˘ˇˆ˙ Happy National Day! Amir receives National Day greetings … · 2020. 12. 17. · FRIDAY...

FRIDAY 18 DECEMBER 2020 www.thepeninsula.qa3 JUMADA I - 1442 VOLUME 25 NUMBER 8475

Happy National Day!��

��_��_��_��

2 RIYALS

National DayGreet ings

��_��_��_��

Amir receives National Day greetings from world leaders

QNA — DOHA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received yesterday cables of congratulations on the occasion of the National Day of the State of Qatar from a number of Their Majesties, Highnesses, and Excellencies kings and heads of state of friendly countries.

H H the Amir received cable of congratulations from the Amir of Kuwait H H Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, H M Sultan Haitham bin Tarik of Oman, H M King Mohammed the VI of

Morocco, H E Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of a Brunei Darussalam, President of the Republic of Tunisia H E Kais Saied, President of the Republic of Turkey H E Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Iraq H E Barham Salih, President of the Lebanese Republic General H E Michel Aoun, President of the State of Palestine H E Mahmoud Abbas, Chairman of the Transitional Sovereign Council H E Lieutenant General Abdulfattah Al Burhan.

His Highness also received cables from H M Emperor

Naruhito of Japan, H M Queen Elizabeth the II of the United Kingdom, H M King Philippe of Belgium, H M King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, H M King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan, President of the People’s Republic of China H E Xi Jinping, President of the Republic of Singapore H E Halimah Yacob, President of Federal Republic of Germany H E Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Italian Republic H E Sergio Mattarella, the President of Republic of Austria President of Alexander Van der Bellen,

President of the Republic of India H E Ram Nath Kovind, President of South Korea H E Moon Jae-in, President the Republic of Cyprus H E Nicos Anastasiades, President of the Republic of Nicaragua H E Daniel Ortega Saaverda, President of the Republic of Cuba H E Miguel Diaz-Canel, President of the Kyrgyz Republic H E Talant Mamytov, and President of the Republic of Ghana H E Nana Akufo-Addo.

H H the Amir also received cables from President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia H E Sahle-Work

Zewde, President of the Republic of Tajikstan H E Emomali Rahmon, President of the Republic of Turkmenistan H E Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan H E Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Republic of Peru H E Francisco Sagasti, President of Burkina Faso H E Roch Marc Christian Kabore, President of the Republic of Poland H E Andrzej Duda, President of the Republic of Croatia H E Zoran Milanovic, President of the Czech Republic H E Milos Zeman, President of the Republic of

Benin H E Patrice Talon, President of Ireland H E Michael D Higgins, President of the Republic of Hungary H E Janos Ader, President of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea H E Kim Jong-un, President of the Republic of Serbia H E Aleksandar Vucic, President of the Republic of Moldova H E Igor Dodon, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka H E Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Governor-General of Australia H E David Hurley and the Governor General of Canada H E Julie Payette.

Qatar wins WSA2020 in ‘Inclusion & Empowerment’THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar has won the World Summit Award 2020 (WSA2020) in category “Inclusion & Empowerment” with the platform “Bonocle” – a Qatari startup.

Bonocle innovated the first ever Braille entertainment platform. The power of Bonocle is taken advantage of when used alongside an iOS or Android smart device to gain access to applications for work, education, or gaming.

With such uses, Bonocle adds value to its users at home, school, and in the

office. Bonocle envisions an unsegre-gated world where the blind and sighted share classrooms and workplaces.

The story started at the Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), which played a key role in the com-pany’s success. Since established, its goal has been to further integrate blind people in classrooms, universities and workplaces while having equal access to technology.

Bonocle was selected and nomi-nated among 40 winners (5 in each of the 8 categories of WSA Awards)

announced by the Awards officials out of 380 nominations in total from over 100 participating countries.

With this win, Qatar has become the only GCC country to have won an award in one of the categories for this year. Additionally, Qatar and Lebanon are the only two Arab countries to have ever won one of the Awards categories.

“We are proud Qatar has won the WSA2020 award in Inclusion & Empow-erment; something which reflects Qatar’s advancement in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship and the attention it pays to empowering and

including the disabled through powerful technology. We are especially pleased this announcement coincides with the Qatar National Day celebrations,” said the Assistant Undersecretary of Digital Society Development, MOTC, Reem Mohammed Al Mansoori.

The eight award categories are Government & Citizen Engagement, Health & Wellbeing, Environment & Green Energy, Business & Commerce, Learning & Education, Culture & Tourism, Smart Settlements & Urban-ization, and Inclusion & Empowerment.�P6

Amir exchanges greetings with Shura Council SpeakerAmir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received yesterday a cable of congratulations from Speaker of the Shura Council, H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud, on the occasion of the national day that included also congratulations from members of the council. H H the Amir responded with a cable of thanks.

National Day commemorates ancestors’ journey: Deputy PMQNA — DOHA

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, H E Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah, said that the national day is an opportunity to commemorate the journey of the ancestors, led by the founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani, and their efforts to ensure the unity and inde-pendence of the country.

The Deputy Prime Min-ister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs said in a statement to mark the occasion, that it is a day to reflect on the values cherished by the ancestors and that were upheld since then one gener-ation after the other.

He offered his congratu-lations to Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Qatari people, and eve-ryone who lives in Qatar on the advent of the national day. He noted that the values the Qatari people inherited from their ancestors have become the cornerstone of the Qatari national identity.

Speaking of the chal-lenges, he said that they were mainly developmental, espe-cially during the reigns of Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. He noted that Qatar aspires for more achievements despite the leaps made in different fields in its modern history. The

state focused on human capital development, evident in its investment in health and education. He also noted that the state is now incentivising the citizens to create wealth by encouraging individual

initiatives and nurturing an environment that encourages competition.

He highlighted that, thanks to H H the Amir’s wise policies, Qatar has become a main partner in enhancing global peace and security.

On the Ministry of Defence’s main achievements of the year in the implemen-tation of the National Devel-opment Strategy 2018-2022, he said that the Ministry was glad to announce that it is fully ready to provide all the support and the protection to the World Cup 2022, noting that the ministry completed all technical and logistical preparations required to ensure that the event will run smoothly.

The Ministry is working on implementing the direc-tives of H H the Amir to ensure that guests and visitors leave the event with unfor-gettable memories.

On achievements in the defence field, he said that the ministry was moving forward with implementing the Amir’s plans of expanding the infrastructure, improving the weaponry capabilities of different units, and devel-oping command and control systems. The Ministry also succeeded in attracting highly-capable national cadres to work with the armed forces, stressing that the ministry will continue to focus on training its members. �P6

Kuwait’s Foreign Minister hopes GCC summit will be on January 5QNA — KUWAIT

The Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Dr. Ahmed Nasser Al Mohammad Al Sabah, expressed his aspiration for the holding of the GCC summit on January 5 in the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, stressing that holding the summit on this date indicates the extent of states and leaders’ keenness to hold sessions of the Supreme Council, and embodies the pursuit of common aspirations.

This came during the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister’s reception yes-terday, of the GCC Ambassadors accredited to his country.

Sheikh Dr. Ahmed Nasser Al Mohammad Al Sabah stressed, on this occasion, that the State of Kuwait continues to follow the approach of the late Amir H H Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, not to interfere in the internal affairs of countries, and to commit to solidarity and unity, for the good and the interests of the GCC peoples.

He also referred to the chal-lenges that the GCC countries faced during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, especially those related to strengthening the health system, enhancing food security stocks, and demographic imbalances.

Fireworks illuminate the Katara skyline on the eve of the National Day celebrations, yesterday.

02 FRIDAY 18 DECEMBER 2020HOME

03FRIDAY 18 DECEMBER 2020 HOME


OFFICIAL NEWS

Doha: Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has wished a speedy recovery to French Presi-dent Emmanuel Macron, who has tested positive for COVID-19. In a tweet yesterday, the Amir said: “I wish speedy recovery to the President Emmanuel Macron, and I wish lasting health for him and for the friendly French people, amid the continuing outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.” -The Peninsula

Doha: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, H E Dr. Khalid bin Moham-med Al Attiyah held yesterday a conversation via telephone with H E Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al Ali Al Sabah.Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah congratulated Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al Ali Al Sabah on his appointment as Deputy Prime Minister and Min-ister of Defence of the State of Kuwait, wishing him well in car-rying out his mission to serve the interests of the State of Kuwait and its people. -QNA

Doha: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, held a phone call yesterday with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Morocco, H E Nasser Bourita. During the call, both sides reviewed bilateral relations and means of developing them at all levels, in addition to several issues of common interest. Nasser Bourita expressed the Kingdom’s satis-faction with the declaration of the State of Kuwait regarding the efforts of the Gulf reconcili-ation, stressing that the security and stability of Qatar and the Gulf region are considered as the sta-bility for the entire Arab region. He congratulated Qatar on the occa-sion of the National Day.For his part, H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani stressed the depth of relations between the two countries. He expressed his appreciation for the brotherly Kingdom of Morocco’s position, stressing the State of Qatar’s sup-port for what would preserve the security, safety, sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco and its terri-torial integrity. -QNA

Amir wishes French President speedy recovery

Al Attiyah holds phone talks with Kuwaiti Defence Minister

FM holds phone call with Moroccan counterpart

Ashghal makes preparations to ease public access to Amir Cup Final venueQNA — DOHA

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) continues its preparations to facilitate public access to Al Rayyan Stadium to host the final of the Amir Cup 2020 between Al Sadd and Al Arabi today.

Alongside the announcement from the Organizing Committee of Amir Cup 2020 Final to conduct the event at Al Rayyan Stadium, the fourth of eight stadiums hosting FIFA 2022 World Cup, Ashghal has announced that roads leading to the stadium are ready to receive fans.

During recent years, Ashghal has worked on building a network of highways with free-flow traffic that facilitates access to Al Rayyan with reduced travel time for people coming from all parts of the country. Similarly, Ashghal has also improved roads in the region to safeguard direct fast con-nection with most vital places in the neighborhood such as Al Riffa Metro, Mall of Qatar, Al Riffa Celebration Hall

Complex, and Al Rayyan Sports Club, easing fans movement to and from the venue. The area’s infrastructure is well prepared with a drainage network, stormwater, and surface water drainage network to eradicate drainage problems existing in the area for years.

Ashghal has recently completed project works to develop local roads leading to Al Rayyan and opened them to traffic, providing free-flow traffic in the area. The project works included developing the roads leading to Al Rayyan with about 5km with two lanes in each direction. Three signal-controlled intersections and one roundabout were built to facilitate access to Mall of Qatar, Al Majd Road, and the roads connecting to Al Riffa Street (known as Celebra-tions Street). This comes to serve these vital destinations and Al Rayyan Hotel and facilitate the movement of spectators between these destinations and the venue and

enhance the capacity of the roads that are witnessing an increase in traffic density.

Ashghal was also keen to provide dedicated parking slots for “Park and Ride” cars that serve Al Riffa Station within the Green Line of Doha Metro directly connecting to Al Rayyan Stadium. Road users can park their cars and move through the Railway lines. Entrances and exit areas also provided direct connections with main roads leading to the stadium and the public’s parking lots, imple-mented by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy.

To achieve sustainability of projects, cost reduction and pre-serve the environment, Ashghal recycled about 60 directional signs used in previous tournaments to direct the public to Al Rayyan Venue and various car park slots. It also used dynamic signs on the roads to alert and update them of the road status.

Human dignity at the forefront of Qatar’s values: Minister of Culture and SportsTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Minister of Culture and Sports H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali has said that the rise of nations and civili-zations lies in their identity. Still, the risk comes from not recog-nising their “deeper identity,” as he spoke at the launch of Qatar Foun-dation’s Education City Speaker Series, Bel Arabi.

In the week of Qatar National Day, the minister was the guest for an online dis-cussion as the Education City Speaker Series — the platform for dialogue and discourse established by Qatar Foun-dation (QF) — premiered its new Arabic-only strand.

The inaugural edition of the Education City Speaker Series Bel Arabi saw the Minister discuss the “iceberg model” containing the visible aspects of identity, such as language, crafts, architecture, food, clothes, and traditional arts. Described these as being the key to achieving a nation’s security and stability because of the sense of loyalty and belonging they create, he called for young people to pay more attention to them — and cele-brate them.

Focusing on the “deeper” identity, which the iceberg model also contains, Al Ali, spoke about how this relates to human dignity, relationships with others, work, science, and how people value time. “The deeper identity is like the functions of the human body,” he said.

He emphasised the impor-tance of people exploring these elements of their deeper identity, saying: “Reaching for

excellence is very important to enhancing national identity.”

Reflecting QF’s role in pre-serving and promoting the Arabic language, heritage, culture, and knowledge, the Minister discussed how young people can follow their aspira-tions and make positive change happen in their communities while retaining their sense of identity and the challenges they encounter.

He spoke of how Qatar was established on the highest values, with human dignity being the foremost of these values. The people of Qatar created solutions to the chal-lenges they have faced throughout history and created a culture of creativity and sol-idarity, which he described as “a genetic footprint that has been transferred from one gen-eration to another” and one of the cornerstones of Qatar’s national identity.

During the discussion, fol-lowed by a question-and-answer session, the minister defined the concepts of a

nation’s culture. “Culture is the core of any society,” he said.

“It is a cumulative process for a specific group, whether indi-viduals, institutions, or countries. They face internal and external challenges, and they try to find solutions to these challenges that they can then apply. The solution that succeeds becomes behaviour, and the behaviour becomes culture. This culture is passed through generations so that these generations learn it automatically.”

The Minister also high-lighted four characteristics that represent a society’s culture: Constancy, emotional adhesion, integration between elements of society, and the expansion of culture among all members of society. He encouraged young people to think about their per-ception of deeper identity, including justice, freedom, and time, and to be open to other cul-tures. “To be open to another culture, and to do so with confi-dence and awareness, will lead to our own national identity being strengthened,” he said.

Minister of Culture and Sports H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali during Qatar Foundation’s Education City Speaker Series, Bel Arabi.

Qatar participates in 24th session of Council of Arab Ministers of Communications and InformationTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The State of Qatar yesterday participated in the 24th session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Communications and Information held via videoconferencing and attended by several Arab ministers and officials.

The Qatari delegation to the session was headed by the Min-ister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti. Their excellencies ministers discussed the impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic on the postal sector and the Arab Per-manent Postal Commission’s activities and workforce. They also discussed the role information and communication technologies play in addressing the pandemic. There was also a follow-up on the implementation of the Regional Development Plan - Arab Region (2017-2020, and the Arab nominations for the Governing and Postal Investment Councils of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) membership.

They also discussed cybersecurity, combating online crimes and terrorism, the Arab Internet Governance Initiative, the Arab Digital Capitals Initiative, and the latest updates on the Regional Forum for Digital Arabic Content. The agenda also included a review of aspects of cooperation with other regional workgroups and organizations in communications and information technology, such as the Arab-Chinese cooperation and cooperating with Russia on global information security.

Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti attending the virtual meeting.

Qatar Airways introduces festive touches for passengersTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar Airways is delighted to welcome this festive season by creating special moments that will surprise and delight passengers onboard and on the ground. Passengers departing to and from Qatar Airways’ destina-tions in the US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and select destina-tions in Asia and Africa will enjoy the airline’s festivities from December 19 to 26.

From the moment Business Class passengers arrive on board, they will be greeted with a seasonal welcome drink and a specially designed bespoke holiday menu card, featuring a range of flavoursome holiday dishes, including smoked salmon tartare with pink pepper seared scallops, beetroot, and ikura roe, beef wellington with turmeric

mashed potato, grilled sweet potato, pumpkin, oyster mushroom, and beef jus, and a spicy raspberry chocolate dome for dessert.

Premium customers will also be presented with quiet reminders of this holiday season, including a festive napkin band wrapped around the cutlery pack and a rich hot chocolate with marshmallows. Passengers can stay entertained with the extensive collection of festive movies on the Oryx One Inflight Entertainment system and enjoy the airline’s turndown service when it is time for rest, complete with the added comfort of the signature limited edition ‘Seasons Greetings’ message pillow.

The Economy cabin will be dressed with festive headrest covers, and customers trav-elling in Economy Class will

also enjoy a delightful seasonal menu that includes turkey chasseur, turmeric mashed potato with parsley as the main course, and Christmas pudding for dessert.

Qatar Airways has also created festive touches throughout the Al Mourjan Business Lounge at Hamad International Airport (HIA) for the very first time. Passengers can delight in the seasonal décor reflected in the flower arrangements and holiday gift-box displays and feast on an assortment of holiday delicacies from the buffet or select from the special digital à la carte menu.

For those passengers wanting to embrace the spirit of the season, a communal table with stunning decorations including holiday-inspired placemats, bread liners, napkin bands, and table décor will

bring people together to share a meal which includes Waldorf salad, stuffed turkey roulade, beef wellington, yule log, gourmet hot chocolate with toasted marshmallows, sig-nature mocktails and more.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “This year has been incredibly challenging due to the ongoing pandemic. That is why we are investing more effort than ever into our festive activities onboard and at HIA, to bring the joy back to flying. In the coming weeks, tens of thousands of passengers will travel with us for a vacation or visit family and friends abroad, and we aim to continue to unite family and friends and make their journey even more memorable during this special time.”

When travelling with Qatar Airways during the festive

season, passengers can expect the highest safety levels throughout their journey. The airline’s onboard safety measures include Personal Pro-tective Equipment (PPE) for cabin crew and a compli-mentary protective kit and dis-posable face shields for pas-sengers. Business Class pas-sengers on aircraft equipped with Qsuite can enjoy the enhanced privacy this award-winning business seat provides, including sliding privacy parti-tions and the option to use a ‘Do Not Disturb (DND)’ indicator. Qsuite is available on flights to more than 30 destinations, including Frankfurt, Kuala Lumpur, London, and New York. For full details of all the measures that have been imple-mented on board and at HIA, please visit qatarairways.com/safety.

QNA — DOHA

The Ministry of Public Health announced yesterday that it has been decided to raise the maximum number of people allowed to attend weddings to 120 people in open air places, and 80

people in closed spaces, according to data on the spread of the coronavirus in society and public health indicators in Qatar.

The Ministry stressed the need to adhere to applying all preventive measures, including

wearing masks, maintaining a safe distance, and acti-vating Ehteraz application. The Ministry also praised the effective contributions of citizens and residents and their efforts to combat the coronavirus, and the com-mitment to implement

preventive measures, which helped limit the spread of the virus, and avoid new waves. The decisions to lift more restrictions, depend mainly on the extent to which society applies and adheres to the precau-tionary measures.

Number of people allowed to attend weddings increased

05FRIDAY 18 DECEMBER 2020 HOME

National Day commemorates founding of modern state of QatarQNA — DOHA

Minister of Education and Higher Education, H E Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulwahed Al Hammadi said that the National Day is a beloved memory that pays tribute to the day Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani led his people to establish a modern state in 1878.

The Minister said that National Day is a time to reflect on the values of honesty, justice, and hard work on which the state was founded.

He said that it is these values that the edu-cation system looks to encourage in their stu-dents through programmes that cherishes tra-dition and respects the cultures of other people.

In a statement to QNA, he said that the lead-ership of H H the Amir managed to turn the blockade from a crisis to an opportunity. Eve-ryone in the country focused on enhancing national capabilities to meet local needs.

He noted that Qatar faced difficult challenges in the past few years; first it was the unjust the blockade and then it was a pandemic that adversely impacted the whole world. The Min-ister noted however that solidarity between Qataris and hard work helped the country overcome these challenges.

The Minister of Education and Higher Edu-cation said that Qatar remained true to the prin-ciples of the country’s founder. He also high-lighted that the state has always focused on edu-cation, reflected in the establishment of Qatar University in the seventies.

The Minister discussed the achievements of the ministry and said that, despite the negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic, the ministry moved forward with its strategy.

The year saw the Ministry offer a host of its services digitally.

This move helped maintain social distancing at the onset of the pandemic. He added that soon the ministry will complete its digital transformation.

On the epidemic, he said that the ministry cooperated with the Ministry of Public Health to

ensure strict adherence to the containment measures adopted by the ministry in schools and by its employees. He highlighted that H H the Amir, despite the impact of the pandemic glo-bally, issued directives to continue investing in education and health to ensure the prosperity of citizens and residents.

National Day embodies bonds between people and leadershipQNA — DOHA

Minister of Transport and Communications, H E Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti, said that National Day of Qatar is a dear annual occasion to renew the determination to complete the ancestral march towards building a modern state that looks forward to the future and adheres to its heritage. He stressed that celebrating the National Day is a clear embodiment of the bonds of love and the values of robust interconnectedness between the people and their wise leadership.

The Minister said that this memory calls for pride in belonging to this generous land, with its rich history established by the ancestors, since the founder Late Sheikh Jassim bin Mohamed bin Thani, who charted the state’s path of devel-opment, growth and prosperity, and after him the wise leadership of this country carried the torch. The Minister and all the employees of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications extended sincere congratulations to Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

He added that this precious occasion is an opportunity to renew determination to continue building on previous achievements and to make all efforts to raise the nation, support the devel-opment and comprehensive renaissance process, and achieve further development, growth and prosperity for the Qatari people, in addition to showcasing the tremendous achievements and successes that have contributed to strengthening the position of the State of Qatar at the interna-tional level as a role model for comprehensive and sustainable development.

The Minister pledged his determination, like all officials in the state and the people of the nation, to move forward in making more achieve-ments for this dear country and to translate the visions of H H the Amir in the advancement of Qatar and to continue the great developments that it is witnessing in all fields.

He said: “The National Day of the State descends upon us in the Ministry of

Transportation and Communications, as we look every year to achieve a new achievement through which we can fulfil even a small amount of the nation’s dues on us,” explaining that the Ministry will continue its efforts to provide systems of transportation and communication according to the highest and latest international standards that provide safe and reliable services, and con-tribute to the economic and social development as well as the quality of life and environmental sustainability in Qatar.

He noted that the transport and communi-cations sectors, owing to the unlimited support provided by the wise leadership, are taking accel-erated development steps in all their aspects.

The forward-looking vision and sound direc-tives of H H the Amir have enabled and supported the work of the government in facing all crises through its prompt response to challenges, the Minister said, adding that the successes that have been achieved reflect the bright image of our country’s plans and the robustness of its economy in overcoming obstacles.

PSA President: National Day a symbol of unity, cohesion and social solidarityQNA — DOHA

President of the Planning and Statistics Authority, H E Dr. Saleh bin Mohammad Al Nabit said that December 18 is a significant occasion to celebrate an important milestone in the history of the State of Qatar, and affirm loyalty while following the path of its Founder, who was able to set the foundations of the country, as well as consolidating its identity and national unity despite the great difficulties and challenges.

In a statement to QNA, he added that this day is con-sidered a historic turning point in the life of every Qatari, and an opportunity to inspire dif-ferent values in the life and history of Qataris, such as unity, national cohesion and social solidarity.

He emphasised the impor-tance of the occasion to high-light development plans and strategies to achieve Qatar National Vision 2030.

He pointed out the great achievements of Qatar made by its founder in the process of building the country, which continued thanks to the leaders

of this country, and are still going on under the leadership of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, as more accomplishments are being achieved for a bright future for future generations and to provide an environment of prosperity and well-being for both the country and the citizen.

Dr. Al Nabit affirmed that Qatar has succeeded in con-fronting all challenges, and has not faced any imbalance in any of the developmental area, as it rather emerged

from these challenges stronger and more resolute in strength-ening the Qatari economy, which has been notably increased, adding that the State of Qatar will continue its journey, benefiting from its experiences while adapting to its reality more effectively, thanks to the wise leadership of H H the Amir.

His Excellency also noted some international indicators that confirm the success of the country’s development plans, as in the Global Competi-tiveness Report, saying that Qatar ranked 14th globally in the Global Competitiveness Report for 2020 issued by the International Institute for Man-agement Development (IMD), rising three places compared to 2017.

On the Achievements of the Planning and Statistics Authority in 2020, he explained that the most prominent achievements are in linking all government plans from minis-tries and other bodies to the second national development strategy of the State of Qatar 2018-2022, thus completing the multi-level national planning framework.

'Qatar's tremendous achievements have won the world's admiration' QNA — DOHA

Minister of Municipality and Environment H E Eng. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie stated that celebrating the National Day of the State is an opportunity to commemorate the founding of the State of Qatar by Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani, whose actions had a great impact through instilling patriotism in people and dedication to serving and elevating the country and working on its development and advancement.

H E the Minister said on the occasion of the National Day that Qatar has embarked on its journey towards renaissance with steady steps, based on the firm foundations of the State placed by the Founder, to implement its plans and devel-opment projects in various fields and improve people’s well-being and securing their needs and their daily life requirements. He highlighted the tremendous achievements made by the State of Qatar over the past years, under the wise lead-ership of the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, which won the admiration of the world.

He also said that this national occasion reminds us of the great efforts and sacrifices made by the Founder, Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani to build the state, unify the people of Qatar, deepen national belonging, and emphasise the importance of cohesion and harmony between people, pointing out that the Qatari people embodied these sublime meanings of the National Day in the face of many challenges during recent years, the most prominent of which was the unjust blockade on the State. He explained that all seg-ments of society united behind its wise leadership against the blockade.

On the most significant achievements of the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, H E Al Subaie said that the Ministry made great achievements in various fields despite the chal-lenges imposed by the coronavirus pandemic during 2020. In the agriculture and fisheries field, production increased significantly and the country reached self-sufficiency in some commodities (milk 106 percent and fresh poultry 124 percent), in addition to remarkable increase in self-suffi-ciency ratios for some other commodities, H E

stated, adding that Ministry continues to move towards achieving the goals and plans it has set for increasing local production, which include

raising the self-sufficiency rate of vegetables, fodder, red meat and eggs.

The Ministry, represented by the Environmental Affairs Sector, made many achievements, the most important of which are obliging the owners of projects to meet the requirements of environmental protection during the planning, design and con-struction stages, using the best technologies to con-tribute to improving air quality, integrating drainage systems for projects in industrial cities and major industrial establishments, applying the zero dis-charge policy to protect marine environment, expanding and developing early warning systems for radioactive pollution in the country, completing the first phase of the project to phase out substance that deplete the Ozone layer in accordance with international treaties, linking 20 air quality moni-toring stations to the national network for moni-toring air quality, starting the operation of the national network for monitoring sea water quality, preserving plant wildlife by planting more than 3000 wild trees, and preserving animal wildlife through releasing 9416 endangered small turtles in the coast, the Minister said.

Minister of Municipality and Environment, H E Eng. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie

Nation derives determination, strength from National Day: Al MohannadiQNA — DOHA

Secretary-General of the State Cabinet, H E Hamad bin Ahmed Al Mohannadi, has affirmed that the feelings of loyalty and pride that currently overwhelm the country on the occasion of the National Day are sincere feelings that show the nation’s awareness of the meanings of this day, and the achievements of the Founder, Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, and the sacrifices of the ancestors, for the sake of Qatar’s pride, development, and the preser-vation of its sovereignty, inde-pendence and the dignity of its people.

In a statement, he said that on this glorious anniversary, we remember with appreciation and gratitude the efforts of the founder of our state and are guided by his glorious legacy, for he has laid the foundations and established this strong country that is capable of facing challenges.

Therefore, the founding day of the modern State of Qatar, on the eighteenth of December 1878, will remain the most important day in its history, from which it derives

determination, strength, renewed ambition and a con-stant aspiration for a better tomorrow and a brighter future under the wise leadership of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

H E Secretary-General of the State Cabinet indicated that this year’s celebration of the National Day comes while the country is preparing for the elections of the Shura Council, in an important step to rein-force the Shura approach that the founder followed and was a fundamental principle in the

relationship between the lead-ership and the people. The elec-tions come to reinforce the long-established and deeply rooted traditions of the Qatari Shura Council in our society.

His Excellency said that as we congratulate our wise lead-ership and the honourable Qatari people on this glorious occasion, we express our pride and happiness that our cele-bration of the National Day comes every year and we live amidst great achievements and witnessed successes both locally and internationally. This year, in addition to the eco-nomic, political and social achievements, the success of our health institutions and all concerned state agencies in combating the coronavirus (COVID-19) confirms our ability to face any challenges.

He said this year’s slogan — “We praise you, the Lord of the Thrones” — reflected the extent of the founder’s belief and trust in God Almighty, for with the help of God, our country enjoys the blessing of security and safety, achievements, and gaining appreciation and respect from the countries and people of the world.

Minister of Transport and Communications, H E Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti

National Day is a time to reflect on the

values of honesty, justice, and hard work

on which the state was founded. It is these

values that the education system looks to

encourage in students through

programmes that cherishes tradition and

respects the cultures of other people.

H E Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulwahed Al

Hammadi

Minister of Education and Higher Education

President of the Planning and Statistics Authority, H E Dr. Saleh bin Mohammad Al Nabit

Secretary-General of the State Cabinet, H E Hamad bin Ahmed Al Mohannadi

06 FRIDAY 18 DECEMBER 2020 NATIONAL DAY

07FRIDAY 18 DECEMBER 2020 ISLAM

How to avoid and leave sinsLUZITA BALL

In Islam the foundation of way of life or Deen is our certainty of belief (Iman). After reaching adulthood, it is ultimately our own job to strengthen certainty of faith, through seeking

knowledge, asking questions, reflection, keeping good company, lis-tening to good and knowledgeable people, and applying the knowledge that we have gained to our lives. It is a powerful force, when we are convinced about and grateful for the blessings of God, especially for the gift of His Quranic guidance—given through angels, Prophets and Messengers to keep us away from darkness, evil, harm and destruction.

This means we wish to thank and please God, and become closer to Him. We love Him and long for Him to love us, and we fear displeasing Him or making Him angry with us. We fear the negative consequences of this life, sent to correct us, as well as the eternal punishments of the Hellfire in the next life. We seek the blessings of God in this life, and the mercy, rewards and compensations from God in Paradise. It normally takes time and experience, to develop a strong degree of certainty about the nature of Reality.

God consciousness (Taqwa) Attachment to God, and loving Him,

and disliking the idea of being estranged from God, or causing Him to be angry with us, help us to refrain from sin. Therefore Muslims seek to deepen Islamic knowledge about God. We strive to have ‘Taqwa’ which is ‘God consciousness, and a balance of fear, hope and love at all times.

This we do through dhikr, which is the act of remembering God and His characteristics and our accountability to Him. Dhikr can be done in many ways — for example, by making sup-plications (dua) in every situation; exclamations about God such as Alhamdulillah (Priase be to God) or Subhan Allah (Glory be to God); using Islamic greetings such as Assalaamu Alaikum (Peace be upon you), or wishing people God’s blessings (for example Rabbi Yahfidhik — May God protect you and keep you safe).

Any time we read about or talk and discuss matters related to God, then we are remembering God, thereby increasing our God consciousness. The best remembrance is melodiously reciting the Holy Quran and reading it with understanding in our own language.

The very act of remembrance of God, helps to chase away negativity and wrong ideas suggested to our mind by evil people, and helps us to see the truth and right course of action clearly. In the Quran, Surah Aa’raf (chapter 7), Ayat 201 it says, ‘those who are aware of God think of Him when Satan prompts them to do something and immediately they can see (straight).

Also remembering God helps our hearts to feel peaceful, happy and sat-isfied. In Surah Ar-Ra’d (13), Ayat 28 it

says, ‘Indeed in the remembrance of Allah to hearts truly find satisfaction’.The word tatmainnu is used for satis-faction that includes the meanings relief, comfort, rest, peace and con-tentment. In this state, we are unlikely to be thinking much about any sinful way to achieve short term, momentary pleasures, as our heart and soul is already happy enough!

Five pillars of IslamThe whole of Islam trains us to dis-

cipline our own desires by practising the five pillars of our way of life or Deen. The first pillar, which is the Shahada—literally meaning ‘standing up and bearing witness that Islam is true’, can be very hard when it results in the loss of status, comforts, jobs, money, or even sometimes affection of and acceptance by friends and family. So it is a humbling and disci-plining act, coming with great for-giveness and rewards from God.

In the process of stopping daily activities to pray five times a day we learn to say no to our desires to play or work. When fasting in Ramadan,

preventing ourselves from eating, drinking, smoking, anger, arguments, gossiping, and even marital relations between husbands and wives during the daylight hours, we are learning self-control.

Giving away part of our possessions and money to the needy in Zakat, and sharing money and food with those less fortunate, our neighbours and relatives, at least at each celebration of Eid, child-birth and marriage, also helps to curb our selfish greed.

It is through increasing our under-standing of Islam and implementing the practices and good manners of the Sunnah or ‘The Way’ of life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and the other Prophets and Messengers before him, that we can eradicate traits and states that lead us to go beyond sensible limits, such as ungratefulness, despair, arrogance, anger and impatience, greed, lust, envy and covetousness, jealousy, complacency and laziness.

Also increasing our knowledge of the negative consequences of sins in this life and the next should help us to be more convinced and determined to

stay away from them. Even better, if we learn about the many benefits of abandoning sin—which in reality is just going beyond healthy limits, especially the rewards for doing this for the sake of God, then we will be motivated to do so!

If we know that something or a particular situation is causing us to have the wrong priorities, or to join in or approve of wrong actions, or listen to wrong words, eg. gossiping, back biting, annoying each other and arguing, or flirting, then we should do what we can to avoid these.

Examples of situations to avoid might include movies with a lot of sex and violence, regularly watching soap operas with too much arguing and bad morals; using virtual reality or com-puter games in which people get used to killing or behaving in unIslamic ways and partying with alcohol or drugs.

If there are particular friends that lead us into those situations, it may be necessary to make better friends who lead you towards good activities and situations, to help us to avoid sins.

On the authority of Abu Musa Al Ash’ari (may Allah be please with him), the Prophet (PBUH) said: “The likeness of a righteous friend and an evil friend, is the likeness of a (musk) perfume seller and a blacksmith. As for the perfume seller, he may either bestow something on you, or you may pur-chase something from him, or you may benefit from his sweet smell. And as for the blacksmith, he may either burn your clothes, or you may be exposed to his awful smell.” (Bukhari and Muslim).

Choosing who we become close to us is important to the improvement of our character. It helps to have a clear idea of what kind of person we want to be, and choose friends who are like that!

To conclude, the way to avoid sins is to deepen our knowledge and under-standing of God and Islam. This way we can develop an attachment to, and a love for God. We should then practise the habit of remembering God often, thereby developing God consciousness. This leads to a love of God’s Prophets and Messengers, and other good people whose company we should try to keep, with the intention of becoming more like them.

By following in the Prophets’ foot-steps, notably the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), most importantly practising the five pillars of Islam and avoiding major sins, it will train us to do what is right in preference to fol-lowing our lower desires, which often lead us in the wrong direction, or to excess, helping us to avoid the minor sins as well. This is what being a Muslim means— submitting our will to God’s superior and wiser Will. We should keep seeking God’s forgiveness, guidance, strength and help to avoid those situations, things and people who lead us in the wrong direction.

Luzita Ball is an English revert sister who has studied, researched, written and spoken about Islam for most of her life, since 1991.

Humility is key to winning Allah’s favoursMARIAM ANWER

Greatness belongs to Allah alone. He is in control of all the affairs of every single thing

created. He commands and pro-hibits, creates and provides, gives and takes. He raises and lowers people’s status, alter-nates night and day, causes nations to rise and fall, so that one nation vanishes and another emerges.

His command and decree are carried out throughout the heavens and on earth, in the oceans and in the air. Human beings are just a creation of Allah, a creation which is pretty insignificant in comparison to the unimaginably vast universe.

In a Hadith Qudsi, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Allah the Almighty said: ‘Pride is My cloak and greatness is My garment, so whoever competes with Me regarding these two will be thrown into the Hellfire’.” (Abu Dawud, 4090)

Anyone who understands this will realise that our real status in the life of this world is only that of servants of Allah and this understanding gives root to the beautiful quality of humility which is one of the greatest blessings that Allah could bestow upon His servant

because when a person becomes humble, he acknowl-edges his weaknesses and defects and submits whole-heartedly to the rulings of Allah and Allah in turn raises his status in both worlds. The Prophet (PBUH) said:

“…No one humbles himself before Allah but Allah will raise him in status.” (Muslim)

Humility makes a believer accept and believe in the greatness of Allah and makes him turn to Him sincerely by submitting to His commands, by taking care of His rights and also His servants’ rights. When Allah raises him in worldly status, the characteristic of humility protects a believer from self-praise, pride and feelings of superiority over others. It makes him an indi-vidual whose only concern is the pleasure of Allah and not the approval and recognition of those around him.

Even though being humble and confident are character-istics that we should acquire, we must be careful not to cross the line and trip into the sins of arrogance and self-praise which are from the evil traits of the people who preceded us.

The Prophet (PBUH) said, “No one who has an atom’s weight of arrogance in his heart will enter Paradise.”

A man said, “O Messenger

of Allah, what if a man likes his clothes and his shoes to look good?” He said, “Allah is Beau-tiful and loves beauty. Arro-gance means rejecting the truth and looking down on people.” (Muslim)

The story of Qarun is worth mentioning here. Qarun was a man of great wealth and the owner of great possessions. It is said that when he rode any-where, the keys to his treasures would be carried on 60 mules. But his great fortune and status had made him haughty towards his own people and towards the truth. He refused to accept the message of Allah and instead, boasted about his possessions, while looking down at the common folk around him.

Allah tells us in the Quran that when the knowledgeable ones around him advised him: “Do not exult. Indeed, Allah does not like the exultant. But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and (yet), do not forget your share of the world. And do good as Allah has done good to you. And desire not cor-ruption in the land. Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters.” (Quran, 28:76-77)

Qarun said: “This has been given to me only because of the knowledge I possess.” (Quran, 28:78)

Instead of submitting to the

One who gave him all that he possessed with humble grate-fulness, Qarun totally ignored the favour of Allah on him and was defiantly arrogant. His arrogance brought him nothing but severe torment from the Almighty.

Allah says: “And We caused the earth to swallow him and his home. And there was for him no company to aid him other than Allah, nor was he of those who could defend themselves.” (Quran, 28:81)

Allah Almighty also tells us the story of Iblees in the Quran to warn us about this disease of arrogance and notion of supe-riority. Iblis was ordered by Allah to prostrate to Adam and he rejected because of his arro-gance and envy towards Adam. Allah says in the Quran: “Iblees said, “I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay.” (Quran, 7:12)

The stories of Iblees and Qarun are somewhat similar and both teach us that we need to adopt the qualities of humility and submissiveness and avoid the destructive sins of arro-gance and self-praise as both would lead us to destruction in both worlds. The Prophet (PBUH) also said, “Shall I tell you about the people of Hellfire? They are every haughty and arrogant persons.”

(Bukhari, 4634)This Hadith is enough to

make a believer know his limits and guides him to never lose sight of his status as a humble servant of Allah. He knows that whatever Allah has given him by favouring him over others, is purely from His grace and mercy. Feeling proud and praising oneself is totally dis-liked by Allah. In fact it is a characteristic of those who rejected their scriptures and made changes in them.

Allah says: “So do not claim yourselves to be pure; He is most knowing of who fears Him.” (Quran, 53:32)

The Prophet (PBUH) even prohibited praising a person, especially while he can hear his praise. This is because such praise may encourage the praised person to over-estimate himself and may lead him to be arrogant and overconfident regarding his status and deeds.

A believer possessing humility knows that his knowledge, talents and abilities are all from Allah and this keeps his feet on the ground, grateful to Allah and always kind to his servants.

Humility increases a believer’s self-confidence, which motivates him to do race to all that is good without putting others down. Let’s take

account of ourselves, strive to fix our attitudes and be of those who humble themselves for the sake of Allah, for if we do that then Allah will raise us in status in this world and in the Here-after, In shah Allah.

Humility makes a believer accept and believe in the greatness of Allah and makes him turn to Him sincerely by submitting to His commands, by taking care of His rights and also His servants’ rights. When Allah raises him in worldly status, the characteristic of humility protects a believer from self-praise, pride and feelings of superiority over others. It makes him an individual whose only concern is the pleasure of Allah and not the approval and recognition of those around him.

The way to avoid sins is to deepen our knowledge and understanding of God and Islam. This way we can develop an attachment to, and a love for God. We should then practise the habit of remembering God often, thereby developing God consciousness. This leads to a love of God’s Prophets and Messengers, and other good people whose company we should try to keep, with the intention of becoming more like them.

The whole of Islam trains us to discipline our own desires by practising the five pillars of our way of life or Deen. The first pillar, which is the Shahada—literally meaning ‘standing up and bearing witness that Islam is true’, can be very hard when it results in the loss of status, comforts, jobs, money, or even sometimes affection of and acceptance by friends and family. So it is a humbling and disciplining act, coming with great forgiveness and rewards from God.

08 FRIDAY 18 DECEMBER 2020VIEWS

CHAIRMAN

DR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

DR. KHALID BIN MUBARAK [email protected]

ACTING MANAGING EDITOR

MOHAMMED SALIM [email protected]

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

MOHAMMED OSMAN ALI [email protected]

EDITORIAL

December 18, 1878 is the day from which the people of Qatar derive determination, strength, renewed ambition and a constant aspiration for a better tomorrow and a brighter future. National Day is the founding day of the modern State of Qatar, and its celebration enhances the unity, values of belonging, patriotism and pride in the Qatari national identity.

The memory of this day calls for pride in belonging to this generous land, being guided by the principles and values of the founding father and their legacy. In addition to the legacy of its rich history established by the ancestors, particularly the founder late Sheikh Jassim bin Mohamed bin Thani, who charted the state’s path of development, growth and prosperity. And after him next generations of the wise leadership of this country carried on this torch of continued development and prosperity.

Qatar National Day is a special opportunity to show solidarity, unity and to express the meaning of love and loyalty to our country under the wise leadership of the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

Every citizens is aware of the fact the national day is an anniversary that reminds them the great efforts and sacrifices made by the ancestors in 1878, and before. Also, it is an opportunity to reaffirm the solid unity of the people of Qatar, deepen national belonging, and emphasize the importance of cohesion and harmony between the people and leadership.

December 18, is and will remain the icon of unified resistance to the challenges, strengthen solidarity among community members to enable them to make the desired positive impact at all levels, especially in the midst of the unprecedented challenges that the world is witnessing today.

National Day is an occasion to renew determination to continue building on previous achievements and to make all efforts for assuring the advancement, support the development and comprehensive renaissance to achieve further progress, growth and prosperity for the people of Qatar.

While the State of Qatar is marking today its National Day, it is also reviewing its tremendous achievements and successes that have contributed to strengthening the position of Qatar at the international level, presenting itself a model for peace, stability, comprehensive and sustainable development.

December 18 will remain the most important day in its history, as a symbol of confronting challenges and how cohesion of people and leadership turned challenges into opportunities. Qatar today is one of the most pros-perous states not only in the region but also the world with the highest per capita income, thanks to the foun-dation laid on December 18, 1878.

National Day: A day of cohesion

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OFFICE: TEL: 4455 7741 / 767FAX: +974 4455 7758

MANAGING EDITOR: TEL: 4462 7505

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR: TEL: 4455 7769

LOCAL NEWS SECTION: TEL: 4455 7743

BUSINESS NEWS SECTION: TEL: 4462 7535

SPORT NEWS SECTION: TEL: 4455 7745

ONLINE SECTION: TEL: 4462 7501email: [email protected]

PUBLIC RELATIONS: TEL: 4455 7613email: [email protected]

ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT: TEL: 4455 7837 / 780FAX: 4455 7870, email: [email protected]

CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT: TEL: 4455 7857email: [email protected]

SUBSCRIPTION & DISTRIBUTION: TEL: 4455 7809 / 839 FAX: 44557819, email: [email protected]

D-RING ROAD, POST BOX: 3488, DOHA - QATAR

EMAIL: [email protected]

Quote of the day

The National Public Health Emergency Team will be recommending to government that we would bring in restrictions before the end of the year and the government will take the

recommendation very seriously.

Micheal Martin, Ireland's Prime Minister

Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation (QF), H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani said that the National Day represents an opportunity to celebrate societal and cultural values, strengthen solidarity among community members to enable them to make the desired positive impact on all levels, especially in the midst of the unprecedented challenges that the world is witnessing today.

Her Excellency told QNA in remarks made on the occasion of the national day that it was an important occasion to highlight the role Qatar Foundation is playing in supporting the country’s development efforts. She expressed her pride at the progress the country is making in all fields, which Qatar Foundation contributes to by advancing human, social, and economic development.

She extended her congratulations to Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the Qatari people on the advent of the national day. She said that over two decades, Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and H H Chairman of QF Sheikha Moza shared a vision on the future of development in Qatar, which yielded Qatar Foundation. She added that QF, since its establishment, was one of the most important anchors of Qatar’s development efforts in all fields. That is due to its

research status as well as its educational and academic programs.

She noted that this year imposed unprecedented challenges on Qatar Foundation and the rest of society due to coronavirus pandemic. She noted that QF however proved once again its resilience in dealing with crises and responded quickly to these extraordinary conditions.

She highlighted that Qatar Foundation, Hamad Medical Corporation, and the Italian embassy in Qatar cooperated to try and discover new ways for treatment from COVID-19 by using plasma of recovered patients. Sidra also developed an innovative way to test for the virus, and avoid the global shortage of traditional testing equipment back in April of this year.

She noted that Qatar foundation played its part in monitoring COVID-19 developments and placed comprehensive plans for the return to activities that were in line with the measures adopted by the state. Qatar Foundation also exempted renters and small and medium enterprises it deals with from rent for six months, as part of its commitment to economic development.

It is undeniable that 2020 has been a year that will be remembered and referred to in history books for the COVID-19 pandemic and its unprecedented repercus-sions on people’s livelihoods and the global economy.

However, this year will also be remembered for another chapter of history that was opened when Qatar undertook labour reforms to dismantle the kafala system.

In a country where the majority of the population is composed of migrant workers, these changes reflect Qatar’s determination to modernize its economy in line with the National Vision 2030.

As today - the 18th of December - we mark both Qatar National Day and International Migrants Day, it is important to highlight the significant positive changes these reforms will have on the migrant popu-lation, their families and the economy of Qatar.

A win-win-win scenario for businesses, workers and Qatar

Key laws adopted in

2020 meant that migrant workers in Qatar are now free to change jobs without having to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from their employer. The new laws, coupled with the removal of exit permit requirements for the vast majority of workers earlier in the year, dismantled the most problematic elements of the kafala – or spon-sorship system. This marked the beginning of a new era for the Qatari labour market.

In addition, a new

non-discriminatory monthly minimum wage of 1,000 Qatari riyals, applying to all workers, of all nation-alities and all sectors, was established along with its provisions aimed at ensuring decent living standards for workers.

The recent labour reforms will act as a catalyst in reshaping the labour market and will serve as a vehicle to stimulate and

diversify the Qatari economy.

By creating a more flexible labour market, busi-nesses will be able to find the workers they need domestically with the skills and competencies required to enhance efficiency and productivity.

In a global competition for talent, Qatar is now in a position to attract and retain the best, which will also bring more investment.

In a consultation with business representatives earlier this year, one employer asked what would happen if he invested

in training for his staff, and then they leave. Another employer, seeing the opportunity in these reforms, said “what happens if we don’t invest in nor train our staff and they don’t leave?”

Training and enhancing skills is a crucial step towards building a diver-sified knowledge-based economy.

This is a way to create a more competitive labour market and contribute to the overall well-being of migrant workers, recog-nizing their contribution and sacrifice to the growth and development of Qatar.

Now more than ever, we are seeing workers invig-orated and committed to making their stay in Qatar a success story, not only for themselves but for the country that hosts them.

Today, on the 18th of December we congratulate Qatar on its National Day and thank all migrant workers for their contri-bution to our countries and societies.

Working together we succeed.

QND an opportunity to bolster values of unity and solidarity

/PeninsulaQatar

/ThePeninsulaQatar

/Peninsula_Qatar

/ThePeninsulaNewspaper

+974 6698 6188

www.thepeninsula.qa

A special day to reflect on 2020

Established in 1996

HOUTAN HOMAYOUNPOUR, HEAD, ILO PROJECT OFFICE FOR THE STATE OF QATAR

QNA

National Day an occasion to know about heritageChairperson of Qatar Museums, H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani said that the national day is an opportunity to reflect on the founding of the State of Qatar, which has grown since then to become a vibrant hub for arts and culture in the Middle-East.

She told QNA in statements made to mark Qatar National Day that it was an occasion to renew commitment to the country and the wise lead-ership, and to developing the arts and heritage sector. She congratulated Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who thanks to his lead-ership the state, has made a qualitative leap in all fields.

She noted that Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani established the State of Qatar on December 18, 1878, to become an independent and united country under his leadership. She added that celebrating the national day comes to reiterate the com-mitment to the country’s identity and history. The efforts made by Qatar Museums to enrich the cul-tural scene in Qatar was a result of the pride to belong to

that history and those values. H E Sheikha Al Mayassa

highlighted the commitment of Qatar Museums to helping young talents grow and develop further to develop the art scene in Qatar. She added that Qatar Museums launched a number of initiatives in 2020, the most prominent of which were Picasso’s Studios exhibition which ran from July 1 to November 1, Faces and Places which took place from August to December, as well as many other exhibitions.

Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation, H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani

Chairperson of Qatar Museums, H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani

QNA

H E Sheikha Al Mayassa said

that celebrating the national

day comes to reiterate the

commitment to the country’s

identity and history. The

efforts made by Qatar

Museums to enrich the cultural

scene in Qatar was a result of

the pride to belong to that

history and those values.

People taking part in celebrations on the eve of National Day at Katara.

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

National Day is a great occasion that reminds us of the sacrifices made by the founding fathers for building this great nation, said Prof. Mariam Al Maadeed, Vice-President for Research and Graduate Studies, Qatar University. It is an occasion in which we renew the pledge of loyalty to the homeland and the wise leadership, and it is the day we reaffirm our commitment to work for building an advanced nation where the people could enjoy peace and prosperity, she told The Peninsula.

The development of scientific research is one of the most important goals of countries and societies that aspire to develop their knowledge and scientific structure in order to achieve

prosperity and development in all areas of life. As one of the key areas of nation building, scientific research remain a unique tool for exploring our complex, ever-evolving world.

Therefore, QU pays great attention to scientific researches and strives to make the State of Qatar to be a hub for research and discoveries and take leading roles in development in science, med-icine, environment, humanities, technology and other fields. Today, our country has the latest infrastructures and compe-tencies to conduct research, accu-rately analyze data, and arrive at findings,discoveries, and inno-vation. On the occasion of the National Day I would like to express my gratitude to our beloved country for all the support and provision of capabil-ities in the country and provide opportunity for our students to learn, participate and gain scien-tific experiences. I congratulate all residents of Qatar on the occasion of the National Day.


National Day is a glorious anniversary. It is a day when we remember with appreciation and gratitude the efforts made by the founder of our state and we pledge to follow his glorious legacy, and foundations he laid for the establishment of this strong nation, and a country capable to face challenges under its lead-ership, said Muneera Al Subaiey, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, Qatar University.

December 18 is an important occasion to cele-brate a significant milestone in the history of the State of Qatar, and affirm loyalty to the wise leadership of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, while

following the path of the founder of the this nation.

It is a day when every Qatari reaffirms com-mitment to be guided by the principles and achieve-ments of the founders and be united under the leaders w h i l e w o r k i n g t o

consolidate its national unity, regardless all dif-ficulties and challenges faced by nation in course of its development. As Qataris, we learn much from this day a motivation to achieve our desired goals and renew our com-mitment that we will ensure the development of the Qatar University, as the nation’s biggest and highest academic and sci-entific institutions.

Therefore, the National day will remain the most important occasion in our

life and history, from which all Qataris derive determination, strength, renewed ambition and a constant aspiration for a better tomorrow and a brighter future under the wise lead-ership of the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Dr. Eiman Mustafawi, Vice-President for Student Affairs, Qatar University.


We are proud of the Qatar National Day and what it represents in strengthening and renewing loyalty and belonging to this generous nation, under the directives of our wise leadership, said Dr. Eiman Mustafawi, Vice-President for Student Affairs, Qatar University.

M y s i n c e r e congratulation to Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and the Qatari people on this occasion, she told The Peninsula.

The National Day is an opportunity to continue achievements in various fields and levels to achieve the Qatar National Vision 2030, especially in education.

Education is considered one of the pillars of the progress and prosperity of any society. Qatar University seeks to a c h i e v e q u a l i t a t i v e distinction in education and research and prepare qualified graduates who contribute to making the future of their country, she added.

Qatar National Day is a great occasion in the heart and memory of every citizen and resident of Qatar. On this day, we recall the anniversary of

our beloved country’s founding by the founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani and the tremendous efforts made by previous generations, which we see its fruits in the achievements and renaissance witnessed by the country in all fields.

An occasion to renew the pledge of loyalty to homeland


On this day, we feel the blessings of the homeland, the wise lead-ership, the security, and safety in our dear country, Qatar, said Dr. Muna Al Marzouqi, Associate Vice-President for Academic Planning and Quality Assurance, Qatar University.

All the praise be to Allah for blessing Qatar and its leader, the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. We are proud that we belong to this great country, with its promising leadership, she told The Peninsula.

The State of Qatar has risen to the ranks of developed countries and has become a global sports destination. The best evidence for this is the latest achievement of the State of Qatar, which is its victory to host the 2030 Asian Games. The country has recently witnessed a development renaissance in

various State sectors such as edu-cation, construction, transportation, health, tourism, etc.

Our role as members of this community has become to give more, so our love for our country and expressing it shows in its highest form when we pledge to our

homeland to be good individuals in this community — clinging to our religion, our morals, and values, and continue to develop ourselves and perform our duties with per-fection and sincerity.

Our country today needs cre-ators, inventors, and entrepreneurs. Each of us complements the other, so let us cooperate and join hands in the elevation of this dear nation, for we only accept the best for our country in everything we do.

I always remind myself that I am ‘monitored by God Almighty,’ and that I ‘represent my country, Qatar’ in everything I do, and that God loves if one does a job, to be good at it, as our Prophet (peace be upon him), said.

This prompts me to work with greater motivation. I pray to Allah to preserve this country, per-petuate its blessings, and grant us all success for the good of the country.

Prof. Mariam Al Maadeed, Vice-President for Research and Graduate Studies, Qatar University.

A significant milestone in the history of QatarProud to belong to this great country

A great occasion in the heart and memory of every citizen and resident

QPO marks Beethoven’s 250th birthday with online musical seriesRAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULAPeerless classical music composer Ludwig van Beethoven had gifted the world with music quite like no other great composers had, inspiring every generation of composers and leaving an indelible mark in the music world.

This month marks the ses-tercentennial anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, and Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra joins the celebrations around the world by kicking off an online series yesterday.

“The World is celebrating the 250th birth year of Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the most important and prominent figures in music history. As Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra we are also participating in these celebrations worldwide with our “Happy 250th Birthday, Beethoven!” musical series,” read a recent post in Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra’s social media channels.

For this series, melophiles can listen to a number of breath-taking compositions by Beethoven played by the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra streamed via its social media

channels. The series looks into the milestones of Beethoven’s life more closely delving into some interesting historical facts and recordings of his timeless master-pieces starting off in the 18th century Vienna examining the strong influence of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s music on his early compositions. Beethoven held Mozart in great esteem, evident in some of his composi-tions inspired by the latter’s work such as several variations on Mozart’s themes, one of which was a trio on the theme of “La Ci Darem del Mano” aria from Mozart’s two-act opera” Don Giovanni.”

“La Ci Darem del Mano” Var-iations was written by Beethoven in 1792 originally for oboe trio . For this series, it has been given “a very rare and special arrangement” fea-turing chamber music per-formance of German Diaz Blanco (oboe), Jihoon Shin (flute), and Hassan Moataz ElMolla (cello). Born in December 1770, Beethoven is considered one of the greatest composers of classical music. One of the foremost figures in music history, Beethoven had been a tremendous influence across all genres of Western music extending for a long period of the 19th century.

An online performance of “La Ci Darem del Mano” variations as part of Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra’s musical series marking the sestercentennial anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s birth.

Customs seizes narcotic pills at HIATHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The customs officers at Hamad International Airport's General Authority of Customs (GAC) department detected a traveller who tried to smuggle narcotic pills and narcotic hashish, the GAC said in a tweet yesterday.

The narcotic substances were found upon self-inspection of the traveler. The customs retrieved 166 pills of narcotics and the weight of hashish was 6.95 grammes.

National Day commemorates ancestors’ journey: Deputy PM

FROM PAGE 1

The Minister of State for Defence Affairs said that the Qatari soldier has proved in many occasions that he is highly reliable and professional, based on expert opinions and the opinions of officials in the armed forces of allies.

He also noted that the Min-istry of Defence sought to expand its partnerships with its strategic allies, led by the United States and the United Kingdom. The armed forces also sought to expand the part-nership with regional and international allies, led by Nato.

On the extraordinary year faced by Qatar and the world due to the spread of the coronavirus, he said that the Ministry of Defense’s efforts was part of the state’s wider strategy to contain the virus. He highlighted that while the pandemic left a painful impact on the world in terms of deaths and the economy, it also revealed the resilience of healthcare in many governments.

He said that the armed forces, like all the other state institutions, played a role in con-taining the epidemic. The armed forces provided support to security and health forces, offered its expertise in sterilizing vital areas.

The COVID-19 pandemic created an incentive for the armed forces to develop its military medical system, and expand its facilities and their capacity. He also high-lighted that the armed forces will speed up the establishment of environmentally-friendly mil-itary facilities.

On the State of Qatar’s success in meeting different challenges and the ability of the leadership to turn challenges into opportunities, he said that it was a result of Qatar’s investment in the citizen, which led to a real transformation in the quality of life and in sectors like, health, education, security, and basic services.

He said that it was these investments that helped Qatar turn challenges into opportu-nities, and in the bid to make Qatar one of the leading advanced countries in the post-coronavirus world. He also said that they will help Qatar con-tribute to maintaining the safety and stability of the Gulf, and help the international com-munity advance peace and security by combatting extremism and violence, stressing that Qatar is keen on the world’s security and stability.

Qatar wins WSA2020 in ‘Inclusion & Empowerment’

FROM PAGE 1 The winning products will be invited to the WSA Global Congress, which this year will be virtual on March 22-24, 2021, where they will have the opportunity to pitch and promote their projects at a global level.

A local jury, formed by the official national expert for WSA in Qatar, Al Mansoori, had screened and assessed all the submissions that represent Qatar and selected one qual-ified product for each category to further represent Qatar at the international level.

Qatar’s embassy in Washington holds interactive dialogue on agricultural technologyQNA — WASHINGTON

The Embassy of the State of Qatar to the United States organised an interactive dialogue on the agricultural technology solutions and building smart and flexible food systems in Qatar, in cooperation with the Silicon Valley Forum and the US-Qatar Business Council.

The dialogue, which

brought together more than 50 participants interested in exploring business opportu-nities in the agricultural sector in the State of Qatar, highlighted the agricultural sector in Qatar, its rapid development in recent years, and its current priorities and technological needs, The dialogue included a presen-tation made by Vice-President of Strategic Partnerships at Arable Labs Jess Bollinger, who

shed light on the company’s technology and its potential applications in Qatar.

Qatar’s Commercial Attache to the US Fahad Al Dosari took part in the dialogue as a keynote speaker, along with Director of Business Relations at Hassad Food Mubarak Rashid Al Sahouti and Executive Director of Business Finance Department at Qatar Development Bank Khalid Al Mana.

In his speech, the Qatari

Commercial Attache Fahad Al Dosari underlined the resilience of Qatar’s economy in facing the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, high-lighting thwe strength of the agricultural sector in the country in particular.

He noted that the ambitious food security efforts of the State of Qatar before the outbreak of the pandemic led the country to be among the highest-ranked

countries in the world in the field of food security, stressing that this sector has continued to grow at strong rates, despite the circum-stances and challenges that the world is experiencing. Al Dosari stressed the importance of sup-porting and developing tech-nology in this sector, noting that despite the achievements and successes made in the country’s agricultural sector, techno-logical needs still exist.

Dr. Muna Al Marzouqi, Associate Vice-President for Academic Planning and Quality Assurance, Qatar University.

Muneera Al Subaiey, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, QU.

09NATIONAL DAYFRIDAY 18 DECEMBER 2020

10 FRIDAY 18 DECEMBER 2020 NATIONAL DAY

Qatar-Kuwait relations characterised by brotherhood, common destiny: AmbassadorQNA — DOHA

Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to the State of Qatar H E Hafiz Mohammed Al Ajmi has stressed that the Kuwaiti-Qatari relations are full of bright land-marks throughout their ancient and modern history as the bonds of kinship between the two people have merged on an honourable path in Gulf, Arab and international relations.

The Ambassador said in a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the occasion of Qatar National Day, that the relationship between the two countries does not stop at borders or proximity, but rather it is characterised by the dis-tinctiveness and integration of fate due to kinship, lineage, common goals and continuous development, which transcends the limits of diplomacy.

The ambassador added that the two countries are working to further strengthen political and economic relations, trade exchange and cooperation in various fields to be strengthened by the wisdom and vision of the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the Amir of Kuwait H H Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, who laid the building blocks for strength-ening these relations, moved them to the path of

development and supported them in all fields to serve the people of both countries.

The Ambassador highly valued the launch of the “Sabah Al Ahmad” corridor by the State of Qatar, in appreciation of the positions of H H the late Amir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah and his efforts that continued to unite the Gulf countries, in order to preserve

the security and stability of the region and the solidarity of the Gulf Cooperation Council coun-tries and the Arab countries, indicating that the coming period will witness the contin-uation of some Gulf diplomatic moves to restore Gulf and Arab relations to their previous state and bring joy to the people of one Gulf.

He pointed out that during the difficult times of

the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the State of Qatar has taken appreciated steps to contain and control the disease, strengthened its capabilities and became one of the advanced countries in health care, and cooperated at the international and regional levels to limit the negative effects of this pandemic. At the same time, he praised the great cooperation and the

appreciated efforts of the Qatari authorities in hosting Kuwaiti citizens during the pandemic crisis, facilitating procedures for their return to their country.

H E ambassador of Kuwait to Qatar Hafiz Mohammed Al Ajmi congratulated, on the behalf of the Kuwaiti embassy, the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Deputy Amir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani, and the Qatari people on the occasion of the National Day of Qatar. Stressing that the State of Qatar's celebrations of the National Day is a celebration of the State of Kuwait as Gulf brothers linked by sincere brotherhood and a common destiny, and an expression of the love, appreciation and pride that the Kuwaiti people hold for their Qatari brothers.

The Kuwaiti ambassador added that on the eighteenth of December every year, the Qatari people line up like one body, in memory of the founder of the sisterly State of Qatar, the late Sheikh Jassim bin Muhammad bin Thani, noting that this occasion adds to the Qatari people's glory and pride as it is an opportunity for new generations to get to know their roots and the honourable visions and glories that their ancestors established for them.

'Qatar an important ally of the Philippines in the Middle East'

QNA — DOHA

Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines H E Alan L. Timbayan said yesterday that the Philippines continues to work closely with Qatar in areas of mutual interest with the end view of bringing the two countries bilateral relations to new heights.

He stressed that the State of Qatar is an important ally of the Philippines in the Middle East, especially on the labour front, which represents a major pillar of the Philippines-Qatar bilateral relations.

The ambassador added, in remarks made to Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the occasion of Qatar National Day, that the Philippines was proud to have found a close friend in this part of the world.

He praised Qatar’s progress in implementing its 2030

national vision, stressing that Qatar has become an active and prosperous member of the international community.

He stressed that the country managed to overcome chal-lenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic effectively.

H E the ambassador then extended his congratulations to Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and the people of Qatar on the national day, wishing the country further progress and development.

Thai Ambassador: Qatar has come a long way in realising QNV 2030 QNA — DOHA

Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the State of Qatar H E Nathapol Khantahiran has said that Qatar has a strong foundation of politics, economic and social development.

In a statement to QNA, H E the Ambassador said that Qatar has come a long way in real-ising and achieving its National Vision 2030. This year, signif-icant progress, especially in the fields of healthcare, education, human development and infra-structure advancements, have been made despite global set-backs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Against the backdrop of global challenges caused by the pandemic, Qatar is also on its path toward sustainable eco-nomic development and diver-sification, as well as making great strides in advancing many strategic projects to support the hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In this regard, Thailand lauds Qatar for its fast-paced development and always sup-ports Qatar in achieving the countrys National Vision and the hosting of the FIFA World Cup in 2022,” he said.

Nonetheless, Qatar’s humanitarian assistance to the world as well as development funds for those in need reiterate Qatar’s most distinguished role, which helps contribute to world peace and poverty eradication efforts, he added.

the Ambassador com-mended the labour reforms in the State saying: “This year, we also witnessed bold steps taken by the Government of Qatar in achieving labour reforms which benefit vast majority of migrant workers residing in the country including those from Thailand”.

On tackling the COVID-19 outbreak, the Ambassador said that Thailand has witnessed

Qatar’s high resilience and fast adaptation in its healthcare system, along with timely effort in containing the spread of the pandemic, saying: “While the world is experiencing difficult times in struggling over COVID-19 and its implications, Qatar has proven itself as having a strong foundation of politics, economic and social development.”

Such efficiency has allowed Qatar to maintain its COVID-19 fatality rate among the lowest worldwide, enabling the country to extend its humanitarian assistance to countries in need despite transportation obstacles, and, most significantly, ensure the universal public healthcare coverage that exclude none, under the leadership of the Gov-ernment of State of Qatar,” he added. In tandem with the public health measures, Qatar also excels at its economic relief measures and has made significant reforms on labour market, His Excellency said adding that these factors have fuelled Qatar to mitigate impacts felt in all sectors and various nationalities and, most admirably on the welfare protection of migrant workers, including the Thai community.

2020 marked 30 years of diplomatic relations between Qatar, RomaniaQNA — DOHA

The Charge d’Affaires at Roma-nia’s Embassy in the State of Qatar, Iulia Zamfirescu, affirmed that the year 2020 bears special significance for the relation between Romania and the state of Qatar, because the round figure of 30 years of diplomatic relations was marked on October 22nd, stressing that there is mutual desire to continue to explore the potential of cooperation, both bilaterally and in multi-lateral fora between the two countries.

In a special statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Iulia said that Qatar National Day is the occasion to celebrate the country’s achievements, which this year deserve special rec-ognition, given the difficult COVID-19 pandemic context.

Qatar has remained strong and its projects have continued to develop and to grow, adding every day to the beauty and magnificence of its skyline.

She affirmed that Romania, like Qatar, is a keen promoter of friendship and peace between countries, within the framework of international law.

“This close similarity of views has resulted in an excellent col-laboration between Romania and Qatar at the level of the UN,” she added.

The Charge d’Affaires noted the prosperity and development of the State of Qatar, and that Qatar stands out as a country in which wealth, wisdom and determination have merged together in an optimal mix, con-ducing to a prosperous and safe country, not just for its nationals but also for its numerous resi-dents. “As a foreign diplomat in Qatar, one cannot help being

impressed by its openness towards the world and its over-arching and vivid diplomacy, which continued to thrive even in the COVID-19 period”, she added.

With regard to the measures taken by the State of Qatar to confront the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Charge d’Affairs at the Embassy of Romania expressed her sat-isfaction and admiration for these measures, which kept the situation under control and provided a feeling of safety and comfort for all who live on the land of the State of Qatar.

“Qatar has done an admi-rable job, managing to reverse the trend from a very high peak. Thanks to the decisive mix of measures, sustained by the solid health infrastructure, we are now advantaged, in Qatar, to enjoy a gradual return to normal life”, she said.

She praised Qatar’s gener-osity in supporting the fight against COVID-19 worldwide adding that “Romania too is thankful to the State of Qatar for its friendly gesture of granting medical support equipment and sanitary materials - to our hos-pitals, in October”.

The relationship between the two countries does not stop

at borders or proximity, but rather it is characterised by the

distinctiveness and integration of fate due to kinship,

lineage, common goals and continuous development, which

transcends the limits of diplomacy.

Hafiz Mohammed Al Ajmi

Ambassador of Kuwait

As a foreign diplomat in

Qatar, one cannot help

being impressed by its

openness towards the

world and its overarching

and vivid diplomacy,

which continued to thrive

even in the COVID-19

period.

Iulia Zamfirescu

Romania Charge d’Affaires

The State of Qatar is an

important ally of the

Philippines in the Middle

East, especially on the

labour front, which

represents a major pillar of

the Philippines-Qatar

bilateral relations. The

Philippines is proud to

have found a close friend

in this part of the world.

Alan L Timbayan

Ambassador of the Philippines

Thailand’s Ambassador to Qatar, Nathapol Khantahiran

QND an occasion to show unity, pride in Qatari identity: CRA President QNA — DOHA

President of Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) H E Mohammed Ali Al Mannai said that celebrating the National Day carries great and deep meanings and significance in the minds of the people of Qatar, adding that celebrating the National Day renews feelings of belonging and patri-otism and is a special oppor-tunity to show solidarity, unity and pride in the Qatari national identity, and to express the meaning of love and loyalty to our country and the wise lead-ership.

In a statement, His Excel-lency said through this day, we remember the past achieve-ments and look forward to the future, to complete, under the wise leadership of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the process of

modernization, sustainable development and prosperity launched by late Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, the founder of modern Qatar.

“In the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA), we draw from this day a motivation to achieve our desired goals and renew our commitment that we will ensure the development of the telecom sector, information technology sector, postal sector, and access to digital media for the benefit of consumers, stake-holders and the national economy,” he said.

H E President of CRA pre-sented congratulations to H H the Amir, Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Deputy Sheikh H H Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Thani, and the people of Qatar.

The National Day promotes the values of loyalty and soli-darity among the people of

Qatar who work sincerely together to get Qatar ahead, said Al Mannai, adding “In the CRA, we affirm the principle of soli-darity and commitment to work, through the employees’ cooperation and solidarity to play their role in contributing to Qatar’s development, espe-cially in light of the current

circumstances and challenges like the spread of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) around the world. Besides, CRA always ensures to contribute to achieving the national strategic goals set by Qatar Second National Development Strategy 2018 - 2022, Qatar National Vision 2030.

On the key achievements of the Authority during the past year, he said that in 2020, the CRA’s key priority was sus-taining the operations and per-formance of the Information and Communications Tech-nology (ICT) sector during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide high-quality essential services to all sectors and residents in the country. Also, CRA kept looking further into the future and setting out ambitious objec-tives for development and growth, in line with the national strategic goals. The CRA will

soon publish its comprehensive five-year Strategy, which sup-ports Qatar Second National Development Strategy 2018 - 2022, QNV 2030 and mega projects like hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

The Strategy embraces all sectors that the CRA regulates; the Information Technology (IT) sector, Telecom sector, Postal sector and Access to Digital Media (ADM). The Strategy defines key strategic objectives, targets and initiatives for each of the sectors to be undertaken by CRA to support the coun-try’s digital transformation and CRA’s vision for Qatar as a smart connected nation, also to empower a knowledge-based economy that helps in diversifying Qatar’s economy away from hydrocarbons, he said explaining that the Strategy promotes infra-structure excellence and

technology innovation at the aim of establishing Qatar as a regional hub for digital services. We will implement the Strategy over five years in close cooper-ation with all concerned gov-ernment entities, stakeholders and industry players.

He further stressed that moving forward and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, CRA will ensure that residents, businesses and government entities keep reaping the same benefits achieved during this period as some digital solutions can have a long-term impact and help for more efficiency in doing business in the private and public sector, supply of high-quality services and support sustainability of economy and society, as the crisis has further catalyzed the on-going digital transformation and created opportunities for enhanced ICT sector growth and economy diversification.

President of CRA, H E Mohammed Ali Al Mannai

Turkey will not reverse S-400 missile purchaseREUTERS — ANKARA

Turkey will not reverse its purchase of Russian S-400 missile defence systems and will take reciprocal steps after evaluating US sanctions imposed over the acquisition, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavu-soglu said yesterday.

The United States on Monday imposed sanctions tar-geting fellow Nato member Turkey’s Defence Industry Directorate (SSB), its chief, Ismail Demir, and three other staff for buying the S-400s.

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday the sanc-tions were a “hostile attack” against Turkey’s defence industry, and were bound to fail.

Cavusoglu said Turkey’s response would be shaped by a review being carried out by the defence sector, along with the foreign and justice minis-tries, into the impact of the sanctions.

“We will surely take our steps in line with these,” he told broadcaster Kanal 24. “It’s not important whether the sanc-tions are soft or harsh, sanc-tions in themselves are wrong,”

he said.“Looking at the content of

the sanctions, these are not measures that will shake us to the core or impact us very much.”

Turkey says it bought the S-400s out of necessity as it was unable to get defence systems from a Nato ally on sat-isfactory terms. “If there was to be a step back, it would have happened by now,” Cavusoglu said.

The United States says the S-400s pose a threat to its F-35 fighter jets and to Nato’s broader defence systems. Turkey rejects this and says S-400s will not be integrated into Nato.

S p e a k i n g t o t h e

state-owned Anadolu news agency, SSB Chairman Ismail Demir played down the impact of the measures, saying they did not affect existing contracts, and covered only a limited n u m b e r o f T u r k i s h companies.

“For instance, a company where the SSB hold a majority stake may be impacted, but there are close to no such firms. There are no such firms on critical projects,” he said.

The sanctions come at a delicate moment in fraught relations between Ankara and Washington as Democratic President-elect Joe Biden gears up to take office on Jan. 20, r e p l a c i n g R e p u b l i c a n incumbent Donald Trump.

Asked whether ties could normalise under Biden, Cavu-soglu said Washington must address Turkey’s opposition to US support for Syrian Kurdish fighters, and Ankara’s request to extradite a US-based cleric it accuses of organising a 2016 coup attempt.

“If the United States thinks strategically, they need Turkey very much. They say this, but they must do what is necessi-tated by this,” he said.

11FRIDAY 18 DECEMBER 2020 MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Rouhani expects US to resume commitments under nuclear dealAFP — TEHRAN

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani yesterday voiced confidence that President-elect Joe Biden will resume US commitments under nuclear deal which Donald Trump pulled out of.

Tensions between Tehran and Washington soared during Trump’s presidency, especially after 2018 when he withdrew Washington from the landmark nuclear deal and reimposed punishing unilateral sanctions on Iran.

Biden, who defeated Trump at the ballot box in November, has signalled a willingness to return to diplomacy with Iran.

And Rouhani’s government has repeatedly signalled its openness to the incoming US administration and called on Washington to return to the 2015 nuclear deal and lift sanctions.

“I have no doubt that the perseverance of the Iranian people during these past three years will force the new US government to succumb and resume its commitments,” Rouhani said in televised remarks.

“The sanctions will be

broken,” he added.His comments come a day

after Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Iran should bolster itself to “nullify” the effects of the sanc-tions imposed by the Trump administration, but should “not delay” in case they can be lifted.

Rouhani echoed Khamenei, saying time should not be wasted.

“We must act in order to nullify the effects of the sanc-tions... as the supreme leader has said.”

“We should not wait, not even one hour, for the lifting of the sanctions. The government must do everything in its power to break the sanctions,” Rouhani added.

He said Iran will do “eve-rything possible to achieve” what he described as a “very important instruction” made by Khamenei.

On Wednesday, the remain-ing parties to the faltering 2015 Iran nuclear accord met after Tehran announced plans for a new breach of the deal, and as uncertainty reigns ahead of Biden's January inauguration.

The meeting of the so-called “joint commission” included China, France, Russia, Iran, Germany and Britain and was chaired by senior EU foreign affairs official Helga Schmid.

The 2015 deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), has unrav-elled steadily since US President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018 and went on to impose crippling economic sanctions on Iran.

Tehran has retaliated by pro-gressively abandoning limits on its nuclear activity laid down in the deal, most recently planning to install advanced centrifuges at Iran’s main nuclear enrich-ment plant in Natanz.

Last week France, Germany and Britain — collectively known as the “E3” — condemned the plan as “deeply worrying” .

Anger grows over insecurity in northern Nigeria after kidnapsREUTERS — KATSINA

Protesters marched in north-western Nigeria yesterday under a banner reading #BringBack-OurBoys as pressure mounted on the government to improve security in the region and secure the release of more than 300 kidnapped schoolboys.

Parents fear time is running out to bring the boys home. The militant group Boko Haram, which has said in an unverified audio message that it was behind their abduction from a school on December 11, has a

history of turning captives into jihadist fighters.

A video circulating on social media yesterday purportedly showed Boko Haram militants with some of the boys. Fea-turing Boko Haram’s emblem, the video showed a group of boys in a wood begging security forces to leave the area.

Reuters was not able to immediately verify the authen-ticity of the footage, the boys shown or who released it.

A spokesman for President Muhammadu Buhari did not immediately respond to mes-

sages regarding the video.If its claims are true, Boko

Haram’s involvement in north-western Nigeria marks a geo-graphical expansion in its activities.

In the city of Katsina, dozens of people marched through the streets in response to a call from the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), a civil society body that focuses on the welfare of northern Nigerians. Some chanted “Save northern Nigeria”.

The hashtag #BringBack-OurBoys has been trending on Twitter in recent days and

echoes a campaign that was launched to bring home more than 200 girls abducted by Boko Haram in 2014.

“Northern Nigeria has been abandoned at the mercy of vicious insurgents, bandits, kid-nappers, armed robbers, rapists and an assortment of hardened criminals,” said Balarabe Ruffin, CNG’s national coordinator.

He said there was a “huge vacuum in the political will and capacity of government to chal-lenge” the kidnappers, who abducted the boys from the all-boys Government Science

secondary school in the town of Kankara in Katsina state.

Around 320 boys are still missing, the Katsina state gov-ernment has said.

Late on Wednesday, Katsina state Governor Aminu Bello Masari told the BBC Hausa service the missing boys were in the forests of neighbouring Zamfara state.

An aide to Masari said sol-diers and intelligence officers had been combing the Rugu forest, which stretches across Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna and Niger states, in search of the boys.

Judge suspends Beirut blast probe amid political tussleAFP — BEIRUT

The Lebanese judge investi-gating the huge explosion that rocked Beirut in August has suspended the probe after two ministers he charged requested he be removed, judicial sources said yesterday.

Fadi Sawan on December 10 issued charges against caretaker prime minister Hassan Diab and three former ministers over the August 4 blast that disfigured Lebanon’s capital.

The four were charged with “negligence and causing death to hundreds and injuries to thousands more” in one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history.

Lebanon’s top Cassation Court is now expected to rule on their request for Sawan to be removed from his post.

“Until then, all investigation proceedings are suspended,” a senior court judicial official said on condition of anonymity.

Diab has also refused to appear in front of the judge on similar grounds.

Lebanon’s politicians have rallied around the argument that the indictment of a min-ister should be submitted to a vote in parliament.

Diab, who resigned in the wake of the explosion, already testified before Sawan in September.

Drugmakers should cut vaccine prices for Africa: CDCREUTERS — NAIROBI

Pharmaceutical companies should sell COVID-19 vaccines to African countries at discounted rates and allow them to be produced locally to potentially cut costs, the head of the continent’s disease control body said yesterday.

Africa is aiming to vaccinate up to 60 percent of its 1.3 billion people in the next two years, but may need several years of inoculations, John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Pre-vention (CDC) told reporters.

How frequently people will need vaccinations against COVID-19 remains uncertain, he said.

“Because of this, local man-ufacturing becomes imperative so that we can meet our goals,” he added.

Many African states are relying on COVAX, a global COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is working to lower prices for poor and middle income countries.

But the Africa CDC expects to receive only 20 percent of its vaccine needs through COVAX, and also needs money to dis-tribute the vaccine.

“The COVAX facility does not take care of delivery, it takes care of the buying of the vaccines. But the greatest chal-lenge for any vaccination pro-gramme is how do you deliver it to the needy in a timely fashion,” Nken-gasong said,

He added that the continent was working with Afreximbank and the World Bank to see how to raise funds to buy and deliver vaccines.

In November, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is also the chair-person of the African Union, said $12bn was needed for the vaccination programme.

Y e s t e r d a y ,

GAVI, a vaccines alliance that co-leads COVAX with the WHO, said COVAX was on track with its goal to secure 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of 2021.

“COVAX has met its initial fundraising target and is making excellent progress in negotiating deals with

manufacturers,” said Thabani Maphosa, a managing director at GAVI.

The Africa CDC said on Thursday a survey it conducted with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine showed nearly 80 percent of Africans would take a COVID-19 vaccine.

“Looking at the content of the sanctions, these are not measures that will shake us to the core or impact us very much,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

A City of Tshwane health professional disinfects their mobile testing unit before conducting tests for the COVID-19 in Pretoria , yesterday

Turkish pilot denies link in Ghosn escape as trial resumesREUTERS — ISTANBUL

A Turkish pilot accused of aiding Carlos Ghosn in his dramatic escape from Japan said yesterday he did not know the former Nissan executive was on the plane, as the case against him and several other employees of a Turkish jet company resumed.

Ghosn, once a leading light of the global car industry, was arrested in Japan in late 2018 and charged with underre-porting his salary and using company funds for personal purposes, charges he denies.

The ousted chairman of the alliance of Renault, Nissan Motor Co and Mitsubishi Motors Corp had been awaiting his trial under house arrest in Japan when he escaped in December last year via Istanbul to Beirut, his childhood home.

An executive from Turkish private jet operator MNG Jet and four pilots were detained by Turkish authorities in early January soon after Ghosn’s escape and charged with

migrant smuggling, a charge carrying a maximum sentence of eight years in jail. They were released in July, when the first hearing was held.

Noyan Pasin, one of the pilots on the flight from Osaka to Istanbul, said before the hearing yesterday that he learned that Ghosn was on the plane from news reports after the flight.

He said he executed the flight as requested by the company, and had no chance to intervene at any point in the process of Ghosn’s escape.

“Even if we wanted to, there is no possibility for us to intervene because the local authority has full control. We had nothing to do with the escape, we only carried out the flight,” he said.

At yesterday’s hearing, the court rejected a request by the pilots to lift a travel ban against them. They had told the court the measure prevented them from carrying out their job.

It set the next hearing for January 20, 2021.

Sudan army chief visits border area after ambush blamed on EthiopiaAFP — KHARTOUM

Sudan’s army chief yesterday toured a border region with conflict-hit Ethiopia, according to a government source, a day after the military said troops were ambushed there by Ethi-opian forces.

General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, who heads the armed forces and the Sovereign Council, Sudan’s highest exec-utive body, “has arrived in Gedaref for a security visit”, the source said.

On Wednesday, the army issued a statement saying a unit of Sudanese armed forces had been hit by “an ambush by Ethiopian forces and militias inside Sudanese territories”.

It said the attack took place Tuesday evening after “con-ducting a sweep operation around the Jabal Abutiur region”.

There were “casualties and damage” during the ambush, the statement added.

Sudanese media yesterday said four soldiers were killed and 12 others wounded in the ambush, but the report was not confirmed by the army.

Sudan has been flooded by an influx of Ethiopian refugees fleeing a conflict in the northern Tigray region that broke out last month.

President Hassan Rouhani chairing a Cabinet meeting in the capital Tehran, on Wednesday.

“We should not wait, not even one hour, for the lifting of the sanctions. The government must do everything in its power to break the sanctions,” Hassan Rouhani said.

12 FRIDAY 18 DECEMBER 2020ASIA

53% Indians concerned over taking vaccine: PollIANS — NEW DELHI

While the Central Government has geared up for the vacci-nation drive, more than 50 percent of India’s population has expressed caution towards taking the coronavirus vaccine, a survey revealed yesterday.

The survey holds impor-tance at a time when questions are being raised on both the safety and efficacy of the vac-cines being developed at a phe-nomenal rate as the world struggles to find a silver bullet to end its pandemic woes.

The survey was conducted with approximately 11,000 respondents to understand the openness to take the vaccine, the perception of the gov-ernment measures to combat COVID-19, possible future measures including a lockdown.

About 53 percent of the population is unsure about taking COVID-19 vaccine, the survey by GOQii stated.

Out of them, 43 percent revealed that they are not sure and will only make a solid opinion post initial results about the effectiveness of the vaccine is revealed while 10 per cent are firmly against taking the vaccine as of now.

On an optimistic note, 47 percent of the respondents said that they are willing to take the vaccine and are actually waiting for it.

Women are more cautious than men with 48 per cent of

the male population willing to get vaccinated while the female readiness is around 42 percent.

With age, the willingness to take the vaccine reduces. The older adults (45-60) and seniors (60+) are not as ready as the younger age groups.

This may be due to con-cerns about complications ater taking the vaccine.

As many as eight COVID-19 vaccine candidates are under different stages of clinical trials which could be ready for authorisation in near future, including three indigenous vaccines.

It includes Astrazeneca and Oxford university developed and Serum Institute of India manufactured Covishield, Covaxin by Bharat Biotech

Limited, ZyCoV-D by Zydus Cadila, Russian vaccine can-didate Sputnik-V, NVX-CoV2373 by SII, HGCO19 by Geneva, and two unlabelled vaccines-Recombinant Protein Antigen based vaccine by Bio-logical E Limited-and Inacti-vated rabies vector platform by Bharat Biotech.

According to the survey, 50 percent of the respondents feel that Central Government’s ini-tiatives have been effective in curbing the spread of COVID-19 while 25 percent people believe that the State Government ini-tiatives have been effective. Only 22 percent of citizens rec-ognise the efforts of the local Government in terms of effectiveness.

Notably, 66 percent of the population surveyed believed the current method or opening up slowly is the way forward while 34 percent feel that a complete lockdown should be introduced again.

About 25 percent have a positive opinion about the current partial lockdown and think that it should continue in a similar manner.

While 31 percent want things to return back to normal but only in a gradual way, wherein restriction will be loosened very cautiously and while monitoring the numbers. 10 per cent of people who said that there should be no restric-tions and things should go back to normal.

Farmers taking part in a protest against India’s new agriculture laws at Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border on the outskirts of Delhi, India, yesterday.

India's Supreme Court suggests government delaying farm lawsAP — NEW DELHI

India’s Supreme Court yesterday suggested that the government consider delaying implementation of new agricul-tural reform laws to restore a dialogue with tens of thousands of protesting farmers who say the legislation will drive down crop prices and devastate their earnings.

Chief Justice S A Bobde also deferred a proposal by the court to set up a medi-ation panel until justices receive the government’s response and hear arguments

from lawyers representing the protesting farmers, possibly next week.

Attorney-General K K Venugopal said he will get back to the court after discussing the matter with the government.

The farmers have been blocking half a dozen major highways on the outskirts of New Delhi for three weeks and say they won’t leave until the government repeals what they call the “black laws” passed by Parliament in September.

In addition to blocking the movement of people, the massive protest has dealt a

blow to manufacturing and business in northern India.

On Wednesday, justices on the court offered to set up a mediation panel after five rounds of talks between the government and farmers failed to end the impasse.

Protest leaders have rejected the government’s offer to amend some contentious provisions of the laws.

The protesting farmers say the laws will lead to the cartelization and commercial-ization of agriculture and make farmers vulnerable to corporate greed.

Sydney residents told to stay home as virus cluster grows to 17

REUTERS — SYDNEY

Australia yesterday scrambled to trace the source of new COVID-19 cases after a cluster was detected in the largest city of Sydney, where authorities urged hundreds of thousands of people to stay home and set up emergency testing centres.

After reporting two new cases of the novel coronavirus in Sydney’s northern suburbs the previous day, the author-ities said hours later the number had jumped to 17, prompting a request for all 250,000 residents in the city’s Northern Beaches district to stay home for three days.

People from outside the local government area were urged not to go there.

The outbreak brought an end to a two-week run without any locally acquired cases of the virus.

Earlier this week, the state of New South Wales, of which Sydney is the capital, formally ended a work-from-home public health order due to low numbers of cases.

“As a number of new cases are currently being inter-viewed, it is likely that a number of new venues will be identified and that people in the Northern Beaches may have attended these venues,” the state health service said in a media release.

The state premier, Gladys Berejiklian, told reporters “we really want to get on top of this, we don’t want this to concern us leading into the last few days before Christmas, and I’m just urging the public to remain as vigilant as ever”.

Australia has been cau-tiously opening its internal borders and easing social dis-tancing curbs in recent weeks, due to low or no local cases in most of the eight states and territories.

However, after the NSW authorities reported the new cluster, the government of Western Australia state ordered all travellers from NSW to self-isolate and get a COVID-19 test within 24 hours.

Australia has reported just over 28,000 coronavirus cases and 908 deaths since the pan-demic began. Unti l Wednesday, most active cases in the country were returned overseas travellers in hotel quarantine.

Delhi seeks to mend Dhaka ties with vaccine diplomacyBLOOMBERG — NEW DELHI

India reassured Bangladesh it will prioritize the supply of Covid-19 shots to its South Asian neighbor, part of its vaccine outreach to counter China’s rising influence in the region.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangla-desh’s Sheikh Hasina met in a virtual summit yesterday — the first high-level meeting of the leaders from the two countries since relations nosedived when India passed its controversial religion-based citizenship law late last year.

“India and Bangladesh are cooperating well on the Covid

vaccine,” Modi said at the summit’s inauguration, adding that New Delhi “will pay special attention” to Bangla-d e s h ’ s i m m u n i s a t i o n requirements.

Hasina said the two coun-tries can move up global value chains by further integrating their economies.

She also announced the inauguration of the Chilahati-Haldibari trans-border railway link between the countries that had stopped functioning in 1965.

Last December Bangla-desh’s foreign minister AK Abdul Momen and home min-ister Asaduzzaman Khan had both called off visits after

nationwide protests erupted in India against its new citizen law. The new law fast-tracks Indian citizenship for non-Muslims from three neighboring nations including Bangladesh.

New Delhi has since been making overtures to smoothen relations with Dhaka, with whom it has a long history of cooperative ties.

Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla visited Bangladesh twice this year. The second visit in August came amid rising border tensions with China, which has com-mitted $40bn in investments in Bangladesh.

Yesterday the two countries signed seven agreements

relating to trade, energy and agriculture.

Annual trade between India and Bangladesh stood at $10.25bn in the fiscal year ended March 2019, Indian gov-ernment data shows.

Dhaka was also expected to raise the issue of management of trans-boundary rivers including the long-pending water sharing agreement for river Teesta.

India’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and his counterpart Momen had in September noted their com-mitment to finalising an interim deal in a dispute that has lin-gered since the 1980s without any resolution.

The “long-drawn failure to sign the Teesta river water agreement” and the new citi-zenship law have together “unsettled public opinion in Bangladesh” against New Delhi despite decades of close ties, said Delwar Hossain, a pro-fessor of international relations at Dhaka University.

“Now Covid-19 has brought the two nations together once again.”

Bangladesh’s Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd signed an agreement with Serum Institute of India Pvt in November for 30 million vaccine doses, shortly after India’s Jaishankar com-mitted supplies to Dhaka during his meeting with Momen.

Indonesia urges some regions to limit testing, keep kits for ‘long war’REUTERS — JAKARTA

The head of Indonesia’s C O V I D - 1 9 t a s k f o r c e yesterday urged regions of the country with a testing capacity well above World H e a l t h O r g a n i s a t i o n standards to save their resources because “we will be in this war for a long time”.

The world’s fourth-most populous nation is struggling with the worst outbreak of the coronavirus in Southeast Asia, with more than 643,000 con-firmed cases and almost 20,000 deaths.

Public health experts have long called for testing to be increased, saying that along with contact tracing it is key to controlling the epidemic and finding the true number of cases.

But the head of Indonesia’s COVID-19 taskforce, Doni Monardo, said some regions should hit the brakes to safe-guard testing resources as the pandemic could continue for some time.

“There are regions with a testing capacity rate that is nine times the World Health Organ-isation standard and some regions with very minimal capacity,” he said.

“The regions that are already too high, we cannot let that happen,” he said, adding that polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests should be saved since Indonesia faced a long “war”.

Monardo did not single out regions, but according to its official website the capital Jakarta conducted 81,689 PCR tests last week — more than eight times the WHO’s minimum benchmark of 1,000 tests per one million people per week.

Jakarta’s health office was not immediately available for comment.

Taskforce spokesman Wiku Adisasmito said 16 of 34 prov-inces had reached the WHO standard and he hoped that figure would grow, but prov-inces needed to be “mindful of the scope of the tests” and “the availability of test supplies in their area”.

Indonesia has one of the lowest testing rates in the world relative to its population, while its positivity rate - or the per-centage of people tested who are found to have the disease - has exceeded 17.5 percent in the past week.

The WHO has said a posi-tivity rate of less than five percent is an indicator that an epidemic is under control.

As of mid-December, Indo-nesia had conducted 15.89 tests per 1,000 people, compared to 859.96 in neighbouring Sin-gapore and 54.08 in the Phil-ippines, according to Our World in Data.

University of Indonesia epi-demiologist Pandu Riono said testing should not be rationed even though the pandemic was far from over.

People remove snow on a street in Yuzawa, Niigata Prefecture, Japan, yesterday.

Army deployed as record snowfall blankets parts of JapanAFP — TOKYO

Japan deployed the military yesterday to help residents trapped by record snowfall that has blanketed parts of the country, with 10,000 homes losing power in the north and west.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga called an emergency cabinet meeting and urged the public to be cautious, as local media reported more than 1,000 cars were stranded on an expressway connecting Tokyo to Niigata in the north.

Over 72 hours, a record 2.17 metres of snow fell in

Minakami, Gunma prefecture, reports said, while Yuzawa in Niigata prefecture — famous for skiing — got a record 1.8 metres of snow yesterday morning.

Snow also fell in the temple city of Kyoto, producing images of delicate pagodas and famed shrines dusted with flakes that delighted social media.

Members of Japan’s Self-Defence Forces were delivering blankets and food to homes suf-fering blackouts, local officials said.

Tsuyoshi Watanabe, a Niigata disaster management official, said he had asked for soldiers to help around 460 vehicles stranded on a highway. “We are trying our best

to rescue drivers and passengers... we are ready to continue our operation through the night,” he said. He said a dozen people had been injured in snow-related accidents in Niigata in the last two days.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency said the storm was forecast to weaken temporarily but more snow was expected for the region over the weekend.

The cold snap comes as Japan battles a spike in coro-navirus cases, even though it has had a relatively small out-break overall and has avoided imposing strict lockdown measures.

The survey was conducted with approximately 11,000 respondents to understand the openness to take the vaccine, the perception of the government measures to combat COVID-19, possible future measures including a lockdown.

13FRIDAY 18 DECEMBER 2020 ASIA

US Joint Chiefs chairman meets Taliban on peace pushAP — KABUL

The top US general held unan-nounced talks with Taliban peace negotiators in the Gulf to urge a reduction in violence across Afghanistan, even as senior American officials in Kabul warned that stepped-up Taliban attacks endanger the militant group’s nascent peace negotiations with the Afghan government.

Army General Mark A Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met for about two hours with Taliban negoti-ators, on Tuesday and flew on Wednesday to Kabul to discuss the peace process with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

Milley’s meetings came amid a new drawdown of US troops, although under current US policy a complete pullout hinges on the Taliban reducing attacks nationwide.

“The most important part of the discussions that I had with both the Taliban and the gov-ernment of Afghanistan was the need for an immediate reduction in violence,” Milley told three reporters, who

accompanied him. “Everything else hinges on that.”

Under ground rules set by Milley for security reasons, the journalists travelling with him agreed not to report on either set of talks until he had departed the region. It was Milley’s second unannounced meeting with the Taliban’s negotiating team; the first, in June, also in Doha, had not been reported until now.

Although Milley reported no breakthrough, his Taliban meetings represent a remarkable milestone — Amer-ica’s top general coming face-to-face with representatives of the group that ruled Afghanistan until it was ousted 19 years ago this month in the early stages of what became America’s longest war. Milley served three tours of duty in Afghanistan, the

first in 2003 and the last in 2013-14.

Army General Scott Miller, the top commander of US and coalition forces in Afghanistan, said in an interview at his mil-itary headquarters in Kabul on Wednesday that the Taliban have stepped up attacks on Afghan forces, particularly in the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar, and against roadways and other infrastructure.

“My assessment is, it puts the peace process at risk - the higher the violence, the higher the risk,” Miller said. Miller meets at least once a month with Taliban negotiators as part of Washington’s effort to advance a peace process.

Speaking in the same interview, Ross Wilson, the ranking American diplomat in

Kabul, said he also sees growing risk from Taliban violence. He said it has created “an unbearable burden” on the Afghan armed forces and the society as a whole.

In the so-called Doha agreement signed last February by the United States and the Taliban, the administration of President Donald Trump agreed to a phased withdrawal of US troops, going down to zero troops by May 2021 if the agree-ment’s conditions are upheld. One condition is a reduction in violence by the Taliban, leading to a nationwide ceasefire. The Taliban also agreed to begin peace negotiations with the Afghan government, which are in an early stage.

The Taliban have demanded a halt to US airstrikes, which have been conducted since Feb-ruary only in support of Afghan forces under Taliban attack.

Miller said he was sad-dened by what he called the Taliban’s deliberate campaign to damage roadways, bridges and other infrastructure as part of the militants’ effort to limit the Afghan government’s

ability to reinforce its troops.“Military commanders on

the ground are now starting to do things that are not conducive to peace talks and recon-struction and stability,” Miller said, adding, “clearly, the Taliban use violence as lev-erage” against the Afghan government.

Miller said he is executing Trump’s order to reduce US forces from 4,500 to 2,500 by January 15, just days before Joe Biden is sworn in as Trump’s suc-cessor. Miller said troop levels are now at about 4,000 and will reach the 2,500 target on time.

Biden has not said publicly whether he will continue the drawdown or how he will proceed with the Doha agreement negotiated by Trump’s peace envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad.

Biden has not laid out a detailed plan for Afghanistan but has made clear he prefers a small US military footprint and limited goals. He has acknowledged that he dissented from then-President Barack Obama’s decision in December 2009 to vastly increase troop levels in hope of forcing the

Taliban to the peace table.“I think we should only have

troops there to make sure that it’s impossible for... ISIS or Al Qaida to re-establish a foothold there,” Biden told CBS News in February.

Trump has argued for with-drawing entirely from Afghan-istan but was persuaded in November to reduce the force to 2,500 and continue the current missions of counterter-rorism and training and advising Afghan forces.

Some believe that the further thinning of US forces in coming weeks could lead to renewed Taliban gains on the battlefield and a weakening of the Afghan government’s position at the peace table.

Steven Biddle, a defense policy expert with the Council on Foreign Relations and pro-fessor of international relations at Columbia University, says the main contribution of US forces at this stage is political rather than military.

“In military terms, the war is a slowly decaying stalemate,” Biddle said in congressional tes-timony last month.

Moon rocks in hand, Beijing gears up for future lunar missionsAP — BEIJING

Following the successful return of moon rocks by its Chang’e 5 robotic probe, China is preparing for future missions that could set the stage for an eventual lunar base to host human explorers, a top space program official said yesterday.

China’s next three lunar missions are on track, along with programmes for returning samples from Mars and exploring asteroids and the planet Jupiter, Deputy Chief Commander of the China Lunar Exploration Program Wu Yanhua said.

“Exploring the truth of the universe is just beginning,” Wu said at a news conference held hours after the Chang’e 5's capsule parachuted to a landing in Inner Mongolia carrying the first lunar samples to be brought to Earth in more than 40 years.

Named after the Chinese deity of the moon, the Chang’e programme has made three landings there, including on its less explored far side. Chang’e

6, scheduled for a 2023 launch, is to collect more samples from the lunar south pole, while its two successors are to conduct detailed surveys and test tech-nologies needed for the con-struction of a science base on the moon.

No dates have been given for Chang’e 7 and 8, or for a crewed mission to the moon that China says is in the works, or for the construction of a lunar base.

“China is willing to keep on contributing to the world and enhancing human well-being with Chinese space solutions,” Wu said.

The capsule of the Chang’e 5 probe and its cargo of samples were flown to the space pro-gram’s Beijing campus after landing just before 2am yesterday.

The mission achieved firsts for China’s lunar exploration programme in collecting samples, launching a vehicle from the moon’s surface and docking it with the capsule to transfer the samples for their

voyage to Earth, the China National Space Administration said in a statement issued fol-lowing the landing.

“As our nation’s most complex and technically ground-breaking space mission, Chang’e 5 has achieved multiple technical breakthroughs... and represents a landmark achievement,” it said.

China in 2003 became just the third country to send an astronaut into orbit on its own after the Soviet Union and the United States and its space program has proceeded along a steady, cautious track, largely avoiding the fatalities and launch failures that marred the US-Soviet space race of the 1960s.

Wu said the latest flight fea-tured collaboration with the European Space Agency, along with Argentina, Namibia, Pakistan and other nations with which Chinese cooperates on monitoring and communicating with its spacecraft. China in the future will “encourage more scientists around the world to

participate to obtain more sci-entific results,” Wu said.

One exception remains the United States. Amid concerns over the Chinese space pro-gram’s secrecy and close mil-itary connections, American law forbids cooperation between Nasa and the CNSA unless Congress gives its

approval. That has prevented China from taking part in the International Space Station and helped drive Beijing to launch a now-defunct experimental space station and formulate plans to complete a permanent orbiting outpost within the next two years.

Two of Chang’e 5’s four

modules set down on the moon on Dec. 1 and collected about 2kg of samples by scooping them from the surface and drilling two metres into the moon’s crust.

The samples were deposited in a sealed container that was carried back to the return module by an ascent vehicle.

Deputy Director of the National Space Administration and Deputy Chief Commander of the lunar exploration project, Wu Yanhua speaking during a press conference in Beijing, yesterday.

Karachi cop confesses being part of target killing team

INTERNEWS — KARACHI

A police official, who was nabbed earlier this year for having links with Indian spy agency RAW, has revealed that he was part of the 11-member Muttahida Qaumi Movement London (MQM-L) group formed to carry out target killings, local media reported yesterday.

Assistant Sub-Inspector Shahzad Saleem made the startling revelation in a con-fessional statement before a joint investigation team.

The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) had arrested Shahzad Saleem, who was posted at the investigation wing of the Shahrea Faisal police station. During probe, the MQM-L hitman told the investigators that he got a government job on the basis of his political con-nections and was later inducted into the Sindh police.

The suspect revealed that the MQM-L had formed an 11-member team which was led by Arshad alias Chotta, for carrying out targeted killings. He said apart from him, the other members of the gang included Yousuf alias Babay, Asif Kalla, Arshad Sanki, Goga and Safdar alias Langra.

Saleem transpired that the group was funded by Indian spy agency RAW to carry out terrorism activities in the city. He disclosed that all group members remained in contact with each other through emails and received funds from abroad.

COVID vaccine will be available in February or March: Imran’s aidINTERNEWS — KARACHI

Special Assistant to Pakistani Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr. Faisal Sultan has said that coronavirus vaccine will be available in Pakistan in February or March 2021, local media reported yesterday.

Speaking in a programme on a private TV channel, Sultan said that coronavirus vaccine would be available in Pakistan next year in February or March and it will be free for all the citizens.

He said COVID-19 is rapidly

spreading in the densely pop-ulated areas of the country and the positivity ratio in Karachi is highest. The SAPM said that the pandemic can only be con-trolled by adhering to SOPs until the availability of the vaccine.

Earlier, the SAPM said the government had initiated working on multiple aspects related with the purchase of COVID-19 vaccine in the country.

He added the matters being discussed included effective immunisation system, side-effects of vaccine, and ensuring strong information technology

system for Corona vaccine. He said that the government will soon be able to share infor-mation on date of availability of corona vaccine in the country.

He said that Corona vaccine purchase matters had also been discussed with the provinces.

Dr. Faisal said that specific amount has been allocated for purchase of Corona vaccine and dispelled the impression that private sector will soon start purchasing Corona vaccine.

Meanwhile, a fresh survey conducted by the Institute for Public Opinion Research (IPOR)

found majority of the respondents would prefer a China-made coronavirus vaccine over Pakistan, United States, Russia and others.

The survey questioned a total of 1,500 people between December two and 14 this year. It found that 35 per cent of the respondents preferred China’s vaccine while 14 percent backed Pakistan and nine percent said the US.

A government approved vaccine got the green-stamp of 15 per cent of the respondents while 16 percent had no answer.

Majority respondents in the

survey believe coronavirus to be a reality, while 25 percent said it doesn’t exist and termed it a global conspiracy.

Majority of the respondents, however, said they would take the vaccine. Five in 10 said they would be willing to be admin-istered the vaccine.

Most of the respondents cited various conspiracy the-ories about the corona vaccine behind the reason for not going for the vaccine.

In the previous survey, 67 percent respondents were willing to administer the vaccine.

Cautious shopping in MalaysiaShoppers wearing protective masks walk past seasonal decorations outside a mall amid the coronavirus disease outbreak in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, yesterday.

Wuhan residents hope WHO team finds virus originsREUTERS — WUHAN

With investigators from the World Health Organisation (WHO) set to visit China next year, residents of Wuhan are saying they want the team to come to the central city, hoping they could prove the virus did not originate there.

An international team of investigators is expected to travel to China in January, the WHO said yeserday, more than a year after the first identified cluster of COVID-19 infections was linked to the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan.

“I welcome them to come. We also want to know how it developed, specifically where it came from, if the source of the virus is here,” said a Wuhan resident sur-named Wan, as he walked to work yesterday morning.

“My feeling is that it is not from there,” he added, referring to the seafood market.

The WHO did not confirm whether its team will go to Wuhan, saying that discussions on the itinerary were ongoing. A two-member WHO team visited China in July, but did not visit Wuhan.

It was reported earlier, citing a member and diplomats, that a team of 12-15 interna-tional experts will visit Wuhan to examine evidence, including human and animal samples collected by Chinese researchers, and to build on their initial studies.

Beijing has strongly opposed calls for an interna-tional inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus, but said it has been open to a WHO-led investigation.

Army General Mark A Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met for about two hours with Taliban negotiators on Tuesday and flew on Wednesday to Kabul to discuss the peace process with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

14 FRIDAY 18 DECEMBER 2020EUROPE

European leaders self-isolate after Macron catches COVID-19AFP — PARIS

A host of European leaders and top French officials rushed into isolation yesterday after Pres-ident Emmanuel Macron tested positive for COVID-19, upending political agendas across the continent.

A flurry of contact-tracing followed France’s confirmation that Macron had become the latest world leader to contract COVID-19, following the likes of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Donald Trump.

Macron, 42, was tested after the “onset of the first symptoms” and will now self isolate for seven days in accordance with national reg-ulations, his office said in a statement.

“He will continue to work and carry out his activities remotely,” the statement said.

The timing is awkward for Macron, who is trying to handle the pandemic crisis in his own country while keeping a close eye on Brexit talks and a host of other international issues.

Officials emphasised he was still working and was taking part in a conference on eco-nomic development yesterday afternoon.

Macron attended an EU summit in Brussels last week and on Monday went to a con-ference in Paris organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). European Council pres-ident Charles Michel and

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez were both at the Paris conference and are isolating.

Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa has also gone into self-isolation and cancelled all immediate events on his agenda after, having lunch with Macron on Wednesday.

Macron has cancelled a scheduled trip to Lebanon, where he had been pressing for far-reaching political change after a giant explosion at Bei-rut’s port in August.

Luxembourg’s Prime Min-ister Xavier Bettel began iso-lating yesterday pending a test result after he had attended the EU summit last week.

But a German government spokeswoman said Chancellor Angela Merkel took a test a few

days after the EU summit and it was negative.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex will self-isolate after contact with Macron, his office said, adding that he was showing no symptoms had tested negative. He needs

another confirmed negative result before he can come out of isolation next week, his office

said. Macron’s wife Brigitte will also be self-isolating but also shows no symptoms.

Fellow world leaders rushed to wish Macron a speedy recovery.

“Sorry to hear my friend @EmmanuelMacron has tested positive for coronavirus. We are all wishing you a speedy recovery,” tweeted Johnson, who has locked horns with Macron in recent months over the Brexit talks.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was with Macron “with all my heart”. “We are going to defeat this pandemic together,” she said on Twitter. “We will con-tinue to work hand in hand to immunise and protect our cit-izens.” Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had learnt of Maron’s positive test “with alarm” and wished his French counterpart a “speedy recovery and good health for many years to come”.

FROM LEFT: European Council President Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron, OECD’s Secretary General Angel Gurria, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Unesco Director-General Audrey Azoulay pose for a photo at OECD headquarters in Paris, on December 14, 2020.

EU states to start vaccinations from December 27REUTERS — BERLIN

European Union states will start vaccinations against COVID-19 in 10 days as Europe tries to catch up with Britain and United States after what some have criticised as a slow EU approval process for the shots.

The December 27 start date — confirmed by EU Com-mission chief Ursula von der Leyen, Austria, Germany and Italy — will be almost three weeks after the world’s first fully-tested COVID-19 vacci-nation was administered in

England. “In Germany we will start, if the approval comes as planned, on December 27. The other countries in the EU want to be able to start and want to start from December 27,” Health Minister Jens Spahn said before an online meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel and executives from vaccine maker BioNTech.

As a member of the EU, Germany is obliged, by and large, to wait for the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to approve the vaccine. The EMA is expected to make an

announcement on December 21. A senior EU official said on Wednesday the bloc could give its final approval for the vaccine, developed by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech, on December 23.

Von der Leyen confirmed the planned timetable for the start of inoculations for the European Union’s 450 million citizens.

“On 27, 28 and 29 December vaccination will start across the EU,” she wrote on Twitter. She had previously called for a coordinated start

to inoculations on the same day in all 27 EU countries.

Italy said it would start vac-cinating health workers on December 27, the Sunday after Christmas. Vaccinations will also start in Austria on that date, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Twitter.

Britain approved the shot on December 3 for emergency use, followed by Canada on December 9 and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 11. In Britain, around 140,000 people have already received the jabs.

Russian President Vladimir Putin talks with journalists after addressing his annual press conference via a video link at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, yesterday.

Putin hopes to resolve discord with US under BidenAFP — MOSCOW

Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday said he hoped the administration of incoming US President Joe Biden will work with Russia to resolve disagree-ments between their countries.

Putin told reporters at his annual end-of-year press con-ference that the two countries’ relations had become “hostage” to US domestic politics and said he hoped that some existing problems “will be resolved under the new administration”. “We believe the US president-elect will sort things out because he has both domestic and foreign policy experience,” the Russian leader said.

Putin was one of the last

leaders of major world countries to congratulate Biden on winning the November US pres-idential elections, saying earlier this week he was ready for “collaboration”.

Biden is expected to take a tougher stand against Russia than outgoing US President Donald Trump, who he slammed during the campaign for having “embraced so many autocrats around the world, starting with Vladimir Putin”.

The Russian leader said he believes Trump is unlikely to leave US political life after his term in office ends, saying the outgoing president has “a large base” of support.

Putin has already won four presidential elections.

Toughest virus rules extended to much of south EnglandAP — LONDON

Large parts of southern England will be placed under the coun-try’s strictest coronavirus restrictions from this weekend, Britain’s health secretary said yesterday, as infections and hospital admissions continue to surge in those areas.

Matt Hancock told law-makers that cases in the southeast of England have risen 46% in the past week, while hospital admissions there are up by a third. In eastern England, cases are up

two-thirds, and hospital admis-sions rose by nearly half.

The extension of the restric-tions means a total of 38 million people — or 68% of England’s population — will be living under the highest level of restrictions, Tier 3, from mid-night Saturday. Under the rules, all restaurants and pubs must close except for takeout services, and people can’t socialize indoors or in most outdoor places.

“We’ve come so far,” Hancock said. “We mustn’t blow it now.” Many are

concerned about the prospect of a further surge in infections and deaths after the gov-ernment said all restrictions will be temporarily eased over five days of the Christmas period to allow people to travel and see their friends and family.

London and its surrounding areas came under Tier 3 restric-tions this Wednesday, with the latest figures showing the capital now has among the fastest growing case rates in the country.

Infections are again rising in many other parts of the UK.

In Wales, it emerged yesterday that a computer problem caused a delay in the reporting of an extra 11,000 positive COVID-19 tests — meaning that cases in the region last week may have been twice as high as the figures first suggested.

The extra cases weren’t included on top of a reported 11,911 positive cases last week because of maintenance work on public health databases.

The UK recorded another 612 COVID-19-related fatalities on Wednesday, taking the total to 65,520.

Lorries queue in France ahead of BrexitTrucks queue on the A26 highway in Nort-Leulinghem, near Calais, northern France, yesterday, as Britain prepares to leave the European Union’s orbit in about two weeks.

Spanish Prime Minister

Pedro Sanchez,

Portuguese Prime

Minister Antonio Costa

and European Council

President Charles Michel

are self-isolating after

coming in contact with

French president in recent

days.

Spain's lower house approves bill legalising euthanasiaREUTERS — MADRID

Spain took a big step towards legalising euthanasia yesterday, with the lower house of parliament approving a bill allowing the seriously ill to choose to end their life, despite staunch opposition from the political right and religious groups.

The bill, which allows for euthanasia and assisted suicide for people with "serious and incurable" or debilitating dis-eases that cause "unbearable suffering," was passed by 198-138 vote.

The document will now go to the senate, which can sign it into law or send it back to con-gress with amendments. Without amendments, it could

be approved by spring 2021.If passed, Spain would

become the fourth country in the European Union to legalise the practices after Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

With the only political opposition coming from the conservative People's Party and the far-right Vox, the proposal authored by the leftist coalition government has caused fierce debate inside and outside parliament.

"The euthanasia law is a defeat for civilisation and a victory for the culture of death, for those who believe that some lives are more worthy than others," Vox leader Santiago Abascal said in a video uploaded to social media.

Two killed after attacking police in ChechnyaAFP — MOSCOW

Two gunmen were killed by police after attacking officers in Russia’s restive North Caucasus republic of Chechnya, the regional interior ministry said yesterday.

Two unidentified people “opened fire on police officers with automatic weapons and threw an improvised explosive device” after their vehicle was stopped for a routine check, a statement said.

“The two attackers were neutralised in return fire,” it added.

The ministry said the incident took place late Wednesday a few dozen kilo-metres (miles) east of the regional capital Grozny.

Despite regular reports of violence in the region, Chech-nya’s strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov wrote on Telegram on Tuesday that the situation there was “stable and peaceful”.

His comments were in response to another operation that resulted in the death of another alleged militant.

At least six people were killed in a shooting in October — including two members of the security forces — during a counter-terrorism operation in Grozny.

Russian forces fought two wars against separatists in the North Caucasus region in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Officials: Dutch may not be ready for vaccinations in December

REUTERS — AMSTERDAM

The Netherlands cannot yet say whether it will be among the first EU countries ready to start with COVID-19 vaccina-tions in December, several health officials said yesterday.

EU commission head Ursula von der Leyen has said that European Union countries would begin inoculating people against the new coro-navirus just after Christmas.

But the Dutch downplayed chances they would be ready this month. “We have always said we were on track to start vaccinations in January,” said spokeswoman Sonja Klop-penburg of the Dutch municipal health authorities (GGD). “And that remains the case.” “We will start when we feel it is safe to do so.” Dutch health minister, Hugo de Jonge, on Wednesday said “a lot” still had to happen before v a c c i n e s c o u l d b e administered.

The largest bottleneck, De Jonge said in a parliamentary debate, was finalising the IT systems needed for requesting a vaccine and registering dis-pensation of the shots, as this required specific information on their working and possible side effects which would only become available after the EMA’s approval.

15FRIDAY 18 DECEMBER 2020 AMERICAS

W ALRUWAIS : 19o → 24o W ALKHOR : 16o → 26o W DUKHAN : 17o → 23o W WAKRAH : 22o → 26o W MESAIEED : 22o → 26o W ABUSAMRA : 13o → 27o

Misty to foggy at places at first becomes moderate temperature daytime with scattered clouds, relatively cold by night.

Minimum Maximum19oC 27oC

WEATHER TODAY

LOW TIDE 00:58 – 15:06

HIGH TIDE 07:09 – 18:10

PRAYER TIMINGSPPPPRAYRRRAAAYARA MMMMIINNNNNNNNNGGGGGGMMMMMMMMMIIINNNNNNGGGGNNNNGGGIINNNNGNNNNNNNNN

PRAYERTIMINGS

FAJRSUNRISE

04.50 am 06.13 am

DHUHR 11.30 am

ISHA 06.19 pmMAGHRIBASR 02.27 pm

04.49 pm

Pence, Biden to get vaccine in bid to build public supportREUTERS — WASHINGTON

Vice-President Mike Pence will receive the coronavirus vaccine in public today (Friday) as the outgoing US administration and President-elect Joe Biden’s team try to build support for a mass inoculation to stanch the deadly pandemic.

Pence, who has headed the White House coronavirus task force, is poised to become the highest-profile recipient to date of a vaccine rolled out in the United States this week with hopes of curbing a virus that has killed more than 307,000 Americans.

Biden, set to take office on January 20, will publicly get the vaccine next week, according to transition officials. At age 78,

Biden is in the high-risk group for COVID-19, which has proven particularly dangerous among the elderly.

Biden has vowed to make the fight against the pandemic his top priority when he takes office. President Donald Trump, who Biden has accused of sur-rendering to the public health crisis, frequently downplayed the severity of the pandemic and feuded with top US public health officials.

Trump will get the vaccine when his medical team decides it is best, according to the White House. The Republican pres-ident was hospitalized and received treatment in October after testing positive for COVID-19. Pence’s wife, Karen, and Surgeon General Jerome

Adams also will get the vaccine today, according to the White House. The vaccine, made by Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech SE, is expected to become widely available to the general public next year.

A panel of outside advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration is expected to endorse emergency use of a second vaccine by Moderna Inc in a meeting on Thursday.

Many Americans remain sceptical. Only 61% of respondents in a Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted from December 2 to 8, said they were open to getting vaccinated.

That is short of the 70% level that public health officials have said is needed to reach herd immunity — achieved when a large portion of a given popu-lation is immune to a disease — either through exposure or vac-cination. Roughly 5% of Amer-icans are believed to have been infected by the novel corona-virus. One healthcare worker in Alaska experienced a severe allergic reaction after receiving the vaccine, officials said, in what is believed to be the only adverse reaction so far in the United States.

All over the United States, doctors, nurses and delivery people are wrestling with chal-lenges in the vaccine rollout including delays, anxiety and keeping the vaccine at just the right level of cold.

Biden will inherit these logistical difficulties, as well as the task of persuading Amer-icans to get the vaccine.

One of those tasked by Biden with building support, Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, told a Black civil rights group on Wednesday that the science was sound. “The political inter-ference risk was really, really removed,” Nunez-Smith said on a call with the National Associ-ation for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), a civil rights group.

Snowstorm blankets US east coast, threatening vaccine rolloutAFP — WASHINGTON

A major snowstorm hit the US east coast during yesterday’s early hours, creating extra chal-lenges in the midst of a corona-virus pandemic and a mass vaccination rollout taking place across the region.

The winter storm, moving over New York, Pennsylvania and other northeastern states, leaves millions facing more than a foot of snow a week before Christmas, potentially disrupting coronavirus testing and delaying holiday deliveries.

It also left more than 60 million people under bad weather warnings from Maine to South Carolina.

New York City, if hit as badly by the storm as predicted, would be facing the most snow from one storm in more than four years, after it was hit with two feet in January 2016.

Officials in New York state and Pennsylvania said they were prepared to deal with the

bad weather to ensure that vaccine delivery schedules went ahead as planned.

Delivery companies FedEx and UPS said they had also put measures in place to mitigate the storm’s effects.

Snowfall rates in both states were two inches per hour, with more than 12 inches in total, according to the US National Weather Service (NWS).

It said snow could reach up to two feet in some parts of the states, which both dispatched plows to keep the roads clear.

Boston, the most populous city in Massachusetts, imposed an emergency and issued a parking ban on key roads for workers.

“Confidence is high that this major winter storm will result in significant impacts including travel disruptions and power outages across much of the northern Mid-Atlantic, southern New York and southern into central New England,” the NSW said in a tweet late Wednesday.

Despite the potential

disruption, people rushed to play in New York City’s famous Times Square -— some dressed as characters such as Elmo and Batman and others having snowball fights — as it became blanketed in white.

While the snow brought joy for some, restaurants stacked chairs and tables and shuttered

after a snow alert effectively put an end to outdoor dining, the last hope of custom for some business owners because of social distancing rules.

In Pennsylvania, the transport department told drivers to limit journeys and introduced new speed restric-tions to prevent accidents.

Hundreds of schools announced they would close and again retreat to online learning, bolstered by the expe-rience of the pandemic.

Airlines also cancelled hun-dreds of flights on Wednesday, preventing many — some returning home for Christmas — from travelling.

A delivery person rides their bike down Church Avenue in the Flatbush neighbourhood of Brooklyn in New York City yesterday. Parts of the city experienced 6 to 10 inches of snow falling overnight.

Trump says not involved in potential prosecution of Biden’s sonREUTERS — WASHINGTON

President Donald Trump said yesterday he had nothing to do with any potential prosecution of President-elect Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, who has disclosed that his taxes are being inves-tigated by a federal prosecutor in Delaware.

Trump was impeached by the Democratic-led US House of Representatives in December 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Con-gress stemming from his efforts to pressure Ukraine to inves-tigate Joe and Hunter Biden.

Trump was acquitted by the Republican-led Senate in

February. “I have NOTHING to do with the potential prose-cution of Hunter Biden, or the Biden family. It is just more Fake News. Actually, I find it very sad to watch!” the Repub-lican president wrote on Twitter.

His Twitter post came a day after Jeffrey Rosen, the incoming acting attorney general, declined to say in an interview whether or not he would appoint a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden and his foreign business dealings.

Trump, due to leave office on January 20, has privately been mulling whether to pressure the Justice Department

to appoint a special counsel to look into Hunter Biden, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Installing a special counsel would make it more politically difficult for the new attorney general in the incoming Biden administration to simply dismiss the matter.

Hunter Biden on December 9 disclosed that his tax affairs were under investigation by the US attorney’s office in Del-aware, part of the Justice Department.

A person familiar with the matter said the investigation has been ongoing for at least two years, but Attorney General

William Barr managed to keep it under wraps ahead of the 2020 election. Trump announced Barr’s resignation on Monday. An attorney for Hunter Biden could not imme-diately be reached for comment.

Hunter Biden has long been the subject of Republican attacks. Trump himself often mentioned Hunter Biden in campaign rallies ahead of his November 3 election loss.

Trump and his allies have raised questions about potential conflicts of interest from Hunter Biden’s position on the board of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma at the time his father was vice president.

Biden picks North Carolina environmental chief to lead EPA

AP — WASHINGTON

President-elect Joe Biden yesterday offered the lead-ership of the Environmental Protection Agency to Michael S. Regan, a North Carolina regulator who has made a name pursuing cleanups of industrial toxins and helping low-income and minority communities hit hardest by pollution.

Biden’s selection of Regan, who leads his state’s environ-mental agency, was con-firmed by two people familiar with the selection process. They were not authorised the discuss the matter publicly b e f o r e t h e o f f i c i a l announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Regan became environ-mental chief in North Carolina in 2017. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, who hired Regan then, said this week that Regan was “a consensus builder and a fierce protector of the environment.”

In North Carolina, Regan led the negotiations that resulted in the clean-up of the Cape Fear River, which has been dangerously contami-nated by PFAS industrial com-pounds from a chemical plant. He negotiated what North Carolina says was the largest cleanup agreement for toxic coal ash, with Duke Energy.

Regan also created North Carolina’s Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board, to help the low-income and minority communities that suffer disproportionate exposure to harmful pollutants from refineries, factories and freeways.

Brazil, Pfizer spar over vaccine requirementsREUTERS — RIO DE JANEIRO

Pfizer is encountering difficulty in registering its COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in Brazil due to the level of detail required by the regulator, Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello said yesterday.

The health minister's com-ments could raise tensions with Pfizer, whose vaccine is already being used in Britain and the United States. They will also fuel concerns from critics who argue that Brazil's vaccine rollout is progressing too slowly, just as the virus roars back to life.

Vaccines are seen as crucial to ending the outbreak in Brazil, its death toll second only to the United States at more than 180,000 people. President Jair Bolsonaro, already under fire for his handling of the pan-demic, is one of the world's most prominent COVID-19 sceptics, and has said he will not take any vaccine.

Addressing lawmakers on Thursday, Pazuello said he spoke with Pfizer's country manager on Sunday and directed him to meet with offi-cials from health regulator Anvisa. After meeting Anvisa officials, the manager told the health minister that he had expected the emergency use process to be less onerous, Pazuello said. "'I thought it was simpler, but the agency is very detailed,'" Pazuello quoted the unnamed Pfizer executive as saying. Pfizer Brazil's country manager, Carlos Murillo, could not immediately be reached for comment. In a series of state-ments on Thursday, Pfizer said it could not comment on talks with the government.

Its statements confirmed that Anvisa had made specific requests that required more time. As a result, it said that seeking full regulatory approval for its vaccine was the fastest course of action at this time.

It said the Anvisa requirement for specific country data was more onerous than other regulatory agencies, which were happy to analyze the trial information as a whole.

Pazuello said Pfizer had presented a variety of demands in order to close the deal, including a waiver of liability. "We are thinking of accepting," Pazuello said of the demands.

In its statements Pfizer said many countries had agreed to

waive liability, including in Latin America.

Anvisa confirmed that Pfizer had yet to apply to reg-ister its vaccine. It said that information provided by Pfizer was "not the complete data nec-essary to judge the safety, efficacy and quality of a vaccine for registration."

The regulator added that so far no vaccine producer had applied for full registration or approval for emergency use.

People walk at a popular shopping street amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Sao Paulo, Brazil, yesterday.

US to unseal charges against Lockerbie suspectAFP — WASHINGTON

The United States plans to unseal charges soon against a Libyan man suspected of assembling the bomb that blew up a US airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988, US newspapers have reported.

But in Britain, the father of one of the victims of the dis-aster called the development “unwelcome” and cast doubt on the involvement of the suspect, Abu Agila Mohammad Masud.

“I can’t see the connection between these new allegations and the Lockerbie story,” Jim Swire, whose daughter Flora was killed in the bombing 32 years ago, said yesterday.

Masud is currently being held by the Libyan authorities, according to The Wall Street Journal, and US authorities are seeking his extradition to stand trial in the United States.

The New York Times said Masud’s exact whereabouts are unknown but that he was imprisoned in Libya at one point for unrelated crimes.

The Journal said Masud is suspected of assembling the device that blew up Pan Am Flight 103. The newspapers said US prosecutors are expected to unseal charges soon against Masud. The case against Masud is reportedly based largely on a confession he gave to Libyan authorities in 2012 as well as travel and immigration records. Monday is the 32nd anniversary of the bombing which killed a total of 270 people, including 190 Americans and 11 people on the ground.

The FBI said that while it “cannot comment on any upcoming announcement, we can assure the public and most importantly, the families of the Pan Am 103 victims, that we have worked tenaciously for 32 years to investigate this horrific terrorist attack.” “Domestic and foreign partners alike have been focused on identifying who was responsible for the bombing,” it added.

The incumbent vice-

president will get the shot

today while President-

elect Joe Biden will

publicly get the jab next

week.

˘ˇˆ˙ Happy National Day! Amir receives National Day greetings … · 2020. 12. 17. · FRIDAY...

Documents

Transcript of ˘ˇˆ˙ Happy National Day! Amir receives National Day greetings … · 2020. 12. 17. · FRIDAY...