TUESDAY 29 DECEMBER 2020 www.thepeninsula.qa14 JUMADA I - 1442 VOLUME 25 NUMBER 8486

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Sport | 11

Qatar's trade surplus

reaches QR9.1bn in November

Messi undecided over futureat Barcelona, drops US hint

Business | 01

2 RIYALS

Amir receives message from Indian PM

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received a written message from Prime Minister of the Republic of India, H E Narendra Modi, pertaining to relations between the two friendly countries and ways of supporting and enhancing them. The message was handed by India’s Minister of External Affairs H E Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar when H H the Amir met him at his office in the Amiri Diwan yesterday.

PM participates in ‘Qatar Census 2020’

QNA — DOHA

Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani participated yesterday in the population census 2020 by filling in the online form.

The Qatar Census 2020, launched by the Planning and

Statistics Authority, is aimed at establishing a central registry of population, housing and establishments data in the State of Qatar.

During the participation, H E the Prime Minister and Min-ister of Interior thanked those in charge of the census and those implementing it in the

field and online, especially in light of the precautionary measures in place in the country to combat the spread of COVID-19, calling on all res-idents of Qatar to fill in the data before the end of the specified period of time for the census in order to achieve its desired goals.

Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani filling the online form as part of population census 2020, yesterday.

GTA signs MoUs with banks to facilitate online tax paymentQNA — DOHA The General Tax Authority and QNB signed yesterday a financial services agreement. The authority also signed three Memorandums of Under-standings (MoU) with Masraf Al Rayyan, Dukhan Bank, and Al Ahli Bank.

The MoUs were on cre-ating an electronic link between the banks and the authority to encourage the payment of taxes and by using different e-payment methods.

The agreement was signed by assistant head of tax affairs at the authority, Ghanem bin Khalifa Al Attiyah with repre-sentatives of the banks. �P2

Qatar Airways and Oman Air agree on codeshare expansion THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar Airways continues to expand its portfolio of strong, globally strategic partnerships by signing an expanded codeshare agreement with Oman Air that will boost connectivity and provide more flexible travel options for both airline’s customers.

The expanded code-share agreement is the first step in further strengthening strategic cooperation between the two airlines that first began in 2000. Sales of the additional desti-nations will commence in 2021.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Exec-utive H E Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are

pleased to further expand our code-share cooperation with Oman Air, one of the leading airlines in the Gulf region. Now more than ever, it is important to strengthen strategic partnerships across the industry to optimise our operations and provide seamless connectivity to hundreds of destinations across the globe for our passengers.

“Since 2000, both airlines have seen the benefits that commercial cooper-ation has brought, providing our pas-sengers with unrivalled service and more flexibility to travel when they want. I look forward to further strength-ening our commercial cooperation with Oman Air to provide even more ben-

efits to our customers.”Oman Air Chief Executive Officer

Abdulaziz Al Raisi, said: “We are delighted to expand our commercial

cooperation with Qatar Airways, which will streamline flying for leisure trav-ellers from around the world to enjoy Oman’s culture, scenic beauty and hos-pitality, and facilitate travel for those who visit the Sultanate of Oman for abundant, fast-growing business oppor-tunities across a diverse range of sectors.

"The expansion of our codeshare agreement is just the first step, and we look forward to working with Qatar Airways to further strengthen our stra-tegic partnership to enhance the business and leisure travel experience for our customers in Oman and throughout the world.” �P2

Qatar among top 3 globally in mobile Internet speedSACHIN KUMAR THE PENINSULA

Qatar has ranked among the top three countries in the world in mobile Internet speed. The country is placed third in Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index for November for mobile Internet speed.

Qatar’s average mobile download speed for the last month is 159.66mbps while the upload speed is 28.33mbps. The fixed broadband download speed for November is 97.39mbps while the upload speed is 52.46mbps.

Qatar, which has one of the highest Internet penetrations in the world, has improved its ranking in the Speedtest Global Index by one place as it was ranked fourth globally in October.

The speed of mobile Internet is almost three times

faster than the global average speed. According to Ookla Speedtest Global Index for November 2020, the global average of mobile download speed is 45.69mbps while the average upload speed is 12.6mbps.

The country has fared much better than many developed economies. China is ranked fourth, Australia is fifth, Norway is ranked sixth, Singapore is at 16th while the United States is ranked at 22nd place in the global ranking.

The Speedtest Global Index compares Internet speed data

from around the world on a monthly basis.

Data for the Index comes from the hundreds of millions of tests taken by real people using Speedtest every month, said Ookla, which is headquar-tered at Seattle, Washington.

The performance of Qatar

in the field of information and communications technology (ICT) has been impressive.

The country was ranked second in the Arab world and ninth globally in ICT adoption as per the Global Competi-tiveness Report Special Edition 2020 report by the World Eco-nomic Forum. In the global ranking of countries, Qatar’s score is 83.9 on the scale of 0- 100.

Qatar has augmented its ICT infrastructure and improved the Internet quality.

It became the first country in the world to launch 5G services. The country has invested substantially in 5G technology which allows peak Internet connection speed to reach 1 Gbps. The rollout of 5G has also accelerated the devel-opment of wider communica-tions infrastructure in Qatar.

A 5G network has the capacity to allow 10,000 times the volume of traffic compared to LTE. The 5G technology is expected to revolutionise the lives of individuals and of busi-nesses. For users, 5G services means having access to very fast download and upload speeds compared to 4G network. 5G is also a great step for Internet of Things (IoT), applications that need extremely high speeds, and it will pave the way for a host of smart technologies like smart cars, VR, AR and drones to be part of our everyday lives.

97.39mbpsFixed broadband download speed in November

159.66mbps

45.69mbps

12.6mbps28.33mbpsQatar’s average mobile download speed

Global average of mobile download speed

Global average upload speed

Qatar’s average mobile upload speed in November

Qatar’s performance in Speedtest Global Index for November

Qatar was ranked 2nd in Arab world in ICT adoption in Global Competitiveness Report Special Edition 2020.

Metrash2 app records 7 million transactions this year: Official SIDI MOHAMED THE PENINSULA

Seven million transactions have been completed so far this year through the Ministry of Interior (MoI)'s e-service app Metrash2.

“The Ministry of Interior’s annual completed transactions have not been affected much by the coronavirus pandemic. This is due to the availability of most of the services on the Metrash 2 app,” said Brigadier Abdul Rahman Ali Al Farahid Al Malki, Assistant Director-General of Information Systems at the MoI. Speaking to Qatar Radio yesterday, Al Malki said, “During the peak of the pan-demic, we operated distinctly. We continued to provide our services to everyone through Metrash 2. Despite closing all service centres to prevent physical contact, we continued

to provide services to clients.”He said 2 million citizens

and residents used the app. Al Malki also noted that some users carried out multiple transactions, especially in fam-ilies where parents process documents for their children. Companies also carried out several operations for their workers and employees.

“Before we provide any service on Metrash2, we must make sure that the service is distinguished. Because the service is available to everyone, it must be easy to access and use,” Brigadier Al Malki said.

He said digital transactions come from the MoI’s vision and slogan to provide services without the need for physical contact and to be paperless.

All departments operate digitally in the ministry except for specific transactions. �P2

Kuwait expresses optimism over upcoming GCC SummitQNA — KUWAIT

The Kuwaiti Cabinet held yesterday its weekly session, chaired by Prime Minister of Kuwait H H Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al Hamad Al Sabah.

After the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Anas Al Saleh said in remarks carried by Kuwait News Agency that the Cabinet was briefed on the message received by Amir of

the State of Kuwait, H H Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, from Amir of Qatar, H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

In the letter, H H the Amir of Qatar expressed his appre-ciation to H H the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, for their sincere efforts to resolve the Gulf crisis.

The Cabinet, in this regard, expressed content

over the positive setting in which the Summit will be held, adding that it reflected the sense of responsibility and belief in the importance of enhancing GCC solidarity to face the grave challenges facing the region.

They also expressed their content regarding the prospects of the latest efforts in yielding positive results that enhances joint interests and leads to further prosperity.

Foreign Minister receives phone call from US Secretary of StateQNA — DOHA

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani received yesterday a phone call from US Secretary of State H E Mike Pompeo.

The call dealt with reviewing bilateral cooper-ation, the latest developments of the GCC crisis, as well as the latest developments in the region, particularly in Iraq, in addition to a number of issues of joint interest.

OFFICIAL NEWS

Doha: Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Deputy Amir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani sent yesterday cables of congratula-tions to President of the Republic of Burkina Faso H E Roch Marc Chris-tian Kabore, on the occasion of his swearing-in for a new presidential term. -QNA

Amir sends congratulations to Burkina Faso President

Prime Minister meets Indian minister

02 TUESDAY 29 DECEMBER 2020HOME

Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani met yesterday with Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India H E Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and the accompanying delegation, on the occasion of his visit to the country. During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral cooperation relations and ways of developing and strengthening them, in addition to discussing a number of issues of common concern.

Al Wakra Hospital holds workshop on research in health informaticsTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Al Wakra Hospital organised a series of workshops titled ‘Fundamentals of Research in Health Informatics’ as part of it’s efforts to encourage knowledge-sharing and improve competencies in the latest research methodologies among its staff.

The workshop, which was organised by Al Wakra Hospital’s Quality and Patient Safety Department in collaboration with the College of Science and Engineering (CSE) at

Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), gathered 24 specialized staff members from Al Wakra Hospital and HMC’s Corporate Quality and Patient Safety Department.

In a special celebration ceremony held at Al Wakra Hospital to mark the completion of the six-week training program, Acting CEO and Medical Director of Al Wakra Hos-pital, Dr. Sabah Al Kadhi honoured CSE faculty members who delivered the program for their efforts and contribution to the success of the training workshops.

Acting CEO and Medical Director of Al Wakra Hospital, Dr. Sabah Al Kadhi, honouring the lecturers.

122 people referred to Public Prosecution for not wearing masksQNA — DOHA

The designated authorities yesterday referred 122 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 infectious diseases, and the precautionary measures in force in the country to curb the spread of coronavirus.

QRCS officials meet RACA Director-GeneralTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Ali bin Hassan Al Hammadi, Secretary-General of Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS), received Ibrahim Abdullah Al Duhaimi, Director-General of the Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities (RACA).

The meeting was attended by Eng. Ibrahim Abdullah Al-Malki, CEO, Faisal Mohamed Al-Emadi, Executive Director of Relief and International Development Division, Muna Fadel Al-Sulaiti, Executive Director of Volunteering and Local Development Division, Dr. Fawzi Oussedik, Head of International Relations and International Humanitarian Law (IHL), Mohamed Jassim Al-Maslamani, Director of Compliance and Trans-parency, and Zahra Adnan Lafi, IHL Coordinator.

Al Hammadi welcomed the guest and commended the

efforts by RACA to facilitate and consolidate the credibility and transparency of Qatar’s local and international humanitarian action.

They discussed may topics related to the nature and opti-mized mechanisms of QRCS’s work.

Al Duhaimi stated that RACA had a regulatory,

supervisory, and supportive role for humanitarian opera-tions. He promised to continue to give every possible form of support. He praised QRCS’s contributions in Qatar and beyond. In the end of the meeting, the participants thanked each other for their mutual cooperation to serve humanity everywhere.

FROM LEFT: Ibrahim Abdullah Al Duhaimi, Ali bin Hassan Al Hammadi and Eng. Ibrahim Abdullah Al Maliki

Former Prime Minister receives COVID-19 vaccineTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Several top members of healthcare sector and noted personalities and senior officials continue to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, illustrating that the shots are safe and effective.

Former Prime Minister, H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani also received the COVID-19 vaccine yesterday as part of the vaccination target group in the first phase, according to the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). He was given the vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech that is being distributed throughout the country.

After receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, in a video message posted by the Ministry on its social media accounts, H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani thanked the wise leadership and those in charge of health sector for pro-viding the vaccine to citizens and residents for free.

The former Prime Minister has thanked the MoPH for the efforts taken to curb the spread of COVID-19 virus in the country since the beginning of the pandemic. He has also encouraged the eligible popu-lation to receive the vaccine.

A former minister, H E Dr Mohamed Abdel-Rahim Kafoud has received COVID-19 vaccine in the first stage. Dr Kavoud who received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine has emphasised the impor-tance of taking the vaccine to protect all members of society.

Qatar started the roll-out by vaccinating people of over 70 age and some healthcare staff on December 23. In the first phase of vaccination preference will be given to people over 70 years old, adults in chronic care and home care facilities, healthcare personnel most at risk of infection and people over 16 years of age with severe chronic diseases. The first phase of vaccination will con-tinue until January 31.

The draft law included the amendment of some provisions in order to enhance the ease of capital flow, remove obstacles, reduce time and cost, diversify non-oil income, develop market movement, and enhance international competitiveness in the field of establishing and operating companies.

Shura Council refers draft law on commercial companies to CommitteeQNA — DOHA

The Shura Council held its regular weekly meeting yesterday under the chair-manship of Speaker H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud.

The Council discussed a draft law amending some pro-visions of the Commercial Com-panies Law issued under Law No. 11 of 2015.

The draft law included the amendment of some provisions of the aforementioned law in order to enhance the ease of capital flow, remove obstacles, reduce time and cost, diversify non-oil income, develop market movement, and enhance inter-national competitiveness in the field of establishing and oper-ating companies.

The draft law also added

new provisions for the purposes of achieving the requirements of anti-money laundering and combating the financing of ter-rorism stipulated in the Law No. 20 of 2019 on combating money

laundering and terrorism financing.

The amendments stipulated that the Minister of Commerce and Industry shall issue deci-sions regulating governance for p r i v a t e j o i n t - s t o c k companies.

As for companies listed in the financial market, the authority shall issue decisions regulating their own gov-ernance, provided that the Board of Directors of the company is committed to implementing the aforemen-tioned governance decisions, taking into account that the companies’ incorporation doc-uments do not contain anything that contradicts with those decisions.

The amendments in the draft law specified how the members of the companys

board of directors should be elected and the requirements that must be met by a member of the board of directors.

The amendments included replacing some phrases and introducing definitions, in addition to the procedures for the meetings of the boards of directors of companies and their general assemblies. They also stipulated the possibility of holding the general assembly of the company through modern technology means in accordance with the rules determined by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

After the discussion, the Council decided to refer the aforementioned Draft Law to the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee to study it and submit a report thereon to the Council.

QNL to host Interlending and Document Supply ConferenceTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar National Library (QNL) has been selected to host the 17th International Federation of Library Associations and Insti-tutions' (IFLA) Interlending and Document Supply (ILDS) Conference in October 2021. The successful bid is the result of close cooperation with Qatar National Tourism Council, which provided support and commitment in promoting this event.

The ILDS conference will bring international delegates from around the world, to the Library to discuss innovative practices, strategies, and expe-riences in the field of inter-lending and document supply. The ILDS service is an integral component of the global infor-mation network, which consists of national, academic, public, private, and scientific libraries, provides users with access to print and digital collections in diverse languages and formats from around the world.

Minister of State and Pres-ident of Qatar National Library, H E Dr. Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari said: “Interlending and document supply is one of the cornerstones of any library’s operations, and con-tinued cooperation between institutions is critical to our ability to serve our users. By hosting the 2021 IFLA

Interlending and Document Supply Conference, the Library is reaffirming our support for this important field, and we look forward to welcoming delegates from around the world to participate in the se im portant discussions.”

Secretary-General of QNTC and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, H E Akbar Al Baker stated: “We are pleased to have won the bid to host the ILDS conference, as it further estab-lishes Qatar’s reputation in the knowledge space. Business events are a key part of our tourism strategy, and is an area showing sustained growth, allowing us to leverage Qatar’s offerings in education, research and knowledge. Through hosting events such as this, QNTC works with stakeholders to attract vis-itors to our shores and build a sustainable tourism sector. We look forward to welcoming ILDS delegates to Qatar next year for a holistic visitor experience rooted in service excellence and our tra-dition of hospitality.”

Director of Resource Sharing at OCLC and IFLA DDRS Section Chair, Peter Collins said:“The IFLA Doc-ument Delivery and Resource Sharing Section is excited to partner with Qatar National Library on the 17th Interlending and Document Supply Con-ference in Doha.

Qatar Airways and Oman Air agree on codeshare expansion

FROM PAGE 1

The codeshare expansion will significantly increase the number of destinations available to Oman Air passengers from three to 65 on the Qatar Airways’ network across Africa, the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, India, and the Middle East. Qatar Airways passengers will also benefit from additional connectivity, with the ability to book travel on an additional six destinations across Africa and Asia in Oman Air’s network. Both airlines will also explore a number of joint commercial and operational initiatives to further optimise their partnership.

Qatar Airways’ strategic investment in a variety of fuel-effi-cient, twin-engine aircraft, including the largest fleet of Airbus A350 aircraft, has enabled it to continue flying throughout this crisis and perfectly positions it to lead the sustainable recovery of international travel. The airline recently took delivery of three new state-of-the-art Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, increasing its total A350 fleet to 52 with an average age of just 2.6 years.

Due to COVID-19’s impact on travel demand, the airline has grounded its fleet of Airbus A380s as it is not environmentally justifiable to operate such a large, four-engine aircraft in the current market. Qatar Airways has also recently launched a new programme that enables passengers to voluntarily offset the carbon emissions associated with their journey at the point of booking.

Metrash2 apprecords 7 milliontransactions sofar this year

FROM PAGE 1The MoI has been keen to educate officers in the Infor-mation Systems Department through courses in this field to improve their ability on the job, Al Malki added.

The Metrash2 app offers more than 220 active services available in 6 languages, including Arabic, English, French, Malayalam, Urdu, and Spanish. It guarantees safe and encrypted services and supports most smart devices, which contributes to reaching the largest possible segment of users.

Katara to open Ibn Al Rayb Cultural Street on December 31THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Cultural Village Foundation-Katara has announced to open Ibn Al Rayb Cultural Street on December 31 with the participation of about 15 publishing houses and libraries.

The event which will continue until the summer, will be held in cooperation with the Qatar Forum for Publishers and Distributors, affiliated to the Ministry of Culture and Sports. Ibn Al Rayb Cultural Street is located behind the open theater, where 15 pavilions were built to hold an open-air book fair activity, away from closed halls, following COVID-19 measures.

Ibn Al Rayb Street will become like Al Mutanabi Street in the center of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, which was famous for being the first cultural market in Iraq. Ibn Al Rayb Cultural Street is expected to attract writers and intellectuals of various nationalities and become a permanent meeting place for them, especially in such a wonderful winter atmosphere. In addition to display the books of Qatari publishing houses, associated events will be held later when the COVID-19 pandemic is over, including cultural lectures and seminars related to the world of books, as well as celebrations to sign new pub-lications and shows for children. In opening the Ibn Al Rayb Cultural Street, Katara aims to facilitate readers’ access to Qatari publishing houses and keep up with all that is new to them in one place in a way that contributes to spreading the culture of reading and knowledge among all segments of society, and at the same time to support the efforts of local publishing houses.

GTA signs MoUs with banks to facilitate online tax payment

FROM PAGE 1

Chief Operating Officer and Executive General Manager at QNB Financial Services, Ali Rashid Al Mohannadi; General Manager and Head of Wholesale Banking at Masraf Al Rayan, Mohamed Isamil Al Emadi; CEO of Dukhan Bank, Khalid Youssef Al Subaei; and Deputy CEO of Al Ahli Bank, Mohamed Al Namla represented their respective banks at the MoU signing event.

Al Attiyah said the plan to link the authority with banks will gain momentum in the future, adding that the goal was to facil-itate the process of paying taxes electronically.

He added the banks were selected based on the readiness of their infrastructure to implement the process. He called on other banks to complete their infrastructure so that they can offer the same service in the future.

03TUESDAY 29 DECEMBER 2020 HOME

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met yesterday with Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India, H E Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who is currently visiting the country. They reviewed bilateral cooperation, particularly in the economic and investment field. The meeting also touched on the contribution of Indian labourers in the country and issues of common concern.

Qatar, India to boost ties furtherTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

India’s External Affairs M i n i s t e r H E D r . Subrahmanyam Jaishankar yesterday held detailed discussions with his Qatari counterpart on bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest.

Dr. S. Jaishankar paid a visit to Qatar on December 27-28, 2020. A statement issued by the Embassy of India yesterday said the Minister handed over a personal message to Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani from Prime Minister H E Narendra Modi inviting H H the Amir to visit India and thanking Qatar for taking care of the Indian community during COVID-19 pandemic. H H the Amir accepted the

invitation to visit India at an early date, the Embassy statement said.

The External Affairs Minister held detailed discussions with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on bilateral as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.

The Embassy statement further said that both the Ministers discussed ways to strengthen the multifaceted bilateral relationship in areas such as energy, trade, investment, food processing, healthcare, education, culture, defence and security. They agreed to maintain regular consultations and coordination on all issues of mutual interest at multilateral fora. The

External Affairs Minister extended invitation to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs to visit India for the first Joint Commission Meeting in 2021.

The Indian Minister interacted with the business leaders from Qatar, including the Chairmen and board members of Qatar Chamber and the Qatar Businessmen Association. The Minister held a virtual interaction with the Indian community in Qatar. He appreciated the contribution of the community in meeting the COVID-19 challenge.

The Minister visited the Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium that has been constructed by Indian company L&T along with Qatari partners Al Balagh Group. He also visited the Qatar National Museum.

Media plays effective role in national development process: Sheikh Dr. Khalid

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dar Al Sharq, Sheikh Dr. Khalid bin Thani Al Thani has stressed the importance of the media and its contribution to the national development process through which the State of Qatar is passing.

He also said, during a seminar and honouring cer-emony organised by Lusail news-paper recently on the occasion of the Qatar National Day, that this seminar is an important and successful step which aimed to review the State’s achievements in various sectors. The event was attended by Minister of Culture and Sports, H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali, in addition to many other officials from dif-ferent government entities.

Abdul Latif Abdullah Al Mahmoud, CEO of Dar Al Sharq; Jaber Al Harami, Deputy CEO of Dar Al Sharq; Dr. Khalid Mubarak Al-Shafi, Editor-in-Chief of The Peninsula; Mohamed Hajji,

Editor-in-Chief of Lusail; Sadiq Mohammad Al Amari, Editor-in-Chief of Al Sharq; and Abdullah Talib Al Marri, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Al Arab newspaper also attended the event. The Chairman of the Board of Directors called for continuing this approach through seminars and providing innovative media services that keep pace with the aspirations of the media scene in Qatar.

He also honoured a number of participants, praising their

distinguished participation during the seminar. The seminar highlighted the achievements made in Qatar during the past years.

The seminar, which was sponsored by the Qatar Press Center, aimed to review the nation’s achievements in all fields. It dealt with a number of main topics, such as the achievements of the various sectors during the past period, facing the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic in

some sectors and future plans and projects.

Among the officials who spoke in the event were Nasser Al Khater, CEO of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022; Fawzia Abdulaziz Al Khater, Assistant Undersecretary for Educational Affairs at the Ministry of Edu-cation and Higher Education; Ghanem Mubarak Al Kuwari, Assistant Undersecretary for Social Affairs at the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs; and

Mohamed Hassan Al Malki, Assistant Undersecretary for Industry Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) among others.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of Qatar Press Center, Saad bin Mohammad Al Romaihi called on the Qatari press and other media institu-tions to follow the example of Lusail newspaper through its participation in the National Achievements Seminar organised by the newspaper in cooperation with the Qatar Press Center to review the achievements of the State of Qatar in various fields on the occasion of Qatar National Day.

Al Romaihi, while receiving the honour by Lusail newspaper on the occasion of his partici-pation in the seminar, said: “I am pleased and honored by my brother and my colleague, Muhammad Hajji, the Editor-in-Chief of Lusail newspaper, who was able with his efforts

and his team’s support to bring together this large number of colleagues working in the gov-ernment of the State of Qatar.”

Al Romaihi added, “We thank Sheikh Dr. Khalid bin Thani Al Thani and all of you for this beau-tiful initiative that brought us together during my participation in the Lusail seminar.”

Saad bin Mohammad Al Romaihi called on Qatari news-papers and other media institu-tions to follow the example of Lusail, saying: “I hope that Qatari newspapers and other media institutions, including the Qatar Press Center, will adopt these ideas that support development projects in this beloved country.”

He added: “I also extend my sincere thanks to organising team of this seminar that they have made Qatar Press Center the official sponsor of this seminar. It was a good initiative, especially as it is the first project we have undertaken since the launch of this center.”

Carpets from Iran, sweets from Palestine, winter jackets handmade from Morocco, perfumes from Kuwait, and jewellery pieces from Lebanon and Turkey—the fair holds a treat for everyone. Also, products made in Qatar are available to help the local market grow.

Local, foreign goods on show at Doha Winter Trade FairAYENI OLUSEGUN THE PENINSULA

The Doha Winter Trade Fair has seen a vast turnout of shoppers, according to Fair Supervisor Abdulrahman Salim. The fair, organised by Seqlia and Qatar Marketers at the Doha Events and Exhibition Centre (DECC), aims to showcase Made in Qatar items and products from around the Middle East and North Africa region; it will run until tomorrow.

Carpets from Iran, sweets from Palestine, winter jackets handmade from Morocco, per-fumes from Kuwait, and jewelry pieces from Lebanon and Turkey—the fair holds a treat for everyone. Also, products made in Qatar are available to help the local market grow.

“This exhibition is a trade fair for luxurious items from clothes for men and women, especially winter collection. Many people import goods to sell here, and it’s easy for shoppers because you find eve-rything under one roof,” Abdul-rahman told The Peninsula.

“We are promoting Qatari products under the Made in Qatar theme. People from other

parts of the world come here to promote their products, so we thought why don’t we do our here also. So far, the turnout has been encouraging,” he added.

With the success of the fair so far, Abdulrahman said another exhibition would be held in January with more vari-eties of items to be made available for shoppers.

“The next part of this exhi-bition will be from January 22, which will be a trade fair with more options for goods. There will be varieties to cater to the consumers’ needs. We have provided local businesses and some home-based businesses a platform for them to showcase

their products. A lot of them are online sellers, so here, they can interact with shoppers.”

A stall manager at the fair selling handmade winter jackets and winter clothing items said he had received orders for some items that are now out of stock.

“We don’t have a particular

location for business. We mostly operate on social media and then deliver the goods to our cus-tomers. The patronage has been good since the first day, and we had a lot of sales during the weekend,” the manager said.

Meanwhile, citizens and residents are taking the fair as an opportunity to unwind with

family and friends, especially with the coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions.

“It’s a nice fair. There are some lovely items here, and I particularly like the carpets from Iran. The texture and pat-terns are nice, and they are affordable,” said Ahmed, a long-term Doha resident.

A view of Doha Winter Trade Fair 2020 at Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC). PIC: ABDUL BASIT/ THE PENINSULA

Sheikh Dr. Khalid bin Thani Al Thani, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dar Al Sharq, along with Abdul Latif Abdullah Al Mahmoud, CEO of Dar Al Sharq; Jaber Al Harami, Deputy CEO of Dar Al Sharq; Dr. Khalid Mubarak Al-Shafi, Editor-in-Chief of The Peninsula; Mohamed Hajji, Editor-in-Chief of Lusail; Sadiq Mohammed Al Amari, Editor-in-Chief of Al Sharq; and Abdullah Talib Al Marri, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Al Arab and other officials during a seminar and honouring ceremony organised recently by Lusail newspaper on the occasion of Qatar National Day.

MoPH reports 149 more recoveries from COVID-19THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) yesterday announced the registration of 160 new confirmed COVID-19. Among them 49 were travellers returning from abroad.

Also 149 people have recovered from the virus, bringing the total number of recovered cases in Qatar to 141,015. All new cases have been introduced to isolation and are receiving necessary healthcare according to their health status. The total number of positive COVID-19 cases recorded in Qatar is 143,222 and there are 1,963 active cases under treatment.

However the Ministry has stressed it is important for eve-ryone to play their role in con-trolling the virus by following precautionary measures including adherence to p h y s i c a l d i s t a n c i n g , avoid close contact with others, crowded places, and confined closed spaces where other people congregate, wearing a face mask and washing hands regularly.

04 TUESDAY 29 DECEMBER 2020HOME

We follow this artist and we love his works so we invited him to exhibit them for the first time in Al Markhiya and in Qatar. We put up four major exhibitions during the art season which runs from October till April, and this exhibition is one of them.

Anas Ktit Art Coordinator of Al Markhiya Gallery

One of the most important things that these foals need is a person who cares for them, who is interested, and motivated, and who can pay attention to and be by their side.

Dr. Camilla A. JamiesonSenior Clinical Veterinarian Internal Medicine, EVMC

Most respondents are optimistic about their ability to stick to their resolutions. More than two in five of those who made New Year’s resolutions for 2020 (41%) said they achieved all of them, and 33% achieved some of their resolutions for the year.

Some 25 percent of WeQual award winners have, since their award win, been promoted to the global executive committees of FTSE and Fortune 500 companies.

Ooredoo’s Chief Strategy Officer scoops top accoladeTHE PENINSULA - DOHA

Ooredoo’s Chief Strategy Officer, Munera Al Dosari, has been honoured with an award at the recent WeQual Awards 2020.

Munera Al Dosari won in the Strategy Development Cat-egory of the WeQual Awards, designed to promote diversity and gender equality within the group executive committees of Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) ’s largest companies. The WeQual organisation

founded by Briton Katie Litch-field aims to identify and rec-ognise female executives ranked a level below group C-suite to support them to take up positions in C-suites.

Twenty-four finalists were selected from an extensive list of potential candidates. The finalists were assessed against seven criteria; leadership, cog-nitive ability, integrity, drive and resilience, equality, knowledge of the business, and personal development. All can-didates were assessed blind, with no details of name or company shared in their application.

Finalists were then invited for a 30-minute interview with a panel of judges drawn from several different high-profile companies across various industries, including JP Morgan, Rolls Royce, Centrica, and Zurich.

Being listed as a finalist in the WeQual awards enables candidates to access a range of WeQual support services and networks designed to support a move to the group executive level.

Some 25 percent of WeQual award winners have, since their award win, been promoted to the global executive com-mittees of FTSE and Fortune 500 companies.

Director PR at Ooredoo Sabah Rabiah Al-Kuwari, said: “We’re delighted that our col-league Munera has been rec-ognised for her outstanding contribution to strategy devel-opment at Ooredoo. Munera is an incredibly valuable member of our senior management team and a role model to many aspirational young Qatari women, thanks to her talent, dedication, and commitment to her career. We look forward to seeing Munera progress yet further, and we’re sure she will be an asset to Ooredoo in the years to come.”

Munera Al Dosari

Mena professionals to target remote jobs in 2021THE PENINSULA – DOHA

A new survey by Bayt.com spot-lights the career goals Mena professionals will focus on in 2021. The 2021 New Year’s Resolutions Poll reveals that most Mena professionals (80%) feel positive about 2021, and 74% of the survey respondents have made resolutions for the new year.

Most respondents are opti-mistic about their ability to stick to their resolutions. More than two in five of those who made New Year’s resolutions for 2020 (41%) said they achieved all of them, and 33% achieved some of their resolutions for the year.

Furthermore, 78% of survey respondents complete their New Year’s resolutions with careful planning and hard work, while 16% do it by going with the flow and trying different options. Only 7% of profes-sionals don’t normally complete their New Year’s resolutions.

Al though 70% of respondents are satisfied with their career growth during the past year, finding a new job emerges as the top career-related resolution for 75% of respondents, followed by improving skills and produc-tivity (15%) and getting a pro-motion or salary raise (8%).

While looking for new jobs in 2021, prospective candidates will focus on key attributes, including career growth oppor-tunities (38%), flexible work arrangements (25%), compet-itive salaries (14%), work-life balance (14%), and a reputable company brand (8%). A whopping 81% will spend more time looking for remote jobs in 2021, using online job sites (77%), company websites (10%), social media (7%), and virtual job fairs (2%). Survey respondents also highlighted expectations they have of Mena employers – which include more training and learning resources (56%), offering more rewards and benefits (19%),

providing more feedback and support (11%), and being more flexible with timing (7%).

“Career-related New Year’s resolutions are popular among MENA professionals who aim to improve their career pros-pects in the coming year,” said Ola Haddad, Director of Human Resources at Bayt.com.

“Our research shows that getting a new job is amongst professionals’ top New Year’s resolutions, and many profes-sionals will begin 2021 with great aspirations. To attract and retain talent, employers will need to meet workers’ career expectations and provide the perks, work-life balance, and career advancement opportu-nities they demand.”

One way to achieve

professional goals at work is through an appraisal, which allows employees to discuss their performance, identify strengths and weaknesses, dis-cover their ambitions, and work on how to get there. A majority of respondents (63%) have year-end appraisals at their company, while only 21% don’t. Assessments offer an oppor-tunity to build professionals’ careers and perhaps lead to a pay increase.

Furthermore, most Mena professionals are focused on improving aspects that directly impact the quality of their lives. Among professionals who are making personal resolutions, popular ones are saving money (64%), exercising and following a healthy diet (17%), spending more time with friends and family (10%), and taking more vacations (3%).

Data for the 2021 New Year’s Resolutions Poll was collected online from 28 October to 20 December 2020. Results are based on a sample of 4062 respondents from the following countries: UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, and others.

Ola Haddad, Director of Human Resources at Bayt.com

Qatar Foundation’s EVMC offers a unique volunteer opportunity for university studentsTHE PENINSULA – DOHA

Students at Qatar Foundation have a unique opportunity to learn more about veterinary medicine through an educa-tional volunteer program designed to equip them with the skills and knowledge they need to help take care of critically ill neonatal equine patients.

The volunteer program, offered by the Equine Veter-inary Medical Center (EVMC), a Qatar Foundation (QF) member, the Foal Sitting Project aims to engage uni-versity students providing critical and intensive care for newborn foals, who are either sick with infectious disease, or who have had birth trauma, and need a lot of support during the first 24 to 48 hours through the first two weeks of their lives.

Senior Clinical Veterinarian, Internal Medicine, EVMC, Dr.

Camilla A. Jamieson said,“one of the most important things that these foals need is a person who cares for them, who is interested, and motivated, and who can pay attention to and be by their side.

“These foals are baby animals and just like baby people. They need stimulation,

interaction, and support. And just the warmth of having somebody who can give them a few hours of dedicated undi-vided attention is vital for their healing process and makes them much happier.

“We have an amazing opportunity as we are affiliated

with a number of universities and may have many people who are interested in horses, or who are looking to pursue an equine or veterinary related career, and we thought we can harness this resource through offering a volunteer opportunity”.

According to Dr. Jamieson, foal sitters do not need to have any previous experience in vet-erinary medicine, and volun-teering students regardless of their major or area of studies are welcome.

“There is no experience necessary. Loving horses is the only prerequisite and the only requirement. You don’t need to be a vet or highly qualified, but just a person who cares for horses. We will be there to guide and train them,” said Dr. Jamieson.Describing her expe-rience as a volunteer and foal sitter, Zainab Qazi, a student at Georgetown University in Qatar, QF partner university, said: “It has been a wonderful and truly unique experience for me. I never thought I would get the opportunity to closely interact and engage with a baby horse, but the foal sitting project made that possible for me.

“I was able to learn more about them from the EVMC medical professionals and I had no concerns regarding safety due to the enforcement of extensive precautionary measures. I would highly rec-ommend this project to all QF students since it was a truly rewarding and valuable expe-rience for me.”

Speaking about the impact that this program will have for the future, Dr. Jamieson said: “It is an amazing opportunity, especially for anybody who wants to do something in the equine or veterinary field, a student who wants to be a vet or a veterinary nurse, or even someone interested in horse training or breeding work.

“I would hope that we can guide some people and give them the inspiration, or help them realize that they really want to pursue a career in an equine or veterinary field.”

Dr. Camilla A JamiesonA student with horse during the volunteer program.

IFC holds condolence meeting for former community leaderTHE PENINSULA – DOHA

A virtual condolence meeting was held recently by the Indian Friends Circle (IFC) on the demise of Syed Yacoob Shamia, ex-president of Ideal Indian School Qatar. Over 500 people attended the event.

The late personality held various positions in his lifetime, including the GM of Rabban Group of Companies, Secretary of IFC (formerly known as Halqe Rufaqa-e-Hind), Member, Halqae Adab Islami, and members of various other social, educational and welfare organisations in Qatar and India.

The meeting started with the recitation from the Holy Quran by Engineer Abdur-rahman Shamsi, followed by its Urdu translation.

Dr. A Saleem delivered a keynote address on the life and achievements of Late Syed Yacoob Shamia.

He hailed the late Shamia as a social worker, philan-thropist, and educationist, who left a huge impact in a very short time.

He said Shamia partici-pated in several high-value construction projects in Qatar

during his professional career spanning over a half-century.

As an educationist, he played a vital role in con-structing new buildings of Ideal Indian School, Doha, and Jamia Darul Huda, Hyderabad. Sensing the need for another Indian school in Doha, he played an instrumental role in establishing the Ideal Indian School in 1985. Later he became its president for two consecutive terms.

President of Ideal Indian School, Dr. Hassan Kunhi M P, said the late Shamia was a thorough gentleman and always ready to help others. Dr. Kunhi said the new school building at Abu Hamour stands testimony to Shamia’s contribution.

President of Shantiniketan Indian School, Qatar K C Abdul Latheef, hailed Shamia for his good deeds adding that he learned a lot from the late philanthropist.

Maulana Mohammed Rah-matullah, Syed Shakir Mohiuddin, and Sajid Ahmed, former presidents of IFC; Maulana Mahboob Nizami, Dr. Noman Razvi, and Waheed Dad Khan also talked about Shamia.

Lebanese artistdepicts four seasonsin 25 paintingsRAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULA

Issa Halloum had developed a deep grasp of nature from a young age through solitary communion with the envi-ronment, evident in his 25 paintings on show at “Seasons Melodies” exhibition which marks the Lebanese painter’s first solo show in Qatar.

In particular, the exhibition unveiled yesterday at Al Markhiya Gallery at Doha Fire Station is an interpretation of the four seasons, their colours and textures, as well as the activities people are preoc-cupied with as seasons change.

“We follow this artist and we love his works so we invited him to exhibit them for the first time in Al Markhiya and in Qatar. We put up four major exhibitions during the art season which runs from

October till April, and this exhi-bition is one of them,” Art Coor-dinator of Al Markhiya Gallery Anas Ktit explained to The Peninsula yesterday.

With the artist’s interesting

concept coupled with his dis-tinct technique in painting using oil, the gallery chose to present this solo exhibition as Al Markhiya Gallery’s second major offering for this exhi-bition season, said Ktit.

“There are 25 pieces in dif-ferent sizes on display, including three big paintings comprising two parts each, as well as medium and small pieces, all of which related to the four seasons - winter, spring, summer and fall - and people’s activities,” he added.

The three huge paintings Ktit was referring to are panoramic works “The Beginning of Autumn”, “Harvest of Wheat” and “Baalbek Souq” which are among the main highlights of the show.

The artist makes extraor-dinary paintings of otherwise mundane subjects like a rose by the window or empty chairs with his mastery in colour lay-ering and composition leaving a strong emotional impact on the viewer. Green fields, yellow meadows and immaculately white snowy valley are depicted with such textures and colours which almost go beyond the canvas.

Born in Kuwait, Halloum takes inspiration mainly from the rural Lebanese region of Bekaa which is abundant in nature reflected in many of his paintings.

“Art has provided a safe haven for me since l was a little child. When l was young, I didn’t enjoy games and toys like other children, instead I escaped from reality by medi-tating in nature and visualizing in my mind, the energy I found there,” said Halloum.

Feeling nature’s soft and harsh textures, seeing vivid colours, and experiencing the changing light of day brought ecstasy to the artist’s young mind inspiring him to use colours to convey these expe-riences like a visual memory.

“Seasons Melodies” is open to the public with COVID-19 safety precautions from 9am to 7pm Saturday to Thursday until February 4.

“Baalbek Souq” (left) and “Rooster Crow” by Issa Halloum.

“The Beginning of Autumn” by Issa Halloum. PICS: RAYNALD C RIVERA/THE PENINSULA

05TUESDAY 29 DECEMBER 2020 MIDDLE EAST

Lebanon is reeling from a historic economic crisis that has left the highly indebted government short on cash and foreign currency.

Iran says not seeking to increase tensions with USAFP — TEHRAN

Iran warned Israel yesterday not to cross its “red lines” in the Gulf in the final days of Donald Trump’s presidency and following a reported Israeli submarine deployment.

Foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh stressed Tehran would defend itself against any American military “adventure” in the runup to the January 20 handover of power

in Washington.The statement came a week

after the US Navy announced a nuclear submarine was being deployed to the Gulf, in a new show of force directed at Iran.

Media in Israel have since reported that an Israeli sub-marine has crossed the Suez Canal also headed for the Gulf, a report that has not been offi-cially confirmed or denied.

“Everyone knows what the Persian Gulf signifies for Iran,”

Khatibzadeh told an online news conference.

“Everyone knows the pol-icies (of Tehran) regarding security and national security... Everyone knows very well how high the risk is raised if the red lines of Iran are crossed.”

Tehran accuses its regional foe Israel of responsibility for several anti-Iranian operations, including the assassination last month of nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

The United States, for its part, has accused Iran of involvement in a rocket attack last week near its Baghdad embassy, as Tehran prepares to mark the first anniversary of the killing of top Iranian com-mander Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike in January.

“We have sent messages to the US government and our friends in the region (warning) the current US regime not to embark on a new adventure in

its final days at the White House,” said Khatibzadeh.

He said Iran was not seeking to increase tension and called for “rational people in Wash-ington” to take the same line until President-elect Joe Biden replaces Trump in the White House. Decades-old tensions between Washington and Tehran have soared since 2018, when Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear deal.

Lebanon President Michel Aoun meets with caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, yesterday.

Russia reinforces troops in northern SyriaREUTERS — MOSCOW/ANKARA

Russia said late on Sunday it had sent more military police to an area in northern Syria where fighters backed by Turkey have clashed with Kurdish forces near a strategic highway patrolled by Russian and Turkish troops.

The deployment comes ahead of talks in Russia today (Tuesday) between Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu. They are expected to focus in part on Syria, where Turkey backs rebels opposed to President Bashar Al Assad, while Russia supports Assad’s forces.

Battles between Turkey-backed fighters and Kurdish forces erupted this month near the town of Ain Issa, which sits on the M4 highway that links major Syrian cities.

Turkish forces and their

Syrian insurgent allies seized territory in the region in an offensive last year against the Kurdish YPG militia, which holds swathes of northern and eastern Syria.

A senior Turkish defence source said Ankara would use today’s meeting to push its

demand for the withdrawal of the YPG, which it calls a ter-rorist organisation.

“The YPG must definitely leave Ain Issa and there is a readiness to take every kind of step to this end,” the source said, requesting anonymity.

The YPG forms the military

backbone of the Syrian Demo-cratic Forces (SDF) alliance which in recent years defeated Islamic State in northeast Syria with the help of US air power.

Ankara says the YPG is close to militants fighting an insur-gency in southeast Turkey.

The Russian defence min-istry said it had sent more mil-itary police to the area on Sunday. “Earlier, during nego-tiations with the Turkish side, agreements were reached on the deployment of joint Russian-Syrian observation posts. Additional units of the Russian military police have arrived in the Ain Issa area today (Sunday) to step up efforts to stabilise the situation,” it said.

Moscow, whose warplanes also patrol the area, called on both sides to stop shelling each other and de-escalate.

It said it had not detected shelling from Turkish-backed fighters in the last 24 hours.

Lebanon secures vaccinesfor 20% of its citizensAP — BEIRUT

Lebanon’s health minister said yesterday his country has reserved nearly 2 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to fight the coronavirus, an amount that covers up to 20% of Lebanese.

Hamad Hassan said in a news conference his gov-ernment has been negotiating with the company to acquire the vaccines and that they are expected to be in Lebanon by February. The deal was expected to be signed later yesterday.

Lebanon is reeling from a historic economic crisis that has left the highly indebted gov-ernment short on cash and foreign currency. Foreign donors and supporters have refrained from bankrolling the government deficit demanding major reforms, which have

failed to materialise because of political jockeying among the country’s multiple power centres and sectarian groups.

Assem Araji, the lawmaker who heads the parliamentary health committee, said the deal being negotiated is for $18 a dose, a price that takes into con-sideration Lebanon’s economic troubles. The $27m deal would secure 1.5 million vaccines while the country negotiates to receive closer to 2 million.

Araji said the government is to pay a $4m deposit at signing, expected yesterday. It hopes to cover the rest with a World Bank loan that has been diverted to cover expenses related to the pandemic.

Lebanon has also signed up for another 1.5 million vaccines with COVAX, the World Health Organization-led partnership with humanitarian organisa-tions that aims to provide

vaccines for up to 20% of the population of poor countries hit hard by the pandemic. Lebanon has deposited $4.3m to secure the COVAX vaccines, Araji said.

Both vaccines would be offered for free in Lebanon.

Commercially, hospitals and pharmacies can provide their own vaccines, Araji said.

Lebanon has a population of nearly 6 million, including over 1 million Syrian refugees. Araji said UN agencies would cover the refugee population.

The country has seen a

surge in coronavirus cases in recent weeks that has driven the number of reported infections to over 170,000 and more than 1,300 deaths. Lebanon’s health sector is also under strain amid the economic crunch and fol-lowing this summer’s massive explosion in Beirut that tempo-

rarily knocked a number of hos-pitals out of service.

The government resigned in the wake of the August 4 explosion, and is acting in a caretaker capacity, requiring approval from the president before signing the commercial deal with Pfizer.

Lebanon has 12 refrigerators in which the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine can be stored between minus 80 degree Celsius and minus 60 degrees Celsius (minus 112° Fahrenheit and minus 76° Fahrenheit), and WHO has promised six more, Araji said.

A joint Russian-Turkish patrol advances in the countryside of the Syrian town of Al Jawadiyah, in Hasakeh province, on December 24.

Iran gas firmcuts suppliesto Iraq over$6bn debtREUTERS — DUBAI

Iran’s state gas company said yesterday it had slashed supplies to neighbouring Iraq over arrears of more than $6bn, after the Iraqi electricity ministry said the cuts placed Baghdad and other cities at risk of serious power shortages.

“The Iraqi Ministry of Elec-tricity owes more than $5bn in gas bills to the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), of which $3bn remains blocked and inaccessible in...TBI (Trade Bank of Iraq), and more than $2bn is overdue debt,” NIGC said in a statement. Iran has been unable to access billions of dollars in assets in several countries due to US sanctions. “In addition, the Iraqi side owes more than $1 billion to the National Iranian Gas Company for contractual of fenses under the agreement,” said the NIGC statement, published by the Iranian oil ministry’s news agency SHANA.

The feared electricity shortages could place further pressure on the government of Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi.

Iran’s Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian is scheduled to visit Baghdad today to discuss the unpaid bills with his Iraqi coun-terpart, an Iraqi official said on Sunday.

Washington has repeatedly extended a sanctions exemption to allow Baghdad to import Iranian energy.

Iran to get vaccine from philanthropists in 3 weeksAGENCIES — TEHRAN

Iran’s Red Crescent Society said it will take delivery of a batch of coro-navirus vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE within three weeks.

Some 150,000 shots of the vaccine will be sent to Iran “in col-laboration with a group of philan-thropists in the United States,” the organization’s director, Karim Hemmati, was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency. It did not provide further details.

In an earlier statement, Hemmati said his organisation was in talks for

1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from China.

Iran’s Health Ministry says it needs over 40 million doses of vaccine to fight the pandemic, which has killed more than 54,000 people with 1.2 million infections in the country.

Iran has signed up for COVAX, an international programme designed to distribute coronavirus vaccines to participating countries regardless of their wealth. It's run in part by Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance. which says the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control has already issued a license for Iran to take part.

The US Treasury has not reacted

to Iran's participation.The chief of Iran's central bank,

Abdolnasser Hemmati, told state TV last week that Iran had received approval to transfer a $244m payment through an unnamed bank in a "third country” to obtain nearly 17 million doses of vaccines from COVAX.

Under COVAX rules, Iran could at a maximum order enough doses to vaccinate half of its 82 million people.

President Hassan Rouhani said Saturday that Iran would refuse to make the COVAX payment through US financial institutions for fear of confiscation.

Saudi Arabia suspends passenger flights by a week; foreigners allowed to departAFP — RIYADH

Saudi Arabia has extended its suspension of commercial passenger flights by at least one week and possibly two amid concerns over a new variant of the coronavirus.

Saudi Arabi will however allow flights in “exceptional cases”, an interior ministry official said according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Sunday.

Foreigners will be allowed to depart the kingdom and cargo movement will be permitted, it added.

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman suspended passenger flights and banned entry and exit via their land and sea borders last week after a new

strain of the novel coronavirus appeared in Britain.

Oman and Kuwait said they plan to lift the ban on December 29 and January 1, respectively.

“Saudi Arabia decided to extend the aforementioned measures for another week to continue assessing the situation and to ensure safety of citizens and expatriates,” said the SPA report.

Earlier this month, the kingdom kicked off a COVID-19 vaccination campaign, using the Pfizer-BioNTech jab. Saudi Arabia has so far recorded more than 362,000 cases, including more than 6,000 deaths — the highest among the Gulf Arab states — but has also reported a high recovery rate.

Virus cases in Oman reach128,563AGENCIES — MUSCAT

The Omani Ministry of Health announced yesterday that the total of number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the Sultanate has reached 128,563.

The total number of deaths due to COVID-19 reached 1,495, at a rate of 1.17 percent, while the recoveries stood at 121,182, bringing the recoveries rate to 94.2 percent, the Ministry said in a statement issued by Oman News Agency.

One Patient has been iso-lated in hospital due to infec-tions in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 86, while patients in the intensive care units reached 37, the Ministry added.

Meanwhile, data from the National Centre for Statistics and Information showed that Oman’s expatriate worker population fell by more than 270,000, or nearly 16%, from the end of 2019 to November 2020,

Oman had 1.44 million non-Omani workers as of November, according to the data, down from 1.71 million expatriate workers at the end of last year.

Many foreign workers have left Gulf countries this year as their economies were simultaneously hit by the coronavirus pandemic and the drop in oil demand and prices that came with it.

06 TUESDAY 29 DECEMBER 2020HOME

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07TUESDAY 29 DECEMBER 2020 AFRICA

The clashes over the weekend in the town of Gereida in South Darfur province pitted the Fallata tribe against the Arab Masalit.

Darfur clashes kill 15 amid calls for peacekeepers to stayAP — CAIRO

Tribal clashes in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region have killed at least 15 people in recent days, forcing authorities to deploy more troops, the state-run news agency reported.

The violence came as thou-sands of displaced people pro-tested against a decision by the UN Security Council to end the mandate of a UN-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur and replace it with a smaller political mission.

The clashes over the weekend in the town of Gereida in South Darfur province pitted

the Fallata tribe against the Arab Masalit. The unrest poses a challenge to authorities in the capital, Khartoum, who are trying to end the country’s long-running rebellions as part of a fragile transition to democracy following last year’s overthrow of President Omar Al Bashir.

Al Bashir waged a scorched-earth campaign against rebels in Darfur in the early 2000s. Some 300,000 people were killed and 2.7 million were for-cibly displaced.

The International Criminal Court later charged Al Bashir and others with genocide and crimes against humanity.

The latest violence comes amid tensions between military and civilian authorities, who are sharing power in a transitional government. Civilian leaders are demanding greater control and oversight over the military’s economic assets, built up over

decades of internal conflicts.The violence was linked to

a dispute over a water source, Omar Al Malek, a local leader, was quoted as saying by the state-run SUNA news agency late Sunday.

It said the Fallata retaliated after two of its tribesmen were slain, killing at least 13 members of the Masalit and wounding at least 34 others.

Mahdi Musa, the governor of South Darfur, said authorities have deployed troops to help detain those implicated in the fighting. “The era of reconcili-ation conferences is over, and the era of enforcing the law has

come,” he was quoted as saying by SUNA. He was referring to recent negotiations to settle the dispute.

The clashes came after the UN Security Council voted unanimously last week not to extend the mandate of the joint mission, known as UNAMID, when it runs out on December 31. The UNAMID force, estab-lished in 2007, was the first joint UN-AU peacekeeping oper-ation. Its withdrawal is expected to be completed by June 30.

The decision by the Security Council led to renewed protests on Saturday and Sunday by thousands of people across the

Sudan’s western region. The protesters, mostly dis-

placed women and children, want the peacekeepers to stay.

Adam Regal, a spokesman for a local organization that helps run refugee camps in Darfur, said the UNAMID exit would create a “security vacuum” in a region with several active militias.

In an interview with AP earlier this month, Jeremiah Mamabolo, the joint UN-African Union envoy for Darfur, said the transitional government in Khartoum needs to embark on the “huge task” of gaining the trust of the local people.

Ethiopia detains journalist covering Tigray conflictBLOOMBERG

Ethiopian authorities arrested a Reuters cameraman on Christmas eve and will detain him for at least two weeks, his employer said.

Kumerra Gemechu was arraigned in court but is yet to be charged, Reuters Editor-in-Chief Stephen J Adler said in a statement.

“Kumerra’s work demon-strates his professionalism and impartiality, and we are aware of no basis for his detention,” Adler said.

“Journalists must be allowed to report the news in the public interest without fear of harassment or harm, wherever they are.”

Kumerra was covering a

conflict between federal troops and forces aligned to the dis-sident Tigray People’s Liber-ation Front in the north of the country.

His arrest follows gov-ernment pressure on other journalists working for inter-national news outlets, including Reuters photographer Tiksa Negeri, who was beaten by

federal police officers on December 16, the news agency said.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government said it routed the TPLF, which domi-nated the government for nearly three decades, from Tigray after it attacked a federal army base. There have been heavy casu-alties during the conflict.

Reuters cameraman Kumerra Gemechu

Sudan paramilitaryopens probe ofintelligence chiefAFP — KHARTOUM

A powerful Sudanese paramil-itary group has referred its intelligence chief and other personnel for questioning over the arrest and killing of a man earlier this month, state media said yesterday.

Political activist Bahaa Eddine Nouri, 45, was snatched on December 16 from a cafe in the southern Khartoum district of Kalakla by men in plain clothes who were driving a vehicle without license plates, according to local media.

Days later, his family found his body bearing signs of torture at a hospital morgue in Omdurman, the capital’s twin city, triggering a public outcry.

“The Rapid Support Forces head of intelligence services and officers involved in the arrest of Bahaa Eddine Nouri were referred to investigation,” the SUNA news agency reported, quoting RSF spokesman Jamal Jumaa, but without providing any names for the arrested personnel.

“The RSF extended condo-lences over the death of Bahaa Eddine Nouri who died fol-lowing his arrest by the RSF’s intelligence services,” SUNA added. The reason for Nouri’s arrest has still not been disclosed.

Sudan is undergoing a rocky political transition fol-lowing the military’s April 2019 ouster of autocrat Omar Al Bashir amid unprecedented protests against his three-decade-rule.

On Sunday, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) — an umbrella group which spearheaded the anti-Bashir protests — called in a statement for renewed demonstrations, if the government and RSF failed to take action against Nouri’s killers within 15 days.

Protests in Sudan continued for months after Bashir’s downfall, eventually forcing the military into power-sharing with civilians in a fractious three-year t rans i t ion arrangement that began in August last year.

South Africa logs 1 million virus casesAFP — JOHANNESBURG

South Africa has become the first African nation to record one million coronavirus cases, according to new data published by the country's health ministry on Sunday.

Currently suffering a second wave of infections, of which the majority are a new variant of the coronavirus, South Africa is the hardest hit country on the African continent, with 1,004,413 infections and 26,735 deaths, the data showed.

As of 1900 GMT on Sunday, a total 2,658,646 cases were recorded in Africa and 62,649 fatalities, according to an AFP tally.

Last week, South Africa recorded a daily average of 11,700 new infections, up 39 percent over the previous week.

For three consecutive days, from Wednesday until Friday, the daily number of new cases topped 14,000, but dropped sharply again on Saturday and Sunday.

Authorities are considering reimposing restrictions to rein in the spread of the virus, and president Cyril Ramaphosa could give a television address later this week.

Morocco is the second

hardest hit African country, with 432,079 cases and 7,240 deaths, followed by Egypt with 131,315 cases and 7,352 fatal-ities, Tunisia with 130,230 infections and 4,426 deaths and Ethiopia with 122,413 and 1,901 respectively.

Africa has not been as hard

hit by the coronavirus as other regions, such as Europe with more than 25 million infec-tions, the United States with 19.5 million, Latin America and the Caribbean with 15 million, Asia with 13.7 million and the Middle East with close to four million.

A medical staff cleans part of the special COVID-19 ward at Arwyp Medical Centre in Kempton Park, South Africa, on December 25.

Burkina Faso President vows push for security at inaugurationAFP — OUAGADOUGOU

The new president of Burkina Faso, Roch Marc Christian Kabore, vowed to make security his priority yesterday after he took the helm of the troubled Sahel country for a second term.

“I intend to win the wager of providing security and sta-bility for our country and ensure displaced people return to their homes,” the 63-year-old said after taking the oath of office at a sports stadium in the capital Ouagadougou before 10 African heads of state and 1,200 guests.

Kabore acknowledged the scale of damage wrought by militancy, who extended their campaign from neighbouring Mali in 2015.

At least 1,200 people have been killed and a million of Burkina’s population of 20.5 million have fled their homes.

Swathes of the country are out of the government’s control.

“These last five years, our country has been targeted by armed terrorist groups, whose actions have disrupted our search for development, our social unity and our communal life,” Kabore said.

He vowed to launch a “broad consultation” in the coming months over “setting down ways towards national conciliation”.

It would take into account “political, economic and blood crimes that, from (inde-pendence from France in) 1960 to this very day have continued to poison relationships.” Kabore, first elected in 2015, won a landslide 57.74 percent of the vote on November 22, obviating the need for a runoff.

His inauguration was attended by several opposition candidates who initially claimed that the vote was

flawed before acknowledging Kabore’s victory.

They included opposition leader Eddie Komboigo, head of ousted president Blaise Com-paore’s party.

Compaore was chased out of office in 2014 by a public revolt. He took refuge in Ivory Coast but remains subject to an arrest warrant issued under an investigation into the assassi-nation of charismatic leader Thomas Sankara in 1987.

Compaore’s 27-year reign is regarded fondly by many Burkinabe, who recall it as a time of stability and see Kabore as being too slow to respond to the militant threat.

Komboigo picked up a sizeable 15 percent of the pres-idential vote and his party placed second in legislative elections that were also held on November 22. Kabore’s MPP party won 56 out of 127 seats in the National Assembly.

Uganda oppn saysban on ralliesfavours PresidentBLOOMBERG

A ban on political campaign rallies in some parts of Uganda ahead of the January 14 elec-tions is meant to stymie Pres-ident Yoweri Museveni’s rivals, according to the opposition.

The Electoral Commis-sion’s suspension of campaign meetings in at least 12 of Uganda’s 146 districts is expected to hamper Musev-eni’s main challenger, pop star Bobi Wine, who’s yet to hold rallies in those areas, his spokesman, Joel Ssenyonyi, said yesterday by phone from the capital, Kampala.

The agency says the ban is to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Museveni, who’s ruled the East African nation for 34 years, has already toured most of the affected areas, Ssenyonyi said.

Bobi Wine, 38 poses an inter-generational challenge and security forces have repeatedly disrupted his rallies violently. Scores of people were killed in riots after he was briefly detained last month.

The mission to introduce the technology, which ultimately promises internet speeds up to 20 times faster than today, could be crucial to how competitively the continent emerges from the economic ruins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

08 TUESDAY 29 DECEMBER 2020VIEWS

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

MAHASEEL Festival marked the opening of its biggest edition yet this month. The festival, in its fifth edition and organised in cooperation with the Ministry of Munic-ipality and Environment, is a vital part of initiatives by Katara to support government efforts to achieving food security and self-sufficiency which contribute to the realisation of Qatar National Vision 2030.

The 2020 edition is the largest in terms of partici-pation with the rise in the number of participants from 22 stalls last year to 34 this year. Mahaseel has proved the significant role it plays in local agricultural and food production sector as it had become an ideal marketing platform that attracts owners of Qatari farms and national food manufacturing companies to sell their products directly to the consumers at competitive prices.

General Manager of Katara, Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, said that Mahaseel Festival has become an important economic tributary that contributes to sup-porting the national economy, encourages investment in the agricultural and livestock sector, and stimulates the opening of important productive projects that serve the food security system. The festival has occupied a distinguished position in the calendar of Katara events as one of the annual festivals which plays a vital role in the promotion of local products providing a platform for local farms to reach wider customer base.

In June this year, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, in cooperation with Mahaseel, launched the guarantee programme to support local farmers by signing contracts in advance to purchase their vege-table products for the 2020/2021 season with the aim of setting guaranteed prices for the purchase of local farm products and for farmers to prepare their pro-duction plan according to the needs of the market.

It must be mentioned that last year’s edition coin-cided with the inauguration of the Farmers’ Forum office, a first-of-its-kind in Qatar which plays an important role in the agricultural sector by bringing owners of farms together to exchange experiences, providing workshops and seminars that contribute to the development of local agricultural production, and encouraging investment in agricultural projects.

According to the World Food Security Index, Qatar maintained the first rank in the Arab world, and jumped to the 13th position globally after it was ranked 22 in 2018. This remarkable jump was achieved in just one year, after the adoption of the National Food Security Strategy in 2018. In addition, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment supported farmers in installing many greenhouses some of which had begun production.

These initiatives support the efforts made in achieving food security and self-sufficiency and thereby strengthen the national economy.

Reaping fruits of labour

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Quote of the day

There will be setbacks and new challenges in the year ahead - for example new variants of COVID-19 and helping people who are tired of the pandemic continue to combat it.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General

A man wearing a mask walks past a 5G advertisement amid the coronavirus disease pandemic, in London.

2021 could be a do-or-die year for Europe’s efforts to catch up with China and the United States in rolling out super-fast fifth-generation (5G) telecoms networks.

The mission to introduce the technology, which ulti-mately promises internet speeds up to 20 times faster than today, could be crucial to how competitively the con-tinent emerges from the eco-nomic ruins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mindful of this, the European Union is funnelling a fifth of its €750bn ($914bn) recovery fund to improve countries’ digital capabilities.

European mobile operators have long been reluctant to start investing in 5G networks, which could support smart fac-tories and self-driving cars, because of a lack of political clarity about whether they must accede to US demands to exclude leading equipment supplier Huawei and other Chinese vendors.

But encouraged by the EU financial commitment to the technology in this area, at a time when the US adminis-tration is changing, and fearful of falling further behind globally, the industry is preparing to plough ahead in 2021.

“Europe is, unfortunately, behind,” Pekka Lundmark, chief executive of Finnish network equipment maker Nokia, said. But the rollout “is accelerating already and in 2021 I think it will gather more speed in most countries”.

Swedish equipment maker Ericsson forecasts Europe’s 5G coverage should grow from

around 1 percent of mobile subscriptions across the con-tinent in 2020, to 55 percent in western countries and 27 percent in central and eastern states over the next five years, underpinning a longed-for economic recovery.

Yet it is the mobile oper-ators who must pay com-panies like Ericsson, Nokia