Qatar Stands Tall Among Nations; Siege Exposes Hackers and Bullies
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QATAR | Page 16 SPORT | Page 1 Djokovic confi dent of historic second Eid rush at textile Grand Slam and tailoring shops sweep published in QATAR since 1978 SATURDAY Vol. XXXX No. 11194 May 25, 2019 Ramadan 20, 1440 AH GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals Qatar stands tall among nations; siege exposes hackers and bullies By Faisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka from the unjust blockade which is Editor-in-Chief evident from the illustrious past two years, which are replete with many accomplishments that have made the A life of dignity or none at all”, residents of this great country proud. that was the sentiment expressed Qatar has completed many world- “by the people of Qatar when a class infrastructure projects includ- group of four Arab nations imposed ing stadiums, roads, bridges, fi ve-star a blockade on the tiny Gulf nation as hotels, major shopping malls, and a “punitive action” for embracing an launched a preview service for the fi rst independent domestic and foreign part of the Doha Metro’s Red Line. policy. The Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah On June 5, 2017 Saudi Arabia, the was inaugurated on May 16. It was the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain fi rst World Cup venue to be built from and Egypt severed diplomatic ties with scratch and hosted the Amir Cup fi nal Qatar and imposed a land, air and sea which was attended by a record crowd blockade, accusing Doha of support- of more than 38,000 people. ing militant groups and cosying up During this period Qatar has to Iran. Qatar has vehemently denied achieved near self-suffi ciency in food these charges and its accusers have not production and embarked on ambi- been able to provide even a shred of tious projects to maintain its position evidence to support their conjured up as the largest exporter of liquefi ed nat- allegations. ural gas (LNG). Though the plan to “damage” Qa- A total of 120 new factories have tar had been in the making for several been established in Qatar since the years, the operation to realise it was siege and 60 more large establishments triggered with the hacking of the Qatar are expected to be completed in 2019. News Agency (QNA) in the early hours The eff orts of Kuwaiti Amir, Sheikh of May 24, 2017. The hacking followed Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah inserting fabricated news on the offi - to fi nd “rapprochement among the cial channel which was used as a pre- brothers” has earned him the praise of text by the blockading countries to the international community but has sever all ties with Qatar, less than two achieved little so far. weeks later. The blockade has made it harder to However, it did not take much time for Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah – first Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup venue built from scratch. develop inter-regional trade, attract the world to know who were the perpe- more foreign investment and build on trators behind the shameful cyber crime. On the domestic front, aided by political views on how regional politics speech, that the blockading countries tors suddenly found they could no recent successes in turning the region On July 20, 2017, the investigation team its vast hydrocarbon reserves, Qatar should play out. Thus any country in insist we surrender.” longer access their properties in the into a global hub in travel, communi- of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) revealed has modernised its infrastructure and the region that supports “democratic The reckless actions of the siege blockading countries. cations, fi nance and logistics. that the hacking “originated from the raised the standard of living of its citi- change” becomes a target. countries have resulted in eroding the Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s holi- It also makes it diffi cult to envision UAE”. The probe was assisted by offi cial zens to the highest in the world - a level Because Qatar has used its “soft pow- trust among tribes in the Arab world est sites, shocked the world by closing formal moves to improve security co- Western agencies. Several specialised other Gulf states have been unable to er” in the form of diplomacy and inter- and made the Gulf Co-operation the doors for Qatari pilgrims, politicis- operation in traditionally sensitive agencies have all independently obtained achieve. national media networks to highlight Council (GCC) a dysfunctional bloc ing religion for petty gains. areas like counterterrorism and intel- solid and consistent evidence confi rm- Regarding foreign policy, Qatar’s demands for reform in the region, it be- which otherwise was a bulwark of Arab Meanwhile, Qatar has deepened its ligence sharing as this relied primarily ing Qatar’s fi ndings of the involvement independent regional course led to it came marked by the Saudi-Emirati axis. solidarity against threats of all sorts. strategic co-operation and diplomatic on the trust generated by shared exter- of the UAE and Saudi Arabia in the hack- supporting popular demands for dem- Addressing the Munich Security One of the most painful outcomes outreach with countries in the region nal threats, bonds of language and re- ing of the QNA’s website. Qatar has since ocratic change in the Arab world, es- Conference in February this year, His of the blockade was the separation of and around the world. It has also ex- ligion and deeply rooted business and taken many steps to strengthen its cyber pecially during the Arab Spring revolts Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin thousands of family members who panded trade ties with partners old familial ties. security. throughout the Middle East and North Hamad al-Thani said: “Preserving lived in GCC member states as mem- and new. Analysts feel other small Gulf na- Analysts feel the blockading coun- Africa. the sovereignty and the independent bers of an extended family. Qatari stu- The evil intentions behind the hack- tions are still at risk of punitive action tries were unhappy with Qatar’s inde- The young, aggressive leadership in decision-making of countries like Qa- dents had to discontinue their educa- ing was to tarnish the image of Qatar by the Saudi-Emirati coalition given pendent and ambitious domestic and Riyadh and Abu Dhabi saw Doha’s pol- tar ensures accelerated development tion, businessmen were deprived of and undermine its sovereignty. But the underlying conditions that result- foreign policy. icies as standing in opposition to their - development like free media and free their commercial interests and inves- Qatar emerged stronger and bolder ed in the blockade still persist. Bombing of mosque in Pakistan condemned Qatar has strongly condemned the bombing of a mosque in Quetta, Tearful May quits southwestern Pakistan, killing two New timings for Doha people and injuring others. In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Aff airs reiterated Qatar’s over Brexit turmoil firm stance on rejecting violence and terrorism, regardless of motives Metro after Ramadan AFP May, who took over in the aftermath and reasons. The statement stressed London of the 2016 Brexit referendum, was Qatar’s total refusal of targeting forced to make way following a Con- places of worship and terrorising By Joey Aguilar Msheireb (Interchange station), Al wailina station and take the train servative mutiny over her ill-fated strat- peaceful people. It expressed Staff Reporter Doha Al Jadeda, Umm Ghuwailina, Al going to the DECC station,” he said, er voice breaking, Prime Min- egy to end Britain’s near fi ve-decade Qatar’s condolences to the victims’ Matar Al Qadeem, Oqba Ibn Nafi e, Free adding that taking a taxi to the metro ister Theresa May announced membership of the European Union. families, the government and people Zone, Ras Bu Fontas and Al Wakrah. station for QR7 or QR8 would be an- Hher resignation yesterday af- “It is and will always remain a mat- of Pakistan, wishing the injured a he Doha Metro Red Line South, This line will soon open other sta- other option. “I want to avoid heavy ter three years of Brexit turmoil, dra- ter of deep regret to me that I have not speedy recovery. Page 12 which started its initial opera- tions such as Katara, Legtaifi ya, Qatar traffi c in the morning and I think matically increasing the likelihood of been able to deliver Brexit,” May said Ttions on May 8, will have new University and Lusail. It operates from many residents like me will be doing Britain crashing out of the EU within outside her Downing Street offi ce, RAMADAN THOUGHT timings after Ramadan, it is learnt. Sunday to Thursday and takes a break the same because it is really com- months. holding back tears. The service will most likely begin during the weekends “for the work re- fortable, aff ordable and hassle-free,” “It will be for my successor to seek a Those who spend their wealth earlier than 8am, aimed at a large quired to open more stations and lines.” Paul added. way forward that honours the result of (in Allah’s Cause) by night and number of people who report to work The staff said that the other Doha Passengers who do not want to the referendum.” day, in secret and in public, they at 7am, according to Qatar Rail’s cus- Metro lines, as well as the remaining drive or take a taxi can avail of the May, 62, who will be among the shall have their reward with tomer service hotline (105). stations of the Red Line, will open in free Metrolink feeder bus service to country’s shortest-serving post- their Lord.