pu
bl TA 978
GULF TIMES
www.gulf-times.com
Pro-Palestine QU rally draws huge crowd
Amir to attend
GCC-Asean
Summit in
Riyadh today
His Highness the Amir Sheikh
Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani
will participate in the summit
of the GCC countries and the
Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (Asean), scheduled to be
held today, in the city of Riyadh
in the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia. His Highness the Amir is
accompanied by HE the Prime
Minister and Minister of Foreign
Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin
Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani,
and an official delegation. (QNA)
Amir receives phone
call from Spain PM
His Highness the Amir Sheikh
Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani received
a phone call yesterday from
Prime Minister of the Kingdom of
Spain Dr Pedro Sanchez. During
the call, they discussed relations
of co-operation and friendship
between the two countries. In
addition, they discussed regional
and international developments,
particularly developments in the
Palestinian territories. In that regard,
His Highness the Amir stressed
Qatar’s firm stance in condemning
all forms of targeting civilians and
the need to make more efforts to
reduce escalation, spare civilians
the consequences of fighting,
open safe corridors for relief and
humanitarian efforts in Gaza, and
ensure that violence does not
expand regionally. For his part, the
Spanish prime minister praised
His Highness the Amir’s role and
Qatar’s regional and international
diplomatic efforts. (QNA)
Amir receives phone
call from Dutch PM
His Highness the Amir Sheikh
Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani
received a phone call yesterday
from Prime Minister of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands
Mark Rutte. During the call,
they discussed relations of
co-operation and friendship
between the two countries. In
addition, they discussed regional
and international developments,
particularly developments in the
Palestinian territories. To Page 2
COMMUNITY
See Pages: 5 & 6
gulftimes
Protesters demand end QF schools show support for Palestine
to Israeli genocide
By Shafeeq Alingal
Staff Reporter
H
undreds of Qatar resi-
dents came together at
Qatar University (QU)
campus yesterday for the ‘Soli-
darity Stand in Support of Gaza’.
They held up placards and post-
ers while shouting slogans and
singing songs giving vent to their
ire against the continuing Israeli
occupation of Palestinian terri-
tory.
The event at the QU Library
premises was organised by the
QU Student Representative
Board (QUSRB) in collaboration
with the Ealia Club, dedicated
to the Palestinian cause. Rep-
resentatives from Qatar Char-
Gazans await aid as Israeli massacre continues
Agencies
Gaza Strip
P
alestinians in war-torn
Gaza yesterday eagerly
awaited the arrival of aid
trucks promised in a deal struck
by US President Joe Biden, as Isra-
el’s military kept up its bombard-
ment of targets in the Hamas-run
enclave.
Egyptian media said the Rafah
border crossing – the only one
in and out of besieged Gaza not
controlled by Israel – would open
today.
Eighteen Palestinians were
killed in a series of Israeli air
Palestinians work to rescue a boy trapped in the rubble following an Israeli strike on a house in
Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, yesterday
GulfTimes_QATAR
ity were present to collect do-
nations to support the people of
Gaza.
Donning the iconic Palestin-
ian Keffiyeh and waving the Pal-
estinian flag, the demonstrators
resonated with the global rage
over the continuing Israeli attack
on Gaza while urging measures
to end the assault. The songs of
resistance struck a chord with
the crowd with many passion-
ately echoing the singer on the
stage.
The gathering also held mass
prayers for Palestinians. The
speakers urged everyone to stand
with Palestine with prayers, do-
nations and intervention to con-
tain disinformation and smear
campaigns against the Palestin-
ians. To Page 12
strikes on Jabalia refugee camp in
northern Gaza strip, the Hamas-
run interior ministry said.
Sixteen Palestinian journalists
have been killed in the war in Gaza
since Israel began bombarding the
coastal enclave, the Palestinian
journalists’ union said.
Machinery to repair roads has
been sent through the Rafah bor-
der crossing from Egypt into the
Gaza Strip in preparation for the
delivery of some of the aid stock-
piled in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula,
two security sources said.
Rafah has been out of operation
since the first days of the conflict
following Israeli bombardments on
the Palestinian side of the border.
Students from a QF school express solidarity with Palestine.
More than 100 trucks carrying
aid have been queuing for days on
the Egyptian side of the border,
with the United Nations and oth-
ers calling for urgent help for be-
sieged civilians.
The emergencies director of
the World Health Organisation
(WHO), Michael Ryan, said aid
needed to get in “every day”, call-
ing an initial 20 trucks û the deal
struck by Biden with Israel and
Egypt – “a drop in the ocean of
need right now”.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav
Gallant told troops gathered at
the Gaza border that they will
soon see the Palestinian enclave
“from inside”, suggesting an ex-
Tents for Palestinians seeking refuge are set up on the grounds of a United Nations
Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) centre in Khan Yunis in the
southern Gaza Strip yesterday
FRIDAY
October 20, 2023
Rabia II 5, 1445 AH
www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals
gulftimes
pected ground invasion with the
aim of annihilating Hamas could
be nearing.
Israel pounded Gaza with more
air strikes following the October
7 rampage by Hamas resistance
fighters.
Israel has responded by vow-
ing to destroy Hamas, putting the
entire Gaza Strip’s 2.3mn people
under a total siege, and bombard-
ing the enclave in strikes that have
killed more than 3,700 and made
more than a million homeless.
Israeli troops killed nine Palestin-
ians in multiple clashes across the
occupied West Bank yesterday, the
Palestinian health ministry said.
At least 75 Palestinians have been
Q since
is
A 1
he R
d
in
Vol. XXXXIII No. 12803
GulftimesVideos
PICTURES : Thajudheen
S
tudents from across Qatar
Foundation (QF) schools
are coming together to ex-
press their solidarity with Pal-
estine, organising events across
the various campuses to show
their support, a statement said
yesterday.
One of these events included a
non-uniform day at Qatar Acad-
emy Msheireb (QAM) – part of
QF’s Pre-University Education
(PUE). Students and staff were
encouraged to wear the colours of
the Palestinian flag or traditional
Palestinian attire. The school also
hosted a variety of activities, such
as prayers and awareness sessions.
Lama Kalash, assistant prin-
cipal at QAM, emphasised the
event’s significance, describing it
as a unique opportunity for stu-
dents to raise awareness while
supporting Palestine. To Page 12
killed by Israeli troops or settlers in
the West Bank since the Gaza con-
flict erupted on October 7.
The latest deaths were seven
people killed during an Israeli “at-
tack on Nur Shams” refugee camp
in the northern West Bank, the
ministry said.
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince said
that attacks on civilians in Gaza
were “heinous” and warned of
“dangerous repercussions” should
the war between Israel and Hamas
expand, state media reported.
Mohamed bin Salman, the Gulf
kingdom’s de facto ruler, made his
comments during a meeting with
British Prime Minister Rishi Su-
nak. Page 7
2 Gulf Times
Friday, October 20, 2023

QATAR
PM meets UK Secretary of State PM meets Liberian foreign minister

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim
al-Thani received Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom James Cleverley, who is
currently visiting the country. The meeting dealt with discussing the latest developments in the Palestin-
ian territories and Israel, and ways to reduce the escalation. During the interview, HE Sheikh Mohamed
expressed Qatar’s firm position in condemning all forms of targeting of civilians, and that killing innocent HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-
civilians, especially women and children, and practicing the policy of collective punishment is unaccept- Thani met at his Amiri Diwan office with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Liberia Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah
able under any pretext. HE the Prime Minister stressed the necessity of opening humanitarian corridors Sr who is visiting the country. The meeting discussed aspects of co-operation between the two countries
to ensure that relief and aid reach the Palestinians stranded in the bombing. (QNA) and ways of promoting them. (QNA)

Amir receives phone

call from Dutch PM Qatar National Archive board holds meeting
From Page 1

In that regard, His Highness the

Amir stressed Qatar’s firm stance in
condemning all forms of targeting
civilians and the need to make
more efforts to reduce escalation,
spare civilians the consequences
of fighting, open safe corridors
for relief and humanitarian efforts
in Gaza, and ensure that violence
does not expand regionally. For
his part, the prime minister of the HE the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Qatar National Archive Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah chaired the
Netherlands praised His Highness third meeting of the board at the Qatar National Archive building yesterday. The meeting dealt with the topics
the Amir’s role and the diplomatic on its agenda, foremost of which the secretary-general’s presentation on the latest developments and future
Qatar’s permanent representative efforts of Qatar regarding the
situation in Gaza. (QNA)
plans of the Qatar National Archive. Appropriate decisions were taken in their regard. (QNA)

to UN partakes in emergency media

session on Gaza hospital massacre

H
E the Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the Unit-
ed Nations Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani participated in
the Arab Group’s emergency media session on the Al Ahli Baptist
Hospital massacre in Gaza Strip, at the United Nations headquarters in
New York. The Arab Group condemned the brutal attack committed by
Qatar calls on parliaments
the Israeli occupation against defenceless civilians, and called on the Se-
curity Council to condemn the ongoing crimes against the Palestinians
and take appropriate measures for an immediate ceasefire in the region.
(QNA)
to denounce Israeli actions
QNA and to put pressure on governments
Minister receives phone call Cairo to condemn them, given Israel’s
non-compliance of international
from Australian assistant FM agreements and international reso-

T
he Arab Parliament’s Pales- lutions issued by the United Na-
tine Committee discussed tions. She stressed the need to bind
HE the Minister of State for International the escalations in Palestine, Israel to international agreements
Co-operation at the Ministry of Foreign the most recent of which was the and document its crimes in order
Affairs Lolwah bint Rashid AlKhater occupation forces bombing of the to prosecute its leaders for violating
(pictured) received a phone call from Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza, in the laws of war and relevant agree-
Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs of a meeting held at the Arab Parlia- ments at the International Criminal
Australia Tim Watts. During the call, the two ment Headquarters in Cairo. Court.
sides discussed aspects of the bilateral co- Shura Council Member and For their part, the committee
operation, in addition to the developments member of the Palestine Commit- members condemned what the
in Gaza Strip and means of joint co- tee Shaikha bint Yousuf al-Jufairi occupation forces were commit-
operation in the field of humanitarian represented Qatar at the meeting. ting against defenceless civil-
aid for the strip. The Australian Assistant Al-Jufairi stressed that the recent Shura Council Member and member of the Palestine Committee Shaikha ians, considering that targeting
Minister for Foreign Affairs extended expansion of Israeli attacks in Gaza bint Yousuf al-Jufairi represented Qatar at the Arab Parliament meeting. the hospital was a war crime and
thanks to the State of Qatar for its efforts to include civilian facilities like holding the international com-
to reduce escalation and protect civilians. hospitals and schools, and the kill- and heinous crime against defence- estinian people, most notably the munity responsible for its silence,
(QNA) ing of children, the elderly, women, less civilians, and a blatant violation establishment of its independent and the major countries’ support
and populated areas is a grave es- of the provisions of international state on the 1967 borders with East for the occupying entity responsi-
calation that portends dire conse- law and international humanitarian Jerusalem as its capital, noting the ble for the killing of civilians. The
Qatar attends OIML meetings in Thailand quences for the security and stabil- law. She also highlighted Qatar’s active Qatari role in attempts to find attendees stressed their categori-
ity of the region. firm position, since the beginning solutions to the current crisis. The cal rejection of the liquidation of
Qatar, represented by Qatar General Organisation for Standards and Al-Jufairi slammed the Israeli of the current crisis, on the justice Shura Council member called on the Palestinian cause and their
Metrology (QS), took part in the 58th session of the International occupation’s bombing of the Bap- of the Palestinian issue and the le- all parliaments of the world to con- support and solidarity with the
Organisation of Legal Metrology (OIML) which was concluded in tist hospital as a brutal massacre gitimate rights of the brotherly Pal- demn and denounce these actions, Palestinian people.
Chiang Mai, Thailand. Qatar was represented at the meetings of OIML’s
International Committee of Legal Metrology (CIML) by Assistant
Chairman of Qatar General Organisation for Standards and Metrology Eng
Nawaf Ibrahim al-Hamad al-Mana, and Director of Central Laboratories
Department Juhaina Abdulrahman al-Derham. The three-day meetings
Amiri Land Forces conclude Nasr 2023 exercise
reviewed the financial and administrative reports of the organisation, in
addition to a comprehensive report presented by OIML chairman on the
technical activities of the committee, the membership of countries, and
the activities and fields that were developed during the previous year. The
meetings also discussed aspects of co-operation between OIML and other
regional organisations for legal standards with the aim of co-ordination,
co-operation and ensuring non-repetition of activities. The Qatari
delegation participated in the seminar held by the OIML on Monday under
the title ‘The Future of the OIML in the Digital Era’, to discuss theses about
digitisation in the field of metrology, and what benefits and opportunities
for legal metrology can be expected from digitalisation, in addition to
a number of topics dealt with the future development of inspection
and testing activities and facilities in light of the rapid technological
development

Katara Arab Novel

Festival ends today
The Amiri Land Forces concluded the Nasr 2023 exercise, with participation of friendly Italian forces, under the patronage of HE the Deputy
Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah and in the presence of HE Chief of Staff of the Armed
Forces Staff Lieutenant-General (Pilot) Salem bin Hamad al-Nabit. The exercise aimed to raise the level of the Qatari Armed Forces in all special-
ties, and raise efficiency and combat readiness. The conclusion of the exercise was attended by Italian Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto, and
a number of senior officer commanders in the Qatari Armed Forces. (QNA)

The activities of the Katara Arab Novel Festival in its 9th session will
conclude today. Many events were held over the Novel Week from
October 13, including the Katara Book Fair with the participation of
23 publishing houses and libraries. An exhibition of the biography
of Ihsan Abdel Quddus, was chosen for the occasion as the person-
ality of the year. It also documented the women of his novels who
appeared in Egyptian cinema. As many as 75 of Ihsan’s novels were
adopted into cinematic works.
 Gulf Times
Friday, October 20, 2023 3

QATAR
Qatar participates in 9th Conference of Environment Ministers in Islamic World
Qatar participated in the 9th Conference
of Environment Ministers in the Islamic
World, hosted by Saudi Arabia in co-
operation with the Islamic World Educa-
tional, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
(ICESCO) in Jeddah. HE the Minister of
Environment and Climate Change Sheikh
Dr Faleh bin Nasser bin Ahmed bin Ali
al-Thani chaired Qatar’s delegation to the
conference that was held under the theme
‘Toward Achieving Green Transforma-
tion in the Islamic World’. The two-day
conference, which concluded yesterday,
discussed a number of reports and topics
related to environmental issues and sus-
tainable development in the Islamic world,
as well as activating joint environmental
and development work. (QNA)

MoI holds seminar on security,

safety of public transportation
QNA
Doha

A
symposium organised by
the Security Research and
Studies Center at the Police
Academy in co-operation with the
Public Transport Security Depart-
ment at the Ministry of Interior
(MoI) shed light on strategies for
securing public transportation, in
light of Qatar’s experience in the
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The symposium, which was at-
tended by a number of officials and
officers in the Ministry of Interior
and representatives of relevant au-
thorities was entitled “Security
and Safety of Public Transporta-
tion: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
as a Model.” It discussed a number
of topics, including the experience
of securing public transportation
during the World Cup, experienc-
es and expertise in this field, and
readiness and preparedness for the
security and safety of public trans-
portation.
Head of the Public Transport
Security Department at the MoI
Colonel Salem Sultan al-Nauimi
reviewed the department’s role in
securing public transportation and
its various forms of infrastructure,
and the patterns of co-operation
with partners in the planning, de-
velopment process and achieving
goals according to performance
indicators. He touched on the de-
partment’s experience during the
World Cup in Qatar, pointing out
that the concept of security was
The symposium discussed a number of topics, including the experience of securing public transportation
during the World Cup, experiences and expertise in this field, and readiness and preparedness for the security
and safety of public transportation.
adopted in the design and a secu-
rity model was developed based on
security risk management, while
employing the latest modern tech-
nologies in the insurance process.
Colonel al-Nuaimi indicated
that this approach necessitates
the establishment of important
frameworks for preparedness and
response to accidents, emergen-
cies and crises in co-operation
with partners, stressing that
the department’s mission was
crowned with success in ensuring
smooth movement of visitors and
fans during the tournament.
For his part, Director of Secu-
rity Research and Studies Centre
Lt Col Dr Jassim Mohamed al-
Obaidly pointed out that the or-
ganisation of the symposium came
from the standpoint of strength-
ening co-operation frameworks
between the centre and the vari-
ous departments in the ministry
and out of belief in the importance
of the security and safety of pub-
lic transportation. He stressed the
importance of the role of the au-
thorities concerned with public
transportation in upgrading and
employing it, in order to achieve
national development goals, en-
hance flexibility in the transporta-
tion system, highlight integration
in transportation operations, and
benefit from the experience of the
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The working papers at the sym-
posium, presented by a number
of stakeholders in transportation,
touched on the importance of pub-
lic transportation in national de-
velopment and the Qatar National
Vision 2030, the operational proc-
esses of the Doha Metro during
the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022,
transportation services during
the World Cup, and the role of the
Public Transport Security Depart-
ment in securing the public trans-
portation system in Qatar.
Two papers entitled ‘Integrated
Transport System’, and ‘Mecha-
nisms for Benefiting from the Or-
ganisation of the FIFA World Cup
Qatar 2022, and Their Application
in Police Security Training’ were
also presented.
The sessions included fruitful
discussions that touched on the
important role of the transporta-
tion sector, which consolidates the
state’s leadership in this sector in
accordance with the highest in-
ternational standards, and in a way
that enhances its efforts to upgrade
its infrastructure to the highest
levels. (QNA)

PHCC marks International Infection Prevention Week

T
he Primary Health Care
Corporation (PHCC) cel-
ebrated until yesterday the
International Infection Prevention
Week (IIPW), bearing the slogan
‘Celebrating the Fundamentals of
Infection Prevention.’
This year’s campaign targeted
all PHCC staff and health centre
patients, as well as community
members to raise awareness of
the importance of infection pre-
vention, establish good infection
prevention practices, and encour-
age community and staff to follow
proper procedures and practices to
prevent infection and reduce ill-
ness and deaths from infection.
“PHCC strives for establishing
strategies for proper procedures
Dr Ahmad Hashem
(IPAC) co-ordinator at PHCC’s
Communicable Diseases and In-
fection Prevention Department.
The campaign also focused on
spreading comprehensive aware-
ness among staff and patients
at health centres to prevent the
spread of infection, given that
many microbes are transmit-
lenges. PHCC ensures to prevent
infection at health centres by pro-
viding alcohol-based detergents
and raising awareness among its
staff and patients about hand hy-
giene through holding events and
creating educational material.
Hand washing with water and
soap is one of the most effective
and inexpensive ways to prevent
the spread of many kinds of patho-
genic infections, such as diarrhoea
and pneumonia, the major cause of
mortality among children. Every
year, around 3.5mn children un-
der the age of five die due to diar-
rhoea and pneumonia. Dr Hashem
explained that antibiotics are a
powerful weapon against bacterial
infections, but they do not work

QCAA holds regional meet on and practices to prevent infection

through lectures and workshops
delivering health education, as
adhering to personal hygiene and
ted through direct contact at the
workplaces. The Covid-19 pan-
demic shed light on the vital role of
against viral colds and the flu, not-
ing they should be used only when
necessary. To limit the spread of
IPAC practitioners. They continue infections that cause respiratory

aviation safety enhancement proper cough and sneeze etiquette

is a key element for infection pre-
vention,” said Dr Ahmad Hashem,
Infection Prevention and Control
QNA
Doha
to actively work in preventing
healthcare-associated infections
and flu outbreaks and overcome
diseases, such as influenza, severe
pneumonia, and Covid-19, cough
and sneeze etiquette should be fol-
other daily infection-related chal- lowed, he added.

Q QFA, National Service Academy sign accord

atar, represented by Qatar
Civil Aviation Authority
(QCAA), hosted the Fifth
Safety Enhancement Initiatives
Group meeting (SEIG/5) of the QNA pact as it aims to support and facili- near future. For his part, President
Middle East Regional Aviation Doha tate co-operation between the QFA of the National Service Academy
Safety Group, which operates and the National Service Academy. Major General Hamad bin Ahmed
under the International Civil It will positively support and de- al-Nuaimi praised the co-operation

Aviation Organisation (ICAO)
Regional Office.
In addition to hosting the
meetings of the National Contin-
uous Monitoring Co-ordinator
(NCMC), and the National Avia-
tion Safety Plan (NASP) work-
shop from Oct 15-19, 2023, with
the participation of 14 countries.
This meeting is part of the organ-
isational structure of the Region-
al Aviation Safety Group (RASG-
MID) for the Middle East region,
which was formed by a decision
of the ICAO Council.
The participation of member
states is mandatory, as part of their
commitment to implement what is
stated in the Global Aviation Safe-
ty Plan (GASP) and the roadmap
agreed upon within the framework
of the decisions issued by ICAO
General Assembly meetings.
Achieving and ensuring air
safety is an obligation that falls
on all member states by imple-
menting the necessary require-
ments, and ensuring that opera-
tors and service providers comply
with those requirements in the
implementation of global, re-
gional, and national safety plans.
Qatar is considered one of the
leading countries in achieving
the highest rates of compliance
with air safety standards, and is
also one of the most prominent
countries participating in the
“No Country Left Behind” initia-
tive, due to Its previous expertise
and experience, and effective role
and contributions in achieving
further development of the civil
aviation sector in the world.
T
he Qatar Football Associa-
tion (QFA) and the Ministry
of Defence, represented by the
National Service Academy, signed
a memorandum of understanding
(MoU) for the creation of a foot-
ball team under the name ‘National
service team’ to participate in U-19
competitions.
The national service team will
take part in the U-19 competitions
organised and supervised by the
QFA after the conditions and regu-
lations set by the QFA are met. At a
press conference held on this occa-
sion, President of the QFA Jassim bin
Rashid al-Buainain affirmed that the
agreement would have a great im-
velop talented Qatari athletes who
possess athletic and physical quali-
fications and abilities according to
high standards that qualify them to
represent the country in competi-
tions and sporting events regionally
or internationally, he added.
He continued by saying that the
major objectives behind the MoU
include providing opportunities for
Qatari players in accordance with
certain goals, expanding the base of
national players by participating in
the U-19 league, and holding many
training courses for members of the
National Service Academy, hoping
that it becomes an essential con-
tributor to the Qatari teams in the
with the QFA, pointing out that the
participation of the National Serv-
ice team in the U-19 league will be
an opportunity to develop talent
and enhance the spirit of belonging
among all players.
Al-Nuaimi added that the par-
ticipation with this team would
undoubtedly enhance the spirit
of unity among national service
personnel and provide the oppor-
tunity for young people to practice
their sporting hobbies. He called
on different sports federations to
follow the example of the QFA,
noting that the National Service
Academy has young national tal-
ents in various games.
4 Gulf Times
Friday, October 20, 2023
QATAR
The Msheireb Museums
Msheireb Museums getting
ready to host cruise tourists
M
sheireb Museums, home
to four historic heritage
houses restored in the
broader sustainable Smart City
development of Msheireb Down-
town Doha, is getting ready to host
tourists arriving on Qatar Tour-
ism’s (QT) cruise ships during the
2023/2024 season.
This collaboration is designed to
immerse visitors in Qatar’s vibrant
history and traditions, brought
to life through the immersive ex-
hibitions and events hosted by
Msheireb Museums, a statement
said yesterday.
“We are thrilled to continue our
work with Qatar Tourism to offer
visitors a rich path through which
to explore the history and culture
of Qatar as Msheireb Museums be-
came a favoured destination dur-
ing past seasons. Msheireb Muse-
ums exists to educate and inspire,
and to help each visitor see a new
historic dimension,” said Moham-
ed al-Yousuf, operations manager
at Msheireb Museums.
The busy winter cruise sea-
son typically kicks off in October
through January each year when
the country hosts over 80 cruise
ships each day through the Doha
Port. Msheireb Museums’ col-
laboration with QT is designed to
Around 60 participants from the new nurses in schools and programme supervisors from the MoPH and the
PHCC participated in the two workshops.
MoPH trains school nursing cadres
on student growth chart programme
QNA
Doha
I
n co-operation with the Min-
istry of Education and Higher
Education (MoEHE), Hamad
Medical Corporation (HMC), and
Primary Health Care Corpora-
tion (PHCC), the Ministry of Pub-
lic Health (MoPH) organised two
workshops on the implementation
of the WHO growth chart pro-
gramme on school students in Qa-
tar aged 5-19 years.
Around 60 participants from
the new nurses in schools and
programme supervisors from the
MoPH and the PHCC participated
in the two workshops. Acting Di-
rector of the Health Promotion
Department at the MoPH Dr Salah
al-Yafei said: “The MoPH has been
implementing the growth plans
programme in the State of Qatar
schools since the academic year
2014-2015, as part of the ministry’s
attention and concern on children’s
health. The aim of implement-
ing the programme is to provide a
database and build a surveillance
All set for Alban Night
A
lban Night is set to transform The Torch Doha into a haven of
glamour and luxury on October 27 in a grand celebration of fash-
ion, sophistication, and opulence, it was announced.
According to Visit Qatar, this unique women-only event promises an
evening immersed in style, uniting women from various backgrounds in
a cultural fusion. Alban Night, described as a highlight on Doha’s social
calendar, serves as a vibrant platform for showcasing the peak of fashion
trends.
According to the organisers, the dazzling gold collection will be the
crowning jewel of the evening. The fashion exhibitions will showcase the
newest creations. Culinary offerings will ensure a delightful experience
that perfectly complements the evening’s lavish atmosphere. A musical
accompaniment will add to the celebration’s sophisticated essence, the
organisers added.
elevate the visitor experience in
what is fast becoming Doha’s cul-
tural quarter.
“The cruise ship tours are a vital
pillar in achieving Qatar’s National
Tourism Sector Strategy to become
the fastest growing tourist desti-
nation in the Middle East by 2030.
Each season brings new successes
to the country’s cruise sector, in
terms of growing visitor numbers,
additional cruise route launches
to Doha, and an increase in the
number of layover trips through
Doha” said Maryam Saoud, head
of the Tourism Product Support
Section at QT.
The four heritage houses that
form Msheireb Museums were
maintained and renovated reflect-
ing the essence of the Qatari herit-
age while adopting the latest inter-
active visual and audio technology
offering visitors an immersive ex-
perience. Bin Jelmood House pays
tribute and acknowledges the so-
cial, cultural and economic contri-
bution of formerly enslaved people
to the development of human civi-
lisations.
Mohamed Bin Jassim House
demonstrates Msheireb’s tradi-
tional values as the foundations for
the future development of Doha
and introduces the transformation
and monitoring system for growth
of the school students in the three
school stages (primary, prepara-
tory and secondary), as well as
early detection of cases of devel-
opmental disorders that may be
related to malnutrition represented
by underweight, short stature and
dwarfism on the one hand or over-
weight and obesity on the other
hand, and referring these cases to
their primary healthcare centres for
follow-up and treatment.”
He also stressed that the im-
plementation of the growth chart
programme aims to reduce the
burden of obesity and associated
chronic diseases such as cardio-
vascular diseases, type 2 diabetes
and some types of cancer. The pro-
gramme comes in line with the Qa-
tar National Vision 2030, through
its contribution to promoting the
health of the Qatari community
members to build a healthy gen-
eration.
The application of the growth
charts programme on school stu-
dents, taking weight and height
measurements, and calculating
body mass index is one of the most
of Msheireb over time through re-
calling memories of its past, show-
casing its present and engaging
visitors in the plans for the future.
Company House showcases
first-hand accounts of the men
who laboured not just to provide
for their families but also to lay
the foundations for their emerging
nation. Hear their stories in their
own words, of how they laboured
to build a better future for kin and
country, and together with young
Qataris today, find inspiration in
their tenacity and dedication to the
building of modern Qatar.
Radwani House represents tra-
ditional Qatari family life and
gathers, preserves and shares
memories of Qatar in a time of his-
toric social transformation. Rad-
wani House represents traditional
Qatari family life and gathers,
preserves and shares memories of
Qatar in a time of historic social
transformation.
Visitors are encouraged to expe-
rience Msheireb Museums through
a dedicated app that can be down-
loaded for free on the App Store
and Google Play. The app includes
free audio tours inside the muse-
ums available in eight languages
and options to book tours and oth-
er activities.
important preventive and curative
services that help in the early de-
tection and diagnosis of malnutri-
tion cases among school students,
and the student’s health file is
completed and followed up within
the school and his health condition
is recorded by using growth charts
and the necessary graph to evalu-
ate the student’s growth.
The main objective of organiz-
ing the training workshops on the
Growth Chart Program is to train
school nurses in the State of Qa-
tar on how to use the new growth
forms prepared by the World
Health Organization to achieve
the objectives of the program,
training on the use of weight and
height devices recommended by
the World Health Organization
to take students’ measurements,
how to record these measure-
ments on the growth form, and
using the growth problem man-
agement protocol for early detec-
tion of malnutrition among stu-
dents, in addition to following up
and keeping growth forms within
the student’s health file in the
school health clinic.
DFI cancels Ajyal Film Festival in
solidarity with Palestinian cause
D
oha Film Institute has
cancelled the 11th Ajyal
Film Festival, in solidar-
ity with the Palestinian cause,
a statement said yesterday. “In
solemn solidarity with our Pal-
estinian brothers and sisters,
we at the Doha Film Institute
(DFI) will be cancelling this
year’s edition of the Ajyal Film
Festival,” it was explained.
“As those of you familiar with
the festival have come to know,
Ajyal as an event is much more
than an annual celebration of
the art of storytelling. At its
heart, Ajyal is a grassroots event
that is created and delivered by
the community, for the com-
munity.
“At this time, we are grieving
QT’s Service Excellence Academy trains
over 800 staff, volunteers from Expo 2023
Q
atar Tourism (QT) has part-
nered with Expo 2023 Doha
to train more than 800 staff
and volunteers taking part in the
major event, it was announced
yesterday. QT offers two different
training programmes as part of its
Service Excellence Academy, both
of which aim to help improve the
visitor experience.
Through its Service Excellence
In-person Training programme,
QT has trained more than 210 Expo
2023 Doha staff in classroom to
date. A tailored course has been
designed to elevate participants’
skills and mindset in delivering ex-
ceptional service to Expo visitors
to ensure a positive experience for
all attendees.
The course places a strong em-
phasis on practical, hands-on
activities and role-playing exer-
cises, fostering the development
of participants’ service-oriented
approach, communication abili-
ties, and problem-solving acu-
men. At the same time, more than
600 Expo 2023 Doha staff and
volunteers completed QT’s online
training programme, ‘Qatar Host’,
which is a first-of-its-kind online
Representatives from members of the alliance at the event.
QU college launches Mena Business
Schools Alliance for Sustainability
Q
atar University (QU), rep-
resented by the College
of Business and Econom-
ics, launched the Mena Business
Schools Alliance for Sustainability
(MEBAS) during the second day of
the 6th International Conference
‘Entrepreneurship for Sustainabil-
ity and Impact’.
The alliance is dedicated to
mitigating the impact of climate
change, promoting environmental
conservation, and achieving Sus-
tainable Development Goals by
the United Nations. The launch of
MEBAS marks an effort to connect
business schools in the Mena re-
gion, noting the importance of the
alliance and its impact on the future
of business in the region. Through
alongside the community with-
in our region and are devastated
by the staggering daily loss of
innocent lives. It is simply not a
time for celebration, it is a time
for focused and intentional ac-
tion.
“Since its inception, DFI
has championed voices from
underrepresented communi-
ties worldwide with the aim of
bringing a balance in narratives
to the world of storytelling.
“Amplifying Palestinian sto-
ries has always been crucial in
our work as a cultural organi-
sation. We remain steadfast in
our commitment to empower-
ing their authentic represen-
tation and stand firmly for the
accurate portrayal of their ex-
education course, designed to em-
power frontline professionals with
the skills needed to deliver a mem-
orable visitor experience.
This programme consists of three
learning paths, catering to various
professions based on their level of
interaction with international and
domestic tourists. QT developed
a unique course dedicated to Expo
2023 Doha staff and volunteers,
with custom registration and re-
porting features. QT’s Service Ex-
cellence Academy will continue
to support Expo 2023 Doha with
training until the end of the event.
In a press statement, Moza al-
Meadadi from Tourism Marketing
and Promotion Sector at QT, said:
“It is our upmost priority to ensure
visitors always have a memorable
experience at every touchpoint
throughout their journey and
this is something we continue to
achieve working with our part-
ners. From interacting with Qatar’s
frontline service professionals that
have been trained by Qatar Tour-
ism, to visitors enjoying their stays
at hotels and short-term rentals
that are licensed and regulated by
Qatar Tourism, we continuously
collaborative initiatives, the alli-
ance will facilitate the exchange of
best practices, innovative ideas,
and cutting-edge research, to en-
sure that member schools remain
at the forefront of sustainability
education.
The alliance will seek to create a
strong research alliance that brings
together researchers, experts, sci-
entists and decision-makers from
the Mena region to facilitate col-
laboration on various aspects of
climate change and environmen-
tal research. Dean of the College
of Business and Economics, Prof
Rana Sobh said: “This endeavour
represents an unprecedented op-
portunity to galvanise our region’s
academic, corporate, and govern-
periences and humanity. “In
this spirit, in lieu of delivering
this year’s edition of the Ajyal
Film Festival, the Institute will
be exploring new avenues to
use our platform to expand the
reach and volume of Palestinian
voices worldwide.
The time for meaningful ac-
tion is now, and it is more im-
portant than ever for us to con-
tinue to serve as a conduit for
their unfiltered narratives to
be heard, recognised, and re-
spected.
With resolve and with your
support during this critical
time, we look forward to stand-
ing together in the pursuit of a
peaceful and just future,” the
statement added.
work with our partners to make
sure the highest standards are
in place across all visitor touch-
points.”
Hayfa al-Otaibi, Public Rela-
tions and Communication man-
ager at Expo 2023 Doha, said: “The
collaboration with Qatar Tour-
ism’s Service Excellence Acad-
emy has been pivotal in ensur-
ing that our staff and volunteers
are equipped with the necessary
skills to provide an exceptional
experience to our esteemed Expo
visitors. This training has not only
enhanced their service capabili-
ties but has also fostered a sense of
pride in representing our nation on
the global stage.”
Service Excellence is a key pillar
that contributes to Qatar’s 2030
national tourism strategy. QT col-
laborates with its valued partners
to ensure service excellence is
embedded throughout the visi-
tor journey. In collaboration with
stakeholders, QT evaluates front-
line professionals across sectors
and offers training and certifica-
tions to ensure the highest stand-
ard of professional service is deliv-
ered to visitors.
mental sectors to address the urgent
and global challenge of sustain-
ability.” Ihsan Zakri, regional head,
Middle East and Africa at AACSB
International said, “This endeav-
our represents an unprecedented
opportunity to galvanise academia,
businesses and government in our
region to meet the urgent global
challenge of sustainability.”
Through collaborative initia-
tives, the alliance will facilitate the
exchange of best practices, in-
novative ideas, and cutting-edge
research, to ensure that member
schools remain at the forefront of
sustainability education and play
a key role in driving sustainable
practices in the wider business
community.
 Gulf Times
Friday, October 20, 2023 5

COMMUNITY

Old world charm

Taxis of yore from Qatar, India, and London are seen at this display from Mina District at Old Doha Port in Doha, shortly before sunset. PICTURE: Gulf Times news editor Bonnie James.

A masterpiece of
MFUA award 20th-century architecture
By Shafqat Nabi players – more if they are moderately restless”?
NI7. He was many talents rolled into one as

ceremony on
NI1. Designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon,
this building and its surrounds occupy the
whole of Bennelong Point Cast, a former
island. Regarded as one of the world’s most
famous and distinctive buildings and a master-
piece of 20th-century architecture,
the building was formally opened
he worked as chemist, engineer, inventor and
industrialist. He amassed a fortune during his
lifetime, with most of his wealth from his 355
inventions. He was astonished to read his own
obituary, titled ‘The merchant of death is dead,’
in a French newspaper. The
article disconcerted him and

November 2
Zakia Mashhadi – Award winner
The late Amjad Islam Amjad from India.
which will also feature the 27th Aalmi
Mirza Ather Baig – Award winner
from Pakistan.
MFUA was founded in 1991 by
by Queen Elizabeth II on this day, 50
years ago. Identify this.
NI2. What is the name of the de fac-
to capital of the Star Wars universe
– it is an ecumenopolis (i.e., a planet
entirely covered by one city)?
NI3. A 2004 National Geographic
article quoted Donald Dossey,
founder of the Stress Management
Center and Phobia Institute in North
Carolina, as saying up to 21mn
people may suffer from paraskevidekatriapho-
bia, exhibiting symptoms that can range from
mild anxiety to full-out panic attacks. Dossey’s
centre has estimated that up to $800mn is lost
every ... (certain occurrence). What is paraskevi-
dekatriaphobia a fear of?
NI4. This English novelist and playwright is re-
nowned the world over for his wit and humour.
He was baptised after his godfather, with the
first name Pelham, but as a child he used to
pronounce it as ‘Plum’, and that name stuck
as this is how he was known to his friends and
admirers who knew him since his childhood.
He sent this debut novel, The Pothunters, to
a friend with a rather prophetic note. “These
first fruits of a GENIUS at which the world will
made him apprehensive about
how he would be remembered.
His last will caused controversy
as he had bequeathed 94% of
his total assets, to be converted
into a fund and invested in “safe
securities.” The income from
the investments was to be dis-
tributed annually “to those who
during the preceding year have
conferred the greatest benefit
to humankind.” The world celebrates his 190th
birthday tomorrow. Name him.
NI8. Where on the body would you find the
dimples of Venus?
NI9. Which fictional character made its debut
under the name Edward in a A. A. Milne’s
poem in the edition of February 13, 1924 of
Punch, a British weekly magazine of humour
and satire?
NI10. What is common to these (see image
below), as per a recent news?
Answers
NI1. Sydney Opera House.
NI2. Coruscant.
NI3. Friday, the 13th. Last Friday was on 13th.

M
ajlis-e-Frogh-e-Urdu Adab
(MFUA), a literary group of
Pakistani and Indian expa-
triates, is all set to organise its 27th
Aalmi Frogh e Urdu Adab Award
ceremony in Doha on November 2, a
statement said.
The winners are eminent Paki-
stani novelist, playwright and short
story writer Mirza Ather Baig and
renowned Indian fiction writer Zakia
Mashhadi.
The event at DPS-Modern In-
dian School Auditorium, Al Wakra,
Community reception for Oscar winner
Mushaira, is in memory of the legen-
dary Pakistani poet Amjad Islam Am-
jad who died on February 10 this year.
The poets from Pakistan who will
be taking part in the poetry sympo-
sium are Prof Dr Peerzada Qasim, Dr
Inam ul Haq Javed and Afzal Khan.
The guest poets from India are
Shariq Kaifi, Salim Salem, Azm
Shakri and Shabeena Adeeb. Qatar-
based poets Aziz Nabeel, Zawwar
Hussain Zaer, Raza Hussain, Sanwal
Abbasi and Mushfiq Naqvi are also to
participate.
the late Museeb ur Rehman, who (shortly) be AMAZED”. Identify this author. NI4. P G Wodehouse.
hailed from Lahore, Pakistan, re- NI5. Alaska was previously a territory of Russia NI5. 2 cents per acre (total of $7.2mn).
called MFUA president Mohamed which was sold to the US, with the latter taking NI6. Cricket.
Atiq. It was in 1996 that the Majlis possession on October 18, 1867. The sale of NI7. Alfred Nobel.
initiated Aalmi Frogh e Urdu Adab Alaska is well-known in history as the Alaska NI8. Venus dimples are two symmetrical
Award, to highlight and acknowl- Purchase. For how much money per acre did indentations in your lower back, one on either
edge two literary personalities, one the US buy the colony? side of your spine, just above the pelvic bone.
from Pakistan and the other from NI6. Which sport was author Bill Bryson talk- Similar to facial dimples, Venus dimples are
India, for their life-time achieve- ing about when he said, “It is the only sport created when your skin is tethered to underly-
ments in fiction, research and crit- in which spectators burn as many calories as ing structures.
ical works. NI9. Winnie-the-
The award carries a cash prize Pooh.
of Rs150,000 and a trophy for each NI10. International
winner. Olympic Com-
mittee session
recently approv-
ing Baseball/soft-
ball, cricket, flag
football, lacrosse
and squash to be
officially included
as additional
sports on the pro-
gramme for the
Olympic Games
Los Angeles 2028.

Academy and Golden Globe winning Indian lyricist K Chandrabose (for the song Naatu Naattu from the film
RRR), fellow artistes from the Telugu film industry Rajesh Manda, Ravi Manda and Indian Idol Telugu winner B
V K Vagdevi were accorded a community reception by Indian Cultural Centre (ICC) in Doha recently. ICC’s in-
house activities head Satyanarayana welcomed the guests. President A P Manikantan felicitated the artistes.
Vice-president Subramanya Hebbagelu, general secretary Mohan Kumar, Venkappa from Andhra Kala Vedika
and other community leaders were in attendance. The artistes enthralled the audience by breaking into a
series of songs in an impromptu manner. ICC managing committee member advocate Jaffar Khan proposed a
vote of thanks. Activities head Shantanu Deshpande anchored the event.
Tribe NI.yays
Octopuses have blue blood and three hearts. How many brains do they have?
Nine. A central brain controls the nervous system. In addition, there is a small brain in each of
their eight arms. This allows the arms to work independently of each other, yet together toward
the same goal.
(Aradhana Subramanian, Dona Modern Indian School, Doha)
Do you have some interesting bytes to share? And, does your vibe attract you to the ‘Tribe
NI.yays!’ Every week one question from readers will be featured here. Please do send it to us at
infotainment.factree@gmail.com. And, please do mention the school/college/company (or just
‘home-sweet-home’).
6 Gulf Times
Friday, October 20, 2023

COMMUNITY

Indian consular camp

organised at Al Khor
M
ore than 160 Indian expatriates benefited
from a consular camp held by the embassy,
with the support of the Indian Community
Benevolent Forum (ICBF), in Al Khor. The services of-
fered included passport renewal, attestation, police
clearance certificate, and additional consular assist-
ance.
ICBF president Shanavas Bava highlighted the sig-
nificant demand for such camps. He also commended
the dedicated efforts of the ICBF team, including other
members of the managing committee, embassy officials,
and ICBF staff for ensuring the smooth conduct of the
consular services during the camp.
The ICBF insurance was also promoted at the camp,
allowing attendees to enrol. Vice-president Deepak
Shetty, general secretary Varkey Boban, treasurer
Kuldeep Kour, secretary Mohamed Kunhi, manag-
ing committee members Zareena Ahad, and Shankar
Goud, along with community volunteers, ensured the
efficient delivery of consular assistance and maintain-
ing order during the event.
Jins Jose, one of the main volunteers responsible
for registration, and Jayapal Madhavan, who arranged
the venue in Al Khor, affirmed the positive impact the
camp had on the beneficiaries.
The venue, Al Khor Korbay Residency, has also
hosted the consular camp earlier, with the support of
manager Rajesh, an ICBF statement added.

MES first runner-up in CBSE Qatar cluster basketball DPS-MIS hosts 4th Intra-School
The basketball team of MES Indian School
secured the first runner-up position
in the under-19 category at the Qatar
Qur’an Recitation Competition
Cluster Basketball Competition 2023 and
qualified for the CBSE National Basketball DPS Modern Indian School
Championship India. The team members conducted the 4th Intra-School
who have qualified for the nationals are: Qur’an Recitation Competition.
Mohamad Qasim Nassir, Mohamed Aman, Sheikh Ahmad Abdul Fattah Ram-
Abdul Aziz, Jiteshadhithya Naveenkumar adan, a Hafiz and instructor of the
Nirmala, Zubair Rizwan Kazi, Joel Vargh- Holy Qur’an was the chief guest
ese John, Mohamed Kamal Ali Badran, and chief judge.
Ahmed Faris, Richard Tom Benny, Mo- Margubur Rahman and Mo-
hamed Afreen, Jenesh Satheesh Mathew, hamed Ilyas, who are Alim, Fazil
and Abdulrahman Sheik Daud. They were and Hafiz of the Holy Qur’an, and
awarded medals and certificates. Principal Imam and Khateeb in the Masjids
Dr Hameeda Kadar congratulated the stu- under Ministry of Endowments
dents and their coach Mohamed Navas. and Islamic Affairs, Qatar, were the
other judges.
School principal Asna Nafees
MES students win prizes in dance contest and vice-principals Hyacinth
Mary Cruz and Shifa Shaikh were
present. In the final round of the
competition, students recited
Surahs assigned for each grade
level.
The event provided students
the motivation and incentive to
strive towards perfection in recita-
tion and memorisation, alongside
getting acquainted with the Holy
Qur’an.
Out of 152 students from grades selected for the final competition The event was co-ordinated by
MES Indian School students won prizes in the interschool dance competition organised by the Indian Cultural Centre I-VIII who auditioned for the and 24 won the first, second or the departments of Arabic, Urdu
(ICC). Arundhathy Gopikrishnan (XII-P) bagged first place in Kuchipudi, Saavariya Arun Nambiar (XI-P) secured second competition, 47 students were third positions at each grade level. and Islamic Studies.
place in Mohiniyattam, Prarthana Shaju Nair (X-P) won the third place in Bharatanatyam while the Folk Dance team
claimed a second position. Sivagowri, teacher-in-charge was the choreographer and trainer for the Folk Dance and
other solo events. Suresh, a teacher from the department of fine arts, contributed his artistic expertise. Krishna Rajeev
and Asha Satheeshan accompanied the team. Anwar and Sumitha Nassar were the overall co-ordinators. Principal Dr
IDC observes Gandhi Jayanti
Hameeda Kadar congratulated the winners and trainers.

100 days of kindergarten celebrated

MES Indian School
celebrated 100 days
of kindergarten in
a colourful fashion.
Principal Dr Hameeda
Kadar congratulated the
tiny tots for achieving
the milestone. The tiny
tots were honoured with
certificates. A group
thumb-printing activity Indian Doctors Club (IDC) organised a series of events to celebrate Gandhi Jayanti for the third consecutive year. The festivities,
was conducted in the open to Indian schools in Qatar, included categories such as colouring, patriotic songs, and collage-making. The competitions
classroom. Children sought to encapsulate the values and vision of Mahatma Gandhi and witnessed participation from over 20 schools. IDC presi-
were also presented with dent Dr Biju Gafoor led the prize distribution ceremony, joined by other members. Cultural secretary Dr Riny Showkath, who
handmade bracelets. co-ordinated all the events, expressed gratitude to the schools, the local community, sponsors, and dedicated volunteers.

1,500 attend Onavillu-23 celebrations at QNCC

About 1,500 people attended

the Onavillu-23 celebrations
hosted by Engineers Forum,
Qatar, on a grand scale at the
Qatar National Convention
Centre.
The event was inaugurated by
Indian ambassador Vipul in the
presence of various prominent
members from the community.
The day’s festivities included a
wide range of activities, such
as Qatar’s biggest flower carpet
competition among engineer-
ing college alumni, a traditional
procession featuring art forms,
chenda melam performances,
and various in-house cultural
activities by EF members along
with the Onam lunch.
The event also marked the release of ‘Effusions 23,’
a combined magazine and member data directory
of Engineers Forum members, ‘EFTECHZINE,’ a
technical journal, and the ‘EF mobile app.’
The event emphasised the importance of sustain-
ability through awareness activities. The entertain-
ment featured performances by popular singer
Sachin Warrier and Ann Amie with their band,
followed with a DJ party by DJ Savio.
The gathering was welcomed by EF general
secretary Zakir Husain. Mibu Jose gave presiden-
tial address cultural secretary Samjad proposed a
vote of thanks. Sreejisha was the co-ordinator for
the event.
 Gulf Times
Friday, October 20, 2023 7

Israeli defence chief says troops will soon see Gaza ‘from inside’
Reuters/AFP bombarded the enclave in strikes
Gaza/Jerusalem that have killed thousands and
made more than a million home-
less.
ter while foreign leaders were vis-
iting.
Gallant also said the battle will
be long and hard.
dren and 20 people over the age of
60, are being held, Israel’s public
broadcaster Kan said, citing mili-
tary sources.
WORLD
wounded children in their arms,
in ambulances and the back of a
flatbed truck after a bomb struck
a house.
“We want nothing from Arab
and foreign countries except to
stop the violent bombardment on
our houses,” said El-Awad El-Dali,

I
sraeli Defence Minister Yoav
Gallant told troops gathered at
the Gaza border yesterday that
they would soon see the Palestin-
ian enclave “from inside”, suggest-
ing an expected ground invasion
with the aim of annihilating Ha-
mas could be nearing.
Israel pounded Gaza with more
air strikes yesterday over the Oc-
tober 7 rampage by Hamas gunmen
who killed 1,400 Israelis.
Israel has put the Gaza Strip’s
2.3mn people under siege and
In Gaza’s north, footage ob-
tained by Reuters from the Jabaliya
refugee camp showed residents
digging with their bare hands in-
side a damaged building to free a
small boy and girl trapped under
masonry.
The body of a man was also
pulled out.
“You see Gaza now from a dis-
tance, you will soon see it from
inside. The command will come,”
Gallant told soldiers.
Troops were not expected to en-
Shortly after Gallant’s state-
ment, Israeli Prime Minister Ben-
jamin Netanyahu issued a video of
himself with troops near the bor-
der promising victory.
The families of some of those
taken hostage to Gaza from Israel
begged Hamas, which rules the
Gaza Strip, to release them and
urged the Israeli military to con-
sider their safety as it pursues Ha-
mas.
An estimated 200 people, in-
cluding 30 minors and young chil-
The spokesman for Hamas’
armed wing, Abu Obeida, on Al
Jazeera called for anti-Israel rallies
across Arab and Muslim countries
today and said the group was pre-
pared for a long battle with Israel.
According to Palestinian health
officials, the toll from Israeli
strikes on Gaza has risen to more
than 3,500 dead and more than
12,000 wounded.
In Khan Younis in the southern
Gaza Strip men rushed to the main
Nasser hospital carrying dead and
Medics said four people were
killed and many wounded, mainly
displaced children from northern
Gaza who had been playing soccer
in a lot next door.
“I saw body parts, dismembered
children, what shall I describe
to you?” said Hassan al-Hindi, a
neighbour who saw the strike.
“They killed children,” he cried.
Gaza residents scoffed at the
gesture of limited truckloads of aid
for 2.3mn people cut off from food,
water, fuel and medical supplies.
65, speaking near the remains of
ruined homes.
In another area, a shopping dis-
trict was reduced to rubble, with
a toddler’s pink cot overturned on
the ground, windows blown off a
clothing store and damaged vehi-
cles.
“I’m over 70 years old, I’ve lived
through several wars, it’s never
been like this,” said Rafat al-Na-
khala, who had arrived after obey-
ing Israel’s order for civilians to
flee Gaza City in the north.

West Bank a possible ‘third front’ for Israel

Reuters has divided it into large areas it controls,
Ramallah/Jerusalem small areas where Palestinians have full
control and areas where Palestinians and
Israeli forces divide civil and security du-

V
iolence in the occupied West Bank
has surged since Israel began bom-
barding the Gaza Strip and clash-
ing with Hezbollah at the Lebanon border,
fuelling concerns the flashpoint Palestin-
ian territory could become a third front in
a wider war.
Israel is waging war against the Hamas
group in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza,
but Israeli soldiers and settlers pulled out
of Gaza in 2005. Israel still occupies the
West Bank, captured with Gaza in a 1967
Middle East war.
Hamas, which controls Gaza, killed
more than 1,400 people in a surprise at-
tack in Israel on October 7, prompting an
Israeli bombardment that has killed 3,500
in Gaza.
Israel is preparing a full-scale ground
assault on Gaza to destroy Hamas.
Western countries supporting Israel fear
a wider war that would open up Lebanon,
with its Iran-backed group Hezbollah, as
a second front and the West Bank as what
Israeli media call a potential third front.
Clashes between Israeli soldiers and
settlers and Palestinians have already
turned deadly.
More than 70 Palestinians have been
killed in West Bank violence since October
7 and Israel has arrested more than 800
people.
Israeli forces raided and carried out an
air strike in a Palestinian refugee camp in
the West Bank yesterday, killing at least 12
people, Palestinian officials said, and Is-
raeli police said an officer was killed during
the raid.
The violence poses a challenge to both
Israel and to the Palestinian Authority
(PA), the only Palestinian governing body
recognised internationally which is head-
quartered there.
The Israeli military said it is on high
alert and bracing for attacks including by
Hamas militants in the West Bank.
Hamas is trying to “engulf Israel in a
two- or three-front war”, including the
Lebanese border and the West Bank, mili-
tary spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel
Jonathan Conricus told Reuters.
“The threat is elevated,” he said.
In Ramallah, rare chants this week sup-
porting the military wing of Hamas – a ri-
val of the PA’s ruling Fatah party – showed
a growing appetite for armed resistance.
“Give people weapons. Let them clash.
We’ll show what we can do,” said Salah, a
20-year-old demonstrator who gave only
his first name.
Fatah official Mowafaq Sehweel told
Reuters: “We should let go of the reins and
use whatever means to fight occupation.”
Others are less ready to fight.
Nizar Mughrabi, owner of an architec-
ture firm, said he is disgusted by Israel’s
assault on Gaza but not ready to pick up a
gun.
Rescuers are seen following an Israeli
strike on the town of Deir Al-Balah in the
central Gaza Strip.
“Netanyahu wants to fight, Haniyeh
wants to fight – put them in the desert
with guns and let them shoot each other,”
he said, referring to Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader Is-
mail Haniyeh.
Palestinian officials and Israeli analysts
say a number of factors are both helping to
ignite tensions, but conversely also limit-
ing their scope, for now.
Children play among tents set up for
Palestinians seeking refuge on the
grounds of a United Nations Relief and
Works Agency for Palestine Refugees
(UNRWA) centre in Khan Yunis, in the
southern Gaza Strip.
Right: Boys stand in a shrapnel-pocked
room inside a UN-run school in the
refugee camp of Al-Maghazi in the central
Gaza Strip.
Palestinian civil defence members and others carry a child killed in an Israeli
bombardment from a building in Khan Yunis on the southern Gaza Strip.
One is the hundreds of arrests Israel has
made.
Hamas cited attacks on West Bank Pal-
estinians and arrests this year as part of its
reason for attacking on October 7.
However, the arrests have also limited
West Bank violence, said Mustafa al-Kha-
waja, a 52-year-old anti-settlement activ-
ist.
“In Gaza, there’s enough time (for Ha-
mas) to organise militarily,” he said. “Here,
the occupation (Israel) can clamp down on
a daily basis. It leaves no space to build up
military or political forces.”
While Hamas tightly controls besieged
Gaza, the West Bank is a complex patch-
work of hillside cities, Israeli settlements
and army checkpoints that split Palestin-
ian communities.
Israel occupied the territory in 1967 and
ties.
Between the seat of power in Ramal-
lah and poorer peripheral areas, there are
multiple viewpoints on the benefits of vio-
lence.
Desperate young men in refugee camps
are more willing to fight than those in
Ramallah where businessmen and senior
Palestinian officials stand to lose from a
spiral of violence.
“My business is already suffering be-
cause of the unrest,” Mughrabi said.
Another key factor in stemming vio-
lence is Israel’s security agreement with
87-year-old President Mahmoud Abbas’s
PA.
Abbas condemned Israel’s assault on
Gaza while his security forces cracked
down on demonstrations. Fatah has not is-
sued public calls for armed resistance.
“The PA wants to keep peace and is wor-
ried that marches of thousands of people
could quickly turn into hundreds of thou-
sands,” said Palestinian political analyst
Hadi al-Masri.
He added that PA officials do well finan-
cially and rely on arrangements with Israel
to get paid.
Should Abbas lose his grip or become ill
in his old age, the situation could deterio-
rate, he said.
Lior Akerman, a former officer in Israel’s
internal security service the Shin Bet, said
that fears over West Bank unrest predated
the Hamas war.
Hamas for years had been trying to “do
all it can to activate (fighters) in the West
Bank”, he said.
Akerman acknowledged, however, that
security measures had been tightened
since the Gaza bombardment began, say-
ing that the most recent round of arrests
might not have happened under normal
circumstances.
“Last night the army ... took around 100
terrorists in the West Bank. In regular days
... the Shin Bet would arrest only those
they knew were preparing terror attacks,”
he said.
One worry for Israel in the West Bank is
“lone wolf” attacks from among Palestin-
ians who have disparate local loyalties but
an overall contempt for Israeli occupation,
analysts say.
Recent surveys have shown overwhelm-
ing public support among Palestinians for
armed groups, including local militias that
include members from traditionally sepa-
rate factions.
Even before the current Gaza crisis, the
West Bank had seen a surge in violence.
Israel stepped up military raids and a
spate of Palestinian attacks targeted Israe-
lis.
The 2023 Palestinian death toll un-
til October 7 was over 220 and at least 29
people in Israel had been killed, according
to UN records.

S Africa climate grant funding from rich nations doubles to $676mn
Reuters more of the $12bn currently on offer from
Johannesburg Western nations to take the form of gifts
rather than loans.
The grant had initially been set at
which has since gone up as the Netherlands
and Denmark, Canada, Spain and Switzer-
land joined the initiative this week.
However, South African authorities esti-
Guinea diphtheria
outbreak leaves
nearly 60 dead
details on how it plans to spend the money. An outbreak of diphtheria in
South Africa says its needs to develop northeastern Guinea has killed
skills in sectors like solar generation, elec- 58 people, many of them young
tric vehicles and green hydrogen, assist coal children, the World Health

S
outh Africa has secured $676mn in
grants from rich nations for a transi-
tion to green energy, more than dou-
ble what they initially promised but still
only a fraction of the total package, the rest
of which it will have to repay with interest.
Rudi Dicks, head of project management
in the presidency, told Reuters yesterday
that South Africa had been pushing for
Stressed-out seal dies after
biting South Africa woman
S
outh Africa’s Cape Town has
$329.7mn. mate the total cost of South Africa’s tran-
“The president has made it very clear sition from carbon-intensive coal – which
that he wants to see an increase in the grant generates 80% of its power and is used to
component,” he said, adding that more synthesise a third of its liquid fuel – at 1.5tn
grants could come in as the country heads to rand ($78.44bn).
COP28 climate talks in Dubai next month. Dicks added that South Africa is in nego-
Britain, France, Germany, the European tiations to possibly increase both the total
Union and the United States pledged $8.5bn package and the share taken up by grants at
at the climate talks two years ago, a figure the talks, in which South Africa will present
Dengue fever kills hundreds
in Burkina Faso as cases spike
sticks, had dogs attack it and other-
miners losing their jobs and attract the pri-
vate sector to invest in what it says are lower
return projects.
It aims to retire coal plants, ramp up re-
newable capacity and establish a green hy-
drogen export hub, among other things.
“The implementation plan will go for
cabinet’s approval by end October and will
be presented at COP28,” Dicks said.
Organisation (WHO) said in a
statement received yesterday.
The highly contagious respiratory
disease can be fatal in 5-10% of
cases, and even higher among
children.
The WHO reported well over
500 suspected cases since July
centred on the Siguiri prefecture.
Symptoms usually start with a sore
throat and fever. – AFP
EU sends meds to
sanctions-hit Niger

urged beachgoers to leave seals
alone after one of the animals bit
a woman and later died of stress fol-
lowing “days of repeated harassment”.
The woman was taken to a local
hospital and treated for a bite wound
after the late Wednesday attack on the
popular Strand Beach, southeast of
the iconic port city, local authorities
said.
“Over the last few days, this seal
was simply trying to rest on the beach
which is normal and expected seal
behaviour,” said Cape Town’s deputy
mayor Eddie Andrews.
However, members of the pub-
lic threw rocks at it, prodded it with
wise teased it so that they could take
footage of the seal chasing them, he
said.
The seal eventually attacked a
woman who was taking an evening
stroll on the sand and walked into the
animal having failed to spot it.
The beach was partially closed yes-
terday morning, as an animal pro-
tection unit took the seal for a health
check at a local aquarium, where it
later died, the city said.
“This is sadly a very common out-
come when seals are stressed,” said
Andrews. “We ask that all residents
and beachgoers in Cape Town leave
these animals in peace.” – AFP
B
urkina Faso’s health ministry has de-
clared a dengue fever epidemic amid
the deadliest outbreak in years in which
more than 200 people have died and new cases
are rising sharply.
There have been 50,478 suspected cases
and 214 deaths of the mosquito-borne illness
this year, the ministry said in a statement on
Wednesday, mostly in the urban centres of the
capital Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso.
About 20% of the cases and deaths were re-
corded last week alone, it said.
Dengue kills an estimated 20,000 people
worldwide each year.
Rates of the disease have risen eight-fold
since 2000, driven largely by climate change,
increased migration, and urbanisation.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) this
month warned that the disease would become
a major threat in new parts of Africa as warmer
temperatures create the conditions for the
mosquitoes carrying the infection to spread.
Dengue is spread by infected Aedes aegypti
mosquitoes.
Symptoms include fever, muscle pain, nau-
sea and rashes.
According to figures from the Africa Centres
for Disease Control and Prevention, dengue
killed 18 people in Burkina Faso in 2017 and 15
in 2016.
The health ministry said that it was provid-
ing free rapid diagnostic tests and had organ-
ised spraying of insecticide in public places to
counter the spread. – Reuters
The European Union has
announced it is flying “essential
medicines” to Niger as the country
struggles with sanctions imposed
following a July coup.
Niger has been subject to heavy
economic sanctions by the
Economic Community of West
African States (Ecowas) since
the military overthrew President
Mohamed Bazoum.
The EU, which itself has suspended
financial aid to Niger, has organised
four flights carrying a total of 58
tonnes in “critical health supplies”.
– AFP
8 Gulf Times
Friday, October 20, 2023

WORLD
LEGAL CRISIS INFESTATION COMMENT

Greenpeace loses fight over
UK North Sea oil, gas licences
Britain’s decision to authorise new licences for oil
and gas exploration in the North Sea was lawful,
London’s High Court ruled yesterday, dismissing a
legal challenge by Greenpeace. The environmental
campaign group had argued Britain’s failure to assess
the greenhouse gases produced by consuming oil and
gas – so-called end-use or downstream emissions –
rendered its offshore energy plan unlawful. But lawyers
representing Britain’s department for energy security
and net zero said at a hearing in July that ministers
were not required to assess end-use emissions, though
they nonetheless considered them.
Britain’s food banks brace
for worst winter yet
Britain’s biggest food bank network warned it was
expecting its worst ever winter, with over 600,000
people likely to need support as a cost-of-living crisis
now in its second year curtails spending power. The
Trussell Trust, which supports a network of 1,300 food
bank centres across the UK, said it expected to provide
more than 1mn emergency food parcels between
December and February 2024. That would be a record
number of parcels for this period of time and compares
to 904,000 a year earlier. The trust appealed for more
donations as a surge in need meant most food banks
have to buy stock to make up for a shortfall.
Bedbug enquiries on
the rise in UK: company
British pest control giant Rentokil Initial saw a 32%
jump in enquiries about bedbugs from January to
September this year compared with a year earlier,
it said yesterday, amid worries of infestation in the
UK after reports from France. Last week, the mayor
of London Sadiq Khan, speaking to social media
publisher PoliticsJOE, said people were worried
about bedbugs in Paris causing a problem in London.
He added that he was in contact with Transport for
London and they were taking steps such as regular
cleaning of tubes and buses to ensure there is no
such problem in London.
Philippines ‘sees no future
engagements with Taiwan’
The Philippines has no military engagements with
Taiwan and it does not see future engagements with
the island, Manila’s armed forces chief Romeo Brawner
told foreign correspondents yesterday. The Philippines
sees risk of conflict over Taiwan as a major concern
amid geopolitical rivalry between China and the US.
The military is ready for any eventuality, though it
has not monitored reports on any intended attacks
on Taiwan in particular, Brawner said. The Philippines
adheres to the “One China Policy”, and also has ties
with Taipei, with its Manila Economic and Cultural
Office in Taiwan serving as a de facto embassy.

Indonesia election candidates

Google bets on
India with Pixel
smartphone
manufacturing India’s mobile phone exports Mukesh Ambani, on a 4G-enabled,
AFP
New Delhi almost doubled to $8.5bn year-on- low-cost smartphone for the local
year in 2022-23, according to offi- market.
cial figures. Global companies are eyeing In-

G
oogle plans to manufacture
its flagship Pixel 8 smart-
phone in India, CEO Sun-
dar Pichai said yesterday, joining a
growing list of global tech compa-
nies limiting their supply chains’
dependence on China.
Pichai’s announcement follows
US tech rival Apple’s release last
month of its latest iPhone, includ-
ing units made in India, as tech
giants target the South Asian na-
tion’s fast-expanding market and
abundant supply of cheap skilled
labour.
“We shared plans at #Google-
forIndia (event on Thursday) to
manufacture Pixel smartphones
locally and expect the first devices
Google senior vice-president
Rick Osterloh said the firm sees
“an even greater opportunity to
make Pixel smartphones available
to more people” in India.
“In recent years, India has es-
tablished itself as a truly world-
class hub for manufacturing, re-
sulting in a thriving environment
for businesses to flourish,” Oster-
loh said in a statement.
The company intended to “start
with the Pixel 8, and will partner
with international and domestic
manufacturers to produce Pixel
smartphones locally”, he added.
“India is a priority market for
Pixel smartphones, and we’re
committed to bringing the best
dia as their next growth driver. Ganjar Pranowo (centre left) and Mahfud MD (centre right) deliver a speech during their registration
Earlier this year, Taiwanese as presidential and vice-presidential candidates for Indonesia’s February 2024 general election, at the
electronics giant Foxconn, the general election commission in Jakarta yesterday.
world’s biggest contract electron-
ics manufacturer and a principal
assembler of iPhones, bought a
huge tract of land on the outskirts
of India’s tech hub of Bengaluru.
It was seen as a part of Apple’s
push into India – the world’s most
populous and fastest-growing
India allows restriction-free
major economy – and its efforts
to diversify production away from
China.
Electronics giant Samsung also
imports of laptops, tablets
runs the world’s largest mobile Reuters will use the data for monitoring, shipment. The decision spells re-
phone factory on the outskirts of New Delhi the officials said. lief for global laptop makers such
New Delhi with a capacity of about Its purpose is “to ensure that as Dell, HP, Apple, Samsung and
120 million units per year. all this provides us with the kind Lenovo, which had been unnerved

to roll out in 2024,” Pichai said on
X, formerly known as Twitter.
Pichai added that Google ap-
preciated the “support for Make in
India” - a flagship policy of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi’s gov-
ernment, offering faster business
clearances and financial incentives
for manufacturing goods in the
country.
New Delhi has ramped up its
production and exports of mobile
phones and other electronic goods
since the scheme was introduced.
of our hardware and underlying
built-in software capabilities to
people across the country,” Oster-
loh said.
India, home to the second-
highest number of smartphone us-
ers after China, has set a target of
producing about $300bn worth of
local electronics and smartphones
by 2025-26.
Google already has significant
investments in the country and
also partnered with Reliance Jio,
owned by India’s richest man
US memory chip firm Micron
Technology recently announced
plans to set up its first semicon-
ductor plant in the country.
Google also announced plans to
allow users to book metro tickets
directly from the Google maps app.
Google, which runs one of the
largest payment apps via Google
Pay, also said yesterday it will tie
up with an Indian non-bank lend-
er, DMI Finance, for small loans
for merchants starting at Rs15,000
($180).
T
he Indian government yes-
terday decided to allow
restriction-free imports of
laptops and tablets, and launched
a new system of “authorisation”
aimed at monitoring shipments
of such hardware without hurting
market supply.
The new “import management
system” takes effect from Novem-
ber 1 and requires companies to
register the quantity and value of
imports, but the government will
not reject any import requests and
of data and information we need
to make sure that we have a com-
pletely trusted digital system,”
said S Krishnan, the top bureau-
crat in the electronics and info-
tech ministry. On August 3, India
imposed a licensing regime on
laptops and tablet imports, but
quickly deferred the decision fol-
lowing criticism from industry
and Washington. That plan would
have allowed the government to
hold up or reject import requests
while requiring a licence for every
by the abrupt announcement of a
licensing regime in August.
India’s electronics and software
imports, which include laptops,
tablets and personal comput-
ers, stood at $33.6bn in the April
to August period, up nearly 8%
from last year. India Cellular and
Electronics Association (ICEA)
said it “extends its profound ap-
preciation towards the govern-
ment’s recent decision to maintain
restriction-free imports of laptops
and tablets.”

London police trial

facial recognition
Charles meets Zambia official
to target shoplifters Britain begins returning
British police yesterday revealed
that officers are piloting
contentious facial recognition
asylum seekers to barge
technology to catch prolific
shoplifters, as stores suffer Reuters “Scrap the prison barge! Refu-
increased thefts and violence London gees welcome”. “I think the barge
by criminal gangs, addicts and is a horrible idea, it feels very op-
others. London’s Metropolitan pressive, it feels like a prison,” said

Police, the UK’s biggest force, said
the trial of the emerging tech had
shown it could revolutionise how
they tackle an array of offences. It
follows police forces in Britain and
beyond increasingly deploying
facial recognition software,
which civil rights campaigners
argue is open to racial, gender
and other biases. The Met’s use
of the tech to target shoplifters
comes as UK businesses appeal
for government and other help
to tackle the fallout from a surge
in theft and violence towards
staff. It has been blamed on the
impact of the pandemic and
Britain’s worst cost-of-living crisis
in decades. Shoplifting offences
recorded by police in England
and Wales have risen by a quarter
in the past year.
M
igrants yesterday be-
gan returning to an ac-
commodation barge
docked on the southwest English
coast after it was evacuated two
months ago over contaminated
water supply fears. A coach car-
rying migrants was seen arriving
at Portland Port where the “Bibby
Stockholm” vessel is moored.
The UK government’s decision
to house migrants on the barge is
its latest controversial immigra-
tion policy.
The first migrants to be housed
at the site arrived in early August
but all 39 were evacuated days
later following the discovery of
Legionella bacteria in the water
supply.
Britain’s King Charles III receives Zambia high commissioner Macenje Mazoka and her partner Roy Around 30 protesters yesterday
Youpa, during an audience at Buckingham Palace, in London, yesterday. gathered at the gates to Portland
Port holding banners reading
one protester who gave her name
as Annika, of the Portland Global
Friendship Group.
A Home Office spokeswom-
an said that tests for Legionella
bacteria, as well as improved fire
safety protocols, had been com-
pleted ahead of the return of the
occupants to the barge.
The barge is intended to house
up to 500 young male migrants.
But rights advocates have hit
out at the policy, saying the vessel
is unfit for the purpose.
The UK government is current-
ly awaiting a court ruling on the
legality of another of its immi-
gration policies which would see
failed asylum seekers deported to
Rwanda. Britain is currently see-
ing record numbers of migrants
arriving by small boat from France
on its south coast.

China formally arrests Japanese man held for espionage

AFP with Beijing saying he was “sus- and various opportunities. We try spokeswoman Mao Ning said. security services from 2020, but following month.
Beijing pected of engaging in espionage will continue this effort,” he said “As a country ruled by law, only formally arrested the fol- And in March 2020, China said
activities”. at a regular news briefing. China will handle this case in ac- lowing year. it had arrested one of its own citi-
An official at Tokyo’s embassy A Japanese diplomat has visit- cordance with law and protect She was deported from China zens reportedly working as a uni-

J
apan’s embassy in China yes-
terday confirmed that one of
its citizens had been formally
arrested, months after Beijing
said it had detained the man on
spying allegations.
Chinese authorities frequently
hold foreign nationals suspected
of crimes for long stints before
declaring them officially under
arrest.
The man, an employee of the
Japanese pharmaceutical com-
pany Astellas, was held in March,
said yesterday that Chinese au-
thorities had escalated his deten-
tion into a formal arrest.
“We can confirm that the Japa-
nese national detained in March
has been arrested,” the official
said in a statement.
In a separate statement, To-
kyo’s chief cabinet secretary Hi-
rokazu Matsuno said yesterday
that the man “was arrested in
mid-October”.
“We have called on China for
his early release at various levels
ed the man and the government is
“in touch with his family”, Mat-
suno said.
China’s foreign ministry yes-
terday declined to confirm the
arrest, referring a question about
the case to the “competent au-
thorities”.
“This Japanese citizen, sus-
pected of engaging in espionage
activities, has been subjected to
criminal coercive measures by
relevant Chinese authorities in
accordance with the law,” minis-
the legitimate rights and inter-
ests of this person,” she said at a
regular briefing.
The arrested man has report-
edly worked in China for two dec-
ades and was previously a senior
executive at a major Japanese
business lobby in the country.
He was planning to return to
his home country before his sud-
den detention, according to Ja-
pan’s Kyodo News Agency.
Australian journalist Cheng
Lei was held by China’s national
last week after more than three
years of incarceration on espio-
nage charges widely seen as po-
litically motivated.
Beijing has also detained a se-
ries of people, both Japanese and
Chinese, in recent years on al-
legations of spying for its island
neighbour.
In October 2019, Chinese au-
thorities detained a Japanese
professor - reportedly on suspi-
cion of spying - until he was re-
leased and returned to Japan the
versity professor in Japan, claim-
ing he had confessed to spying.
Perennial rivals in East Asia,
tensions between China and Ja-
pan have long simmered over ter-
ritorial disputes, Tokyo’s colonial
history and other flashpoints.
They have flared again since
Tokyo this year began releasing
contaminated wastewater from
the Fukushima nuclear disaster
site, a move that international
agencies insist is safe but Beijing
has lambasted as irresponsible.
 Gulf Times
Friday, October 20, 2023 9

EU ministers promise tougher immigration policies to screen for security risks
Reuters commissioner Ylva Johansson. “People
Brussels who pose a security risk to the European
Union need to be much, much more quick-
ly returned to the country of origin.”
persistent failings of the EU’s troubled mi-
gration and asylum systems, including se-
curity gaps and ineffective returns.
Only about a fifth of people whose asy-
WORLD
expected to be finalised this year – say it
would improve the situation, including by
facilitating quicker repatriations of for-
eigners with criminal records.
to get aid close to the crisis centres and in
that way prevent large masses from head-
ing here.”
The EU, a bloc of 450mn people, has

M
inisters from across the European
Union said yesterday that mem-
ber states must screen migrants
and asylum-seekers better and expel those
deemed a security risk more quickly, after
Islamist attacks highlighted persistent dif-
ficulties.
Interior and justice ministers met in
Luxembourg to discuss what steps to take
following attacks in Brussels and France,
at a time of heightened security concerns
linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“It is an absolutely a necessity that we
make sure that European Union is safe
from terrorist threats,” said EU migration
“We also need to make sure that we don’t
have any violent anti-Semitism or violent
Islamophobia ... that all our citizens could
feel safe in the European Union.”
The 45-year-old Tunisian gunman who
killed two Swedish football fans in the Bel-
gian capital on Monday was staying there
illegally after his asylum request had been
denied.
He reached the EU via the Italian is-
land of Lampedusa in 2011 and also lived
in Sweden. He was shot dead by Belgian
police.
The attack in Brussels – which Johans-
son said was “a wake-up call” – underlined
lum cases fail in Europe are deported.
In France, the 20-year-old, Russian-
born Islamist Ingush accused of stabbing
to death a teacher last Friday was known
before the attack to be a possible security
risk but could not have been expelled un-
der current legislation, authorities said.
French Interior Minister Gerald Dar-
manin said there should be no “naivety”
on repatriations and joined many of his
peers in calling for the swift implementa-
tion of the EU’s much-discussed new mi-
gration rules.
Proponents of this looming overhaul of
the EU’s migration and asylum policies –
Yesterday’s meeting was the ministers’
first chance to discuss the October 7 at-
tack by Palestinian group Hamas, to which
Israel has responded by bombarding Gaza.
Gaza health officials say bombing has so
far killed more than 3,700 people.
The ministers took no specific decisions
but considered what developments could
cause Palestinians to flee in large numbers,
or trigger violent acts inside the bloc.
“The EU is following very closely the
situation in Palestine and whether any-
one is leaving. So far it does not look like
anyone would be,” said Finland’s Interior
Minister Mari Rantanen. “We are trying
recorded some 250,000 irregular arrivals
this year, in large part aided by smugglers,
something Italy, Spain and Germany have
recently voiced concern about.
There is also a new push for deals with
African countries – including Egypt and
Morocco – akin to the one the EU has
sealed with Tunisia, offering aid in ex-
change for Tunis bringing down depar-
tures for Europe.
Critics of the EU’s new migration and
asylum policies doubt they would be ef-
fective and point to growing risks to hu-
man rights while focus is on deterring un-
authorised immigration.

Hardliner Jordan suspends

bid to be US House Speaker
Reuters/AFP since Kevin McCarthy’s ouster on October 3,
Washington said only that “I’ve no comment. We’re having
an active and vigorous conversation”.
That option, which Democrats have also said
threats after his vote against the speaker nomi-
nee.
“The House Republican Conference does not
need a bully as the Speaker,” Ferguson said.

H
ardline conservative Jim Jordan told his
fellow Republicans he will pause his bid
to serve as Speaker of the US House of
Representatives and back Republican Patrick
McHenry to fill the role on a temporary basis,
lawmakers said yesterday.
The House has been without a leader for
more than two weeks, and Jordan has twice
failed to secure the 217 votes needed to claim
the speaker’s gavel as he has faced opposition
from Democrats and more than 20 of his fellow
Republicans.
Republican hardliners expressed outrage at
the deal.
That group had exercised enormous influ-
ence in the House through the course of this
year, bringing Washington to the edge of default
and the brink of a government shutdown in a
budget-cutting drive that has had limited suc-
they might support, would allow Congress to
get back to work.
Democratic President Joe Biden is expected
to ask Congress this week to approve as much
as $60bn for Ukraine and $10bn for Israel, and
funding for US government operations is also
due to expire in less than a month.
“I can’t believe we’re going down this route,”
Republican Representative Jim Banks said.
The White House supports the proposal to
empower McHenry to serve as a temporary
speaker, according to a White House official
yesterday, who did not wish to be named.
“He’s the best bad option. He’s mostly cor-
dial and interested in engaging the other side,”
the official said.
It was not clear whether Jordan, who is backed
by former president Donald Trump, would drop
his leadership bid entirely or continue to try to
Iowa Representative Mariannette Miller-
Meeks said in a statement she had “received
credible death threats and a barrage of threat- Nawaz Sharif
ening calls”.
“The proper authorities have been notified
and my office is co-operating fully. One thing I
cannot stomach, or support, is a bully,” she said.
“Right now the Republican agenda, conserv-
ative agenda, is totally derailed,” said Republi-
Pakistan court grants
can Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, a Jordan
opponent.
Jordan would be the third speaker candidate
bail to ex-PM Sharif
who has fallen victim to Republican infighting.
Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the job on
October 3 by a small group of Republican insur-
ahead of his return
gents. AFP/Reuters ment,” Shehbaz Sharif said on
Steve Scalise, the No. 2 House Republican, Islamabad the X social media platform, for-
won his party’s endorsement last week but merly known as Twitter. “Any
dropped out after he was unable to consolidate fair hearing would have estab-

cess so far.
Asked what he expected as he entered a
closed-door meeting with other Republicans,
Jordan said only “I’m not gonna know until I
talk to my colleagues”.
Republicans huddled behind closed doors for
hours yesterday.
In that meeting, Jordan said he would not
seek a third vote to win the post and instead
will back a plan to empower McHenry to hold
the post until January, according to several law-
makers.
McHenry, who has served as acting Speaker
build support among Republicans.
The prolonged leadership battle has laid bare
divisions among Republicans who control the
chamber by a narrow 221-212 margin.
Multiple Republican lawmakers said they
were angry about hardline tactics that sup-
porters of Jordan had used against those who
opposed his bid, with some reporting receiving
threats after voting against Jordan.
Representative Drew Ferguson said in a state-
ment yesterday that he chose to stop support-
ing Jordan for speaker because of the pressure
campaign, adding that he began receiving death
A
support. Pakistan court has grant-
Jordan got 200 votes in his first attempt on ed bail to former prime
Tuesday and 199 votes on Wednesday. minister and graft con-
One opponent, Republican Representative vict Nawaz Sharif, removing
Don Bacon, predicted he would lose another 10 the threat of arrest when he re-
votes in a third attempt. turns to the country from self-
Republicans who have voted against him have imposed exile this weekend, his
cited differences on taxes and spending and ac- lawyer said.
cuse him of undercutting Scalise’s leadership After nearly four years in the
bid last week. United Kingdom, Sharif is hop-
Others have objected to receiving harass- ing to lead his Pakistan Muslim
ing phone calls and even death threats from his League – Nawaz (PML-N) party
supporters. through elections scheduled for
January 2024.
The court’s decision allows
him to return to his political
heartland of Lahore tomorrow
lished his innocence.”
Sharif’s return has likely been
smoothed by a deal between the
military establishment and his
party to prevent significant legal
hurdles, said analyst Zahid Hus-
sain.
“There was some sort of ar-
rangement with the military
establishment, without that he
wouldn’t have decided to come
back,” he told AFP.
The caretaker government
– in place until elections – has
previously denied any such
agreement.
The PML-N party, one of

Mexico-bound hurricane for a welcome home rally, while

his primary opponent Imran
Khan languishes in jail.
the two dynastic parties of the
country that frequently swap
power, is planning a massive rally

strengthens to Category 4 “It’s a new beginning,” PML-

N chairman Raja Mohamed Za-
far-ul-Haq told AFP. “His return
through the streets of Lahore to-
morrow.
The PML-N has touted Sharif
AFP was putting out maximum sus- is poised to be a momentous de- as a safe pair of hands to steer
Mexico City tained winds were near 130mph velopment.” a spiralling economy suffering
(215kph), with higher gusts. Sharif’s lawyer Amjad Per- from rampant inflation.
“Small intensity fluctuations are vaiz told AFP that the Islamabad However, analyst Hussain said

H
urricane Norma strength-
ened yesterday to a pow-
erful Category 4 storm
as it headed toward Mexico’s Pa-
cific coast with winds exceeding
130mph, the US National Hurri-
cane Centre (NHC) said.
“Norma is a Category 4 hurri-
cane on the Saffir-Simpson Hur-
ricane Wind Scale,” said the NHC,
which grades such storms up to a
maximum Category 5.
As the storm headed for the Baja
California peninsula, including the
beach resort of Los Cabos popular
with American and other tourists,
the government activated a na-
tional emergency plan.
More than 6,600 soldiers were
placed on alert in the states of Baja
California and Baja California Sur,
said the national defence secretar-
iat, with a focus on the cities of San
Quintin, Mulege and La Paz.
“From experience (we know) we
need to move fast to put in place
teams to help the population, and
food,” President Andres Manuel
Lopez Obrador told reporters on
Wednesday.
According to the NHC, Norma
Second Trump co-defendant in election case pleads guilty
possible today, followed by gradual
weakening beginning Friday and
continuing into the weekend,” said
an NHC statement.
Norma was moving northward
about 7mph (11kph), and was ex-
pected to approach the Baja Cali-
fornia peninsula tonight, with
tropical storm conditions possible
by early tomorrow.
“Norma is expected to produce
rainfall totals of 5-10” ... through
Sunday across the far southern
portion of the Mexican state of
Baja California Sur,” said the state-
ment, with localised downpours of
as much as 15”.
“These rains will likely produce
flash and urban flooding, along
with possible mudslides in areas of
higher terrain.”
The NHC also warned that
ocean swells “are likely to cause
life-threatening surf and rip cur-
rent conditions”.
By 1500 GMT, the storm’s epi-
centre was 390km (242 miles) west
of Manzanillo, in the western Mex-
ican state of Colima.
Just last week, western Mexico
was hit by Hurricane Lidia, which
This image obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration shows Hurricane Norma off Mexico’s Pacific coast
yesterday.
left at least two dead after mak-
ing landfall as a Category 4 storm,
causing flooding.
Days earlier, Tropical Storm Max
left two people dead and dozens of
houses flooded in the southern
state of Guerrero, one of the coun-
try’s poorest regions, authorities
said on Tuesday.
Hurricanes hit Mexico every
year on both its Pacific and Atlan-
tic coasts.
Scientists have warned that
storms are becoming more power-
ful as the world gets warmer with
climate change.
High Court granted him protec-
tive bail until October 24 mean-
ing “he cannot be arrested on his
arrival” in Pakistan.
Sharif has been prime minis-
ter three times but was ousted
in 2017 and given a lifetime dis-
qualification from politics after
being convicted of corruption.
He served less than a year of a
seven-year sentence before get-
ting permission to seek medical
care in the United Kingdom, ig-
noring subsequent court orders
to return during former prime
minister Imran Khan’s govern-
ment.
Politicians in Pakistan are of-
ten tangled in legal proceedings
that rights monitors say are or-
chestrated by the powerful mili-
tary, which has ruled the country
directly for more than half of its
history and continues to enjoy
immense power.
Nawaz’s fortunes changed
when his brother Shehbaz Sharif
came to power last year and his
government oversaw changes to
the law, including limiting the
disqualification of lawmakers
from contesting elections to five
years.
The younger Sharif welcomed
the court’s decision.
“it’s challenging to definitively
determine whether his popular-
ity remains intact”.
“His foremost challenge lies
in building party credibility, es-
pecially in light of the substan-
tial support Imran Khan has
garnered, primarily from the
youth,” he added. “He will need
to undertake a process of rein-
vention.”
Even though he was outside
the country, Sharif was widely
believed to have been pulling the
strings of his brother’s premier-
ship.
Known as the “Lion of Pun-
jab”, he is a political survivor who
has repeatedly roared back to the
country’s top office.
He has served three terms
– but did not complete any of
them.
His first, beginning in 1990,
ended in 1993 when he was
sacked for corruption. The sec-
ond lasted from 1997 to 1999,
when he was deposed in a mili-
tary coup.
He blamed the security estab-
lishment for again targeting him
in 2017, when the Supreme Court
disqualified him from politics for
life over graft allegations he de-
nies.

A
former lawyer for Donald Trump has
pleaded guilty to aiding the former US
president’s efforts to overturn his elec-
tion defeat in the state of Georgia, agreeing to
testify against him if called.
The lawyer, Sidney Powell, pleaded guilty to
six counts of conspiracy to commit intentional
interference with performance of election du-
ties, a misdemeanour charge.
Powell was fined $6,000, ordered to pay res-
titution of $2,700 and to write a letter of apol-
ogy to the citizens of Georgia.
She agreed to testify against Trump and the
other 16 co-defendants in the case if prosecu-
tors ask her to.
The Georgia case is one of four concurrent
criminal cases that Trump, the frontrunner for
the 2024 Republican presidential nomination,
is facing, and one of two specifically focused on
his attempts to overturn his election defeat.
Trump continues to falsely claim his loss was
the result of fraud.
Powell’s plea came just days before she was
set to go to trial beginning on Monday on charg-
Sidney Powell
es including racketeering and conspiracy to
commit election fraud.
A lawyer for Powell did not immediately re-
turn a request for comment.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to a sweeping
Fulton County, Georgia, indictment charging
him with violating the state’s Racketeer Influ-
enced and Corrupt Organisations, or RICO, act
in his efforts to overturn his loss to Democratic
President Joe Biden.
Powell admitted to plotting to unlawfully
access secure election machines in rural Cof-
fee County in southeastern Georgia in January
2021. The plea agreement calls for her to be sen-
tenced to six years of probation.
Powell’s guilty plea is a significant victory
for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis,
whose team has now gained the co-operation
of a lawyer closely tied to Trump’s efforts to re-
verse his election defeat.
Powell represented Trump following the
2020 presidential election and helped spread
his false claims that the election had been
marred by widespread voter fraud.
She famously threatened to “release the krak-
en”, a mythological sea monster.
Prosecutors said Powell and other co-de-
fendants tampered with electronic ballot mark-
ers and accessed data belonging to Dominion
Voting Systems, the voting machine company
that Powell and other Trump allies falsely
claimed helped rig the election against Trump.
Scott Hall, a bail bondsman, pleaded guilty
last month to five counts of conspiracy to inter-
fere with the performance of election duties. –
AFP/Reuters
“He was implicated in absurd Prior to his return, he has tem-
cases and subjected to mistreat- pered his anti-army stance.
Freeze! Polish officers arrest thief who
pretended to be store front mannequin
A Polish man has been arrested after he pretended to be a mannequin
in front of a store window before stealing from a shopping centre after
it closed, police in Warsaw said.
“A 22-year-old with a bag in his hand froze motionless, pretending to be
a mannequin in front of a shop window,” police said in a statement. “In
this way, he wanted to avoid being exposed by the cameras.”
After the shopping centre closed the man on one occasion robbed a
jewellery stand, according to police.
On another occasion he went into a restaurant to eat, before slipping
under the roller-shutters at the entrance to a store to swap his clothes
for new ones, police said.
However, he was eventually spotted by security personnel who called
the police.
According to police, the man is also accused of stealing from another
shopping centre, where they allege he took money from cash tills and
tried to steal other items after it closed. – Reuters
10 Gulf Times
Friday, October 20, 2023

COMMENT
CHAIRMAN
Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Faisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka
Deputy Managing Editor
K T Chacko

P.O.Box 2888, Doha, Qatar

editor@gulf-times.com
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GULF TIMES
Google’s AI push
cause of concern
for publishers
You may never have to read another news story in your life, if you
have artificial intelligence that can digest all the web’s information
and serve up a summary on demand.
That’s the stuff of nightmares for media barons as Google and
others experiment with what’s called generative AI, which creates
new content drawing from past data.
Making the international
financial system work
Since May, Google has begun rolling out a new form of search
powered by generative AI, after industry observers questioned
the tech giant’s future prominence in providing consumers with
information following the rise of OpenAI’s query-answering
chatbot, ChatGPT.
The product, called Search Generative Experience (SGE), uses AI
to create summaries in response to some search queries, triggered
by whether Google’s system determines the format would be By Chrysoula Zacharopoulou and accelerate progress toward the remains a work in progress, the development partners have worked
helpful. Those summaries appear on the top of the Google search Rania Al-Mashat Sustainable Development Goals. Common Framework has already this way with Indonesia, Senegal,
homepage, with links to “dig deeper.” Marrakesh Do we need figures to appreciate done considerable good, such as for South Africa, and Vietnam,
If publishers want to prevent their content from being used by what the Paris Pact has achieved Chad and Zambia. among others, to build Just Energy
Google’s AI to help generate those summaries, they must use the so far? On concessional finance: Two years ago, climate-finance Transition Partnerships, which

I
same tool that would also prevent them from appearing in Google n the last two years, a series G20 leaders agreed in September negotiations were still paralysed support these countries as they
search results, rendering them virtually invisible on the web. of international summits have to unlock $200bn in additional by a thorny issue: developed move along their respective paths
Google says that the AI-generated overviews are synthesised focused on the future of the lending firepower from multilateral economies’ delay in delivering away from fossil fuels or coal.
from multiple web pages and that the links are designed to be a global financial architecture. development banks (MDBs). the $100bn in annual support for Two years ago, who could have
jumping off point to learn more. It describes SGE as an opt-in But as we convened in Marrakesh Do we need voices to attest to climate-change mitigation and foreseen a consensus on reforms
experiment for users, to help it evolve and improve the product, for the annual meetings of the how fast the global financial system adaptation they had promised to the international financial
while it incorporates feedback from news publishers and others. International Monetary Fund and is changing for the better? Here we to their developing-country architecture? And yet we enacted
To publishers, the new search tool is the latest red flag in a the World Bank, many were asking are. We come from very different counterparts. At COP27 in Egypt, game-changing advances in
decades-long relationship in which they have both struggled to whether it made sense to try to fix countries, Egypt and France, but we we overcame this issue and even Marrakesh. Echoing the Paris Pact
compete against Google for online advertising, and relied on the the existing system. Some were are united by the knowledge that agreed to create new financial adopted in June, we confirmed
tech giant for search traffic. already convinced that this is we can indeed reshape the existing arrangements, sponsored by the that we want to eradicate poverty
The still-evolving neither possible nor desirable. global financial architecture. In European Union, to address loss and ensure a livable planet, and we
To publishers, the product - now available Let’s prove them wrong. fact, in just the past few years, we and damage. agreed to further financial support
in the US, India and Japan We arrived in Marrakesh four have witnessed major steps toward Two years ago, few would for global public goods, such as
new search tool is - has raised concerns months after leaders gathered in that end. We will keep carrying that have imagined that climate public health.
among publishers as they Paris for the Summit for a New effort forward. vulnerabilities would be integrated This year’s spring meetings
the latest red flag try to figure out their Global Financing Pact, where they Two years ago, for example, the into the core of MDBs’ operating of the IMF and World Bank in
place in a world where laid out four principles that should implementation of a global fiscal models. Yet today, the largest such Washington unlocked an additional
in a decades-long AI could dominate how guide our global efforts. The pillars stimulus to overcome the Covid-19 institutions, such as the World $50bn for the World Bank. In
users find and pay for of the so-called Paris Pact for pandemic seemed a formidable Bank, are making progress toward Marrakesh, some countries
relationship in information, according to People and the Planet echoed the challenge. But we managed to this goal. Moreover, some bilateral launched innovative instruments
four major publishers. finance-related outcomes of the reach a global agreement that led development partners, such as to boost the Bank’s capacity even
which they have Those concerns relate UN Climate Change Conference to the historic issuance of $650bn France and the United Kingdom, further.
to web traffic, whether (COP27) that took place in Sharm worth of special drawing rights have decided to include climate- Almost a year after COP27 in
both struggled to publishers will be El-Sheikh seven months earlier; (SDRs, the IMF’s reserve currency), related clauses in their loans and Egypt, the 2023 annual meetings
credited as the source of and they animated the negotiations and secured a commitment from now allow countries to suspend of the IMF and World Bank, hosted
compete against information that appears at the G20 Summit in New Delhi, developed economies to channel debt servicing when facing climate by Morocco, proved it once again:
disasters. where there is political will, there
Google for online in the SGE summaries,
and the accuracy of
the Africa Climate Summit in
Nairobi, and the recently concluded
20% of their allocations to the
countries that needed the funding Two years ago, we lacked an is a way forward. We can make
advertising those summaries. Most
significantly, publishers
UN General Assembly in New York.
What are these principles?
most. France went even further,
scaling up its reallocation ratio to
innovative toolbox to establish
development partnerships in line
meaningful progress toward a
fairer, more efficient international
want to be compensated for the content on which Google and other First, no country should have to 40%. with the national priorities of financial system. Rather than
AI companies train their AI tools - a major sticking point around AI. choose between fighting extreme Three years ago, who would the supported country, as per the attempt to work outside the system
On compensation, Google says it is working to develop a better poverty and fighting the climate have thought that all the largest “country ownership principle.” by creating alternative fora, we
understanding of the business model of generative AI applications crisis. Second, country ownership bilateral creditors would coordinate Now, “country platform” is must make the system we have
and get input from publishers and others. of development and climate- on sovereign-debt treatment for becoming the new normal. Having work. – Project Syndicate
In late September Google announced a new tool, called Google- transition strategies is essential, countries hit by a debt crisis? And served on both sides of such
Extended, that gives publishers the option to block their content with each country charting its yet, in 2020, creditors from across negotiations, we can tell you that  Chrysoula Zacharopoulou
from being used by Google to train its AI models. own path according to its specific the G20 – including China, the this new approach is working. is French Minister of State for
The new tool doesn’t allow publishers to block their content national circumstances. Third, US, and the Paris Club – came Egypt showed the way with its Development, Francophonie and
from being crawled for SGE, either the summaries or the links that a shock of concessional finance together to do just that, and the Nexus of Water, Food, and Energy International Partnerships. Rania
appear with them, without disappearing from traditional Google is needed. And fourth, private Common Framework for Debt (NWFE) programme, launched Al-Mashat is Egypt’s Minister of
search. investment must be leveraged to Treatments was born. Though it at COP27. France and other International Cooperation.
Publishers want clicks to secure advertisers, and showing up
in Google search is key to their business. The design for SGE has
pushed the links that appear in traditional search further down the
page, with potential to reduce traffic to those links by as much as
40%. More alarming is the possibility that web surfers will avoid
clicking any of the links if the SGE passage fulfills the users’ need for
information.
Google says that it designed SGE to highlight web content.
While publishers and other industries have spent decades
adjusting their websites to show up prominently in traditional
Google search, they don’t have enough information to do the same
for the new SGE summaries.
Google said publishers do not need to do anything different than
what they have been doing to appear in search.
Publishers have long allowed Google to “crawl” their content for
the purposes of appearing in search results - using a bot, or piece
of software, to automatically scan and index it. “Crawling” is how
Google indexes the web to make content show up in search.
Publishers’ concerns with SGE boil down to a key point: They say
that Google is crawling their content, for free, to create summaries
that users may read instead of clicking on their links, and that
Google hasn’t been clear about how they can block content from
being crawled for SGE.

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© 2023 Gulf Times. All rights reserved plenary during the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, following last month’s deadly earthquake, in Marrakech,
Morocco, October 13, 2023.

Signs of one’s love for the Prophet
T
he worst disaster ever to strike
this nation was the death of the
Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam, who instructed us to re-
member the affliction of his death when-
ever we are tried by any hardship, so that
we may thereby condole ourselves and
ease the impact of that hardship, which
would be insignificant in comparison.
Signs that prove one’s love for the
Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam:
1. Mentioning him frequently and exalt-
ing his mention. Allah Says what means:
“Indeed, Allah exalts the mention of the
Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so].
O you who have believed! Ask [Allah to]
exalt his mention.” [Qur’an 33: 56]
There are many times and occasions
when this is legislated to be done, such
as during supplication. Ubay ibn Ka’b,
radhiallah ‘anhu, reported: “I (once) said:
‘O Messenger of Allah! I frequently invoke
Allah to exalt your rank; how much of my
supplication should I devote to you?’ He,
sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “You
may devote as much as you wish.” When I
suggested a quarter, he said: “Do whatever
you wish, but it would be better for you if
you were to increase upon that.” I suggested
half, and he, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam,
said: “Do whatever you wish, but it would
be better for you if you were to increase
upon that.” I suggested two-thirds, and
he, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “Do
whatever you wish, but it would be better
for you if you were to increase upon that.” I
(finally) said: ‘Shall I devote all of my sup-
plication to invoke Allah to exalt your rank?’
He, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “You
would then be freed from your worries, and
your sins would be forgiven.’’” [Ahmad &
At-Tirmithi]
2. Longing to see him: The Prophet, sal-
lallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “I swear by
The Sunnah: the second History of the
form of revelation Sunnah
A
llah, Almighty, Says (what
M
means): “This day have I per-
fected your religion for you
and completed my favor upon
you and have chosen for you Islam as
your religion.” [Qur’an; 5: 3]
Amongst the believers there is no
doubt about this way of life called
Islam. It is a complete way of life. The
Creator of the heavens and the earth
has not left anything out of this glori-
ous religion (way of life) of His. As the
above verse states that this religion
is perfect and complete. However,
something new has come in fairly re-
cent years from Satan, concerning the
Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, sal-
lallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. It has been
suggested by him to the hearts of some
of the Muslims that the Qur’an, as Glo-
rious as it is, is sufficient as guidance
for mankind. Meaning that the Sunnah
is something that can be left off, or
abandoned. Surely, this is a disease that
has no place in this wonderful religion
(Islam).
In order to address this issue we
must ask ourselves an important ques-
tion. How do we worship Allah? Do we
worship Him any way we want? Is there
a correct methodology to worshipping
Allah? Is it sufficient for us to say and
do whatever it is that we feel is worship
and then call it worship and it will be
accepted as such? Let us consider the
saying of Allah (which means): “O you
who believe! Obey Allah and obey the
Messenger, and make not vain your
deeds!” [Qur’an; 47: 33]
You must know that the Qur’an
and the Sunnah do not contradict one
another, rather they complement one
another. When Allah Says in this verse
that the Messenger is to be obeyed, he
is not only talking to that honourable
group of Muslims that accompanied
the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sal-
lam, during his lifetime. He is speaking
to all of the Muslims that will come up
until the Last Day.
Similarly, no one is ready to conceive
the notion that when Allah, Says (what
means): “O you who believe!” that the
only ones who believe are the Muslims
the One in whose Hand the soul of Muham-
mad is! A day will come when not one of you
will be able to see me (i.e., after my death)
and seeing me then would be dearer to a
person’s heart than his family and wealth.”
[Ahmad & At-Tirmithi]
Losing one’s family and wealth is a minor
issue in comparison to the great bounty of
being a companion, whose sins are forgiven,
of the Prophet.
3. Being sincere to the Prophet: Imaam
Al-Maroozi said: “This was done dur-
ing his lifetime by exerting all efforts to
obey him, supporting him, helping him,
sacrificing one’s wealth for his sake if he
were to demand it, and hastening to attain
his love. After his death, it is expressed
by learning his Sunnah, his manners
and etiquette, glorifying his commands
and adhering to them, becoming angry
who were with the Prophet at that time
and no one after them believed and no
one else will ever believe! This would be
grossly limiting the Qur’an.
Satan is crafty! He may then try to
sway your thinking from another angle.
He may say that the Qur’an is simple
to understand and that it needs no
explanation. For it is true that Allah
Says (what means): “We have indeed
made the Qur’an easy to understand
and remember” [Qur’an; 54: 32]
However, although the Qur’an is
easy to understand, it does need to be
explained so that it is properly under-
stood. Allah Says (what means): “And
when We have recited it to you [O Mu-
hammad through Jibreel (Gabriel)] then
follow you its (The Qur’an’s) recital.
Then it is for Us (Allah) to make it clear
(to you).” [Qur’an; 75: 18,19]
Surely if the Qur’an had to be made
clear to the Messenger, sallallaahu
‘alaihi wa sallam, then how much more
so to you and I?
Allah Says (what means): “...And We
have sent down unto you (O Muham-
mad) the Reminder, that you may
explain clearly to men what is sent
down to them, and that they may give
thought.” [Qur’an; 16: 44]
In this verse, Allah is exhorting the
Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sal-
lam, not merely to recite the Qur’an but
to explain it as well. Obviously, some
explanation is required even to the
most pious of men.
Furthermore, giving the needed
details to carry out certain commands
given in the Qur’an was another
very vital role played by the Sunnah.
For example, Allah commands us to
establish the Prayers and to pay the
obligatory charity (Zakaah), saying
(what means): “And establish the
prayers and give Zakaah (the obliga-
tory charity) and bow with those who
bow [in worship and obedience].”
[Qur’an; 2:43] Yet, nowhere in the
Qur’an does Allah give the required
details to implement His command,
and it was the Sunnah that gave us all
the details of the how, when, who of
this command.
THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH
at those who live according to anything
other than his way, and loving those who
adhere to it, as well as loving those who
are from his descendants, those who mi-
grated with him and those who supported
him, and indeed anyone who was in his
company even for as brief a period as an
hour. Additionally, it entails imitating him
in the way he dressed.”
Imaam Al-Qurtubi added: “It is to
believe in his prophethood, to love those
who supported him, to hate those who
hate him, to glorify his Sunnah and revive,
defend and spread it, as well as calling
people to it and imitating him in his morals
and conduct.”
4. Loving those whom he, sallallaahu
‘alaihi wa sallam, loved: If he loved Al-
Hasan, Al-Husayn, ‘Ali and Faatimah,
may Allah be pleased with them, then we
Additionally, Allah Says (what
means): “...(And) if you differ in any-
thing amongst yourselves, refer it to
Allah and His Messenger, if you believe
in Allah and the Last Day. That is better
and more suitable for final determina-
tion.” [Qur’an; 4: 59]
Once again, if we try to leave off the
importance of the Sunnah, then how do
we implement this verse of the Qur’an?
Allah orders us to refer our differences
to Him. This means for us to seek our
answers from the Qur’an. He also
attaches the Messenger, sallallaahu
‘alaihi wa sallam, to that particular
order when He stated for us to refer to
Him. If we leave off the Sunnah then
this part of the verse has no meaning.
Allah Says (what means): “Whoever
obeys the Messenger, has obeyed Al-
lah.” [Qur’an; 4: 80]
And (what means): “Say (O Muham-
mad): If you (really) love Allah, then
follow me, Allah will love you and
forgive you your sins.” [Qur’an; 3: 31]
How can the Muslims of today follow
the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sal-
lam, and not refer to his Sunnah? How
can we say that we love Allah and not
try to follow the methodology of His
Prophet ?
Finally, we would like to conclude
with a Hadith (narration) from the
Messenger of Allah that was collected
by Imaam Maalik in his book called
Muwatta. The Prophet, sallallaahu
‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “I have left
behind two matters. Those who hold
fast to them will never go astray: The
Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His
Messenger.”
The reason that many of the Muslims
are going astray today is because they
are not only leaving off the Sunnah but
they are leaving the Qur’an as well! If
you are not giving the Sunnah its rights,
then you are not giving the Qur’an its
rights.
Without the Sunnah then the second
statement of your Shahaadah (testi-
mony of faith) also has no meaning.
Article source: http://www.islamweb.
net/emainpage/
also love them, and Allah is our witness
to this love. Likewise, we love those who
follow his Sunnah and his household,
and they are, as Zayd, radhiallah ‘anhu,
said when clarifying the narration of the
Prophet: “My household; I remind you to
fear Allah with regards to my household;
I remind you to fear Allah with regards
to my household; I remind you to fear
Allah with regards to my household.”
Zayd was asked: “Who are his household?
Are his wives included in it?” He replied:
“Yes (i.e., his wives are included), as are
all those who are forbidden from taking
Zakaah after his death, namely: the family
of ‘Ali, the family of ‘Aqeel, the family
of Ja’far and the family of Al-‘Abbaas.”
[Muslim]
We pray for all of them during our daily
prayers; thus if somebody’s lineage is known
to originate from the Prophet, sallallaahu
‘alaihi wa sallam, and they are a pious
person with sound creed, and not a Sufi, a
deviant or an innovator, then they should be
loved for two reasons: One being their piety
and the other being their relationship to the
Prophet.
Loving his wives, who are the mothers
of the believers, is also part of this, as Allah
Says what means: “The Prophet is more
worthy of the believers than themselves,
and his wives are [in the position of] their
mothers...” [Qur’an 33: 6]
His wives were: Khadeejah bint Khu-
waylid, ‘Aa’ishah bint Abu Bakr, Hafsah
bint ‘Umar, Umm Habeebah bint Abu
Sufyaan, Umm Salamah, Zaynab bint Jahsh,
Zaynab bint Khuzaymah Al-Hilaaliyyah,
Juwayriyyah bint Al-Haarith, Safiyyah bint
Huyay and Maymoonah bint Al-Haarith
Al-Hilaaliyyah - may Allah be pleased with
them all.
A sign of loving the Prophet, sallallaahu
‘alaihi wa sallam, is to love the mothers of
uslims were, early on, aware
of the significance of the
Sunnah and its authority.
They, one generation after
the other, were keen to preserve the
Sunnah because they saw that as a part
of the preserving of the last revelations
man is ever to receive. Their efforts were
unabated, and the remarkable job they
did is unparalleled in the experience of
any other religion or civilisation.
At the time of the Prophet:
One of the main reasons behind this
is the fact that the Prophet, sallal-
laahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, clearly taught
the Companions the importance of his
Sunnah, its place in Islam and their role
in saving it, teaching and conveying it
to others around them and to those who
would come after them. In so doing, he,
sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, followed
an effective methodology, which will be
briefly outlined below:
1. He emphasised the importance
of seeking knowledge and teaching it
to others. He said: “Seeking knowl-
edge is obligatory upon every Muslim
(male and female).” [Ibn Maajah] Also,
he said: “Whosoever pursues a path
to seek knowledge therein, Allah will
thereby make easy for him a path to
Paradise. No people gather together in
one of the houses of Allah (mosques),
reciting the Book of Allah and studying
it among themselves, without tran-
quility descending upon them, mercy
enveloping them and angels surround-
ing them, and Allah making mention
of them to those (angels) who are with
Him.” [Muslim]
2. He always had a centre for teaching.
Most of the time, it was the mosque.
3. He was soft in his dealings and
always facilitated things and made them
easy for others. He was merciful and
humble and made himself readily avail-
able.
4. He never pushed people into
anything. Instead, he gradually taught
them and led them to change. He always
motivated them to follow his example and
be their best.
5. He would not continuously teach or
work with them, but he would give them
enough breaks to avoid overstressing or
boring them.
6. He spoke plainly and clearly and
he talked to people at their level of
understanding and intellectual ability.
Whenever appropriate, he spoke to peo-
ple in their own dialect for the Arabs had
different dialects.
7. He used the method of repetition.
He would repeat whatever he wanted to
stress for three times to insure that all
heard him properly and clearly under-
stood what he was saying.
8. When questioned, he would give
more than what is expected as an answer
and use the occasion to further clarify
things for all, and teach about other
things.
9. Whenever the Prophet had to choose
between two ways, he chose the easier
way, which had facility and mercy if there
was nothing forbidden in that, and he
kept away from the difficult and harsh
ways.
10. He attached special attention to
teaching the women and provided them
Gulf Times
Friday, October 20, 2023 11
the believers and not to harm or slander
them in any way.
Loving his Companions accepting the
guidance they conveyed to us, and emulat-
ing them.
Many are those who claim to love the
Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam,
even from amongst the innovators, but the
“proof” of their love for him is that they
worship him alongside Allah, and supplicate
to him instead of Allah, and seek forgive-
ness from him; these people exclude and
forget Allah. Is this love, or is it association
with Allah, which he, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa
sallam, hated more than anything else? He
alluded to this when he said: “Do not praise
me as the Christians praised the son of
Maryam.” [Al-Bukhari]
By this statement, he did not forbid all
types of praise for him, but rather only the
type that the Christians did (and do) for
Jesus (‘Eesaa ), which is where they raise his
rank to one above that which Allah granted
him, which is that of a slave and a messen-
ger, and they worship him instead of Allah.
This is similar to what the deviant Sufis and
other sects did and do.
On the other hand, Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-
Jamaa’ah prove their love for the Prophet,
sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, by obeying
his commands, following his Sunnah and
adhering to his guidance; this is how one
follows his way, as Allah Says what means:
“Say [O Muhammad]: If you should love Al-
lah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you
and forgive you your sins...” [Qur’an 3: 31]
This is real love!
Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/
emainpage/
special times for questions. He encour-
aged them to ask and learn.
11. He used to do his best in everything,
and he perfected whatever he did, thus
setting an example for others.
The era of the Companions and
their Followers
The Companions did their utmost to
convey Islam to the generations succeed-
ing them in the best and most accurate
way possible. They sincerely loved it,
honestly lived according to it and faith-
fully preserved it and kept any impurity
or irregularity out of it.
Their role in the preservation of Islam
was one of utmost importance to its con-
tinuation, but they were highly prepared
for it by the best teacher and trainer, the
Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam.
Thus the studying of this era, especially
with respect to the history and authority
of the Sunnah, is necessary to all Stu-
dents of Knowledge.
For detailed reading there are many
books on Hadiths and Sunnah:
Methodology of the Companions in
Preserving the Sunnah
Before discussing the Companions’
ways of learning, practising, preserving
and conveying of the Sunnah, it is worth-
while to shed some light on the main
points one needs to understand about the
Companions and their methodology:
1. The Companions were fully aware of
the responsibility they shoulder after the
death of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi
wa sallam.
2. The Companions are all trustworthy.
They never doubted one another in the
matters of this religion and the narration
of Hadith.
3. The Companions have developed a
methodology for scrutinising Hadiths
and narrators, and by doing that have
established the rules of ascertaining nar-
rations for those who came after them.
4. The ability of different Companions
to understand the Sunnah, memorise it
and convey it varied from one Compan-
ion to another.
5. The Companions left Makkah
and Madinah to many places around
the Muslim world, at the time, for the
purpose of delivering the message and
teaching Islam to those who accepted it
thus spreading the Sunnah throughout
the land.
It is interesting to note that about 750
Companions narrated Hadiths, seven of
whom narrated a high number of Ha-
diths, and about 20 narrated an average
number, the rest narrated a small number.
The seven who narrated a large number
of Hadiths are: Abu Hurairah who nar-
rated 5,374 Hadiths, ‘Abdullaah Ibn ‘Umar
narrated 2,630, Anas Ibn Maalik narrated
2,286, ‘Aa’ishah narrated 2,210, ‘Abdul-
laah Ibn ‘Abbaas narrated 1,660, Jaabir
Ibn ‘Abdullaah narrated 1,540, and Abu
Sa’eed AI-Khudri narrated 1,100 Hadiths.
They understood their role and were
aware of the significance of their ability
in narrating the Hadiths and did their
best to deliver them diligently and accu-
rately. Muslims of all times are indebted
to them.
Article source: http://www.islamweb.
net/emainpage/
12 Gulf Times
Friday, October 20, 2023
QATAR
Pro-Palestine QU rally
draws huge crowd
From Page 1
“We stand here today at Qatar Uni-
versity to express and declare our
strong rejection of the brutal crimes
and massacres to which our brothers in
Palestine are subjected to,” said vice-
president for Student Affairs Dr Eiman
Mustafawi.
“We also appreciate the efforts of our
students in defending the causes of the
homeland and the nation, and affirm
their right to express their opinions,
ideas, rights and positions, through the
establishment of such peaceful gather-
ings in support of important issues, and
we commend their humanitarian and
charitable role in urging donations to
the relief of our people in Gaza in co-or-
dination with Qatar Charity,” she said.
QF schools affirm support for Palestine
From Page 1
“The event’s purpose is to raise
awareness, nurture empathy, and
encourage discussions on social
justice and humanitarian caus-
es,” Kalash said. “It aims to cre-
ate space for open and informed
classroom discussions, enabling
students to ask questions, share
their perspectives, and engage in
QAM assistant principal QAD director Mehdi meaningful conversations.”
Lama Kalash. Benchaabane. According to Kalash, fostering
understanding and empathy for
those affected by conflict reso-
nates with the core values of em-
pathy and compassion.
This helps QAM students com-
prehend complex global issues and
advocate for positive change.
“We aim, through this event, to
foster informed, compassionate,
and engaged global citizens who
understand their responsibility to
promote peace and justice, both
locally and internationally, and
who know how to do so in a con-
structive and peaceful manner,”
she said.
Ahmed Omer, a nine-year-old
student at the QAM, said: “Wear-
ing the colours of the flag or clothes
that reflect the heritage of Pales-
tine helps me show how much I
care about the people in Palestine.
I’m wearing the Palestinian keffi-
yeh and I’m proud to do so.”
“It’s a time for all of us at school
Snapshots from the QU rally.
PICTURES: Thajudheen
The Ealia Club president Mohamed
Alloh said the demonstrators gathered
to convey their solidarity and say to the
Palestinians that it is a great honour to
be granted the blessing of supporting
them.
QUSRB president Fawziya Alhor said
the QU community with its students,
faculty, and administrative staff be-
lieves in the importance of the Palestin-
ian cause.
“This cause isn’t reserved for Arabs
or Muslims. It’s a humanitarian issue
that everyone with humanity must de-
fend, stand up for and show their full
support regardless of the differences
of nationality,” she said. “Based on
these principles that we believe in, the
QUSRB declares its full solidarity with
the people in Gaza and Palestine.”
to come together and support
something that matters to a lot of
people,” he said.
Fellow QAM student Maryam
Abdullah al-Khalifa, 10, said: “We
are all inspired by how strong and
brave the people in Palestine are.
I want them to know that we’re
here for them, and we’re standing
together with love through these
hard times.”
“I stand with the children in
Palestine, and I wish them strong,
healthy, and happy lives. I want
to tell them to never give up,” she
said.
Al Mayassa Hassan Saleh, nine,
said: “This little thing I do helps
me support them. I want to tell the
world that we care and that they’re
not alone.”
“It’s not only about supporting
Palestine; it’s about understand-
ing that we, as students, can speak
up and make a change,” the QAM
student said. “I’m happy to be in a
community that cares.”
Qatar Academy Doha (QAD) –
also part of the QF’s PUE – planted
an olive tree between its primary
and middle school campuses.
The olive tree, alongside its re-
ligious significance, is a symbol of
the Palestinian cause, and repre-
sents a steadfastness to their land.
The QAD also used the planting
of the tree to spread awareness of
the Palestinian cause and collect
“All our eyes are turned towards
Gaza, which resists the occupying ag-
gressor with determination and fierce-
ness,” Ealia Club member Mohamed
Sorour said. “Our people in Gaza have
demonstrated great patience. They
symbolise faith, steadfastness, and re-
silience in the face of all the oppression
and tyranny they endure, but they be-
lieve in entrusting their affairs to Allah.”
“Our support for our people and our
brothers is a duty incumbent upon us,
not a favour from us to them,” said Dr
Abduljabbar Saeed, head of the Depart-
ment of Qur’an and Sunnah at the Col-
lege of Sharia and Islamic Studies. “We
are the ones in need of this stance, and
we are the ones who need to fulfil this
duty towards the path of the Prophet
(PBUH).”
donations for the people of Gaza.
“Each time we gather under the
canopy of this tree, our souls unite
with the people of Palestine,” said
QAD director Mehdi Benchaabane.
“The olive tree will be our gateway
to their struggle for peace and a
legacy to remind many generations
to come of our unwavering support QAM student Ahmed QAM student Al Mayassa
and sympathy for all the oppressed Omer. Hassan Saleh.
people around the world striving
for freedom.”
“Under the tree’s nurturing
shade, we cultivate compassion,
share narratives, uncover the his-
tory, and promote critical think-
ing,” he said. “We leverage our IB
education to understand the world
around us and commit to the mis-
sion of making it a better place for
all.”
“This initiative aligns with our
mission of helping our students QAM student Maryam Abdullah al-
become the leaders of tomorrow, Khalifa.
who tackle global and local issues,
and participate in and steer global
conversations on peace,” Benchaa-
bane added.
Other schools under the QF’s
PUE, such as Qatar Academy Al
Khor, Tariq Bin Ziad School, and
Qatar Academy for Science and
Technology, have also organised
prayers and held educational ses-
sions, with students wearing tra-
ditional Palestinian clothes and
scarves, to demonstrate their sup-
port.