BUSINESS | Page 1 SPORT | Page 1

Qatar banking system Athletics: Sprinter

remains resilient Kerley sees off
on flexible QCB Gatlin to win
regulations: IIF 100m at Ostrava

pu
bl TA 978
GULF TIMES

Q since
is
A 1
he R
d
in
THURSDAY Vol. XXXXII No. 11919

May 20, 2021

Shawwal 8, 1442 AH

www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals

Draft law on investment

and commerce court
Amir gets message from
The Cabinet has taken all necessary
measures to issue a draft law on
establishing a court for investment
Cabinet nod to draft law Burundi president

on Shura Council election

and commerce, Qatar News Agency
reported yesterday. “The draft law
was prepared in the framework of
developing the justice system and
establishing an attractive investment
climate, in line with the State’s Draft law contains provisions governing candidates’ eligibility, voters’ registration,
other steps in that field,” the report redressal of complaints, campaigning, spending limit for candidates, etc.
said. The Cabinet has approved the
requirements for establishing the Shura Council elections are scheduled to be held in October
court, which includes allocating
an independent headquarters and

a separate budget for the court,
and appointing a judicial team and
trained cadre for the court.
Over 40,000 vaccine
doses given in one day
The National Covid-19 Vaccination
Programme reached another
milestone as more than 40,000
vaccine doses were administered in
Qatar in the past 24 hours, according
to data published by the Ministry
of Public Health (MoPH) yesterday.
The data also showed a drop in
the number of new Covid-19 cases
recorded in the country yesterday
compared to the previous two days.
A total of 2,150,749 vaccine doses
have been given since the start of
the vaccination programme, with
40,769 doses administered in the
past 24 hours. Page 2
T
he Cabinet yesterday approved
a draft law on the Shura Coun-
cil’s electoral system and re-
ferred it to the Shura Council.
The provisions of the draft law are
in line with Qatar’s permanent Con-
stitution, with an electoral system law
set to be released that will determine
the conditions and requirements to
run for the elections, according to a
Qatar News Agency (QNA) report.
The approval came at the Cabinet’s
regular meeting chaired by HE the
Prime Minister and Minister of Inte-
rior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Ab-
dulaziz al-Thani via videoconferenc-
ing yesterday. Following the meeting,
HE the Minister of Justice and Acting
Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs
Dr Issa Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi is-
sued a statement giving details of the
proceedings.
Preparation of the draft law “comes
HE the Prime Minister and Minister of
Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin
Abdulaziz al-Thani.
satisfy to be able to run, based on the
Constitution and legal rules of con-
stitutional nature.
 Allowing government employees
to nominate themselves for member-
ship in the Shura Council while pre-
serving their jobs and promotions
throughout their membership, as well
as permitting members of all military
agencies, both military and civilians,
to vote in order to expand the base of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani has received a
participation. written message from Burundi President Evariste Ndayishimiye, pertaining to
 Facilitating the process of regis- bilateral relations and ways of enhancing them. The message was received by
tering on the voters’ lists, including HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohamed
the possibility of applying for regis- bin Abdulrahman al-Thani during his meeting with the Chief of Staff at the
tration electronically. Burundian President’s Office, General Ildephonse Habarurema. (QNA)
 Regulating the process of com-
plaints against registration on voters’
lists and judicial appeals against deci-
sions of the committees of voters and

The draft law was prepared under

EU envoy upbeat on
Iran nuclear talks
The EU official leading talks to revive
Iran’s nuclear deal said yesterday
he was confident a deal would
be reached as the negotiations
in the framework of completing the
State’s constitutional requirements
to elect Shura Council members, in
implementation of the directives of
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim
bin Hamad al-Thani on holding Shu-
ra elections in October, during the
speech His Highness gave at the open-
the supervision of the higher com-
mittee preparing for the Shura Coun-
cil elections, chaired by HE the Prime
Minister and Minister of Interior in
line with Amiri Decision No 47 of
2019 establishing the committee and
defining its powers.
The draft law includes provisions
candidates.
 Setting controls regarding elec-
toral advertising, including setting a
Truce with Israel ‘within a
maximum of QR2mn as a candidate’s
spending limit on electoral advertis-
ing, with oversight over such spend-
day or two’: Hamas official
ing and its sources of financing.
 To oblige the competent mu- Agencies Wednesday in the military confron-
nicipalities to ensure equal access of Gaza City, Palestinian Territories tation with Palestinians, the White
candidates to places where advertise- House said.
ments or electoral statements are put “The president conveyed to the

adjourned, although European
diplomats said success was not
guaranteed with very difficult issues
remaining. The talks resumed in
Vienna on May 7. “I am quite sure
that there will be a final agreement. ...
I think we are on the right track and
we will get an agreement,” Enrique
Mora, who is co-ordinating indirect
talks between Iran and the United
States, told reporters at the end of a
fourth round of negotiations. Page 8
Lebanon foreign
minister quits
Lebanon’s foreign minister said he
had quit his post yesterday, after his
comments in a television interview
strained ties with traditional Gulf
Arab allies and donors. Charbel
Wehbe, a member of Lebanon’s
caretaker government whose
portfolio was taken over by Defence
Minister Zeina Akar, had on Monday
made disparaging comments against
Gulf states. The comments have
threatened Lebanese efforts amid
its deep economic crisis to improve
ties with Gulf states. After meeting
President Michel Aoun, Wehbe
said he had submitted a request
to step down “in light of the recent
developments and the circumstances
that accompanied the interview I
gave to a television station”. Page 8
Spain irked at record
migrant influx
Migrants were still trying to cross
from Morocco into the Spanish
enclave of Ceuta yesterday after a
record 8,000 people poured over
the border this week, escalating
tensions between Rabat and
Madrid. Some tried to swim across
to beaches patrolled by police after
the unprecedented wave of arrivals
earlier this week. Spain’s Prime
Minister Pedro Sanchez has vowed
to “restore order” in Ceuta, and
ing of the 49th Shura Council session
on November 3, 2020,” the report said.
Cabinet calls on international
community to end Gaza attacks
T
he Cabinet has called on the
international community to
intensify its efforts to stop the
repeated brutal Israeli attacks against
civilians in Gaza and in all the occu-
pied Palestinian territories.
This came at the Cabinet’s regu-
lar meeting chaired by HE the Prime
Minister and Minister of Interior
Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Ab-
dulaziz al-Thani via videoconferenc-
ing yesterday, Qatar News Agency
(QNA) reported.
Following the meeting, HE the
Minister of Justice and Acting Min-
ister of State for Cabinet Affairs Dr
Issa Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi issued
a statement giving details of the pro-
ceedings.
At the outset of the meeting, the
Cabinet reiterated Qatar’s condem-
nation and denunciation of the bru-
tal Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip,
which has been continuing for the last
10 days, leaving hundreds of martyrs
and injured civilians, including men,
women and children.
Tamuq graduates in a class of their own
related to the following:
 The conditions candidates must
Cabinet reaffirms
Qatar’s condemnation
of brutal Israeli
bombings, support
for Palestinian state
with Al-Quds
Al-Sharif as its
capital
“The Cabinet called on the inter-
national community to intensify its
efforts to stop the repeated brutal Is-
raeli attacks against civilians in Gaza
and in all the occupied Palestinian
territories, and to stop all its crimi-
nal practices contrary to interna-
tional law and human norms of killing
and terrorising civilians, destroying
homes and facilities, and violating
the sanctity of the blessed Al-Aqsa
Mosque, and plans for forced dis-
A
up, and to allocate equal spaces for senior Hamas official said yes- prime minister that he expected a
the candidates. To Page 2 terday that he expects Israel and significant de-escalation today on
Gaza militants to reach a cease- the path to a ceasefire,” according to
fire “within a day or two” that would a statement released after what the
end ten days of cross-border violence. White House said was the two leaders’
“I think that the ongoing efforts
regarding the ceasefire will succeed,”
senior Hamas political official Moussa
Abu Marzouk said during an interview
fourth call since the crisis began.
The statement marked a sharpening
of public tone from the White House
toward the close US ally.
with Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen TV.
“I expect a ceasefire to be reached
within a day or two, and the ceasefire
However, there was no mention of
how Biden defined “significant” in his
call to tune down the bombing of Gaza,
will be on the basis of mutual agree- which Israel says is directed at the Ha-
placement from Jerusalem, ethnic ment,” he said. mas militant group.
cleansing and racial discrimination, A report from Washington said US White House spokeswoman Karine
as well as forcing them to implement President Joe Biden told Israel’s Prime Jean-Pierre also would not say what
the decisions issued by the United Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that response there would be if no change
Nations (UN) General Assembly and he expects a “significant” reduction occurred on Wednesday. Page 8
the UN Security Council, which re-
jected and condemned the occupa-
tion and settlement and recognised
the legitimate rights of the Palestin-
ian people,” the report said.
The Cabinet praised the steadfast-
ness of the brotherly Palestinian peo-
ple in Gaza and all the Palestinian ter-
ritories and their stance in the face of
the Israeli war machine, and the great
sacrifices it has made for the sake of
its just cause.
The Cabinet affirmed that Qatar,
which is currently making efforts to
stop the attacks and violations by the
Israeli forces, will remain with the
Palestinian people until they obtain
their full rights, foremost of which
is their right to establish their inde-
pendent state based on the borders of A relative inspects the damage inside a house in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza
June 4, 1967, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif Strip, yesterday, where they say a disabled 33-year-old man on a wheelchair, his
as its capital. pregnant wife and their 3-year-old daughter were killed in an Israeli air strike.
Pvt schools, KGs to teach
Arabic, Islamic education

accused Morocco of “disrespect”
after the influx. Some 5,600
migrants had already been sent
back, Madrid said. Page 11
Brazil minister targeted
in smuggling probe
Brazilian police yesterday
searched properties connected
to Environment Minister Ricardo
Salles and other officials in a
probe of allegations they allowed
illegal exports of timber from the
Amazon region to the United States
and Europe. Police were acting
on a ruling from Supreme Court
Justice Alexandre Moraes. The
judge reversed rule changes that
officials made to permit the exports
retroactively and granted access to
Salles’ bank and tax records. Page 11
T
he Ministry of Education and Higher
Education (MoEHE), represented by
the Private Education Affairs Sec-
tor, has issued the 2021 academic policy for
teaching compulsory subjects – Arabic lan-
guage, Islamic education and Qatari history
– in private schools and kindergartens, Qatar
News Agency (QNA) reported yesterday.
This is an update of the same policy that
was issued for the 2019-2020 academic year.
This is the first time that schools are
obliged to apply the teaching of Arabic lan-
guage and Islamic education subjects from
the kindergarten and pre-school stage, the
QNA report states.
A circular from the Private Schools Affairs
Department at the MoEHE’s Private Educa-
The dean of Texas A&M University at Qatar (Tamuq), a Qatar Foundation partner, has taken a journey to tion Affairs Sector has been sent to all such
personally congratulate each graduating engineer from its Class of 2021. César Octavio Malavé helped schools and kindergartens in this regard.
graduating students celebrate a special time in their lives by visiting each of them at their homes It states that the most important aspects
and presenting them with their engineering degrees, with his trip taking place from May 9-13. Tamuq of the updated version of the academic policy
graduated 107 engineers on May 5 at a virtual ceremony. Page 12 for compulsory subjects are as follows:
 The necessity of teaching Arabic lan-
guage and Islamic education subjects start-
ing from the pre-school level (kindergarten
and preparatory) in all private schools and
kindergartens.
 The necessity of teaching the three
compulsory subjects in all educational cur-
ricula and systems, in accordance with the
sequence of classes.
 Schools’ commitment to the terms and
conditions of equivalency for grades 10, 11
and 12, in accordance with Ministerial Reso-
lution No 11 for 2021.
 The commitment of private schools
to evaluate the compulsory subjects for all
grades (grades 1 through 12) according to the
target groups in all educational curricula and
systems.
The circular has been issued by Rash-
id Ahmed al-Ameri, acting director of
the Private Schools Affairs Department.
To Page 6
2 Gulf Times
Thursday, May 20, 2021

QATAR
Al-Muraikhi receives credentials
More than 40,000 of Equatorial Guinea’s envoy

vaccine doses given

in last 24 hours; new
Covid-19 cases drop
 MoPH reports 295 new Covid-19 cases, 637 recoveries  2,150,749 Covid-19 vaccine
doses given since start of programme, with 40,769 doses administered in one day

T
he National Covid-19 Vaccination
Programme reached another mile-
stone as more than 40,000 vaccine
doses were administered in Qatar in the
past 24 hours, according to data published HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi received yesterday, a copy
by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) of the credentials of Equatorial Guinea’s non-resident ambassador to Qatar, Benigno Pedro Matute
yesterday. Tang. Al-Muraikhi wished the new ambassador success in his duties, and assured him of support to
advance bilateral relations in various fields.
590 face prosecution for
violating Covid measures
The designated authorities referred 590
people to the prosecution for violating the
Qatar’s envoy to France attends
preventive and precautionary measures
enforced by the country to contain the
Les Franciscaines’ opening ceremony
spread of Covid-19, the Ministry of Interior
(MoI) said yesterday. Among them, 451
people were referred to the prosecution for
not wearing masks in places where they are
mandatory, 72 for gathering at parks and
the Corniche and 41 for not maintaining
safe physical distancing. Also, 11 persons
were referred to the prosecution for violat-
ing quarantine requirements, eight for not
installing the Ehteraz app and seven for
violating the decision to ban gatherings in
closed places. The measure is in line with
the Cabinet decision, Decree Law No 17 of
1990 on infectious diseases, and the pre-
cautionary measures in force in the country
to contain the spread of Covid-19. The au-
thorities have called on the public to adhere
to the precautionary measures in place to
ensure their safety and that of others.

The data also showed a drop in the

number of new Covid-19 cases recorded
in the country yesterday compared to the
previous two days.
A total of 2,150,749 Covid-19 vaccine
doses have been given since the start of
the vaccination programme, with 40,769
doses administered in the past 24 hours.
The MoPH said 54.7% of the eligible
population have now received at least
one dose of the vaccines. Also, 89.5% of
people aged above 60 years (the most vul-
nerable population group) have been vac-
cinated with at least one dose, while 84%
have received both doses.
The ministry yesterday reported 295
new confirmed cases of Covid-19, 196 of
cases were recorded on Tuesday, Monday
saw 302 new cases in the country, the data
showed.
The MoPH yesterday also recorded 637
recoveries from the virus during the past
24 hours, bringing the total number of re-
coveries in Qatar to 209,251.
Further, the ministry announced two
new deaths, of persons aged 50 and 56
years, respectively, one of whom had
a history of chronic disease. Both were
receiving the necessary medical care.
in the country,” the ministry said in a
statement. “However, it is still impor-
tant to be cautious as the second wave is
not yet over and there are still two high-
ly contagious and highly virulent strains Qatar’s ambassador to France HE Sheikh Ali bin Jassim al-Thani attended the opening ceremony
of the virus that are actively circulating of Les Franciscaines in the French city of Deauville, at the invitation of the city’s mayor. During
in the community.” the opening ceremony, Sheikh Ali expressed Qatar’s support for Les Franciscaines, which is an
The MoPH reiterated that the plan to institution dedicated to cultural life. It includes a museum, an audiovisual library, as well as a
gradually lift restrictions will be deliv- festival hall and space for reception.
ered over four phases with each phase
lasting three weeks.
The date of implementation and the

Tunisian PM meets Qatar’s ambassador

which were from the community and 99
from travellers returning from abroad,
Qatar News Agency reported.
This marked a reversal of the upward
swing in new Covid-19 cases observed in
the past couple of days. While 370 new
“In recent weeks, the combined im-
pact of Covid-19 restrictions and in-
creasing vaccination rates, and the
overwhelming support of the communi-
ty, has resulted in a consistent reduction
in the number of new daily infections
duration of each phase will depend on
the epidemic indicators, which rely on a
great extent on the degree of compliance
of community members with the cur-
rent measures, restrictions and guid-
ance of the government.

Cabinet nod for draft law

regulating parking spots
T
he Cabinet has approved
a draft law regulating
parking spots and re-
ferred it to the Shura Council.
This came at the Cabinet’s
regular meeting chaired by HE
the Prime Minister and Minis-
ter of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin
Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani
via videoconferencing yester-
day, Qatar News Agency (QNA)
reported.
Following the meeting, HE
the Minister of Justice and Act-
ing Minister of State for Cabi-
net Affairs Dr Issa Saad al-Jafali
al-Nuaimi issued a statement
giving details of the proceed-
ings. The law considers public
parking as places determined by
the designated municipality, in
 Cabinet takes all necessary measures to issue draft law
on establishing court for investment and commerce
court for investment and com-
Covid-19 precautionary measures to continue merce, according to the QNA
report. “The draft law was pre-
The Cabinet yesterday listened to an explanation provided by HE the pared in the framework of de-
Minister of Public Health on the latest developments regarding the veloping the justice system and
steps taken to curb the spread of Covid-19. The Cabinet underlined that establishing an attractive invest-
the precautionary measures adopted to combat the pandemic shall ment climate, in line with the
continue, Qatar News Agency reported. State’s other steps in that field,”
the report said. Tunisian Prime Minister and Acting Minister of Interior Hichem Mechichi received Qatar’s ambassador
The Cabinet has approved the to Tunisia, Saad bin Nasser al-Hamidi. During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations.
co-ordination with the desig- entities, and can be used to park requirements for establishing
nated authorities. “These places vehicles after gaining a licence the court, which includes al-
are dedicated for the parking of from the designated municipal- locating an independent head-
vehicles, and the designated mu-
nicipality regulates these areas,”
ity.
The Cabinet also took all nec-
quarters and a separate budget
for the court, and appointing a
FM receives phone call from Dutch counterpart
the report said. As for private essary measures yesterday to is- judicial team and trained cadre HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani
parking, they belong to people or sue a draft law on establishing a for the court. received yesterday a telephone call from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Stef Blok. During the
phone call, they reviewed bilateral relations, as well as developments in Palestine.

Cabinet nod to draft law on Shura Council election
From Page 1
 Setting obligations for candidates when
conducting the election campaign, including
respecting the provisions of the Constitution,
maintaining national unity and maintaining
the security of society, avoiding any rhetoric
that has tribal or sectarian tendency, or what
conflicts with public morals, prevailing tradi-
tions or the religious and social values of soci-
ety, or offending the other candidate or others,
or stirring up tribal or sectarian strife among
citizens in any way.
 Ensuring that the public and private me-
dia are impartial in their coverage and treat-
ment of all candidates, and while covering the
elections.
 Banning the candidacy of ministers, mem-
bers of the judiciary and members of all military
agencies from among the military, and members
of the Central Municipal Council.
 Allowing everyone with an interest to
challenge candidates’ nominations.
 Ensuring the judicial supervision of elec-
tions, through a committee to supervise the
voting and counting process, and announcing
the results, headed by a judge chosen by the
Supreme Judiciary Council.
 Ensuring the right of candidates and their
agents to follow the electoral process, attend
the counting process and announce the result.
Assigning the ruling regarding the merit
of challenges to the validity of the election to
the Court of Cassation.
 Establishing severe penalties for electoral
offences, especially if one of the candidates
receives support from a foreign person or a
foreign entity.
 Putting in place heavy penalties to guar-
antee the freedom of voting and combating
vote buying or compromising the integrity of
the elections.
Qatar attends Intosai working group’s annual meeting
Qatar, represented by the State Audit Bureau, participated in the annual meeting of the International Organisa-
tion of Supreme Audit Institutions (Intosai) working group on regulating public debt, which was held today
via video conference, QNA reported. The state was represented in the meeting by Sheikh Faisal bin Thamer
al-Thani, who is the head of the tax auditing department at the governmental financial data auditing administra-
tion, and head of the risk department of the risk and quality administration Nouf Rabea al-Kaabi.
Qatar takes part in panel meeting for supervision of SDG
Qatar, represented by the State Audit Bureau, participated in the fifth meeting of the committee for the supervi-
sion of the sustainable development goals of the Arab Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (Arabosai),
QNA reported. The meeting was held via video conference technology. Qatar was represented at the meeting
by the head of the Internal Audit Units Assessment Section at the Internal Audit Review Department HE Sheikh
Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani.

Qatar’s ambassador to Spain takes part
in final event of UN global competition
R
epresenting the Qatar
National Tourism Coun-
cil (QNTC), Qatar’s am-
bassador to Spain Abdullah bin
Ibrahim al-Hamar participated
in the final event of the projects
start-up competition for the
United Nation’s Sustainable De-
velopment Goals (SDGs), which
was organised by the World
Tourism Organisation (UN-
WTO) in Madrid.
In a speech on this occasion,
the ambassador stressed the
importance attached by Qatar
for achieving the SDGs, ex-
plaining that all of the projects
for infrastructure in Qatar and
those for the FIFA World Cup
Qatar 2022 have been developed
and implemented from a per-
Trails Sport Events
and Qatar Charity
organise virtual race
for orphan Eid gifts
T
rails Sport Events, in
co-operation with Qatar
Charity (QC), organised a
virtual running race in Ramadan
to support the “Eid Gifts for Or-
phans in Qatar” project.
Some 600 male and female
participants of all ages from 37
nationalities took part in the
race to garner support for the
project.
The QC transferred the pro-
ceeds of the race as Eid gifts to
the accounts of the orphans to
enable them to purchase desired
items before Eid al-Fitr.
The race, which focused on
the importance of continuing
the practice of sports during
Ramadan, aims to promote the
QNTC townhall with tour guides
The Qatar National Tourism
Council meeting aims to
develop training programmes
for tour guides in the country
T
he Qatar National Tourism
Council (QNTC) unveiled
the objectives of its “Serv-
ice Excellence” programme at a
recently-held townhall meet-
ing, aimed at strengthening the
country’s position as a global
leader in providing best-in-class
hospitality services.
More than 60 licensed guides
attended the event, hosted by the
QNTC’s Service Excellence team.
By increasing visitor satisfac-
tion across all touchpoints, the
programme works to make Qatar
a more attractive tourist destina-
tion.
“As a primary representative
to the destination, tour guides
are one of the main pillars of our
Service Excellence programme,”
QNTC chief operating officer
Berthold Trenkel said in a state-
ment. “Their knowledge and
ability to tell effective stories is
crucial for enhancing the tour-
ism offerings.”
“They are key to reaffirming
More oxygen tankers, cylinders sent from Doha
Qatar’s ambassador to Spain Abdullah bin Ibrahim al-Hamar.
spective of sustainability.
The envoy also addressed
the pioneering role that Qatar
values of human connection
and compassion in society, and
instilling the values of solidarity
and mutual support.
At the end of the competition,
the contestants received unique
magnetic glow-in-the-dark
medals.
Farid al-Siddiqi, head of the
Local Projects section at the
QC, voiced appreciation for the
support of Trails Sport Events,
expressing his pride in its con-
tribution, and the incorporation
of charity work into sports.
The donation of the proceeds
from the registration for the
race made a good contribution
to the “Eid Gifts for Orphans”
projects.
Trenkel: Tour guides are one of
the main pillars of the QNTC’s
Service Excellence programme.
Qatar’s position as a destination
that offers unforgettable experi-
ences,” he added. “We look for-
ward to more sustained dialogue
with tour guides to help them
deliver the best quality service to
domestic and international audi-
ences.”
The meeting addressed a vari-
ety of topics, including the devel-
opment of a new and improved
tour guide training programme,
which is due to launch later this
year, and illustrates the QNTC’s
commitment to upskilling Qa-
Airways has played during the
coronavirus (Covid-19) pan-
demic, in addition to the meas-
He said that the QC is keen to
get all cultural, social and sports
initiatives involved in support-
ing its programmes and projects,
emphasising that the QC always
desires to co-operate and part-
ner with relevant companies
and institutions to garner sup-
port for various humanitarian
activities.
Trails Sport Events expressed
tar’s front line tourism workers.
Further, regular tour guide
round tables with the QNTC
have been established to drive
engagement, improve collabora-
tion, and ensure the availability
of tour guides matching language
requirements of tourists.
Qatar is home to more than
100 QNTC licensed tour guides,
with one-quarter of them having
already spent more than three
years in Qatar, and are familiar
with local customs, and knowl-
edgeable about various tourist
attractions in the country.
The QNTC’s Service Excel-
lence programme aims to collab-
orate with stakeholders to elevate
customer-facing experiences
through every touchpoint in the
destination.
The programme was kicked off
with a collaboration with Mow-
asalat (Karwa) to train their driv-
ers.
The tour guide training marks
the second phase, and the pro-
gramme will continue to be rolled
out across sectors, training staff
in customer service and enhanc-
ing their knowledge of the desti-
nation’s offerings.
Indian naval ship ‘INS Trikand’
left Qatar yesterday carrying
two cryogenic oxygen tankers
of 40 metric tonnes, airlifted
earlier by the Indian Air Force
from Pune (India) to Doha and
filled in Qatar by Air Liquide
Group, and 100 cylinders of 42
litre each, gifted by the Indian
community.
Text and image courtesy of
the Indian embassy in Doha
ures and procedures taken by
Qatar to combat the spread of
the virus.
delight with the participants’
sporting effort, which had a
positive impact on their health,
as well as a charitable impact on
others by donating for orphans
in Ramadan.
Trails Sport Events also
thanked the QC for its efforts in
implementing the project that
drew a smile on the faces of or-
phans.
How to replace driver’s
licence through Metrash2
The Ministry of Interior has explained, through an advisory on
social media, the application process to replace a lost or damaged
driving licence “for yourself or your family members” through the
Metrash2 app.
HMC, ALF
sign pact for
co-operation
H
amad Medical Corpo-
ration (HMC) and Al
Faisal Without Borders
Foundation (ALF) have signed a
Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) for co-operation.
The MoU was signed by HE
Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Tha-
ni, chairman of the board of Al
Faisal Without Borders Founda-
tion, and Ali Abdullah al-Khat-
er, chief executive of Corporate
Communications at the HMC, in
the presence of Nasser al-Naimi,
deputy chief quality officer &
co-director of HMC’s Hamad
Healthcare Quality Institute.
The MoU covers areas of co-
operation between the ALF and
the HMC, including sponsor-
ing community projects, pro-
grammes and initiatives intend-
ed for extending support to HMC
patients, such as blood and organ
donation campaigns, mental and
social support programmes, ex-
tending material support to pa-
tients as well as facilitating com-
munity awareness campaigns
through forums and training
courses for the community in ad-
dition to co-operation in the field
of medical conferences.
HE Sheikh Faisal said: “Since
its foundation, the ALF has been
keen on supporting programmes
and initiatives that promote
corporate social responsibility
in Qatar, and build partnerships
with government offices and
NGOs in educational, health-
care, communal and charitable
domains.”
“We, nurture the develop-
ment of education, healthcare,
QATAR
Al-Khater: This MoU will open
new horizons for the HMC to
further boost its awareness and
health education activities.
and strive to place charity where
it belongs,” he said. “Signing
this MoU with the HMC culmi-
nates many previous projects
and initiatives sponsored by the
ALF, including, but not limited
to, health awareness campaigns,
blood and organ donation cam-
paigns, educational activities for
paediatric, cancer, and kidney
patients at hospitals and health-
care facilities.”
“We are thankful to the HMC
for giving us the opportunity to
share co-operation in serving our
beloved country and fulfilling the
goals of Qatar Vision 2030,” HE
Sheikh Faisal added.
Al-Khater said: “The MoU
with the ALF represents a vi-
tal initiative aiming at enacting
co-operation between the two
parties to serve the interests of
patients.”
“The ALF has been a pioneer
in building community partner-
ships to benefit all residents of
Qatar,” he said. “I am quite confi-
dent that this MoU will open new
horizons for the HMC to further
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 20, 2021 3
Al-Naimi: the agreement is
central to serving patient
interests and improving patient
experiences.
boost its awareness and health
education activities, such as
blood and organ donation cam-
paigns, and enable the HMC to
extend more financial and social
assistance to needy patients.”
“This MoU also adds to the
success of medical conferences
through contributing to the fi-
nances required for such events,”
al-Khater added.
Al-Naimi described the agree-
ment as central to serving patient
interests and improving patient
experiences.
“Through the Centre for Pa-
tient Experience and Staff En-
gagement, the HMC strives to
enhance patient experiences and
develop a patient-centred ap-
proach in providing healthcare
services to patients and their
family members, particularly
those in need of financial sup-
port,” he said. “We have high
hopes of a continued partner-
ship and support from the ALF,
whereby the HMC would be able
to achieve its vision, message,
and strategic objectives.”
talabat
Qatar
wraps up
Ramadan
campaign
 The various campaigns
were initiated through
partnerships with charitable
entities
 talabat facilitated over
51,337 meal donations to
Qatar Charity
T
he region’s leading food
delivery and q-commerce
platform talabat dedi-
cated its app towards giving back
during Ramadan.
After tying up with more than
15 charities across the markets
it operates in, talabat custom-
ers were able to give back to
a number of different causes
through the app.
In Qatar, talabat partnered
with Qatar Charity (QC) to cre-
ate specially-curated Ramadan
menus, through which custom-
ers could donate Iftar meals to
offer assistance to those in need,
and facilitated the value of 51,337
meals donations in Qatar.
The “Giving back” banner
inside the talabat app has seen
a surge in customer donations,
with a daily record of QR49,000
raised on May 7 alone, adding
up to a total of QR620,000 for
the QC during the whole Ram-
adan period, an increase of 210%
compared to last year.
“Our customers take such an
important stand in donating and
helping year after year, and we
thrived to be able to give them
the platform to do so this Ram-
adan,” talabat managing director
Francisco Miguel de Sousa said
in a statement.
“Helping to feed people in
need has been a major prior-
ity for us and we are delighted
to have facilitated 51,337 meal
donations to the QC,” he added.
“We would like to heartily thank
our customers for their generous
donations, as it would not have
been possible without you.”
Consumers can now down-
load talabat on the iOS App Store
or Google Play Store to donate to
a range of causes.
4 Gulf Times
Thursday, May 20, 2021

QATAR
Local vegetable sales exceed 2,000 tonnes in April

PHCC calls
for taking
practical steps
to prevent high
blood pressure that high blood pressure is a is one of the most prevent-
The yards for selling local agricultural products
at Al Mazroua, Al Khor and Al Thakhira, Al
Wakra, Al Shamal and Al Shehaniya of fresh
local vegetables sold 2,101 tonnes in April.
QNA
Doha common disease and usually able causes of heart diseases and A statement from the Ministry of Municipality
has no symptoms. strokes, and if hypertension is and Environment yesterday explained that
He pointed out that the main left uncontrolled, it could lead to the yards also recorded sales of 726 tonnes

T
he Primary Health Care
Corp (PHCC) called on
community members to
take practical steps to reduce to
a minimum, the risk of develop-
ing high blood pressure and its
harmful consequences.
PHCC explained that among
the steps to follow include
a healthy diet to promote a
healthy lifestyle with an em-
phasis on proper nutrition.
This involves reducing salt in-
take to less than five grams per
day, eating five servings of fruit
and vegetables per day, and re-
ducing total and saturated fat
intake.Additional steps include
physical activity, for at least
30 minutes a day, as well as
maintaining a normal weight,
avoiding tobacco, overcoming
stress in a healthy way, in addi-
tion to obtaining the support of
the family doctor.
Specialist in Family Medi-
cine at PHCC’s University
way which leads to high blood
pressure, is the increase of
the workload on the heart and
blood vessels, which makes
them work with the greatest
effort and the least efficiency.
Dr al-Tamimi mentioned
that the theme of World Hy-
pertension Day 2021, which
falls on May 17 annually, is
“Measure Your Blood Pres-
sure Accurately, Control It,
Live Longer,” in order to dem-
onstrate the seriousness of the
disease and the importance
of controlling it and prevent-
ing its risks. He said that the
discovery of high blood pres-
sure depends on reading blood
pressure measurements, as it
can be controlled by follow-
ing a healthy lifestyle and tak-
ing medicines if necessary. He
cautioned that the higher the
blood pressure, the greater the
risk of damage to the heart and
blood vessels in major organs
a heart attack, an enlarged heart of fruits, 394kg honey, 1,003kg of local dates
and eventual heart failure. and 1,123kg local mushroom. During April, a
The health consequences of considerable quantity of locally produced
high blood pressure can also vegetables of different types and varieties were
be complicated by other fac- on display at the yards, and highly favoured by
tors that increase the risk of the consumers. The overall agricultural season
heart attack, stroke and kidney has seen remarkable increase in the production
failure, which include tobacco of Qatari farms, which have benefited from
use, unhealthy diet, physical the support from the entities concerned, the
inactivity, exposure to con- statement added.
stant stress, as well as obesity,
high cholesterol and diabetes.
Dr al-Tamimi stressed the
importance of World Hyper-
tension Day and said that the
World Health Organisation has
marked the occasion, with the
aim of highlighting its serious-
ness and to raise awareness as
well as for prevention.
He added that for the pre-
vention and treatment of in-
creased blood pressure, all
adults should measure their
blood pressure periodically,
and said it is necessary for all to
WCM-Q webinars aim to boost community health
know their numbers, and said

Health Care Dr Mohamed al-
Tamimi warned in a statement
on World Hypertension Day,
such as the brain and kidneys.
He said that it must be em-
phasised that hypertension
W
that if it is high, they should eill Cornell Medicine – Qatar
seek medical advice as soon as (WCM-Q) has launched a new
possible. series of webinars to help educate
and improve the health of the local commu-
nity, with a new programme of community
webinars.
The new ‘Health and You’ programme

Qatar to mark World Metrology Day
QNA daily life, and added that the
Doha World Metrology Day comes a
time when there is a transfor-
mation in the need to respond
The statement added that
the spread of the virus have
prompted governments to re-
spond rapidly to the crisis,
launched by the college’s Institute for Pop-
ulation Health (IPH) aims to create com-
munity awareness about health and disease.
The webinars presented by WCM-Q fac- WCM-Q launches ‘Health and You’ programme.
ulty and other experts cover a wide range of
common issues that impact upon our health and ‘Things that go bump in the night: Impact general public. The latest, entitled ‘Just
and for which people can take charge, en- of sleep on health’ by Dr Shahrad Taheri, pro- keep moving – it’s easy and healthy’ pre-
gage in selfcare, and change behaviour to fessor of medicine at WCM-Q. sented by Dr Sathyanarayanan Doraiswamy,

Q
atar General Organisa-
tion for Standards and
Metrology will cele-
brate today, the World Metrol-
ogy Day, which falls on May 20
of every year.
The organisation stressed
the important role standardi-
sation plays in healthcare and
other important aspects of
to the Covid-19 pandemic.
A statement released yester-
day by the Qatar General Or-
ganisation for Standards and
Metrology said that the day
was an important occasion to
raise awareness on the impor-
tant role standardisation plays
in healthcare, and in improving
the quality of everyone’s life.
which has created a need for
new standardisation require-
ments.
These requirements were
needed to conduct the neces-
sary testing, provide the nec-
essary personal protective
equipment, and for developing
the vaccines that rely on mes-
senger RNA.
improve their well-being.
The series began with the webinar ‘Take
charge to better your health’, by Dr Ravinder
Mamtani, professor of population health
sciences and medicine, and vice dean for
student affairs-admissions, population
health, and lifestyle medicine.
Subsequent webinars included ‘The Secrets
of Longevity’ by Dr Sohaila Cheema, assistant
dean for the Institute for Population Health,
Lifestyle-related diseases like obesity,
type-2 diabetes, and heart disease are now
the biggest cause of premature death in the
world and IPH hopes to encourage Qatar’s
community to take responsibility for their
own health by taking regular exercise, eat-
ing a balanced diet high in fruits, vegetables,
and wholegrains, and avoiding unhealthy
habits like smoking cigarettes and shisha.
All the webinars are free and open to the
instructor in population health sciences and
assistant director at the Institute for Popu-
lation Health, discussed the role of exercise
in promoting health and preventing disease.
The ultimate objective of the series is to
enhance self-care, reduce suffering, im-
prove the quality of life, and increase lon-
gevity. Additionally, it will aid and support
people in making informed decisions about
their health and disease.

MoQ’s employees, tenants, cleaners and security guards

underwent the PCR test.

Mall of Qatar holds

PCR test campaign
in collaboration
with health ministry
M
all of Qatar (MoQ)
collaborated with
the Ministry of
Public Health (MoPH) to or-
ganise a PCR test campaign
for all its employees, ten-
ants, cleaners and security
guards as part of its Cov-
id-19 preventive measures
to maintain staff and for
public safety.
The campaign ran for
three consecutive days by
dedicated crews from the
MoPH. It aimed to ensure
that all staff and employ-
ees within the mall are
healthy and don’t have any
Covid-19 symptoms, which
comes as part of the na-
tional efforts to prevent the
spread of the virus and to
take precautions, especially
for the staff with direct con-
tact with the public, MoQ
said in a statement.
“Mall of Qatar reassures
that the safety of all visitors
and staff is its utmost prior-
ity to secure a safe and com-
fortable shopping experi-
ence. Mall of Qatar always
adopts the highest levels of
preventive measures, in-
cluding regular and deep
sanitation of all premises,
hand sanitisers, and hand-
rail sanitisers for escala-
tors,” the statement noted.
All mall visitors should
show their Ehteraz green
code, get their tempera-
ture checked by advanced
thermal cams, wear masks
properly and always main-
tain social distancing.
 Gulf Times
Thursday, May 20, 2021 5

QATAR

Kahramaa application
wins WSIS 2021 prize
T
he Qatar General Electricity tures more than 30 digital services
and Water Corporation’s (Kah- developed in co-operation with the
ramaa) application has bagged human resources department at Kah-
an award from the World Summit on ramaa that provides employees with
the Information Society Prizes 2021 all their needs and provides them
(WSIS 2021) for ICT Applications (E- with the required information around
recruitment). the clock. These include the service of
The award is sponsored by the In- sending an official leave request, the
ternational Telecommunication Union service of sending an electronic work
(ITU) and the announcement came card, the service of tracking the em-
during the ongoing Virtual World ployee’s working days and hours, the MoTC’s acting assistant undersecretary of Government Information Technology Mashael Ali Yousef al-Hammadi attended the
Summit on the Information Society service of requesting and receiving WSIS Forum.
(WSIS) Forum, a Kahramaa statement certificates.
said yesterday. These are in addition to the ability to
The app secured first place with its see the latest services that Kahramaa’s
many advantages along with modern partners provide to employees while

and practical design.
“The app won the recognition of
the most important experts at the
international level. It achieved the
lead among the elite of electronic
projects that were developed in vari-
ous parts of the world. These include
10 projects that qualified for the third
stage (the voting stage) from Qatar,” a
press statement noted.
WSIS 2021 is the most prominent
international platform for presenting
the most important and successful
electronic projects. This year, it hosts
a large number of candidates, includ-
ing government agencies, companies,
civil society institutions, international
organisations, academic bodies and
others.
A total of 10 projects from Qatar
qualified for the voting stage while
Kahramaa’s app took the lead from
among them as the only entity from
Qatar by qualifying for the fourth and
final stage of the evaluation.
The project was selected from five
international projects that were nomi-
nated from around the world.
Kahramaa has made employee life
much easier by providing most of the
human resources services in their
hands. The aim is to increase the user
experience by creating smarter solu-
tions and automotive services. An em-
ployee can submit many requests such
as leave request, certificate request,
exit permits and loan requests through
his phone.
In contribution to WSIS action line
C3 “Access to information and knowl-
edge”, this solution provides access
to data like the latest deals and offers
and employee directory. Kahramaa
employees also have the advantage of
looking into their data history such as
leave history, attendance reports, and
payslip records.
The app has been developed in line
with the objectives of Kahramaa in
order to achieve integration between
quality and modernisation and im-
proving the user experience while
meeting their diverse needs. It fea-
helping them to obtain exclusive dis-
counts for various services and many
others that facilitate and speed up all
procedures and improve the speed and
efficiency of business flow while rais-
ing the productivity of cadres.
The statement pointed out that
Kahramaa has been keen to keep pace
with the latest technologies and this
has been reflected in the satisfaction of
the subscribers, the quality of servic-
es, fulfilment of social responsibilities
and alignment with Qatar National Vi-
sion 2030.
“The Kahramaa app helped reduce
the rates of dependence on traditional
paper transactions among employees.
Also, it supports electronic means
in completing transactions and is-
suing documents. In the light of the
Covid-19 pandemic, the app has pro-
vided employees with an integrated
alternative to personal attendance to
complete their transactions while pro-
viding them with the ability to send
an electronic business card without
touching,” the statement added.
Qatar participates
in WSIS Forum 2021
Q
atar, represented by the Min-
istry of Transport and Com-
munications (MoTC), is par-
ticipating in the activities of the final
week of the Virtual World Summit on
the Information Society (WSIS) Forum,
which concludes on May 21.
“Qatar’s investment in digital
and innovative technology has
helped provide innovative and
flexible solutions that enabled
the country to take immediate
and effective measures to
contain the pandemic and
lessen it’s impacts”
Addressing the WSIS Forum 2021
Ministerial Round Table meeting
yesterday, on behalf of HE the Min-
ister of Transport and Communi-
cations, MoTC’s acting assistant
undersecretary of Government In-
formation Technology, Mashael Ali
al-Hammadi, said Qatar realises the
paramount role that the ICT sector
plays in accelerating the pace of so-
cial and economic development and
creating a knowledge-based econo-
my and supporting the efforts that
aim for sustainable and inclusive de-
velopment.
“Accordingly, the Qatar Dig-
ital Government Strategy 2026 is in
harmony with the UN Sustainable
Development Goals 2030, fostering
it’s values through ICT such as in-
creasing accessibility, improving the
quality of education, healthcare, and
justice, aiming for a better environ-
mental impact for a more sustainable
model, and empowering all social el-
ements equally,” al-Hammadi said.
“Qatar’s investment in digital and
innovative technology has helped
provide innovative and flexible solu-
tions that enabled the country to take
immediate and effective measures to
contain the pandemic and lessen it’s
impacts,” she added.
“The Qatar Digital Government
and it’s services have been of a sig-
nificant role in business continuity
throughout the pandemic thanks to a
robust digital infrastructure and con-
certed efforts during the pandemic,
thus fast-tracking the digital trans-
formation and telework and over-
coming the challenges that we and
the whole world has encountered,”
she noted.
Al-Hammadi pointed out that Qa-
tar, the gold sponsor of WSIS Forum
2021, appreciates the efforts exerted
by the World Summit on the Infor-
mation Society and backs the works
it does and will spare no effort in en-
hancing the use of innovative tech-
nology and digital transformation to
create a human-centric, inclusive,
development-driven information so-
ciety and supporting the efforts for
achieving inclusive sustainable de-
velopment.
Qatar had participated in a series
of WSIS Forum 2021 thematic work-
shops as well as the WSIS virtual ex-
hibition which was held last March.

beIN Media Group and

Sony Pictures in major
multi-year content deal
b
eIN Media Group and Sony Pictures Television (SPT)
have announced a major multi-year content deal cov-
ering the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) and
Turkey.
The deal will bring some of the biggest Sony Pictures En-
tertainment (SPE) feature films, including exclusive first and
second window rights of the best movies and series, to view-
ers of beIN’s entertainment channels in Mena such as beIN
Movies and beIN Series – from family favourite blockbusters
to critically acclaimed classics, as well as some of the most
popular television series of recent years, according to a press
statement.
As part of the deal, a number of highly anticipated block-
busters are expected to flow to beIN from SPE’s slate of up-
coming titles.
The slate includes Spider-Man: No Way Home, Venom:
Let There Be Carnage, Uncharted, Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania.
Additionally, the deal covers some of the most exciting
current titles in the SPE library, including Jumanji: The
Next Level (2019), Greed (2020), The Broken Hearts Gal-
lery (2020), The Craft: Legacy (2020), Bloodshot (2020)
and the award-winning Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood
(2019).
Films from the hugely popular Men In Black, Resident
Evil, Karate Kid and Insidious franchises will also be
coming to beIN viewers in Mena and movies like Smurfs,
Charlie’s Angels and Bad Boys will be coming to beIN
viewers in Turkey.
In addition, the deal includes exclusive new and returning
SPT series on beIN such as Justified, Into the Dark, S.W.A.T,
Goldbergs and Pandora; popular library series available both
for Mena and Turkey, including multi-seasons of The Good
Doctor and Community, among others.
Mark Young, EVP of Networks and Distribution, Sony Jumanji: The Next Level
Pictures Television, EMEA, said: “As our industry contin-
ues to navigate a challenging and dynamic period, this im- through partnerships with renowned global content provid-
portant relationship is a great way to connect our audiences ers. Thanks to this partnership and our recently upgraded
with both recent Sony Pictures Entertainment hits and titles packages, viewers can enjoy a broader range of entertain-
from our extensive Sony Pictures library.” ment content that provides something for everyone in the
Mohamed al-Subaie, acting CEO for beIN Mena, added: family.”
“We are committed to bringing the best content from around To subscribe to beIN and enjoy a world of sports and en-
the world to our viewers in the Middle East and North Africa tertainment, one can visit www.bein.com/en/subscribe/
 Gulf Times
6 Thursday, May 20, 2021

QATAR

QU takes safety Registration opens

for HBKU TII’s
measures for its summer language
graduation programmes
T
he Language Centre at
the Translation and In-

Q
atar University (QU) has announced
a number of safety and precaution-
ary measures to prevent the spread
of Covid-19 for its upcoming graduation
ceremonies.
In line with Qatar’s policy, QU, repre-
sented by the Facilities and General Serv-
ices Department – Health, Safety and En-
vironment Office and in co-operation with
other relevant departments and the Minis-
try of Public Health, will apply a number of
precautionary measures.
These include the requirement of all
attendees testing for Rapid Antigen Test
(RAT) one day prior to the event (a number
of facilities in QU will be open to admin-
ister the test), maintaining physical dis-
tance of a minimum of 9sq m for each per-
son. No food or drink will be served at the
event with the exception of wrapped dates
and sealed water bottles.
The procedure for the annual group
photo will also change. Following the Qatar
National Anthem, the annual group photo
will be taken while graduates stand at their
seats. In addition, after the end of the main
two ceremonies, the graduates will be re-
quired to exit the hall immediately to avoid
socialising with each other. For the rest
of ceremonies, the graduates will be dis-
charged as soon as they receive the gradu-
ation gift.
QU has called on its graduates and at-
tendees to adhere to the safety and pre-
cautionary measures that have been put
in place. In addition, the university has
published on its website a list of instruc-
tions to follow during the day of the
ceremony. These instructions include:
Displaying a green Ehteraz, having a neg-
ative result of RAT on the system, tem-
perature check before entering the hall,
wearing a mask, sanitising hands, pro-
hibiting touch greetings, avoiding gath-
erings, prohibiting exchange of personal
belongings, complying with the guidance
of the organisers, avoiding crowding near
entrances or exits, avoiding mingling
with Covid-19 positive individuals be-
fore the ceremony. The graduate should
not attend the ceremony, if he/she feels
any influenza symptoms, cough or high
temperature.
terpreting Institute (TII),
part of the College of Humani-
ties and Social Sciences (CHSS)
at Hamad Bin Khalifa University
(HBKU), has opened registration
for its summer 2021 language
courses, which will run from May
30 to June 30. Registration closes
on May 27.
Courses open to adults, chil-
dren, and youth are Arabic, Chi-
nese (Mandarin), French, Ger-
man – in partnership with the
Goethe-Institut Gulf Region,
Portuguese, and Spanish. Ad-
ditionally, adults can also learn
Italian, Japanese, English, and
Korean. Classes will be offered
online at flexible timings.
The Language Centre at TII
designs its programmes to of-
fer an immersive and enriching
cultural experience. Students
are taught by qualified lan-
guage professionals through
carefully planned lessons, Dr Nima Nazari.
up-to-date methodologies
and technologies, and a vari- Language Centre, said: “We are classes are a pathway to explore
ety of formats to develop all excited to welcome language en- countries and cultures by learn-
four skills; speaking, listening, thusiasts this summer, and offer ing their language. In a uniquely
reading, and writing. As part of them this opportunity to improve diverse country like Qatar, profi-
the immersive experience, stu- their fluency in the language of ciency in multiple languages is a
dents are taught entirely in the their choice. Whether for per- valuable asset for anyone hoping
foreign language. sonal enrichment or profession- to strengthen their cross-cultur-
Dr Nima Nazari, director of the al purposes, our summer 2021 al understanding.”

Pvt schools, KGs to teach

Arabic, Islamic education
QU announces research
From Page 1
The three mandatory subjects should be allocated separate teaching hours within the
school day, and each student should be provided with an original copy of the educational
summer internship 2021
Q
resources approved by the ministry. atar University (QU) Re- research topics and activities. The Economic Survey Research Institute, and collaboration with more than 25
Further, specialised and able staff should be available to teach these subjects while con- search Summer Internship registration will close on May 24. Ibn Khaldon Centre for Humanities international universities.
stantly improving and updating their skills according to the outcome of the educational for this year will take place Interested students across QU col- & Social Sciences, Gas Processing QU vice president for research
evaluation of students. online from June 6 to July 1. The leges can visit the webpage of the Centre and National Centre for Edu- and graduate studies, Prof Mariam
These updates, regarding the academic policy for the three mandatory subjects, come programme for undergraduate and Research and Graduate Studies Sec- cational Development. al-Maadeed emphasised the need
in light of the interest and keenness to promote the national identity and religious values graduate students provides training tor at Qatar University website. To broaden the mission and geo- for such programmes. “Our students
among students in private schools and kindergartens, and are based on remarks and obser- in research methods, characterisa- The internship programme will graphical target of the programme, are the true investment for the future
vations received from the educational field, schools and parents, as well as the evaluation of tion techniques, application proc- cover a broad range of courses and this year, for the first time, it will be of Qatar, they are the new genera-
the members of the educational system for the academic policy issued in 2019. esses, and technical writing. topics offered by ten research cen- open for international students. Se- tion that will transform our economy
The MoEHE will conduct periodic forums and meetings to follow up on the application The aim is to develop research tres. These centres are: Center for lected and interested students from and enrich our society. Furthermore,
and implementation of curricula in private schools and kindergartens to educate and em- skills in graduate and undergradu- Advanced Materials, Environmental the Academic Network for Devel- as we believe that QU has an impor-
power their principals about the support mechanism strategies. These will also help pro- ate students of all the colleges at Science Centre, Biomedical Research opment Dialogue will be invited to tant international academic role, we
vide schools with the latest relevant publications, information or bulletins, and encourage QU. The faculty and staff of research Centre, Laboratory Animal Research participate in the courses relevant to decided to expand the programme to
the participation of teachers and co-ordinators in forums, meetings or competitions or- centres will mentor students to con- Centre, Central Laboratories Unit, the Sustainable Development Goals. accommodate students from the re-
ganised or supervised by the ministry. tribute to several courses and their Young Scientists Centre, Social & This will enhance the partnerships gion and beyond,” she added.
Further, this will enhance interaction with the communication sites of the academic de-
partments at the MoEHE and inform schools about any consultations, questions or infor-
mation through open channels.
MME cleaning drive in April
The General Cleanliness
Department at the
Ministry of Municipality
and Environment (MME)
carried out intensive
cleaning across the
country during April
resulting in removal of
more than 94,255 tonnes
of waste, including
household garbage and
construction and solid
waste, in addition to 36,240
tonnes of haphazardly
thrown garbage. The
department also removed
6,712 damaged and
discarded tyres, 54
discarded road signs, 568
animal carcasses, and 850
abandoned vehicles. The
department also issued
141 violation reports
with regard to the Public
Hygiene Law, carried
out 2,037 applications
regarding public services,
provided 675 new garbage
containers and washed
and cleaned 8,219 other
garbage containers.

Palestine
By Ghanim al-Sulaiti
Palestine is a land enriched with
culture and traditions, and with the
struggle the people of Palestine
continue to endure, I want to
dedicate this week’s column to
reflecting on the way in which Pal-
estine has shaped cultures around
the world.
The unique geography of Palestine
allows the amazing growth of
iconic olives, barley and wheat.
The land is overrun with rivers
that embody the terrain and carry
themselves to the seas. The sunsets
are famously long, illuminating the
sky with an array of warm, colourful
tones. The neighbouring seas are
both iconic, the Mediterranean and
the Dead Sea.
The phrase ‘Palestinian food’ is
still somewhat rare, and is instead
under the oversimplified label of
‘Middle Eastern’ – but with meals
built of dishes meant to share, at
tables set with bright salads of
recently harvested vegetables and
Wellness Meal Plan
By Turkan Alshaibi
Homemade granola
Ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup nuts
1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tbsp vanilla
1/3 cup cranberry
1/2 cup dried strawberries
Method:
This delicious granola is easy to make. Heat the oven to 180C and line
the pan with parchment paper.
Mix the oats and any mix of nuts almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds,
pecans or walnuts in a bowl and stir to blend. In a separate bowl mix the
honey, coconut oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and salt.
If you like your granola more on the sweeter side you can add a little
more than 1/3 cup of maple syrup or honey.
Pour the liquid mixture into the oats and nuts. Mix well, until all is coated
very well.
Spread the granola out evenly on the baking sheet and lightly press it.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes and stir once halfway through. Next remove
pan from the oven and leave it cool to room temperature than add the
dried strawberries and cranberries.
Once the granola is cold, store in an air tight container. Enjoy!
 The author is a welness advocate and aims to promote nutritious
meals. Instagram: @the.tals
khubz (flatbread) alongside olive
oil and za’atar, a wild herb that is
ground with sesame seeds and
sumac in a blend that’s deeply floral
and somewhat sour, Palestinian
cuisine forms the foundations of so
many dishes we enjoy across the
Middle East, Mediterranean, and the
rest of the world.
I often think it’s important to not
simply support our Palestinian
brothers and sisters during this ex-
tremely difficult time for them, but
to ensure there is recognition, and
celebration — of a place home to
rich and storied culture, cuisine, and
a society whose history extends
much further than the past seven
decades.
Around 1.9 million Palestinians live
along borders, while 2.8 million live
in the West Bank and 1.8 million in
the breathlessly crowded in just 140
square miles of the Gaza Strip. They
are a people who have no country
to call their own. They are descend-
ants of those who shaped much of
what we know today. They are at
the beating heart of the Middle East.
To share the culture is to give them
just some of the recognition Pal-
estine deserves. A diverse, warm,
unique corner of the Earth that
deserves peace and prosperity for
all living in such hardship.
Palestine, our thoughts continue to
be with you, and we will continue to
stand with you.
 The author is an expert in vegan
wellbeing and health. Instagram
handle: @Ghanim92 
The consequences of tea and coffee
during, before and after meals
By Reem Abdulrahman Jassim
al-Muftah
I
recently wrote an article about
the benefits and risks of cof-
fee as well as the benefits of
decaf coffee and concluded with
recommending a maximum of 4-5
cups per day for those who enjoy
it. That is still the case if you are
following the general guidelines
of not using too much sweetener,
opting for natural sweeteners and
minimising your intake if you have
certain medical conditions. What
I forgot to mention is that coffee
can actually hurt your health if you
drink it at the wrong time. Can you
imagine that? So, what do I mean
by the wrong time…I’m talking
about having your coffee dur-
ing breakfast and right after your
meal. Some people even drink tea
during their meals and again right
after thinking that this is their
first-class ticket to weight loss not
knowing the risks. Due to social
distancing restrictions and readily
available coffee pick-up and deliv-
eries all over, I recently saw a dra-
matic increase of my close friends
and family drinking tea or cof-
fee during, before and right after
their meals and got curious to see
if there were any adverse effects
besides the usual and expected
symptoms. Was this a good habit?
What are the negative side effects?
Or is it the right course of action
for digestion and maintaining your
weight?
Yes, coffee is known to contain
health-boosting antioxidants,
help improve your digestive sys-
tem, potentially increase your me-
tabolism and energy, but that’s not
all. Coffee contains polyphenols
Disappointed...
By Hala Bader al-Humaidhi
How lethal! Sometimes people
who we had given our hearts to
betray us, the ones who were our
strength and support – deceit us,
and that leads to nothing but our
vulnerable hearts broken and bod-
ies weakened. We did not expect
this coming from them for we had
given them everything we had for
We’ll always have Casablanca
By Shefa Ali
Over the last 9 days we have covered
close to 900 kms of north Morocco
by car. I am quite the expert at travel-
ling light. It feels great not to have
any additional weight on my shoul-
ders, carrying unnecessary stuff. How
refreshing it is to not be tied with
extra baggage. How liberating it can
be to have nothing but the things you
absolutely need.
As we moved from city to city, we
realised we could have carried even
less with us. Very much like in life, the
less baggage we carry, the more free
we are to move around.
Travel always gives me the opportu-
nity to reflect. On one of our many
car journeys; I thought to myself ‘It
is not where you are, it is who you
are with.’
Long plane and car rides would be
much more uncomfortable had I
not had my husband’s shoulder to
sleep on. Local curfew nights or
walking to the top of mountains
would be lonely had my soul not
been filled with laughter. The stars
wouldn’t have shone as brightly
HOL STIC
Wellbeing
them, but they let us down. Our
disappointment with them can be
best described as meeting our love
by turning and walking away.
Ways to deal with disappoint-
ment:
It is recommended to follow the
following methods and guidelines
that help a person overcome feel-
ings of disappointment:
1. Accept sadness, anger, and self-
reconciliation.
2. Express feelings realistically
away from illusion.
3. Disconnect from the person
causing feelings of letdown.
4. Dealing with situations and peo-
ple in the future with awareness
and maturity.
5. Hold on to hope, continue dream-
ing, and search for new goals.
Some think that being subjected
to repeated disappointments will
make them depressed people
who are unable to smile and move
over Chefchaouen had I not had
someone to share my dreams with.
My tagine or couscous wouldn’t
have been finished had I eaten
alone. The cities I walked through
Gulf Times
Thursday, May 20, 2021 7
that help fight against chronic dis-
ease and are associated with anti-
inflammation and other numer-
ous health-promoting properties.
These polyphenols have shown to
help improve your health but also
inhibit the absorption of quite a
few critical nutrients in our bod-
ies after eating. Consumption of
tea or coffee with a meal can cut
down iron absorbed up to 80% as
well as inhibiting the absorption
of zinc, magnesium and calcium.
Therefore, studies suggest wait-
ing at least an hour after your meal
to have your coffee and to wait at
least an hour after coffee to have
a meal. It is even more crucial for
menstruating women, especially
teenage girls, to watch their coffee
consumption as they lose lots of
iron and having too much coffee
can cause even more tiredness and
fatigue instead of “keeping them
up.” When it comes to calcium ab-
sorption, think of all the dairy you
have during breakfast or even the
milk or creamer inside your cup of
coffee, do you really want to lose all
that crucial calcium?
Now I don’t want to worry you
and make you feel guilty when
drinking your favourite cup of cof-
fee, but this is really important for
the coffee-lovers out there that
do not consume high amounts of
iron such as vegetarians, vegans
and again, menstruating women.
Therefore, people who know they
are not consistently eating the best
sources of iron, meat and dairy,
need to watch when they consume
tea or coffee. Lastly, do not forget
that vitamins and supplements
can also be affected by coffee and
that is why I urge you all to take
your vitamins at least an hour be-
fore or after your coffee.
I hope you all understand the
message I am trying to send across
because as I see the constant in-
crease of coffee shops and cafes
around Doha, the more I worry
about our population’s health, so
please be aware, be educated and
find your balance.
 The author is a wellness
advocate and influencer
@keys2balance.
forward with optimism and joy as
before, but it is incorrect and de-
pends on one’s will, awareness and
desire to overcome the situation
with strength and with the slightest
possible loss despite its difficulty
and cruelty, so they strive to search
for new opportunities that will be
achieved. Happiness and positive
energy instills hope and optimism
again, by creating other distinct
goals, and diligence and persever-
ance in order to achieve them
regardless of the difficulties and
strains that will be encountered.
From now on, you should take a
look at your disappointments and
even disappoint those who have let
us down. Nothing is stronger than
hearts that have steeped in the bit-
terness of disappointments.
 The author is a consultant in Pub-
lic Relations and Personality Types.
Instagram: @Tipsbyhalahill
would have felt empty, had I not had
someone to see them with.
In my time in Morocco, I was re-
minded it doesn’t matter where you
are, it matters who you are with. You
can be sleeping in a train station in
Meknes, or staying in a luxurious
hotel in Fez or the sofa at home, and
none of it would matter. The place,
the location, the time – that is all ar-
bitrary. The people we share it with
is what makes the difference.
Sure, it is nice to travel to distant
lands and explore new cultures,
but having that little piece of home
with you always makes the road
seem more friendly, so whenever I
travel I am always in touch with my
family and friends. I guess what I am
trying to say is this: Leave home, but
come back to see how much you
have grown. Learn about yourself
so that you can teach others about
themselves. Keep your loved ones
close to your heart, because when
the world gets cold, that is the one
place where your memories will
always keep you warm.
 The author is a consultant and
coach. Instagram handle: @miss_
shefa, Website: missshefa.com
8 Gulf Times
Thursday, May 20, 2021

REGION/ARAB WORLD/AFRICA

EU envoy optimistic
on Iran nuclear talks underestimate the challenges
Reuters
Vienna/Paris that lay before us,” they said in a
statement.
Mora said there was a com-

T
he EU official leading
talks to revive Iran’s nu-
clear deal said yesterday
he was confident a deal would
be reached as the negotiations
adjourned, although European
diplomats said success was not
guaranteed with very difficult is-
sues remaining.
The talks resumed in Vienna
on May 7 with the remaining
parties to the deal – Iran, Russia,
China, France, Britain and Ger-
many – meeting in the basement
of a luxury hotel, and the United
States based in another hotel
across the street.
Iran has refused to hold di-
rect talks with the United States
on how to resume compliance
with the 2015 deal, which former
President Donald Trump aban-
doned in 2018, prompting Te-
hran to begin violating its terms
about a year later.
“I am quite sure that there will
be a final agreement...I think
we are on the right track and we
will get an agreement,” Enrique
mon understanding on what was
needed for a US to return to the
deal, lifting of related sanctions
and the resumption of nuclear
commitments by Iran.
“It can be said now that the
framework and structure of the
agreement has been defined and
many clauses of the agreement
are being negotiated,” Iran’s
top nuclear negotiator, Abbas
Araqchi, told Iranian state TV. Palestinian men walk amid the rubble behind an unexploded bomb (foreground) dropped by an
Officials have said they want Israeli F-16 warplane on Gaza City’s Rimal neighbourhood.
to move ahead before Iran’s
presidential election in mid-
June, fearing the campaign could
poison talks.
They have also had a soft
deadline of May 21, when an
agreement between Tehran and
Bombs pound upscale
Deputy Secretary General and Political Director of the European
External Action Service (EEAS), Enrique Mora speaks to journalists
outside the Grand Hotel Wien after closed-door talks aimed at saving
the Iran nuclear deal, in Vienna, yesterday.
the IAEA, the UN nuclear watch-
dog, on continued monitoring of
some Iranian nuclear activities is
due to expire.
The E3 diplomats said it was
Gaza district to rubble
critical that Iran allow the IAEA AFP of the pandemic lockdown in are on the heart of the city,” said
saying on Twitter he hoped a fi- Senior diplomats from Britain, to continue its necessary moni- Gaza City the blockaded territory, fami- Ismail, who heads the Creative
nal round expected to begin next France and Germany (a grouping toring and verification work and lies are now running for their Women association. “Nobody
week would be the last one. known as the E3) offered a note urged Tehran and the agency to lives, out of buildings targeted is safe.”

Mora, who is co-ordinating in-
direct talks between Iran and the
United States, told reporters at
the end of a fourth round of ne-
gotiations.
Russia’s envoy, Mikhail Uly-
anov, echoed those comments,
The crux of the original agree-
ment was that Iran committed to
rein in its nuclear programme to
make it harder to obtain the fis-
sile material for a nuclear weap-
on in return for relief from US,
EU and UN sanctions.
of caution, saying that while
there was some tangible progress
with the contours of a final deal
emerging, success was not guar-
anteed.
“There are still some very dif-
ficult issues ahead. We do not
find a way forward.
“IAEA access will of course be
essential to our efforts to restore
the JCPoA (Joint Comprehensive
Plan of Action), as a deal cannot
be implemented without it,”
they said.
G
aza City’s Rimal district
was long a place of rela-
tive calm and prosperity
in the crowded enclave – until
Israeli bombing pounded much
of it to rubble.
Locals say some 200 strikes
have hit the area in nine days of
conflict, replacing the down-
town neighbourhood’s cafes,
restaurants, shops and homes
for destruction in air strikes.
The latest spasm of vio-
lence started when Hamas,
which runs Gaza, fired a volley
of rockets at Israel on May 10
in response to an Israeli police
crackdown on Palestinian pro-
testers at Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa
mosque compound.
Israel, vowing to punish Ha-
mas and degrade its weapons
Ismail said Israel had crossed
“all the red lines” by launching
deadly strikes on Rimal’s busy
Wehda thoroughfare.
“Rimal used to be the safest
and calmest neighbourhood in
Gaza city, but now everything
is destroyed,” said Ismail.
“It’s the terrifying images
of the neighbourhood that will
remain seared in my memory,”

Lebanon with collapsed buildings,

charred debris and cratered
roads.
arsenal for years to come, re-
plied by hammering Gaza with
strikes that have claimed 219
she said.
“All its beauty is gone.” Is-
rael’s military regularly tel-

foreign When Israel bombs nearby,

“the whole house shakes like in
an earthquake,” said Rimal res-
lives, including 63 children,
according to the Gaza health
ministry.
ephones people to give them
advance warning that a build-
ing will be targeted, in what it

minister ident Abu Ahmad al-Hassanat,

50.
Hassanat said he had moved
Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu told foreign ambas-
sadors yesterday that fighters
says is an effort to avoid civilian
casualties.
Moein Abbas, 47, a frozen

resigns to the area from southern Gaza,

which he deemed too danger-
ous after his previous family
home there was destroyed dur-
Reuters ing the 2014 war between Israel
Beirut and Hamas.
“I thought I was safe this
time,” he said.”But unfor-
were using tunnel infrastruc-
ture underneath the Rimal
neighbourhood.
Another resident, 50-year-
old Dunia Al-Amal Ismail, said
that until the latest military es-
calation, “we thought the 2014
war was the worst, the deadli-
food shop owner living in the
Tel Al-Hawa neighbourhood,
recalled how he was sitting
with his neighbours when an
Israeli army officer called.
“He told me, ‘We are going to
bomb your neighbour’s house,’
so I rushed over to tell them,” he

L
ebanon’s foreign minister
said he had quit his post
yesterday, after his com-
ments in a television interview
strained ties with traditional
Gulf allies and donors.
Charbel Wehbe, a member
of Lebanon’s caretaker govern-
ment whose portfolio was taken
over by Defence Minister Zeina
Akar, made controversial com-
ments on Monday.
The comments have threat-
ened Lebanese efforts amid its
deep economic crisis to improve
ties with Gulf states.
After meeting President
Michel Aoun, Wehbe said he
had submitted a request to step
down “in light of the recent
developments and the circum-
tunately, my house was de- est”. That confrontation be- said. Then “I ran from house to
stroyed. This is the third time. tween Israel and Hamas lasted house to tell everyone to evacu-
Head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps Hossein Salami leaves after delivering a speech during a I don’t know where else to go to 51 days, ravaged the Gaza Strip ate, as the Israeli officer stayed
march to condemn the ongoing air strikes on the Gaza Strip, in the capital Tehran’s Palestine square, find safety.” and left at least 2,251 dead on on the other end of the line.”
yesterday. RIght: People gather during a demonstration to express solidarity with Palestinian people The waterfront Rashid the Palestinian side, most of And sure enough, an Israeli
amid a flare-up of violence, in Tehran. Street, with its hotels and them civilians. missile finally hit and destroyed
street vendors selling falafel On the Israeli side, 74 people the neighbours’ house, he said.
and ice cream, has also been hit died, mostly soldiers. Abbas has lived through
by the Israeli air force, hitting The Israeli army that time three Gaza wars, in 2008, 2012
Guards chief hails rocket many businesses.
Where only weeks ago people
jogged to escape the pressures
mainly targeted areas of Gaza
near its own territory.
But this time, “the attacks
and 2014. The current bom-
bardment, he said, has been the
“most difficult”.
barrages of ‘new Palestine’
AFP
Tehran
emerged, one that is broken,
frustrated, downcast, that has
Israeli air strikes and Pales-
tinian rocket fire, in a conflict
Kenya gets first woman chief justice
lost confidence in itself,” said that erupted on May 10, have
Salami, whose country sup- claimed 219 Palestinian lives, AFP ber 2017 annulled the presidential election re-

I
stances that accompanied the ran’s Revolutionary Guards ports the fighter groups in Gaza according to the Gaza health Nairobi sults in a historic ruling under her predecessor
interview I gave to a television commander yesterday firing rockets at Israel. ministry, and killed 12 people David Maraga that strained its relationship with
station”. Wehbe also met care- hailed the Palestinian fight- The general, who heads the in Israel, according to Israeli the executive.

taker Prime Minister Hassan
Diab, saying afterwards that he
hoped his decision to step down
would mean relations with Arab
nations remained friendly. The
prime minister and president
both accepted his request.
The defence minister was ap-
pointed in Wehbe’s place, and
she will now act in a caretaker
capacity in both roles.
ers who have peppered Israel
with rocket fire in the Gaza
Strip’s latest conflict.
“Today we are witnessing
the birth of a new Palestine...
fighting with missiles,” Major
General Hossein Salami said at
a pro-Palestinian rally in cen-
tral Tehran’s Imam Hossein
Square.
“A new Israel has also
ideological arm of Iran’s mili-
tary, said the suspension last
week of international flights to
Israel’s Tel Aviv airport because
of rocket fire was “a first”.
“The battle for Palestine is
not only one of the Palestinians
against the Israelis,” he said,
but one that “symbolises the
battle of Muslims against world
arrogance.”
police.
The latest escalation was
sparked after clashes broke out
at the annexed east Jerusalem’s
flashpoint Al Aqsa mosque
compound.
This followed violence over
Israel’s planned evictions
of Palestinian families from
homes in the eastern sector’s
Sheikh Jarrah district.
P
resident Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday ap-
pointed judge Martha Karambu Koome as
Kenya’s first woman chief justice, mak-
ing her the first woman to head any of the three
branches of government.
Koome, 61, a calm but staunch women’s rights
crusader, takes over the judiciary ahead of next
year’s general elections and would likely play a
decisive role in adjudicating any eventual elec-
tion disputes.
She inherits a Supreme Court that in Septem-
The University of London-trained appeals
court judge was seen as an unlikely candidate in
a list of 10 including the lawyer who represented
Kenyatta in the 2017 case.
Kenyatta gazetted her appointment hours after
parliament okayed her nomination, setting the
stage for her to be sworn in in the next few days.
Koome made a name for herself during the au-
tocratic regime of the late president Daniel arap
Moi when she represented political detainees in-
cluding opposition veteran Raila Odinga.

Twin attacks in
Burkina Faso kill 16
Malawi burns nearly 20,000 expired virus shots Attacks on a village and troops
in the north and east of Burkina
Faso left 15 civilians and one soldier
Reuters that the shots could be used ment. India’s drug regulator dead, a regional governor and
Lilongwe until July 13, based on a further in March allowed the SII-pro- security sources said yesterday.
analysis conducted by manu- duced AstraZeneca vaccine to A brutal resurgence of militant
facturers the Serum Institute of be used for up to nine months violence in the West African

M
alawi yesterday de-
stroyed 19,610 doses of
AstraZeneca Covid-19
vaccines that expired 18 days
after arriving, despite assuranc-
es from the African Union (AU)
and World Health Organisation
(WHO) that the vaccines were
safe until mid-July.
A batch of 102,000 vaccines
arrived on March 26, under an
initiative by the AU and WHO,
and they expired on April 13,
leaving less than three weeks for
them to be used.
Malawi managed to deploy
about 80% of them by that time.
John Nkengasong, director of
the Africa Centres for Disease
Control and Prevention (Af-
rica CDC), part of the AU, told a
news conference late last month
India (SII).
He and the WHO also urged
African countries not to waste
vaccines donated to them.
However, the Malawian gov-
ernment said it would not give
expired vaccines to its citizens.
“We are destroying (them) be-
cause, as government policy...
no expired vaccine has ever
been used,” said Health Minister
Khumbize Chaponda, at Kamu-
zu Central Hospital in the ad-
ministrative capital Lilongwe.
She then threw the shots,
which were wrapped in red
plastic bags, into an incin-
erator, causing a cloud of dark
smoke to billow from its chim-
ney.
“On behalf of the govern-
ment I assure all Malawians
from its manufacture date,
as opposed to the earlier six
months.
South Sudan has set aside
59,000 doses supplied by the
AU and is not using them be-
cause of the same expiration
issue.
Malawi’s health ministry said
the country had administered
335,232 vaccine doses as of May
18, and recorded 34,231 Covid
infections and 1,153 deaths.
African countries have strug-
gled to secure enough Covid-19
vaccines to roll out mass immu-
A pharmaceutical expert opens a box of expired Covid-19 AstraZeneca vaccines to show to Malawi’s Health nisation.
Minister Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda (right) and civil society representatives and journalists before they are Many rely on handouts from
destroyed in a furnace at a pharmaceutical incinerator at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, yesterday. global vaccine scheme Covax,
which is co-led by the WHO
that no one will be given an ex- A CDC Africa official de- SII did not immediately re- and partners including the Gavi
pired Covid vaccine,” she said. clined to comment. spond to a request for com- vaccines alliance.
country has forced more than
16,000 people from their homes in
just the last two weeks, prompting
a fresh military offensive. An attack
overnight Tuesday targeted a
village near the town of Tin-Akoff in
the north where people were cel-
ebrating a baptism, leaving 15 dead
and one wounded, the governor
of Burkina’s Sahel region Colonel
Salfo Kabore said in a statement,
adding that all the casualties were
men. He said assailants torched a
nearby hamlet where troops were
deployed to “assist people and
carry out search operations”.
A security source said an attack
on Wednesday using an explosive
device hit a military convoy in the
east of the country, killing
the soldier.
 Gulf Times
Thursday, May 20, 2021 9

TRAGEDY
Toxic hooch kills 11
people in Cambodia
At least 11 Cambodian villagers have died after
drinking toxic home-brewed rice wine, a health
official said yesterday, amid a government ban
on alcohol sales imposed to fight coronavirus.
The victims drank the hooch at a funeral in their
village on May 10, head of the health department
in Kandal province said. Since then 11 people
have died and another was rushed to a hospital
in Phnom Penh in a critical condition yester-
day morning, he said. The victims were tested
negative for Covid-19, but laboratory tests of the
wine that the victims had been drinking found
it contained high levels of methanol, said Kouy
Bunthouen.
CRITICISM
Indian politician flayed
for fanning Covid scare
The Singapore and Indian governments berated
a senior Indian opposition politician for fanning a
coronavirus scare between their countries,. Delhi
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal outraged Singapore
in a Twitter post a day earlier in which he said a new
form of the virus that was particularly harmful to
children had come to the city-state, and urged a ban
on flights. “Politicians should stick to facts! There is
no ‘Singapore variant’,” Singapore foreign minister
Vivian Balakrishnan said. Indian Foreign Minister
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also chastised Kejriwal.
“Irresponsible comments from those who should
know better can damage long-standing partnerships.
So, let me clarify- Delhi CM does not speak for India.”
OFFBEAT
‘Hero’ dog credited with
saving two girls dies
A dog hailed as a hero in the Philippines after it
lost half its face while apparently saving two girls
from being hit by a motorcycle a decade ago has
died, her owner said. Anton Mari Lim announced
Kabang’s death on Facebook this week, sparking an
outpouring of grief and tributes on social media for
the 13-year-old mutt. Kabang became an internet
sensation in 2011 after local media reported how she
had saved the lives of two girls crossing a busy road
by deliberately leaping in front of a motorbike.”You
have always been a hero, selfless to a fault,” wrote the
vet, who first treated Kabang and later adopted her.
Kabang died in her sleep, Lim said in the post, which
has been liked and shared thousands of times.
WORLD
PROBE
Skyscraper inspected after
shaking triggers panic
Engineers inspected a skyscraper in southern China
yesterday, a day after it triggered widespread panic
when it suddenly began shaking, as people asked
online if shoddy construction may have been to
blame. The 1,000-foot SEG Plaza in the southern city
of Shenzhen near Hong Kong began swaying in
the early afternoon on Tuesday, prompting people
inside and those on the streets below to flee. Emer-
gency management officials quickly ruled out an
earthquake as the cause of the wobble in the tech
hub’s Futian district. Officials said late yesterday that
engineers monitoring the building since Tuesday
night had not found movements larger than the
building code limit for skyscrapers.
ROYALTY
Queen’s granddaughter
expecting baby
Princess Beatrice, the granddaughter of Britain’s
Queen Elizabeth who married Edoardo Mapelli
Mozzi last year, is expecting a baby, Buckingham
Palace said. The baby, the first for Beatrice, the eld-
est daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess
of York, and her property developer husband, is
due to be born this autumn. “The queen has been
informed and both families are delighted with the
news,” the palace said in a statement. The princess,
the ninth-in-line to the throne, and her husband
wed at Windsor Castle in July in a scaled-down pri-
vate ceremony that took place without the usual
pomp and fanfare that royal weddings usually
attract because of Covid-19 restrictions.

Data suggests
runaway Covid
infections in
India, says lab
Reuters antibodies on average over the
New Delhi last seven days, up from 45% a
month ago.
The data from 25 states in-

N
early two-thirds of peo-
ple tested in India have
shown exposure to Cov-
id-19, a chain of private labora-
tories said yesterday, indicating
a runaway spread of the virus
as the daily death toll rose to a
record 4,529.
India reported 267,334 new
daily infections yesterday, tak-
ing its tally to 25.5mn, the world’s
second highest after the US, with
a death toll of 283,248, health
ministry data showed.
For months, nowhere has been
hit harder than India by the pan-
demic, as a new variant discov-
ered there fuelled a surge of up to
more than 400,000 new infec-
tions a day.
cluded individuals infected
in the past, vaccinated, unin-
fected and those who had not
been vaccinated, the com-
pany’s chief executive Aro-
kiaswamy Velumani said on
Twitter.
Criticism of Prime Minster
Narendra Modi has been rising
but M Govinda Rao, a former
member of the economic adviso-
ry council to the prime minister,
said the rate at which the virus
was spreading had caught every-
one by surprise.
“The unprecedented speed People stand beside a damaged house following cyclone Tauktae in Vadhera village in Gujarat, India.
at which the second wave of
the pandemic spread com-
pletely took the (state) gov-
ernments as well as the people

Search on for 49 missing

With hospitals and crematoria
overflowing and the health sys-
tem overwhelmed, it is widely
accepted that the official figures
grossly underestimate the real
impact of the epidemic, with
off guard,” Rao told the Hindu
newspaper.
Daily testing hit a record 2mn
on Tuesday, figures from the
state-run Indian Council of
Medical Research showed.

after cyclone batters India

some experts saying infections
and deaths could be five to 10
times higher.
There are fears that the new,
highly infectious variant is out of
control and that many cases are
going unreported because of lack
of testing, particularly in the vast
countryside.
Data from Thyrocare, a chain
of private laboratories, ap-
But that still falls short of In-
dia’s claimed daily testing ca-
pacity of 3.3mn, said Rijo M John,
a professor at the Rajagiri College
of Social Sciences in the south-
ern city of Kochi.
John also questioned how
useful the results of the tests Reuters “Search and rescue (SAR) op- saved our lives,” one survivor subsequent events have led to thorities battling a massive
were. Ahmedabad/Mumbai erations off Mumbai and Gujarat said. loss of several lives,” the govern- spike in Covid-19 infections and
“Many of these tests are being entered their third day yesterday. “I had never thought of wit- ment said in a statement. deaths.
deployed in urban centres, where Indian Naval ships and aircraft nessing a situation like this. I Prime Minister Narendra “Restoration work is ex-

peared to back up those fears,
showing that 63.5% of people
tested positive for Covid-19
Nepal, Bangladesh scramble to secure vaccines
Nepal and Bangladesh are mak-
ing frantic diplomatic efforts to se-
cure Covid-19 vaccines to prop up
their faltering inoculation drives
as their stocks run out and supply
prospects have become clouded
by a prolonged Indian curb on
vaccine exports. Bangladesh said
it urgently needed 1.6mn doses
of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine
and it had approached several
countries for help. “Bangladesh
foreign minister urged the
cases may have peaked and so it
doesn’t serve much purpose,”
John said.
Canadian high commissioner
to pursue with his government
so that Bangladesh receives at
least 2mn doses of AstraZeneca
vaccine from Canada on an emer-
gency basis,” the foreign ministry
said. Nepal, which started its
vaccination drive in January with
2.35mn doses of the AstraZeneca
shot provided by India and Covax,
said it has no stocks and more
than 1.55mn people were waiting
for their second dose.
N
aval vessels and aircraft
scoured the waters off
India’s west coast late
yesterday after the most pow-
erful cyclone in more than two
decades battered the region,
sinking an oilfield accommoda-
tion barge and killing 26 aboard,
authorities said.
Cyclone Tauktae unleashed
waves of up to 25 feet offshore
before it hit the states of Mahar-
ashtra and Gujarat over the past
two days, leaving a trail of de-
struction that killed 62 others,
authorities said.
Naval ships and aircraft have
been deployed to search for the
49 still missing from the barge
tragedy.
are presently undertaking SAR
of the missing crew members of
accommodation barge P-305,
which sank on May 17, 35 miles
off Mumbai,” the navy spokes-
person said in a statement.
The barge, with 261 people
on board, sank after the storm
smashed into the Bombay High
oilfield near Mumbai, where In-
dia’s biggest offshore oil rigs are
located.
The navy said 186 people had
been rescued from the barge
contracted to state-run energy
explorer Oil and Natural Gas
Corporation.
“No one would have had sur-
vived if not for the help that
came... We are thankful they
was thinking about my family
more than my life. I got injured
while jumping off the barge,” an-
other worker rescued from the
barge said.
The barge was deployed by
Afcons Infrastructure, a con-
struction and engineering com-
pany based in Mumbai.
“We will extend our fullest
support including financial as-
sistance to the bereaved families
in this hour of their need,” Af-
cons said in a statement.
Several other ONGC ves-
sels were stranded in the storm
and the government has set up
a committee to enquire into the
sequence of events.
“The stranding, drifting and
Modi made an aerial survey of
the damage in his home state of
Gujarat, the state government
said. The federal government
declared financial aid worth
Rs10bn ($137mn) for immediate
relief activities for Gujarat.
Relatives of those killed in the
cyclone would also get financial
assistance from the government.
Cyclone Tauktae has weak-
ened since making landfall in
Gujarat on Monday with gusts of
up to 210kph and is expected to
lose strength overnight, weather
officials said.
It ripped out power pylons,
damaged about 16,500 homes
and blocked more than 600
roads, piling pressure on au-
tremely challenging due to rain
and strong winds, but we are
focusing on the efforts on a war
footing,” Gujarat Chief Minister
Vijay Rupani said.
Surveys to ascertain the farm
losses and other damages would
begin in full form today, he added.
Gujarat, among the states
hardest hit by the second wave
of the virus, will resume its vac-
cination effort from tomorrow,
after a three-day suspension
because of the cyclone, a state
health official, Jai Prakash Shiv-
ahare, said.
Wall collapses, electrocu-
tion incidents and falling trees
were responsible for most of the
state’s 46 cyclone deaths.

Duchess visits museum

Vaccines work against India China relationship
valuable: Morrison
Covid variant, says Johnson Reuters China is Australia’s largest
Canberra trading partner. In the 12 months
AFP large South Asian communities, variant actually took hold due to March, Australia exported
London potentially endangering plans to to travellers coming from India, A$149bn ($116bn) worth of

A
reopen the economy fully from raising more questions about the ustralian Prime Minis- goods to China, down 0.6% from
June 21. government’s delay in adding the ter Scott Morrison has the previous year.

B
ritish Prime Minister Boris
Johnson yesterday said
that Covid-19 vaccines are
proving effective against a vari-
ant that has spread like wildfire
in India and denied the govern-
ment was being lax on travel
from hotspots.
Johnson has been under pres-
sure for delaying restrictions
on travel to and from India last
month, at a time when he was
still planning to head to a trade-
focused summit in New Delhi.
The trip was eventually called
off as India succumbed to a dev-
astating new wave of infections,
and it was then quickly added to
the UK’s “red list”, meaning ar-
rivals have to quarantine in hotels
at their own cost.
But more than 100 flights have
landed from India since then and
the variant has been spreading in
Britain, especially in areas with
“We have increasing confi-
dence that vaccinations are ef-
fective against all variants in-
cluding the Indian variant,”
Johnson said in parliament.
“We have one of the strong-
est border regimes anywhere
in the world,” he added, after a
day of confusion from minis-
ters on Tuesday about whether
travel is allowed to “amber”
countries including most of
Europe.
Travel to amber countries
should only be undertaken for
“any emergency or extreme rea-
son” such as family illness, the
prime minister said.
Health Secretary Matt Han-
cock meanwhile is facing calls
to explain his claim that the rise
of the Indian variant in Britain is
due to a refusal by some people to
get vaccinated.
Official data has shown the
country to the red list when Pa-
kistan and Bangladesh were al-
ready on it.
The data shows that posi-
tive tests among travellers com-
ing from India were higher than
those from Bangladesh and com-
parable to Pakistan, well before
the new restrictions took effect
for India on April 23.
Hancock told parliament yes-
terday that 2,967 cases of the
B1617.2 variant have now been
identified in Britain, up nearly
one-third since Monday.
Announcing “surge testing”
in several more areas, he said
“the race between the virus and
the vaccine has got a whole lot
closer”. But so far the govern-
ment has insisted it remains on
track to lift virtually all restric-
tions on public life from June 21,
after a successful vaccination
campaign.
pointed to strong trade
with China as evidence of a valu-
able relationship despite Chinese
criticism, as Australia’s main
opposition party accused him of
using alarmist rhetoric for do-
mestic gains.
Bilateral ties have sunk to
their lowest point in decades,
and China has in recent months
moved to restrict imports of
Australian products such as bar-
ley and beef after Morrison led
calls for a global enquiry into the
origins of Covid-19.
But Morrison said sales of
other commodities illustrated
the relationship had not broken
down. “The relationship still ex-
ists, look at trade alone – there
Britain’s Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, wearing have never been bigger volumes.
a face covering, visits the Victoria and Albert (V&A) That’s a bit of a proof point.
museum in London yesterday, as Covid-19 lockdown “When all’s said and done,
restrictions eased across the country. there’s still great value in the re-
lationship,” Morrison said.
China’s foreign ministry
spokesman Zhao Lijian respond-
ed by saying that China “has al-
ways held that health and stable
China-Australia relations are
in the fundamental interests of
both countries”.
However, Zhao, speaking at a
regular news briefing in Beijing,
said the responsibility for the
decline in relations was not “not
at all China’s” and that Australia
should treat China with “objec-
tivity” and “rationality”.
Morrison’s comments came
as Labour shadow foreign affairs
minister Penny Wong accused
him of indulging in political op-
portunism in foreign affairs.
“My concern is that not only
does he not fully comprehend
Australia’s interests in relation to
China, he doesn’t even seek to,”
she said at a book launch yester-
day.
10 Gulf Times
Thursday, May 20, 2021
COMMENT
CHAIRMAN
Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Faisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka
Deputy Managing Editor
K T Chacko
P.O.Box 2888, Doha, Qatar
editor@gulf-times.com
44350478 (News),
44466404 (Sport),
44466636 (Home delivery)
44350474
facebook.com/gulftimes
twitter.com/gulftimes_Qatar
GULF TIMES
Will post-pandemic
recovery last?
Since last spring, it has been clear that a quick and sizeable
recovery would follow from the pandemic-induced recession,
owing to Western governments’ massive fiscal- and monetary-
policy responses and the high probability that effective vaccines
would be forthcoming. And as the scientific evidence in favour
of the new emergency-approved vaccines continued to pile up
(especially early this year), so, too, did the likelihood of a strong
recovery.
As noted previously, all of the most reliable high-frequency
cyclical indicators have been showing that a rebound is underway.
It started in China and then became visible in the United States
and the United Kingdom, followed by most of continental Europe.
The latest monthly South Korean trade data (released at the start
of this month) further reinforce this trend, indicating massive
year-on-year growth of 40% – the strongest such gain in at least
a decade. Though the annual figure is flattered by the weak base in
April 2020, it nonetheless confirms that global trade is recovering
strongly.
Notwithstanding the more disappointing high-frequency
indicators reported this month in the US – where the April payroll
data and purchasing managers’ survey both fell well short of
expectations – many sell-side analysts are still revising upward
their estimates of 2021 GDP. But what comes next?
One important factor shaping the trajectory of the recovery is
of course the share of the world where Covid-19 is still raging.
Many developing economies remain under significant stress.
India currently epitomises the problem, though it is certainly not
alone. It should now be obvious to everyone that even countries at
the forefront of the vaccine rollout – such as my own country, the
UK – will not be free of the
virus until the entire world
Aside from the population is vaccinated.
As we’ve seen in Australia
ever-evolving and New Zealand, a
country can control
virus, another the virus (even without
growing risk is vaccines), but only if it is
willing to close itself off
that financial from the rest of the world
– a strategy that cannot be
conditions will maintained indefinitely.
Meanwhile, in the UK,
tighten the arrival of a worrying
variant thought to have
emerged in India – B.1.617.2 – means that the next couple of
weeks will provide vital evidence about the ongoing effectiveness
of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines against new strains of the
virus. More such tests, against more variants, are likely in the
months, and possibly years, ahead.
Under these circumstances, it cannot yet be said that the
recovery is well founded. However, there is still hope, judging
by preliminary evidence suggesting the vaccines will still be
effective. Moreover, the distribution of vaccines to lower-income
parts of the world now seems poised to accelerate considerably in
the second half of this year.
Aside from the ever-evolving virus, another growing risk is
that financial conditions will tighten. Almost like clockwork, the
investment adage to “sell in May and go away” gained salience
this month, owing to inflation fears – the flip side of the strong
cyclical recovery. In the US, consumer prices in April rose 4.2%
year on year, sending jitters through financial markets.
Speaking in unison, US Federal Reserve officials have described
the price surge as merely temporary, which suggests that they
plan to be cautious about countenancing any change in monetary
policy. But many market participants are not convinced that the
Fed can forecast inflation more accurately than anyone else can, or
that it will continue to stick to its current position.
In many Western countries, there is a widespread perception
– much of it justified by the evidence – that income and wealth
inequality are too high. As such, elected policymakers will be
under strong pressure to pursue redistributive policies.
While such policies are warranted, they will need to be properly
designed to contribute to, or coincide with, higher productivity
in many countries. Failing that, they will raise further concerns
in financial markets, where there are already worries about the
current levels of government spending. – Project Syndicate
To Advertise
advr@gulf-times.com
Display
44466621 44418811
Classified
44466609 44418811
Subscription
circulation@gulf-times.com
© 2021 Gulf Times. All rights reserved
China, Qatar partners in peace,
wellbeing of Palestinian people
Interview with Chinese ambassador
to Qatar Zhou Jian on the
Palestinian issue
How does China view the conflict between
Palestine and Israel?
Recently, the escalating conflict between Israel
and Palestine has resulted in a large number of
casualties, including women and children. The
situation is critical and China is deeply worried and
distressed.
The Palestinian question has always been the
core of the Middle East issue. An unstable Middle
East will make the world insecure. Earlier this year,
during his visit to the Middle East, Chinese State
Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi put forward
a five-point proposal for achieving security and
stability in the region, one of which is to uphold
fairness and justice, and resolve the Palestinian
issue. Only when the Palestinian question is
resolved comprehensively, fairly and permanently,
can the Middle East truly achieve lasting peace and
universal security.
China has always stood firmly on the side of the
Palestinian people. This is not only China’s due
obligation as a good friend and brother of Palestine
and Arab countries, but also China’s responsibility
as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Since the current conflict arose between Palestine
and Israel, China has actively fulfilled duties of the
rotating presidency of the UNSC, and pushed the
UNSC to deliberate on the Palestinian question
many times, making intensified efforts to promote
peace talks and de-escalate the situation.
On May 16, in response to the current tense
situation, State Councilor and Foreign Minister
Wang Yi chaired UNSC Open Debate on Palestine-
Israel Conflict, and put forward a four-point
proposition:
First, ceasefire and cessation of violence is the
top priority. China strongly condemns violent acts
against civilians, and once again urges the two sides
to immediately stop military and hostile actions. It
is important that Israel exercise restraint, earnestly
observe the relevant UN resolutions, stop the
demolition of Palestinian homes and the eviction of
the Palestinian people, discontinue its settlement
expansion, put an end to the violence, threats and
provocations against Muslims, and maintain and
respect the historical status quo of the holy sites
in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Palestine needs to avoid
taking steps that may further escalate the situation,
avert civilian casualties, and work with other parties
for an immediate de-escalation of the situation.
Second, humanitarian assistance is an urgent
need. We urge Israel to earnestly fulfil its obligations
under international treaties, lift all the blockade
and siege of Gaza as soon as possible, guarantee
the safety and rights of civilians in the occupied
Palestinian territory, and provide access for
humanitarian assistance.
The international community should extend
humanitarian aid to Palestine via multiple channels,
and continue to support the work of the UN Relief
and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the
Near East (UNRWA), in an effort to improve the
humanitarian situation in Palestine. And the UN
must play a co-ordinating role to avoid serious
humanitarian disasters.
Third, international support is an obligation. The
UNSC must take vigorous action on the Palestine-Israel
conflict, reiterate its firm support for a “two-state
solution”, and push the situation to cool down at an
early date. The UNSC has failed to make a unanimous
voice due to the obstruction of one certain country.
China calls on the United States to shoulder
its due responsibilities, adopt a fair stand, and
support the UNSC in playing its due role in easing
the situation, rebuilding trust, and advancing a
political settlement. We also support the UN, the
Ambassador Zhou Jian.
League of Arab States, the Organisation of Islamic
Co-operation and other countries that have an
important influence in the region to play a more
active role and make more extensive and effective
peace promotion efforts.
Fourth, a “two-state solution” is the fundamental
way out. In the final analysis, a long-term solution
to the Palestinian-Israeli issue should be sought on
the basis of the “two-state solution”. The Palestine-
Israel issue has been on the agenda of the UN for
more than 70 years. Generations of Palestinians
have waited, year after year, for the restoration of
their legitimate national right, which still remains
elusive. Justice is late, but it cannot be absent
forever. China supports the two sides in resuming
peace talks based on a “two-state solution” as soon
as possible, to establish an independent State of
Palestine that enjoys full sovereignty with East
Jerusalem as its capital and based on the 1967
border, and fundamentally realise the peaceful
coexistence of Palestine and Israel, realise the
harmonious coexistence of the Arab and Jewish
nations, and realise lasting peace in the Middle East.
Can you brief us on China’s position on the
Palestinian issue?
I would like to summarise China’s position on the
Palestinian issue with the following three “most”:
First, China is the most determined supporter
of the just cause of Palestine. From more than
70 years ago, the day since People’s Republic of
China was born, we have been standing with the
Palestinian brothers in solidarity, and have never
changed our position in supporting the Palestinian
people’s just cause, the “two-state solution”, and
the constructive of role of the United Nations,
the Arab league and OIC. In 2006, 2013 and 2017,
China held three seminars for peace advocates
between Palestine and Israel to provide insights
on the settlement of the Palestinian issue. As a
permanent member of the UNSC and a responsible
major country, China stands ready to continue to
strengthen communication and co-ordination with
all parties to jointly promote the establishment of
an independent State of Palestine that enjoys full
sovereignty with East Jerusalem as its capital based
on the 1967 border.
Second, China is the most active promoter of
Palestinian development. Development holds the
key to solving many governance problems in the
Middle East. China has always paid close attention
to the Palestinian economy and humanitarian
situation. Guided by the concept of peace through
development, China has been providing assistance to
the best of its ability to support Palestine’s economic
development and improve people’s livelihood;
China has helped to build connecting roads of
Ramallah municipal, coastal road of Gaza, solar
power equipment for Gaza children’s hospital, Barca
refugee’s elementary school, the Gaza middle school
and other dozens of projects. In July 2018, at the 8th
Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab States Co-
operation Forum, President Xi Jinping announced a
donation of 100 million Yuan in grant to assistance
of Palestine. In the future, China will continue to do
its utmost to implement projects that are conducive
to the economic development of Palestine and bring
welfare to the Palestinian people.
Third, China is the most sincere friend of the
Palestinian people. As an Arab proverb goes, a
friend in need is a friend indeed. Upholding to the
initiatives of building a shared future for mankind,
China has provided medical supplies to Palestine
since the pandemic broke out, such as testing kits,
masks and protective suits, and helped them to fight
the pandemic by sending a medical experts team to
Palestine and holding online meetings for remote
diagnosis and therapies.
China has donated US$1 million and large amount
of medical supplies to the UNRWA. In March this year,
China donated 100,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines
to Palestine. The Palestinian Health Minister said
movingly at the handover ceremony that China is the
most reliable and trustworthy friend, a good brother
and a great partner of Palestine. For the next step
China will continue to support and help Palestine
to the best of its ability to win the battle against the
pandemic as soon as possible.
How do you evaluate Qatar’s role in supporting
the just cause of the Palestinian people? What
kind of co-operation do you think China and
Qatar can carry out in easing the situation?
Qatar is an important country in the Arab and
Islamic world and has made positive contributions
to the just cause of the Palestinian people over the
years. His Highness the Amir has stressed on many
occasions that Qatar firmly supports the “two-
state solution” and relevant UN resolutions, and
calls on a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for
Palestine. Earlier this year, His Highness pledged a
financial aid of $360mn to the Gaza Strip. Since the
ongoing conflict broke out, Qatar has been actively
mediating for the de-escalation of the situation.
His Highness had two phone calls with Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas, stressing that Qatar
firmly supports the just cause of the Palestinian
people and will do its utmost to urge Israeli to
cease fire and stop violence. HE the Deputy Prime
Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin
Abdulrahman al-Thani presided over an emergency
meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the
Arab League, calling on Arab countries to unite to
stop the attacks, protect the Palestinian people
and make intensive contact with the UN, the US
and other international parties for mediation. On
January 16, Qatar provided emergency humanitarian
assistance to the affected civilians in the Gaza Strip.
China highly appreciates these efforts of Qatar.
China and Qatar share the same position and
determination in promoting the escalation of the
current conflict. China is ready to work with Qatar
to encourage the international community to take
urgent actions in preventing further deterioration
of the situation and instability of the region, and to
safeguard the lives and safety of local people.
As the rotating presidency of UNSC and the Arab
League Foreign Ministers’ Council respectively,
China and Qatar should continue to make greater
efforts to promote peace talks and international
actions. China reiterates the invitation to
peacemakers from Palestine and Israel to hold
dialogue in China, and welcome negotiators from
both sides to hold direct talks in China.
We are also ready to step up co-ordination and co-
operation with Qatar to continue intensified efforts to
promote peace talks and form a joint mediation force
of the international community.
 Gulf Times
Thursday, May 20, 2021 11

WORLD
Pakistanis rise up for Palestinians
Spain seeks help to relocate kids
from Ceuta migrant crisis
Reuters/AFP Cross officials gave out food and drink. VOX party who visited Ceuta yesterday,
Madrid Yesterday, hundreds of migrants still accused Morocco of “launching minors
braved tightened security to try to force like battering rams” against Spanish
their way into Ceuta, as Spain pressed on borders.

S
pain’s government pleaded with
mainland regions yesterday to re-
lieve crammed reception centres
for minors in the North African enclave
of Ceuta where some 1,500 children and
teenagers crossed this week from Mo-
rocco.
A source familiar with the talks said
the Social Rights Ministry had held an
emergency meeting on the issue where
it asked regional authorities to accept
hundreds of unaccompanied minors
who had arrived before the latest surge.
“The regions have shown solidarity
with the migration crisis and are positive
about the proposal,” the source told Reu-
ters, expecting an agreement in coming
days even though centres in regions such
as Andalucia or the Canary Islands were
already overcrowded.
Reuters TV footage showed hundreds
of newly-arrived teenagers being proc-
essed at a Ceuta warehouse where Red
with expulsions of thousands who had
swum round or climbed over the border
fence in the past two days.
Spanish police divers have rescued
several small children from the water
during the crossing and soldiers de-
ployed at the border could be seen help-
ing youngsters to climb ashore.
Of the thousands of migrants still in
Ceuta, many were children, who can-
not be deported. They included children
as young as seven or nine, some without
families, said Spain’s Social Rights Min-
ister Ione Belarre.
“We are working to address the is-
sue of children who have come alone ...
Many of them did not know the con-
sequences of crossing the border. And
many of them want to go back. So we are
working to make that possible,” she told
broadcaster TVE.
Meanwhile, Santiago Abascal, the
leader of the anti-immigrant far-right
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro
Sanchez has vowed to “restore order” in
Ceuta, and yesterday accused Morocco
of “disrespect” after the influx.
Some 5,600 migrants had already
been sent back, Madrid said, but that did
not stop more from trying to make the
risky crossing yesterday.
A handful of people, mostly Moroc-
can, swam to reach the Spanish side,
their slow progress carefully watched
by dozens of soldiers deployed along the
beach with riot shields and batons, ac-
cording to an AFP correspondent at the
scene.
It was not clear how many managed
to cross, but the flow had slowed to a
trickle. Those who did make it to shore
were immediately picked up by soldiers
and escorted to medics offering help, al-
though few appeared to need it. Demonstrators holding banners and placards take part in a protest rally in Lahore yesterday against Israeli attacks on
They were then frog-marched back to the Palestinian Gaza Strip. (AFP)
the border fence and sent home.

Brazil minister probed for timber trafficking

Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered an investigation
of Environment Minister Ricardo Salles as police
raided ministry offices yesterday, targeting a
timber trafficking ring allegedly involving him
Trump faces criminal
investigation, upping
and other top officials in far-right President Jair
Bolsonaro’s government.
The ruling by Justice Alexandre de Moraes said
federal police had evidence that Salles and
other environmental officials were involved in
an “extremely serious scheme to facilitate the

contraband of rainforest products.”
It suspended 10 officials from their posts,
including Eduardo Bim, head of the Brazilian
environmental protection agency, IBAMA.
Salles, one of the most controversial figures
in Bolsonaro’s government, has presided
over a surge of deforestation in the Amazon
rainforest since taking the post in 2019, and
activists accuse him of dismantling Brazil’s
environmental protection programmes.
indictment threat
IN THE DOCK: Brazil’s Environment Minister
Ricardo Salles during a news conference in
Brasilia yesterday. (Reuters) AFP sation is no longer purely civil torneys general will join the ing up for a case.
New York in nature,” said a spokesman Manhattan DA’s efforts, ac- In April, the Trump Or-
a cabinet meeting the government should take for James. cording to sources familiar ganisation bolstered its legal
advantage of the distraction created by the “We are now actively inves- with the matter cited in The team, hiring veteran criminal

Brazilian media reports said police had
searched his home in Sao Paulo. Moraes’s ruling
granted police access to the minister’s bank
accounts to look for evidence of illicit income.
Some 160 officers also raided environment
ministry offices in Brasilia, Sao Paulo and the
northern state of Para, police said.
The alleged scheme involved a 2020 IBAMA
policy allowing the export of Brazilian wood
without prior approval from environmental
authorities, which the court ruling revoked.
The policy “retroactively legalised thousands
of wood shipments exported in violation of
environmental regulations” to the United States
and Europe, police said.
Salles, 45, denied wrongdoing.
“These alleged acts never happened,” he told
journalists.
The news was the latest blow to Brazil’s
environmental track record under Bolsonaro.
The destruction of the Amazon, a vital resource
for curbing climate change, has accelerated in
Brazil since the former army captain took office
in 2019. Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon
surged by 9.5% in the 12 months to August
2020, destroying an area bigger than Jamaica,
according to government data.
Bolsonaro vowed at a world climate summit
hosted by the United States last month to
eliminate illegal deforestation by 2030, but has
repeatedly pushed to open protected lands to
farming, cattle ranching and industry.
Activists and experts say Salles, the top official
tasked with fighting environmental destruction,
has in fact facilitated it.
In April 2020, the minister was recorded telling
D
coronavirus pandemic to relax environmental onald Trump and his
rules. family faced the in-
“Now that the media’s only talking about Covid, creasing likelihood of
we need to use this moment of calm to ‘bring criminal charges yesterday af-
the whole herd of cattle through’ and change all ter New York state’s prosecu-
the regulations,” he said. tor said it was working with
He later denied that he wanted to gut Manhattan investigators in its
environmental protections, saying he meant probe into the former presi-
only that the government should try to cut red dent’s business dealings.
tape. The office of New York
Salles came under fresh scrutiny last month state Attorney General Leti-
when the federal police chief for the state of tia James announced late
Amazonas, Alexandre Saraiva, was replaced Tuesday it was investigating
after going to the Supreme Court to accuse the the Trump Organisation in a
environment minister of helping illegal loggers. “criminal capacity.”
Saraiva celebrated the latest news as Previously, it had said its
vindication of his accusations, though the two probe into possible tax, in-
cases are not directly related. surance and bank fraud was
“Let all the trees of the forest sing for joy,” through civil proceedings,
Saraiva wrote on Twitter, quoting a Bible verse. which do not carry the threat
The suspended officials included IBAMA’s of an indictment or imprison-
head of environmental protection, as well as a ment.
special advisor and an assistant secretary for Trump denies wrongdo-
biodiversity in Salles’s ministry. ing and released a statement
Environmental group Greenpeace called for yesterday describing the in-
Salles himself to be added to the list. vestigation and the parallel
“In the battle between protecting our forests criminal probe by Manhat-
and benefiting criminals, Brazil’s current tan’s district attorney as “a
government has made clear which side it’s on — continuation of the greatest
and Ricardo Salles is a central figure in the effort political witch hunt in the
to undermine environmental authorities’ ability history of the United States.”
to do their jobs,” it said in a statement. The prosecutors in both
The Climate Observatory, a coalition of Brazilian Manhattan and New York
environmental groups, said Salles had “acted state are Democrats.
against the environment from the day he set foot “We have informed the
in his ministry.” Trump Organisation that our
investigation into the organi-
tigating the Trump Organi-
sation in a criminal capac-
ity, along with the Manhattan
DA,” Fabien Levy, the spokes-
man, added.
The Trump Organisation
is the holding company for
hundreds of Trump entities,
ranging from hotels to golf
courses.
It is not listed on the stock
exchange and is therefore
not required to report its ac-
counts.
Investigators suspect the
organisation may have artifi-
cially inflated and reduced the
value of assets, particularly
several properties in New York
state, to either get bank loans
or reduce their taxes.
Manhattan District Attor-
ney Cyrus Vance’s investiga-
tion initially focused on hush
payments made to two women
who allege they had affairs
with Trump, but has expand-
ed to allegations of tax eva-
sion, and insurance and bank
fraud.
Vance, who leaves his post
at the end of December, ac-
quired eight years of Trump’s
tax returns in February after
a years-long legal battle that
went to the Supreme Court.
Two state assistant at-
New York Times, as James’s
office continues its civil in-
quiry.
Bennett Gershman, pro-
fessor of criminal law at
Pace University and a former
Manhattan deputy attor-
ney, said James’s announce-
ment amounts to a “show of
strength” by the two prosecu-
tors.
“They are showing they
mean business,” he told AFP.
“They are moving forward ag-
gressively. They are not back-
ing off.
“Looking at this announce-
ment I’d say we are much clos-
er to charges being brought,”
Gershman added.
Observers suspect the
statement was also intended
to increase pressure on key
witnesses, namely Trump’s
long-serving chief financial
officer Allen Weisselberg,
whom prosecutors hope will
collaborate with them.
Recently, investigators took
possession of financial docu-
ments belonging to his son in
order to put pressure on the
73-year-old.
Trump said in his statement
that prosecutors were “in des-
perate search of a crime,” but
his lawyers appear to be gear-
defence attorney Ronald Fis-
chetti, 84.
Since leaving the White
House in January after his de-
feat to Joe Biden, the former
businessman and reality TV
star retains a strong hold on
many Republican voters —
despite losing his powerful
social-media megaphones of
Twitter and Facebook.
The only leader in US his-
tory to be impeached twice,
he continues to make baseless
claims that Biden won because
of voter fraud. Yet his messag-
ing appears to still resonate,
with a CBS News poll released
last weekend finding that 67
percent of Republican voters
believe Biden is not the legiti-
mately elected president.
No former US president
has ever been indicted, but
Trump’s ex-lawyer Michael
Cohen was rubbing his hands
with glee at the prospect that
his former boss might become
the first.
“Welcome to the #Trump-
ProsecutionParty!” tweeted
Cohen, who was sentenced to
three years in prison for tax
evasion and violating elec-
toral finance laws and is col-
laborating with investigators
against Trump.

France savours new freedoms as cafes, museums reopen

AFP was having a mid-morning ciga- But with showers forecast for
Paris rette and coffee at the next table, much of the day, and most ven-
it was about enjoying the “small ues allowed to use only half of
daily pleasures” again. their outdoor seating, some res-

T
he French yesterday joy-
fully made their way back
to cafes, cinemas and mu-
seums as the country loosened
restrictions in a return to semi-
normality after more than six
months of Covid-19 curbs.
Cafes and restaurants with
terraces or rooftop gardens can
now offer outdoor dining, under
the second phase of a lockdown-
lifting plan that should culmi-
nate in a full reopening of the
economy on June 30.
Museums, cinemas and some
theatres are also reopening after
being closed for 203 days.
Bad weather across much of
the country failed to dampen the
spirits of customers who beat a
path back to their favourite ca-
fes and cultural haunts from the
early morning.
“It’s a form of liberation,” Di-
dier Semah, a music producer,
told AFP jovially as he sipped
an espresso with a friend on the
terrace of Felix Cafe in eastern
A woman jumps on the esplanade des Droits De L’homme at the Paris, shielded from a downpour
Trocadero Square in front of the Eiffel Tower, where a giant artwork by the awning.
by French street artist and photographer Jean Rene, aka JR, is For Sabine Dosso-Greggia,
displayed, in Paris yesterday. ( AFP) a 45-year-old accountant who
“It’s about being with others
and indulging in the things that
make up life in Paris, like going
to a restaurant with friends or
taking the kids to an exhibition,”
she said.
In the western city of Rennes,
Patricia Marchand, the manager
of the Cafe des Feuilles, said she
had reservations even for ape-
ritifs. “It feels good. There is
a sense of euphoria in the city
centre.”
In a boost for the economy,
non-essential businesses from
toys to clothes shops, which had
been closed since early April,
also reopened yesterday.
With TV cameras rolling,
President Emmanuel Macron
and Prime Minister Jean Castex
enjoyed a first coffee at a cafe
close to the presidential palace in
Paris, with the head of state hail-
ing “a little moment of freedom
regained”.
“The art of living the French
way,” tweeted Finance Minis-
ter Bruno Le Maire, posting a
picture of himself reading the
sports newspaper L’Equipe at a
corner cafe.
taurants decided to delay reo-
pening until June 9, when they
will be allowed serve clients in-
doors.
Stephanie Mathey, owner of
three Paris bistros, told AFP she
was treating this stage of the re-
opening as a dress rehearsal for
the summer.
“Like a diesel engine, we’ll
be warming up slowly,” she told
AFP.
While going to a cafe spelt Customers sit on outside terraces, in Paris, yesterday. (AFP)
freedom for some, for others it
was the chance to see the Mona thonneau said. The loosening of the restric-
Lisa again. Cinemas, also shut for the last tions comes as a severe third
“I missed her over the past six months, have a huge backlog wave of Covid-19 infections
seven months. I’m glad to see her of movies to show and some film continues to abate.
again,” said 47-year-old Frederic buffs were up early to get their Meanwhile, the government’s
Destival, who was among the fix. vaccination drive has acceler-
first visitors to the Louvre mu- Luce Van Dam, 17, started her ated after an initially slow start,
seum when it reopened at 9 am day in the capital with a screen- with 21 million people, a third of
to applause from those queueing ing of the French comedy Man- the population, having received
outside. dibules at 8:20 am and had plans at least one shot.
Across the Seine river at the to see two or three or more films. “If we manage to organise
Musee d’Orsay, Isabelle Ber- But many concert halls and ourselves, vaccinate and main-
thonneau said she had felt so theatres remained closed, saying tain collective discipline, there
starved of art over the past their productions could not be is no reason that we cannot con-
months she took a week’s holi- profitable given the 35-percent- tinue to progress,” Macron said,
days to cram in exhibitions. capacity limit imposed by the adding that Covid-19 figures
“We have to starting liv- government for the next three in France were “heading in the
ing again,” 54-year-old Ber- weeks. right direction”.
12 Gulf Times
Thursday, May 20, 2021

QATAR
Tamuq dean Malavé
personally presents
degrees to graduates
The dean of Texas A&M University at Qatar (Tamuq),
a Qatar Foundation partner, has taken a journey to
personally congratulate each graduating engineer
from its Class of 2021.
César Octavio Malavé helped graduating students
celebrate a special time in their lives by visiting each
of them at their homes and presenting them with
their engineering degrees, with his trip taking place
from May 9-13.
Tamuq graduated 107 engineers on May 5, with its
Class of 2021 including 89 Aggies who received
bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering,
electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and
petroleum engineering.
Twenty-two graduates were recognised as
Undergraduate Research Scholars of Texas A&M’s
main campus in College Station, and 35 students
graduated with Latin honours.
Tamuq also awarded 18 master’s degrees in chemical
engineering.
Dean Malavé about to exit his car at the house of a graduate. Of the graduating class, 57% are female, and 51% are
Qatari, with graduates representing 19 nationalities.
Left: Dean Malavé presenting a diploma to a graduate. To date, 1,268 students have graduated from Tamuq.

LuLu
launches
UK food
festival
LuLu offering over 5,000 products at British food festival

By Peter Alagos ish shopping experience.

Business Reporter LuLu offers ready-made Eng-
lish classic delights in the hot
food section, featuring freshly

L
uLu Hypermarket is show-
casing more than 5,000
products from the UK dur-
ing the annual “British Food Fes-
tival”, which will run until May 25
across all LuLu stores in Qatar.
Under the theme Food is Great
– Britain & Northern Ireland, the
festival aims to promote a wide
variety of products imported
from the UK, and are available at
“great discounts” during the en-
tire event.
The launch event was held
yesterday at LuLu Hypermarket,
Al Messila.
In a statement, the hypermar-
ket giant noted that LuLu has
flown in thousands of products
for the food festival, from chees-
es to organic and healthy range,
fruits and vegetables, dairy prod-
ucts, sweet delicacies, canned
foods, household goods, and
health and beauty items, among
many others, highlighting a Brit-
cooked dishes.
The festival largely show-
cases the rich culture of the UK
through traditional flavours and
quality products in stores, the
statement further said.
British ambassador Jonathan
Wilks, who inaugurated the fes-
tival with LuLu Group director
Dr Mohamed Althaf, said: “This
is a tradition for LuLu to organise
a British Week and hosting the
British ambassador by promot-
ing special British products both
the existing items and new ones.”
“We were not able to organ-
ise one last year because of the
coronavirus (Covid-19) pan-
demic, but today I am glad that
it is back,” said the envoy, who
added that the festival also offers
vegetable-based meat substitute
products, as well as more varie-
ties of fruits and vegetables, and
different types of fish, such as
salmon from Scotland.
Britain’s ambassador Jonathan Wilks leading the ribbon-cutting ceremony in the presence of LuLu Group director Dr Mohamed Althaf and other dignitaries. PICTURES: Shaji
Kayamkulam
Wilks also described LuLu as
“really important”, citing the
hypermarket’s contributions in
promoting British products in
Qatar.
He said: “There are many Brit-
ish products in supermarkets
across Qatar, but LuLu is play-
ing a very exceptional role in de-
veloping the market for British
products in the Qatar and GCC
markets.”
According to organisers, LuLu
is showcasing the typical Brit-
ish touch within its stores, with
a medley of British flags and mu-
rals of iconic landmarks of Great
Britain.
“The festival was very well-
noted among the local and expa-
triate communities in the region,
with the extensive collection of
outstanding British brands and
culinary heritage,” LuLu stated.
Althaf also said that the “Brit-
ish Food Festival” is part of Lu-
Lu’s strategy to promote cuisines
and food from various countries.
The festival also aims to edu-
cate people about the source and
heritage of the foods they are
buying at LuLu.
“More than just selling prod-
ucts, we want people to know
the standard and authenticity of
foods being offered in our stores,”
the LuLu official added.
“Every year we add more prod-
ucts and companies. This year,
the activities of the festival will
be limited following the Covid-19
preventative measures,” said Al-
thaf, adding that the festival has
been held in co-ordination with
the British embassy in Qatar and
the UK Trade and Investment
“for many years”.
LuLu’s statement noted that
the annual “British Food Fes-
tival” has been drawing “over-
whelming response from all cor-
ners”.
“As a front-line retailer, every
year it takes initiative to launch
innovative festivals that would
promote the heritage, food, and
food products of various coun-
tries,” the statement added.
LuLu Group, which has its
own food processing plants and
sourcing offices in the UK, has
exerted “massive efforts” to in-
troduce many new ranges of
products, featuring organic, low-
fat, gluten-free, and many more
diet-based food options, which
are in demand among health-
conscious shoppers.
LuLu Group has a comprehen-
sive network of Export Distribu-
tion Centres in 24 countries, in-
cluding major state-of-the-art
facilities recently opened in New
Jersey in the US, and Madrid in
Spain.
LuLu’s UK sourcing offices
and food processing units are the
major tributaries of the group in
guaranteeing non-stop supply at
the most competitive prices all
year round.
The “British Food Festival”
was launched in the presence of
dignitaries from the British em-
bassy, the UK Department for
International Trade, and Invest
Northern Ireland, who joined the
ribbon-cutting ceremony with a
host of other officials and digni-
taries from various sectors.

The British flag greets customers during the festival, which was launched yesterday at LuLu Al Messila. More than 5,000 products from the UK are being showcased during the festival.