MONDAY
OCTOBER 16, 2023
Fajr:
Dhuhr:
FINE Asr:
HIGH : 36°C Maghrib:
LOW : 29°C Isha:
World 6
Afghanistan hit by third
earthquake in a week
www.qatar-tribune.com
Ensuring financial
sustainability through
growth-supporting
fiscal control, says
finance minister
MINISTER of Finance HE Ali bin
Ahmed Al Kuwari has empha-
sized the importance of the
International Monetary Fund’s
(IMF) efforts to find appropri-
ate solutions to address the
various challenges facing the
world today. Al Kuwari said that
Qatar works to ensure financial
sustainability through growth-
supporting fiscal control that
increases savings for intergen-
erational equity while prepar-
ing for a smooth transition to
energy and avoiding pro-cyclical
fiscal policies.
He made these remarks
during his participation in the
meeting of finance ministers,
central bank governors, and
heads of financial institutions
in the Middle East and North
Africa, Afghanistan, and Paki-
stan.
He pointed out that the
positive developments in
financial development, including
strong fiscal discipline sup-
ported by robust oil prices, the
Ministry of Finance’s efforts to
reduce debt, and the macro-
economic indicators supported
by structural reforms over the
past few years, have resulted in
positive sovereign credit rating
decisions for the State of Qatar
by international credit rating
agencies. (QNA)
Al Wasmi season
begins today: QMD
THE Al Wasmi season will be
starting on Monday, October
16, and will last for 52 days
until the 6th of December, the
Qatar Meteorology Department
said on Sunday. This period
is specialised by the move-
ment of clouds from the west
to the east, and the rainfall
at its early days is considered
a herald of a good season of
rain. This period is called Al
Wasmi due to its compatibility
with the rain that grow various
plants, such as truffle (plant
and Geranium (Al-Yarwa). The
temperature drop in Doha
during this period, and the
weather is warm daytime and
mild at night tends to get cold
at times, especially with the
blowing of dry northwesterly
winds. (TNN)
MoT warns legal action against
unlicensed ride-hailing companies
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
SOON it would be the end of the road
for ride-hailing companies that operate
illegally in Qatar. The Ministry of Trans-
port (MoT) has said it
would take legal action
against the taxi com-
panies that operate
without authorisation.
The ministry on
Sunday announced a
list of licensed pas-
senger transportation services that
operate via electronic applications in
the country. It includes the global giant
Uber, alongside local favourites such as
04:15 am
11:19 am
02:38 pm
05:08 pm
06:38 pm
Business 8
QSE becomes diamond sponsor for
‘Made in Qatar 2023’ exhibition
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AMIR, IRANIAN FM DISCUSS
PALESTINE CRISIS
DOHA
QNA
HIS Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met with
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Re-
public of Iran HE Dr Hossein Amir-Abdolla-
hian and his accompanying delegation, on the
occasion of his visit to the country, at Amiri Di-
wan on Sunday.
QATAR SUPPORTS INNOVATION
TO TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE: MINISTER
QNA
DOHA
MINISTER of Environment
and Climate Change HE Sheikh
Dr Faleh bin Nasser bin Ahmed
bin Ali Al Thani has affirmed
Qatar’s commitment to achiev-
ing sustainability and sup-
porting innovative solutions
to address climate challenge
that causes desertification and
threaten the security of water,
food, and energy.
The minister also high-
lighted the country’s 25-year
penchant for environmental HE Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Nasser
preservation since it signed bin Ahmed bin Ali Al Thani.
the UN Framework Conven-
tion on Climate Change (UN- on Climate Change, on Sunday.
FCCC) in 1996.
This came in the minister’s
The two-day event is or-
ganised by Qatar Foundation’s
speech at the opening of the
third Qatar National Dialogue
Earthna Center, the French
Embassy in Doha, the French
Karwa Technologies, Q Drive, Badr, Aber,
and Zoom Ride.
Understandably, these companies
have undergone rigorous vetting pro-
cesses, meeting the necessary safety
and operational standards, and have
secured the ministry’s
authorisation to offer
their services within
the Qatari market.
MoT’s social
media post on Sunday
warned the compa-
nies not included in
the official list that they are in violation
of local regulations and will face legal
action if they continue to operate within
the country.
RABI AL AKHAR 1, 1445
www.twitter.com/Qatar_Tribune
During the meeting, they discussed rela-
tions between the two countries and ways
to support and enhance them. They also ex-
changed views on key regional and interna-
tional issues, especially the latest develop-
ments in the Palestinian territories.
Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign
Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrah-
man bin Jassim Al Thani also attended the
meeting.
Business Council in Qatar, and
Qatar National Bank (QNB), as
part of Expo 2023 Doha.
The minister highlighted
the State of Qatar’s unrelenting
efforts to enhance sustainability
and reduce emissions through
tangible on-the-ground moves
including setting up eco-friend-
ly urban cities that merge green
technology with urban design
such as Lusail City and Msheir-
eb Downtown Doha, the Doha
Metro network to promote
green transportation, the 800-
MW Al Kharsaah solar power
plant on an area of 10sqkm.
He also expressed pride
in Doha’s hosting of the most
sustainable World Cup in FIFA
history, where the country set
a new global standard for sus-
tainability and environmental
preservation. PAGE 5
MoPH warns against misleading health adverts
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
THE Ministry of Public Health
(MoPH) has stressed the impor-
tance for healthcare facilities and
healthcare practitioners to adhere
to standards and regulations of
healthcare-related advertisements,
to ensure the provision of correct
and reliable information to patients
and their families.
In the current year, the ministry
said it has monitored 51 advertise-
ments for healthcare facilities and
healthcare practitioners violating Cir- care providers and practitioners in
cular No (1/2021) and the amended Qatar in their advertisements. The
Circular No (1/2022) regarding ministry took the necessary legal
monitoring the use of websites and action against the violators.
social media platforms by health-
VOL.17 NO. 6014 QR 2
Sports 12
Carlsen takes a win as India’s
Narayanan moves into sole lead
@Qatar_Tribune
Need to open
humanitarian
corridors in
Gaza: PM
PM calls for unified
efforts to stop the
aggression against
Gaza and work towards
achieving a just and
comprehensive peace
QNA
DOHA
PRIME Minister and Minister
of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh
Mohammed bin Abdulrah-
man bin Jassim Al Thani has
stressed the need to open hu-
manitarian corridors to en- HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul-
sure that relief and aid reach rahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
the Palestinian brothers who
are under bombardment, es- fraternal Palestinian people,
pecially in light of the dete- and their right to establish
riorating conditions in the their independent state on
Gaza Strip. the 1967 borders, with East
In a series of phone calls Jerusalem as its capital.
with Saudi, Omani, Egyptian In a phone call on Sun-
and Dutch foreign ministers day, the PM discussed with
on Sunday, the PM expressed HH Minister of Foreign Af-
Qatar’s firm stance in con- fairs of the sisterly Kingdom
demning all forms of target- of Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal
ing civilians. The PM said bin Farhan bin Abdullah Al
that killing innocents, espe- Saud the latest developments
cially women and children, as in the Palestinian territories
well as practicing collective and Israel and ways to halt
punishment is unacceptable escalation.
under any pretext. Similarly, the PM dis-
The PM underscored the cussed the latest develop-
need to coordinate regional ments in Palestinian territo-
and international efforts to ries with Minister of Foreign
stop the aggression against Affairs of the sisterly Sultan-
Gaza and work hard towards ate of Oman HE Sayyid Badr
achieving a just and compre- bin Hamad bin Hamood Al-
hensive peace. busaidi, Minister of Foreign
The PM warned of the Affairs of the Arab Republic
danger of attempts to force of Egypt HE Sameh Shouk-
displace Palestinian people ry and Minister of Foreign
from Gaza, stressing the jus- Affairs of the Kingdom of
tice of the Palestinian cause, the Netherlands HE Hanke
the legitimate rights of the Bruins.
More than 1 million Gazans displaced
in a week, says UN (PG 7)
the Department of Healthcare
Professions at the Ministry of Public
Health, stressed the ministry’s keen-
ness to protect the health and safety
of patients, as it works in this regard
to monitor the compliance of care
providers with the standards and
criteria of advertisements related to
healthcare, to ensure their compli-
ance with the ethical and profes-
sional standards regulating them.
“We urge the public to cooperate
closely and communicate with the
MoPH regarding any advertisements
related to healthcare services that
do not comply with standards or pro-
vide misleading information, regard-
less of the medium- whether visual,
audio or electronic, including social
Dr Saad Al Kaabi, Director of media,” Dr Al Kaabi added.
02 Monday, October 16, 2023

HAMAD BIN SUHAIM AL THANI CHAIRMAN

ADEL ALI BIN ALI MANAGING DIRECTOR
ESTABLISHED SEPTEMBER 3, 2006 DR HASSAN MOHAMMED AL ANSARI EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Contact US: Qatar Tribune I EDITORIAL I Phone: 40002222 I ADMINISTRATION & MARKETING I Phone: 40002155, 40002122, Fax: 40002235 P.O. Box: 23493, Doha.

Quick read PM, UN official discuss latest

Amir sends message to
president of Romania
THE Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad
Al Thani on Sunday sent a written message to
President of Romania Klaus Iohannis, pertaining to
bilateral relations and the ways to develop them. The
message was handed over by Ambassador of Qatar
to Romania HE Osama bin Youssef Al Qaradawi
during his meeting with Romanian Minister of Foreign
Affairs Luminita Odobescu in Bucharest. (QNA)
Transport minister, Iranian
minister discuss ties
MINISTER of Transport HE Jassim Saif Ahmed
Al Sulaiti received a phone call from Minister of
Roads and Urban Development of Iran HE Mehr-
dad Bazrpash on Sunday. The phone conversation
focused on bilateral cooperation in the fields of
transportation, ports and civil aviation, and ways
to further enhance them. (TNN)
Pakistani Senate chairman
meets Qatar’s Charge d’Affaires
CHAIRMAN of the Senate of Pakistan Muhammad
Sadiq Sanjrani met with Acting Charge d’Affaires at the
Embassy of Qatar in Pakistan HE Issa bin Mohammed
Al Dasam Al Kubaisi in Islamabad on Sunday. During
the meeting, they discussed aspects of bilateral coop-
eration between the two countries. (QNA)
developments in Afghanistan
QNA
DOHA
PRIME Minister and Minister of For-
eign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed
bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani
met with UN Under-Secretary-General
and UN Special Coordinator for the In-
dependent Assessment of Afghanistan
Feridun Sinirlioglu at the Amiri Diwan
on Sunday.
During the meeting, they discussed
cooperation between Qatar and the
United Nations, and the latest develop-
ments in Afghanistan.
The prime minister renewed Qa-
tar’s firm and supportive stance to-
wards the Afghan people in order to
achieve their aspirations for progress
and prosperity, as well as its support
for the United Nations efforts aimed
at establishing security and stability in
Afghanistan.
For his part, the UN Under-Secre-
tary-General hailed Qatar’s continued
endeavours to support international
efforts to achieve sustainable peace in
Afghanistan.

Youth forum to promote sustainability

and innovative ideas kicks off in Doha
QNA
DOHA
THE youth ideas for sustainability fo-
rum, organised by the Ministry of Sports
and Youth, began in Doha on Sunday.
The forum, and will run until Oc-
tober 19, seeks to exchange youth ex-
periences in the field of sustainability,
create an environment that encourages
innovation in designing community
programmes and activities, in addition
to strengthening the link between initia-
tives and sustainable development goals.
Participating countries in the fo-
rum are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the
United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar,
which hosts the event, in addition to
Jordan and Morocco.
The forum will offer an oppor-
tunity for Gulf youth to participate
with their initiatives that contribute
to achieving sustainable development
goals by creating an interactive, stim-
ulating environment that will have a
societal impact.
Participants in the forum will attend
a set of workshops covering both theo-
retical and practical aspects, presented
by a group of certified Qatari trainers
and those with experience in this field.
The workshops include strategy
and sustainability workshop, innova-
tion in community activities and pro-
grammes workshop, marketing skills
and attracting investors workshop,
and project presentation skills work-
shop, in addition to an entertainment
programme that includes visiting the
most important landmarks and muse-
ums in Doha.
The forum will conclude with an
exhibition of youth projects in the
field of sustainability after introduc-
ing the necessary enhancements to
them and benefiting from the training
workshops in which they took part to
develop their ideas in this field.

Qatar General Organisation for Standards Vodafone Qatar comes

and Metrology marks World Standards Day out with new data plans
QNA
DOHA
THE Qatar General Organisa-
tion for Standards and Metrol-
ogy participated, along with
national bodies and regional
and international organisa-
tions, in marking World Stand-
ards Day, which is observed on
October 14 each year, in rec-
ognition of the anniversary of
the International Organisation
for Standardisation (ISO) that
was established on October 14,
1947.
On this occasion, the au-
thority stressed the importance
of the slogan ‘A shared vision
for a better world’, given the
important and significant role
that standards play in serving
communities and various as-
pects of daily life, praising the
great efforts made by inter-
national and regional organi-
sations and national bodies
working in the field of stand-
ardisation.
The world’s leading devel-
opers of international stand-
ards: the ISO, the International
Electrotechnical Commission
(IEC), and the International
Telecommunication Union
(ITU), as well as the member
states of these organsations
celebrate World Standards Day
on October 14 on annual basis,
as an important way to praise
the efforts shared by thousands
of experts around the world
who work on studies, research
and experiments to be agreed
upon and published as interna-
tional standards.
The phrase ‘A shared vi-
sion for a better world’ is the
On this occasion, the
authority stressed the
importance of the slogan
‘A shared vision for a bet-
ter world’, given the
important and significant
role that standards play in
serving communities and
various aspects of daily
life, praising the great
efforts made by interna-
tional and regional organi-
sations and national bod- TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK Orhan Uzal, Consumer
ies working in the field of DOHA Business Director at Vodafone
standardisation. Qatar, commented, “We un-
VODAFONE Qatar has derstand the customers’ need
launched brand new data SIM to stay connected, and we are
Day’s slogan for the third year plans for customers locally, as excited to be launching these
in a row, emphasising the im- well as those travelling within new broadband plans, with the
portance of standards and their the GCC.The two new plans inclusion of GCC roaming, re-
connection to the sustainable each offer either unlimited lo- flecting our commitment to em-
development goals adopted cal data for use in Qatar, or powering our customers to stay
by the United Nations and the unlimited roaming data which connected not only in Qatar but
practical solutions that inter- can be used in all GCC coun- across the entire region.”
national standards provide in tries, including Saudi Arabia, To find out more Vodafone
particular to meet the needs of the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar’s broadband solutions,
the present and the fulfilment Oman. The plans also provide visit: https://www.vodafone.
of sustainable development re- customers with valet parking to qa/en/services/data-plans/
quirements. be used across Qatar. internet-on-postpaid
 Nation Monday, October 16, 2023 03
UAE MINISTERS OF STATE MEET
QATAR’S AMBASSADOR
Supreme Judiciary Council, Italy’s
Siracusa Institute sign agreement
QNA
DOHA

THE Supreme Judiciary Coun-

cil (SJC) and Siracusa Inter-
national Institute of Criminal
Justice and Human Rights
have signed a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) in Sira-
cusa, Italy, to bolster bilateral
technical cooperation and pro-
vide qualitative opportunities
for judicial capacity-building
programmes, which tops the
SJC’s priorities.
A statement from the SJC
said the move was part of its ef-
forts to develop relations with
prestigious international legal
institutes, especially in the field
Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, of building and developing the
Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh and Minister of State in the Min- capacities of judges and admin- most prominent criminal jus- part of the two countries’ judi-
istry of Foreign Affairs in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Khalifa Shaheen Almarar, separately met with istrative staff. tice think tanks. cial expertise exchange and the
Ambassador of Qatar to the UAE HE Sultan bin Salmeen Al Mansouri in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. During The Siracusa International Earlier this year, the SJC SJC’s plan to strengthen mutu-
the meetings, they discussed bilateral relations between the two countries. (QNA) Institute for Criminal Justice met in Doha with an Italian al judicial cooperation between
and Human Rights is one of the Supreme Court delegation as the two sides.

Qatari environmentalist Qatar Rehabilitation Institute urges

Dr. Saif Ali Al Hajari wins
first Prof Shobindran prize
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
QATARI environmentalist and
educationist Dr. Saif Ali Al
Hajari has won the first Profes-
sor Shobindran Global Green
Award instituted by Mindtune
Ecowaves Society, a global
NGO.
The award declaration
came at an online meeting
held for condoling the demise
of Professor Shobindran who
was an ardent nature lover and
caretaker.
An array of prominent per-
sons including the global pa-
tron of the society C. A. Rezack,
chairman Dr. Amanulla Vad-
akkangara, secretary-general,
Mashood VC, Basheer Bada-
gara, Muhammed Ali Vilangil,
Vasu Vanimel, Abdulla Poyil,
Shyam Mohan, Saeed Salman,
Unni Surendran, Moidu Vani-
mel, Zamil Abdul Wahid, Razi-
ya Usman, Abdul Azeez Saqafi,
Basheer Nanmanda, Venu Go-
pal Nagalasseri, Aseel Fuad,
Shuaib Umer, Sadiq Ali, Ni-
sar, Kappala Raveendran and
Muthalib Mattannur spoke on
the occasion.
Dr. Hajari was unani-
mously chosen for the award
considering his commendable
environmental initiatives and
programmes.
Dr. Al Hajari began his
career teaching at the De-
partment of Geology at Qatar
University where he remained
until 2002. He got involved
with Qatar Foundation (QF)
from its inception, serving as
vice-chairman from 1995 un-
til 2011. He also founded and
managed many organisations.
He was a founding mem-
ber of Qatar Academy, QF’s
first school; founder and vice
president of Qatar Leadership
Academy; creator and chair-
man of the Qur’anic Botanical
Dr. Saif Ali Al Hajari
Garden; founder and chair-
man of Qatar Music Academy
and Qatar Philharmonic Or-
chestra; founder and general
supervisor of Al Noor Insti-
tute for the Blind, and founder
and chairman of The Friends
of the Environment Centre in
Qatar.
Dr. Saif is a United Nations
Commissioner for the UN Sus-
tainable Development Goals
and an International Ambas-
sador for the Gulf Network for
Social Responsibility. Apart
from the initiatives developed,
Dr. Al Hajari was bestowed and
honoured with many awards.
After an exceptional ca-
reer, Dr. Al Hajari co-founded
Mubadara for Social Impact
and acts as its president, with a
vision to help and guide insti-
tutions to leave a legacy of so-
cietal impact through investing
in proper CSR initiatives, ena-
bling them to leap to another
level of reputation enhance-
ment and respect.
Dr. Al Hajari expressed his
happiness over the award and
recollected his interactions
with Prof. Shobindran during
the latter’s visit to Qatar.
The award shall be pre-
sented to him at a function to
be held in Doha in connection
with the decennial celebrations
of Mindtune Ecowaves Society.
greater awareness of cerebral palsy
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
HAMAD Medical Corpora-
tion’s (HMC) Qatar Rehabili-
tation Institute (QRI) marked
World Cerebral Palsy (CP)
Day with awareness activities
aimed at reducing the stigma
and misconceptions about the
neurological disorder. The
aim is to recognise that living
with cerebral palsy presents
its own set of challenges, but
many people with CP lead ful-
filling and successful lives.
Cerebral palsy, commonly
known as CP, refers to a group
of disorders that affect muscle
movement, coordination, and
posture. In many cases, vision,
hearing, and sensation are also
affected. CP is the most com-
mon of all childhood disabili-
ties, affecting approximately
three live births out of every
thousand. The prevalence of
CP is higher for children born
preterm or at low birth weight.
While the exact cause of CP is
not known, the condition is
triggered by abnormal devel-
opment of the brain or dam-
age to the developing brain.
Several factors increase the
risk of cerebral palsy, includ-
ing maternal health, infant ill-
ness, and pregnancy and birth
complications.
Dr Hanadi Al-Hamad,
Deputy Chief of Long-Term
Care, Rehabilitation and
Geriatrics, as well as the Act-
ing CEO and Medical Direc-
tor of QRI, said that while
there is currently no cure for
cerebral palsy, treatments
are available to individuals
with the condition and their
families: “With advancements
in medical care, assistive
technologies, and increased
awareness, individuals with
cerebral palsy can now access
better support and opportuni-
ties. At QRI, our team is com-
mitted to providing practical
healthcare standards, most
children with this disorder
now live into adulthood and
many adults with cerebral
palsy have a near-normal life
expectancy: “Cerebral palsy
affects each person different-
ly, so no two families will have
the same experience. Symp-
toms can range from mild to
severe, and the severity of
those symptoms can change
over time. There are a lot of
myths and misconceptions
about cerebral palsy which
can negatively affect how we
Dr Hanadi Al-Hamad, deputy chief Dr Mahmoud Ibrahim Abeidah, view these important mem-
of Long-Term Care, Rehabilitation head of the Paediatrics Reha- bers of our community, such
and Geriatrics, as well as the bilitation Department at HMC’s as that children with cerebral
Acting CEO and Medical Director Qatar Rehabilitation Institute palsy have a limited future
of Qatar Rehabilitation Institute (QRI) and will never live indepen-
dently.”
CP is the most common
While there is currently no cure for cerebral palsy, treat- cause of motor disabilities in
ments are available to individuals with the condition and childhood, with symptoms
usually appearing before age
their families, with advancements in medical care, assis- 3. While symptoms do vary,
tive technologies, and increased awareness, individuals some of the common first
with cerebral palsy can now access better support and symptoms parents may notice
include delays in reaching de-
opportunities. “At QRI, our team is committed to provid- velopmental milestones, such
ing practical support and evidence-based therapies, as rolling over or crawling,
including physical, occupational, recreational, as well as variations in muscle tone, dif-
ficulty speaking, tremors, ex-
speech and language therapy, to encourage the children cessive drooling, and seizures.
with CP to develop and be as active and independent as Dr. Abeidah explained
possible as they journey into adulthood. Early interven- that medications and surgery
may also be necessary to help
tion and ongoing medical treatment are essential to those with significant muscle
ensuring better life expectancy and experiences.” pain and stiffness, or dislo-
cated hips and scoliosis: “We
urge any parent who is con-
support and evidence-based atrics Rehabilitation Depart- cerned their child may have
therapies, including physi- ment at HMC’s Qatar Reha- CP to immediately speak
cal, occupational, recrea- bilitation Institute (QRI), says with their primary health-
tional, as well as speech and reframing how we view cer- care physician. It is essential
language therapy, to encour- ebral palsy is crucial to both that a proper diagnosis is
age the children with CP to ensuring those with the condi- made, and that treatment is
develop and be as active and tion get the medical care they sought.”
independent as possible as need and to reduce the stigma He added that while most
they journey into adulthood. and misconceptions about this patients with CP are cared for
Early intervention and ongo- neurological disorder. in the outpatient setting, QRI
ing medical treatment are es- Dr Abeidah, said that his- does have a day rehab program
sential to ensuring better life torically, cerebral palsy was where children and young
expectancy and experiences.” considered a paediatric con- people with CP can be enrolled
Dr Mahmoud Ibrahim dition, however, thanks to at the hospital for a period of
Abeidah, Head of the Paedi- modern medicine and better intensive rehabilitation.

QRCS distributes food parcels at Somalia IDP camps

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
QATAR Red Crescent Society (QRCS)
is proceeding with its humanitarian
interventions at camps of internally
displaced people (IDPs) in Somalia.
Its representation office in Somalia
has completed a project to distrib-
ute food parcels to drought-affected
people.
At a total cost of QR 370,500, the
project was implemented in partner-
ship with the Somali Disaster Manage-
ment Agency (SoDMA).
In the presence of Deputy Minister
of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster
Management in Jubaland, Mohamed
Osman Jama, a total of 813 food par-
cels were distributed to 5,691 benefi-
ciaries in need of emergency food aid
at two remote IDP camps of Kismayo.
Each parcel contained 92.5 kg of
food staples, such as flour, rice, white
sugar, vegetable oil, powdered milk,
and dates.
Another project is going on to pro-
vide potable water at IDP camps of
Jubaland, by deploying a total of 540
tankers to distribute drinking water at
eight camps. For a period of 30 days,
18 tankers are deployed for the benefit
of 1,000 families per day.
04 Monday, October 16, 2023 Nation

QC projects help enhance food security in Somalia

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
QATAR Charity (QC) has
worked to enhance food secu-
rity in more than 50 countries
around the world, as it believes
that investing in agricultural
development and food security
is important to quickly respond
to when crises occur to con-
front disasters, improve decent
livelihoods, reduce poverty,
and combat hunger and mal-
nutrition.
Qatar Charity also invests in
Agricultural programmes and
initiatives that enhance food
production and support small
farmers, in line with this year’s
slogan for World Food Day ‘Wa-
ter is Life, Water is Food, Leave
No One Behind’.
Somalia is one of the coun-
tries suffering from major
drought and food shortages, and
Qatar Charity works to provide
water and food to those affected
through its various projects.
To improve the malnutrition
situation in the drought-strick-
en city of Baidoa, southwest of
Somalia, and to spare more than
8,000 people from the specter of
famine, Qatar Charity provided
agricultural equipment, seeds
and tools to enhance and de-
velop the capabilities in the field
of agriculture for residents who
practice agriculture to secure
harvests in the rainy season.
To provide food security,
Qatar Charity provided cash
transfers to those in need for a
period of three months to enable
them to obtain food supplies and
improve their living situation.
As for the governorates of
Galjudud and Bay, Qatar Char-
ity implemented a project to
protect the property of rural
families that benefited 6,000
people, providing them with
agricultural equipment, seeds
and training to build their agri-
cultural skills to qualify them to
carry out the best agricultural
practices.
The two regions were cho-
sen due to their damage from
the desert locust disaster in
2020, which left dire effects in
agricultural areas. Hundreds of
hectares of seasonal agricultural
crops were destroyed.
Agricultural equipment,
such as seeds, fertilisers and
manual plowing tools, was dis-
tributed to 1,000 families in
Galgadud and Bay governorates
to secure rainy season harvests,
while 150 farmers were trained
to develop production.
The food security projects
that were implemented in So-
malia aim to contribute to re-
ducing the dangers of locusts on
agricultural and pastoral lands,
preserving food stocks, and re-
habilitating and building the
capabilities of those affected,
which will help them continue
their activity and productivity,
improve their living conditions,
and contribute to providing food
for them.
Due to the drought that So-
malia is suffering from and the
lack of potable water. From the
beginning of this year until July,
Qatar Charity implemented 50
projects in the field of water in
Somalia.
These projects were imple-
mented in Harshabelle and Gal-
mudug, Somalia, and included
drilling 50 wells, including 39
shallow wells, nine deep wells,
and two deep wells, with the aim
of meeting the needs of local
communities for potable water.
These projects come within
the framework of continuing
efforts to provide safe drinking
water to poor communities in
many Somali states, reduce the
effects of drought, contribute to
protecting the environment, and
reduce diseases and epidemics
caused by polluted water.

Indian Embassy, ICBF host Consular Camp in Al Khor Ministry recalls

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
IN a highly successful collabora-
tive effort, the Indian Embassy,
with generous support from the
Indian Community Benevolent
Forum (ICBF), organised a Con-
sular Camp in Al Khor on Oc-
tober 13. The camp brought es-
sential consular services closer
to local residents, resulting in
an outstanding response, with
more than 160 individuals ben-
efiting from a range of services,
including passport renewal, at-
testation, Police Clearance Cer-
tificates (PCC) and additional
consular assistance.
One standout feature of
this endeavor was the en-
hanced convenience it provid-
ed to the local population. Of-
ten, residents of Al Khor had
to travel to Doha on weekdays
to access consular services,
which could be inconvenient,
especially for those with work
commitments. This camp,
held on an off-day, proved to
be a lifeline for many individu-
als, especially those from low-
income backgrounds and fam-
ilies who found it challenging
to take time off during regular
working days.
The Consular Camp began
at 8 am, with attendees receiv-
ing assistance in form-filling
alongside the primary services.
This supplementary provision
streamlined the process for ap-
proximately 160 people who
found it immensely beneficial.
ICBF President Shanavas
Bava expressed his satisfaction
with the event’s success and
highlighted the significant de-
mand for such camps. He also
commended the dedicated ef-
forts of the ICBF team, includ-
ing other members of the Man-
aging Committee, Embassy
officials, and ICBF staff for en-
suring the smooth and hassle-
free conduct of the consular
services during the camp.
In addition to the consular
services, ICBF insurance was
promoted at the camp, allowing
attendees to enroll in ICBF in-
surance plans, further enhanc-
ing the range of benefits acces-
sible to the community.
ICBF Vice President Deepak
Shetty, along with General Sec-
retary Varkey Boban, Treasurer
Kuldeep Kour, Secretary Mu-
hamed Kunhi, Managing Com-
mittee Members Zareena Ahad,
and Shankar Goud, along with
community volunteers, played
a pivotal role in ensuring the
efficient delivery of consular as-
sistance and maintaining order
during the event.
Jins Jose, one of the main
volunteers responsible for reg-
istration, shared his perspective
on how ICBF is committed to
serving the community better.
Jayapal Madhavan, who ar-
ranged the venue in Al Khor, also
expressed his view on the camp’s
success and the positive impact
it had on the local residents.
The Consular Camp in Al
Khor exemplifies the power of
community collaboration and the
commitment of the Indian Em-
bassy and ICBF to providing es-
sential services to those in need.
models of Kia and
Range Rover cars
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
THE Ministry of Commerce
and Industry (MoCI), in coop-
eration with Al-Attiya Motors
and Trading Company, Qatar’s
Kia dealership, has announced
the recall of recall Kia K8,
Sportage, Telluride and Carens
models of 2022-2023 over a
possible CLU (Cluster) soft-
ware fault, which causes a slow
booting operation.
The MoCI, in cooperation
with Alfardan Premier Motors,
Qatar’s Land Rover dealership,
has also announced the recall of
Range Rover Vogue and Range
Rover Sport models of 2023 over
a possible defect in the LED head-
lights function, which may result
in display of a warning message
and failure of the headlights and
direction indicators, increasing
the risk of a crash. (TNN)

PUBLIC TENDER NOTICE

Expressions of Interest

Ref. No. Description of Scope Response Closing Date (Time)

Rental of Tubular
001688-Sep2023 transportation 11:59pm on 22nd October 2023
systems

North Oil Company (“NOC”) invites all prospective suppliers to provide ICC Inter-school Dance
Competition organised
expressions of interest for participation in a Call for Tender for Rental of Tubular
Transportation Services.

Duration of Contract:
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
Five years starting from November 2024 DOHA

THE Indian Cultural Centre

Scope of Service: (ICC), under the aegis of the
Supply of Tubular Transportation Systems for the transport of tubular sizes ranging Embassy of India in Qatar, con-
ducted ICC Inter-school Dance
from 3-1/2” to 20” OD from its onshore Supply Base facility in Ras Laffan WSSA Competition at ICC Ashoka Hall
on October 13.
to its drilling rigs offshore Qatar. More than 100 students from
14 Indian schools participated in
This includes all equipment and service personnel required to manage the service the event. The competition had
during the contract period. solo performances in three clas-
sical dance forms -- Bharatnaty-
am, Kuchipudi and Mohiniyat-
Requirements for Expression of Interest: tam -- and a group competition A.P. Manikantan, president chored the event proceedings. PN
for Indian folk songs. of ICC, said this competition Baburajan, ICC organising com-
Below documents to be provided to express your interest of participation ICC had invited Dr. Gay- was the realisation of a dream mittee chairman, EP Abdul Rah-
athri Subramanian and Rekha of the ICC managing commit- man, president of ISC, Mohan
• Proof of Company registered in Qatar or having a local presence in Qatar Sathish, both well-recognised tee. Speaking on the occasion, Kumar, general secretary of ICC
dancers, teachers and experi- the chief guest highlighted the and other community leaders
(preferred). enced judges, from India. Dr. need for society to have such were in attendance. The Ashoka
Manisha Tandale, the wife of competitions. Both the judges Hall was packed with students,
• Documented evidence of a minimum of 3 years of service provision of Tubular First Secretary of the Embassy emphasised that participating parents, school coordinators and
Transportation Systems in the Oil & Gas sector of India, Dr. Vaibhav Tandale in the event is more important teachers as they witnessed some
was the chief guest. than the win itself. quality performances.
ICC’s Head of School Ac- Subramanya Hebbagelu, vice The winners were felicitated
Process for Expression of Interest: tivities, Shantanu Deshpande, president of ICC, conveyed the by the chief guest. All the partici-
welcomed the audience, guests, vote of thanks. Sumaa Gowda, pants were also given participa-
Interested suppliers should register their interest by providing supporting judges and dignitaries. head of cultural activities, an- tion certificates by ICC.
documentation, as per above stated requirements for expression of interest via
e-mail to CP.EPL-PublicTenders@noc.qa

Deadline for Expression of Interest

Prospective suppliers shall register their interest by 22nd October 2023.
Following the registration of interest by e-mail, details of the next stage in the
process will be communicated by NOC.
No queries will be considered from service providers who do not comply with the
contents of this Notice or any other instruction pertaining to the referenced tender.

Qatar committed to fighting
climate change: Minister
Minister of Environment and Climate Change HE Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Nasser bin Ahmed bin Ali Al Thani reiterated Qatar’s commitment to address
and adapt to climate change through collaboration among research and academic institutions, companies, government and private agencies
QNA
DOHA
M
INISTER of Environment and
Climate Change HE Sheikh Dr
Faleh bin Nasser bin Ahmed
bin Ali Al Thani on Sunday af-
firmed Qatar’s commitment to
achieving sustainability and supporting
innovative solutions to address climate
challenges that cause desertification
and threaten the security of water, food,
and energy.
The minister highlighted the coun-
try’s 25-year penchant for environmen-
tal preservation since it signed the UN
Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) in 1996.
This came in the minister’s speech
at the opening of the third Qatar Na-
tional Dialogue on Climate Change
- a two-day event organized by Qatar
Foundation’s (QF) Earthna Center, the
French Embassy in Doha, the French
Business Council in Qatar, and Qatar
National Bank (QNB), as part of Expo
2023 Doha.
The minister highlighted Qatar’s
continuous efforts to enhance sustain-
ability and reduce emissions through
tangible on-the-ground moves includ-
ing setting up eco-friendly urban cities
that merge green technology with urban
design such as Lusail City and Msheireb
Downtown Doha, the Doha Metro net-
work to promote green transportation,
and the 800-mw Al Kharsaah solar
power plant on an area of 10 square
kilometres.
The minister also took a lot of pride
in Doha’s hosting of the most sustain-
able World Cup in FIFA history, where
the country set a new global standard
for sustainability and environmental
preservation.
He expressed happiness at the
opening of the third Qatar National
Dialogue on Climate Change, which
discusses one of the current most press-
ing problems, and the significant cli-
mate change impacts across the world
including rising temperatures, extreme
weather, loss of biodiversity, and oth-
ers that threaten economies and eco
systems.
The world needs further efforts
and work to address this problem and
mitigate its severity for healthy, safe and
prosperous future generations, he said,
reiterating Qatar’s commitment and
determination to address and adapt to
climate change through collaboration
among research and academic institu-
tions, companies, government and pri-
vate agencies.
The minister voiced hopes that the
event, which has evolved into a platform
for experts to discuss and explore inno-
vative solutions to the difficult global
challenges, would contribute to bring-
ing about positive change and tangible
results that help cut back on the climate
change effects.
The outcomes of the deliberations
will play a fundamental role in formu-
lating the Ministry of Environment and
MoECC holds awareness lecture on migratory birds
QNA
DOHA
T
HE Ministry of Environment
and Climate Change (MoECC)
on Sunday held an awareness
lecture in the Expo’s Cultural
Area for visitors to mark the World
Migratory Bird Day 2023.
Titled ‘The importance of
vegetation cover for migratory
birds’, the event saw a large turn-
out of visitors who learned about
the migratory birds in Qatar
and their role in maintaining
local environmental bal-
ance.
The lecture discussed
the relationship between
the vegetation and at-
tracting migratory
birds, and the MoE-
CC’s efforts to elevate
community aware-
Climate Change’s methodology regard-
ing sustainability issues, and putting
frameworks for participation in the
COP28 conference due in the UAE in
late 2023, in a bid to keep the rising
global temperatures below 1.5 degree
Celsius and mobilize the necessary
funding by 2030, in line with the Paris
Agreement goals.
For his part, Executive Director of
Earthna Center Dr Gonzalo Castro de
la Mata stated that this edition of the
Qatar National Dialogue on Climate
Change would discuss the impact of
climate change and how to confront its
challenges as well as the responsibility
that falls on individuals, organizations
and countries to build a sustainable fu-
ture.
By organising this event, the centre
seeks to be an incubator for thought
and action related to climate change in
Qatar and hot and dry regions and pro-
vides platforms that enhance coopera-
tion and communication between vari-
ous experts, researchers, government
agencies, companies, international in-
stitutions, and civil society, he stressed.
He praised the role of Qatar in deal-
ing with the issue of climate change by
being proactive in confronting it and
mitigating its consequences. The com-
ness of the threats facing mi-
gratory birds, their environ-
mental importance, and
Nation
The world needs
further efforts and
work to address this
problem and mitigate its severity
for healthy, safe and prosperous
future generations.
HE Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Nasser bin Ahmed bin
Ali Al Thani, Minister of Environment and
Climate Change
mitment to confronting climate change lic HE Jean-Baptiste Faivre praised the
is reflected in its policy, research in- efforts made to host and organize the
stitutions, and civil and sustainable Expo 2023 Doha, a major event that
organizations, and its hosting of the reflects Qatar’s commitment to rais-
International Horticultural Expo 2023 ing the level of awareness and progress
Doha, which aims to bring about posi- made in climate change issues.
tive development and tangible results to Qatar National Vision 2030 and
mitigate the effects of climate change, the French National Strategy have
he said. shared topics and goals on the path
Earthna’s Executive Director said towards a sustainable future. Climate
that the rich discussions of the Qatar change is a global issue that can only
Dialogue on Climate Change make be combated through effective solu-
an effective contribution to local cli- tions and expanded joint cooperation.
mate action. Last year’s discussions This dialogue reflects the will to share
constituted a guiding reference for knowledge and experiences and move
the government and private sectors towards developing effective solutions
in taking measures related to adapt- to this problem and its consequences,
ing to climate change and mitigating he added.
its effects. This year’s edition comes as France, he said, has set ambitious
a continuation of previous editions in goals to achieve sustainability, op-
enhancing cooperation and exploring erating within the framework of the
innovative solutions that support the European Union, and is committed to
sustainability of the future. reducing emissions, increasing affor-
He expressed his confidence that estation, protecting biodiversity, and
the upcoming edition will be followed promoting social equity. It also invests
by positive measures and changes in innovation to reach sustainable
thanks to the support it enjoys from and effective solutions by supporting
the partners in the Ministry of Environ- research in the fields of clean technol-
ment and Climate Change, the French ogy and smart urban development
Embassy in Doha, and the French Busi- and encourages entrepreneurship in
ness Council in Qatar, among others. this field. Both Qatar and France, he
Ambassador of the French Repub- added, are committed to sustainable
the need for cooperation to preserve over and a permanent home for
them. nearly 300 species of birds. Bird
Qatar is an important bird stop- migration plays an important role in
Monday, October 16, 2023 05
development, urban greening, and
green transportation, expanding the
scope of partners in this aspect, and
accelerating the 2030 Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) by reduc-
ing waste and emissions, reducing the
use of plastic, strengthening resilient
systems, and encouraging agricultural
practices such as diversifying crops
capable of countering the effects of
climate change, thus helping to create
food supplies.
The third edition of the Qatar Na-
tional Dialogue on Climate Change
comes from Earthna’s effort to bring
together concerned parties from vari-
ous sectors of the country to determine
the methodology for work related to ad-
dressing climate change in Qatar.
The dialogue provides an opportu-
nity to enhance cooperation and knowl-
edge exchange between ministries,
financial, industrial, academic, and
research institutions and international
organizations. Its discussions highlight
the latest innovations and opportuni-
ties through which climate change can
be addressed, with a focus on the topics
of water and food security, economic di-
versification, green finance, sustainable
transport, and reducing the effects of
climate change.
The first day’s sessions will review
several topics related to climate change-
related innovations, economic diver-
sification, sustainable transformation,
and the involvement of companies and
organizations concerning vital raw ma-
terials and food and water security.
The second day covers sustainable
transport, public transport infrastruc-
ture, alternative fuels, electric vehicles
and logistics, and other sessions on per-
manent carbon, artificial intelligence
solutions to combat climate change,
and green and sustainable finance.
Earthna is a non-profit policy re-
search and advocacy center, established
by Qatar Foundation (QF) to spread
awareness and influence national and
global sustainability policy.
Bridging technical and research ex-
pertise with policy advice and advocacy,
Earthna will convene a wide community
of technical and research experts, gov-
ernment, policy and decision makers,
businesses, multilateral institutions,
and civil society to generate a more sus-
tainable and regenerative future.
The Earthna center runs multidis-
ciplinary programming with a focus on
the fields of hot and arid climates, sus-
tainable cities, and sustainable energy,
as well as the potential of QFs Educa-
tion City as a test-bed for sustainable
technologies and practices.
Earthna is focused on developing
tools, solutions, and policies to improve
people’s lives within a thriving natural
environment. Working together with
the community to co-create and design
solutions that utilize our resources lim-
its and understand our local culture and
needs, it delivers a message of hope and
impactful action that will strengthen its
legacy.
the global ecosystem, and the State
of Qatar is keen to provide the ap-
propriate ecosystem to receive them.
06 Monday, October 16, 2023 World

Russia’s position
in Ukraine is
improving: Putin
DPA
MOSCOW
RUSSIAN President Vladimir
Putin once again declared Kiev’s
counteroffensive a “complete
failure” and spoke of an improve-
ment in Russia’s positions in
Ukraine, in remarks broadcast
on Moscow state television on
Sunday.
Throughout the area of the
“special military operation,” as
Putin officially calls the war, Rus-
sian forces were improving their
position, he said.
Russian forces were in a
phase of “active defence,” and
fighting in the war zone was con-
tinuing, Putin said.
The Defence Ministry in
Moscow reported the shooting
down of 27 Ukrainian drones,
most of them in the Russian bor-
der region of Kursk.
On Sunday, two people died
from Russian shelling of a village
in the Kharkiv region of eastern
Ukraine, according to Ukrainian
sources.
The general staff in Kiev re-
ported dozens of battles in the
war zone. The southern city of
Kherson was repeatedly attacked
by Russian warplanes and ar-
tillery, the head of the regional
military administration, Roman
Morchko, reported.
“The enemy shelling has
damaged electricity lines and
destroyed houses,” he wrote on
Telegram.
According to Mrochko, Rus-
sian airstrikes hit infrastructure
in the morning. As a result, the
supply of electricity and water
had temporarily failed, he said.
Russian forces occupied
Kherson at the beginning of their
invasion of Ukraine but then had
to evacuate the city again in the
course of a counteroffensive by
Ukrainian troops last autumn
and withdraw via the Dnipro
River.
From London, the British
Ministry of Defence said that
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
Russia was building a new rail
link in the south of Ukraine.
Moscow was relying heavily
on its rail network to supply its
troops, it said.
“Russia almost certainly con-
tinues to maintain and improve
its rail lines of communication
in Ukraine and is constructing
a new railway line to Mariupol
which will reduce travel times
for supplies to the Zaporizhzhia
front,” the MoD said in a post on
X, the platform formerly known
as Twitter.
“Russia is using civilian con-
tractors and equipment to com-
plete this project, likely calculat-
ing this will complicate targeting
efforts and preserve military rail-
way troop capabilities for urgent
tasks elsewhere,” it continued.
“The rail network in occupied
Ukraine remains largely viable
but vulnerable to sporadic inter-
diction by Ukrainian artillery,
air launched missiles and sabo-
tage,” it said, but added that the
new line fell within the range of
Ukrainian long-range precision
strike systems. It noted however
that “in previous conflicts, attri-
tion of rail transportation has
required focused, sustained, and
repeated attack by air and/or
ground forces.”
The MoD has been publish-
ing updates since Russia’s full-
scale invasion of Ukraine, while
Moscow dismisses these as disin-
formation.
Afghanistan hit by third
earthquake in a week
At least two dead,
over 154 injured
DPA
ISLAMABAD
ANOTHER strong earthquake struck west-
ern afghanistan on Sunday morning, in
the same area where a series of powerful
tremors last weekend left some 2,400 peo-
ple dead.
So far, at least two dead people and 154
wounded victims have been taken to the
main hospital in the region, according to
hospital sources.
A local official said the figures are ex-
pected to change as hospitals were waiting
for more victims from the remote areas.
The United States Geological Survey
(USGS), which monitors seismic activity,
put the magnitude of the latest quake with
several aftershocks at 6.3.
It struck at 0336 GMT near the western
city of Herat, close to the epicentre of the
October 7 disaster, at a shallow depth of
about 6.3 kilometres. An Afghan woman and her children walk amid debris after a powerful earthquake in Herat province.
“People are spending cold nights inside
tents,” a resident of Herat told DPA. “The 10 kilometres, killing around 2,400 people and children, according to the United Na-
majority of people are terrified. They are and completely flattening at least 20 vil- tions.
thinking about their lives.” lages, according to the latest figures by the More than 19,000 people are directly
On October 7, a series of quakes with Taliban-run government. affected, according to the UN Office for
magnitudes of between 4.6 and 6.3 had More than 90 percent of those killed the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
shaken the same area at a depth of around in the devastating earthquakes are women (OCHA).
Historic presidential election in Ecuador begins
DPA Noboa of the centre-right Na- in Ecuador’s history. pects thought to have been
BUENOS AIRES tional Democratic Action alliance The campaign leading linked to his murder were
turns 36 in November. He is the up to Sunday’s elections was found dead in prison.
VOTING has got under way in heir to his father Alvaro Noboa’s overshadowed by the death The first round of voting
Ecuador’s presidential elec- banana business empire. of presidential candidate Fer- in Ecuador’s presidential elec-
tions with voters given a choice The outcome of the run-off nando Villavicencio, who was tions place on August 20, in
between the country’s first fe- vote will be a historic first, no shot dead on August 9 after a which González came out on
male president and its young- matter which of the two con- campaign event in Quito. The top. However none of the can-
est ever. tenders wins: leftist politician government blamed organized didates achieved the necces-
Leftist politician Luisa Luisa González from the camp crime for Villavicencio’s death. sary majority of the votes.
González from the camp of ex- of ex-president Rafael Correa, Ecuador serves as a transit The elections had been
president Rafael Correa, who who has been convicted of cor- country for cocaine and crime brought forward after con-
has been convicted of corrup- ruption, and banana entrepre- syndicates fight over the routes servative President Guillermo
tion, and banana entrepreneur neur Daniel Noboa. for drug trafficking. Villavi- Lasso dissolved the National
Daniel Noboa are facing off fol- Voters have a choice be- cencio had promised to crack Assembly amid impeachment
lowing a campaign overshad- tween having their first female down on corruption and crime. proceedings against him for al-
owed by political violence. president or the youngest ever Last weekend, seven sus- leged embezzlement.

Azerbaijani flags hoisted

in Nagorno-Karabakh
DPA
MOSCOW
AZERBAIJAN’S President
Ilham Aliyev was photo-
graphed wearing a military
uniform and kissing the Azer-
baijani flags he was hoisting
in several locations in Na-
gorno-Karabakh, the photos
released by the presidential
administration in Baku on
Sunday show.
According to official in-
formation, during a tour, Ali-
yev raised the state flag in the
Karabakh capital Stepanakert,
known as Khankendi in Azer-
baijani, and in Martakert, also
known as Aghdara, among
other places.
In a military operation in
September, Azerbaijan com-
pletely seized the contested
region from Armenia. Azerbai-
jan considers this 61-year-old
Aliyev’s greatest political suc-
cess.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev
kneeling in front of a national
flag of Azerbaijan in the town of
Stepanakert, known as Khankendi,
in Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Before the conquest, the
majority of people living in
Nagorno-Karabakh were Ar-
menians. Fearing violence
from Azerbaijan, more than
100,000 Karabakh Armenians
fled the region in the after-
math of the military operation.
The Azerbaijani leader-
ship had recently stated sev-
eral times that there were no
grounds for flight.
The president is criticized
internationally for violating
human rights and for the re-
pression of dissidents. At the
same time the president said
a normalization of relations
with Armenia would now be
possible.
The two former Soviet
republics have remained en-
emies and Aliyev had an-
nounced that he would have
Azerbaijanis settle in the con-
quered region, known for its
rich soil.
Last year, the Armenian
Prime Minister Nikol Pashin-
yan officially affirmed that
Nagorno-Karabakh was part
of Azerbaijan. In September,
Aliyev announced that the mil-
itary operation would restore
constitutional order.

Louvre museum, Versailles Palace

reopen post security threats
DPA
PARIS

FRANCE’S two top tourist attractions - the Lou-

vre museum and the Palace of Versailles - have
reopened after being forced to evacuate visitors
and shut their doors due to security threats on
Saturday.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin
gave the go-ahead in the evening after neither
an explosive device was found nor an attack had
taken place, he explained.
Both institutions announced their reopening
on Sunday on X, the platform formerly known
as Twitter. Pedestrians walk in front of Louvre Museum in
The Louvre had received a written threat on central Paris. (AFP)
Saturday, according to a spokeswoman, and the
radio station Europe 1 said the threat against the terror alert level. By Monday, 7,000 soldiers
palace was received anonymously on a police from the anti-terror unit Sentinelle are to be de-
website. The threats came at a time of unrest in ployed nationwide.
the country: on Friday, a young man, allegedly a The attack took place almost three years to
radicalized Islamist, killed a teacher with a knife the day after the gruesome attack on history
and seriously injured three other people in a teacher Samuel Paty. The 47-year-old had been
school in Arras in northern France. killed and then beheaded by a radical Islamist
Since then, France has been on the highest assailant in a Paris suburb on October 16, 2020.

OVER 1 MN
GAZANS
DISPLACED IN
A WEEK: UN
Number of Palestinians killed in Gaza rises to 2,450
AGENCIES
GAZA STRIP
MORE than one million peo-
ple have been displaced in the
Gaza Strip in the last week,
the UN said Sunday, after sus-
tained Israeli bombardment
and warnings about a ground
attack against Hamas com-
manders.
Israel declared war on the
Islamist group last Sunday,
a day after waves of fighters
broke through the heavily for-
tified border and shot, stabbed
and burned to death more than
1,400 people, most of them ci-
vilians.
Seven days of relentless
bombing have flattened neigh-
bourhoods and left at least
2,450 people dead in the Gaza
Strip, the majority ordinary
Palestinians, the health minis-
try there said.
As Israel seeks to avenge
the worst attack in its history,
the Arab League and African
Union warned the invasion
could lead to “genocide”.
It also faced a grave warn-
ing about the security implica-
tions of putting boots on the
ground in the densely popu-
lated enclave.
“No one can guarantee the
control of the situation and the
non-expansion of the conflicts”
if Israel sends its soldiers into
Gaza, said Iran’s foreign minis-
ter Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
“Those who are interested
in preventing the scope of war
and crisis from expanding need
to prevent the current barbaric
attacks... against citizens and
civilians in Gaza,” he added.
At least 10 people have now
been killed in Lebanon and two
in Israel, prompting Israel to
shut the border area to civil-
ians.
Defence Minister Yoav Gal-
lant said Israel had “no interest
in a war in the north, we don’t
want to escalate the situation”.
But he added: “If Hezbol-
lah chooses the path of war, it
will pay a heavy price... but if it
restrains itself, we’ll respect the
situation.”
The United States, which
has given unequivocal backing
to Israel, is concerned about
violence spreading, and has
sent two aircraft carriers to the
eastern Mediterranean as a de-
terrent.
The United States, which is
sending two aircraft carriers to
the eastern Mediterranean, is
concerned about an escalation
US Secretary of State An-
tony Blinken has in recent days
A SEA OF SUPPORT FOR PALESTINIANS
Thousands have turned out for a pro-Palestinian rally in Istanbul, after sustained Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip and warn-
ings about a ground attack there. “They’ve been chasing people out of their homes for years. Now they’re not killing people one by
one day by day, they’re killing them en masse,” said one of the marchers, Bayram Atabey, a shopkeeper in his thirties. “This is what
Israel is doing and we are protesting against it,” he added at the rally organised by a group allied to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
AKP party. Similarly, demonstrators marched in Rabat to express support to Palestinians. Thousands of protesters poured onto the
streets of several Middle East capitals in support of Palestinians amid Israeli air strikes on Gaza in reprisal for a surprise Hamas at-
tack on October 7. (AGENCIES)
People gather in a neighbourhood in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, after it was hit by an Israeli strike on
Sunday. (AFP)
Iran warns Israel of
regional escalation if
‘aggressions do not stop’
IRAN warned Israel of escala-
tion if it failed to end aggres-
sions against Palestinians,
with its foreign minister saying
other parties in the region
were ready to act, the semi-offi-
cial Fars news agency reported
on Sunday.
“If the Zionist aggressions
do not stop, the hands of all
parties in the region are on the
trigger,” Hossein Amirabdolla-
hian was quoted as saying.
Israel’s Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on
Sunday to “demolish Hamas”
as his military prepared to
move into the Gaza Strip in
search of Islamist militants
whose deadly rampage through
Israeli border towns shocked
the world.
Iran’s top authority Su-
toured Middle Eastern capitals
in a frantic round of diplomacy
to try to avert a wider crisis in
the volatile region.
On Sunday, he pointed to
“determination in every coun-
try I went to make sure that
this doesn’t spread,” as he left
Egypt to head back to Israel.
Blinken has appealed to
China to use its influence in the
ISTANBUL
World
preme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei said on Tuesday
Tehran was not involved in
the militant Hamas group’s
attack on Israel, but hailed
what he called Israel’s “irrepa-
rable” military and intelligence
defeat.
Backing the Palestinian
cause has been a pillar of the
Islamic Republic since the
1979 revolution and a way the
Shi’ite-dominated country has
fashioned itself as a leader of
the Muslim world.
Amiabdollahian, who last
week accused Israel of seek-
ing “genocide” by enforcing a
siege against the Gaza Strip,
said an attack on Gaza would
“open new fronts of resist-
ance” in the Middle East.
(AGENCIES)
region to ease tensions.
But on Sunday Foreign
Minister Wang Yi said Israel’s
response had “gone beyond the
scope of self-defence”.
Israel has massed thou-
sands of troops and heavy
weaponry in the desert south
of the country, waiting for the
green light to go in to northern
Gaza.
The army has told 1.1 mil-
lion Palestinians in the north of
the Gaza Strip -- nearly half of
its 2.4-million population -- to
head south to safety.
The Israeli military has told
1.1 million people to move be-
fore an expected ground attack
on northern Gaza
Aid agencies, including the
UN and ICRC, as well as for-
eign governments have repeat-
edly criticised Israel’s request
for Gazans to leave their homes
-- and accused it of inflicting
collective punishment on or-
dinary people. The UN agency
supporting Palestinian refu-
gees said on Sunday that some
one million people had already
been displaced in the first week
of the conflict.
“The number is likely to be
higher as people continue to
leave their homes,” UNRWA
director of communications
Juliette Touma told AFP.
Palestinians carrying what-
ever belongings they can, in
bags and suitcases, or packed
onto three-wheeled motor-
bikes, battered cars, vans and
even donkey carts have become
a common sight in recent days.
But they have had to find
shelter wherever they can in
the increasingly crowded south
of the Gaza Strip, including in
the streets and UN-run schools.
Israel had cut off water,
fuel and food supplies to Gaza
for the duration of the conflict.
Local hospitals are becoming
overwhelmed with increasing
numbers of dead and injured.
RABAT
Monday, October 16, 2023 07
Gaza on edge
as Israel
delays ground
offensive
DPA cluding by the UN which has
TEL AVIV/GAZA warned of the danger of a “hu-
manitarian catastrophe.”
GAZA was on edge on Sunday But the IDF said hundreds
evening as Israel’s expected of thousands of Palestin-
ground offensive was report- ians have already moved to the
edly delayed due to adverse south of Gaza following earlier
weather conditions. calls to leave – an order affect-
Residents of the densely ing more than 1 million Pales-
populated coastal strip were tinians in the north.
given more time to move The coastal enclave of Gaza
southwards, the Israel Defense is one of the most densely pop-
Forces (IDF) said. ulated areas in the world, with
Israel’s repeated intruc- about 2.2 million people living
tions to Gazans to leave the area on around 45 square kilome-
have been widely criticized, in- tres.
Israeli troops prepare weapons and armed vehicles near the southern
city of Ashkelon on October 15, 2023.
Israeli ground ops may result
in genocide: Arab League, AU
THE Israeli army’s plan to launch a ground operation in the Gaza
Strip could lead to genocide, the League of Arab States (LAS) and
the African Union said on Sunday, demanding an immediate
ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and coordinated international effort to
provide humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians.
“An Israeli ground operation would undoubtedly cause a large
number of civilian casualties, including women and children,
which could lead to unprecedented genocide,” the organizations
said in a joint statement.
“Both organizations call on the United Nations and the inter-
national community to take a firm stand before it is too late to stop
the catastrophe unfolding before our eyes,” the statement added.
The LAS and the African Union emphasized that a political
settlement based on the two-state solution remains the only guar-
antee of security and peace, the statement read. (AGENCIES)
US appoints special envoy
for M-E humanitarian crisis
US President Joe Biden has appointed a special envoy to lead the
United States’ response to the humanitarian impact of the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on
Sunday.
“President Biden has appointed former Ambassador David
Satterfield as the Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Is-
sues. Special Envoy Satterfield will lead U.S. diplomacy to urgently
address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, including work to facili-
tate the provision of life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable
people and promote the safety of civilians, in coordination with
the United Nations and U.S. partners,” the statement read. The
envoy will lead a “whole-of-government campaign to mitigate the
humanitarian fallout of Hamas’ terrorist attack against Israel,”
supporting efforts by such US agencies as USAID and the State
Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, it
added. (SPUTNIK)
Announcement
Read online 24X7.... visit
Mr. SALAM CHUMBA KADAVATH, of
Your news, Your views
Indian Nationality, holding a Passport
number: W3753676 and QID number:
26835622481 is announcing his willingness
to change his name to ABDUSALAM
KUMBHAMKKADAVATH. Whoever has an
objection to this, kindly contact the General
Directorate of Passports within 15 days
from the date of its announcement in the
newspaper.
 What Google’s antitrust
trial means for your
search habits PAGE 11

MONDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2023

33,670.29 10,126.46 66,282.74 1,941.50

DOW QE SENSEX GOLD
QIIB support to ESI conference in push for +39.15 PTS +6.36 PTS -125.65 PTS +3.11%

entrepreneurship PAGE 9 BRENT

PRICE
90.89
PERCENTAGE
+5.69% WTI
PRICE
87.69
PERCENTAGE
+5.77% SILVER
22.90
+4.26%

Minister of Finance meets US

Secretary of Treasury
Nakilat net profit rises
4.8% to QR1.19 bn in
first 9 months of 2023
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA

NAKILAT, a global leader with one of the

Minister of Finance HE Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari on Sunday met with
United States Secretary of the Treasury HE Janet Yellen on the sidelines
of the minister’s participation in the annual meetings of the World Bank
Group and the International Monetary Fund in Marrakesh.
world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG)
fleet, is pleased to announce that it has
achieved a net profit of QR1,190.2 million
(QR1.19 billion) in the first nine months of
2023, an increase of 4.8 percent compared
to the same period in 2022.
This increase in results underscores
Nakilat’s continued success and its abil-
ity to deliver sustainable growth. Build-
ing upon its recognition as one of the top
100 listed companies in the Middle East

Kuwari for fiscal controls for 2023, Nakilat remains dedicated to

the values of teamwork, collaboration,

that support growth

QNA
MARRAKESH
MINISTER of Finance HE Ali
bin Ahmed Al Kuwari empha-
sised the importance of the
International Monetary Fund’s
(IMF) efforts to find appropri-
ate solutions to address the
various challenges facing the
world today.
The minister said that Qa-
tar works to ensure financial
sustainability through growth-
supporting fiscal control that
increases savings for intergen-
erational equity while prepar-
ing for a smooth transition to
energy and avoiding pro-cycli-
cal fiscal policies.
He made these remarks
during his participation in the
meeting of finance ministers,
central bank governors, and
heads of financial institutions in
the Middle East and North Af-
rica, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
Qatar Central Bank Governor
Sheikh Bandar bin Mohammed
bin Saoud Al Thani attended the
meeting.
The minister pointed out
that the positive developments
in financial development, in-
cluding strong fiscal discipline
supported by robust oil prices,
the ministry of finance’s efforts
to reduce debt, and the macro-
economic indicators supported
by structural reforms over the
past few years, have resulted in
positive sovereign credit rating
decisions for Qatar by interna-
tional credit rating agencies.
The minister added that
despite the economic resilience
demonstrated by Qatar and
the region in general, there is a
significant need for financing,
particularly when it comes to
achieving the goals of the Paris
agreement, as many countries
find it challenging to bear this
burden on their own.
The minister underlined
the importance of the interna-
tional community and interna-
tional financial institutions in
providing timely and necessary
financial support, adding that
the IMF plays a crucial role
through its Resilience and Sus-
tainability Trust.
The minister explained that
creating more inclusive econo-
mies is crucial, and ensures
that economies are more resil-
ient and in a better position to
confront shocks. He pointed
out that the IMF can support
the countries in the region by
drawing on lessons learned
from experiences around the
world and best practices and
providing guidance to countries
on the best ways to implement
policies and reforms neces-
sary to enhance comprehensive
growth, with the need to adapt
the advice to each country’s cir-
cumstances.
IMF MD Kristalina Georgieva
chaired the meeting attended by
several finance ministers, cen-
tral bank governors, and heads
of financial institutions from the
Middle East, North Africa, Af-
ghanistan, and Pakistan.
and customer centricity, setting new
benchmarks in the energy transporta-
tion and maritime services industry.
Nakilat’s dedication to collaboration
and partnership is further exemplified
by the outstanding performance of its
joint venture companies. Profits from
LNG transportation and shipyards have
surged by an impressive 16.9 percent, re-
flecting Nakilat’s commitment to effec-
tive cost management and strategic ini-
tiatives that contribute to the company’s
continued prosperity.
Nakilat Chief Executive Officer Eng
Abdullah Al Sulaiti expressed his satis-
faction with the company’s financial per-
formance stating that Nakilat’s steadfast
commitment to teamwork, collabora-
tion, and customer-centricity has once Nakilat continues to maintain its po- tions conference call to discuss its fi-
again yielded an upward trend in results. sition as a global leader in the shipping nancial results for the third quarter of
As the global demand for clean en- and maritime industry, prioritising the 2023. The conference call is scheduled
ergy shipping capacities continues to highest standards of health, safety, and to be held on October 16, 2023, at 13:30
rise, Nakilat remains fully committed to environmental sustainability practices. (Doha Time), and the presentation
meeting the long-term requirements for As Nakilat remains at the forefront of will be made available on Nakilat’s of-
secure and reliable energy transporta- the industry, it is committed to deliv- ficial website prior to the call. For fur-
tion solutions, through remaining agile ering exceptional value to its clients, ther information on Nakilat’s confer-
and proactive in addressing emerging stakeholders, and shareholders. ence call dial-in details, one can visit
challenges and opportunities worldwide. Nakilat will host an investor rela- www.nakilat.com.
QCB issues eKYC identity verification procedures
QNA gies based on the Qatar Cen- laundering and terrorism fi- valuable initiatives that help
DOHA tral Bank’s constant endeavor nancing. create a suitable environment
to regulate and develop the fi- A fundamental financial for the growth of the finan-
QATAR Central Bank (QCB) nancial sector in the country. concept in the State of Qatar, cial technology sector in the
on Sunday issued the elec- The Qatar Central Bank the e-identity verification is country, in a way that sup-
tronic know your customer stressed the need to commit one of the modern tools that ports the development of the
(eKYC) procedures in a bid to the instructions to boost allow financial institutions to financial sector and enhances
to regulate and improve the transparency and security verify the customer’s identity the transparency of financial
customer identity verification in the financial sector, not- remotely through utilizing and banking transactions in
digitally. ing that the development of modern technology and data the country.
This move comes in line eKYC procedures aims to en- related to their identities. The instructions are avail-
with the financial sector and sure full compliance with the The Qatar Central Bank is able on the Qatar Central
financial technology strate- instructions to combat money keen to provide effective and Bank website.

QSE becomes diamond sponsor Lesha Bank takes part in

WBG, IMF annual meetings
for ‘Made in Qatar 2023’ exhibition
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA

THE Qatar Chamber (QC) and the Qa-

tar Stock Exchange (QSE) have recently
signed a diamond sponsorship agreement
for the ninth edition of the ‘Made in Qatar
2023’ exhibition.
The agreement was signed by Hussain
Yosef A Abdulghani, director of adminis-
trative & finance affairs at Qatar Chamber,
and Fahad Al Mahmoud, director of finance
& public services department at QSE.
The ‘Made in Qatar’ exhibition is or-
ganised by the Qatar Chamber in coop-
eration with the Ministry of Commerce
& Industry (MoCI) from November 29 to
December 2 at the Doha Exhibition and
Convention Centre (DECC). Qatar Chamber General Manager Saleh bin Qatar Stock Exchange Acting CEO Abdulaziz
On this occasion, Qatar Chamber Gen- Hamad Al Sharqi Nasser Al Emadi
eral Manager and Chairperson of the Ex-
hibition’s Technical Committee Saleh bin industry and fostering communication private companies to grow and develop
Hamad Al Sharqi expressed his gratitude among businessmen and entrepreneurs in into public shareholding companies that
to the QSE for supporting the exhibition. the industrial sector. support the national economy.
He emphasised its vital role in the national He expressed hope that the exhibition Al Emadi said that the QSE launched
economy by promoting sustainability and would significantly contribute to the fur- the QE Venture Market (QEVM) in 2021
contributing to economic, social, and hu- ther development of the industrial sector, which provided a listing of SMEs to assist
man development. especially in the SMEs. them in accessing various financing solu-
He also highlighted its active contri- For his part, QSE Acting CEO Ab- tions for growth, expansion, and funding
bution to economic development and the dulaziz Nasser Al Emadi expressed his of their activities. Lesha Bank CEO Mohammed Ismail Al Emadi and the head of treas-
facilitation of an attractive investment pleasure that the QSE is a diamond spon- This initiative aims to enhance ury Mohamad Abu Khalaf attended the World Bank Group (WBG)
climate. Al Sharqi emphasised the exhi- sor of the ‘Made in Qatar’ expo, stressing their position in both local and and International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual meetings for 2023 in
bition’s role in promoting the national the QSE’s vital role in encouraging Qatari regional markets. Marrakech, Morocco.
 Economy & Business Monday, October 16, 2023 09
QIIB support to ESI conference
in push for entrepreneurship
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA

QIIB has announced its spon-

sorship of the 6th International
Conference on Entrepreneur-
ship for Sustainability and Im-
pact (ESI), which will be held
under the patronage of His
Excellency Sheikh Mohammed
bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim
Al Thani, Prime Minister and
Minister of Foreign Affairs. ESI
is organised by The Center for
Entrepreneurship & Organiza-
tional Excellence at the College
of Business & Economics, Qa-
tar University and scheduled to
take place from 17 to 19 Octo-
ber 2023.
The Entrepreneurship
for Sustainability and Impact
(ESI) is an annual conference
Israeli tanks are seen in the aftermath of a mass infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in organized by the Center for
Kibbutz Beeri in southern Israel, October 14, 2023 Entrepreneurship & Organi-

Global markets brace

zational Excellence (CEOE) at
Qatar University.
It is one of the leading en-
trepreneurship conferences
in the MENA region. It brings

for fallout as tensions

together a community of schol-
ars, experts and practitioners
specialized in entrepreneur-
ship, innovation, excellence re- University, expressed her grati-

rise in the Middle East

AGENCIES
THE Israeli-Hamas war has
sharpened focus on rising geo-
political risks for financial mar-
kets, as investors wait to see
if the conflict draws in other
countries with the potential to
drive up oil prices further and
deal a fresh blow to the world
economy.
Israel’s Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu vowed
on Sunday to “demolish Ha-
mas” as his military prepared
ground operations in Gaza to
root out the militant group,
whose deadly rampage through
Israeli border towns stunned
the nation.
Oil prices leapt nearly 6%
on Friday, as investors priced
in the possibility of a wider
Middle East conflict. The first
indicator of reaction to week-
end developments will likely
come when oil starts trading in
Asia later on Sunday.
“It looks like we’re headed
for a massive ground invasion
of Gaza and a large-scale loss of
life,” said Ben Cahill, senior fel-
low in the Energy Security and
Climate Change Program at the
Center for Strategic and Inter-
national Studies (CSIS).
“Anytime you have a con-
flict of this scale, you will have
a market reaction.””I have no
clue whether markets will re-
main relatively well behaved,”
said Erik Nielsen, group chief
economics advisor at UniCred-
it. “It almost certainly depends
on whether this latest conflict
remains localized or whether
it escalates into a broader Mid-
dle Eastern war.” The S&P 500
(.SPX) fell 0.5% on Friday.
Safe-haven assets saw buying
with gold up more than 3%
on Friday and the U.S. dol-
lar touching a one-week high.
An expanding conflict would
also likely cause inflation and,
as a byproduct, interest rates
around the world to accelerate
further, said Bernard Baumohl,
chief global economist at The
Economic Outlook Group in
Princeton, New Jersey.
However, while inflation
and rates in other countries
will likely rise in this worst-
case scenario, the United States
could be the exception as for-
eign investors pour capital into
what they deem a safe haven
during global conflict, Baumohl
noted.
“Interest rates could go
down,” he said. “Expect the
dollar to strengthen.” In Eu-
rope, economists said the bar
for another rate hike from the
European Central Bank was
high.
The war between the Is-
lamist group Hamas and Is-
rael poses one of the most sig-
nificant geopolitical risks to oil
markets since Russia’s invasion
of Ukraine last year.
“If the Ukraine war taught
us anything, it’s not to under-
estimate the effect of geopoli-
tics,” Nomura European econo-
mist George Moran said on the
bank’s week ahead podcast.
Other energy markets could
be impacted, as seen in recent
developments such as Chev-
ron (CVX.N) halting natural
gas exports through a major
subsea pipeline between Israel
and Egypt. Rising oil prices are
unlikely to have a significant
impact on U.S. gas prices or con-
sumer spending, analysts noted.
The situation, however,
bears monitoring, Jack Ab-
lin, chief investment officer at
Cresset Capital, said.
“If all of a sudden either oil
production is cut or oil trans-
port is disrupted then that cer-
tainly creates problems not just
for economies but for markets
too,” he said.
Oil, shares of oil companies
and commodities in general
and gold in particular could
serve as effective hedges for in-
vestors, Ablin said.
search, teaching and practice.
Commenting on this oc-
casion, QIIB Chief Executive
Officer Dr. Abdulbasit Ahmed
al-Shaibei, said: “We support
Qatar University’s pioneering
efforts in various fields.
Qatar University, which we
take pride in, stands as a bea-
con of excellence in higher edu-
cation by consistently achiev-
ing remarkable heights in
research and innovation, and
we would like to take this op-
portunity to express our thanks
and appreciation for its interest
and continuous focus on sub-
jects that create added value
for Qatar’s economy, such as
entrepreneurship, innovation
and sustainability.”
“QIIB’s sponsorship of the
6th International Conference
on Entrepreneurship for Sus-
tainability and Impact (ESI)
reflects our Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) strategy,
which focuses on sponsoring
and supporting activities that
serve the Qatari society.
Education, undoubtedly,
stands at the forefront of these
activities as a constant prior-
ity and the best way to achieve
further advancement and pros-
perity across all fields,” Dr. Al-
Shaibei added.
Dr. Al-Shaibei also indi-
cated that: “The objectives of
the conference go beyond the
traditional vision, and thus,
QIIB takes pride in being part
of this significant event. We
all have confidence that it will
Dr. Abdulbasit Ahmed al-Shaibei,
QIIB CEO
yield tangible results and rec-
ommendations that would lay a
new and significant foundation
for our innovation journey and
sustainability plans.”
QIIB Chief Executive Of-
ficer expressed his thanks to
Qatar University and the Or-
ganizing Committee of ESI for
inviting QIIB to contribute to
supporting the conference, and
emphasized that, “The Bank
will continue providing assis-
tance to the society and the var-
ious activities that serve it, with
a primary focus on research,
higher education, innovation
and sustainability activities.”
On his part, Dr. Rana Sobh,
the Dean of the College of Busi-
ness & Economics at Qatar
tude to QIIB for supporting the
6th International Conference
on Entrepreneurship for Sus-
tainability and Impact (ESI),
which underscores their inter-
est in providing support for the
specific qualitative activities
regularly organized by Qatar
University.”
Dr. Said El banna, the Di-
rector of the Center for Entre-
preneurship & Organizational
Excellence and the Conference
Chair, from the College of
Business Economics at Qa-
tar University expressed “The
conference has a multitude of
objectives, including foster-
ing research collaboration, ex-
changing expertise, developing
policies aimed at addressing
economic, social and environ-
mental challenges, and focus-
ing on sustainability issues,
and we are pleased to find the
support needed for achieving
these objectives.”
Dr. Mohammed El Gam-
mal; Section Head of Case
Study & Community Engage-
ment at the Center for Entre-
preneurship & Organizational
Excellence, from the College of
Business Economics at Qatar
University stressed that: “The
combined efforts of all of ESI
participants, sponsors and
supporters will help achieve
the desired objectives and pro-
pel the conference in its cur-
rent and future editions to new
horizons, hopefully filled with
success and the achievement of
target outcomes.”

WEEKLY ENERGY MARKET REVIEW

Japan’s AI draft guidelines
seek to address overreliance
Oil surges 6% after Israel begins ground raids Into Gaza AGENCIES tion from being given to third
parties without an individual’s

O
il prices leapt nearly 6% on
Friday, with Brent posting its
highest weekly gain since Febru-
ary, as investors priced in the possibil-
ity that the conflict in the Middle East
could widen as Israel began ground
raids inside the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s announcement marked a
shift from an air war to ground opera-
tions against Hamas a week after the
militant Palestinian group’s deadly ram-
page on settlements north of the Gaza
Strip.
Brent futures settled up $4.89, or
5.7%, at $90.89 per barrel. U.S. West
Texas Intermediate crude gained $4.78,
or 5.8%, to $87.69 a barrel. Brent also
recorded a weekly gain of 7.5%, its big-
gest such increase since February. WTI
climbed 5.9% for the week.
The conflict in the Middle East has
had little impact on global oil and gas
supplies. Investors and market observ-
ers, however, are assessing how it could
escalate and what it might mean for
supplies from nearby countries in the
world’s top oil producing region.
Also boosting prices, was the U.S.
move on Thursday to impose the first
sanctions on owners of tankers carrying
Russian oil priced above the Group of
Seven’s price cap of $60 a barrel, an ef-
fort to close loopholes in the mechanism
designed to punish Moscow for its inva-
sion of Ukraine.
Asia spot LNG rise as geopolitical
tensions fuel supply woes
Asian spot LNG prices climbed $1
this week despite muted demand, track-
ing European gas prices, on concerns
over tensions in the Middle East and
damage to the Baltic connector gas pipe-
line linking Estonia and Finland. The av-
erage LNG price for November delivery
into north-east Asia rose 7.4% to $14.5
per mmBtu.
Markets are having a strong response
based on sentiment, while structurally
both basins are well supplied somewhat
as we move into a milder winter season.
In Europe, Dutch and British gas prices
rose on Friday morning as forecasts for
cooler temperatures lifted demand while
geopolitical risks and strikes at LNG
facilities in Australia raised supply con-
cerns.
Negotiations over a pay and condi-
tions deal between Chevron and unions
at its LNG facilities in Australia made
progress again on Friday but fell short
of sealing a deal to end months of la-
bour disputes. In the United States, gas
futures fell about 3% on Friday on rising
output, a drop in exports to Mexico and
forecasts for mild weather through late
October.
— By The Al-Attiyah Foundation
COMPANIES and organiza-
tions that utilize artificial intel-
ligence will be required to take
measures to reduce the risk of
overreliance on the technology,
according to draft guidelines by
a Japanese government panel.
The draft guidelines ob-
tained by Kyodo News also call
on AI developers to be careful
not to use biased data for ma-
chine learning, while urging
them to maintain records of
their interactions with the tech-
nology, to be provided in the
event of any issues.
The panel, which is tasked
with discussing the country’s AI
strategy, is expected to finalize
the guidelines by the end of the
year. Japan, this year’s chair of
the Group of Seven industrial-
ized nations, is also working
with other members on draw-
ing up international guidelines
for AI developers.
The draft outlines 10 basic
rules for AI-related businesses,
such as ensuring fairness and
transparency with regard to
protecting human rights and
preventing personal informa-
permission.
The rules also ask that in-
formation be provided about
how data is acquired from an
individual or entity and how it
is then used by related parties.
Companies that develop AI
platforms, providers of services
that utilize the technology and
users will all be required to
share some degree of respon-
sibility.
The guidelines provide
principles according to busi-
ness categories. Developers are
requested to ensure that data
employed for AI purposes is
both accurate and up to date,
and that they preferably adopt
measures to ensure informa-
tion that has not been approved
for use cannot be accessed.
Meanwhile, providers that
utilize AI will be asked to warn
users to avoid inputting per-
sonal information that they do
not want accessed by third par-
ties, and guarantee that their
services are limited to their
intended use to prevent bad ac-
tors from employing the tech-
nology for malign purposes.
10 Monday, October 16, 2023
Shun Tai crude oil tanker is seen anchored at the terminal Kozmino in Nakhodka Bay near the port city of Nakhodka, Russia, Dec. 4, 2022
US sanctions tanker owners in
1 Russian price cap penalties
st
AGENCIES
THE U.S. on Thursday imposed
the first sanctions on owners
of tankers carrying Russian oil
priced above the G-7’s price
cap of $60 a barrel, one in Tür-
kiye and one in the United Arab
Emirates (UAE), in an effort to
close loopholes in the mecha-
nism designed to punish Mos-
cow for its war in Ukraine.
The U.S., other G-7 coun-
tries and Australia imposed
the cap last year, seeking to
reduce Russia’s revenues from
seaborne oil exports as part
of sanctions for its invasion of
Ukraine.
The cap bans Western com-
panies from providing mari-
time services, including insur-
ance, finance and shipping, for
Russian seaborne oil exports
sold above $60 a barrel, while
seeking to keep oil flowing to
markets. Caps also were im-
posed on Russian fuel exports.
U.S. President Joe Biden’s
administration placed sanc-
tions on Türkiye-based Ice
Pearl Navigation SA, owner of
the Yasa Golden Bosphorus,
which the Treasury said carried
Russian ESPO crude priced
above $80 a barrel after the
cap took effect in December
last year.
The U.S. also imposed them
on UAE-based Lumber Marine
SA, owner of the SCF Primorye,
which the Treasury said was
Amid a mental health crisis, toy industry takes on a new role
AGENCIES
AS more children emerge from
the pandemic grappling with
mental health issues, their par-
ents are seeking ways for them
to build emotional resilience.
And toy companies are pay-
ing close attention.
While still in its early phase,
a growing number of toy mar-
keters are embracing MESH or
mental, emotional and social
health as a designation for toys
that teach kids skills like how
to adjust to new challenges,
resolve conflict, advocate for
themselves, or solve problems.
The acronym was first used
in child development circles
and by the American Camp
Association 10 years ago and
gained new resonance after the
pandemic.
Rachele Harmuth, head
of ThinkFun, a division of toy
company Ravensburger, and
resilience expert and fam-
ily physician Deborah Gilboa,
formed a MESH taskforce earli-
er this year with the goal of get-
ting manufacturers to design
toys with emotional resilience
in mind and to have retailers
market them accordingly.“We
just need to educate parents
and educators just a little bit
to know that we could be using
their play time a little bit inten-
tionally,” Gilboa said.
The plan is to certify MESH
toys by mid-2024 the same
way the Toy Association did for
STEAM toys, which emphasize
science, tech, engineering, arts,
and math. Adrienne Appell, a
spokeswoman at the Toy As-
sociation, notes that MESH
carrying Novy Port Russian
crude above $75 per barrel.
“Because of the actions
we’re announcing today, and
the further actions we will
take in the coming weeks and
months, these costs will contin-
ue to rise and Russia’s ability
to sustain its barbaric war will
continue to weaken,” a senior
Treasury official, speaking on
condition of anonymity, told
reporters in a call.
The measures identify and
block access to all property and
interests owned by the com-
panies in the U.S.The price
cap coalition also issued rec-
ommendations for the mari-
time industry including: a re-
quirement for “appropriately
capitalized” protection and in-
demnity insurance, agreed pro-
tocols on the use of Automatic
Identification Systems and
enhanced checks of high-risk
ship-to-ship cargo transfers.
Both tankers, which con-
ducted port calls in Russia,
used U.S.-based service pro-
viders while transporting the
Russian origin oil, the Treasury
said without answering ques-
tions about those providers.
The U.S. service providers
would not be at risk of sanc-
tions if they had been provided
false or misleading information
by others in the shipping chain
about the price of Russian oil,
said a price cap coalition offi-
cial on condition of anonymity.
Quinn Byrne, 5 left, shops with her mother, Jamie Byrne, at a Learning Express store in Lake Zurich, Ill
is an area it will continue to
monitor as it evolves.Many
toys that could be considered
MESH happen to already be
in children’s toy chests — like
memory games, puppets, cer-
tain types of Legos, Pokémon
trading games, and Dungeons
& Dragons.
The concept was highlight-
ed at the toy industry’s recent
four-day annual show in New
York, which featured an abun-
dance of toys from the likes of
hand2mind and Open the Joy
that encourage children to ex-
press their feelings with mir-
rors or puppets. James Zahn,
editor- in-chief of the trade
publication the Toy Book,
noted the bulk of the new toys
being developed with MESH
in mind will be out starting
Economy & Business
Türkiye’s Yasa Holding, op-
erator of the Golden Bospho-
rus, said it had necessary docu-
mentation from major London
insurers for it to carry Russian
origin cargoes and that it has
been company policy for more
than a year to not carry Russian
crude.
Yasa said the vessel is cur-
rently under time-charter for
three to five months with Exxon
Mobil.The U.S. oil major said it
does not trade Russian oil or oil
products. “These deliveries are
certified products of Canadian
origin,” Exxon said about the
chartering.
A price cap coalition official
speaking on condition of ano-
nymity said Exxon was not a
target of the sanctions and that
the company had chartered the
vessel after it had carried Rus-
sian oil.
Ghost fleet Global oil pric-
es have risen to around $85
a barrel in recent months on
production cuts and thin world
spare production capacity.
That has helped to limit the ef-
ficacy of the cap, but the coali-
tion can toughen enforcement
to make it more effective, ac-
cording to people who advised
the Treasury.
Russian crude oil exports
last month stood at 4.9 million
barrels per day, down about
100,000 bpd from the May-
June average, the International
Energy Agency (IEA) estimated
next year. But some worry the
MESH approach might end up
promising parents something it
can’t deliver. There’s also a risk
of companies preying on par-
ents’ anxieties about their kids’
mental health.
“My fear is that MESH will
be used as the next marketing
gimmick,” said Chris Byrne,
an independent toy analyst. “It
will create a culture of fear that
their children are not develop-
ing socially and emotionally.
And that’s not really the job of
the toy industry. ” Experts say
childhood depression and anxi-
ety were climbing for years, but
the pandemic’s unrelenting
stress and grief magnified the
woes, particularly for those
already grappling with men-
tal health issues who were cut
on Thursday. But it also said
Russia’s total exports of crude
oil and products in September
rose by 460,000 bpd to 7.6 mil-
lion bpd, with crude account-
ing for 250,000 bpd of the in-
crease.
The cap has forced Rus-
sia and traders to invest in
what the industry refers to as
a ghost fleet of old tankers vul-
nerable to leaks and oil spills.
Those vessels are undertaking
long voyages to deliver crude
to refiners in China and India,
which have become the largest
buyers of Russian crude. Nei-
ther country has imposed sanc-
tions on trade with Russia.
The cap forces Russia to
pay about $36 a barrel for those
non-Western maritime servic-
es, expenses that go to “tankers
not tanks” in the Ukraine war,
the U.S. Treasury official said.
Treasury Secretary Janet
Yellen on Wednesday said
the price cap had sharply re-
duced Russian revenues over
the past 10 months, and that
it was critical to keep imposing
severe and increasing costs on
Russia.
Andriy Yermak, the head of
Ukraine’s presidential office,
said on the Telegram messag-
ing app the sanctions resulted
from studies by an interna-
tional working group he helped
create and that violations of the
Russian oil price cap will be
punished.
off from counselors and other
school resources during re-
mote learning. Many educators
began emphasizing social emo-
tional learning in response,
which teaches children soft
skills like helping them manage
their emotions and create posi-
tive rapport with others.
Dave Anderson, vice presi-
dent of school and community
programs and a senior psy-
chologist in the ADHD and Be-
havior Disorders Center at the
Child Mind Institute, applaud-
ed the toy industry’s efforts to
likewise address emotional re-
silience.
But he said parents need
to be careful about claims that
companies may be making.
While there’s evidence that
skills highlighted by the MESH
As China’s economy
slows, Hong Kong
aims to rebuild its
international image
AGENCIES
HUNDREDS of executives,
diplomats and foreign busi-
ness chambers congregated
at Hong Kong’s landmark
M+ art museum over canapés
and cocktails last month with
a clear mission – reinvigorate
appeal for the financial hub.
Anti-government protests
in 2019, followed by Beijing’s
swift imposition of a sweep-
ing national security law in
2020 and three years of dra-
conian COVID lockdowns
prompted an exodus of tens
of thousands of people from
Hong Kong, taking a toll on
its reputation and economy.
Sino-U.S. tensions and
China’s slowing economy
have piled additional chal-
lenges on Hong Kong, hurt-
ing its traditional role as a
gateway between the West
and the mainland, said diplo-
mats and business executives.
“The last few years have
created a very negative image
of Hong Kong,” said Inaki
Amate, chairman of the Eu-
ropean chamber in Hong
Kong, one of the speakers at
the M+ event.
Other speakers included
government officials, Europe-
an Union representatives and
executives including from the
city’s banks, aviation industry
and its stock exchange.
The event is among many
trying to rebuild ties between
the West and the former
British colony, with visi-
tors mainly coming from the
mainland and Asia, while visa
applicants are primarily from
China, said Amate.
Executives point to the
changing fabric of Hong Kong
with mainlanders making up
China’s and Hong Kong’s flags are seen on the pedestrian foot-
bridge as decorations for the celebration of National Day, at the
financial central district in Hong Kong, China
taskforce can build resilience,
there’s no evidence that the
toys themselves will, he said.
“The concepts are evidence
based; the toys themselves are
not,” he said.
Bryne notes that the skills
being highlighted by the MESH
taskforce are the basics of play,
whether it’s skateboarding that
builds perseverance or learning
how to share toys to help with
conflict resolution.
“In my opinion, if you live
in a healthy home and you’re
having healthy play and your
parents are engaged, the MESH
stuff kind of happens automati-
cally, ” he said. The U.S. toy in-
dustry itself has been in need
of a jolt following a weak year,
particularly a lackluster holi-
day 2022 season when retail-
ers were stuck with a surplus of
toys after enjoying a pandemic-
induced toy splurge by parents.
The malaise has continued
so far this year, with toy sales in
the U.S. down 8% from January
through August, based on Circa-
na’s retail tracking service data.
For its part, the MESH
taskforce is initially work-
ing with specialty stores like
Learning Express and small
toy companies like Crazy
Aaron’s, which has expanded
beyond its Thinking Putty to
add activity kits that teach
kids problem solving like how
magnets work with putty. One
game ThinkFun is marketing:
Rush Hour, a sliding block
logic game that has kids battle
traffic gridlock.
But large retailers like Am-
azon are also waking up to the
MESH approach.
more than nine-out-of-ten of
all those approved to work
under government talent
schemes.
“If we believe that Hong
Kong will be able to recover
its most international Asia
city status by continuing
on this trend, we are very
wrong,” said Amate. “Hong
Kong needs diversity.”
Finance Secretary Paul
Chan held a marketing blitz
tour in European cities in
September, while Hong
Kong’s Monetary Authority is
holding a high profile bank-
ing conference in November
to enable people to see Hong
Kong’s “vibrancy” and “show
guests the best” of the city.
For many outside Hong
Kong however, the percep-
tion is still very negative, said
executives.“For people who
haven’t lived in Hong Kong,
they see a really battered and
negative image that’s been
present since the protests in
2019,” said former American
Chamber of Commerce Presi-
dent Tara Joseph.
“You’ve got what hap-
pened with the national se-
curity law, the pandemic and
now you’ve got a pretty big
problem with China’s econo-
my. People have a very deeply
damaged image and it’s go-
ing to take more than having
a banking conference in the
Four Seasons hotel to really
get people to go ‘wow this is
exciting.’”
BAD PR Hong Kong’s ef-
forts to attract high calibre tal-
ent are hindered by concerns
over Beijing’s imposition of the
security law, said a diplomat in
the city, citing the bounty on
opposition figures which have
fueled adverse publicity.
“The rising popularity of
MESH toys speaks to the pow-
er of play and the important
role that toys play in our lives,”
said Anne Carrihill, Amazon’s
director of toys and games.
Richard Derr, owner of the
Learning Express franchise
in Lake Zurich, Illinois, said
that he trained his workers
on helping parents this past
spring to pick the right toys.
But the challenge is not to
scare parents. “You don’t want
to rush up to somebody and
say, ‘Hey, how’s your mental
health today of your kids?’”
Derr said.
“That’s why local toy stores
are a great place to start be-
cause of our relationships with
the community, customers
and teachers.” But he noted
toymakers can’t be overusing
the word MESH without any
meaning.
Sarah Davis, the mother
of three boys ages 3, 6 and 9,
is open to the idea of MESH
toys. The Great Falls, Virginia
resident said her 6-year-old
had delayed speech because he
was wearing a mask during the
heart of the pandemic, while
her 9-year-old son has some
issues with social interaction
after being isolated and glued
to his laptop.
“My kids don’t have an is-
sue with anxiety in terms of
school,” she said, but added.
”I still worry about the long-
term effects of what that was
like.” More than the prom-
ise of building emotional re-
silience through MESH is
whether the toys themselves
will actually be fun.

Economy & Business
What Google’s antitrust trial
means for your search habits
AGENCIES
IF government regulators pre-
vail against Google in the big-
gest U.S. antitrust trial in a
quarter century, it’s likely to
unleash drastic changes that
will undermine the dominance
of a search engine that defines
the internet for billions of peo-
ple.
As the 10-week trial prob-
ing Google’s business practices
nears its midway point, it’s still
too early to tell if U.S. District
Judge Amit Mehta will side
with the Justice Department
and try to handcuff one of the
world’s most dominant tech
companies.
If Mehta rules that Google
has been running an illegal mo-
nopoly in search, the punish-
ment could open up new online
avenues for consumers and
businesses to explore in pursuit
of information, entertainment
and commerce.
“The judge can compel
Google to open the floodgates
so more startups and third-
party competitors can put
greater competitive pressure
on Google, which will create
higher quality online services,”
said Luther Lowe, senior vice
president of public policy at
Yelp.
The online business review
site has been one of Google’s
harshest critics while spend-
ing more than a decade railing
against a strategy that favors its
own services in search results.
Google’s search engine
earned its huge market share
by almost instantaneously pre-
senting people with helpful in-
formation culled from the bil-
lions of websites that have been
indexed since former Stanford
University graduate students
Larry Page and Sergey Brin de-
veloped the technology during
the late 1990s.
In addition to its technolog-
ical wizardry, Google also pays
billions of dollars each year to
ensure its search engine is the
default choice for answering
queries entered in the world’s
most popular smartphones and
web browsers.
These agreements don’t
preclude users from switching
to a different search engine in
their settings, but it’s a tedi-
ous process that few people
bother to navigate. This reality
is why Google is willing to pay
so much for the privileged po-
sition, according to the Justice
Department.
Google’s payments for
preeminent search placement
Microsoft’s Activision acquisition: For Xbox CEO, the easy part is over
AGENCIES
AFTER two years co-piloting
the biggest acquisition in video
game history past an onslaught
of challenges, Xbox CEO Phil
Spencer now moves on to his
next quest: making Microsoft’s
takeover of Activision Blizzard
worth the hassle.
Microsoft, which owns the
Xbox gaming system, closed its
$69 billion deal to buy game-
maker Activision Blizzard on
Friday after fending off global
opposition from antitrust regu-
lators and rivals.
It marks a career-defining
moment for Spencer, who first
joined Microsoft as an intern
in 1988 and has helmed Xbox
since 2014.
After years of lagging be-
hind rival Sony’s PlayStation,
acquiring Activision’s collec-
tion of popular game titles
gives Microsoft a rare chance
to catch up.“His job really just
starts today,” said analyst Gil
Luria, technology strategist at
D.A. Davidson, after the deal’s
closure. “All he’s been doing is
preparing for today where he
actually gets to integrate the
business.”
And it marks the end of an
era for Activision Blizzard CEO
Bobby Kotick, who’s led the
Southern California maker of
Call of Duty and other block-
buster franchises since 1991
— including an estimated $15
billion to $20 billion per year to
Apple alone — are at the head of
the Justice Department’s case,
making it probable the judge
would prohibit them if he rules
against Google. Google’s search
engine earned its huge market
share by almost instantaneous-
ly presenting people with help-
ful information culled from the
billions of websites that have
been indexed since former
Stanford University graduate
students Larry Page and Sergey
Brin developed the technology
during the late 1990s.
In addition to its technolog-
ical wizardry, Google also pays
billions of dollars each year to
ensure its search engine is the
default choice for answering
queries entered in the world’s
most popular smartphones and
web browsers.
These agreements don’t
preclude users from switching
to a different search engine in
their settings, but it’s a tedi-
ous process that few people
bother to navigate. This reality
is why Google is willing to pay
so much for the privileged po-
sition, according to the Justice
Department.
Google’s payments for
preeminent search placement
Xbox CEO Phil Spencer arrives at the Phillip Burton Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in San Francisco.
after helping to buy it from
bankruptcy. Kotick said he’s
assisting with the transition
until the end of the year.
Activision Blizzard was still
reeling from worker protests,
lawsuits and government in-
vestigations over allegations of
workplace harassment against
women and unequal pay when
Microsoft privately reached out
about buying the company in
2021.
— including an estimated $15
billion to $20 billion per year
to Apple alone — are at the
head of the Justice Depart-
ment’s case, making it prob-
able the judge would prohibit
them if he rules against Google.
Should that happen, experts
believe the most likely remedy
in the U.S. would be a require-
ment for smartphones and web
browsers to display a palette of
different search engines during
the setup process. That’s some-
thing already being done in
Europe, where all indications,
so far, are that most people are
still opting for Google.
That could be because they
believe Google truly is the best
search engine — as Google
argues in their defense — or
they just trust the brand more
than rival options such as Mi-
crosoft’s Bing or the privacy-
focused DuckDuckGo.
Microsoft CEO Satya Na-
della asserted Google has an
almost hypnotic hold on us-
ers while testifying earlier this
month during the trial.
“You get up in the morn-
ing, you brush your teeth and
you search on Google,” Nadel-
la said. He then added that the
only way to break the habit is
by changing the default choice.
When the companies an-
nounced a planned merger in
January 2022, Microsoft CEO
Satya Nadella made clear it
would be “critical for Activision
Blizzard to drive forward” on
its commitments to improve its
workplace culture.
That was just the start of
Microsoft’s challenges in bring-
ing home the deal. After nego-
tiations with Spencer faltered,
top rival Sony brought its con-
As long as a ruling doesn’t
exclude Google’s rivals from
paying to be the automatic
search engine on smartphones
and web browsers, Microsoft
could buy the default position
for Bing — an opportunity
Nadella indicated he would
seize.“There’s defaults — the
only thing that matter in terms
of changing search behavior,”
Nadella testified.
Florian Schaub, associ-
ate professor of information
at the University of Michigan,
believes the fairest outcome in
the trial would an across-the-
board ban on all default agree-
ments between two companies.
“The current environment
is being shaped by an archi-
tecture that’s designed by the
big companies that control the
space,” Schaub said. “What
the government can do is in-
ject some neutralism into this
and give consumers some ac-
tual choices.
If people still choose to
use Google, that is at least
a consumer choice, which
would better than having peo-
ple stick to a default because
they are conditioned to that
default.”
In his testimony dur-
ing the trial, Apple executive
cerns about losing access to the
Call of Duty franchise to regu-
lators around the world.
The strongest opposition
came from U.S. antitrust en-
forcers emboldened by Presi-
dent Joe Biden’s administra-
tion to take a tougher look at
big tech deals, as well as their
counterparts in the United
Kingdom who finally relented
in approving the deal Friday
only after Microsoft agreed to
Monday, October 16, 2023
Eddy Cue said the company
has embraced Google as the
preferred search engine on
the iPhone and other products
because it provides the best
experience for its customers.
That stance has raised specu-
lation that if Apple is blocked
from using Google as the de-
fault search engine on the iP-
hone, it might flex its muscle
as the world’s richest compa-
ny to develop its own search
technology.
However, a blanket ban
on default search agreements
that have been highly prof-
itable for Apple and other
companies such as wireless
provider Verizon could trig-
ger unintended consequences,
such as raising prices on other
popular products.
“If Google is no longer
paying big bucks to Apple and
other companies, they might
raise the prices for their de-
vices,” said David Olson, an
associate professor for the
Boston College Law School
who is following the antitrust
trial. “I don’t think they will
be big, but we could see some
price increases because Goog-
le has essentially been subsi-
dizing the cost of devices like
the iPhone.”
make concessions.“Microsoft
didn’t have a choice.
If they wanted to be long-
term competitive with Sony
and the PlayStation platform,
they need to have a much more
robust content offering,” Luria
said.
But, “in retrospect, they
should have read the writing on
the wall in terms of the difficulty
of closing the deal,” Luria said.
“They needed to do the deal
to stay competitive, but know-
ing what they know now, they
might have done it differently.”
A key moment came in June,
when a federal judge weighed
the U.S. Federal Trade Com-
mission’s attempt to block the
merger while it awaited further
review.
In an unusual move for a
CEO that telegraphed the deal’s
importance, Spencer spent the
better part of two weeks at the
defendant table of a San Fran-
cisco courtroom conferring
with Microsoft’s lawyers. The
judge eventually dismissed
the FTC’s request, though the
agency is still seeking to un-
wind the deal.
Microsoft’s success in inte-
grating Activision’s business is
“not guaranteed, especially as
its track record with acquisi-
tions has been a mixed bag,”
said George Jijiashvili, senior
principal analyst at research
and advisory firm Omdia.
11
Another offshoot of a ban
on default search agreements
is that Google still could have
a dominant advantage in
search if people continue to
proactively choose it and the
company would have billions
of dollars more to spend in
other areas that it once devot-
ed to deals that it really didn’t
need at all.
“Google must think they
getting a great benefit from
those default agreements,
but maybe they’re really not
worth that much,” Olson
said. “Maybe their cost/ben-
efit analysis is off and they
will wind up more money
and just as much dominance.
That would be ironic.” Al-
though the trial is focused
on Google’s search engine,
a government victory could
have more sweeping conse-
quences across the technol-
ogy industry if Mehta decided
all default settings are anti-
competitive and outlaws all
defaults in the settings.
“If one of the outcomes of
the trial is that there needs
to be more neutral choices, it
wouldn’t just affect Google on
Android phones, it could also
affect Apple and the iPhone,”
Schaub said.
Last year, Microsoft spent
$7.5 billion to acquire Zeni-
Max Media, the parent com-
pany of video game publisher
Bethesda Softworks, maker of
Elder Scrolls and Fallout.
Microsoft’s two key game
launches this year from its
Bethesda merger, Redfall and
Starfield, have “been met with
mixed reactions at best,” Jiji-
ashvili said. “However, with
globally popular game fran-
chises such as Call of Duty now
under its wing, the company
is strategically much better
positioned.”Another challenge
for Microsoft will be overcom-
ing the workforce challenges
that dogged Activision before
the takeover.
As of late last year, Acti-
vision Blizzard had 13,000
employees, about 72% in
North America, according
to a regulatory filing. Micro-
soft has already pledged it
will stay neutral if the nearly
10,000 workers in the U.S. and
Canada seek to organize into
a labor union, part of a 2022
agreement with the Commu-
nications Workers of America
meant to address U.S. political
concerns about the merger’s
effects.
“It is a new day for work-
ers at Activision Blizzard,” said
CWA President Claude Cum-
mings Jr. in a statement Fri-
day.
 Afghanistan
hand England
shock defeat
at ICC Men’s
World Cup
in Delhi
MONDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2023 PAGE 15

ATTIYAH SECURES FIA WORLD RALLY-RAID QOC PARTICIPATES IN EXECUTIVE BOARD

CHAMPIONSHIP 2023 TITLE IN MOROCCO MEETING OF GCC OLYMPIC COMMITTEES

THE Qatar Olympic Committee

(QOC) participated in the 97th
Executive Board meeting of the Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) Olympic
Committees, which was held on
Sunday in Muscat, Oman, under the
leadership of the Oman Olympic
Committee Secretary General HE
Taha Al Kishry. The QOC delegation
to the meeting was led by QOC Sec-
retary General HE Jassim bin Rashid
Qatar’s Nasser Al Attiyah of Toyota Gazoo Racing and his French navigator Mathieu Baumel have ensured Al Buenain.The meeting discussed
their FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) title after gaining an unassailable lead over their closest the importance of international
rival Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing) of Saudi Arabia at the Rally Du Maroc on Sunday. Al Attiyah won cooperation and strategic dialogue
Stage 2 of the Morocco Rally with a substantial 2 minutes and 11 seconds advantage over second placed with countries and international
Carlos Sainz of Audi Sport, in Zagora while Al Rajhi finished fourth. The win lifted Al Attiyah’s overall World organizations, as well as benefiting
Championship points tally to 199 points. Al Rajhi stayed at 144 points. Al Attiyah had a 51-point cushion from the outstanding experiences
over Al Rajhi ahead of the Rallye du Maroc, and Sunday’s stage win means it is no longer possible for the and capabilities of these countries
Saudi driver to score at least 52 points in the rally to have a shot at the title. In the 2023 World Rally-Raid in the field of sports. The members committees’ meetings. The Execu- Games in the UAE and the first GCC
Championship, the Qatari star has won three out of the four events so far, namely the Dakar Rally, Sonora approved the recommendations tive board members also reviewed Indoor and Martial Arts Games in
Rally and Desafio Ruta 40. (TNN) and outcomes of the advisory the reports of the first GCC Youth Saudi Arabia. (QOC)

Carlsen takes a win as India’s

Narayanan moves into sole lead
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA

WORLD No.1 Magnus Carlsen

Action from the Umm Salal vs Al Ahli Group A Round 3 match of the kept himself in the running of
2023-2024 season Ooredoo Cup at the Saoud Bin Abdulrahman retaining the Qatar Masters
Stadium on Sunday. Open title as he beat India’s
Grandmaster Bharath Subra-

Al Ahli hold Umm maniam in the fifth round even

as India’s GM SL Narayanan
move into the sole lead at the

Salal 1-1 in Round 3 Lusail Sports Hall on Sunday.

The victory took the Nor-
wegian Carlsen’s points tally

of Ooredoo Cup to 3.4, propelling him 15 places

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
AL Ahli held Umm Salal to a 1-1
draw in Round 3 (Group A) of
the 2023-2024 season Oore-
doo Cup at the Saoud Bin Ab-
dulrahman Stadium of Al Wak-
rah club on Sunday.
In the other matches of
the day, Qatar SC played out a
1-1 draw with Al Arabi, and Al
Wakrah beat Muaither 3-0.
While Oussama Tannane
scored for Umm Salal in the
13th minute, Danilo Arboleda
fetched the equalizer for Al Ahli
in the 29th minute.
The result saw The Orange
Fortress stay atop the group
with seven points in their kitty,
while Al Ahli are third with four
points ahead of Qatar SC, who
also have the same number of
points.
Al Arabi are second in the
table with seven points, behind
on goal difference to Umm
Salal.
Al Wakrah (three points)
and Muaither (no point) are
the other teams in Group A.
Umm Salal made an early
breakthrough, with their Mo-
roccan winger Tannane pro-
ducing a spectacular goal with
a dead-ball kick.
Tannane shot from 10 yards
outside just left of the box and
the ball rocketed before taking
a bounce which beat a diving Al
Ahli goalkeeper Marwan Sherif
near bottom left of the goal
post.
The Brigadiers hit back
soon through their tall Colom-
bian defender Arboleda, who
made a fine header rising high
after Ali Qaderi sent in a fine
cross from the right.
The deadlock, however, re-
mained resolute till the end in
a battle of equals despite both
sides battling hard to get the
winning strike.
Qatar SC vs Al Arabi 1-1
Qatar SC and Al Arabi played
out a 1-1 draw at the Suhaim
Bin Hamad Stadium.
Ibrahim Majed (51st min-
ute) scored for Qatar SC, while
substitute Abdulla Al Sulaiti re-
stored parity for Al Arabi in the
67th minute.
Qatar SC had a penalty call
in the 42nd minute after Eisa
Palangi was initially adjudged
to have been fouled in the Al
Arabi 18-yard box but, after a
lengthy VAR check, the call was
overturned by the referee.
The match remained a
stalemate going into the dug-
out at half-time.
Al Wakrah score 3-0 win
Al Wakrah beat Muaither 3-0
in Round 3 (Group A) at the
Grand Hamad Stadium.
The convincing win was
The Blue Wave’s first in the
tournament this season follow-
ing two losses, while Muaither
are still without a point.
The goals for Al Wakrah
were scored by Khaled Munir
(sixth minute), Ibrahim Al Sad-
iq (63rd minute) and Fayez Al
Farsi (90+5 minute).
All goals were well-co-or-
dinated and each of the strikes
left a fighting Muaither hap-
less.
up to 14th spot in the tourna-
ment’s rankings.
Narayanan, who won
against India’s D Gukesh, has
4.5 points at the top of the
standings.
Carlsen played a solid game
while his rival Subramaniam
was unable to find any weak-
nesses in his position.
“I knew that he doesn’t play
Bishop C5 so I thought let’s go
for this,” Carlsen said after his
win yesterday.
“... G6 surprised me a lit-
tle bit because I expected G5.
I mean it wasn’t an unpleasant
surprise for me. These systems
are very playable,” he said.
“This game was a little bit
tougher than it should have
been but I am happy to win.
“The rest day has come
which I desperately needed,”
he said with a smile.
“I am going to play golf.
I mean I am terrible at golf
(smiles) but I love to play the
game. I will play with my sister
and brother-in-law. I think that
will be good,” he added.
World’s third-ranked play-
er American Hikaru Nakamura
was held to a draw by Uzbeki-
stan’s Javokhir Sindarov. Na-
kamura has 4 points and is in
second place.
Dutchman Anish Giri,
world’s seventh-ranked player,
suffered his first loss of the
tournament to Rudik Makar-
ian. Giri has 3.5 points and has
fallen to 33rd place.
Giri’s loss to Makarian was
a surprise as he is one of the
most talented players in the
world.
However, Makarian played
a strong game and Giri was un-
Magnus Carlsen of Norway in action against India’s Grandmaster Bharath Subramaniam in the fifth round of
Qatar Masters Open 2023 chess championship at the Lusail Sports Hall on Sunday.
the standings at the end of the
fifth round with 5 points. Rus-
tum is a very talented player
and will be looking to maintain
his lead in the coming rounds.
Qatari chess player Hussein
Aziz expressed his happiness at
participating in the Qatar Mas-
ters, which includes a number
of world champions and is
considered one of the strong-
est open tournaments on the
global stage.
“I am certainly happy to be
present in the third edition of
India’s GM SL Narayanan (left) against compatriot GM D Gukesh during the tournament,” Aziz said.
in the fifth round of Qatar Masters Open 2023 on Sunday. “I have been present in
the previous two editions and
able to recover from his early Nubairshah Shaikh Mohamed. I know that the competition
mistakes. Erigaisi and Nakamura are is very difficult in light of the
Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi, both within a half-point of the presence of the top seeds in the
seeded sixth in the tourna- lead, and they will be looking world as well as the holders of
ment, drew with Kazakh Ri- to close the gap in the coming international titles,” he added.
nat Jumabayev. Erigaisi has 4 rounds. Erigaisi is a rising star “I was able to achieve good
points and is in 4th spot. Also in the chess world and he has results with 5 rounds of the
yesterday, Uzbek GM Nodirbek already defeated several top- tournament and I am some-
Abdusattorov beat Indian GM ranked players in this tourna- what satisfied with the out-
Venkataraman Karthik to sit ment. Nakamura is a former come. I will strive to gain more
confident at 4 points after the world champion and he is points during the remaining
fifth round. always a threat in any tourna- four rounds in order to im-
In other results, UAE’s ment he enters. prove my international rank-
Salem Abdul Rahman lost to The sixth round competi- ing,” he added.
Iran’s Parham Maghsoodloo tions will start tomorrow at Aziz stressed taking part in
while Seyed Khalil Mousavi 3:00pm. the Qatar Masters tournament
(Iran) drew with Grigoriy Opa- In the International B in the presence of players like
rin of the US, and Algerian Bilel Championship, Tolentino Rus- Carlsen and Nakamura was a
Bellahcene defeated India’s tum of the Philippines is top of memorable experience.
 Sports Monday, October 16, 2023 13
INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY Hertha’s Marius

Germany seek win against Mexico after

apologises
for fight, says
biggest mistake

successful start into Nagelsmann era of my life

DPA
BERLIN

DPA HERTHA Berlin goalkeeper

HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT
GERMANY will not rest on
their laurels after starting the
Julian Nagelsmann coach-
ing era with an encouraging
3-1 victory against the United
States as they aim to follow up
on Tuesday against Mexico.
“We are not here to just
whistle the La Paloma song.
We have won a game now and
it would be good if we win the
second one as well,” Nagels-
mann said after Saturday’s suc-
cess in Hartford.
Nagelsmann said there will
be changes on Tuesday in Phili-
delphia “because I want to see
everyone in a game, if possible,
not only in training.”
Union Berlin forward Kevin
Behrens and Bayer Leverkus-
en midfielder Robert Andrich
could earn their maiden caps,
after Stuttgart’s Chris Fuhrich
got his first minutes on Satur-
day from the 25-player squad.
Nagelsmann had replaced
Hansi Flick last month after a
series of poor results, and there
was wide-ranging praise for the
former Bayern Munich coach
and his players on Sunday.
The Bild paper spoke of “a
step in the right direction,” the
Süddeutsche Zeitung saw “the
class that is in this team,” and
Kicker sports magazine noted
that “Nagelsmann’s debut rais-
es hopes for the Euros.”
Nagelsmann has a contract
until that tournament next year
in Germany, and is tasked with
forming a team that can make
the poor showings in recent
years, including two straight
group stage exits at the World
Cup and just four wins from
Flick’s last 17 games, forgotten.
Captain Ilkay Gündogan,
Head coach Julian Nagelsmann of Germany signals the ball is out on Christian Pulisic #10 of the United States during their International Friendly
against the United States at Rentschler Field in Hartford, Connecticut on Saturday. (AFP)
striker Niclas Füllkrug and
midfielder Jamal Musiala re-
versed the Americans’ lead
from Christian Pulisic as Ger-
many showed much more life
and class than during the Flick
era.
“I am looking forward to
the next episode. I am happy
for the team that there is posi-
tive feedback. It was important
to have a certain aesthetic in
our game. It looked good today,
we played proper and passion-
ate football,” he said.
“The basis for me is that
they have fun. The national
team is not a daily routine,
it’s passion and passion, that’s
what I want to see and that was
good. It would be nice if the
series continued well - with a
happy ending would be even
better.”
Nagelsmann praised Bar-
celona’s Gündogan for having
played “an outstanding game,”
and named Brighton’s Pascal
Groß, who had replaced the ill
Joshua Kimmich and hit the
post early on, “a very smart and
intelligent” player.
Sporting director Rudi
Völler, who had acted as care-
taker coach in last month’s 2-1
over France after Flick had
to go, spoke of “a really good
start that whets or appetite for
more.”
Gündogan said that Nagels-
mann’s way of football was “a
bit different” than Flick’s and
Füllkrug stated: “The coach’s
ideas have power and take us to
the next level.” But the first haf
also some “familiar problems”
(Süddeutsche Zeitung) in de-
fence despite the return of vet-
eran 2014 World Cup winner
Mats Hummels, which were
addressed at half-time.
Nagelsmann agreed, saying
that “not everything was bril-
liant,” adding: “That is good,
that way I still have something
to do.”
Marius Gersbeck on Sunday
apologised to club members at
the annual assembly for his al-
tercation during a pre-season
training camp in Austria over
which he was fined by a Salz-
burg court.
Gersbeck said he made
“the biggest mistake of my life”
and pledged that in the future
“I will show you the person
Marius Gersbeck who regrets
his mistake and stands for the
right values and standards.
“Measure me by my ap-
pearance, statements and
actions,” he added. “As you
know, my return to the club is
subject to certain conditions.
Of course I accept that and will
fulfill it.”
Gersbeck was charged
with grievous bodily harm
by prosecutors in Salzburg
for fighting an Austrian man
in mid-July in Zell am See
which resulted in a broken
jaw and other injuries for the
victim.
Gersbeck could have faced
up to five years behind bars
but he expressed his regret in
court and apologized to the
victim. He was fined ?40,000
($42,300) and has no criminal
record.
Hertha suspended Gers-
beck after the incident but
gave him a second chance after
the verdict, and he returned to
team training on Monday.
Some club members did
not approve that he was given
a second chance and threat-
ened to quit, but Gersbeck
said he tried to get in contact
with these people and that
he was “happy that many of
them decided to remain loyal
to the club after our talks.”

Euro Qualifiers: Italy ease past Malta Thorup becomes new

4-0 to keep pressure on England
PA MEDIA/DPA
LONDON
ITALY secured a routine 4-0 vic-
tory over Malta on Saturday to
keep the pressure on England in
Group C of the Euro 2024 quali-
fiers.
Giacomo Bonaventura
opened the scoring for the Ital-
ians for his first-ever interna-
tional goal and Domenico Be-
rardi then scored twice - either
side of half-time - before Davide
Frattesi added a fourth in added
time.
Ukraine picked up an im-
portant three points in a bid for
their group-stage hopes after
they ran out 2-0 winners over
North Macedonia.
Ukraine opened the scor-
ing in rather fortunate fashion
as an Heorhiy Sudakov effort
from outside the area was heav-
ily deflected into the net to make
it 1-0.
The Ukrainians had to wait
till stoppage time to rubber
stamp the points when Olek-
sandr Karavayev spotted goal-
keeper Stole Dimitrievski off his
line before firing home.
trainer at Augsburg
Giacomo Bonaventura (centre) opened the scoring for the Italians for
his first-ever international goal.
In Group G, Hungary put
themselves in the driving seat to
qualify from the group after they
defeated Serbia 2-1 at home.
Barnabas Varga put the
hosts ahead after 21 minutes
and they were pegged back 12
minutes later through Strahinja
Pavlovic, but Hungary instantly
regained their lead when the
ball fell for Roland Sallai, who
let fly from 25 yards to win the
match.
Lithuania registered their
first win of the qualifiers at the
sixth attempt thanks to defend-
er Pijus Sirvys’ double either
side of half-time to beat 10-man
Bulgaria 2-0.
Three minutes after Adrian
Kraev was sent off for a second
bookable offence, Lithuania
opened the scoring on the stroke
of half-time after Sirvys bundled
the ball home from a corner and
he doubled their advantage 10
minutes after the break to pick
up their first three points of the
competition.
In Group H, Northern Ire-
land wrapped up a 3-0 victory
over lowly San Marino.
Paul Smyth opened the scor-
ing for the home side at Windsor
Park in superb fashion with his
scissor-kick from inside the area
and they doubled their advan-
tage six minutes later through
Josh Magennis before adding a
third - nine minutes from time
- when Conor McMenamin net-
ted his first international goal
from close range.
Slovenia strengthened their
grip on qualifying following a
3-0 rout over Finland.
Leipzig forward Benjamin
Sesko netted twice in the first
half, firstly from the penalty
spot before he raced through
on goal and buried his second
and all three points were rub-
ber stamped in stoppage-time
thanks to Eric Janza’s strike.
Denmark stayed level on
points with Slovenia to occupy
the top two spots after they
earned a 3-1 win over Kazakh-
stan.
DPA
MUNICH
THE Dane Jess Thorup has
been appointed the new head
coach at Bundesliga club Augs-
burg, the southern German
club announced on Sunday
evening.
The 53-year-old will be
given a contract until June 30,
2025, it said. He will succeed
Enrico Maaßen, with whom
Augsburg parted ways on Oc-
tober 9.
Thorup had been without a
club for more than a year - be- Jess Thorup.
fore that he had led Copenha-
gen to the league title and the to success.” Augsburg present-
Champions League. ed the new coach in time for the
“We are delighted that in international break to prepare
Jess we have been able to at- the team for its next match on
tract a football professional October 22 at Heidenheim.
and person to [Augsburg] who Thorup, who was an ac-
has been a head coach at the tive football player with KFC
highest level for many years Uerdingen in Germany, has a
and has a lot of experience at lot of work to do with the young
national and international lev- team after only two wins in the
el,” said Augsburg’s sporting past 19 competitive matches.
director Marinko Jurendic. Until his appointment, the
“Jess has proven in his pre- team had been coached on an
vious stations that he can both interim basis by U23 coach To-
develop players and lead teams bias Strobl.

England v Italy: Wembley revenge to seal place at Euro 2024?

PA MEDIA/DPA
LONDON
ALEXANDER Zverev made
it belatedly into round two at
Wimbledon and then insisted
his horror ankle injury is behind
him.
The German, back in action
this season after requiring sur-
gery on the ankle ligaments he
tore in last year’s French Open
semi-final against Rafael Nadal,
had to wait until day four to play
his opening match due to the
rain in south-west London.
He quickly made up for lost
time, however, beating Dutch-
man Gijs Brouwer 6-4 7-6 (4)
7-6 (5) on Court One.
“Am I pleased to be in the
second round? Very, yeah. It
took me three days, but I’m
here. I’m happy about that,” he
said.
“No, look, the tournament
starts when the tournament
starts. For further matches, it’s
not going to be easy because the
big difference between here and
normal tournaments is we’re
playing best-of-five sets.
“But I hope that I’ll be fine.
I hope that I am physically pre-
pared for this kind of moment.
“It’s not helpful, let’s put it
that way, but it is what it is.
Nobody has a magic switch
for the rain. Nobody can do any-
thing about that.
“Usually winning in three
sets at slams is great. Especially
in this case it’s even better for
me.”
Zverev let out a blood-
curdling scream after slipping
two, seeded 19th here, was side-
lined until February but believes
he is now fully fit and firing.
“I mean, I proved at this
year’s French Open that my
fitness is at a good stage,” he
added.
“I think I’m not think-
ing about these kind of things
anymore. That’s usually a good
sign, when you’re not thinking
about it. It means that you’re
prepared.
“For now, as I said, I played
three sets. I feel pretty fresh and
I feel pretty ready to go.”
Former runner-up Matteo
Berrettini was another playing
England players celebrate their win on the pitch during the international catch-up after his match with
friendly match against Australia at Wembley in London recently. (AFP) fellow Italian Lorenzo Sonego
was suspended on Wednesday
on the clay at Roland Garros crutches. night.
last year and left the court on The former world number Berrettini, who has endured
an injury-hit season, was un-
happy that the match continued
for so long with the court condi-
tions becoming slippery.
The pair resumed on Thurs-
day with Berrettini 2-1 up and
he eventually came through in
four sets.
Afterwards, he said: “I think
sometimes it’s just a little bit
weird, like, supervisors or refer-
ees dress up with sneakers and
say ‘no, it’s playable’. It has to be
a little bit more than that.
“I get, for example, that they
wanted to finish the tie-break,
but we fell three times in the tie-
break. I think it’s really tough.
“I know everybody was in a
rush. Everybody wanted to fin-
ish the match. But when it’s not
safe, it’s dangerous, you don’t
want to get injured.”
14 Monday, October 16, 2023
QATAR NATIONAL SPRINT: CHEBLI EXTENDS LEAD; DE JAGER AND OTHERS EXCEL
The Qatar National Sprint returned with thrilling action after a seven-month break on Saturday as Mansour Chebli and Page De Jager clinched victories in two race categories each while Jad Alawar impressed by winning
two podium spots in the fourth round of the popular series at the Lusail Circuit Sports Club Car Park. Chebli – driving two Renault Clios - recorded the fastest lap times to win both Open Class 1 and Production Class 1 to ex-
tend his championship lead. Jager won Open Class 1 in her Mitsubishi Eclipse before securing victory in the women’s category later. Alawar won the Open Class 2 in his Mitsubishi Evo 8 and came second in the Open Class
01 event in a Renault Clio. Maher Serre and Francesco Fornaciari emerged victorious in the Production Classes 2 and 3 respectively. The fifth and penultimate round of the series, organized by the Qatar Motor and Motorcy-
cle Federation (QMMF), will be held on November 25.
Hamilton faces second
FIA probe for walking
across track in Qatar
PA MEDIA/DPA
LONDON
LEWIS Hamilton is facing a
second investigation by For-
mula One’s governing body for
walking across the track at last
weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix.
Hamilton, 38, was fined
$52,500 - half of which is sus-
pended for the remainder of
the season - in the hours after
the race in which he crossed the
circuit following a first-corner
crash with Mercedes team-
mate George Russell.
But seven days on from
the incident in Lusail, and in
a largely unprecedented move,
the FIA has said Hamilton’s ac-
tions are again under review.
A spokesperson for the gov-
erning body said on Sunday:
“The FIA is revisiting the inci-
dent in which Lewis Hamilton
crossed a live track during the
Qatar Grand Prix.
“The FIA notes that Lewis
IOC approves double allocation of
2030 and 2034 Winter Olympics
DPA
BERLIN
The hosts of the 2030 and 2034
Winter Olympics can be named
in a double allocation next
year, the International Olym-
pic Committee (IOC) decided
on Sunday.
The IOC agreement came
in a vote at the IOC Session in
Mumbai against the backdrop
of climate change and fewer
countries being able to stage
future Winter Games.
The vote means that the
IOC Winter Games Future
Host commission now has the
power to select a preferred can-
didate for both editions, to be
confirmed by the full member-
ship of the Olympic body.
The next IOC Session is
scheduled for July 2024 in Par-
is ahead of the Olympics in the
French capital.
So far there is interest from
from France, Switzerland and
Sweden for 2030, while 2002
Some IOC members want Bach toremain president beyond 2025
DPA
BERLIN
SEVERAL International Olym-
pic Committee (IOC) mem-
bers proposed on Sunday that
Thomas Bach should remain
IOC president beyond his man-
date until 2025.
Such a move would require
a change of the Olympic Charter
and there was no outright dis-
missal from Bach on the idea.
The 69-year-old German
has been in office since 2013
and under current rules the
IOC president can only serve
for a maximum 12 years.
Speaking at the 141st IOC
Session in Mumbai, IOC mem-
bers Mustapha Berraf of Al-
geria, the president of African
was apologetic during the sub-
sequent stewards’ hearing into
the incident and acknowledged
that the crossing was a serious
safety breach.
“However, in view of his
role model status, the FIA is
concerned about the impres-
sion his actions may have cre-
ated on younger drivers.”
Following the original in-
vestigation, in which Hamil-
ton was also reprimanded, the
stewards noted that “crossing a
live track can cause extremely
dangerous situations and the
drivers have to be very cautious
about it.”
It is thought that under the
FIA’s rules, it is unlikely Ham-
ilton will face additional penal-
ties. But it is possible harsher
punishments could be handed
out in the future for a similar
infringement.
Hamilton will be back in
action at next weekend’s US
Grand Prix in Austin.
hosts Salt Lake City are inter-
ested mainly in 2034, future
host commission chairman
Karl Stoss of Austria said.
Japan’s Sapporo has with-
drawn from 2030 amid a widen-
ing bribery affair around the To-
kyo 2020 Games but may return
for 2034. Canada’s Vancouver
quit over financial uncertainty.
The next Winter Games
are 2026 in Milan/Cortina
d’Ampezzo, Italy. The 2030
host was originally to be elected
at the Mumbai Session but that
vote was pushed back to have
more time to study the impact
of climate change.
The IOC said on Friday two
reports have shown that only
10 countries would be able
to stage Winter Olympics by
2040, based on IOC require-
ments including average tem-
perature and sustainability via
existing venues. Stoss said that
at the moment 13 countries
were left, two in America, eight
in Europe and five in Asia.
Olympic committees, Luis Me-
jia Oviedo of the Dominican
Republic and Aicha Garad Ali
of Djibouti proposed a reform
of the charter to allow Bach to
stay on.
Oviedo said the IOC has to
“rely” on Bach’s leadership be-
yond 2025.
Bach said in response to
the proposals that he was “very
touched by your support and
friendship” and stressed the
IOC’s unity.
IOC vice-president John
Coates of Australia said as chair-
man of the IOC legal commission
that written proposals to change
the charter must be submitted 30
days before a Session and would
also have to be discussed by the
IOC executive board.
Sports
Bagnaia wins in Indonesia to reclaim
MotoGP lead, Martin crashes
AGENCIES
LOMBOK ISLAND (INDONESIA)
FRANCESCO Bagnaia restored
his lead in the MotoGP cham-
pionship with victory in Sun-
day’s Indonesia Grand Prix
at the Pertamina Mandalika
International Street Circuit on
the Indonesian resort island of
Lombok.
Spain’s Jorge Martin had
moved ahead of the Italian in
the standings after winning
Saturday’s sprint race but
crashed out on lap 14 while
leading.
Ducati’s Bagnaia moved
from 13th on the grid to claim
a sixth win of the season and
open an 18-point lead over
Martin.
Aprilia’s Maverick Vina-
les came in a close second and
Fabio Quartararo, of Yamaha,
was third.
“I think we were deserving
a race like this,” Bagnaia said
of his win. “(I was) doing the
maximum I could then when I
saw Martin going, I said to my-
self ‘take care of the tyres’ and
that was the correct thing. I am
very, very happy.”
Martin, 25, of Pramac Rac-
ing, had reeled in Bagnaia after
winning two of the previous
three grands prix and a fourth
consecutive sprint race to lead
the MotoGP championship - by
seven points - for the first time
in his career.
He looked set to complete
a sprint race-Grand Prix dou-
ble for the second successive
race weekend after catapulting
himself from sixth on the grid
to take an early lead.
Defending champion Bag-
naia, 26, has suffered mixed
fortunes since imperious early
season form was halted by a
serious crash at the Catalu-
nya Grand Prix in September,
which left him with “multiple
contusions”.
He had failed to win any
of the past four races since his
crash in Spain but responded
in Indonesia to wrestle back
control of the championship.
Frenchman Quartararo
said he was unhappy with his
speed but content with his spot
on the podium.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach (C)
greets students who are part of the Olympic Values Education Pro-
gramme (OVEP) as Indian former Olympic gold medallist Abhinav
Bindra (center L) watches during the first day of the 141st session of
the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Mumbai on Sunday. (AFP)
The next IOC Session is offi-
cially scheduled for July 2024 in
First-placed Ducati Lenovo Team痴 Italian rider Francesco Bagnaia celebrates with the winner’s trophy during
the podium ceremony after competing in the Indonesian Grand Prix MotoGP at the Mandalika International
Circuit in Kuta Mandalika, Central Lombok on October 15, 2023. (Photo by SONNY TUMBELAKA / AFP)
Ducati Lenovo Team’s Italian rider Francesco
Bagnaia competes in the Indonesian Grand Prix
MotoGP at the Mandalika International Circuit in
Kuta Mandalika, Central Lombok on Sunday. (AFP)
Bezzecchi heroics The race was marred by a se-
It was a superlative weekend ries of crashes in hot and humid
for Italian Marco Bezzecchi, the conditions, with only 14 riders
Mooney VR46 rider who sur- out of 21 finishing the race.
prised by riding just a week after Marc Marquez’s race ended
surgery on a broken collarbone. when he slid off the track in lap
Starting from ninth on the eight, with the Spaniard shout-
grid, he produced a heroic ride ing to the sky as he left his Hon-
to fifth behind Fabio Di Gian- da bike after a dismal weekend
nantonio. in which he also failed to com-
That kept him 63 points be- plete Saturday’s sprint race.
hind in the title race, which he Marquez will join Gresini
still has a slim chance of winning. Racing for the 2024 season.
The 1976 Olympic fencing
champion Bach was elected in
2013 in succession of Belgian
Jacques Rogge. Bach served an
initial eight-year term and was
re-elected for another four years
in 2021.
In what could be interpret-
ed as a different opinion, The
Japanese president of the world
governing gymnastics body,
Morinari Watanabe, said the
IOC “must be a role model” and
sports bodies require “high integ-
rity under good governance.”
He added in the direction of
Bach “I love you” as he praised
his leadership, which Bach an-
swered with “Thank you for your
love. I am very loyal to the Olym-
Paris ahead of the Games in the pic Charter. Being a core author
French capital. of this Olympic Charter drives
Results & Standings
1. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA/Ducati) 41min
20.293sec, 2. Maverick Vinales (ESP/Aprilia)
0.306, 3. Fabio Quartararo (FRA/Yamaha)
0.433, 4. Fabio Di Giannantonio (ITA/Ducati)
6.962, 5. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA/Ducati-VR46)
11.111, 6. Brad Binder (RSA/KTM) 11.228,
7. Jack Miller (AUS/KTM) 12.474, 8. Enea
Bastianini (ITA/Ducati) 12.684, 9. Alex Rins
(ESP/Honda) 22.540, 10. Aleix Espargaro
(ESP/Aprilia) 30.468
World championship standings
1. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA/Ducati) 346, 2.
Jorge Martin (ESP/Ducati-Pramac) 328 pts, 3.
Marco Bezzecchi (ITA/Ducati-VR46) 283, 4.
Brad Binder (RSA/KTM) 211, 5. Aleix
Espargaro (ESP/Aprilia) 177, 6. Maverick
Vinales (ESP/Aprilia) 165, 7. Johann Zarco
(FRA/Ducati-Pramac) 162, 8. Luca Marini
(ITA/Ducati-VR46) 144, 9. Jack Miller (AUS/
KTM) 135, 10. Fabio Quartararo (FRA/
Yamaha) 132
Selected: 16. Marc Marquez (ESP/Honda)
64.
Luca Marini, who imme-
diately lost his pole position to
Martin from the green light, saw
his day go from bad to worse
when he went down at turn 10 af-
ter being nudged by Brad Binder,
sliding off the track.
Bagnaia, Martin and
Bezzecchi will head to Australia
with just five race weekends left
to see who can come out on top
in one of the closest MotoGP
battles for years.
me to be more loyal to this Olym-
pic Charter,” Bach said.
IOC spokesman Mark Ad-
ams wouldn’t rule out that the
issue could possibly be discussed
at the next executive board meet-
ing in late November/early De-
cember. He also said that Charter
changes require a 2/3 majority
from the Session.
Should Bach really stay on
beyond 2025 on another term
that could affect other candidates
for the top job in world sport.
No one has officially declared
interest but World Athletics
president Sebastian Coe of Brit-
ain, chief organizer of the Lon-
don 2012 Games, has been men-
tioned along with Juan Antonio
Samaranch Jr, whose father led
the IOC 1980-2001.
 Sports Monday, October 16, 2023 15

Afghanistan shock England by 69

runs in huge World Cup upset
AGENCIES

DISPLAYING the valour that

best epitomises the people of
the strife-torn nation, Afghani-
stan caused one of the biggest Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam (C) shakes hands with his
upsets in the history of World teammates at the end of the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup
Cup as they outclassed defend- match against India in Ahmedabad on Sunday. (AFP)
ing champions England by 69
runs here on Sunday.
The Afghans’ epic triumph
against the overwhelming fa-
Raja provides
vourites, one of the game’s tra-
ditional heavyweights, was a re-
flection of the spirit and courage
Pakistan blunt
assessment after
of the battle-hardened tribe from
the country ravaged by years of
war and internal conflicts.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz gave
early impetus while Ikram
Alikhil provided the final flour-
ish to guide Afghanistan to a
competitive 284 all out after be-
ing put into bat.
The Afghan bowlers then
thrived under lights, dishing
out a collective effort to bundle
out England for 215 runs in 40.3
overs and register just their sec-
ond World Cup win, eight years
since their last against Scotland
in Australia.
While this was Afghanistan’s
first win in the ongoing tourna-
ment after two losses, England
slumped to their second defeat
from three games.
Rashid Khan (3/37) and
Mujeeb Ur Rahman (3/51) were
the pick of the Afghan bowlers.
Harry Brook (66 off 61) was
the only shining light in what
was a dismal batting display
from England.
Credit should also go to
former England batter Jona-
than Trott, who is the present
Afghanistan coach, for having
played a key role in the team’s
rise.
England did not have the
best of starts to their chase with
Fazalhaq Farooqi inflicting an
early blow in the form of Jon-
ny Bairstow, who was caught
plumb in front of the wicket in
the second over.
Farooqi generated pace and
troubled the English batters in
the beginning.
loss to India
AGENCIES ing against India, it’s such
an environment where it’s
FORMER captain Ramiz 99 per cent India fans and
Raja has slammed Pakistan crowds, you’re obviously
Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan (C) celebrates with teammate after taking the wicket of England’s Mark Wood (L) for producing an insipid overwhelmed. I understand
during the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday. (AFP) performance against India all of that.
in the ODI World Cup and “But Babar Azam has
termed the defeat as “hurt-
Scoreboard judge the pitch as their decision
to bowl first backfired with the ing” and “scarring”.
led this side for a good four
or five years, so you’ve got
AFGHANISTAN ENGLAND pitch offering enough assistance India had bundled out to rise to the occasion,” he
Rahmanullah Gurbaz run out (sub Willey/Buttler) .....80 J. Bairstow lbw b Fazalhaq Farooqi ......................... 2 to the bowlers in the second ses- Pakistan for a paltry 191 and added.
Ibrahim Zadran c Root b Rashid ..........................28 D. Malan c Ibrahim Zadran b Mohammad Nabi ...32
Rahmat Shah st Buttler b Rashid ........................... 3 J. Root b Mujeeb Ur Rahman ................................11
sion. then riding on Rohit’s brutal Raja urged Pakistan play-
Hashmatullah Shahidi b Root ..............................14 H. Brook c Ikram Alikhil b Mujeeb Ur Rahman .....66 Skipper Jos Buttler also fifty registered a seven-wick- ers to take a leaf out of India’s
Azmatullah Omarzai c Woakes b Livingstone........ 19 J. Buttler b Naveen-ul-Haq ...................................... 9 failed to rescue his side as he et win with nearly 20 overs book in handling pressure in
Ikram Alikhil c Curran b Topley ..............................58 L. Livingstone lbw b Rashid Khan .........................10 was cleaned up by Naveen-ul- to spare in Ahmedabad on such marquee clashes.
Mohammad Nabi c Root b Wood ........................... 9 S. Curran c Rahmat Shah b Mohammad Nabi .....10
Rashid Khan c Root b Rashid ..............................23 C. Woakes b Mujeeb Ur Rahman ............................ 9
Haq with a delivery that came in Saturday. “Credit to India for
Mujeeb Ur Rahman c Root b Wood ......................28 A. Rashid c Mohammad Nabi b Rashid Khan ......20 after pitching. “It’s going to hurt them. maintaining their presence
Naveen-ul-Haq run out (Buttler)............................. 5 M. Wood b Rashid Khan .......................................18 England continued to lose It’s scarring, it’s a pasting, in World Cup competitions
Fazalhaq Farooqi not out ........................................ 2 R. Topley not out ...................................................15 wickets in regular intervals as it’s a battering and they’ve against Pakistan. It’s not an
Extras: (lb1, nb3, w11) ........................................15 Extras: (lb4, nb1, w8) ..........................................13
Total: (All out, 49.5 overs) ..................................284 Total: (All out, 40.3 overs) ..................................215
Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran been outpaced and outplayed easy match for India also
Fall of wickets: 1-114 (Ibrahim Zadran), 2-122 (Rahmat Fall of wickets: 1-3 (Bairstow), 2-33 (Root), 3-68 and Chris Woakes also failed in all the three departments,” because there are emotions
Shah), 3-122 (Rahmanullah Gurbaz), 4-152 (Azmatullah (Malan), 4-91 (Buttler), 5-117 (Livingstone), 6-138 with the bat. Raja told the ICC Review involved, there are expecta-
Omarzai), 5-174 (Hashmatullah Shahidi), 6-190 (Curran), 7-160 (Woakes), 8-169 (Brook), 9-198 Earlier, opener Gurbaz gave Podcast. tions involved.
(Mohammad Nabi), 7-233 (Rashid Khan), 8-277 (Ikram (Rashid), 10-215 (Wood).
Alikhil), 9-277 (Mujeeb Ur Rahman), 10-284 (Naveen-ul- Bowling: Mujeeb Ur Rahman 10-1-51-3 (1w), Fazalhaq
the Afghans a flying start, scor- “If you can’t win, then “Then you’re supposed
Haq. Farooqi 7-0-50-1 (2w), Naveen-ul-Haq 6-1-44-1 (1nb), ing 80 off 57 balls, while number at least compete. Pakistan to win because it has been
Bowling: Woakes 4-0-41-0 (2w), Topley 8.5-1-52-1 (3w, Mohammad Nabi 6-0-16-2 (1w), Rashid Khan 9.3-1-37- 6 batter Alikhil made a solid 58 weren’t able to do that,” he happening for so many years
1nb), Curran 4-0-46-0 (2nb), Adil Rashid 10-1-42-3 3, Azmatullah Omarzai 2-0-13-0. off 66 deliveries, as Afghanistan said. that this can get you under
(1w), Wood 9-0-50-2, Livingstone 10-0-33-1, Root 4-0- Result: Afghanistan won by 69 runs
19-1. Toss: England.
recovered from a mid-innings The defeat was also Pa- a little bit of extra pressure.
collapse to post a good total. kistan’s eighth successive But they’ve handled it so
Off-colour in the first two loss in ODI World Cups to well,” he said.
The Kotla pitch also had onto the stumps. matches, Afghanistan openers India, and Raja said Pakistan Raja asked captain Babar
something for the spinners as Dawis Malan played cau- -- Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran would have to find a way to and other senior Pakistan
the ball kept low and turned un- tiously for his 32 off 39 balls (28) -- rose to the occasion, end the unwanted streak. players to rally around the
der lights. before handing a simple catch scoring the team’s 50 in just 6.3 “It’s a reality and Paki- youngsters so that they come
The in-form Joe Root, who to Ibrahim Zadran at short ex- overs. stan have got to do some- all guns blazing in their next
had scored back-to-back fifties, tra cover off Mohammad Nabi, The Afghan openers meant thing about it. They can’t be matches.
was done in by a Mujeeb deliv- as England stuttered to 68 for business and played copybook termed as ‘chokers’ against With two wins and four
ery that kept low and crashed 3. England completely failed to shots to score their runs. India because that’s not a points in their kitty, Pakistan
great tag to have. Somehow, still are very much in the mix
it’s a mental block, it’s a skill to enter the World Cup semi-
block as well,” said Raja, a finals.

Embattled Australia take on Sri Lanka member of Pakistan’s 1992

World Cup winning squad.
The 61-year-old admit-
“Babar Azam and the
senior players will have to
rally around some of the

in battle to re-discover winning touch

AGENCIES
THEIR house in complete
disarray after consecutive de-
feats, Australia will look to
wake up from their slumber
and return to winning ways
against an equally stuttering
Sri Lanka in the World Cup
here on Monday.
Both teams are in search
of their maiden win in the
tournament. While Australia
suffered humiliating losses
against India and South Afri-
ca, Sri Lanka faltered against
the Proteas and Pakistan.
Australia have looked like
a pale shadow of their domi-
nant selves in this tourna-
ment.
The five-time champions
sit ninth in the 10-team league
table owing to their horren-
dous Net Run Rate (-1.846),
while the Lankans are 7th on
the table with a NRR of -1.161.
The Aussies desperately
need to get their act together
if they want to keep their fate
in their own hands.
bat, suffering mini-collapses,
and are yet to cross 200 runs.
They were rocked by India’s
spin bowling in the opener
and then by the South African
pacers.
But facing the battered
and bruised Sri Lankan bowl-
ing attack could be the perfect
opportunity for the Australian
batters to find some form.
Squads:
Australia: Pat Cummins (c),
Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh
Inglis, Sean Abbott, Ashton
Agar, Cameron Green, Josh
Hazlewood, Travis Head, Mitch
Australia’s Sean Abbott (C), Cameron Green (2R) and Josh Hazlewood Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus
(L) attend a practice session on the eve of their 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket Stoinis, David Warner, Adam
World Cup match against Sri Lanka at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Zampa, Mitchell Starc.
Lucknow on Sunday. (AFP) Sri Lanka: Kusal Mendis (c),
Kusal Perera, Pathum Nis-
But it is easier said than istically sloppy in the field. sanka, Lahiru Kumara, Dimuth
done. Australia have lost The Australians have Karunaratne, Sadeera Samara-
seven of their last eight ODIs dropped a whopping six catch- wickrama, Charith Asalanka,
comprehensively. es in two games -- the most by Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh
During this tournament, any team so far in this edition Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage,
they have performed poorly of the World Cup. Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha
in all three departments of the Their bowling attack has Pathirana, Dilshan Madushan-
game. The Men from Down also looked toothless. They ka, Dushan Hemantha, Chamika
Under have been uncharacter- have failed miserably with the Karunaratne.
ted that Pakistan players go young kids and have got to
through immense pressure find an answer.
in a match against India, but “They’ve got to be brutal-
said they need to rise above ly honest in those team meet-
that. ings. I think that is where Pa-
“When you’re play- kistan need to start,” he said.
Quick read
Hurkacz outlasts Rublev in Shanghai final
Berlin: Hubert Hurkacz saved
a match point on Sunday as
he outlasted Andrey Rublev,
6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (10-8) to win the
Shanghai Masters title and
improve his chances of playing
at next month’s ATP Finals. The
16th-seeded Hurkacz survived
the match point at 6-5 in the
third-set tie-break before con-
verting his fourth match point Hubert Hurkacz with the trophy.
after 2 hours 9 minutes. He
had missed his first match point at 5-4 in the set. Hurkacz fired 21
aces and won 81% of his first-service points in the final in which
each player managed just one break. Fifth-seed Rublev, who had not
dropped a set in Shanghai into the final, had 13 aces. “It was such
a battle, especially emotionally,” Hurkacz said. “I had a match point
and Andrey hit an amazing serve and then he had a match point and
then I had some match points. It was back and forth and such a
tricky match. Andrey was playing some great shots.” (DPA)

India pacer Bumrah reveals inspiration for ‘temple point’ celebration

AGENCIES
INDIA quick Jasprit Bumrah
has turned to a new ‘temple
point’ celebration while also
taking the equal most wickets
so far at the ICC Men’s Cricket
World Cup 2023.
Jasprit Bumrah has
bounced back from a long
injury layoff to make an im-
mediate impact on this year’s
Cricket World Cup with eight
wickets in India’s opening three
matches.
The right-arm quick cur-
rently has the equal most wick-
ets at the tournament along
with New Zealand pair Mitch
Santner and Matt Henry.
The rush of scalps has given
Bumrah multiple opportunities “Usually I’m too tired to cel- of sizzling deliveries to finish
to call on a new ‘temple point’ ebrate. But that is one occasion with 2/19 and the player of the
celebration that has been lik- where I did celebrate.” match award.
ened to one used by England Bumrah started the tourna- India have now won their
and Manchester United foot- ment with six wickets against opening three matches of the
baller Marcus Rashford. Australia and Afghanistan, and Cricket World Cup in convinc-
The India star has previ- turned to the now iconic cele- ing fashion as they look to claim
ously revealed his interest in the bration after dismissing opener the trophy for the first time
English Premier League club. Ibrahim Zadran in the second of since 2011.
“I had no intentions of mak- those matches. “We’re not thinking about
ing it viral or spreading it every- The 29-year-old was again the momentum. The team is
where,” Bumrah told ICC Digi- crucial to India’s attack when right now thinking about recov-
tal Insider Tanvi Shah about they faced Pakistan, first tak- ery,” Bumrah said.
the celebration after India beat ing the new ball and tying down “We’ve played three games
Pakistan by seven wickets. openers Imam-ul-Haq and Ab- back-to-back and the result has
“It just came to my mind. I’d dullah Shafique. been on the good side because
seen Rashford do it as well. Bumrah returned when our preparation has been good.
“I thought it was cool. their arch-rivals were on the The team vibe is also good.”
There’s no particular big back India’s Jasprit Bumrah celebrates after taking the wicket of Afghanistan’s ropes and picked up the key India will head to Pune next
story behind it. At the end I de- Ibrahim Zadran (R) during the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup match wickets of Mohammad Rizwan where they will face Bangladesh
cided to do it. at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on October 11. (AFP) and Shadab Khan with a pair on October 19.
16 Monday, October 16, 2023
Fifth joint training forum for Zakat
agencies in GCC states kicks off
The forum will highlight strategic marketing, tactical marketing and marketing in charitable firms, among other topics
QNA
DOHA
THE fifth joint training forum
for Zakat agencies in the GCC
states kicked off under the title:
‘Creativity in Marketing Zakat
Institutions’ Projects’, in Doha
on Sunday.
Organised by Zakat Affairs
Department in collaboration
with the General-Secretariat of
GCC states, the event is being
held under the auspices of Min-
ister of Endowments (Awqaf)
and Islamic Affairs HE Gha-
nem bin Shaheen bin Ghanem
Al Ghanim.
The forum will shed the
light on numerous topics such
as marketing as one of the activ-
ities to figure out gaps in mar-
kets, offer products and ser-
vices to meet the entire needs
of clients from those products
and services, as well as handle
the notion of marketing and its
trends through time, its diverse
functions with clients, types of
clients and methods of dealing
with them separately.
The forum will also discuss
practical cases of marketing,
including strategic market-
ing, which commences before
companies and organisations
launch their products in mar-
kets. It might commence with
the start of the company and
is closely connected with the
company’s strategy as part and
parcel of it.
The forum will also discuss
tactical marketing, its essence
as daily and periodic technical
marketing operations to mar-
Qatar Foundation inclusive workshops highlight
connection between art, health and wellness
The interactive
sessions welcome
people of all ages
and abilities
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
CONTINUING its commit-
ment to accessibility and in-
clusion, Qatar Foundation
hosted two accessible art
workshops as part of its Art-
ful Minds exhibition – which,
in partnership with the Inter-
national Artists Doha, is cele-
brating the intersection of art,
health and wellness.
One of the accessible work-
shops hosted participants from
Qatar Foundation’s Ability
Friendly programme.
Attended by over 20 partic-
ipants ranging aged from seven
to 29, most of whom were par-
tially verbal, the workshop fo-
cused on puppet making.
Ameera Al Aji, Community
Art Lead at Qatar Foundation
(QF), who organised the work-
shops, said she was particularly
keen on ensuring the exhibi-
tion included workshops for
people of all abilities.
“For individuals who may
have difficulty expressing their
emotions verbally, art provides
a non-verbal form of commu-
nication and through it, they
can explore their creativity in-
dependently, making choices
about colors, techniques and
subjects,” she said, “all of which
ket a product or service, which
consists of products, prices
and places, in addition to theo-
retical marketing, structuring
marketing and creation of op-
erational plans.
The event will highlight
marketing in charitable in-
stitutions, marketing cam-
paigns in these institutions,
methods of planning them,
can contribute significantly
towards boosting their self-
esteem and overall wellbeing,
and expressing their thoughts
and emotions.”
The mother of a 13-year-old
The Last Word
along with other relevant
programmes such as govern-
ance of Zakat institutions,
governance of volunteer
work institutionalisation set-
ting strategic paths and per-
formance indicators in Zakat
institutions, as well as the
methods utilised in present-
ing the forums programme
and other topics.
girl with developmental delay
who participated in the work-
shop said, “My daughter does
art at home too but being at
this workshop allowed her to
be in a social setting with oth-
Head of the Zakat Services
Division of the Zakat Fund and
Chairman of the forum’s or-
ganising committee Mohamed
Jaber Al Baridi highlighted the
topics and vital scientific mate-
rials the forum is set to discuss,
including the key objectives
of the forum, particularly for
professionals and those who
market Zakat projects in GCC
er children, which was a great
change.
“At the end of the work-
shop, she went up to the front
and proudly showed everyone
her work, something that is
member states.
Baridi added that the fo-
rum is complementary to
the previous forums in GCC
states, affirming that it will
achieve significant benefits for
beneficiaries.
He thanked all partici-
pants from the GCC member
states, emphasising that their
participations underscore
completely out of character
for her as she is quite shy. As a
parent, witnessing my child do
that for the first time was very
special.”
The second workshop, fo-
the keenness to support the
forum to pay off and accom-
plish the norms and objec-
tives of this event.
Prominent trainer and
consultant in charitable work
and Director-General of Insan
Charity Association in Kuwait
Dr Mubarak Salem Al Azmi
said the forum comes con-
sidering the evolution of the
Zakat agencies in GCC states,
pointing out that Qatar had
previously hosted and organ-
ised many events that were
fully successful, including the
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
tournament.
It is essential for GCC states
to share expertise and experi-
ences, especially those related
to Zakat agencies because GCC
states as leaders and nations
are trained for philanthropy
and love of giving, Azmi point-
ed out, adding that this evolu-
tion in GCC states, Zakat insti-
tutions and agencies should be
institutionalised and digitised
in GCC states, in terms of do-
nation, delivery of assistance,
as well as prepare
transparent reports.
He underlined that this
procedure in GCC states made
a swift transition to satisfac-
tory results, adding that mar-
keting in charitable works has
characteristics and criteria
that differ from commercial
marketing, because Zakat
agencies are not intended
to eye financial or profitable
gains, but it is solely a giving
that will have an indelible im-
pact on the communities.
cused on sculpturing, was at-
tended by members of the Qa-
tar Social and Cultural Center
for Blind (QSCCB).
With 10 participants from
QCCB, including its chairman
Faisal Al Kooheji, the work-
shop saw participants use clay
to express their thoughts by
making different objects.
Ikrami Ahmed Fouad, a
braille instructor at Al Noor
Center for the Blind who par-
ticipated in the workshop,
said: “I am 33 years old and
blind by birth and in my whole
life, I never thought that visual
arts can be enjoyable and ac-
cessible to the blind and visu-
ally impaired.
“This workshop was tes-
tament to the fact that with
a little bit of adaptation and
assistance, everything can be
made accessible, and, more
importantly, how well a com-
munity that people don’t
think much of when it comes
to arts can do if their needs
are catered to. I hope to see
more such workshops, and
hopefully in a more system-
atic way where those that are
talented in arts can receive
intensive training and devel-
op their talent further.”
The Artful Minds exhibi-
tion is taking place until Oc-
tober 30 at the Art Gallery in
Multaqa (Education City Stu-
dent Center). Open to the pub-
lic, the exhibition offers visitors
an opportunity to explore the
transformative power of art
practices as a powerful tool for
self-expression and healing.