BUSINESS | Page 1 SPORT | Page 1 US fi rms see Qatar as gateway A dazzling decade of to Gulf and Mideast region Asian men’s football published in QATAR since 1978 TUESDAY Vol. XXXX No. 11413 December 31, 2019 Jumada I 5, 1441 AH GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals In brief QATAR | Offi cial Qatar deploys Amir sends message to Austrian president His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani sent yesterday hi-tech vessels a written message to Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, pertaining to bilateral ties and means to bolster them. Qatar’s ambassador to Austria and Permanent for maritime Representative to the UN and International Organisations in Vienna, Sultan bin Salmeen al-Mansouri, delivered the message yesterday during a meeting with Austrian safety, security President’s Adviser for International Aff airs Bettina Kirnbauer. atar has launched a vessel to following up on the navigational aid ARAB WORLD | Crisis monitoring project, which system and detecting any marine pol- Iraq warns US ties at Qseeks not only to enhance mar- lution and reporting it to the bodies stake aft er strikes itime security but also preserve marine concerned. environment. The monitoring vessels, to be de- Iraq’s government warned yesterday The project, launched from the ployed on Qatari waters and ports, that its relations with the United Pearl-Qatar, comes within the frame- would support the security and safety States were at risk after deadly work of the Ministry of Transport and of maritime navigation and the protec- American air strikes against a pro- Communication’s (MoTC) eff ort to de- tion of marine environment. Iran group sparked anger on the velop maritime transport works across Dr Saleh bin Fetais al-Marri, As- streets with protesters torching US the country in line with commitments, sistant Undersecretary of Maritime flags. At least 25 fighters were killed Aid workers prepare to fly the injured to Qatar for treatment. (Picture supplied by Ministry of Defence) conventions and duties advocated and Transport Aff airs at MoTC, said the in Sunday night’s attacks which sought by the International Maritime monitoring vessels, which began work saw US planes hit several bases Organisation. already, are among the most modern belonging to the Hezbollah Brigades, The new vessels would be used for in the world, using high technology one of the most radical factions of carrying out several tasks that con- and would enhance ensuring maritime Hashed Al-Shaabi, a Tehran-backed tribute to enhancing maritime safety safety and security and protecting lives Page 4 Qatar sends aid to Somalia; fl ies such as investigating maritime ac- and property at sea as well as preserv- Iraqi paramilitary coalition. cidents and inspecting Qatari seago- ing the marine environment. ARAB WORLD | Court ing vessels to ensure meeting all legal The maritime transport sector at Sudan sentences 29 injured to Doha for treatment requirements and safety and security the ministry would continue work on equipment according to the Law on keeping up with latest developments agents to death Maritime Vessels. in transport and navigation industry, A Sudanese court yesterday sentenced They would also inspect foreign ves- in addition to launching projects that 29 intelligence agents to death for Toll from terrorist bombing in Mogadishu climbs to 81 sels at the anchorage area to ensure support the country’s economic activ- torturing and killing a protester early compliance with maritime safety re- ities and serve citizens and residents, this year, an AFP correspondent said. quirements enunciated in internation- in line with the Qatar National Vision It is the first time members of the QNA treating the injured, and a number “The overall number of the dead al maritime conventions, in addition 2030. security forces have been condemned Mogadishu of the wounded were transported on stands at 81 currently. Two more peo- to death in relation to the killing of the Amiri Air Force plane to complete ple died from their injuries,” Ismail protesters. The defendants were the necessary treatment in Qatar. The Muktar, a spokesman for Somalia’s found guilty of torturing to death n the directives of His High- mission was conducted by the Qatar information ministry, told AFP yes- teacher Ahmed al-Kheir Awadh ness the Amir Sheikh Tamim Fund for Development (QFFD), in co- terday. at an intelligence services facility Obin Hamad al-Thani, a Qatari operation with the Standing Com- Muktar said the death toll could and sentenced to be hanged, judge Air Force plane carrying medical aid mittee for Rescue and Relief Works climb further as rescue operations Sadok Albdelrahman said. Page 4 arrived yesterday in Somalia to sup- and Humanitarian Aids. entered a third day. port those who were injured as a re- The Qatari assistance to the So- Around two dozen people were LATIN AMERICA | Diplomacy sult of the recent terrorist bombing in mali brothers included four tonnes of listed as missing after the attack, but Bolivia expels Mexican, the capital Mogadishu. medical materials and fi rst aid. The 12 have been located – fi ve of them The medical and relief delega- integrated medical and relief team dead – and the rest remain unac- Spanish offi cials tion and the Qatari medical aid were comprised 25 members from vari- counted for, he said. Bolivia’s government expelled received by Somali Prime Minister ous medical and relief specialties of Some 125 people were injured in the Mexican and Spanish diplomats Hassan Ali Khairy, Minister of In- the Qatari International Search and blast. yesterday, escalating a diplomatic ternal Security Mohamed Abou Bakr Rescue Group at Lekhwiya Force and At least 16 of those killed were dispute after Mexico’s embassy in Eslo and Somali ambassador to Qatar Hamad Medical Corporation. students from the capital’s private La Paz granted asylum to allies of Abdul Razzaq Farah and Qatar’s am- According to AFP, the death toll Banadir University, who had been Bolivia’s former socialist president Evo bassador to Somalia Hassan Hamza from the massive car bomb in the So- travelling on a bus when the car bomb Morales. Bolivian caretaker President Hashem. mali capital has risen to 81, as rescue detonated. Jeanine Anez said her administration The aid included medical materi- workers pursued their search for the The attack was the biggest to hit had asked Mexican ambassador Maria als, accompanied by an integrated missing. Somalia since a truck exploded in Teresa Mercado and several Spanish medical and relief team from the The bombing on Saturday at a busy 2017 near a fuel tanker in Mogadishu, off icials to leave the country within 72 Qatar Search and Rescue Group. The intersection in Mogadishu was the creating a fi reball that killed over 500 Dr Saleh bin Fetais al-Marri inspecting a monitoring vessel ahead of the launch of hours and called them “persona non Qatari medical team participated in country’s deadliest attack in two years. people. Page 2 the project. grata”. Page 6 ASIA | Environment Bushfi res: call to fl ee 5 Melbourne suburbs Qatar’s industrial investments in 5 years reach QR13bn Around 100,000 people were urged to flee five Melbourne suburbs yesterday evening as Australia’s he volume of Qatar’s industrial shares of Qatari manufacturing in- The study recommended that Qatari spiralling bushfire crisis killed a investments in the past fi ve dustries in local markets “to satisfy- industries have to eff ectively control volunteer firefighter battling a Tyears stands at QR13bn with ing levels near to achieving the relative over the various cost elements to im- separate blaze in the countryside. the establishment of more than 380 self-suffi ciency” would help provide prove the level of competitiveness of Authorities in the country’s second- new industrial facilities, according to a the national economy a solid basic their products at the local and foreign biggest city downgraded an earlier study by Qatar Chamber. foundation for the next stage in plan- markets. bushfire emergency warning but The study, ‘Production Capacities ning for the future of the industry. Qatar Chamber stressed that the said residents should steer clear of and Degree of Utilisation as an Input The study showed that machinery interest in studying productive ca- the blaze, which has burned through to Enhance the Growth of the Manu- and equipment manufacturing has pacities in the non-oil manufacturing 40 hectares of grassland. Page 8 facturing Industry in Qatar’, showed grown signifi cantly as facilities have sector “is of special importance” as it that the manufacturing industries also increased by 82% during the last helps in shaping the future policy for INDIA | Weather sector has seen a considerable growth fi ve years. This gives manufacturing this sector within a long-term strategy. Delhi records coldest within the past fi ve years in terms of more fl exibility in planning for other The study concluded that with all the number of facilities and produc- components with lower comparative these scenarios, “attention must be Dec day in 119 years tion fi elds. advantages such as raw materials and focused on the degree to which the The Indian capital broke the record It said that in terms of the type of Qatar Chamber headquarters other productive inputs, it said. available production elements are ex- for its coldest December day in manufacturing industries, “they are It also stressed that meeting do- ploited in the production process with 119 years yesterday as dense fog distributed in an appropriate econom- that the facilities of the food prod- a manner that corresponds to the plans mestic demand for basic products, the least possible amount of these ele- engulfed the city, causing train ic manner over the entire branches of ucts industry have increased by 103%, adopted by the country to achieve the even if it is suffi cient in the short term, ments and at the lowest possible cost.