluded yesterday after around 3,000 car and motorcycle enthusiasts visiting the three days of the event.

The Show, which concluded yesterday, included more than 100 customised cars and

motorcycles in different hues and shapes. Also it has wit-nessed a wide participation of Qatari enthusiasts of cars and motorcycles, especially of classic cars.

The event included com-petition in various categories for motorcycles and cars. Speaking to The Peninsula Abdullah Aziz Al Hadad, one of the organisers, said that the three days of the event attracted around 3,000 cars

a n d m o t o r c y c l e s enthusiasts.

He added that the last day witnessed the distribution of encouraging prizes among the participants.

Officials from different car dealers in Qatar were on hand to brief visitors about different models and modifications made on them. Small versions of motorcycles were a special attraction for children during the event. �P2

The Qatar-USA 2021 Year of Culture is intended to enhance cultural and artistic exchange and exem-plifies the renewed commitment of the two nations to foster mutual understanding and promote intercultural dialogue.

Grand Hamad Street Signal opens for trafficThe Grand Hamad Street Signal opened for traffic with a new look as part of Doha Central Development and Beautification Projects. PIC: ABDUL BASIT/ THE PENINSULA

Changing seasons and kids interacting with each other in school may lead to spread of seasonal flu during the coming months.

02 SUNDAY 17 JANUARY 2021HOME

Education Minister participates in ABEGS meetingMinister of Education and Higher Education H E Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulwahed Al Hammadi led the delegation of the State of Qatar participating in 10th special session of the General Conference of the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS), which was held on January 14, 2021 through video conference. The conference aimed at seeking approval for appointing the Director General of ABEGS to succeed Dr. Ali bin Abdul Khaliq Al Qarni, whose term as Director of the ABEGS ended.

MME officials join children to plant trees at Al Ebb Park

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Supervisory Committee of Beautification of Roads & Public Places in Qatar and residents of Al Ebb area planted trees at Al Ebb Park with participation of 26 children, as part of 'Plant

Million Trees' campaign in coordination with the Ministry of Municipality and Envi-ronment (MME).

Director of Al Rayyan Municipality, Rashid Saeed Al Nuaimi, said: “We thank those in charge of establishing parks and afforestation around

Qatar, which have great benefit in providing a healthy outlet for families, preserving environment and improving quality of life.”

A member of Central Municipal Council (CMC) from Constituency No.18, Meshaal Abdulla Al Nuaimi, said: “The

3,000-sqm Al Ebb Park will greatly benefit the area’s people as it includes a walkway and other facilities. I thank the team members of this campaign for their efforts i n p r o t e c t i n g t h e environment.”

A resident of Al Ebb,

Abdulla bin Saeed Al Nuaimi, said: “It is nice to see area’s residents planting trees, beau-tifying the area and protecting it through this campaign. I also thank those in charge of Al Ebb Park as the area needed a park that allows families to exercise, play and walk.”

Officials from the Ministry of Municipality and Environment and children from the locality during a tree planting activity at Al Ebb Park yesterday.

MoPH: 204 new COVID-19 cases, 177 recoveriesTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) yesterday announced the registration of 204 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. Among the new cases, 40 were travellers coming from abroad.

Also 177 people have recovered from the virus, bringing the total number of recovered cases in Qatar to 143,612. All new cases have been introduced to isolation and are receiving necessary healthcare according to their health status.

The total number of pos-itive COVID-19 cases recorded in Qatar is 147,089 and there are 3,231 active cases under treatment.

While the first phase of COVID-19 vaccinations 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 precau-tionary measures including adhering to physical dis-tancing; avoiding close contact with others, crowded places, and confined 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 suc-ceeded in flattening the curve and limiting the spread of the virus. Also Qatar’s proactive and extensive testing of sus-pected cases has enabled us to identify a high number of pos-itive cases in the community.

The Ministry asked people to be careful and protect the most vulnerable, while COVID-19 restrictions are being lifted.

Qatar-USA 2021 Year of Culture concert enthralls audienceRAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULA

The Qatar-USA 2021 Year of Culture’s first public event marked a fitting start to the cultural year with the musical collaboration between the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO) and the US Air Forces Central Band (AFCENT Band) symbolising harmony and friendship that exist between the two countries.

The opening concert wit-nessed a diverse repertoire comprising American classics and works by Qatari composers.

The show took off with the AFCENT Band’s rendition of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” recorded by the late prolific American singer-song-writer John Denver. An inter-national staple, the iconic American classic aroused a feeling of nostalgia among those present at the show with the song’s universal theme of home.

It was followed by the world premiere of “Rising” — a video collaboration between Qatari singer-songwriter Dana Al Fardan, the AFCENT Band and the Qatar Concert Choir spe-cially made for the Year of Culture.

Led by recently appointed QPO concertmaster Joo Young Oh, the orchestra played Qatari and American pieces starting off with “Fanfare for the Common Man” composed by Aaron Copland. According to Copland, the title came from a speech by

vice-president Henry A. Wallace who had stated that the post-war century “can and must be the century of the common man.”

The orchestra played famous American songs from the stage to the screen including

“Porgy and Bess Suite” from an English-language opera by George Gershwin, “Tonight” by Leonard Bernstein from the musical “West Side Story” and “My Heart Will Go On” James Horner from the blockbuster film “Titanic” among others.

“Spirit of Thunder” by Dana Al Fardan and “Al – Haneen” by Nasser Sahim Nasseb were among the Qatari compositions performed by the Orchestra during the hour-long concert.

The well-applauded show saw the QPO give the audience

a treat with an encore where they performed the popular “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial” theme composed by John Williams.

The concert was the first public event in Qatar of the y e a r - l o n g c e l e b r a t i o n expected to be filled with spe-cially curated exhibitions, fes-tivals, bilateral exchanges, and events to be held in Qatar and the US.

The Qatar-USA 2021 Year of Culture is aimed at enhancing cultural and artistic exchange and exemplifies the renewed commitment of the two nations to foster mutual understanding and promote intercultural dialogue.

The Year of Culture pro-gramme was launched nine years ago with Qatar-Japan 2012 followed by Qatar-UK 2013, Qatar-Brazil 2014, Qatar-Turkey 2015, Qatar-China 2016, Qatar-Germany 2017, Qatar-Russia 2018, Qatar-India 2019, and Qatar-France 2020.

The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra acknowledges the ovation from the audience at the end of the Qatar-USA 2021 Year of Culture opening concert at Katara Opera House yesterday. PIC: RAYNALD C RIVERA/THE PENINSULA

The concert was the first public event in Qatar of the year-long celebration expected to be filled with specially curated exhibitions, festivals, bilateral exchanges, and events to be held in Qatar and the US.

Qatar Custom Show draws around 3,000 car enthusiasts

FROM PAGE 1

Regarding the massive motorcycle parade named ‘Thank You Kuwait’ which was organised on Friday evening, he pointed out that about 500 motorcycles had took part in it. Al Hadad also said that the parade started from Qatar Sports Club and ended at Qatar Racing Club covering Corniche and G-Ring Road.

Qatar Racing Club said in a statement that the activities of the Custom Show 2021 which organised under the patronage of Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar

Racing Club witnessed partic-ipation from many Qatari teams.

It also said on its Instagram account that the Show was organised by Soul Riders Motor-cycles Club.

The Club posted a number of pictures of some vintage cars that attracted most visitors to the Show, and cars production may dates back to the 1950s, 1960s.

For its part, Discover Qatar tweeted: “The Show organized by Qatar Racing Club included more than 100 customised cars and motorcycles.”

A number of awareness and educational lectures were

presented to educate visitors and participants to rely on

themselves in mechanical and logistical matters.

Qatar-USA 2021 Year of Culture officially launched

FROM PAGE 1 Ambassador Greta C Holtz,

said: “The Year of Culture pro-gramme provides an extraor-dinary framework within which our two nations can come together to celebrate our longstanding relationship and forge new connections through people-to-people exchanges. Nothing could better symbolise the Year of Culture’s spirit of harmony than this musical col-laboration between the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra and the US Air Forces Central Band.”

The Minister of Culture and Sports said, “It is important to nurture arts and culture as they play a key role in uplifting the values of human dignity based on freedom, justice and the acceptance of others regardless of their colour, religion and eth-nicity. Arts and culture assist in the continuous discovery and promotion of knowledge and, alongside religion and social values, can be used as effective

tools to instil morality.” Aisha Ghanem Al Attiya,

Head of Year of Culture, said, “These beautiful performances by the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra and U.S. Air Forces Central Band have given us our first experience of the rich and extensive slate of programs, exhibitions, and events planned over next twelve months, as our platform for new dialogues and bilateral exchanges.”

“I am pleased to join our partner Qatar Museums today at the official launch of Qatar-USA Year of Culture 2021, and to announce ExxonMobil Qatar as its platinum sponsor.” said Dominic Genetti, President and General Manager for Exxon-Mobil Qatar.

“As a US company and an active participant in the local community for over three decades, Qatar-USA Year of Culture 2021 is particularly important to us. It emphasizes the strong partnership between our people and our two

countries that has extended beyond economics and grown into a true friendship and com-munity,” he added.

The concert was led by Joo Young Oh, the recently appointed Concertmaster of the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, who performs internationally as a violin soloist and member of the New York Philharmonic. The program, which began with the national anthems of both countries, featured a variety of Qatari and American composi-tions, including Rising and Spirit of Thunder (Dana Al Fardan), Take Me Home, Country Road (John Denver), Fanfare for the Common Man (Aaron Copland), Lullaby and Porgy and Bess Suite (George Gershwin), My Heart Will Go On from the film Titanic (James Horner), Al – Haneen (Nasser Sahim Nasseb), Adagio for Strings (Samuel Barber), and Tonight from the musical West Side Story (Leonard Bernstein).

Children take a look at a customised car on display at the Qatar Custom Show. PIC: SALIM MATRAMKOT/THE PENINSULA

03SUNDAY 17 JANUARY 2021 HOME

MoTC and Ooredoo Qatar sign agreement to expand GDCTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) and Ooredoo Qatar have signed an agreement to expand the Government Data Centre (GDC).

The new GDC, also known as GDC2, will allow various gov-ernment entities to host their mission-critical IT and network infrastructure in Ooredoo’s QDC5 purpose-built secure Tier III Data Centre facility in Qatar.

Connected to the Gov-ernment Network (GN), GDC2 provides hosting as well as basic and advanced monitoring services to hosted government entities. This will further enhance the ability of the public sector as a whole to acquire data centre capacity, without the need for additional capital

expenditure. For Government entities,

GDC2 brings multiple benefits. These include the flexibility to activate additional managed services quickly, high speed connectivity to the official Gov-ernment Network, compliance with National Information

Assurance standards, high availability hosting and 24/7 support, provided by a dedi-cated team of Ooredoo experts.

GDC2 provides highly resilient carrier-grade facilities with enterprise-class power, space and security, operated by a team of skilled staff. Thanks to the innovative modular approach that Ooredoo Qatar has developed, Government entities with any size of opera-tional footprint in Qatar can take full advantage of Ooredoo’s flexibility and adaptability while ensuring security, reliability and

extensibility within a managed, on-demand service. GDC2 can be used as the primary Data Centre or as a Disaster Recovery s i te by Government organisations.

Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Thani, Chief Business Officer, Ooredoo, said: “This agreement provides further evidence of the emergence of Ooredoo as a trusted data centre service pro-vider for government entities, giving them access to a host of cloud, infrastructure and managed services without incurring major capital

expenditure. We’re proud to be chosen by the Ministry of Transport and Communications for such a crucial aspect of its operations, and look forward to working together.”

On the occasion, MoTC’s Acting Assistant Undersecretary of Government Information Technology Affairs, Mashael Ali Al Hammadi, said: “We are pleased to have signed this agreement with Ooredoo Qatar as part of MoTC’s keenness to extend the capabilities of the Government Data Centre by engaging with all service pro-viders in Qatar to ensure resil-ience and high availability of the service as well as to enable all government entities and organ-isations to broaden their data-centres’ footprints without the need for investing in capex/opex

logistics and to shorten the ‘time to service’ as much as possible.”

Officially launched in 2006, Ooredoo Qatar Data Centre was the first facility in Qatar to offer businesses a full suite of enter-prise services. It has since evolved into a critical tech-nology asset as part of Qatar’s drive to become a truly smart nation, supporting a wave of breakthrough technologies. Ooredoo Qatar Data Centre facilities supply total control of and security for customers’ digital and data assets, having been designed in compliance with Tier-3 standards. These facilities provide local and regional organisations with a full range of services, including Hosting & Co-location and ICT Managed Services.

Vaccine clearest route to pre-pandemic life: Recipient FAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

Given the ability of vaccines to prevent disease and save lives, having accurate information about COVID-19 vaccine is important, according to Exec-utive Director of Qatar Com-puting Research Institute Dr. Ahmed Elmagarmid.

Widespread vaccination will play an essential role in controlling the pandemic, said Dr. Elmagarmid, who was among the first category of the public to receive vaccine against COVID-19 in the country.

Sharing his experience of being vaccinated against COVID-19, Dr. Elmagarmid said as the year 2020 came to a close, he felt fortunate to have made it through relatively unscathed but was also looking forward to an elixir in the form of a vaccine that would provide some long-term assurance that things would one day return to normal.

“With the year-end

approval of several COVID-19 effective vaccines, developed simultaneously by leading pharmaceutical companies and experts in their fields, hope emerged for 2021,” he said.

“While the promise of a lasting solution is exciting, it does not come without obli-gation. Our collective respon-sibility is to remain vigilant in limiting the existing spread of COVID-19 and educating our-selves on the importance of widespread vaccinations as the

only surefire way to tackle the pandemic,” he added.

With this view in mind, when Dr. Elmagarmid recently became eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, he accepted the opportunity.

“Despite some of the uncer-tainty surrounding the vaccine’s new mRNA technology, I exer-cised due diligence and, in time, was assured of the vaccine’s efficacy. My decision was sup-ported by extensive reading and countless discussions with

leading infectious disease experts and colleagues in the scientific research field. In short, I went the extra mile to educate myself and made sure that the information I was con-suming came from trusted and vetted sources such as the Min-istry of Public Health and the World Health Organization, among others,” he said.

Dr. Elmagarmid, as the first person in his family to receive the vaccine, was eager to lead the way and relay the expe-rience to his family in prepa-ration for their eventual appointments.

“As conveyed to them, I was impressed by the professional and efficient operation from start to finish. From the flexible scheduling, to the adept in-office processing, to the immac-ulately clean facility, to the administration of the vaccine and monitoring for adverse reactions, it is hard to imagine having had a more positive experience. I was back to work within an hour and suffered no notable side effects. It was

evident that the Ministry of Public Health had not only developed robust protocols for the vaccine’s rollout, but they had also been thoughtful in the campaign’s implementation,” he said.

“Getting the COVID-19 vaccine was important for me personally, but I am just one individual. Not unlike viruses that preceded this one, the most significant inroads we can make toward building personal and communal protection from the coronavirus will stem from our collective actions. It is imper-ative that we think not only of ourselves but also of others, not the least of which are the most vulnerable among us. Ulti-mately, the COVID-19 vaccine is the clearest route to a return to pre-pandemic life.

“I feel privileged to live in a country that values high-quality, timely, and accessible healthcare for all its citizens and residents. I am proud to have done my part and hope you will consider doing yours, too,” said Dr. Elmagarmid.

The new GDC will allow various government entities to host their mission-critical IT and network infrastructure in Ooredoo’s QDC5 purpose-built secure Tier III Data Centre facility in Qatar.

I feel privileged to live in a country that values high-quality, timely, and accessible healthcare for all its citizens and residents. I am proud to have done my part and hope you will consider doing yours, too.

Dr. Ahmed ElmagarmidExecutive Director, QCRI-HBKU

Milaha signs partnership contract with Malomatia to enhance cybersecurityTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Under its commitment to data protection and cybersecurity resilience, Milaha, Qatar’s leading Maritime and Logistics Service provider, has signed a 3-year partnership contract with Malomatia, the leading provider of Information Tech-nology Services and Solutions, for the provision of cyberse-curity managed services to enhance protection of Milaha information infrastructure against cyber threats.

Under the partnership business agreement, signed at Milaha headquarter, Malomatia will provide a suite of critical managed cybersecurity services which includes 24/7 real-time cybersecurity monitoring and response, data protection and cyber threat detection and management; in addition to

day-to-day network security operations and information security assurance, in order for Milaha to realize its cyberse-curity objectives and to fulfil its commitment for reliable services to its customers.

Such managed cyberse-curity services will be delivered in Malomatia’s in-country and secured Security Operations Center (SOC), which is designed for efficiency and scalability for continuous improvement or growth.

Abdulrahman Essa Al Mannai, Milaha President and CEO, spoke on the importance of this crucial partnership: “In light of the rapid transition into the digital world and the resulting threats and challenges, Milaha endeavours to ensure the highest levels of cyberse-curity to staff and clients alike, in line with the state’s efforts

to strengthen the cybersecurity system, protect the information infrastructure and combat cybercrime.

Al Mannai further said: “We at Milaha are pleased with this strategic partnership with Malo-matia and its innovative solu-tions in IT and Cybersecurity; thanks to its expertise in the local market’s requirements and mindfulness of Qatar National Vision 2030 objectives and aspirations to build a knowledge-based economy and the crucial importance of infor-mation technology to achieve the same.”

Yousef Al Namaa, Chief Executive Officer, Malomatia, said, “This partnership comes within the framework of Malo-matia’s strategic vision in con-tributing to the strengthening of cybersecurity for our valued clients, through providing them

advanced Information Security systems and protocols to protect their revenue, productivity, and brand reputation thus enabling

them to monitor and assess threats within a well-planned, reactive, and anticipatory tech-nology framework.”

Under the deal, Malomatia will provide a suite of critical managed cybersecurity services to Milaha.

SundanceTV celebrates annual Sundance Film FestivalTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Every January, film buffs await the annual Sundance Film Festival, Robert Redford’s long-running celebration of inde-pendent film. This year, the festival will be held virtually from January 28 to February 3.

In the spirit of the festival, SundanceTV (available in the Middle East and North Africa on beIN Channel 75) has cherry-picked some of the best inde-pendent films. Viewers can tune in for festival gems as well as winners of the SundanceTV Shorts competition, held in the Midde East and North Africa for the first time in late 2020. The thought-provoking competition entries gave the opportunity for fresh voices and perspectives to be heard, whilst taking viewers on a journey through time and space.

On January 18, viewers can follow the titular Dayveon as he spends the sweltering summer days roaming his rural Arkansas town in the wake of his older brother’s death. Drawn to the

camaraderie of a local gang, he becomes entrenched in the vio-lence of its world. Dayveon (2017) airs 9pm Makkah/6pm GMT.

On January 25, ‘Terri’ (2011) invites viewers into the world of a misfit teen. Mercilessly teased by his peers for his quirks, and for coming to school in pajamas, Terri is resigned to his outsider status. The tough-talking vice principal, Mr. Fit-zgerald takes an interest in him, and his sometimes clumsy, sometimes professionally dubious efforts help Terri through this tough time. This film will air at 9pm Makkah/6pm GMT.

Winners of the SundanceTV Shorts competition will be aired on January 30. Viewers are invited to tune in between 8pm to 9pm Makkah for the debuts of groundbreaking talent from across the Middle East. Films include ‘As You Can See’ by director Ghada Fikri (Egypt), which won first place. Told through the eyes of a daughter, the movie zooms in on the

grooves, cuts and lines on a woman’s hand, which tell the story of how she single-handedly raised her five children.

In ‘The Red Mountain’ by Kamel Harb (2nd place, Lebanon), a group of boys dream of escaping their boarding school. Among the obstacles in their way: the Red Mountain.

In ‘Huit Ans – 8 Years’ by Ziad Mazraany (3rd place, Lebanon), war, childhood events, and a passion for cinema keep Najla stuck in her childhood until Ziad uses films to remind her of the moments which changed her life.

In ‘How My Grandmother

Became a Chair’ by Nicolas Fattouh (4th place, Lebanon) a grandmother slowly loses her senses as her family abandons her, until she discovers a true familial bond.

‘Beit Byoot’ by Palestinian filmmaker Mayar Hamdan received an honorable mention by the judges and will also be shown during this segment. The film is set in a dystopian doll house and follows the story of young Jameela as she chooses between fitting in and making true friends.

In 2020, MENA hosted the first ever SundanceTV Shorts competition, attracting 371 sub-missions from the region. The jury included Golden Globe winner, Academy Award and Primetime Emmy Award nominee Uma Thurman, Pal-estinian filmmaker and poet Annemarie Jacir, Qatari-American writer and artist Sophia Al-Maria and television industry veteran, Harold Gro-nenthal, Executive Vice Pres-ident, Programming and Mar-keting for AMC Networks

International, broadcaster of SundanceTV outside of North America.

In addition to these inde-pendent favourites and out-standing short films, viewers can enjoy the 2006 film ‘Walker Payne’. Set in the late 50s, the movie follows an out of work miner in a small-town who is forced to take a heartbreaking decision to save his two daughters when his ex-wife threatens to leave town. The film will air on January 22 at 9pm Makkah/6pm GMT.

‘I’m Still Here’ (2010) will show on January 30 9pm Makkah/6pm GMT, and follows Joaquin Phoenix in the fall of 2008 as he announces his retirement from a successful film career and sets off to reinvent himself as a hip hop musician. Alternately funny and shocking, and always riveting, the film is a portrait of an artist at a crossroads. It deftly explores notions of courage and creative reinvention, as well as the ramifications of a life spent in the public eye.

SundanceTV (available in the Middle East and North Africa on beIN Channel 75) has cherry-picked some of the best independent films.

MoI to hold virtual seminar on traffic law for publicTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The General Directorate of Traffic of the Ministry of Interior will organise today a virtual awareness seminar on Traffic Law No. 19/2007.

The targeted audience of this virtual seminar are the people in-charge of transport and traffic safety in com-panies, establishments and schools, as well as community members.

During the seminar, the officers from the Traffic Department will be sharing valuable information related to Traffic Law No. 19/2007 to raise awareness of road safety among the road users and general public.

The admission to the seminar is restricted for 1,000 persons only on the first come first serve basis. The seminar will be an opportunity to interact with officers from the Traffic Department, and clear doubts related to the Traffic Law No. 19/2007.

The Public Relations Department of the Ministry has urged those concerned and interested persons to attend this important seminar to increase their knowledge of traffic laws in Qatar.

HMC resumes face-to-face outpatient appointments

FROM PAGE 1

HMC continues to offer a range of virtual services via the 16000-helpline including, medication delivery but patients can also still opt to have their medication refills delivered to their homes for a small fee to save visiting an HMC pharmacy. In the mental health helpline: A team of mental health professionals is available to support people experiencing stress and anxiety and other emotional distress and for urgent consul-tation service people with urgent but non-life-threat-ening conditions can call the service and speak to a team of doctors who can provide health-related advice and information and assess symptoms.

142 referred to prosecution for not wearing masksQNA — DOHA

The designated authorities yesterday referred 142 people to the Public Prosecution for not wearing masks in places where they are mandatory.

The measure is in line with the Cabinet decision, Decree Law No. 17 of 1990 on infec-tious diseases, and the precau-tionary measures in force in the country to contain the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

04 SUNDAY 17 JANUARY 2021HOME

VCUarts Qatar extends application deadlineTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) has had a tremendous reception to its 2020-21 applications season.

Therefore, they have decided to extend their appli-cation deadline to ensure that all students who are keen to study at VCUarts Qatar can have the opportunity to learn more about the innovative Edu-cation City-based art and design school.

“The final day for new stu-dents to submit an application for admission to VCUarts Qatar is Monday, February 15 for the Fall 2021 semester,” Recruitment and Admissions Director at the University, Katherine Mangum said.

VCUarts Qatar, a Qatar Foundation (QF) partner uni-versity, which is the overseas branch campus of the pres-tigious Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Richmond, Virginia, offers five undergraduate degree pro-grams: Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design, Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Painting and Print-making and Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Art History. There is also a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program. It was established in 1998 through a partnership with QF and now has more than 330 students representing 21 nationalities.

Collaborations between Education City universities, such as the Art and Medicine exhibition, or the Battle of the Bands competition, for example, bring students from different countries and cultures together to share ideas, have

fun, and explore new ways of studying and learning in QF’s u n i q u e m u l t i v e r s i t y environment.

VCUarts Qatar is located within easy reach of collabo-ration-friendly facilities including Education City’s Oxygen Park recreational complex and nearby Multaqa Student Center, the Qatar Science & Technology Park technology hub; the state-of-the-art Sidra Medicine women’s and children’s hospital, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art; and the Al Shaqab equestrian center, to name but a few.

Works by students and alumni from VCUarts Qatar have featured in exhibitions everywhere from Doha and Dubai, and from Paris to Moscow to Hong Kong, and at its home campus in Richmond, Virginia.

The students’ creativity and inspiration is fueled by partic-ipation in world class events, and field trips to study, work and network, as well visits by internationally acclaimed designers and artists such as Valentino, Hassan Hajjaj, Richard Serra, Shirin Neshat, Jeff Koons, Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Diane von Furstenberg, Reza Abedini, Marina Abramović, Wissam

Shawkat, Rami Al Ali, Naeem Khan, and Hector Ayuso.

VCUarts Qatar’s Materials Library is the only one of its kind in the Arab Gulf region and houses a circulating collection of thousands of diverse material samples from around the world. The University, state-of-the-art facilities include a Fabrication Lab, Woodshop, Print Lab, and Analogue Photography darkroom. It also hosts biennial international events such as the Tasmeem Doha art and design conference, and the Hamad bin Khalifa Symposium on Islamic Art, both of which attract vis-itors and speakers from around the world. Mangum said that a substantial number of students have already submitted their applications and portfolios, and she encouraged other students follow suit and submit their applications before the Feb-ruary 15 deadline if they hope to begin their studies at VCUarts Qatar in August 2021.

According to Mangum, admissions counsellors are available daily for consulta-tions, and the University’s website includes information on application requirements, portfolio requirements, cross registration, answers to fre-quently asked questions, and program information.

Admissions portal of VCUarts Qatar

Gifts for pre-ordering new Samsung Galaxy S21 series from VodafoneTHE PENINSULA —DOHA

To further enhance their Galaxy experience, customers will get gifts of total value worth up to QR1,088 with every pre-order for devices part of the latest next-generation product range.

Starting at QR3,259, pre-orders can be made at Vodafone stores in Doha Festival City, Vil-laggio and Landmark malls as well as online at www.vf.qa/s21preorder.

The gifts include a free Samsung Galaxy Buds Live or Galaxy Buds Pro, a free Galaxy Smart Tag and a free Samsung Care+ for one year. On top of this, customers will get up to 24GB of free local data to their mobile plan and 25% discount voucher from Clear Coat. Vodafone Qatar announced yesterday that all-new Samsung Galaxy S21 Series 5G is now available for pre-order for customers in Qatar until February 4.

Specially made for the way people live today, the Galaxy S21

Series 5G e m p o w e r s users to share their world and connect with the things and people that matter most. With Vodafone Qatar’s GigaNet 5G network, customers can enjoy instant Giga fast 5G speeds across a wide footprint of the country. Com-prising the Galaxy S21 5G, Galaxy S21+ 5G, and Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, these next-generation flagships bring together innovative tech-nology and features from the Galaxy Ecosystem.

The revolutionary design of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Series offers the very best viewing experience and super-smooth scrolling. The device also comes with the fastest chip ever in a Galaxy handset, effortlessly facilitating speedy performance and smoother multitasking.

The Galaxy S21 Series will support you all day long - It does not matter if you text, email, call, play the Samsung Galaxy S21 Series is built with a battery life that can last for a whole day. The Galaxy S21 Ultra comes equipped with the Contour Cut Camera Design, a new quad camera featuring a dual pixel 12MP Ultra-wide lens, an improved 108MP wide lens, and the enhanced 108MP sensor with laser auto focus provides 64 times richer colour, more than 3 times wider dynamic range.

Mega Draw of Lulu-Unilever Promotion

Officials from Lulu Hypermarket Qatar and Unilever during a Mega Draw pertaining to Lulu-Unilever Promotion which was held on January 14, 2021 at Lulu Hypermarket, D-Ring Road branch under the supervision of an inspector from the Consumer Protection Department of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, whereby Lulu Gift Vouchers for a total sum of QR100,000 were given away to 45 winners.

Vodafone Galaxy 21 Series

Exhibition of Al Badel Championship showcases animals, birds

IEI and LCI sign MoU to enhance cooperation

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The pavilion of environmental sector at the associated exhi-bition of Al Badel Championship is showcasing animals and birds to educate visitors about the importance of biodiversity. The event is being held by at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) at Sealine until January 22.

The environmental sector represented by Department of Monitoring and Environmental Laboratory and Department of Protection and Wildlife also demonstrate projects and activ-ities for protecting the environment.

The Department of Pro-tection and Wildlife displays a number of stuffed animal and birds such as bustards, cur-rants, goats, some animal skins, coral reefs that fall under the CITES agreement to create awareness among the visitors in this regard. The Department also showcasing the first bird transit document (passport) in Qatar.

The Agricultural Affairs Department at MME showcases agricultural produce from local farm including variety of veg-etables, organic produce, honey and beehives.

The Department is also introducing the apiaries project

and the mechanism for pro-ducing honeybees to the people.

The exhibition also have a ded-icated section for veterinary

clinics run by the Livestock Affairs Department and its importance for the detection of diseases to which animals are exposed.

The Youth Hobbies Center participated in the associated exhibition by displaying a set of rare postage stamps that focus on Qatar Environment such as animals, plants, birds and butterflies.

The activities of the asso-ciated exhibition aim to famil-iarise the public with the most important activities and envi-ronmental laws, in addition to the public hygiene law, where two grey and blue containers for waste sorting were

displayed, with the aim of instilling a culture of waste sorting and recycling from the source which have an environ-mental and economic impact on everyone, and the need to adhere to hygiene laws to ensure the public health and achieve environmental sus-tainability goal.

A tent is also set up with a board explaining the conditions of the camping season to educate people about wild her-itage. A miniature of fisher-men’s council is also set up inside the tent to display some old and modern marine fishing tools and to introduce the public to the marine heritage.

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Institution of Engineers India (IEI) Qatar Chapter and Lean Construction Institute (LCI) Qatar signed a Memo-randum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance the cooper-ation for the welfare of society on January 11, 2021 at Hotel Radisson Blu.

The MOU signed ceremony was conducted in hybrid mode owing to the unusual circum-stances and prevailing restric-tions due to COVID-19 pan-demic.Dignitaries and office bearers joined in person at the venue, with over 100 members and engineers from Qatar, India, and other parts of the world joining in via zoom online.

Chairman of IEI Qatar Chapter, Eng Abdul Sathar wel-comed the delegates with an inspiring address, calling upon all members of the engineering profession as well as the wider community to utilise their skills, knowledge, and efforts for the welfare of society and humankind.

President Lean Con-struction Institute-Qatar, Dr. Abdulla Al Sayed highlighted the efforts of IEI Qatar chapter as a high performing chapter of the organisation, and also complimented the Government of Qatar for supporting the cause of the engineering

profession in a big way. He highlighted the importance for engineers to be aware of and prepared for the ever-changing engineer ing paradigms.

The MOU was signed by Dr. Abdulla Al Sayed from LCI-Qatar and Eng Abdul Sathar from IEI. In this historical tie-up the ceremony was addressed by Angelina Premalatha Consular of Indian Embassy and lauded the contribution of IEI Qatar Chapter to the Indian com-munity resident in Qatar, including its engineers, towards strengthening and furthering the friendly relations between Qatar and India through their work.

She commended the dedi-cated efforts of IEI Qatar chapter in bringing together the

engineering community through excellent events and meaningful themes despite the challenges posed by COVID-19 throughout this difficult year.

The event was felicitated by CEO, Coastal Qatar, Nishad Azeem; Vice President, LCI Qatar, Abdulla Mohamed Al Baker; General Secretary, LCI Qatar, Dr. Luai EL Sabek and former president Qatari Society of Engineers, Eng Ahmed Jassim Al Jolo.

They highlighted the impor-tance for engineers to be aware of and prepared for the ever-changing engineering para-digms. They all congratulated LCI Qatar and IEI for their mutual agreement and coop-eration for the benefit of Engi-neers community in Qatar.

Officials from IEI and LCI during the signing ceremony.

Alwadi Hotel MGallery offers guests a truly personalised experienceTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Situated in a unique location with access to the booming Msheireb Downtown, Alwadi Hotel MGallery is a refined yet opulent oasis offering guests a truly personalised experience.

Blending modern design with the traditional and renowned Qatari hospitality, Alwadi Hotel MGallery is the perfect location to immerse yourself in Doha’s history and future as well as enabling you to write your own story with bespoke memorable moments.

“Each boutique hotel in the MGallery collection tells a unique story and perfectly blends cutting edge design with local history and heritage - steeped in the story and culture of each location,” said General Manager of Alwadi Hotel MGallery, Hani Akkari.

“Our special location – bridging between the regen-erated Msheireb Downtown and the beating heart of Doha, Souq Waqif, gives visitors and guests the best of both worlds and a traditional meets modern expe-rience. Whether it be a stay in one of our beautifully designed suites or helping to plan a wedding in our spectacular, yet intimate Alwaha Ballroom

– Alwadi Hotel MGallery is the perfect location to provide our guests with their own memo-rable moment, an exclusive experience that inspires lifelong memories,” said Akkari.

Alwadi Hotel Doha has 213 rooms and suites, each with thoughtful, personalised amen-ities, luxurious fit-outs and a vibrant colour scheme to bring a touch of heritage to its con-temporary design. Both Souq Suites and the Royal Suite offer balconies with views over-looking Souq Waqif, while the superior, deluxe and executive rooms offer spectacular views of the West Bay skyline.

The stunning Alwaha Ballroom is a sublime location for special events including

weddings and other special occasions. Flooded with natural light and elegant decoration, it can accommodate various con-figurations according to the needs of the guests.

Hani Akkari said the Alwadi MGallery team works tirelessly to ensure each and every guest has a unique and truly luxurious experiences from the moment they enter our hotel to the time the leave, helping them to create memorable moments to add to their own stories.

“At Alwadi Hotel MGallery you can either experience an indulgent wellbeing break, enjoy a lively dinner in one of our renowned restaurants or live a true memorable moment,” said Akkari.

A pavilion of environmental sector at the associated exhibition of Al Badel Championship.

05SUNDAY 17 JANUARY 2021 HOME

QBRI, Qatar University to provide research analytical servicesTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

In line with its commitment to improve and transform healthcare across the country, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) is collaborating with Qatar University (QU) to help advance its capabilities to conduct high quality and innovative biomedical research in Qatar.

The collaboration will enable QU to utilize QBRI’s core services with the aim of facili-tating access to advanced analysis locally, which will help QU conduct more advanced research. As a result, QU will be able to carry out biomedical analysis in Qatar without the need to send samples overseas. In parallel, the partnership will support QU’s graduate students and enable them to access QBRI’s advanced core labora-tories, to conduct advanced bio-medical research and obtain more analysis options.

The services provided by QBRI core services include but are not limited to genomics, structural biology, flow cytometry, stem cells and pro-teomics. This collaboration will enhance interaction between researchers from both entities and pave the way for the two entities to coop-erate on research projects in the future.

Executive Director, QBRI,

Dr. Omar El Agnaf, said: “In keeping with the wider HBKU community, QBRI is focused on developing partnerships with like-minded organiza-tions. To this end, the affin-ities between QU and our-selves are apparent. Both institutions are focused on improving the health and well-being of the people of Qatar and the wider region. This necessitates consistent

access to cutting-edge research facilities designed specifically for making break-through discoveries in the pre-vention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases”.

“We’re therefore delighted to be providing laboratory services and facilities to QU at such an important time for the nation’s health. Both organiza-tions are confident that we can learn from each other’s core strengths and specialisms and build on our partnership in the years ahead.”

Vice President for Medical and Health Sciences and Dean of College of Medicine, Qatar University, Prof. Egon Toft, commented: “QU is determined to foster its relationship with partners in Qatar. Research is essential to QU Health to nurture new scientific endeavors in the region; fur-thermore, with the help of HBKU, QU can create ever-evolving synergies that will serve the nation.”

The collaboration will enable QU to utilise QBRI’s core services and facilities.

ARTIC signs six property deals in Doha with Marriott InternationalTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Al Rayyan Tourism Investment (ARTIC), one of the leading international hotel investment companies, is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with Marriott Inter-national to operate six prop-erties in prime locations across Qatar.

The hotel openings are anticipated to mark the intro-duction of five new brands in the country – Autograph Col-lection, Delta Hotels by Mar-riott, Element by Westin, Le Meridien, and Marriott Exec-utive Apartments.

The six properties will include five new-build hotels - Le Méridien City Center Doha, Delta Hotels City Center Doha, Element City Center Doha, Element Doha West Bay, and Al Samriya, Autograph Col-lection - in addition to a con-version property that will be rebranded to become Marriott Executive Apartments City Center, Doha.

Five of the properties will be located in one of the most vibrant and commercial areas in the Qatari capital, West Bay, while Al Samriya, Autograph Collection will be located in the Al-Shahaniya district, an ideal sanctuary for quality time with the family and loved ones. All six hotels are expected to open in 2021.

To mark the occasion, Sheikh Mohammed bin Faisal Al Thani, Vice Chairman of ARTIC, commented: “We welcome the signing of these six new agreements. The com-pletion of five new projects within 2021 will be a first for

Qatar’s hospitality sector and will further enhance ARTIC’s position as a leading player in the sector and supporter of the development of Qatar’s tourism industry.”

“These agreements will bring ARTIC’s total number of hotel keys in Qatar to over 3,260, further enhancing ARTIC’s investment portfolio as they represent established international brands known for their quality, adding value to

ARTIC and for all our stake-holders. Our ongoing investment and commitment to these partnerships remains a priority for us, and we are extremely proud to be an integral part of Qatar’s attractive local market, based on our country’s strategic location in the region, attractive investment climate and excellent track record of organ-izing successful prestigious events.”

Tarek M. Al Sayed, ARTIC’s Managing Director and CEO, added: “As we build on our long-term relationship with Marriott International, we con-tinue to bring distinctive new brands to Qatar’s hospitality scene. This showcases our ongoing commitment to the Qatari market and our uncom-promised focus on the quality of assets and premium expe-rience they provide to our guests.”

“These six new agreements were signed in line with our reputation of always being committed to maintaining the highest standards of quality and design in all our assets, making ARTIC a preferred col-laborator for a well-estab-lished, world-leading operator such as Marriott International. It is with pleasure that we announce that with the expected completion of these new hotels in 2021, the majority of ARTIC’s portfolio of properties will be opera-tional, supporting our future growth through new develop-ments and acquisitions.”

Ziad Abi Raad, Director of Lodging Development - Middle East & Pakistan for Marriott International, commented: “We are delighted to strengthen our relationship with ARTIC and further enhance our footprint in the country with six addi-tional hotels. Qatar is a key growth market that continues to present great opportunities for us to expand our portfolio. We look forward to introducing these new brands into this market and remain committed to supporting the growth of the country’s tourism sector.”

FROM RIGHT: Muhammed Abd Hameed, Deputy General Council- ARTIC; Tarek M Al Sayed, CEO & Managing Director – ARTIC; Jerome Briet, Chief Development Officer Middle East and Africa Marriott International; Ziad Abi Raad, Director, Lodging Development, Middle East & Pakistan, for Marriott International, during the event.

Mall of Qatar announces winners of QND School Art Competition THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Mall of Qatar has concluded Qatar National Day School Art Competition held during the celebration of the day and embraced students from 16 different schools in Qatar.

The winners in the compe-tition were announced yes-terday, with winning students received valuable prizes from Mall of Qatar management, including Mall of Qatar gift cards worth QR5,000, QR2,500, and QR1,000 for the first, second, and third place winners, respectively.

For the third consecutive year, the Qatar National Day School Art Competition was ded-icated to school students to encourage them to express their talents and skills. It is part of the Mall of Qatar’s social responsi-bility programme that promotes emerging talents and encourages artistic and cultural initiatives.

Besides, the annual compe-tition is recognised as one of the most awaited events during Qatar National Day celebrations and receives massive partici-pation every year. Furthermore, the winning artworks were dis-played in one of the Mall’s hallways as a gesture to acknowledge the young talents’

skills.General Manager, Mall of

Qatar, Emile Sarkis said: “This art competition is one of the main activations held annually by Mall of Qatar to celebrate Qatar National Day with stu-dents. We aim to encourage our young generations to express their thoughts and dreams through art. This year’s theme reflects our passion for the

upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. Our thanks and grat-itude to the participating schools and students who submitted cre-ative artworks, and our deep congratulations to all winners”.

Held under the theme ‘How does Qatar 2022 look like to you’, students from sixteen dif-ferent schools submitted 40 drawings that reflect the theme of the contest and demonstrate

their artistic skills. The students were divided into three age groups: group 1 included stu-dents from 8 – 10 years, group 2 from 11 to 13 years, and group 3 from 14 to 16 years.

The jury panel consisted of Qatari artists Hanadi Al Darwish and Abdulaziz Sadiq, who eval-uated the drawings and decided the winners after a tough com-petition. In the first category for

students from 8 to 10 years, Artist: Shaden AlKhateeb from Al Manar International School Al Saad Branch won the first place. Mohamed Qarni from Mesaieed Primary International School won the second place. Elias Al Shyab from Phoenix Private School won third place.

In the category from 11 to 13 years, Naila Zahra Azka Mirag from Mesaieed International School got the first place; Maya Ahmed from Al Manar Interna-tional School – Al Thameed Branch won the second place; Hafsa Aamer, Anoosh Khan, & Fabiha Saeed from Mesaieed Primary International School won the third place. In the third category for students for 14 to 16 years, Karthika Purayil from MES Indian School won the first place; Sandi Aljaber from GEMS American Academy won the second place; and Raghad Adbellatif Abdalla from Doha Academy – Al Waab Campus got the third place.

Mall of Qatar gave students and social media followers the chance to vote for the best drawing via an interactive voting portal shared among all participant schools, while added new ‘People’s Choice’ award for followers to vote also through Mall of Qatar social media

platforms. The contest attracted a con-

siderable number, with more than 30,000 voters selected their favorite drawings for the top places. In the group of 8 – 10 years, the award went to the student Mohamed Qarni from Mesaieed Primary International School, while Maya Ahmed from Al Manar International School – Al Thameed Branch got the award in the second cat-egory (11 – 13 years), and Kinda Al Bahri from Al Manar Inter-national School – Al Saad Branch received the highest number of voters in the third category (14 – 16 years).

The participating schools are Al Manar International School, Al Thameed Campus, Al Manar International School, Al Saad Campus, American School of Doha, ASC Doha International School, Doha Academy Al Waab Campus, Doha Academy, Doha British Schoool, Doha College, GEMS American Academy, MES Indian School, Mesaieed Inter-national School, Mesaieed Primary International School, Phoenix Private School, Qatar International School, Royal Grammar School Guildford in Qatar and Sherborne School in Qatar.

A winner of Qatar National Day School Art Competition organised by Mall of Qatar receiving a certificate.

Ezdan Real Estate rewards tenants with free ‘Ezdan My Book’ subscription

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Ezdan Real Estate has launched its rewards and savings program ‘Ezdan My Book’ for the best interest of its tenants and customers. ‘Ezdan My Book’ is a new branded appli-cation that provides tenants with opportunities to obtain special and free offers at more than 500 outlets of diversified brands and categories including eateries, luncheonettes, cafes, hotels and hostels, and recre-ational outlets in Qatar. Each new tenant or renewing resident will be granted a free subscription during the year 2021, with specialty keys distributed on every new contract at leasing offices, where the tenants and their families can enjoy this priv-ilege, discounted prices and offers.

“This new branded appli-cation will serve a large cat-egory of Ezdan Real Estate Company clientele and the

tenants setting to renew their tenancy contracts. This is an initiative from our part to enhance the customer loyalty, and the idea stems from our incessant efforts to provide state-of-the art smart promo-tional offers and maximise the benefits of our customers, “ said Hani Dabash, Deputy CEO of Ezdan Holding Group.

“The activation key code can be used on multiple bases by the user and his family on their smartphones, which pro-vides a more general benefit to the tenants,” he added.

Dabash pointed out that Ezdan Real Estate is preparing to launch a package of unique advantages, which bear sur-prises for existing tenants as well as new customers, and will be revealed during the forth-coming period.

All new tenants or upon renewing a rental contract for a residential unit can obtain the key to activate the application, so that the tenant can use all the offers available on the application when downloading from the application library available on both the Android and iOS platforms.

The new application is pro-duced as part of cooperation between Ezdan Real Estate Company and (My Book Qatar), one of the leading Qatari com-panies providing loyalty and digital rewards solutions.

It should be noted that the application includes a large number of classy restaurants, fast food outlets, hotels, parks, cafes, beauty centres, health and fitness, spas, sports clubs, shopping centres and others.

Hani Dabash, Deputy CEO of Ezdan Holding Group

Activities of MarmiFestival 2021 continueTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The activities of the Marmi Festival 2021 has continued at Sabkht Marmi in the Sealine area, where the young Falconers Championship was held yesterday with the participation of a large number of young people who were keen to partic-ipate and be present in the area.

The competitions represent a practical preparation to carry forward this heritage from gen-eration to generation. The fes-tival is being held under the patronage of H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al Thani, and organised by the Qatar Society of Al Gannas until January 30.

Marmi Festival is considered one of the important features of the original Qatari culture. It presents various aspects of tra-dition and heritage, and this fes-tival is aimed at reviving them among the new generations.

A championship was held for the age group of 6 to 10 years dealing with information about falcons and how to deal with them. The performance was good, showing the enthusiasm of the youth and their love to this Qatari sport heritage sport.

Chairman of the Organising Committee of the 12th Marmi Festival 2021, and Chairman Qatari Society of Al Gannas, Ali bin Khatem Al Mehshadi, affirmed the keenness of the Al Gannas in all the tournaments it organises to involve young people and teenagers with the aim of confirming that this her-itage belongs to future genera-tions and they must learn it from a young age.

He pointed out that the Qatar International Falconry and Hunting Festival ‘Marmi’ has worked for 12 years to doc-ument and promote the falconry heritage.

06 SUNDAY 17 JANUARY 2021 MIDDLE EAST

Palestinians sceptical about poll prospectsREUTERS — GAZA/RAMALLAH

Beset by political infighting, split between three territories and distrustful of their institutions, many Palestinians are sceptical that their first national elections in 15 years will bring change - or even happen at all.

President Mahmoud Abbas said on Friday that parlia-mentary and presidential elec-tions would be held later this year in a bid to heal long-standing divisions. His main rival, the militant Islamist group Hamas, welcomed the move.

The announcement is widely seen as a gesture aimed at pleasing US President-elect Joe Biden, with whom the Pal-estinians want to reset relations after they reached a low under Donald Trump.

But a December poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research found 52 percent of Palestinians think elections held under present conditions would not be fair and free.

If Hamas won, 76 percent thought Fatah— the party led

by Abbas — would not accept the result and 58 percent believed Hamas would reject a Fatah victory.

“We have taken an important step but we still have a long way to go,” said veteran West Bank political analyst Hani Al Masri.

“Great obstacles remain and without overcoming these obstacles the whole operation will be doomed to fail.”

Palestinian observers said those hurdles include disagree-ments within Hamas and Fatah — long the dominant faction in

the umbrella Palestine Liber-ation Organisation.

It is unclear what mech-anism would be put in place to ensure a free election, whether international observers would take part and whether Abbas, aged 85 and in poor health, would run.

The United States, Israel and European Union would likely refuse dealings with any Palestinian government that included Hamas, which is des-ignated by the West as a ter-rorist group.

Israeli officials did not imme-diately comment and it was unclear whether Israel would permit election activity to take place in East Jerusalem, as it did previously. Palestinians want to hold the elections there, as well as the West Bank and Gaza.

“We have other alterna-tives, and what is important is that people from Jerusalem can take part in the election,” Hanna Nasir, Chairman of the Pales-tinian Central Election Com-mittee, said yesterday.

The last parliamentary ballot, in 2006, ended in a

surprise win by Hamas in their first-ever national elections, creating a rift with Fatah that plunged into civil war when Hamas seized control of Gaza the following year. Gaza is now a Hamas stronghold, while Abbas’s power base is in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The two groups have failed to achieve lasting reconciliation, and previous pledges to hold elections went unfulfilled. Rights

groups have accused both of sup-pressing political opposition.

Abbas said the parlia-mentary election will be held on May 22 and the presidential vote on July 31. He won in 2005 but his term was only meant to last four years.

Many ordinary Palestinians are sceptical. “They will find a thousand reasons to call it off; Israel, the resistance, power-sharing, anything. I don’t have

any hopes,” said one Gaza man, who asked not to be named because he was breaking a coronavirus lockdown.

Zuheir Al Khatib, a 57-year-old doctor from Bethlehem, was more optimistic.

“This is a 100 percent good decision, merited for over 15 years, if not more, we are sup-posed to be initiating a state and thus should have democracy,” he said.

Chairman of the Palestinian Central Election Committee, Hanna Nassir, speaks during a news conference in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, yesterday.

European powers press Iran to back off latest nuclear moveAP — BERLIN

Germany, France and Britain pressed Iran yesterday to back off the latest planned violation of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, saying that Tehran has “no credible civilian use” for uranium metal.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Thursday Iran had informed it that it had begun installing equipment for the production of uranium metal. It said Tehran maintains its plans to conduct research and devel-opment on uranium metal production are part of its “declared aim to design an improved type of fuel.”

Uranium metal can also be used for a nuclear bomb, however, and research on its production is specifically pro-hibited under the nuclear deal — the so-called Joint Compre-hensive Plan of Action — that Tehran signed with Germany, France, Britain, China, Russia and the United States in 2015.

Since the unilateral American withdrawal from the deal in 2018, the other members have been working to preserve the accord. Iran has been using violations of the deal to put pressure on the other signa-tories to provide more incen-tives to Iran to offset crippling American sanctions re-imposed after the US pullout.

A joint statement from the German, French and British foreign ministries said they are “deeply concerned” by the latest Iranian announcement.

“Iran has no credible civilian use for uranium metal,” it said. “The production of uranium metal has poten-tially grave military implications.”

Iran fires long-range missiles into Indian Ocean in drillAP — TEHRAN

Iran’s paramilitary Revolu-tionary Guard conducted a drill yesterday launching anti-warship ballistic missiles at a simulated target in the Indian Ocean, state television reported, amid heightened tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program and a US pressure campaign against the Islamic Republic.

Footage showed two mis-siles smash into a target that Iranian state television described as “hypothetical hostile enemy ships” at a dis-tance of 1,800km. The report did not specify the type of mis-siles used.

In the first phase of the drill Friday, the Guard’s aerospace

division launched surface-to-surface ballistic missiles and drones against “hypothetical enemy bases.”

Iranian state television described the drill as taking place in the country’s vast central desert, the latest in a series of snap exercises called amid the escalating tensions over its nuclear program. Footage also showed four unmanned, triangle-shaped drones flying in a tight for-mation, smashing into targets and exploding.

Tensions between Wash-ington and Tehran have increased amid a series of incidents stemming from Pres-ident Donald Trump’s uni-lateral withdrawal from Iran’s

nuclear deal with world powers.

Amid Trump’s final days as president, Tehran has recently seized a South Korean oil tanker and begun enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade levels, while the US has sent B-52 bombers, the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and a nuclear submarine into the region.

In recent weeks, Iran has increased its military drills as the country tries to pressure President-elect Joe Biden over the nuclear accord, which he has said America could reenter.

Iran fired cruise missiles Thursday as part of a naval drill in the Gulf of Oman, state media

reported, under surveillance of what appeared to be a US nuclear submarine. Iran’s navy did not identify the submarine at the time, but on Saturday, a news website affiliated with state television said the vessel was American.

Helicopter footage of the exercise released Thursday by Iran’s navy showed what resembled an Ohio-class guided-missile submarine, the USS Georgia, which the US Navy last month said had been sent to the Persian Gulf.

Iran has missile capability of up to 2,000km, far enough to reach archenemy Israel and US military bases in the region. Last January, after the US killed a top Iranian general in

Baghdad, Tehran retaliated by firing a barrage of ballistic mis-siles at two Iraqi bases housing US troops, resulting in brain concussion injuries to dozens of them.

Trump in 2018 unilaterally withdrew the US from Iran’s nuclear deal, in which Tehran had agreed to limit its uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

Trump cited Iran’s ballistic missile program among other issues in withdrawing from the accord.

When the US then increased sanctions, Iran gradually and publicly abandoned the deal’s limits on its nuclear development.

Vaccine blitz in Turkeytops 600,000 in 2 daysREUTERS — ANKARA

Turkey has vaccinated more than 600,000 people in the first two days of administering COVID-19 shots developed by China’s Sinovac, health ministry data showed on Friday, among the speediest rollouts globally.

Ankara launched the nationwide programme on Thursday, vaccinating health workers first, and inoculated more than 285,000 people on the first day. As of 1601 GMT, the total was 600,040.

The government has credited its nationwide distri-bution of the vaccines earlier this week, as well as its digitised health records and hospital services for the rapid operation.

“We are an experienced country in implementing nationwide inoculation pro-grammes. Our infrastructure is more than capable of

conducting this programme in a controlled way. We will win the battle with the pan-demic together,” Health Min-ister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter.

Some 3.23 million people have been inoculated in Britain and, according to the Our World in Data website, 2.16 million in Israel. In Russia, the RDIF sov-ereign wealth fund said on Wednesday 1.5 million Russians had been inoculated with the Sputnik V vaccine.

Indonesia, which is also using the Sinovac shot, has inoculated 15,301 people over the past two days, a senior health ministry official there said. The official rollout began Wednesday, but medical workers and selected public workers were injected on Thursday and Friday.

Worldwide trials of the shot made by Sinovac Biotech Ltd, called CoronaVac, have shown wide-ranging efficacy rates,

leading to some criticism.Turkish President Tayyip

Erdogan called on Turks to ignore the criticism. He received his first dose of the vaccine on

Thursday and urged other pol-iticians to endorse the programme.

Turkey has reported more than 2.3 million COVID-19

infections and 23,000 deaths since March. After a month of weekend lockdowns and nightly curfews, the daily death toll has dipped to 169.

A social distancing sign is seen at the entrance of the main shopping and pedestrian street of Istiklal during a nation-wide weekend curfew which was imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease, in central Istanbul yesterday.

Syria sanctions inflict suffering as Assad regime marches onAL JAZEERA — DAMASCUS

Syrian President Bashar Al Assad is going nowhere. He withstood the military threat posed by a decade-long war and even as the country faced its worst food and economic crisis over the last few months he has managed to cling to power.

Some in the West had hoped the economic pressure, exac-erbated by sanctions, would force his own Alawite com-munity to overthrow him, but the discontent has not culmi-nated in a second uprising.

The lives of Syrians in regime-controlled territory, however, have worsened immeasurably. Queues outside

bakeries and fuel stations have become the new normal while a shortage of electricity has adversely affected local busi-nesses and exacerbated unemployment.

Ahmad and his brother take turns to queue outside a bakery in Damascus to buy subsidised bread.

“Today was my turn and, I kid you not, I stood in the line for six hours, again,” Ahmad said. “Electricity, we have com-pletely forgotten about it. Our uncle who is a tailor has shut down his shop because he cannot function with this three hours on, five hours off elec-tricity supply.”

The Syrian economy is in tatters. Syrians are grappling

with hyperinflation, food shortages and joblessness with no end in sight.

Last year, as Lebanon went bankrupt, many Syrians who put their money in Lebanon’s banks lost their savings, too. Their misery compounded as the price of bread shot up, the United States imposed sectoral sanctions, and Russia cut down on the export of wheat to maintain domestic supplies during the coronavirus pandemic.

Syrians like Ahmad attribute the lion’s share of blame to President Al Assad’s ruthless bombing of the country, including crucial infrastructure such as farm machinery and power plants and, as far as

agriculture goes, his literal scorched earth tactics in oppo-sition areas. However, they also hold Russia and the US respon-sible for aggravating the crisis.

Russia supported the Syrian government in the military con-flict while the US condemned Al Assad. But the policies of both have added to peoples’ suffering.

Until 2008, Syria exported wheat to neighbouring nations. Grain sufficiency was a corner-stone of Hafez Al Assad’s regime and worked on the premise that if the population was well-fed it would remain pliant. Syria grew 3.6 million tonnes of wheat in a good year.

But a drought in 2008 and a decade-long civil war turned Syria into a wheat importer. As

production fell by half, the gov-ernment turned to Russia – an ally and the world’s biggest grain exporter. Russia offered 100,000 tonnes in aid, but not more. The rest would have to be bought or exchanged for something in return from Syria.

Bassam Barabandi, a former Syrian diplomat who currently lives in the US in exile, said the Syrian government had no more money so it instead offered the country’s resources to Russia.

“Russia opened a credit line to the regime to buy grain with a sovereign guarantee and in return gave access to oil [reserves] and phosphate mines,” said Barabandi.

According to the Syria Report, a regular study of the country’s

economy, Syria needs to import one million tonnes of wheat a year to meet its requirements, and most of it used to come from Russia. But in 2020, Russia reduced its supplies. It is not yet clear how much it exported but reportedly Syria’s overall wheat imports fell by half.

This year rainfall has been sufficient and yet the gov-ernment will still need to import more to feed all its people. Russia could come forward but so far it has not.

An additional reason for the wheat shortage is that Syria’s northeast, the breadbasket of the country that produced 60 percent of the total requirement, is under the control of Wash-ington’s Kurdish allies.

A December poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research found 52 percent of Palestinians think elections held under present conditions would not be fair and free.

07SUNDAY 17 JANUARY 2021 AFRICA

Museveni wins sixth term; rival alleges fraudAP — KAMPALA

Uganda’s electoral commission said longtime President Yoweri Museveni has won a sixth term while top opposition challenger Bobi Wine alleges rigging and officials struggle to explain how polling results were compiled amid an Internet blackout.

In a generational clash widely watched across the African continent, with a booming young population and a host of aging leaders, the 38-year-old singer-turned-lawmaker Wine posed arguably the greatest challenge yet to Museveni.

He had strong support in urban centres where frustration with unemployment and cor-ruption is high.

The electoral commission said Museveni received 58 percent of ballots and Wine 34 percent, and voter turnout was 52 percent.

The top United States dip-lomat to Africa has called the electoral process “fundamen-tally flawed.”

Thursday’s vote followed the East African country’s worst pre-election violence since the 76-year-old Museveni took office in 1986. Wine and other opposition candidates were often harassed, and more than 50 people were killed when security forces put down riots in November over Wine’s arrest. Wine peti t ioned the

International Criminal Court this month over alleged torture and other abuses by security forces.

While the president holds on to power, at least 15 of his Cabinet ministers, including the vice president, were voted out, with many losing to candidates from Wine’s party, local media reported.

Wine claimed victory Friday, asserting that he had video evidence of vote-rigging and saying “every legal option is on the table” to challenge the official election results, including peaceful protests. Candidates can challenge election results at the Supreme Court.

Hours later, he tweeted that the military had entered his home compound and “we are in serious trouble,” which a

military spokeswoman denied. Wine, whose real name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, was roughed up and arrested several times while campaigning but was never convicted, and even-tually he campaigned wearing a flak jacket and said he feared for his life.

A heavy presence of security forces remained around his home, where he has said he was alone with his wife and a single security guard.

Uganda’s electoral com-mission has said Wine should prove his allegations of rigging, and it has deflected questions about how countrywide voting results were transmitted during the Internet blackout by saying “we designed our own system.” It could not explain how it worked.

Monitoring of the vote was further complicated by the arrests of independent monitors and the denial of accreditation to so many members of the US observer mission that the US called it off. Another major observer, the European Union, said its offer to deploy electoral experts “was not taken up.”

“Uganda’s electoral process has been fundamentally flawed,” the top US diplomat for Africa, Tibor Nagy, tweeted Saturday, calling for the immediate and full restoration of Internet access and warning that “the US response hinges on what the Ugandan gov-ernment does now.”

Museveni, once praised as part of a new generation of African leaders, still has support among some in Uganda for bringing stability. A longtime US security ally, he once criticised African leaders who refused to step aside but has since overseen the removal of term limits and an age limit on the presidency.

The head of the African Union observer team, Samuel Azuu Fonkam, told reporters he

could not say whether the election had been free and fair, noting the “limited” AU mission which largely focused on the capital, Kampala. Asked about Wine’s allegations of rigging, he said he could not “speak about things we did not see or observe.”

The East African Com-munity observer team in its pre-liminary statement noted issues including “disproportionate use of force in some instances” by

security forces, the Internet shutdown, some late-opening polling stations and isolated cases of failure in biometric kits to verify voters. But it called the vote largely peaceful and said it “demonstrated the level of maturity expected of a democracy.”

Uganda’s elections are often marred by allegations of fraud and abuses by security forces. The previous election saw spo-radic post-election riots.

Polling agents from the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party celebrate the victory of Uganda President Yoweri Museveni in the general elections in Kampala, Uganda, yesterday.

UN peacekeeper killed, two others wounded in CAR ambushAL JAZEERA — BANGUI

One peacekeeper was killed in an ambush by rebels near the town of Grimari in the Central African Republic (CAR) as deadly violence continues after a disputed election last month.

Two other soldiers were wounded when fighters from a coalition of rebel groups carried out two ambushes on peace-keepers from Burundi and Bangladesh, the United Nations Mission in the country (MINUSCA) said in a statement.

The peacekeepers were car-rying out a security operation around Grimari, 200km northeast of the capital Bangui, it added.

The Burundian peacekeeper was killed in the second ambush, and two Bangladeshi peacekeepers were injured during the attacks and receiving treatment.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the

attacks “may constitute a war crime” and called for the per-petrators to be brought to justice, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The UN chief also reiterated “his deep concern over the con-tinued destabilisation efforts by armed groups throughout the country”, and called on all parties ”immediately to stop the violence and resolve their dif-ferences through peaceful means”.

A sharp increase in violence in the past few weeks has forced more than 60,000 people to flee the country, seeking refuge in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other neighbouring countries, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said.

DR Congo has received the highest number of refugees —about 50,000 since December, which includes 10,000 who arrived on Wednesday when the rebel coalition staged

attacks on the outskirts of the capital, according to UNHCR.

However, Cameroon has also seen an increase in the number of families, especially women and children, coming from Central African Republic, it added.

“In the beginning when they came in, the