Sunday 24 May 2020

1 Shawwal - 1441

2 Riyals

www.thepeninsula.qa

Volume 25 | Number 8267

Eid Mubarak

to all our readers

Amir exchanges Eid greetings with Iran President

QNA — DOHA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, exchanged greetings with H E President Dr. Hassan Rouhani, of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on the occasion of advent of the blessed Eid Al Fitr, in a telephone conversation His Highness held yesterday afternoon.

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani exchanged cables of greetings with their Majesties, Excellencies, and Highnesses leaders of Arab and Islamic

countries, on the occasion of the blessed Eid Al Fitr.

Also, HH the Amir received cables of greetings on this occasion from several leaders of friendly countries.

Deputy Amir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani exchanged cables of greetings with their Highnesses and Excellencies crown princes and vice presidents of Arab and Islamic countries, on the occasion of the blessed Eid Al Fitr.

Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani exchanged cables of greetings with their Excellencies Prime Ministers of Arab and Islamic countries, on the occasion of the blessed Eid Al Fitr.

Amir

exchanges

Eid greetings

with Speaker of

Shura Council

QNA — DOHA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has received a cable from the Speaker of the Shura Council H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud on the occasion of the blessed Eid Al Fitr, containing his greetings and the greetings of members of the Shura Council on this blessed occasion.

H H the Amir responded with a reply cable of thanks.

Qatar: Cyber attacks threaten security, stabilityQNA — NEW YORK

The State of Qatar has stressed that cyber attacks threaten security, peace and stability, coinciding with the third anni-versary of the e-piracy crime that targeted the Qatar News Agency on May 23, 2017, which was committed a few days before the imposition of the unjust and unlawful blockade against the State of Qatar on June 5, 2017.

This came in a statement delivered by Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador H E Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani in an Arria-formula meeting of the UN Security Council on “cyber stability, con-flict prevention and capacity building”, organised by Estonia, the current chair of the Council, in cooperation with Belgium, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, and Kenya.

Her Excellency said that it is not an exaggeration to say cyber-attacks may threaten

peace, security and stability, especially when targeting sen-sitive digital services. “In our region, we are currently wit-nessing a similar threat that came in the wake of the cyber-attack, which targeted an

important government insti-tution in my country,” referring to the electronic piracy crime, which was sponsored by coun-tries, and targeted Qatar News Agency on May 23, 2017, through which fabricated statements

were attributed to the leadership of the State of Qatar.

On the third anniversary of hacking the website of Qatar News Agency, H E Sheikha Alya said that “the seriousness of that cyber crime, which was

sponsored by countries, is that it happened days before the unjust and unlawful blockade against the State of Qatar on June 5, 2017.”

Her Excellency pointed out that the repercussions of the blockade continue to affect the security and stability of the region, undermine opportunities for cooperation and facing common challenges, and violate human rights and fundamental freedoms of thousands of people in the State of Qatar and others countries in the region.

She underlined the need to examine the implications of misusing cyberspace on sta-bility and conflict prevention, calling for collective steps to asses existing and potential threats and address them; strengthen the regional and international security envi-ronment against technology misuse attempts; and continue to improve the states’ respon-sible behaviour in cyberspace in the context of international security. �P3

MADLSA probes

incident of delayed

wage payment

for expat workersQNA — DOHA

In response to the late settlement of salaries, a small number of expatriate workers conducted a peaceful protest in the Msheireb area on May 22.

Following an immediate investigation in cooperation with relevant entities, the Min-istry of Administrative Devel-opment, Labour and Social Affairs (MADLSA) has taken steps to ensure that all salaries will be promptly paid in the coming days and legal action has been taken against the companies involved, for vio-lating the Wage Protection System (WPS).

The MADLSA reminded all employers in the strongest of terms that it has distributed clear instructions to com-panies on their legal obliga-tions during the coronavirus pandemic.

Any company found vio-lating these obligations will be penalised in line with Qatar’s Labour Laws. Workers are encouraged to contact the 24/7 multi-language hotline service (92727) to lodge work-related grievances against their employers.

Companies can access additional financing through the directives announced by H H the Amir to provide financial and economic incen-tives to the private sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.

An amount of QR3bn has been allocated to local banks to support companies with sa lar ies and rental payments.

MoPH: 620 more recover; 1,732 new cases and two deathsTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Public Health has announced 1,732 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 and 620 new recovered cases, bringing the total number of recovered cases in Qatar to 8,513. The Ministry also announced two deaths due to the virus

The total number of positive COVID-19 cases recorded in Qatar till now stands at 42,213 and there are 33,679 active cases under treatment. So far, 21 people died from COVID-19 in Qatar. Ministry conducted

4,152 tests in last 24 hours taking the total tests done so far to 184,794 tests.

The Ministry stated that the two new deaths were a 55-year-old whose condition worsened after several days of illness and the second was a 38-year-old who was suffering from chronic diseases. Both patients were receiving necessary medical care in intensive care. The Ministry extended its sincere condolences and great sympathy to the fam-ilies of the two deceased.

Also 16 new cases have been admitted to intensive care due

to complications resulting from the infection, bringing the total number of people currently in intensive care units to 177.

The Ministry stated that the new cases are due to expatriate workers who were infected with the virus as a result of contact with individuals who were pre-viously infected, in addition to recording new cases of infection among groups of workers in dif-ferent regions. The new cases have been identified after con-ducting investigations by the research and investigation teams of the Ministry of Public Health

that contributed to early detection of cases.

Cases of infection have also increased among citizens and residents as a result of contact with infected family members who had been infected in the workplace or through visits and family gatherings. The new con-firmed cases of infection have been introduced to complete isolation in the various medical facilities in the country, where they receive the necessary healthcare according to the health status of each case.

The Ministry revealed that

the number of positive cases between citizens and residents witnessed a significant rise, with the number of infections relating

to family gatherings, visits and sharing meals together with rel-atives and extended families having doubled. �P3

NEW RECOVERIES

ACTIVE CASES

TOTAL RECOVERIES

TOTAL DEATHS

620 33,679

8,51321

NEW CASES ANNOUNCED

1,732

COVID-19QATAR UPDATES ON 23 MAY 2020

MoI deploys patrols to ensure adherence to precautionary measuresSIDI MOHAMEDTHE PENINSULA

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has deployed many patrols across the country to monitor people’s commitment to the cabinet’s decisions regarding wearing face masks on leaving the house and decision of not riding more than two persons in a vehicle.

The Public Relations Department of the MoI is also con-ducting an awareness drive in more than ten languages which included Arabic, English, Hindi, Urdu, Nepalese, Bengali, Sin-halese, Tagalog, Tamil, Malayalam

and Indonesian in this regard. MoI said that the drive

focuses on “wearing face masks when leaving the house, also the Cabinet’s decision of not riding more than two persons in a vehicle and mandatory download of Ehteraz mobile app”.

According to the decision, wearing face masks is man-datory for all upon leaving house for any reason, except in the case when a person is alone while driving a vehicle. The Ministry of Interior has been authorised under Cabinet’s decision to take the necessary measures in this regard.

Police patrols are deployed in many areas to ensure the number of passengers present, as well as wearing masks and others. “There is strict control over the issue of wearing face masks and the number of pas-sengers in the car. The patrols are deployed in many areas at main intersections to see peo-ple’s adherence to the instruc-tions of the authorities con-cerned,” said a motorist Khaled.

Another resident Yousef said: “Last night I was going to Al Wakra and the police patrols stopped me two times in dif-ferent places to check about

wearing masks and the number of passengers in the vehicle.”

“Strict instructions are imposed in this regard and awareness drive is also being conducted by the Ministry of Interior in more than 10 lan-guages therefore people have no excuse to not follow the guidelines,” he said.

MoI has also asked indi-viduals who have a health profile code of grey colour in Ehteraz app to stay at home and should not go out because they are classified as among those who have symptoms or contact with positive cases and

not yet been examined. Brigadier Abdullah Khalifa

Al Muftah, Director of the Public Relations Department at the MoI said that the Ministry will increase the number of patrols in all regions of the country, to ensure individuals’ com-mitment to the decisions related to fighting coronavirus.

Speaking to Qatar TV, he added: “Children are counted as passengers. No more than two people are allowed in the private vehicle, whether they are children or adults, except in the cases specified by the decision.”

"Eid Mubarak, and May Allah return it with goodness and blessings. On this occasion, we congratulate the Arab and Islamic peoples, praying to Allah health, security and peace for all."

I greet H H the Amir on the occasion of Eid Al Fitr. May Allah return it on you with sound health. I also greet everyone in our beloved homeland and in the Arab and Islamic worlds on this blessed occasion, asking Allah to accept act of prayers and lift epidemic from those affected and all people of the world.

In our region, we are currently witnessing a similar threat that came in the wake of the cyber attack, which targeted an important government institution in my country.

The repercussions of the blockade continue to affect the security and stability of the region, undermine opportunities for cooperation and facing common challenges, and violate human rights.

There is a need to develop regional and national strategies that are compatible with the principles of international cooperation and include the protection of vital information and communication infrastructures.

02 SUNDAY 24 MAY 2020HOME

03SUNDAY 24 MAY 2020 HOME

FAJR SUNRISE 03.19 am 04.45 am

W A L R U WA I S : 26o↗ 35o W A L K H O R : 26o↗ 37o W D U K H A N : 25o↗ 35o W WA K R A H : 23o↗ 37o W M E S A I E E D 23o↗ 37o W A B U S A M R A 24o↗ 41o

PRAYER TIMINGS WEATHER TODAY

HIGH TIDE 04:09–18:19 LOW TIDE 00:49 – 11:53

Misty at places at first becomes hot daytime with some clouds, mild by night.

Minimum Maximum27oC 38oC

ZUHRMAGHRIB

11.31 am06.18 pm

ASR ISHA

02.56 pm07.48 pm

QA Cargo transports vaccines to India amid pandemicSACHIN KUMAR THE PENINSULA

Qatar Airways Cargo continues to play a vital role in ensuring smooth supply of goods during these difficult times. The airline has transported a shipment consisting of pneumococcal and varicella vaccines to India, amidst COVID-19 crisis. The vaccines were flown from Brussels to Mumbai via Doha.

“Qatar Airways Cargo transports 54 tonnes of pneu-mococcal and varicella vac-cines to India,” Qatar Airways tweeted yesterday.

Qatar Airways Cargo trans-ported 56 SkyCell containers with vaccines from one of the largest vaccine manufacturers worldwide on its scheduled freighter and belly-hold cargo flights for its customer, CEVA Logistics. The 54 tonne shipment consisting of pneu-mococcal and varicella vac-cines were flown on two sep-arate flights.

The SkyCell containers were loaded on Qatar Airways aircraft in Brussels and arrived in Doha where they were stored at the carrier’s airside Climate Control Centre for pharmaceu-ticals, before connecting on the aircraft to Mumbai the fol-lowing day. During the interim storage in the cold chamber,

SkyCell’s hybrid containers were able to recharge them-selves, extending their long independent runtime for another 72 hours after arrival in Mumbai.

With global air freight capacity declining, Qatar Airways Cargo has increased operations to ensure the conti-nuity of global trade and movement of essential medical and aid supplies. The airline continues to operate a signif-icant cargo schedule with almost 175 flights per day.

Qatar Airways Cargo recently supported Unicef with air freight to transport 36 tonnes of freight from Shanghai, China to Tehran, Iran. The cargo which consisted of medical supplies and personal protective equipment such as face masks, N95 masks, gowns and coveralls was transported

over several scheduled flights last week.

Early this month, the airline had introduced an air bridge between Vietnam and France. Through this arrangement, 11 Boeing 777 freighters would operate from Hanoi in May and four weekly freight-only Boeing 777 passenger aircraft would operate from Ho Chi Minh City until June for its customer, Bollore Logistics. The flights will transport more than 2,000 tonnes of essential medical items, face masks and personal protective equipment to support the French Government and French Ministry of Health in the fight against the pandemic.

The cargo carrier has also boosted its capacity to Scandi-navian countries to meet the high demand for exports. The airline has introduced addi-tional flights to and from Scan-dinavian cities Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm, offering freight capacity for local exports.

Five additional Airbus A350 freight only passenger aircraft have been introduced each week to the carrier’s existing thrice-weekly belly-hold pas-senger flights in Copenhagen, Denmark, bringing the total weekly cargo capacity to more than 500 tonnes each way,

Forever grateful to this country, says COVID-19 survivor FAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

It is like a second life for Borja Entrala Fabregas, a Spanish expatriate, who recovered from COVID-19 recently. Not just the excellent medical service but exceptional patient care has helped him recover from COVID-19 and return to normal life.

Few weeks ago he developed a neck pain and weakness. Within three to four days, 50 years old Borja’s con-dition started to worsen. He didn’t have fever, cough or other common COVID-19 symptoms much to his surprise. But Borja had a travel history to Madrid.

“I travel a lot. Though I didn’t have typical COVID-19 symptoms but my body was not feeling right. I felt something was wrong. It was more than a flu. Suddenly one day I lost con-scious. My wife called the ambulance and I was taken to Hazm Mebaireek General Hos-pital,” recalled Borja.

He was initially diagnosed with pneumonia and then tested COVID-19 positive. “After three days my condition started to worsen. Started to have breathing difficulty I was in very bad situation. My lungs were affected badly. I was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit,” said Borja. “It’s not easy to explain the condition, I was struggling between life and death,” he added.

But the care provided at Hazm Mebaireek General Hos-pital, the efforts of the medical teams at the hospital has helped to improve the condition of Borja.

He slowly started recov-ering, and was eventually dis-charged from the hospital after

25 days. As per protocol he was tested COVID-19 negative twice. Then he had to be under self-isolation for 14 days. Now Borja is returning to normal life.

“The journey from being very sick and recovery was unbelievable,” said Borja.

“I thank and am obliged to everyone from H H the Amir, the Minister, the healthcare system and to this country as a whole. All this saved my life, I will always be thankful and love this country for giving me a second life,” he said.

“The doctors said that I might be having four guardian angels. I believe in guardian angels, but the care given by the medical staff, starting from the paramedics, doctors, nurses and all hospital staff was remarkable. The Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital was amazing, services are five star standard. More than eve-rything the medical care is free here. It’s remarkable they provide such high standard of care for free.”

“With everything I made it, I recovered,” he said. He sends a strong message saying, “Don’t take it for granted.”

“I’m not young or old. But I have no chronic illnesses, I do exercise daily and had a healthy life. So no one should take things for granted. Everyone should take precautions, follow the government instructions and stay safe.

“Now every day is a blessing, I feel blessed every time when I’m with the family, have dinner with my daughters,” said Borja.

Borja Entrala Fabregas, a Spanish national living in Qatar who has recovered from COVID-19, seen with his wife.

Katara to hostonline events on Eid Al Fitr

QNA — DOHA

Katara will celebrate Eid this year from a distance, launching a series of events that will be streamed on its website.

Katara said that the theme of this year will be “stay home, your Eidiya will be delivered to you.” This comes in light of the physical distancing imple-mented by the state to contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Events start at 4pm, local time with online raffles that end at 6pm. An hour later will see the presentation of the Katar Eidiya. At 8pm there will be virtual fireworks, followed by another round of Eidiya an hour later.Al Sheehaniya Municipality intensifies food

inspection drive on sweets and meat shops

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Health Monitoring Section of Al Sheehaniya Municipality has intensified inspection campaigns on food outlets with special focus on sweets and

meat shops on the occasion of Eid Al Fitr.

The municipal inspectors two violations of the provisions of the Law No. 8 of 1990 for regulating food, said the Min-istry of Municipality and Envi-

ronment in a statement.The intensified inspection

campaigns will continue on food outlets to ensure the com-pliance of health rules for the safety and security of the consumers.

Qatar: Cyber attacks threatensecurity and stability

FROM PAGE 1

H E Sheikha Alya was keen to stress attaching the appro-priate importance to the appli-cation of international law to the states’ use of information a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n s technology.

She also stressed the need to consider adopting a binding international instrument to maintain information security, as well as standards, rules and principles for responsible behaviour in the use of infor-mation and communication technologies in order to reduce future risks to interna-tional peace, security and stability.

She added that there is a need to develop regional and national strategies that are compatible with the principles of international cooperation and include the protection of vital information and commu-nication infrastructures, with a focus on the use of modern technologies for peaceful purposes.

The Ambassador went on saying that there is a need to develop regional and national strategies that match the

principles of international cooperation and include the protection of vital information and communication infrastruc-tures, with a focus on the use of modern technologies for peaceful purposes.

She also called for creating an open, safe and accessible technological environment for all; maintaining the free flow of information; and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

In conclusion, H E Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani pointed out that the State of Qatar is taking a range of measures to harness the latest technologies at various levels to maintain information security, and following a com-prehensive approach guided by relevant international initiatives.

She reaffirmed the State of Qatar’s keenness to cooperate at the international level and under the umbrella of the United Nations, to ensure that the vast cyberspace is har-nessed for the benefit of humanity and not against it.

MoPH: 620 more

recover; 1,732

new cases

FROM PAGE 1

The Ministry of Public Health stated that Qatar has now entered the peak phase of the virus outbreak, which is seeing a rise in the number of infections recorded daily, and therefore it is necessary to adhere to, more than ever before, the preventive measures and social measures recommended.

The Ministry also stressed the importance for the elderly or those suffering from chronic diseases and their family members to follow strict measures to reduce the chances of infection, including refraining from social visits during Eid Al Fitr.

The Ministry stressed that because the coronavirus out-break is at the peak stage in Qatar, it is important not to leave the house except for when absolutely essential.

It also stresses the impor-tance of adhering to all measures to protect against virus infection, including maintaining social distancing both in the workplace and public places, as well as wearing a medical mask and avoiding social visits to reduce the risk of contracting the virus.

Sheikh Dr. Thaqil to lead Eid prayer at Imam Muhammad bin Abdulwahhab MosqueTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has said that Sheikh Dr. Thaqil bin Sayer Al Shammari will lead Eid Al Fitr prayer at Imam Muhammad bin Abdulwahhab Mosque.

The prayer will be held in the presence of only Imams, Muezzins and employees of the mosque following the state pre-ventive and precautionary measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, said the Ministry in a statement.

The prayer will be trans-mitted to the public on tele-vision and radio channels, with the assurance that it is not per-missible to perform prayer by listening radio, television and o t h e r m e a n s o f communication.

Eid sweets shopping People waiting in line, following social distancing measures, to buy sweets at a shop in Muntaza area in Doha, on the eve of Eid Al Fitr. PIC: BAHER AMIN/ THEPENINSULA

A municipal official inspects food quality and hygiene standards at a shop.

"No one should take things for granted. Everyone should take precautions, follow the govt instructions and stay safe.”

Qatar Airways Cargo has increased operations to ensure continuity of global trade. It continues to operate a significant cargo schedule with almost 175 flights per day.

04 SUNDAY 24 MAY 2020HOME

beIN to broadcast exciting entertainment content this weekTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

For the start of Eid Al Fitr, beIN has announced a wonderful and uplifting program schedule of world-class enter-tainment for families and households across the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) to enjoy, including popular dramas, movies, children’s programming, cookery shows, and more.

Special content curated for all ages and interests will be showcased on beIN channels over the coming days including beIN Movies, beIN Drama, beIN Series, beIN Gourmet, Fatafeat, Baraem

Channel and Jeem TV; so that subscribers can safely enjoy the end of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid Al Fitr.

beIN’s thrilling schedule also offers more entertaining options than ever before through beIN’s international partners, such as Fox, CBS, HGTV, Food Network, Nat Geo, BBC, Cartoon Network and more.

On the Food Network, sub-scribers can enjoy Fikra W Tabkha starting at 11:45 Makkah time today, hosted by Chef Fatima Al Basiri, which sheds light on the history, origin and steps of preparing popular Gulf dishes, but with

a modern twist. This exclusive program reflects the richness and flavours of Gulf cuisine.

beIN is also encouraging subscribers to watch and laugh hard at one of the best Egyptian plays, the famous Raya Wa Sakina on beIN

Drama at 14:00 Makkah Time on Monday that will leave eve-ryone extremely entertained. The play revolves around real events that took place in the early twentieth century, including the comedic kid-napping of two women —

assisted by their husbands. Yousef Al Obaidly, CEO of

beIN Media Group, said: “At beIN we are proud and hon-oured to provide the best pro-gramming ever scheduled during this special period.

“As we approach the end of the holy month of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid Al Fitr, subscribers of all ages will be able to find something inspiring, uplifting and enter-taining for them — from new movies and dramas, to lifestyle and kids’ content.

“We are humbled to play our small part in connecting households and families during this time – and would

like to wish everyone across the Middle East and North Africa a happy Eid.”

If subscribers are looking for more entertainment for the whole family to enjoy this week, beIN recently announced a ground-breaking cooperation with film distributors and launched beIN Cinema, which provides the latest movies straight to subscribers before they are seen in theatres.

More than 20 new movies will be released and available on beIN On Demand under Cinema category in May and June, including: Kill Chain, From The Heart, Hearts and Bones and Acceleration.

QC aids COVID-19 efforts in Mali, Chad and KenyaTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar Charity (QC), through its offices or in cooperation with international humanitarian organisations and local partners, has delivered assistance in Mali, Chad, and Kenya, as part of its continued efforts aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), and helping communities in need.

In Mali, several hospitals have benefited from the assistance provided through Qatar Charity’s office in the country, which included clothes, spectacles, masks, gloves, thermometers, and cleaning and sterilization mate-rials. In Chad, QC’s office in the capital, N’Djamena, imple-mented a project to prevent the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic, benefiting 500

families and 5 institutions directly and 8,500 people indirectly.

The project has distributed preventive supplies in a hos-pital and four social centers. The supplies included sani-tizers, cleaning materials, gloves and masks.

The project also distributed 500 protective baskets to poor families, with each containing cleaning and sterilization mate-rials, in addition to an awareness campaign in all dis-tricts of N’Djamena, to educate people on the importance of practicing personal hygiene and on the epidemic.

In Kenya, QC has distributed necessary preventive supplies, including disinfectants, steri-lizers, masks, hygiene kits and other items, to 500 families with 2500 individuals to reduce the virus cases.

Green Tent calls

for environmental

reform, expanding

sustainable citiesQNA — DOHA

Speakers in a symposium held recently by the Green Tent of the “A Flower Each Spring” program called on all those interested in the environment in various parts of the world to participate in the process of environmental reform and expand smart cities, sustainable installations and green buildings in order to protect the human being and maintain the planet and its wealth.

The experts, academics, specialists and leaders of social work participating in the sym-posium reviewed the positive environmental changes which took place after the corona-virus pandemic, including the reduction in carbon emissions and nitrogen oxides in the air and giving the opportunity to endangered animals to increase, attributing these changes to the halting of air traffic, cars and factories, and other precautionary measures taken by the countries across the world.

They underlined that the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 are the responsi-bility of all and that they are integrated and must be achieved as one package, which requires the eradication of poverty and hunger and the preservation of resources, and this will only be possible with science and technology, coop-eration, and the exchange of experiences, knowledge and skills.

They talked about the Goal 11 the Sustainable Devel-opment Goals which is con-cerned with making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, and the indicators that lead to achieving this goal in 2030, explaining that the population of the Gulf has reached 40 million people, including res-idents, and that most of them inhabit cities, which caused a boom in the number of cities and its expansion at the expense of villages.

The speakers noted that this expansion and overpopu-lation presents a major chal-lenge for urban growth planners and reduces oppor-tunities for proper planning and the expansion of green cities.

They advised to expand the establishment of gardens and trees in cities and the use of environmentally friendly materials because of their environmental, economic and social benefits, pointing to the need for Gulf countries to rely on wild plants because, despite their need for special care, they have proven their effec-tiveness and great benefit.

The speakers also called for the expansion in the establishment of smart cities and setting a model for an Arab smart city that takes into account the criteria and foundations upon which these cities are based, including that planning be designed to avoid epidemics and diseases by establishing an early warning system to predict diseases that depends on monitoring the sewage network, which is a new system that is being worked on in many research centers around the world.

'Dementia sufferers at risk of discrimination amid pandemic'THE PENINSULA — DOHA

People with dementia and those who care for them are being pushed to the extreme by the COVID-19 pandemic, the CEO of Alzheimer’s Disease Interna-tional has warned while partic-ipating in a global discussion on mental health hosted by Qatar Foundation and the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH).

A stark picture painted by the coronavirus crisis has this month been revealed in a report by the UK’s National Health Service, which showed that 18 percent of those who have died in hospital with COVID-19, and 42 percent of those who died in care homes for the elderly after testing positive for the disease, had dementia.

Paola Barbarino, who heads the UK-based organization ded-icated to fighting Alzheimer’s disease, was among the experts to give their insights on the impact of the pandemic on global mental health in an online edition of the Education City Speaker Series, and says these statistics reflect exactly how vulnerable those with the

dementia are to disease, death — and discrimination.

“The report reveals the depths of vulnerability that those with degenerative neu-rological conditions such as dementia are prone to,” she said. “It also gives us a glimpse of the many victims who had dementia. And there may be more — victims who had dementia, but were not regis-tered at the hospital they were admitted to as having the dis-eases. “Often patients with dementia cannot verbally express physical discomfort, and this applies to the symptoms of the pandemic as well.

"The result is that by the time help is sought for, and arrives, it is often too late. On the other side of the spectrum, we have heard of reports of extreme end-of-life decisions being made solely on the fact that an elderly patient afflicted by the virus had dementia – even when they had no other underlying health conditions.

“There have also been situ-ations where patients who were previously living alone opted to stay with immediate family

members, as their regular car-egivers were forced to self-isolate. This puts enormous pressure on their children, who often have to juggle caring for a parent with dementia, working from home, and schooling their own children. The mental agility of such car-egivers is often stretched to breaking point.”

Patients with Alzheimer’s benefit from routine, but amid COVID-19, that routine can be snatched from them, leaving them confused and scared. This leads to decreased cognitive capacity, and, in the case of advanced dementia, rapid

physical and mental deterioration.

“Even simple precautions, such as wearing a mask, can be overwhelming for such people,” Barbarino notes. “Patients with advanced dementia are also more likely to move or wander out of their residences. This adds another layer of risk when it comes to lockdown measures.

“With these strict measures in place, governments are imposing fines and penalties on those who violate these precau-tions. So when a patient with dementia accidentally wanders out of their homes into public places without wearing a mask, they are often reprimanded, resulting in unfortunate outcomes.”

While countries such as France and Taiwan have stepped forward with specific interventions for those with dementia during the pandemic, Barbarino says that much of the rest of the world has been slow to respond. According to her, this is why the work carried out by initiatives such as the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) is crucial.

“Entities such as WISH

tackle issues which most organ-izations prefer to shy away from,” she says.

“Qatar Foundation’s approach to such topics such as dementia is nuanced with sen-sitivity and courage – it has the courage to explore issues that need to be dealt with from a humanitarian perspective. The Education City Speaker Series webinar on mental health is a case in point. “What’s com-mendable is that WISH’s interest and involvement in such issues is not a flash-in-a-pan; it doesn’t view such topics merely as one-off crowd-pullers at conferences. Instead, WISH, and other QF entities, dedicate themselves to truly understanding and investigating such concerns from ground-level up. That’s exactly what helps organizations like us get our message out effectively.”

Alzheimer’s Disease Inter-national submitted a report with urgent recommendations for the World Health Assembly, calling for governments across the world to urgently recognize – and address – the unique needs of people with dementia amid the current crisis.

Paola Barbarino, CEO of Alzheimer’s Disease International

Auto Class Cars launches MG virtual showroom in QatarTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Auto Class Cars, the authorised general distributor of MG in Qatar, has launched a new comprehensive package of services that allow the customer to explore MG cars at the new virtual showroom, book a test drive and buy the car online without the need to leave their home.

The virtual showroom for MG vehicles in Qatar allows customers to peruse a wide range of MG vehicles while they are at home. A replica of the actual showroom on Salwa Road, the virtual showroom of 360-degree technology can be accessed on the Auto Class Cars / MG website: https://mg-qa.com/shopping-tools/360-tour/.

Customers can explore the showroom to view the cars in an expe-rience that exactly simulates the real one. the showroom highlights a wide range of vehicle specs, where customers can view the interior or exterior details by clicking on the icon associated with it, to get more information, and even book a test drive.

In addition, customers can now buy their next MG Online without the need to personally come to the showroom.

The buyers can reserve or purchase the car simply by choosing the model, trim and color, click on reserve or pay option and MG team member will send the buyer a link to make the payment and deliver the car to his doorsteps. Cus-tomers can access this link to buy the

car: https://mg-qa.com/buy-online/Speaking about the new MG services,

Sheikh Faleh bin Nawaf Al Thani, oper-ations director of automotive sector at NBK Group said: “In light of the current situation and within our effort to support the social distancing, we are pleased to

launch MG virtual showroom in Qatar to give customers flexible options to peruse MG vehicles without the need to come to the actual showroom. Customers can also now buy their MG car and compete all paperwork on-line.

"This demonstrates our abilities to utilize latest technology for providing creative solutions for our customers”.

Hesham Al Sahn, General Manager of Auto Class Cars said: “The new MG virtual showroom is another benchmark in our continuous effort to provide best solutions at all times.

"It is part of our strategic plans to use technology for creating practical solu-tions which make customers experience easy and safe. They can now peruse our vehicles with a single click when they are at home”.

Through the virtual showroom, cus-tomers can explore a range of MG vehicles including MG RX8, MG HS, MG ZS and more vehicles to be added soon. The website is enhanced to accom-modate test drive requests, even to cus-tomer’s homes.

Customer service call center at Auto Class Cars is available to answer enquiries and provide more information.

A showroom of Auto Class Cars, the authorized general distributor of MG in Qatar.

Yousef Al Obaidly, CEO of beIN Media Group, said: “As we approach the end of the holy month of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid Al Fitr, subscribers of all ages will be able to find something inspiring, uplifting and entertaining for them — from new movies and dramas, to lifestyle and kids’ content.”

MME marks World Turtle Day 2020THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) yesterday marked the World Turtle Day, which falls on May 23.

The Department of Pro-tection and Wildlife of the Envi-ronmental Affairs Sector at MME said it attaches great importance to protect endan-gered turtles, by monitoring its rare wild and sea species and launching projects to protect them. The Department released 15,799 baby turtles from the protected sites like Fuwairit beach during past four years from 2016 to 2019.

After the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) listed the hawksbill sea turtle among the endangered species since 1982, Qatar started efforts to protect sea turtles by launching the project to protect hawksbill turtle in 2003.

The hawksbill sea turtle conservation project is con-sidered one of the pioneering projects in the protection of endangered marine species in the country, and it is held under the supervision of the Ministry of Municipal and Environment and funded by Qatar Petroleum.

The project was imple-mented by the Environmental Science Center at Qatar Uni-versity, with the participation of a working group from the Ministry represented by the Department of Protection and Wildlife. The project aims at preserving the endangered hawksbill turtle in the northern coasts of the State of Qatar (Ras Laffan, Huwaila, Al Jassassia, Al Marwanah, Fuwair, Al Ghariyah, Al Mufeer) as well as in the islands (Umm Tis, Rukn, Sheraa, Halul).

Under the project studies were conducted at Fuwairit Beach in cooperation with a team from the Environmental

Sciences Center at Qatar University.

The team shifted turtle nests to safer places to protect them from the impact of the high tide of the sea, monitored the tem-perature of nests, and placed devices on some turtles with the aim of tracking them and took DNA samples from turtles under the conservation project.

The project for the pro-tection of sea turtles in Fuwairit beach is implemented annually, as the beach is completely closed from April 1 to the beginning of August, for pre-serving sea turtles and birds from extinction, and monitoring the nesting of hawksbill turtles.

As many as 15,799 baby turtles were released from the protected site of Fuwairit Beach from 2016 to 2019, and genetic samples were taken from the turtles and set up tracking and treatment devices for many infected turtles and returned them to the sea after treatments.

05SUNDAY 24 MAY 2020 HOME

PTSD is real risk for COVID-19 frontline workers: ExpertTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Mental health support for those in the frontline of treating COVID-19 patients will be “critical” both during and after the pandemic, according to a health expert who has seen first-hand the toll that disease can take on a nation.

Dr. Janice Cooper (pictured), Senior Project Advisor – Global Mental Health at The Carter Center, was among the speakers in a recent online edition of Qatar Foundation’s Education City Speaker Series, held in collabo-ration with the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), which opened up international perspec-tives on COVID-19’s impact on mental wellbeing. She has extensive experience of working with healthcare professionals who suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Liberia following the Ebola outbreak which struck the country in 2014-15, and said: “It demonstrated how healthcare workers are faced with enormous challenges.

“The first is the risk of con-tagion; the second is whether you have enough supplies and equipment to keep yourself safe; and then there is the question of how you let go of what you have experienced during a shift when you get home, and how you keep your family safe.

“All of these things are of concern to healthcare workers,

and can lead to them having extreme anxiety, or even trigger PTSD. Many of them feel trau-matized. Access to mental health services and support during and after the response to a crisis like this are critical for everyone, but particularly for healthcare workers, if we expect to continue to function and to function well.”

Dr. Cooper believes many healthcare professionals may find it difficult to accept that they are struggling to cope mentally with the strain that being in the eye of the COVID-19 storm brings. “When you have worked a long and hard shift in the current situation, how do you disengage? It’s much harder for healthcare workers to come home after work and feel they haven’t done anything to put their families at risk.”

In the post-pandemic rebuilding stage, Dr. Cooper believes that healthcare systems around he world will have the opportunity to “recognize the areas that need more than just scaffolding”, and among these is mental health.

“You can’t build back better without focusing on mental health services,” she said. “I believe it’s impossible.

“Building back better is about recognizing that, while we all have resilience, we can’t drain the tank so much that we’re unable to come back better. Resilience isn’t infinite, and while we can draw on it, we also need to be restorative.

“In a response, what we know is that all countries throw money at the issue at the time and, five years later, if you haven’t done something about your healthcare system, you’re just not that lucky. It’s really important to take

advantage of the opportunity this provides. In Liberia, our build-back-better strategy after Ebola was to deal with immediate needs while also not forgetting to build a mental health system that could withstand the next shock. And we did that.

“But as we move forward developmentally, one of the main challenges is whether the world will really insist there is no health without mental health, or go back to business as usual with just a few organizations being focused on it. I’m optimistic, because we have all now had the experience of fears and worries and con-cerns, some of which could become more serious.”

Founded by former US Pres-ident Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, one of the goals of The Carter Center is to eradicate and eliminate disease. Speaking about the shared aims of the organization and WISH – Qatar Foundation’s global health initi-ative – Dr. Cooper said: “Through being at the last WISH Summit in 2018, I had the opportunity to meet some really wonderful and very diverse groups who are working on so many different aspects of healthcare, including mental health.

“WISH has presented a tre-mendous opportunity for The Carter Center in terms of high-lighting our own work as well as seeing the examples set by others in global health.”

Qatar Medical Association discusses remotely efforts to tackle COVID-19 pandemicQNA — DOHA

The Qatar Medical Association discussed the efforts made by the health sector in the country to address the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the prominent role of medical personnel working in the frontline to deal with the pandemic to protect the society from the risks of infection with the virus.

This came during the virtual Ghabga organised remotely by Qatar Medical Asso-ciation and gathered about 120 medical staff working in Qatar in various institutions.

Speaking at the event, Chairman of Qatar Medical Association Dr. Abdulla Al Naimi, praised the role of the medical personnel and the great efforts that they make to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, reviewing the role played by the association in this framework.

Dr. Saad Al Kaabi, Chair of the COVID-19 System Wide Incident Command Committee (SWICC) at Hamad Medical Cooperation (HMC), reviewed the work paths and health sector preparations within the pandemic, work efforts in establishing field hospitals, the introduction of quarantine mechanisms, and preparations in intensive care units to address this pandemic.

Dr. Al Kaabi touched on the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) strategy to contain COVID-19, reducing mortality, and clinical readiness to the increased number of cases while emphasizing the preservation of the elderly, explaining that this goes in parallel with the increase in examinations and investigation teams that aim to discover infection chains.

Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal, Chair of the National Epidemic Preparation Committee and HMC’s Head of the Infectious Diseases Division, highlighted the available treatments

for patients in the State of Qatar and the recovery rate, hailing the professional role of health workers, which was a major factor in reducing the number of deaths due to the virus, which is considered the lowest in the world, which enhances confidence in the pro-fessionalism and efficiency of the health sector in Qatar.

Dr. Mohammed Salem, Medical Director of the National Center for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR), member of SWICC and former president of the Qatar Medical Associ-ation, praised the efforts of the health sector, including doctors, nurses, technicians, radiol-ogists, and ambulance crews, in addition to the investigation teams and the rest of the medical staff who assisted in light of this pandemic.

Dr. Samya Al Abdulla, Executive Director of Operations at the Primary Health Care

Corporation (PHCC), talked about PHCC’s role in combating COVID-19, referring to the des-ignation of four specialized centers to treat patients and suspects of infection with the virus, namely the Umm Salal, Muaither, Rawdat Al Khail, and Al Gharafa health centers.

Dr. Al Abdulla spoke about several changes to cope with the current situation, such as telephone consulting services, the delivery of medicines in cooperation with Qatar Post, and the operation of seven health centers around the clock, in addition to assigning medical staff from PHCC to different locations in the country, including 300 nursing staff, lab technicians and radiologists of PHCC have joined the investigation teams. She added that PHCC teams are present at Hamad International Airport and all the sea-ports in Qatar.

The virtual discussion organised by Qatar Medical Association brought together about 120 medical staff working in various institutions in Qatar.

Qatar University's Research Centers offer summer internship programs

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Given the strategy of scien-tific research and knowledge advancement, as one of QU’s core strategies, the Research and Graduate Studies sector at Qatar University decided to launch the summer 2020 Internship Program for undergraduate and graduate students in a number of the major research centers.

The proposal for this year will be in line with the safety and security measures and preventive precautions in confronting the novel coro-navirus pandemic (COVID-19), by using electronic plat-forms supported by Qatar University and taking into account the safety of its stu-dents and summer internship personnel of faculty and researchers in the labs of the Research Centers.

Summer research internship programs for QU students is quite important, as it is part of the transfor-mation strategy (2018-2022) at Qatar University, which is known for its distinctive excellence in education and research.

It aims to train students in research methods and techniques and enhance their research skills through their work in research laboratories and participation in research projects with distinguished research cadres in the Research and Graduate Studies Sector.

The Center for Advanced Materials (CAM), led by Dr. Nasser A Alnuaimi, offers a summer internship program for undergraduate students from the majors of science, engineering, or other related disciplines from 7th to 25th June. Its summer program aims to support the trainee students and help them acquire knowledge about advanced materials, their c l a s s i f i c a t i o n s a n d applications.

The Center addresses several research fields including nanotechnology, sustainable materials, pol-ymers, composites, corrosion studies, mining, and renewable energy methods. It is worth noting that the Center is open to twenty four students.

The Biomedical Research Center (BRC), led by Pro-fessor Asmaa Althani, announced that registration for the summer internship program will start from 15th to 31st May 2020. The program will accommodate twenty trainees, and the duration of the program is three weeks from June 7th to June 25th. The internship

program will address several topics, including introduction to medical and biological research, animal ethics, genetic expression studies, as well as microbiology, cell culture, and the study of chicken embryos and zebra fish.

The Laboratory Animal Research Center (LARC) Lab-oratories, led by Dr. Hamda Al Naemi, will host three-week summer internship students from 7th to 25th June to support students and researchers and enhance knowledge of biosafety prac-tices, principles of diagnostic techniques, health and envi-ronmental monitoring and waste management pro-grams. The program pro-motes interaction with the rodent health monitoring specialist to create and carry out diagnostic work with animal samples.

On the other hand, the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI), led by Professor Hassan Al-Sayed, has scheduled the date of its internship program from 7th to 18th June 2020.

The Central Laboratory Unit (CLU), led by Dr. Mohammed Alsafran, will participate this year in the summer 2020 research internship program, in three specialized training pro-grams via distance learning due to the current circumstances.

The internship programs were announced on April 23, 2020 through QU website and the Unit’s social media platforms. The duration of each program is five days, and each program accom-modates 15 trainees. The first internship program starts on June 7th and ends on June 11th under the title “Chroma-tographic Techniques: Basics, H a r d w a r e a n d Applications”.

The second week begins on June 14th and ends on June 18th under the title “Nuclear Magnetic Reso-nance: Basic Theories, Spec-troscopy and Industrial Applications”, and finally the third week starts on June 21st and ends on June 25th under the title “Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopy: Basics, Devices and Techniques”.

The three programs focus on the technical aspects of chemical analysis using the modern analytical tech-niques available in the Central Laboratory Unit as well as interpreting the results and emphasizing research aspects and related industrial applications.

QRCS delivers food aid to 76,000 beneficiaries in 5 countriesTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has implemented the Ramadan Iftar project in Palestine, distributing food assistance worth $272,700 in many villages and towns of the West Bank and Jerusalem.

The distribution ceremony was attended by Palestine’s Minister of Labor, President of Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), and Governor of Ramallah.

They reached out to 3,780

poor families (18,900 persons) in Ramallah, Al Bireh, north-western Jerusalem, Jericho, Bethlehem, Salfit, Nablus, and Tubas.

“This is a timely support,” said Salem Abo Eid, Head of Municipality of Biddu, Jeru-salem. “The poor Palestinians are undergoing an unprece-dented situation. As a Municipal Council, we appreciate this con-tribution from QRCS and PRCS. The recipient families are unable to work and earn a living due to the coronavirus

lockdown”.Zeina Hmoud, Acting

Manager of QRCS’s represen-tation mission, said the Ramadan Iftar project was limited to food baskets, to meet the needs of the poorest families.

Each basket contained 30 kg of food staples for one month, including rice, sugar, dates, tahina, tomato paste, veg-etable oil, pasta, freekeh, lentils, noodles, chickpeas, beans, tea, and halawa.

In the Amanat Al Asimah Governorate of Yemen, food baskets were distributed to 7,000 poor and displaced ben-eficiaries over four days. The relief officer at QRCS’s mission in Sanaa said the 1,000 food baskets were given to vul-nerable families headed by women, displaced and under-served families, shelter and juvenile homes, orphans, and persons with disability.

“All precautions were taken during the handover of baskets,” she explained.

“The beneficiaries were arranged with interval dis-tances, and sanitizers were used to protect both the personnel and beneficiaries”.

The recipients were happy to receive the food baskets, each of which contained 77 kg of flour, rice, wheat, sugar, beans, vegetable oil, and salt.

In cooperation with the Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS), QRCS’s representation mission in Iraq delivered 3,500 food baskets to 19,500 Syrian refugees and Iraqi returnees in

Nineveh and Erbil Governorate, Iraqi Kurdistan. At a total cost of $200,000, the baskets con-tained many food items like lentils, rice, sugar, bulgur, tomato paste, vegetable oil, and dates.

In Bangladesh, 1,000 food baskets were distributed to poor families in Rajshahi City, in cooperation with Bangladesh

Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) and the Turkish Red Crescent.

QRCS’s representation mission in Turkey distributed 17,000 food baskets to meet the needs of 25,000 internally dis-placed persons (IDPs) in northern Syria. The distribution process strictly followed all the necessary coronavirus pre-ventive measures.

Palestinian officials during the food baskets distribution ceremony under QRCS Ramadan Iftar project for needy families in Ramallah.

A beneficiary receiving aid from QRCS in Iraq.

In the post-pandemic rebuilding stage, Dr. Cooper believes that healthcare systems around he world will have the opportunity to “recognize the areas that need more than just scaffolding”, and among these is mental health.

06 SUNDAY 24 MAY 2020MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Rouhani warns USof retaliation ifIran’s fuel tankers threatened

REUTERS — DUBAI

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned yesterday of retaliatory measures against the United States if Washington caused problems for tankers carrying Iranian fuel to Vene-zuela, the semi-official news agency Mehr reported.

“If our tankers in the Car-ibbean or anywhere in the world face trouble caused by the Americans, they (the US) will also be in trouble,” Rouhani said, Mehr reported.

A flotilla of five tankers car-rying Iranian fuel for gasoline-starved Venezuela is approaching the Caribbean, with the first expected to reach the country’s waters on Sunday, according to Refinitiv Eikon tracking data.

“Iran will never initiate a conflict,” Rouhani said. “We have always the legitimate right to defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity and to serve our national interests, and we hope that the Americans will not commit an error.”

Iran is supplying about 1.53 million barrels of gasoline and alkylate to Venezuela,

according to both governments, sources and calculations made by TankerTrackers.com based on the vessels’ draft levels.

The shipments have caused a diplomatic standoff between Iran and Venezuela and the United States as both nations are under US sanctions. Wash-ington is considering measures in response, according to a senior US official, who did not elaborate on any options being weighed.

The United States recently beefed up its naval presence in the Caribbean for what it said was an expanded anti-drug operation. But a Pentagon spokesman, Jonathan Hoffman, said on Thursday he was not aware of any operations related to the Iranian cargoes.

Venezuela’s defence min-ister has said its military will escort the Iranian tankers once they reach the nation’s exclusive economic zone.

Iran seized a British-flagged tanker in the Gulf last year after British forces detained an Iranian tanker off the territory of Gibraltar. Both vessels were released after a months-long standoff.

Iran President Hassan Rouhani (right) and Minister of Health, Saeed Namaki, attending a Cabinet session in Tehran, yesterday.

Iran to reopen cultural and religious sites: PresidentREUTERS — DUBAI

Iran yesterday moved to open businesses, religious and cultural sites as it eased restric-tions imposed to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

Museums and historical sites are to reopen today to coincide with the Eid Al Fitr cel-ebrations that mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, President Hassan Rouhani said on state television.

Shrines, some of which became focal points of the coronavirus epidemic in Iran,

will reopen tomorrow, he said. Worshippers have to heed social distancing and use face masks and bring their own gloves and prayer rugs, ISNA news agency reported.

Rouhani said last week that the shrines would open for three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon.

All workers in the country will return to work next Sat-urday, Rouhani said. “We can say we have passed the three stages regarding the corona-virus,” he said.

The fourth phase is con-tainment in 10 of Iran’s 31

provinces, where outbreaks of coronavirus have been less severe, the president said. Screening will intensify across the country as infected patients will be separated from the rest of the population.

Rouhani said yesterday that 88 percent of the fatalities from COVID-19 in Iran had under-lying illnesses.

According to health min-istry figures released on Sat-urday, 59 people died in the previous 24 hours, bringing the total death toll from the pan-demic in Iran to 7,359, while 133,521 have been infected.

Turkey brings back nationals from S Africa, Mozambique

ANATOLIA — JOHANNESBURG

Turkey on Friday repatriated 84 of its nationals who were stranded for weeks in South Africa and Mozambique after countries closed borders to avoid the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Turkey’s Ambassador to South Africa Elif Comoglu Ulgen said the Turks were in South Africa and Mozambique for various reasons, including tourism, conferences and business, when the lockdown was ordered.

“Twenty-one Turks crossed the border this morning from Mozambique into South Africa after getting special permits with the assistance of the Turkish embassy in Maputo,” Ulgen said, referring to the capital. She added that the group joined 63 others in Johannesburg who traveled from different provinces across South Africa.

The Turks assembled at the offices of the Maarif Foun-dation in Johannesburg where they were briefed by the ambassador and later escorted to the airport. Ulgen said she and her consular staff were happy to send home the stranded Turks in good health.

“This repatriation actually came as a last minute Eid gift to all of us. To our stranded cit-izens, to me as an ambassador and to my consular staff. I would like to give special credit to the embassy staff who worked day and night to make this repatri-ation a success and Insha’Allah (God willingly) once they arrive in Turkey they will also be happily reaching out to their families just in time for Eid and this is going to be our biggest satisfaction and gift,” she said.

The diplomat also said two Ukrainian nationals were being repatriated to Istanbul because of an agreement between the two nations. She said the Ukrainian embassy in Turkey will receive the pair and later return them home.

Ulgen said 61 South Africans left Istanbul for Johannesburg on a Turkish Airlines flight Friday after receiving special permission.

Most of the South Africans are artists who were caught by the lockdown in Turkey.

South Africa and Turkey enjoy strong bilateral relations and cooperation which they used to enable the return of stranded citizens.

Netanyahu to go on trial for graft charges todayAP — JERUSALEM

After entering the record books last year as Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu will once again make history when he becomes the country’s first sitting leader to go on trial.

Surrounded by security guards, Netanyahu is set to march into Jerusalem’s district court for arraignment on a series of corruption charges today. The stunning scene will push Israel into uncharted political and legal territory, launching a process that could ultimately end the career of a leader who has been unde-featable at the ballot box for over a decade.

Netanyahu has been charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in a series of cases. He is accused of accepting expensive gifts from wealthy friends and offering favours to media moguls in exchange for favourable news coverage of him and his family.

In the most serious case, he is accused of promoting legis-lation that delivered hundreds of millions of dollars of profits to the owner of a major telecom company while wielding behind-the-scenes editorial influence over the firm’s popular news website.

Netanyahu has denied the charges, claiming he is the victim of an “attempted coup”

by overaggressive police, biased prosecutors and a hostile media.

“It’s the classic deep state argument,” said Gayil Tashir, a political scientist at Israel’s Hebrew University. Netanyahu claims “an unelected movement is trying to remove him from power just because he is a rep-resentative of the right,” she said.

Netanyahu is not the first Israeli leader to go on trial. Both former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and former President Moshe Katsav went to prison in the 2010s — Olmert on cor-ruption charges and Katsav for rape. But they stepped down to fight the charges.

As opposition leader in 2008, Netanyahu led the calls

for Olmert to leave office, famously saying a leader “up to his neck” in legal troubles had no business governing a country.

But as the investigations have piled up, culminating with his indictment last November, Netanyahu has changed his tune. He has rejected calls to resign while repeatedly lashing out at the country’s legal system.

Among his favourite targets have been a former police chief and the current attorney general — both Netanyahu appointees — and the country’s Supreme Court. Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit recently filed a complaint to police over anonymous threats

sent to his mobile phone.Netanyahu’s conspiratorial

claims of victimhood have played well with his base of reli-gious and nationalist sup-porters. But it is unclear whether they will hold up in court, given the lack of evidence.

In the courtroom, the legal arguments are more likely to focus on his claims that his gifts were genuine shows of affection from close friends and that he never received anything in return for the favours he is accused of offering.

The case is expected to last for several years, given the vast number of witnesses and doc-uments that are expected to be presented.

Pigeons in a pen

Pigeons are kept in a pen at a bird market in Iraq’s southern city of Nasiriyah in Dhi Qar province, yesterday.

Gaza reports first death

related to coronavirusAP — GAZA CITY

The crowded Gaza Strip recorded its first death from the coronavirus yesterday, officials said, amid fears an outbreak could paralyse the territory’s already overstretched health care system.

The Palestinian health min-istry said the deceased was a 77-year-old woman who had underlying health problems and had been placed at a special field hospital near the Rafah border crossing point upon arriving from Egypt.

Gaza’s authorities, led by the militant group Hamas, reported 35 confirmed new cases this week, bringing the total to 55. All of the infected have been in designated quarantine and iso-lation facilities hosting returnees

from abroad. There were no reports of community trans-mission of the virus.

Gaza’s health care system is fraying under the weight of an Israeli-Egyptian blockade, internal Palestinian division and repeated wars and skir-mishes between Israel and Pal-estinian militant groups.

Home to two million people, the Gaza Strip has only a little over 60 ventilators and a chronic shortage of medication.

Since mid-March, Hamas has enforced mandatory quar-antining at hotels, clinics and schools for all residents returning via Israel and Egypt. With the recent spike of cases, Hamas said it’s closing Gaza’s borders for all arrivals until the end of June.

Turkey to partially

allow collective

prayers on May 29

ANATOLIA — ANKARA

Congregational prayer gath-erings in Turkey will be partially allowed starting May 29, the country’s Interior Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

Two out of five daily prayers, as well as Friday prayers will be allowed in mosques and prayer rooms in 81 provinces of Turkey only by wearing medical masks and keeping the social distance.

At other times, the mosques will be kept open for those who want to perform individual prayers.

The Friday prayers will not be allowed inside the mosque, said the statement, adding that these prayers could be per-formed in mosques with available courtyards and open areas determined by the local mufti’s offices via the gover-norships, and the list of mosques and open areas will be announced by latest May 26 via different channels.

The prayers will be kept short and no preaching will be allowed, while imams will need to strictly follow the khutbah, or sermons, recited prior to the collective prayer.

Necessary warnings and information will also be pro-vided to citizens who are restricted to walk outside their homes or those with symptoms of the disease.

Ex-Palestinian female prisoner recalls Eid festivity inside prisonANATOLIA — RAMALLAH

Palestinian female prisoners lodged in Israeli prisons are eagerly awaiting the day of Eid Al Fitr to hear the voices of their dear ones.

Barred from meeting their relatives and lawyers over the past three months since the out-break of COVID-19 or corona-virus pandemic, a Palestinian radio station in its voice of pris-oners’ programme will

broadcast voice messages of family members of prisoners.

According to the Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS), 38 female prisoners are lodged in Damon Prison. One-third of them are mothers.

Former prisoners recall that this radio broadcast on the afternoon of every Eid day creates an emotional scene inside the prisons. Haifa Abu-Sbeih, 42, who spent a one-and-half year in the prison

recalls that the broadcast brings comfort as well as anger.

Nisreen Abu-Kmail, 46, from Gaza is celebrating Eid behind bars since October 2015, since her arrest. Over the past six years, nobody from her family has been allowed to visit her. Her only connection with the family is this radio broadcast on the Eid day.

Haifa, who spent last Eid day with Nisreen remembers

that when she heard the voice of her youngest child Ahmed on the airwaves, she looked very happy but also inconsolable.

“Her eyes were shut, rel-ishing the moment with joy but also loaded with anguish, pain, and longing,” said Haifa.

She said although the Eid inside a prison lacks festivity and gaiety, prisoners try their best to celebrate it with v i v a c i t y l a c e d w i t h

sombreness. Haifa recalls that despite

restrictions, prisoners steal moments of happiness on this day to cheer their souls.

As part of increased restric-tions, prisoners in Israel’s Al Damon prison are not allowed to offer Eid prayers since last year. But prisoners use the moment to assemble in the courtyard when they are taken out for counting to greet each other.

“If our tankers in the Caribbean or anywhere in the world face trouble caused by the Americans, they (the US) will also be in trouble,” Rouhani said.

07SUNDAY 24 MAY 2020 AFRICA

Africa’s Muslims celebrate Eid in the shadow of COVID-19

REUTERS — ABIDJAN

Bakari Diakité normally cele-brates the end of Ramadan by visiting the local mosque and hosting a large family gathering. This year, with COVID-19 still spreading in Ivory Coast’s commercial capital Abidjan, he has scaled back festivities.

Instead of heading to the mosque this morning, he prayed on a terrace at home with the few family members he lives with. Their lunch of rice and couscous with bissap juice was more modest than the plates of meats they would normally enjoy with a group of some 30 family and friends.

“Usually, family members come from all the neighbour-hoods to celebrate. This year, everyone will stay at home to avoid any risk of contagion,”

said Diakité, 66, who is unable to be with three of his five

children. “It’s a very quiet party compared to other years.”

This weekend, millions across Africa are celebrating a slightly different Eid Al Fitr, the festival marking the end to the Muslim month of fasting where people typically gather after a period of reflection. Eid Al Fitr begins with the sighting of the crescent moon — coun-tries where it was visible on Friday night celebrated yes-terday, others are celebrating today.

While many African coun-tries including Ivory Coast have eased lockdown measures that were in place in mosques,

allowing people to worship together, the impact of the virus, which has infected more than 100,000 on the continent, is clear.

Dozens of mosques in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu were crowded yesterday, making social distancing impos-sible. Still, most streets were empty, and the children who normally flock to the city’s public gardens during the fes-tival were nowhere to be seen.

In Niger’s capital Niamey and Tanzania’s capital Dar es Salaam, some mosques were

crowded as usual, but many were closed as imams decided they could not run prayers safely. The Grand Mosque in Senegal’s capital Dakar will remain closed.

At one mosque in Abidjan’s Adjame neighbourhood, every other prayer mat was marked with an duct tape X and had to remain vacant to keep people apart.

Diakité, meanwhile, longs for that human closeness.

“We miss all the people, all the human warmth. There is no holiday atmosphere.”

People pray to mark Eid Al Fitr, the Muslim holiday which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, in the Treichville district of Abidjan, in Ivory Coast yesterday.

Sudan to establish police force to protect health workersAP — CAIRO

Sudan’s transitional author-ities are working to create a police force to protect health facilities, the prime minister’s office said yesterday, as attacks against health workers and hospitals increase amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The move came after doctors across the country threatened on Thursday to go on strike to pressure author-ities to provide protection for h e a l t h w o r k e r s a n d facilities.

Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok met with represent-atives of doctors on Friday to find “decisive and strict solu-tions” to “the phenomenon of repeated attacks on health workers,” his office said in a statement.

The government will introduce a draft bill to provide protection to health workers, the statement from the Prime Minister's office said.

At least two dozen attacks on health care workers and facilities have taken place in the past two months across the country, according to a tally by the Sudan Doctors’ committee. The group is part of the protest movement that last year helped oust longtime autocratic president Omar Al

Bashir.In one instance last

month, a riot erupted at a hospi ta l in the c i ty Omdurman, across the Nile River from the capital, Khartoum, when a rumour spread that it would take coronavirus patients. Police arrested several people who tried to attack the building.

On Thursday alone, there were at least three attacks on health workers and facilities in Khartoum that led to a tem-porary suspension of services at a hospital there, the com-mittee said.

Sudan has reported at least 63 deaths from COVID-19 among around 3,380 confirmed cases of the

coronavirus, which causes the disease.

Sudan’s health care system has been weakened by decades of war and sanctions. The country is still reeling from last year’s uprising that toppled Al Bashir.

Meanwhile, a handful of young people took to the streets in Khartoum yesterday

on the first anniversary of the deadly dispersal of a protest camp in in the last days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan last year. The pro-testers torched tires but there were no clashes reported between protesters and security forces.

Footage circulated online showed some protesters prac-ticing social distancing or wearing face masks as a pre-cautionary measure against the virus.

The violent beak-up last year of the protest camp outside the military’s head-quarters in Khartoum was an alarming turn of events in the standoff between the military and civilian protesters.

The protesters had been holding a sit-in to pressure the military council to hand power over to civilians after Al Bashir ouster.

The protesters say at least 128 people were killed and hundreds wounded during the sit-in dispersal and the sub-sequent crackdown.

However, military-backed health authorities say only 87 died, including security forces.

Later, the generals and the protesters reached a power-sharing deal that established a joint military-civilian sov-ereign council that would lead Sudan toward elections.

A Sudanese protester lifts a flag bearing the slogan “glory to the martyrs” as they take part in a demonstration on Sixty Street in the capital Khartoum, yesterday, to commemorate the first anniversary of a deadly crackdown carried out by security forces on Sudanese protesters during a sit-in outside army headquarters in the capital, with a death toll of over a 100.

Sudan recovers $4bn of assets from Bashir

BLOOMBERG — KHARTOUM

Sudan has confiscated assets valued at $4bn from former president Omar Al Bashir, his family members and asso-ciates, the country’s anti-corruption body said.

“Our initial estimates of the value of the assets, shares in different companies and buildings we have confiscated is $3.5bn to $4bn,” Salah Manaa, a spokesperson for the Anti-Corruption and Regime Dismantling Committee, said in response to questions.

The body was set up late last year.

Bashir, who was over-thrown by the army a year ago amid mass protests against his three-decade rule, was jailed in December after being found guilty of illicitly possessing millions of dollars in foreign currencies.

He has also been indicted by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity committed in the western region of Darfur.

Coronavirus cases in Africanear 104,000; deaths at 3,183

ANATOLIA — ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

Coronavirus cases in the African continent jumped to 103,933 yesterday, according to the update of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Death toll has risen to 3,183 after 101 more patients died of COVID-19-related complications across the continent in the last 24 hours.

The number of patients who have recovered has tallied at 41,473, according to the data.

North Africa suffered both the most cases and fatalities with 32,300 infections and 1,500 deaths.

West and Southern Africa regions each recorded 10,700 cases while death toll in West Africa was counted at 594 and 417 patients died in Southern Africa.

Recoveries in West Africa reached 27,800 while in Southern Africa it rose to 21,700.

East Africa suffered 11,400 cases and 303 deaths while Central Africa recorded 10,700 cases and 328 deaths.

South Africa reported 20,100 cases and 397 deaths, Egypt 15,800 cases and 707 deaths, Algeria 7,900 cases and 582 deaths, and Morocco 7,300 cases and 197 deaths.

In West Africa, 221 patients have died in Nigeria, 62 in Mali, 60 in Niger, 52 in Burkina Faso, 38 in Sierra Leone, 33 in Senegal, 31 in Ghana, 29 in Ivory Coast, 24 in Liberia, and 19 in Guinea.

Sudan suffered the most deaths in East Africa with fatalities now tallying at 137, while in Somalia 61 people were reported dead due to coronavirus-related complications so far.

Cameroon in Central Africa have seen 159 deaths so far while the Democratic Republic of Congo suffered 63 deaths and Chad registered 59.

Most streets in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu were empty on Eid day, and the children who normally flock to the city’s gardens during the festival were nowhere to be seen.

Libyan Army retakes two camps from Haftar forcesANATOLIA — ANKARA

The Libyan Army has retaken two military camps from warlord Khalifa Haftar’s forces south of the capital Tripoli, said an army spokesman yesterday.

In a statement, Mohammed Kanunu said the army has taken the Hamza and Yarmuk Military Camps as part of its successful military operations against Haftar’s militia.

He said the army also con-tinues its efforts to clear away mines and IEDs planted by Haftar’s forces.

This week the Libyan Army inflicted heavy blows on the Haftar side through a massive air campaign in which mul-tiple air-defence systems were struck. The army managed to secure control of Al-Watiya airbase, a strategically important military asset used by Haftar’s militia for years.

The Libyan government, also known as the Government of National Accord (GNA), has been under attack by warlord Haftar’s armed forces since April 2019.

Sudan road accident leaves 57 dead, over 20 injured: Report AP — CAIRO

A fiery head-on collision in Sudan between a truck carrying passengers and a tractor-trailer killed 57 people and left more than 20 injured on a highway in the country’s Darfur region, state-run media reported on Friday.

A police statement said the crash took place late on Thursday in the town of Shangil Tobayi in North Darfur province.

A massive truck crashed into the tractor-trailer trans-porting a number of smaller cars, causing both vehicles to flip upside down and “burn completely,” the SUNA news agency reported.

It did not provide further details on the cause of the crash. Traffic police laid out the bodies of the victims for a mass funeral in the town.

Some of the injured were in critical condition and taken

to a hospital in Al Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur, police said.

The truck, which was packed with passengers, was travelling from Shangil Tobayi when it collided with the trailer heading toward the town, located more than 1,100 kilom-eters (about 620 miles) west of the capital, Khartoum, they added.

Graphic images from the wreck circulated on social media, showing passengers engulfed in flames.

Automobile accidents are common in Sudan, often the result of badly maintained roads and poor enforcement of traffic laws.

The World Health Organi-zation has said that road acci-dents killed more than 10,000 people in Sudan in 2018.

In October, a collision between two buses killed 21 people and injured 29 others in North Kordofan Province.

Namibia culls ten ‘dangerous’ elephants to protect farmers, crops

REUTERS — WINDHOEK

Wildlife authorities in Namibia culled ten elephants over the past month after they moved into farming areas and destroyed crops during harvest season, a spokesman said yesterday.

The animals were shot after they endangered human lives in the north of the country and were marked as dangerous, said Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism spokesman Romeo Muyunda.

He said the decision was necessary to protect farmers and their crops. The carcasses have been given as compen-sation to community members whose harvests have been damaged.

“Normally during this

season people are terrorised by elephants. We had no choice but to be proactive,” Muyunda said, adding however that prob-lematic elephants can only be put down if no other solution can be found.

Like a number of other African nations, Namibia has grappled with balancing pro-tection for species like

elephants with managing the danger they pose when they encroach on areas of human habitation.

The country has enjoyed international support for a con-servation drive that has seen its elephant population grow from just over 7,500 in 1995 to 24,000 last year, according to government figures.

A file photo of foreign tourists in safari riverboats observing elephants along the Chobe river bank near Botswana’s northern border where Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia meet.

The animals were shot after they endangered human lives and were marked as dangerous.

Green groups and international organisations had billed 2020 as a “super year” for the biodiversity of the planet’s plants and animals, as new global agreements were due to be sealed.

08 SUNDAY 24 MAY 2020VIEWS

CHAIRMANDR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI

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

editorinchief@pen.com.qa

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMED

m.salim@pen.com.qa

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

EDITORIAL

EID AL FITR, the celebration marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, is being observed today across Islamic countries and by Muslims in different other parts of the world, under unprecedented health crisis affecting everyone and everywhere on the globe. The occasion of Eid this year is being celebrated in dif-ferent situation, staying indoors and avoiding any forms of gatherings and socializations; no visiting relatives or having joys with friends to chat around special dishes.

As people rushing in many places to finish shopping, social distancing should remain always there and health instructions and guidelines to protect against the pan-demic which must be respected for our safety. Ignoring warnings, rules and guidelines may result in devastating consequences posing threat to safety and security of the entire society. Muslims across the globe avoided congregations and gathering for prayers or Iftars throughout the month of Ramadan and kept offering prayers from home amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government has urged people to stay indoors and avoid gatherings or collective celebration of Eid days starting today, making this year’s Eid unique and different from the ways people used to celebrates Eid for generations. The Ministry of Interior has urged cit-izens and expatriates to stay at home during Eid Al Fitr vacations adhering strictly to the precautionary measures aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19.

The government also announced a series of addi-tional measures aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus, including halting most commercial activ-ities until May 30. Accordingly, all businesses, with the exception of pharmacies, restaurants delivery services, food and catering shops, and a few other essential services, will remain closed during Eid Al Fitr holidays.

Starting from May 16, the use of wearing face masks has been made mandatory for everyone when leaving the house. Similarly, starting from May 22, having Ehteraz app on phones when leaving homes has become mandatory for all citizens and residents.

Ehteraz app developed to help people avoid con-tracting virus infection informing users when they come into contact with those who have tested positive. The app uses GPS and Bluetooth technology to help track COVID-19 cases.

It is the collective responsibility of all people to stop the spread of COVID-19, by strictly adhering to the rules and preventive guidelines, failure to comply with these measures is punishable under the law enforced recently.

Police patrols from Traffic Department, Lekhwiya and other security agencies will be stationed at different places to educate people about the government decisions and enforce the law to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Eid Mubarak to all!

Safety first

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Quote of the day

In the 156th year of their exile from their

homeland, I share the pain of our Circassian

brothers and once again wish God's mercy on

those who lost their lives.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish President

Palestinians break their Ramadan fast during an Iftar meal set-up to respect social distancing measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic, at the Palestine football stadium in Gaza city, on Friday.

Daniel Wanjama had every-thing ready for this year’s first seed fair in the Kenyan town of Gilgil, an important event where poor farmers exchange seeds of nutritious, hardy local crops they cannot easily buy in shops or markets.

But a week before the fair Wanjama had organised for late March, the government banned gatherings in a bid to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. “Farmers who were ready to deliver seeds are stranded with them, and those who were to obtain seeds have not planted (their crops),” he said by email.

“This is a serious situation because not planting means not having food,” added the founder of Seed Savers

Network-Kenya, a social enterprise based in Gilgil, about 120km north of Nairobi.

Wanjama also worries that the cancellation of seed fairs could hasten the demise of resilient crops that may help farmers adapt to wors-ening wild weather as the planet warms.

A 2019 survey by his organisation showed 34 vari-eties had disappeared over 20 years in Nakuru County alone, as traders spurned local vari-eties of yam, arrowroot, sorghum and millet in favour of more profitable crops.

Now, lockdowns and other measures worldwide to contain the virus are ham-pering efforts to conserve tra-ditional food crops like those Wanjama wants to save, as well as forests, wetlands and their native species, scientists and environmentalists say.

Green groups and interna-tional organisations had billed 2020 as a “super year” for the biodiversity of the planet’s plants and animals, as new global agreements were due to be sealed.

But key UN negotiations have been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic which many environmen-talists blame, at least partly, on a failure to protect nature that has facilitated the tran-sition of viruses from animals to humans.

Meanwhile, a relaxation of surveillance and monitoring in many countries has led to more poaching and illegal, unregulated fishing, said ecol-ogist Sandra Diaz.

Popular videos of animals taking over empty beaches, parks and public squares may give the impression “we are

witnessing some sort of ‘resurgence’ of nature”, but that is not the case, she said.

“It is an extremely short truce,” said Diaz, a professor at Argentina’s National Uni-versity of Cordoba and co-chair of a landmark science report last year that found human activities risk the extinction of a million animal and plant species.

Last month, Diaz and other top scientists behind that report warned of wors-ening future pandemics due to activities such as deforest-ation, farming, mining and infrastructure development.

The coronavirus pan-demic has now dashed hopes 2020 would see new interna-tional accords to halt shocking declines in animal and plant species, including a global framework to safe-guard ecosystems under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and a treaty to protect oceans. Key summits to seal those pacts, originally scheduled for the autumn, have been post-poned, with new dates yet to be fixed.

But Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, the CBD’s acting executive secretary, said the pandemic was an “oppor-tunity to reset... our rela-tionship with nature”.

“COVID-19 has... reaf-firmed what we already knew - namely, that biodiversity is fundamental for human health,” she said in a phone interview.

Governments are now recognising this, she added, pointing to a joint call by mayors of powerful cities for economic recovery to be low-carbon and sustainable, and

formal requests from Chile and Germany for scientific help to help avert future pandemics.

On Wednesday, the European Commission pledged to protect 30% of the EU’s land and sea, cut the use of pesticides by 50% and put a quarter of its farmland under organic production by 2030.

A two-day Biodiversity Summit to be held at the start of September’s UN General Assembly will also give the issue a boost, Mrema said.

On a personal level, shop closures and restrictions on travel have led many people to reconnect with nature through walks in the park and local countryside, she said.

Lauren Baker, pro-grammes director for the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, said consumers had also become more aware of the links between the envi-ronment and their food as lockdowns led them to cook more at home.

The pandemic was a chance to reform how the world produces food - a major driver of biodiversity loss - as the health crisis has highlighted the interde-pendence between supply chains and nature, she added.

Good examples to follow include a state-backed farming system in southeast India that reduces water usage and boosts soil fertility, and a non-profit in Zambia that helps hungry villagers quit poaching, she said.

Such initiatives show that food production and diets could be aligned “with our goals around preserving nature and natural environ-ments”, she noted.

TAE KIM BLOOMBERG

The work-from-home movement is gaining steam in Silicon Valley as a flurry of companies - big and small - are embracing remote-working policies beyond the pandemic. But even as some executives extol its virtues, other tech leaders aren’t so sure, opening a growing divide inside the industry over the future of work. It’s a worthy debate.On Thursday, Facebook Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced his company will start allowing some existing employees to work from home permanently. He said Facebook will also “aggressively open up remote hiring” for engineering talent in areas it doesn’t have an office, saying as much as 50%

of the company’s employees could eventually work remotely within 10 years. In similar fashion, Shopify Inc. CEO Tobi Lutke said his e-commerce software company will allow its employees to work from home indefinitely, adding he expects that most of his staff will work remotely going forward. The days of “office centricity is over,” the executive posted on social media. The two companies join Twitter Inc., which said last week it will let employees work from home as standard practice as well.

Not everyone in tech-nology is on board. Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. CEO Strauss Zelnick said on an investor call this week that he believes sustained strong pro-ductivity will get more dif-ficult the longer people are

forced to work from home, adding that “there is no sub-stitute for in-person collabo-ration and connection.” That follows comments from Microsoft Corp. CEO Satya Nadella, who expressed concern in an interview with the New York Times last week that early positive remote-work productivity metrics may mask underlying deficiencies, in terms of man-aging and mentoring employees. He also raised worries about potential burnout and mental-health issues. “Maybe we are burning some of the social capital we built up in this phase where we are all working remote. What’s the measure for that?,” he asked.

There’s something to be said for this pushback. Sure, there are many pluses

to offering off-site work flexi-bility - including better employee retention and the ability to hire from a more diverse talent base in other geographies - but corporations should realize the work-from-home trend isn’t a panacea. In fact, there are significant drawbacks and challenges that shouldn’t be overlooked.

As Zelnick pointed out, there are unquantifiable benefits derived from being in the same physical location. Scheduled videoconferencing meetings don’t engender the same spontaneous creativity compared to the many back-and-forth brief conversations during a typical day at an office. And nothing beats face-to-face interactions for building the relationships and trust required to persuade your colleagues on big decisions.

Will pandemic push humans into a healthier relationship with nature?

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09SUNDAY 24 MAY 2020 ASIA

Australia calls youth to get virus tests as reopening acceleratesREUTERS — SYDNEY

Australia’s most populous state said yesterday it recorded just three new cases of the corona-virus the previous day and urged younger people to get tested as it prepares to further loosen restrictions on clubs and restau-rants.

New South Wales (NSW), which includes the city of Sydney, is home to nearly half Australia’s roughly 7,100 coronavirus cases and plans to let clubs and restau-rants host up to 50 seated patrons from June 1, from 10 now.

That has prompted health officials to remind people to maintain social distancing measures and increase testing to prevent a “second wave” of infections.

“As we move forward and as we try to relax the restrictions that we have lived under for the past two months, it is... absolutely crucial that people come forward for testing if they have the slightest hint of any respiratory issues,” NSW health minister Brad Hazzard said in a televised news conference.

“As we are freeing up our restrictions, particularly around clubs and hotels and so on, we need (to send) a very powerful message... that these young people who may think they are invincible are actually not invin-

cible,” he added.NSW has recorded a total of

3,086 coronavirus cases and has recorded nearly half the coun-try’s total deaths which rose by one to 102 yesterday. No. 2 state Victoria, where the latest death occurred, reported nine new infections in the previous day. The third-most populous state, Queensland, reported two new cases.

Australia’s low number of COVID-19 infections and deaths, relative to many other countries, has been attributed mostly to a closure of national and state borders and a nationwide stay-home order now being unwound by states under a three-step federal plan.

Opposition lawmakers

meanwhile criticised the federal government after it revealed on Friday an administrative error had vastly overstated its forecast expenditure for a wage subsidy scheme for workers left unem-ployed by the shutdown.

The Treasury Department said successful efforts to control the outbreak combined with errors on programme applica-tions by about a 1,000

businesses meant only 3.5 million workers would need to be covered, at a cost of A$70bn, not 6 million people at a cost of A$130bn.

The Federal government has framed the error as a surprise benefit to the economy since it would likely reduce the forecast Budget deficit, while the oppo-sition has called for the gov-ernment to redirect the money

to workers left out of the emer-gency welfare programme.

“We need a calculation of what the figures are from this government on casuals, on the arts and entertainment sector, on other groups who have missed out, and some real figures on what the costings would be,” said Labour Party opposition leader Anthony Albanese.

Travellers wearing protective face masks depart the arrival section of the international terminal of Kingsford Smith International Airport, in Sydney.

Papua NewGuinea arrestsformer PMO’Neill overgraft chargesREUTERS — SYDNEY

Papua New Guinea police arrested former prime minister Peter O’Neill over the alleged purchase of generators from Israel without parliamentary approval, the country’s assistant police commissioner said yesterday.

O’Neill was arrested yes-terday at the main airport of Port Moresby, the capital, after returning from Australia, and brought in for questioning, Assistant Commissioner Crimes Hodges Ette said in a statement.

The assistant police com-missioner’s statement said O’Neill was accused of directing $14m payment for two generators from Israel without following the coun-try’s public financial man-agement law, without parlia-mentary approval and without putting the sale to tender.

The statement gave no further details about the gen-erators or the identity of the alleged seller.

“There is reasonable evi-dence for misappropriation, abuse of office and official cor-ruption,” the statement said.

A spokesman for Prime Minister James Marape, who took over from O’Neill, was not immediately available to comment.

O’Neill quit as prime min-ister in May last year after seven years in the job amid a wave of discontent over a per-ceived lack of wealth flowing from major resource projects.

The commissioner’s statement said O’Neill would be allowed bail and because he had just arrived from Aus-tralia he was expected to be quarantined at his own resi-dence for 14 days, under pro-tocols to prevent the spread of the new coronvirus COVID-19.

O’Neill had been the subject of an arrest warrant in Papua New Guinea since October on suspicion of “official corruption”, although officials in the country did not disclose what he was wanted for.

Virus cases top 32,000 after highest spike in Bangladesh ANATOLIA — DHAKA

The number of coronavirus cases in Bangladesh crossed 32,000 yesterday after the country’s highest single-day spike to date.

Over the past 24 hours, 1,873 more people tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases to 32,078, a top health official told a news briefing.

The death toll rose to 452 with 20 more fatalities, while 296 recoveries pushed the total to 6,486, according to Dr Nasima Sultana of the Health Services Directorate General.

She said 10,834 samples were tested at 47 authorized

laboratories since Friday, raising the total to around 235,000.

Infections among Bangla-deshi police personnel also con-tinued to rise, with 178 more police officers testing positive for COVID-19. The new cases raised the overall count to 3,574 — over 11 percent of the country’s total case count. Around 1,300 of the infected personnel are serving in the capital Dhaka.

Twelve police officers have died in the country so far, while 722 have recovered, according to the media wing of the Bang-ladesh Police.

It said most of the country’s over 200,000 cops are involved in the fight against COVID-19 and

are playing a vital role in efforts to implement social distancing guidelines and maintain law and order. Amid fears that infections will surge over coming weeks, Bangladesh eased restrictions on movement within cities for Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Local media reported increasing traffic at points exiting Dhaka ahead of the holiday starting this weekend.

While public transport is sus-pended until May 30, city police said that the government has allowed people to leave the capital for the holiday using per-sonal transportation.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s

crammed Rohingya camps are threatened with the coronavirus outbreak as the infection tally rose to 21 with eight new cases reported on Friday, a gov-ernment official said yesterday.

The first COVID-19 case in the world’s biggest refugee camps was recorded on May 14 and it took one week to push the infection tally to the second digit mark.

Mahbubur Rahman, the gov-ernment civil surgeon in Cox’s Bazar, told Anadolu Agency that the high density of population and frequent violation of social distancing rules in the crowded Rohingya camps are responsible for the spread of the pandemic.

“Twenty-one infections in the packed camps of over one million people is not at all a big figure. We are trying to sort out the immediate contacts of the new infected to isolate them,” Rahman said.

He added: “Despite various preventive measures, virus trans-mission in Rohingya camps is continuing as social distancing rules are being violated.” Since the novel coronavirus was first reported in China last December, human rights bodies and experts have been warning over possible rapid spread of coronavirus in Bangladesh’s packed camps if once the virus is transmitted there.

Protests in Indian city over cyclone recovery delayAFP — KOLKATA

Thousands took to the streets of the Indian city of Kolkata yesterday to protest against what they said was the slow government response to power cuts and flooding after a devas-tating “super cyclone”.

The death toll in India and Bangladesh from Cyclone Amphan’s rampage along the Bay of Bengal coast rose to at least 112 yesterday, as authorities struggled to deal with the aftermath of the storm while also trying to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

With many areas still flooded and electricity still cut by the storm, Kolkata residents vented their anger for a second day, demanding faster action to get

the city of 15 million people working again. Police said more than 5,000 people took part in different demonstrations early yesterday while witnesses said there were more. The storm knocked out transformer stations setting off spectacular explosions across Kolkata. About 20 people were killed in the city, many of them electrocuted after ven-turing into the floods.

Many streets are still blocked by trees and water, and engi-neers are struggling to get to some parts to restore power.

“The coronavirus made our lives miserable, Cyclone Amphan turned it into hell,” Subash Biswas, principal of a state-run college in Kolkata said.

Cyclone Amphan was the fiercest storm to hit India and

Bangladesh since 1999. At least 86 people are now reported dead in India and 26 in Bangladesh.

The toll was much less than previous storms in recent decades, which sometimes claimed thousands of lives. About three million people were moved away from the coast before Amphan struck.

Kolkata’s municipal chairman Firhad Hakim has warned that “it will take at five to six days to pump out the water from streets, to clear the uprooted trees and restore the water supply”.

Authorities are also trying to clear floodwater from Kolkata airport before domestic flights resume across India on Monday after a two-month coronavirus shutdown.

Special trains for 3.6 million Indian workers stranded in lockdownAFP — NEW DELHI

India will organise special trains to get at least 3.6 million migrant workers stranded by the pandemic lockdown back home, authorities said yesterday as fresh coronavirus cases in the country hit a new daily high.

With fears rising over the spread of the disease in Mumbai and other major cities, the government said 2,600 special trains would run over the next 10 days to help the workers who lost jobs when the lockdown started two months ago.

Millions of migrant workers have been stranded in the densely populated cities and many have walked hundreds of kilometers to get home.

Scores have died in acci-dents and even from exhaustion and hunger in the struggle to reach their villages.

Vinod Kumar Yadav, chairman of the Indian Railway Board, said about 80 percent of the new “Shamrik”, or labourer, trains would go to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh states, the biggest source of domestic migrant workers. About four million have already been moved on the special trains.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is gradually easing the world’s biggest virus lockdown, which has caused mass unem-ployment among India’s 1.3 billion population.

But at the same time, the number of new cases is rising each day, with at least 6,600

reported yesterday. The health ministry has confirmed at least 125,101 cases and 3,720 deaths.

Experts say the outbreak will not peak in India until June or July and authorities face an increasing struggle to contain the pandemic in Mumbai, Delhi and other cities that account for the bulk of cases. But Health Minister Harsh Vardhan called for calm over the crisis.

“There is no need to panic due to COVID-19 as the world has learnt to live with hundreds of viruses,” Vardhan said on Twitter.

“Have faith in your gov-ernment as we are following the best possible strategy, due to which we have one of the lowest fatality rates in the world.”

India’s caseload is fast catching up with that of Iran, one of the worst-hit countries with 131,000 positive cases but 7,300 deaths.

Army men and National Disaster Response Force personnel clean a road from fallen trees and electric lines following the cyclone, in Kolkata yesterday.

Thailand begins

coronavirus

vaccine trials

on monkeysREUTERS — BANGKOK

Thailand yesterday began testing a vaccine against the coronavirus on monkeys after positive trials in mice, an official said.

Thailand’s minister of higher education, science, and research and innovation, Suvit Maesincee, said researchers had moved testing of the vaccine to monkeys and hoped to have a “clearer outcome” of its effec-tiveness by September.

“This project is for the human race, not just Thais. The prime minister (Prayuth Chan-ocha) has outlined a policy that we must develop a vaccine and join the world community workforce on this,” Suvit told reporters yesterday.

Thailand announced on Wednesday that it was devel-oping a vaccine — one of at least 100 potential vaccines in the works worldwide - and hoped to have it into pro-duction by next year.

Suvit said that Thailand has started reserving two manufacturers for its vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Since the new virus emerged in China late last year, COVID-19 has spread around the world, infecting more than 5 million people and killing more than 300,000.

The Thai vaccine uses messenger RNA, which prompts body cells to produce antigens, molecules on the surface of viruses, that spur the immune system into action.

New South Wales, which includes the city of Sydney, is home to nearly half Australia’s roughly 7,100 coronavirus cases and plans to let clubs and restaurants host up to 50 seated patrons from June 1, from 10 now.

With fears rising over the spread of the disease in Mumbai and other major cities, the government said 2,600 special trains would run over the next 10 days to help the workers who lost jobs when the lockdown started two months ago.

10 SUNDAY 24 MAY 2020ASIA

Pakistan plane crash deathtoll at 97; black box foundREUTERS — KARACHI

The flight data recorder from the Pakistani airliner that crashed into a residential neigh-bourhood of Karachi has been found, an official said yesterday, as the death toll rose to 97.

There were two survivors from onboard the aircraft, while no fatalities were reported in the densely populated area of the city where the aircraft crash-landed on Friday.

Pakistan International Air-lines flight PK 8303, an Airbus A320, was flying from Lahore to Karachi with 99 people on board when it went down in mid-afternoon while trying a second landing attempt.

“The black box had been found late yesterday, we are handing it over to the inquiry board,” PIA spokesman Abdullah Khan said. He said that included both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder.

The airline’s chief executive, Arshad Malik, said on Friday the

last message received from the pilot indicated there was a tech-nical problem.

Another senior civil aviation official said that it appeared the plane had been unable to lower its landing gear for the first approach.

Aviation safety experts say air crashes typically have mul-tiple causes.

Seconds before the crash, the pilot told air traffic con-trollers he had lost power from both engines, according to a

recording posted on liveatc.net, a respected aviation monitoring website.

Airbus said the jet first flew in 2004 and was fitted with engines built by CFM Interna-tional, co-owned by General Electric and France’s Safran.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Imran Khan, announced soon after the crash that there would be an inquiry, and a four-member team was constituted on Friday night, according to a notification from the govern-ment’s aviation division.

The team includes three members of the Aircraft Accident and Investigation Board and one from the Pakistan Air Force’s safety board. The team will issue a preliminary statement within a month, the notification says.

A statement from the pro-vincial health minister’s office yesterday put the death toll at 97, with no confirmed deaths on the ground.

Army and civil adminis-tration personnel were clearing

through the debris in the Karachi neighbourhood yes-terday and assisting residents whose homes had been damaged.

“Rescue Op in progress ... 25 affected houses cleared, their residents accommodated at

various places with assistance of Civil Administration,” the Army said on Twitter.

Pakistan only last week resumed domestic flights it had suspended due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, with many people

travelling for the Muslim holiday of Eid Al Fitr.

Friday’s crash is the worst air disaster in Pakistan since 2012, when a Bhoja Air pas-senger aircraft, a Boeing 737, crashed in Islamabad, killing 127 people.

Ambulances and security force members are seen at the site where Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK-8303 crashed near Jinnah International Airport while landing, in Karachi yesterday.

China has betrayed Hong Kong, says Chris PattenREUTERS — LONDON

China has betrayed the people of Hong Kong so the West should stop kowtowing to Beijing for an illusory great pot of gold, said Chris Patten (pictured), the last governor of the former British colony.

Beijing is set to impose new national security legislation on Hong Kong after a sustained campaign of pro-democracy protests last year in the city, which enjoys many freedoms not allowed on mainland China.

“The Hong Kong people have been betrayed by China,” Patten was quoted as saying by The Times newspaper.

Britain, he said, had a “moral, economic and legal”

duty to stand up for Hong Kong.Patten, now 76, watched as

the British flag was lowered over Hong Kong when the colony was handed back to China in 1997 after more than 150 years of British rule — imposed after Britain defeated

China in the First Opium War.Hong Kong’s autonomy was

guaranteed under the “one country, two systems” agreement enshrined in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Decla-ration signed by then Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

But China’s plans to impose the security laws on Hong Kong risk destroying the declaration, Patten said.

The United States has branded the laws a “death knell” for the city’s autonomy and Britain has said it is deeply concerned by the legislation which it said would undermine the “one country, two systems” principle.

“What we are seeing is a new Chinese dictatorship,” Patten said. “The British gov-ernment should make it clear that what we are seeing is a complete destruction of the Joint Declaration.”

US President Donald Trump warned Washington would react “very strongly” if Beijing went ahead with the security law.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said her government will “fully cooperate” with the Chinese parliament to safeguard national security, which she said would not affect rights, freedoms or judicial independence.

Patten said the West should stop chasing the illusory promise of Chinese gold and

that Britain should think care-fully about Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei’s involvement in the 5G network.

“We should stop being fooled that somehow at the end of the all the kowtowing there’s this great pot of gold waiting for us. It’s always been an illusion,” Patten said.

“We keep on kidding our-selves that unless we do every-thing that China wants we will somehow miss out on great trading opportunities. It’s drivel.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is planning to reduce Huawei’s involvement in Brit-ain’s 5G network in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.

Eid prayer preparations

China reports no new virus cases for first timeAFP — BEIJING

China yesterday reported zero new coronavirus infections for the first time since it started reporting data in January, a day after Communist Party leaders celebrated “major achieve-ments” in the virus fight.

The virus first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, but cases have dwindled dramatically from the peak in mid-February as the country appears to have brought the virus largely under control.

The official death toll in the country of 1.4 billion people stands at 4,634, well below the number of fatalities in much smaller countries.

However, doubt has been cast on the reliability of China’s numbers and the United States has led the charge in ques-tioning how much information

Beijing has shared with the international community.

The milestone comes a day after the opening of China’s rubber-stamp parliament, the National People’s Congress, where Premier Li Keqiang said the country had “made major strategic achievements in our response to COVID-19.”

However he warned that the country still faced “immense” challenges.

Authorities in Wuhan have come under fire for repri-manding and silencing doctors who first raised the alarm about the virus late last year, and repeated changes to counting methodology have cast further doubt over China’s official data.

Beijing has strenuously denied accusations of a cover up, insisting it has always shared information with the World Health Organization and other countries in a timely manner.

A man makes social distancing markers for prayer ahead of Eid Al Fitr, amid the coronavirus disease outbreak in Bekasi, near Jakarta, yesterday. The Indonesian government announced on Friday that there are 20,796 confirmed virus cases in the country. About 1,300 deaths and more than 5,000 recoveries have been recorded. Indonesian Vice-President Ma’ruf Amin apologised to all citizens as the threat of COVID-19 in the country is not over yet.

Japan PM's approval slides as prosecutor’s resignation bitesREUTERS — TOKYO

Public support for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s (pictured) Cabinet slumped to a near three-year low, a poll by the Mainichi Shimbun daily showed yesterday, in a further setback to the premier after Tokyo’s top prosecutor quit this week.

Tokyo High Public Prose-cutors Office chief Hiromu Kurokawa, who is seen as close to Abe, resigned on Thursday for gambling during Japan’s coronavirus state of emergency.

The resignation dealt a blow to Abe, whose support has waned over his handling of the pandemic.

Abe’s approval ratings dropped to 27 percent from 40 percent in the prior poll on May 6, posting the lowest reading since July 2017 when it was at

26 percent, according to the May 23 survey jointly con-ducted by the daily and the Social Survey Research Center.

Disapproval ratings surged to 64 percent, jumping from 45 percent seen in the previous survey.

Some 52 percent called for a harsher measure against Kurokawa, saying he should be subjected to disciplinary dis-missal, the poll showed.

Kurokawa has been at the centre of a furore over the gov-ernment’s efforts to raise the retirement age for prosecutors after he was allowed to stay in his post beyond retirement age of 63.

T h r e e - f o u r t h s o f respondents say Abe should be held responsible for delaying Kurokawa’s retirement since February, the poll showed.

Abe's cabinet had made the unprecedented decision in

January to delay Kurokawa's retirement, with pundits speculating the prime minister hoped to appoint him as prosecutor general.

The government's move prompted a wave of criticism, with claims it eroded the inde-pendence of Japan's legal fraternity.

It also sparked rare public protests from artists and celebrities, who usually remain silent on political matters in Japan.

Abe’s government this week ditched its push to enact a bill during the current session of parliament that would raise prosecutors’ retirement age to 65 from 63, and let the cabinet defer retirement of senior pros-ecutors for a further three years, a step critics said threatened

judicial independence.Abe’s ruling Liberal Dem-

ocratic Party suffered a decline in support in the poll to 25 percent from the pre-vious reading of 30 percent, while approval ratings for opposition parties inched up only slightly.

New virus clusterbreaks out atMalaysia migrantdetention centreREUTERS — KUALA LUMPUR

A new cluster of coronavirus infections has broken out in Malaysia at a detention centre for undocumented migrants, authorities said yesterday.

Malaysia has this month arrested more than 2,000 for-eigners for not having permits that allow them to be in the country following raids in areas under lockdown. The centres they are detained in are often crowded, with dozens of migrants packed in a single cell.

The United Nations and rights groups have called on Malaysia to stop the crackdown and criticised authorities for going after a vulnerable community during the pandemic.

The Southeast Asian country has so far reported 7,185 virus infections and 115 deaths.

The health ministry said yesterday that 21 cases were identified at the Semenyih detention centre near the capital Kuala Lumpur, which houses around 1,600 detainees.

It is the second detention centre at which a cluster of virus infections has broken out. Around 60 cases were reported among the 1,400 detainees at the Bukit Jalil centre earlier this week.

The ministry’s Director-General, Noor Hisham Abdullah, said the source of infections at the centres had not been identified.

The migrants were screened before their arrests, but the virus may not have been detected during the incubation period, he said. Detainees can spend months in the centres before they are deported.

Kazakhstan, Turkey may resume flights in late June

REUTERS — ALMATY

Kazakh and Turkish airlines may resume passenger flights between the two countries in late June, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Industry and Infrastructural Development has said, if the novel corona-virus epidemic remains under control.

Kazakh minister Beibut Atamkulov discussed the plans in a telephone call with his Turkish counterpart Adil Karaismailoglu, the ministry said in a statement late on Friday.

If successful, the reopening would be Kazakhstan’s first after it suspended all international passenger flights in March due to the pandemic and only allowed special flights repatriating its citizens.

This month, Kazakhstan has gradually resumed domestic flights with all provinces set to be reconnected from May 25.

In Kazakhstan, the number of cases rose by 322, bringing the total to 7,919. So far, 35 people have died and 3,788 people are still under treatment while 4,096 have recovered.

More than 338,700 people have died in 188 countries and regions since the novel coronavirus emerged in China last December.

Some 5.23 million cases have been reported across the world and over 2.07 million people have recovered to date, according to figures compiled by the US’ Johns Hopkins University.

Seconds before the crash, the pilot told air traffic controllers he had lost power from both engines, according to a recording posted on liveatc.net, a respected aviation monitoring website.

11SUNDAY 24 MAY 2020 EUROPE

Johnson resists calls to oustCummings over 400km drive

REUTERS — LONDON

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson resisted calls yesterday from opposition parties to sack senior adviser Dominic Cummings after he travelled 400km to northern England while his wife showed COVID-19 symptoms.

Cummings, who master-minded the 2016 campaign to leave the European Union during the Brexit referendum, travelled to Durham in late March, when a strict lockdown was already in place. Johnson’s office said Cum-mings made the journey to ensure his 4-year-old son could be properly cared for as his wife was ill with COVID-19 and there was a “high likelihood” that Cummings would himself become unwell.

“I behaved reasonably and legally,” Cummings told reporters outside his house after telling them to stay 2 metres apart in accordance with government guidelines.

Asked if he would consider his position, he said: “Obviously not.” He then chided reporters for being wrong about the result of the 2016 Brexit referendum.

“You guys are probably all about as right about that as you

were about Brexit: do you remember how right you all were about that?” Cummings said.

Ministers voiced support for the senior adviser.

“I can tell you that the PM provides Mr Cummings with his full support,” Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told reporters, adding that he did not know when the prime minister found out about the journey.

Downing Street said

Cummings’ “actions were in line with coronavirus guidelines”.

But opposition parties called for Johnson to sack Cummings and Labour called on the coun-try’s most senior civil servant, Mark Sedwill, to open an inves-tigation into the journey.

“The British people do not expect there to be one rule for them and another rule for the prime minister’s most senior adviser,” Labour said.

A file photo of Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) and his special adviser Dominic Cummings leaving from the rear of Downing Street, in central London, before heading to Parliament.

Italy reports 119 newdeaths; crowds atbeaches sow concernANATOLIA — ROME

Italy yesterday reported 119 more fatalities from the novel coronavirus, bringing the death toll to 32,735, as Italians invaded the country’s beaches for the first weekend by the sea.

Data released by the coun-try’s Civil Protection Department confirmed the peak of the outbreak was left behind. The tally of active infections yesterday fell again, by 1,570, placing the total at 57,752.

Meanwhile, recoveries con-tinued to climb, reaching 138,840, as more patients left intensive care, easing pressure on Italy’s overwhelmed healthcare system.

The epicentre of the Italian outbreak remains the northern Lombardy region, where fatal-ities continue to rise, reaching 15,840, almost half of the coun-try’s total deaths.

According to a recent study, however, Italy’s death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in March and April could be nearly 19,000 higher than the official figure of 32,000.

The study by Istituto Nazi-onale della Previdenza Sociale

(INPS) — Italy’s largest social security and welfare institute — says that official death figures are not “reliable.”

It shows that 156,429 total deaths were registered in Italy in March and April, a figure almost 47,000 higher than the average number of fatalities recorded in those months between 2015 and 2019.

However, in the past two months, only 27,938 deaths linked to coronavirus were reported by the Civil Protection Agency, which releases the official data, INPS noted.

The agency said that means there were almost 19,000 more deaths than normal during that period, which can be rea-sonably attributed to the effects of the pandemic.

Pictures of Italian beaches crowded with people enjoying the first weekend by the sea, especially in the southern regions, are alarming author-ities and experts.

The Italian government is trying to discourage such get-togethers, fearing close groups of people in public places may spark a new wave of conta-gions, one possibly even more dangerous than the first.

A cyclist has his temperature checked at the entrance of Idroscalo artificial lake, in Milan, Italy, yesterday.

Poland opposition sees double standards in distancing rulesAP — WARSAW

Police in Poland yesterday called on a small protest by business people to disperse because of a ban on large gath-erings and the need to keep social distancing amid the coro-navirus pandemic.

The protest, demanding an end to an anti-COVID-19 lockdown, was attended by a few dozen people in downtown Warsaw. It was led by an inde-pendent candidate in Poland’s

trouble-ridden presidential election, running against incumbent President Andrzej Duda.

The election was planned for May 10 but was delayed amid political and legislative confusion in midst of the pan-demic. The new date for the vote has not been officially announced yet, but the gov-ernment suggests it will be held June 28.

The independent candidate, Pawel Tanajno, a businessman,

was taken to a police car and had his documents checked.

The protesters, wearing face masks because of the pandemic, demanded that the government lift restrictions imposed on businesses in the fight against the new coronavirus.

They carried banners with the Polish colors of white and red, some with text calling for the end of the government of the right-wing Law and Justice party.

Large numbers of police

separated reporters from the protest. Some opposition law-makers and government critics noted that police did not intervene earlier Saturday when Duda was meeting with people in a crowded open-air market on a campaign stop in Garwolin, near Warsaw.

For his part, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki was forced to explain why he could be seen in photos with three other people at a restaurant Friday, without protective masks.

Bosnia delays local polls for a month due to lack of funding

REUTERS — SARAJEVO

Bosnia’s election authorities said yesterday that local elec-tions previously set for October 4 would be post-poned until November 15 due to a lack of funding.

In the elections, nearly 3.4 million voters are due to choose town and municipal councils and mayors in Bos-nia’s two autonomous regions — the Bosniak-Croat Feder-ation and the Serb Republic — as well as in the neutral Brcko district.

The election commission has not been able to set dead-lines for the voting because the national government has not passed a 2020 budget and failed to allocate necessary funds by a deadline that expired on Friday.

“The elections could not be held in accordance with the election law and will be put off to November 15,” the election commission said.

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said: “By con-ditioning the approval of resources... based on political disputes over the composition of the central election com-mission, the authorities risk undermining the constitu-tional order and the func-tioning of democracy.”

To hold elections, Bosnia’s would need some $4.91m, half of it provided by the central government and the r e m a i n d e r b y l o c a l communities.

The government has been operating under quarterly i n t e r i m f i n a n c i n g arrangements.

It is expected to approve the budget by the end of May, including the funding for the vote.

Spain’s far-right holds protest against coronavirus lockdownAP — MADRID

Thousand followers of Spain’s far-right Vox party gathered yesterday in their cars and on motorbikes in the centre of Madrid and other Spanish cities to protest the Spanish govern-ment’s handling of the nation’s coronavirus crisis.

The party accuses the gov-ernment of Socialist Prime Min-ister Pedro Sánchez of lying about the impact of the health crisis and of violating Spaniards’ rights by confining people to their homes and closing businesses during the lockdown.

Vox called for protesters to attend the protests in their vehicles and thus skirt the ban on social gatherings in effect under the nation’s two-month long state of emergency designed to reduce contagion risks.

Vox called the protest the “Caravan for Spain and Liberty.” “We will never forget what they have done,” Vox leader Santiago Abascal said from the open-top bus leading the caravan as it inched down a Madrid boulevard.

“Do not doubt that we will make them face justice. They

know it and fear our freedom. That is why they try to intimidate us.”

Most cars and motorbikes were decked with Spanish flags. There were also small groups of people who participated on foot, with some not respecting the two-meter social distancing rules. Protests were also held in Barcelona, Sevilla and other pro-vincial capitals.

Spain’s government says that the confinement measures have been necessary to save the nation’s hospitals from collapse and save thousands of lives.

Sánchez said that the pro-testers were exercising their con-stitutional rights, but that he asked them “to respect the cri-teria, rules, and decisions that health authorities have made.” “This government will preach for concord, peaceful co-existence, respect and tolerance, and not for hate and rage,” he said.

Over 28,000 Spaniards have been confirmed to have died from COVID-19. The government says that all the information it makes public on virus deaths and infections are provided by the regions, some of which are gov-erned by opposition parties. No

region has accused the gov-ernment of relaying incorrect data. Spain’s left-wing coalition government declared a state of emergency on March 14. The lockdown applied under the state of emergency, which has limited the right to free movement and assembly, has successfully reined in the outbreak.

Abascal and another leading Vox politician both fell ill with the virus after holding a massive party rally in early March. The party apologised for going ahead with the rally but blamed the government for not warning the

nation of the danger. Abascal and his colleague recovered.

Vox, which is strongly anti-migrant and anti-women’s rights, won its first seats in Spain’s Par-liament in April 2019. It then made huge gains in a repeat election in November and is the third-largest party in the legislature.

“I’m here to a sk for the gov-ernment to resign. We are tired of being kept in prison,” said 47-year-old bank employee Almudena Camara at the Madrid protest.

Yesterday’s car protest

follows a week of small protests in one of Madrid’s wealthiest neighborhoods and other cities that Vox has backed.

With its hospitals now able to handle the smaller load of cases, Spain is slowly moving toward gradually reactivating its economy and recovering social activities. Tomorrow, Madrid and Barcelona, the two hardest hit areas, will be able to join the rest of the country in reopening 50 percent of outdoor seating at clubs and restaurants and gath-ering in groups of under 10 people.

Supporters of the far-right VOX party take part in an in-vehicle protest against the Spanish government’s handling of the novel coronavirus crisis, in Madrid yesterday.

Greece urges Britain to return Parthenon marblesAFP — ATHENS

Greece yesterday urged Britain to return the Parthenon Marbles — often known as the Elgin Marbles — as one of the world’s greatest ancient sites the Acropolis re-opens after the coronavirus shutdown.

The ancient friezes, which include depictions of battles between mythical ancient Greeks and centaurs, were taken by British diplomat Lord Elgin in the early 19th century and are now

on display at the British Museum in London. Britain has always refused to return them, arguing that they were taken with the permission of local Ottoman rulers at the time.

“The reopening of the archaeological sites with the Acropolis among them, is an occasion for the international (groups) supporting the return of the Parthenon Marbles to reaffirm their constant demand as well as that of the Greek gov-ernment for the definitive return

of the marbles to their homeland,” Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said in a statement.

Greece areopened the Acropolis in Athens and all open-air archaeological sites last week under tight conditions after a two-month closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The International Association for the Reunification of the Par-thenon Sculptures — formed in 2005 in Athens and which com-prises various national groups — last week sent a letter to the

Greek Ministry of Culture pro-posing a renewed, coordinated campaign to put pressure on the British Museum. Mendoni said yesterday that the Marbles were “loot” and Greece would never recognise the British Museum’s claim to the friezes. Greece has been campaigning for three decades for their return, arguing that the Ottoman empire was an occupying force and any per-mission granted during its time is not valid.

Athens has considered suing

Britain over the issue but more recently has taken a more diplo-matic route, asking the UN’s cul-tural agency Unesco to mediate — an offer rejected by the British Museum. Prime Minister Kyr-iakos Mitsotakis, elected in July, has made an official request for the loan of the marbles to mark the 200th anniversary celebra-tions of Greek independence in 2021.

The British Museum has said it would examine any request from Greece to borrow exhibits.

Cummings, who masterminded the 2016 campaign to leave the European Union during the Brexit referendum, travelled to Durham in late March, when a strict lockdown was already in place.

12 SUNDAY 24 MAY 2020AMERICAS

Trump heads to golf course, says will attend space launchAFP — WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump yesterday underlined his push for a return to normal life in the US by making his first visit to a golf course in two months and confirming he would attend a space launch next week.

Trump took a 35-minute drive from the White House to the Trump National club in Sterling, Virginia, in his first visit to a golf property since March 8.

It was not confirmed whether the president would play golf, but he was a regular weekend player before the coronavirus lockdown.

White House coronavirus adviser Deborah Birx on Friday said that sports such as golf could be played safely if social dis-tancing was in place and players didn’t touch flags.

But she also warned that Washington and Virginia had high positive test rates as the United States started its Memorial Day long weekend.

Trump, keen to find a way out of the coronavirus crisis and facing an uphill re-election battle, has ramped up pressure on state and local governments to ease

lockdown measures.On Friday he demanded state

governors classify churches, syn-agogues and mosques as “essential services” on the same level as food and drug stores, and immediately allow them to hold services.

The pandemic has ham-mered the American economy and led to a fierce debate over virus restrictions, even as COVID-19 numbers continue rising in parts of the United States — the worst-hit country in the world, with 1.6 million infections and more than 96,000 deaths.

The White House yesterday confirmed the President would also attend the May 27 launch in Florida of two astronauts on a SpaceX mission — the first crewed space flight from US soil in nine years.

“Our destiny, beyond the Earth, is not only a matter of national identity, but a matter of national security,” Trump said in a statement.

Astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley are scheduled to blast off from Kennedy Space Center at 4.33pm on Wednesday for the

International Space Station, arriving the next day.

The mission is seen as a crucial step towards ending American dependence on Russian rockets. Asked about going ahead with the mission in the midst of the pandemic, Behnken told reporters: “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

Behnken and Hurley have been in strict quarantine since May 13, but they said their actual isolation began as far back as mid-March.

Hurley said he and Behnken

have been tested twice for COVID-19.

American astronauts have been flying to the ISS, which cur-rently houses two Russians and one American, on Russian

rockets since the US space shuttle program was shelved in 2011.

A successful SpaceX mission would mean the United States had achieved its goal of no longer having to buy seats on

Russian Soyuz rockets.However, the Wednesday

launch plan could be hit by bad weather, with a 60 percent chance of a postponement, according to official forecasts.

US President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence look on as a video plays of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo giving a press conference, in Washington, DC.

Trump administration backs lawsuit challenging curbs in IllinoisREUTERS — WASHINGTON

The Trump administration on Friday weighed in on a lawsuit brought against Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s corona-virus stay-at-home orders, with a rare federal court filing in support of the legal challenge he faces over his emergency powers.

The US Justice Department’s filing in Illinois marked another escalation by the administration in confronting state governors it sees as going too far with restrictions meant to quell the coronavirus pandemic.

The Justice Department asserted that Pritzker, a Dem-ocrat, acted improperly when he removed the case in question from state court, where it was

filed by Republican state Rep-resentative Darren Bailey, to a federal court.

A similar lawsuit filed in state court by Republican leg-islators against Democratic Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers and his top public health officer led to a state Supreme Court ruling last week invalidating stay-at-home orders there.

The Justice Department said it was intervening under an edict issued by Attorney General William Barr in late April directing his civil rights division to review the legitimacy of state and local government policies related to the coronavirus pandemic.

On Tuesday, the Justice Department sent a letter to Cal-ifornia Governor Gavin

Newsom, also a Democrat, saying his lockdown orders dis-criminated against religious freedom by prohibiting indoor services while allowing some workplaces, including film studios, to reopen.

A similar letter on Friday to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer questioned whether their local restrictions “may be an arbi-trary and heavy-handed approach” to stay-at-home requirements.

Both letters and the Illinois federal court filing were signed by Eric Dreiband, assistant US attorney general for the Justice Department’s civil rights division.

Pritzker’s lockdown order,

like California’s, bars indoor gatherings at places of worship, but has already survived federal court challenges brought on religious grounds.

And in removing Bailey’s lawsuit from state court, Pritzker asserted his case also belonged in federal court because Bailey was alleging a violation of rights under the U.S. Constitution.

Bailey has countered that he is challenging Pritzker’s stay-at-home orders not on the basis of constitutional issues but because, he claims, they exceed the governor’s emergency powers.

The Justice Department’s statement of interest likewise asserts the dispute rightfully belongs in Illinois state court.

“The federal government has an interest in preventing the limited resources of the federal courts from being drawn into state-law disputes that lie outside of their jurisdiction,” it said.

President Donald Trump, a Republican who had staked his November 3 re-election bid to the once-robust US economy, has repeatedly agitated for a swift reopening of business activity brought to a virtual standstill by coronavirus lockdowns.

At the White House on Friday, he urged states to allow for the reopening of places of worship over the Memorial Holiday weekend and warned he would override governors who do not.

Daily virusdeath toll inNew York fallsbelow 100

REUTERS — WASHINGTON

The number of deaths in New York state caused by the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours has fallen to 84, the lowest one-day total since late March, Governor Andrew Cuomo said yesterday.

“The news is good news,” with the lowest toll since March 24, Cuomo said in his daily televised briefing. Hos-pitalisations, intubations and new infections were all in decline, he added.

“In my head, I was always looking to get under 100,” Cuomo said, speaking from the governor’s mansion in Albany.

“It doesn’t do good for any of those 84 families that are feeling the pain,” he added, “but for me it’s just a sign we are making real progress” in what had been the hardest-hit US state.

At the pandemic’s peak in New York in early April, the authorities were reporting more than 1,000 deaths a day.

Parts of the state that saw fewer virus cases have already begun to ease lockdown restrictions, but they have yet to be lifted in New York City, the former virus epicenter in the US. The city’s beaches will remain closed for this long Memorial Day weekend, which traditionally marks the beginning of the US summer season.

Beaches are being reo-pened elsewhere in the state, and in other coastal areas, often with bathers required to observe social distancing.

Cuomo issued an unex-pected order late Friday to allow public assemblies of up to 10 people “for any lawful purpose.”

He was easing an early order that applied only to reli-gious services and Memorial Day celebrations, after a civil liberties group filed suit to object to the narrower language.

Bolsonaro’s fieryrhetoric on displayin controversial videoAFP — BRASÍLIA

Brazilians got a shocking look on Friday at an expletive-laced meeting between President Jair Bolsonaro and his Cabinet when a Supreme Court judge released a video at the centre of an investigation targeting the far-right leader.

The April 22 Cabinet meeting is under scrutiny by prosecutors probing allegations by former justice minister Sergio Moro that Bolsonaro tried to interfere in federal police investigations.

But it could prove just as damaging to Bolsonaro’s 18-month-old government for other sordid details it contains.

They include the president using profanity to insult gov-ernors, the education minister calling to throw Supreme Court justices in jail and the envi-ronment minister urging the government to legalise mining and farming in the Amazon rainforest while the world is distracted by the coronavirus

pandemic. The video came to light when Moro resigned two days after the meeting.

In a damaging final press conference, the then-justice minister, a popular anti-cor-ruption crusader, accused Bol-sonaro of “political inter-ference” in the federal police.

Police are reportedly inves-tigating multiple cases involving Bolsonaro and his inner circle, including allegations that his son Carlos, a Rio de Janeiro city councilor, oversaw a fake-news campaign to benefit his father.

Moro’s allegations led a Supreme Court justice to order an investigation into whether Bolsonaro obstructed justice or committed other crimes.

The probe, which could see Bolsonaro tried or even impeached, comes as the pres-ident faces growing disapproval ratings and criticism over his downplaying of the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed more than 21,000 lives in Brazil.

In the video, Bolsonaro rails against what he calls a lack of information from the federal

police, or PF. “I can’t be getting surprises

in the news. Hell, the PF doesn’t give me information,” he says.

“I can’t work like that. That’s why I’m going to interfere, period. It’s not a threat... it’s the truth.”

At another point, he says: “I’ve already tried to change our security people in Rio de Janeiro,

officially, and I couldn’t. .” Anticipating the release of

the video, the president had already sought to do damage control, saying he was talking about ensuring his family’s security, not protecting anyone from investigation.

“Another farce just col-lapsed. There’s not a second in the video where someone could

suspect I interfered in the federal police,” Bolsonaro said after its release.

Confined to their homes by the pandemic, Bolsonaro oppo-nents held raucous protests after the video’s release, banging pots and pans out their windows. Excerpts of the video played non-stop on Brazilian TV.

Members of the Congress show the request of impeachment against Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro during a protest, in Brasilia.

Virus outlook in Alabama worsening as state reopensAP — BIRMINGHAM

With Alabama’s coronavirus caseload worsening while churches and more reopen, the state’s most recognizable person had some stern words about bringing COVID-19 under control.

“You need to be staying 6 feet away from me, and haven’t I told you you have to wear a mask when you’re in this building?”

University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban, himself wearing a mask embla-zoned with “Roll Tide,” scolded the school’s elephant mascot in a video released as the state reopened more.

Perhaps Saban’s rant

— which tied the prospects of fall football to disease control in a football-crazy state — will be the thing that makes people see a need for renewed vigi-lance in a place where life is largely back to normal despite a deepening health crisis.

From the Gulf Coast to the lush Tennessee Valley, Ala-bama’s political leaders and health experts are struggling to make many residents see the continued need for social dis-tancing, crowd limitations and wearing masks after Gov. Kay Ivey reopened much of the economy.

Cases are on the increase, but health officials say it’s impossible to determine whether the rise is linked to

additional testing or an actual increase in disease. Yet state statistics also show hospitali-zations are up since early April, which has some health officials worried.

The situation in Alabama has become worse over the past 14 days, according to an analysis of testing data from The COVID Tracking Project. New daily cases have risen to 307 from 268, and the rate of daily tests coming back positive has increased from 6.7 percent to 7.5 percent. The AP used seven-day rolling averages to account for daily variability in the testing data. Data includes counts through Thursday.

In Jefferson County, the state’s most populous area with

with nearly 660,000 residents, officials cited increasing cases and hospitalisations on Friday in announcing more stringent rules than those enacted by Ivey.

The Republican governor, like President Donald Trump, hasn’t modelled recommended behaviour by regularly appearing publicly in a mask. But she has urged residents to what’s necessary to stem the spread of the disease while saying a vaccine could someday be created “right here in sweet home Alabama.”

“It takes all of us, y’all, being vigilant, and adhering to these social distancing guidelines in order to stop the spread of this disease,” she said.

US discussed holding first nuclear test in decades, says reportAFP — WASHINGTON

President Donald Trump’s administration has discussed holding the first US nuclear test since 1992 as a potential warning to Russia and China, the Washington Post reported Friday.

Such a test would be a significant departure from US defence policy and dramatically up the ante for other nuclear-armed nations. One analyst told the newspaper that if it were to go ahead it would be seen as the “starting gun to an unprecedented nuclear arms race”.

The report, citing one senior administration official and two former officials, all who spoke anonymously, said the discussion had taken place at a meeting on May 15.

It came after some US officials reportedly claimed that Russia and China were conducting their own low-yield tests. Moscow and Beijing have denied the claims, and the US has not offered evidence for them.

The senior administration official said that demonstrating Washington’s ability to “rapid test” would be a useful negotiating tactic as the US seeks a trilateral agreement with Russia and China over nuclear weapons.

The White House yesterday confirmed the President would also attend the May 27 launch in Florida of two astronauts on a SpaceX mission — the first crewed space flight from US soil in nine years.