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published in QATAR since 1978

FRIDAY Vol. XXXXI No. 11598 July 3, 2020 Dhul-Qa’da 12, 1441 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals

Amir, Erdogan vow to strengthen ties zQatar, Turkey discuss ways to enhance co-operation zThe two countries witnessing development at all levels

QNA International Airport by HE the Dep- Doha uty Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah. is Highness the Amir Sheikh Erdogan left in evening after the Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani working visit. He was seen off by HE Hand Turkish President Recep the Deputy Prime Minister and Min- Tayyip Erdogan yesterday discussed ister of State for Defence Affairs. strategic relations between the two Yesterday’s meeting between HH countries and ways to enhance them the Amir and Erdogan came within in various fields, especially in eco- the framework of continuing co-or- nomic, investment, commercial, en- dination between the two brotherly ergy and defence co-operation for the countries, promotion of strategic re- common interests of the two coun- lations, and means of supporting and His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hold talks yesterday. tries and peoples. developing them. The two leaders vowed strengthen Erdogan’s visit to Qatar is signifi- The two countries are witnessing the relations and make them more co- cant as it is his first outside his coun- development and diversification at all operative and integrated in all fields. try following the coronavirus pan- levels, and yesterday’s meeting was During the meeting held at the demic that has swept the world. the culmination of the distinguished Pearl Palace yesterday afternoon, HH The two leaders are keen on main- relations. the Amir and the Turkish president taining co-ordination, whether The Turkish-Qatari relations are discussed the latest developments in through direct meetings or phone an integrated model for co-oper- Palestine, Libya, Syria and Yemen, calls, the last of which was at the ation and co-ordination between in addition to exchanging views on end of June, when HH the Amir re- partners and brothers in various po- international issues of common con- ceived a phone call from the Turkish litical, economic, cultural, and mili- cern. president, during which they dis- tary fields. The meeting was attended by a cussed the strategic relations and The relations witnessed rapid number of ministers and members of ways to support and develop them, growth since the unjust blockade was the official delegation accompanying in addition to discussing several re- imposed on Qatar by Saudi Arabia, Erdogan. gional and international issues of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain Later HH the Amir hosted a din- common concern. and Egypt. ner banquet in honour of the Turkish Erdogan last visited Doha in No- This was represented in the in- president and his accompanying del- vember 2019, when he and HH the creased volume of trade exchange egation at the Pearl Palace. Amir presided the fifth session of between the two countries, which The banquet was attended by a the Qatar-Turkey Supreme Strate- promises a prosperous future for number of ministers. gic Committee, during which agree- these relations and the continued de- Earlier, the Turkish president and ments and memorandums of under- velopment and growth in the inter- His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani his accompanying delegation were standing were signed to build on the est of the two countries and the two meeting the members of the delegation accompanying received upon their arrival at Doha progress. brotherly peoples. Page 2 His Highness the Amir with the Turkish president. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Doha, yesterday.

In brief

FM holds talks ‘Qatar records exceptional with Haniya HE the Deputy Prime Minister and achievement in Covid fi ght’ Minister of Foreign Aff airs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani met yesterday with the ecording over 86,000 cases of ary measures in place. and avoid all forms of social gatherings, Head of the Political Bureau of recovery from nearly 100,000 “We depend on everyone’s com- including receiving visitors. the Islamic Resistance Movement RCovid-19 infections is an excep- mitment to precautionary measures to The senior offi cial asserted that lifting Hamas, Dr Ismail Haniya and the tional achievement for Qatar in addi- control the epidemic and return to nor- restrictions is based on a set of indica- delegation accompanying him. tion to maintaining one of the lowest mal life,” he said. tors, and the next stages will be based on During the meeting, they reviewed death rates in the world with a total of Sheikh Dr Mohamed also pointed out their outcome. If one of the indicators is the developments on the Palestinian 118 deaths so far, a top offi cial said yes- that the past few weeks have witnessed found to be aff ected, some restrictions issue, especially the Israeli plan to terday. an increase in the number of Covid-19 can be re-imposed or the start of the fol- annex parts of the West Bank, and “For the last few weeks, we have been cases among citizens and residents lowing stages could be delayed. issues of common concern. seeing a decrease in the number of cas- (other than expatriate workers), despite “The most important guidelines on es reported daily as well as the number the decrease in the total daily infections preventive measures are that persons of patients admitted to the hospital,” in Qatar, adding that the source of the aged above 60 and pregnant women are 86,597 recover from explained Sheikh Dr Mohamed bin Ha- infection is often due to family gather- advised to stay home. Everyone should Covid-19 in Qatar mad al-Thani, Director, Department ings and visits, and the lack of commit- maintain adequate social distancing Qatar reported 894 new confirmed Sheikh Dr Mohamed bin Hamad al-Thani speaks at the press conference yesterday. of Public Health, Ministry of Public ment to measures, especially physical and wear masks and gloves and avoid cases of the novel coronavirus Health (MoPH). distancing. touching their eyes and nose. (Covid-19), 2,632 recoveries and Addressing a press conference The MoPH has advised other groups “We extend a special thanks to all three deaths in the last 24 hours, zDecrease in the number of cases reported daily telecast on Qatar TV, he explained at greatest risk of complications from workers on the front lines in fi ghting bringing the total number of zFall in the number of hospital admissions that Qatar started to lift the restric- the disease, such as the elderly, preg- the Covid-19 pandemic and appreciate people who recovered from the tions gradually and with great cau- nant women and people suff ering from them. We also praise the directives of His disease to 86,597. The Ministry zFollow preventive measures to curb virus spread tion in order to control the spread of chronic diseases, to stay at home and Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin of Public Health (MoPH) said the virus while keeping precaution- not go out unless absolutely necessary Hamad al-Thani to fi ght the pandemic. the three people who died were aged 57, 58 and 67. They received the necessary medical care, the ministry said in a statement. “We are seeing a rise in the number of deaths in recent weeks and this Russians ponder Putin’s next move as vote ‘extends’ his rule is due to the people who were infected at the peak of the virus several weeks ago,” the ministry Reuters This means the 67-year-old former time to strengthen the country,” he explained. Page 2 Moscow KGB offi cer, who has ruled Russia for said. over two decades as either president or Golos, a non-governmental organi- prime minister, could be in power until sation that monitors elections, said it 3 vaccine candidates he Kremlin said Russians had he is 83. had recorded numerous irregularities looking good: Trump shown how much they trusted An independent monitoring group during the vote, including ballot stuff - President Donald Trump yesterday TPresident Vladimir Putin with a said the vote was deeply fl awed. But ing and widespread cases of employers expressed optimism that the nationwide vote that gave him the right Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, forcing staff to cast a ballot. United States would soon come to run for two more terms, while people said the emphatic nature of the result Already the longest-serving leader up with a workable vaccine for the wondered yesterday whether he really was a measure of how deeply Russians in modern Russian history since Josef novel coronavirus, saying three would stay on another 16 years. trusted Putin to run the country. Stalin, Putin has said he has yet to de- vaccine candidates were looking Announcing fi nal results of the week- “It’s defi nitely considered a triumph. cide on his political future, but wanted particularly good. “Three are really, long vote, offi cials said nearly 78% of What took place was in eff ect a de facto offi cials to avoid getting distracted by really looking good,” Trump said voters had backed changes to the consti- triumphant referendum on trust in Pu- the question of who one day might suc- at an event at the White House, tution allowing Putin, whose fourth term tin,” said Peskov. ceed him. without providing details. “We as president ends in 2024, to run for two Putin thanked voters for their sup- Russia President Vladimir Putin chairs a video meeting of the Pobeda (Victory) organising Public opinion on his intentions was think we’re going to have it soon.” more, back-to-back six-year terms. port and trust. “We need stability and committee at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow yesterday, divided yesterday. Gulf Times 2 Friday, July 3, 2020 QATAR Meeting between Amir and Erdogan reaffi rms strategic bilateral relations z Turkish president’s first foreign visit since Covid-19 outbreak

QNA Doha

he meeting between His Highness the Amir TSheikh Tamim bin Ha- mad al-Thani and the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Doha yesterday reaffi rms the distinguished relations between Qatar and Turkey and the keen- ness of their leaders to further develop these ties. President Erdogan’s visit to Qatar assumes signifi cance as it is his fi rst offi cial trip outside his country following the outbreak of the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic, and in light of the re- gional and international devel- opments. His Highness the Amir and the Turkish president have al- ways been keen on maintaining His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani meeting the members of the delegation Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan being seen off by HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of co-ordination between them, accompanying Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Doha, yesterday. State for Defence Aff airs Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah at Doha International Airport yesterday. discussing regional and interna- tional issues, whether through 2. An agreement on industrial Metrology (QS) in Qatar and the and broadens their horizons creasing the volume of trade projects, investments, and de- been good and marked by im- direct meetings or phone calls, and technological co-operation Turkish Standards Institute in to achieve distinction in vari- exchange between the two posits amounting to approxi- portant events. the last of which was held at between the governments of Qa- Turkey. ous fi elds, especially economic, countries, which promises a mately QR55bn (USD15bn) from He pointed out that the most the end of June, when the Amir tar and Turkey. 7. A Memorandum of Under- commercial, investment, cul- prosperous future for the bilat- Qatar to support of the Turkish prominent of these events was received a phone call from the 3. A Memorandum of Un- standing for co-operation in the tural and security. eral relations. economy. in 2014 when the Turkey-Qatar Turkish president. derstanding between the Qa- fi eld of standards between the The relations between Doha On many occasions, the two The Qatari-Turkish rela- Supreme Strategic Commit- The last visit of President Er- tar Financial Centre (QFC) and Public Works Authority (Ash- and Ankara are witnessing de- countries have demonstrated tions are old, historical, based tee was established at the level dogan to Doha was in November Turkey’s Presidential Finance ghal) in Qatar and the Turkish velopment and diversifi cation at that the friendship that unites on brotherhood, understanding, of leaders, which has witnessed 2019, when he and His Highness Offi ce. Standards Institute. all levels, and the meeting of the them is true and solid. and mutual respect, as well as a the 2016 failed coup attempt in the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Ha- 4. A Memorandum of Under- The two sides also confi rmed Amir with the Turkish president This was evident in the two great legacy of history and the Turkey and Qatar’s support to mad al-Thani presided over the standing between the Qatar In- their intention to expand and yesterday is the culmination of countries’ support for each shared civilisation of the two Ankara, and the unjust blockade fi fth session of the Qatar-Turkey vestment Promotion Agency and strengthen the legal framework those distinguished ties that are other in difficult times, espe- brotherly people. on Qatar in 2017. Supreme Strategic Committee, Turkey’s Presidential Invest- for their bilateral relations. worthy of emulation. cially Turkey’s efforts to end The embassy of Qatar in An- He considered that the Turk- during which several agreements ment Offi ce. The committee was estab- The Turkish-Qatari relations the unjust blockade imposed on kara inaugurated in February ish position on June 5, 2017, was and memoranda of understand- 5. A Memorandum of Under- lished following an agreement are an integrated model for co- Qatar, as well as Doha’s strong 2018 the issuance of the “Qatari- a result of the foregoing. ing were signed, to build on the standing for co-operation in the signed by he Amir and the Turk- operation and co-ordination and supportive stance towards Turkish joint postal stamp” on Turkey distanced itself from progress achieved through the fi eld of civil planning between ish President Erdogan in Decem- between partners and brothers Ankara during 2016 failed coup the occasion of the 45th anniver- malicious blocs based on its mechanisms of the Supreme the governments of Qatar and ber 2014. in various political, economic, attempt. sary of the launch of diplomatic principles and stood by the right Strategic Committee, including: Turkey. The fi rst session of the com- cultural, and military fi elds. Also, Doha stood fi rmly with relations between the two coun- and the oppressed, which is con- 1. Amendments related to the 6. A joint declaration of intent mittee, which was hosted by The relations have witnessed Ankara during the Turkish lira tries in 1973. sidered a brave choice that is in arrangements for the currency- regarding the establishment of Doha in December 2015, set the rapid growth since the unjust crisis in 2019, when His High- Ambassador of Qatar to Tur- line with its positions and poli- swap agreement (Qatari riyal a laboratory to facilitate trade bilateral relations between the blockade was imposed on Qatar ness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin key Salem bin Mubarak al-Shafi cies. and Turkish lira) between Qatar and enhance consumer protec- two countries on an institutional by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bah- Hamad al-Thani visited Tur- said in a recent statement that The ambassador expressed Central Bank and the Central tion between the Qatar General path that guarantees to for- rain, and Egypt on June 5, 2017. key at that time and directed to the bilateral relations between Qatar’s appreciation for this Bank of Turkey. Organisation for Standards and tify the previous achievements This was represented in in- provide a package of economic Qatar and Turkey have always stance. Qatar reports 86,597 total Covid-19 recoveries QU College of Education ranks among top 300 QNA “Now more than ever, we must active cases is 11,182. The total Doha be careful and protect the most number of people currently un- vulnerable,” the MoPH urged. der acute hospital care is 779, in- universities globally he Ministry of Public While the restrictions of Cov- cluding 85 acute hospital admis- Health (MoPH) reported id-19 are gradually being lifted in sions in the last 24 hours. The Tyesterday 894 new con- Qatar, it is important for every- total number of Covid-19 deaths he College of Educa- fi rmed cases of the novel coro- one to play their role in control- so far in Qatar is 118. tion at Qatar University navirus (Covid-19), as many as ling the virus by following pre- The MoPH said that measures T(QU) has ranked 301- 2,632 recoveries and three deaths cautionary measures: adherence to tackle Covid-19 in Qatar have 400 globally in The Shanghai in the last 24 hours, bringing the to physical distancing, wearing succeeded in fl attening the curve International Ranking of Uni- total number of people recov- a face mask, and washing hands and limiting the spread of the versities according to speciali- ered from the disease in Qatar to regularly. virus. The number of new daily sations (Social Sciences) 2020. 86,597. “Most importantly, it is vital cases and hospital admissions The college dean Dr Ahmed In a statement on Covid-19 that we continue to protect the has gradually declined over the al-Emadi said: “This classi- developments, the MoPH said elderly and those with chronic past few weeks. fi cation is a refl ection of the the three people who died, were medical conditions,” the MoPH Anyone suff ering from Cov- college’s eff orts to maintain aged 57, 58, and 67, respectively, urged. id-19 symptoms should either international standards in its and receiving the necessary The ministry said that all new contact 16000 helpline or go academic programmes in or- Dr Ahmed al-Emadi medical care. cases have been introduced to directly to one of the designated der to excel and provide aca- “We are seeing a rise in the isolation and are receiving nec- health centres to undergo the demic outputs of international the next two years in the hope number of deaths in recent essary healthcare according to necessary checks: Muaither, quality. that we will be among the top weeks and this is due to the peo- their health status. According Rawdat Al Khail, Umm Salal, or “It is also an international 200 colleges. ple who were infected at the peak to a tweet from the MoPH, with Al Gharafa Health Centers. This recognition that the college “On this occasion, I would of the virus several weeks ago,” it a total of 5,593 people tested for is important as the earlier the has become a reference for like to thank QU president Dr was explained. Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, disease is detected the easier it students, academics and edu- Hassan al-Derham, and the There has been an increase in as many as 366,095 have been will be to receive the right treat- cational leaders in Qatar in re- vice president for Academic cases among families. This is of tested so far in Qatar. The total ment and recover. lation to (education) accord- Aff airs, Dr Omar al-Ansari great concern as this population number of infected people in The MoPH also urged the ing to international education and all those who spared no group includes the highest per- Qatar since the start of the Cov- public to visit its website (cov- standards.” eff ort to provide all necessary centage of the elderly and people id-19 outbreak is 97,897. id19.moph.gov.qa) for regular “This ranking will motivate resources to help the college with chronic conditions. The total number of current updates and new information. us to develop ourselves over and raise its status,” he added. Webinar marks 45th anniversary of Qatar-Mexico ties

QNA Touma, ambassador of Qatar to supporting countries to face the fairs Asia – Pacifi c – Africa Mexico City Mexico Mohamed Jassem al-Ku- Covid-19 pandemic. Commission at the Mexican wari, and Mexican ambassador Qatar’s ambassador to Mexico Senate pointed out that the to Qatar Graciela Gomez Garcia stressed the importance of dip- Mexican Senate works closely he Embassy of the State participated in the webinar. lomatic representation between to support bilateral relations of Qatar to Mexico or- In a speech on behalf of the the two countries in expanding through dialogue and the activa- Tganised a webinar on the Mexican foreign minister, the co-operation, pointing to co- tion of agreements. occasion of the 45th anniver- Undersecretary for Multilateral operation in facing the Covid-19 President Mexico-Qatar Par- sary of diplomatic relations be- Aff airs and Human Rights at the pandemic. liamentary Friendship Group tween Qatar and Mexico, with Mexican Ministry of Foreign Af- He referred to Qatar’s con- stressed the importance of trade the participation of prominent fairs hailed the close relations tribution of USD200,000 to exchange between the two coun- personalities. between Qatar and Mexico, support Mexico in purchasing tries, stressing that it’s witness- Undersecretary for Multilat- which have witnessed develop- equipment for the medical staff ing great development, especial- eral Aff airs and Human Rights at ment in recent years in several in appreciation of its eff orts in ly in the fi eld of Mexican exports the Mexican Ministry of Foreign areas, especially in confronting confronting the Covid-19. to the Qatari market such as ag- Aff airs Martha Delgado, Presi- the Covid-19 crisis. Meanwhile, the Mexican am- ricultural food and other prod- dent of the Foreign Aff airs Asia He thanked Qatar for its sup- bassador to Qatar focused on the ucts. – Pacifi c – Africa Commission port to Mexico in facing this cri- development of bilateral rela- President of the Arab chamber at the Mexican Senate, Senator sis. tions between the two countries, of industry and commerce said Cora Pinedo, president Mexico- Martha Delgado said that Qa- which witnessed signifi cant co- that the trade exchange between Qatar Parliamentary Friend- tar is Mexico’s strategic partner operation in the areas of trade, Qatar and Mexico exceeded US- ship Group Deputy Sergio Perez, in multilateral aff airs and inter- international representation, D134mn in 2019, according to president of the Arab chamber of national politics, and she spoke and investments. offi cial fi gures from the Mexican Qatari and Mexican off icials taking part in the webinar organised by Qatar’s embassy in Mexico on the industry and commerce Jamila about Qatar’s foreign policy by President of the Foreign Af- Ministry of Economy. occasion of the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Gulf Times Friday, July 3, 2020 3 QATAR/ARAB WORLD

MoPH issues guidelines for precautionary measures in Phase 2 of lifting restrictions

QNA the requirements of each activity, The second phase also includes ping centres will remain closed. weeks have witnessed an increase Doha with a focus on infection preven- opening some retail markets, It also allowed the number of in the number of Covid-19 cases tion and control. wholesale markets, museums employees who start their work among citizens and residents It also includes visitors and and libraries to the public with in the public and private sectors (other than expatriate workers), he Ministry of Public employee awareness and physical a limited capacity, in addition to to be increased to 50% as a maxi- despite the decrease in the total Health (MoPH) has issued distancing guidelines to main- opening a limited number of res- mum. The restrictions imposed daily infections in Qatar, adding Tguidelines for the precau- tain a safe distance, in addition to taurants with a limited capacity on inbound fl ights to Doha remain that the source of the infection tionary measures in the second guidelines for groups most vul- to ensure physical distancing, in unchanged as in the fi rst phase. is often due to family gatherings phase of lifting restrictions im- nerable to complications of the addition to opening public parks, Director of the Public Health and visits, and the lack of com- posed as a result of the coronavi- disease, such as the elderly and beaches and the Corniche for all Department at the Ministry of mitment to measures, especially rus (Covid-19) pandemic. those with chronic diseases. age groups with the application Public Health Sheikh Dr Moham- physical distancing. The guidelines seek to provide The second phase includes al- of distancing procedures and the ed bin Hamad al-Thani said that The Ministry of Public Health guidance based on research into lowing limited social gatherings, continued closure of playgrounds, while more restrictions are lifted advised other groups at greatest best practices to facilitate the with a maximum of fi ve people and allowing training in the open to restore life to normal, the pre- risk of complications from the safe return of activities gradually, indoors and 10 people outdoors. spaces and large halls for the pro- cautionary measures announced disease, such as the elderly, preg- while developing precautionary The ministry advised people fessional category, with a maxi- by the Ministry of Public Health nant women and people suff ering measures that contribute to lim- to be cautious and reduce social mum of 10 people. must be followed to protect our- from chronic diseases, to stay at iting the spread of the Covid-19 visits, including family visits as Vocational training courses are selves, our families and our soci- home and not go out unless ab- and protecting the visitors and possible, and ensure that the re- also allowed for small groups of up ety as a whole. solutely necessary and avoid all employees in each agency from quirements of the new phase are to 10 people indoors, and groups He stressed that the transition forms of social gatherings, in- the risk of infection. applied, including the accuracy of of up to 50 people outdoors. from one phase to another de- cluding receiving visitors. The guidelines include the most following all preventive measures, The second phase also witness- pends on strict indicators and the It worth mentioning that the The Ministry of Interior, on its social media platforms, reminded prominent procedures and guide- such as washing hands or sterilis- es the opening of more mosques extent of everyone’s commitment guidelines related to the precau- residents to adhere to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) precautionary lines to be implemented in gath- ing regularly, wearing masks, and to perform the fi ve daily prayers to the instructions, as restrictions tionary measures for the second and preventive measures aimed at enhancing public safety and erings, transportation, outdoor adhering to a physical distance with limited capacity. Shopping can be re-imposed at any time if phase of lifting the restrictions ensuring the safe return of usual activities. These include wearing venues and professional sports, of at least 1.5m from others at all centres will operate with an in- the data shows that there is a need imposed as a result of the Cov- of face masks while going out, installing Ehteraz application, and health and education, business times, in addition to installing creased capacity of 50%; however, to do so. id-19 pandemic are available on maintaining social distancing. and entertainment, according to Ehteraz app. all restaurants within the shop- He pointed out that the past few the MoPH’s website. MoFA warning MME holds inspection against fraudsters

he Ministry of Foreign Aff airs (MoFA) yesterday issued a warn- ing against fraudsters who off er scholarships abroad to extort Tmoney from Qatari citizens and residents. “They claim they are employees in one of the Qatari embassies abroad and these scholar- tours in various areas ships are from the State of Qatar to their citizens and residents in all Gulf countries,” MoFA tweeted. QNA beachgoers to educate the public Quoting an offi cial source at MoFA’s Consular airsAff Department, Doha about the need to preserve the it is explained that these people communicate with Qataris and resi- environment and throw waste dents by raising various allegations and try to delude them that the in the containers designated for US federal investigation agencies are searching into their fi les for false he Ministry of Munici- that. certifi cates, transferring money to suspicious universities or accusing pality and Environment During the fi rst half of this them of fi nancing terrorism. T(MME) implemented year, the health control section MoFA cautioned that in order to resolve the problem, they de- several awareness campaigns of the department of municipal mand money be transferred to them. They also have a website, phone and inspection tours in diff er- control of the Doha Municipal- numbers and fake data for the purpose of exploitation and extracting ent municipalities in June to in- ity implemented 1,588 inspec- money. “The Ministry of Foreign Aff airs does not provide and of- spect quarries and agricultural tions tours on all food establish- fer scholarships or public services because it does not fall within its quarantine offi ces in various ments within the geographic competence. We call on everyone to beware of these people and not customs outlets affi liated to the scope of the municipality and transfer money to them, and if it is possible to inform the competent agricultural aff airs department the Industrial Area. authorities in the state about them,” added the tweet issued by MoFA’s at the ministry. The tours resulted in the is- Information Offi ce. During the campaigns, the suance and implementation of ministry’s teams inspected closure decisions for 129 viola- 5,200 consignments weighing tion of food establishments, 49 134,071 tonnes of various types of which were reconciled after of imported agricultural con- removing the causes of viola- signments (plant consignments tions and paying fi nes, and 178 Online traffi c service and production input products) food samples were withdrawn at all customs outlets in the to ensure compliance with the country. specifi cations. transactions witness During the campaigns, the The veterinarian team of the ministry’s teams destroyed 56 department of health control consignments weighing 132 examined 460,249 carcasses signifi cant increase tonnes for violating the agricul- at the automatic slaughter- Inspection at a customs outlet. tural quarantine law. house in the central market, In co-operation with Al Khor, where 12,606 carcasses were QNA and 36,000 driving licences Al Thakhira, and Al Shamal completely destroyed, and 10.5 Doha transactions. municipalities, the ministry, tonnes of meat were destroyed He pointed out that the Gen- represented by the department for being partially not fi t for hu- eral Directorate of Traffi c’s por- of public hygiene, has imple- man consumption. he General Directorate of tal on Metrash2 off ers more than mented fi eld campaigns at Ras Besides, 139 tonnes of fi sh Traffi c’s online services, 40 services related to driving Al Nouf and Al Ghariya beaches were examined where 1.3 tonnes Tespecially the Metrash2 licenses, vehicles, signs, traf- to educate the beachgoers about were destroyed for being not application, witnessed a sig- fi c violations, accidents, traffi c the need to adhere to the clean- suitable for human consump- nifi cant turnout from the public certifi cates, and other services. liness of the beaches and dis- tion. during the fi rst half of 2020. Colonel Mohamed Radhi al- tributed waste bags and educa- The complaints team of the The directorate data showed Hajri urged the public to take tional pamphlets, urging them department received 333 com- that the total number of online advantage of the online serv- to throw the waste at the con- plaints, and they were answered traffi c transactions that were ices provided by the directorate tainers designated for that. within 24 hours of receiving carried out during the fi rst half of to individuals, institutions, and The ministry’s teams called them. 2020 reached 514,000 compared companies through the Met- on the public to take all precau- Umm Salal, Al Daayen, and to about 303,000 transactions rash2 application and the Min- tions and preventive measures Al Rayyan municipalities car- for the same period last year. istry of Interior website, to carry to preserve public health and ried out, in co-ordination with Director of Traffi c Awareness out their transactions easily, safety. the competent authorities, nu- Department Colonel Mohamed indicating that they can pay the The Department of Natu- merous campaigns to raise and Radhi al-Hajri said that traffi c services fees directly without ral Reserves of the Ministry of remove abandoned cars and at- statistics showed that the public the need to go to the General Municipality and Environment, tacks on state property in im- In a bid to raise environmental awareness and keep Qatar’s beaches clean, the Department of Natural conducted 450,000 online vehi- Directorate of Traffi c’s depart- represented by Al Khor marine plementation of the provisions Reserves, Al Khor Unit, distributed trash bags to beach visitors to encourage them to dispose their waste cle registration transactions – ments, which saves time and ef- unit, distributed waste bags to of the law. properly and safely. the most among online services, fort. Jordan announces smoking Al-Mina Market reopens crackdown in Covid-19 battle

AFP The World Health but the new regulations cover Amman electronic cigarettes and shi- Organisation sha waterpipes popular in the has long ranked region. ordan has extended a ban on However they only apply cigarettes in closed public Jordan’s 10mn in “fully closed” public areas. Jspaces to all forms of smok- inhabitants “The decision doesn’t bother ing, citing the fi ght against me much because I don’t smoke Covid-19 in a country with one among the arghileh (shisha) in closed plac- of the world’s highest smoking world’s biggest es,” said waterpipe enthusi- rates. ast Khaled al-Shamhuri. “The “In order to protect the smokers smoking ban in public places is health and safety of citizens, old but wasn’t enforced.” especially given the Covid-19 est smoking rates in the world, Coff ee shop employee Has- pandemic and its aftermath, with more than eight out of 10 san al-Shadfan said the new smoking of all forms (cigarettes, men regularly smoking or oth- rules would “negatively aff ect electronic cigarettes and shi- erwise consuming nicotine. us”. “The cafe is a closed space sha) is banned in closed public Citing the WHO, the health and most clients don’t just places,” the health ministry said ministry said that “smokers come to eat or drink tea and in a statement on Wednesday. and passive smokers are more coff ee, most smoke arghileh,” The World Health Organisa- vulnerable to being infected by he said. tion has long ranked Jordan’s Covid-19, with stronger symp- But Ahmad Rubbaa, owner 10mn inhabitants among the toms”. of a cafeteria selling cigarettes, world’s biggest smokers. Jordan has registered 1,133 was less concerned. “A smoker The Guardian last month cases of the Covid-19 illness, is a smoker wherever they are, Mwani Qatar announced yesterday that Al-Mina Market has reopened to the public within Phase II of the gradual lifting of the novel published fi gures showing that including nine deaths. The no law can stop them,” he said. coronavirus (Covid-19) curbs with all the necessary precautions in place. The market off ers a wide spectrum of goods imported via the kingdom had surpassed kingdom introduced a cigarette “I don’t think this will aff ect merchant ships to Al Ruwais Port, Qatar’s northern gateway to trade. Indonesia to have the high- ban in public places in 2008, tobacco sales.” Gulf Times 4 Friday, July 3, 2020 AFRICA

EMPLOYMENT CRIME BALLOT BATTLE AIRBORNE Somalia reopens national Pirates kidnap 9 in attack Chad sets October 2021 Nigeria domestic flights theatre gutted in bombing on oil vessel off Nigeria for delayed election to resume next week

Eight years after a Shebaab suicide bomber Pirates attacked an oil production vessel off Chad has set October 24, 2021 for its repeatedly Nigeria will resume domestic flights from next destroyed the building in 2012, Somalia has Nigeria early yesterday and kidnapped nine delayed legislative election, state radio reported Wednesday, the aviation minister said, in a move to reopened its imposing national theatre in Nigerian nationals, the ship’s owner BW Off shore yesterday. The parliamentary election is ease Covid-19 restrictions. Nigeria shut its airspace Mogadishu as a symbol of culture in the heart of a said. The Sendje Berge ship was undergoing scheduled to take place six months after April in March to contain the spread of the novel city often defined by violence. The theatre, whose maintenance when the attack happened, 11’s presidential poll, the electoral commission coronavirus that has so far infected 26,484 people stage is underpinned by bright yellow pillars and is BW Off shore’s chief financial off icer Staale announced yesterday. Allies of President and claimed 603 lives. “I am glad to announce that decorated in the light blue of the national flag, was Andreassen told Reuters in Oslo. The Oslo-listed Idriss Deby Itno, in power for nearly 30 years, Abuja and Lagos airports will resume domestic opened in 1967 and closed in 1991 as the Horn of company said none of the people remaining dominate the current National Assembly, elected operations on July 8,” Hadi Sirika said on Twitter, Africa country plunged into civil war. Abdi Abdulahi, on the vessel were injured. “We are working to a four-year term in 2011. But Deby postponed referring to the airports serving the national capital the theatre’s director, said it took 1,000 lorry trips to now with the Nigerian authorities to get those the poll five times, blaming the threat posed by and the country’s economic hub. He said airports clear the rubbish and sand which had piled up in the nine people safely back,” Andreassen added. Nigerian militants Boko Haram, a lack of funds in the northern city of Kano, Port Harcourt in the building since 2012. He said security forces would A maritime security firm Dryad Global, citing and finally the coronavirus pandemic this year. south and others would reopen on July 11 and A choir sings inside a renovated Somalia’s protect the theatre and even the new coronavirus unidentified reports, said the attack involved Voters will be tasked with electing 166 MPs, 15. Sirika said international flights would remain National Theatre in Mogadishu last week. would not deter them from putting on shows. three boats and explosives, making it unusual. compared to the parliament’s current 188. banned for now, adding: “Bear with us, please.” Sierra Leone doctors’ strike hits patients in pandemic

By Cooper Inveen, Reuters 20% of Sierra Leone’s total coro- total of only around 4,000. Freetown navirus expenditure, or nearly “No patient showing Covid-like $850,000, went to procuring 30 symptoms will be treated by any new SUVs and 230 motorbikes for doctor until we have the support we Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara attends a national tribute ceremony for soldiers in Abidjan yesterday. octors treating Covid-19 pa- the Emergency Operations Center, need,” said S K Jusum, the head doc- tients in Sierra Leone went Offi ce of National Security, police tor at Fourah Bay College, a school Don strike yesterday over un- force, and military, according to pro- whose dormitories have been trans- paid bonuses, leaving patients in curement reports released by Sierra formed into the country’s largest some of the main treatment centres Leone’s fi nance ministry on May 22. COvid-19 treatment centre on a hill without care, healthworkers said. The only medical equipment overlooking the capital Freetown. I Coast honours soldiers The strike marks an escalation listed on that procurement report No new patients were being ac- in a row between doctors and gov- was eight ventilators, which cost cepted yesterday because the fi ve ernment over what doctors say is a the fi nance ministry approximately doctors at the 200-bed facility were misuse of funds for the coronavirus $85,285. all on strike, leaving community response in the small West African Meanwhile, the health ministry’s health workers and nurses to care killed in militant attack country, and a lack of protection and Covid-19 situation reports routine- for the sick. compensation for healthworkers. ly describe a lack of funds to pay for There were no critically ill pa- AFP Ivorian fl ags during a televised ceremony militant commando leader, who was from Doctors say that they were prom- contact tracers. tients on site, Jusum said. Abidjan at a military camp in the capital Abidjan Burkina Faso, were arrested following the ised hazard pay for their work dur- Doctors complain of a lack of Jusum and other staff acknowl- yesterday. attack, according to authorities. ing the outbreak, but that the pay protective equipment like gloves, edged that this could lead to a rise in The soldiers were posthumously made The attack was attributed to the Group has not come. masks and coveralls vital to prevent cases in the community. vory Coast yesterday paid tribute to knights of the national order at the emo- to Support Islam and Muslims, an organi- Government offi cials could not infections spreading from patients “It is going to be a hell of a prob- soldiers killed in a militant attack last tional ceremony attended by family mem- sation linked to Al Qaeda. be reached for comment. to hospital staff . lem if this thing isn’t quickly re- Imonth that has shaken the country, as bers of the victims, President Alassane It was thought to be retribution for a A spokesman for the coronavi- Of the some 1,500 Covid-19 cases solved,” said senior community the brazen assault’s death toll rose to 14. Ouattara and political and military fi gures. joint operation launched by Ivory Coast rus response team previously told confi rmed in Sierra Leone, 160 have health offi cer Kiya Conteh who was It was the fi rst attack by extremists in “They made the supreme sacrifi ce to and Burkina Faso last month aimed at Reuters the government was carry- been health workers. coordinating lunch deliveries for the West African country in more than protect Ivory Coast from the barbarism fl ushing out extremists near their shared ing out an audit of health workers to The country’s ranks of medical patients. four years and has sparked fears that the of those who like vampires only aspire to border. verify who was directly involved in staff were already hit hard during an “Our people need treatment. If extremist violence plaguing its northern drink blood,” army chief of staff Aly Jus- It was the country’s fi rst attack by ex- the response. Ebola outbreak from 2014-16 that they’re not treated here, what can neighbours is moving southward. tin Dem said at the ceremony. tremists since March 2016, when a raid on Since the outbreak began, around killed 250 medical workers out of a we expect them to do?” Dozens of gunmen targeted a frontier Salimata Doumbia, the widow of mar- hotel terraces in the southeastern beach re- post at Kafolo, on the border with Burki- shal Lansine Bamba who died in the at- sort of Grand-Bassam left 19 people dead. na Faso, in the June 11 pre-dawn attack. tack, said her “husband sacrifi ed himself The country fears that a revolt which The offi cial death toll is 13, but the for the fatherland”. began in Mali in 2012 will cross into Ivory Botswana probes mystery deaths of elephants military told AFP that a 14th person had “There is nothing we can do, it is God Coast, which has only recently returned succumbed to his injuries. who willed it. We will try to overcome it.” to stability after a decade-long period of AFP carcasses in just a week in two vil- “There was good evidence to Fourteen coffi ns were covered with About 30 people in total, including the turbulence. Gabrone lages in the northwest of the coun- show elephants of all ages and sex try. appear to be dying,” said the re- “It seems they were dying very port penned by EWB director Mike undreds of elephants have suddenly in some cases,” conser- Chase. died mysteriously in Bot- vation biologist, Keith Lindsay told Several live elephants appeared to Hswana’s famed Okavango AFP, adding that the deaths were have been weak, lethargic and ema- Delta, the wildlife department said sudden. ciated, with some showing signs of African tourism industry yesterday, ruling out poaching as “The carcases were animals that disorientation, diffi culty in walking the tusks were found intact. had fallen down while walking... or limping, EWB said. The landlocked southern African right on their sternum which is very “One elephant was observed country has the world’s largest el- unusual,” said Lindsay. walking in circles, unable to change ephant population, estimated to be “Up to now there doesn’t seem to direction although being encour- pays price for lockdowns around 130,000. be any clear sign of the reason for it. aged by other herd members,” said “We have had a report of 356 dead When something like this happens the report. Africa’s travel and tourism industry has “In Africa tourism is not luxury,” she said. coronavirus cases and over 10,000 deaths. elephants in the area north of the it is alarming.” For conservationist Neil Fritt the lost $55bn due to the closure of borders to “This is our livelihood.” South Africa is the hardest-hit country in Okavango Delta and we have con- The latest discoveries were strange phenomenon is “tragic” but limit the spread of coronavirus, the African Despite a steady rise in coronavirus sub-Saharan Africa, accounting for around a fi rmed 275 so far,” Cyril Taolo, the fl agged by a wildlife conservation appears to be “more like a natural Union said yesterday. cases, countries across Africa are forging third of total cumulative numbers in the region. acting director of the department charity, Elephants Without Bor- occurrence as opposed to direct hu- On a continent where safaris are a pow- ahead with plans to resume air traff ic. A WHO regional chief Matshidiso Moeti has of Wildlife and National Parks, told ders (EWB), whose confi dential man cause,” he told AFP. erful tourist magnet, the sector has been handful of states reopened their borders warned of a “certain underestimation of AFP in a text message. report referring to the 356 dead el- Botswana has an overpopula- badly hit by lockdowns that shuttered air, last week, including Zambia and Sierra cases” due to test kit shortages and the ten- He said the cause of the deaths ephants, was leaked to the media on tion of elephants which President land and sea borders. Leone. Senegal has announced the resump- dency to test only symptomatic patients. was yet to be established with an- Wednesday. Mokgweetsi Masisi has fl agged as “The impact is really severe,” African tion of international air travel from July 15. Prosper Zo’o Minto’o of the Interna- thrax having been ruled out. EWB suspects the elephants have the source for much of the human- Union commissioner Amani Abou-Zeid said “As we are going to open...we are also tional Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) “We do not suspect poaching been dying in the area for about animal confl ict in the country. at a virtual briefing organised by the World now pushing for intra-African tourism,” described the virus’ impact on the African since (the) animals were found with three months. In February the southern African Economic Forum and the World Health Abou-Zeid said, calling for lower taxes, airline industry as “alarming”. tusks,” he said. According to the report dated country held its fi rst major auction Organisation (WHO). reduced ticket fees and visa facilitation to Aircraft flew 60mn less passengers on Samples have been collected and June 19, 2020, “70% of elephant for trophy elephant hunting quotas “We are talking here about $55bn lost encourage “Africans to see Africa”. international routes over the past three sent to specialised laboratories in carcasses were considered recent, since controversially scrapping a within three months in a year when we She hoped the reopening of the skies months, and 30mn less for domestic travel. South Africa, Zimbabwe and Cana- having died about a month ago, hunting ban last year. were supposed to see an increase in travel would “cushion some of the serious im- Zo’o Minto’o estimated that airlines da for testing. and 30% of the carcasses appeared But the hunting season was sus- and air transport,” she warned. “There are pacts on...air transport and tourism”. would require at least $20bn in stimulus aid Similar deaths were fi rst reported fresh, ranging from one day to two pended due to the coronavirus pan- airlines that may not survive Covid-19.” Africa has recorded more than 420,000 for them to take back to the skies. in May when authorities found 12 weeks old”. demic. E Africa looks for ways to tackle locusts

By Ayenat Mersie, Reuters al Centre of Insect Physiology and other locust poison. Nairobi Ecology (ICIPE) are experiment- ICIPE scientist Baldwyn Tor- ing with biopesticides and the use to’s research has mostly focused of locusts as human and animal on locust smells and pherom- at them, poison them, and food as they look for environ- ones. use scent to drive them to mentally-friendly extermination Before locusts can fl y they have Ecannibalism — as a second methods. a certain chemistry and therefore wave of locusts threatens to de- ICIPE researchers were a part of a unique smell that allows them to vour East Africa’s crops, scien- a group that discovered an isolate remain in a group, he said. tists in a Nairobi lab are experi- from a fungus, Metharizium acri- That smell changes as locusts menting with novel ways to kill dum, could kill locusts without mature. Disseminating the scent them. A scientist handles a locust used for research inside a laboratory at harming other creatures. of an adult among the young can Swarms are the worst for three the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology in Nairobi. The isolate is now being used help destroy swarms. generations, encouraged by un- across East Africa. “They get disoriented, the seasonably wet weather and dis- East Africa and Yemen $8.5bn this before they can fl y, but the chemi- Now researchers are pour- group breaks into pieces, they persed by a record number of cy- year, the World Bank has said. cals can damage other insects and ing through 500 other fungi cannibalise each other and they clones. Locusts are usually controlled the environment. and microbes in their bio bank become even more susceptible to The destructive pests could cost by spraying them with pesticides So scientists at the Internation- in the hope of discovering an- biopesticides,” he said. Gulf Times Friday, July 3, 2020 5 AMERICAS

Judge lifts ban on book by US sees record 54,000 Trump’s niece new virus cases in a day AFP DPA/AFP much, too quickly. Trump says he’d have ‘no problem’ using mask in ‘tight’ quarters covery from the recession. Washington Washington US Vice-President Mike The fi gures come as the US Pence visited Arizona this week US President Donald Trump, who has yet to be seen virus. I think that, at some point, that’s going to sort of heads into the July 4 holiday and is due in Florida later in the in public wearing a face mask during the coronavirus just disappear, I hope,” he said. weekend, which starts today, n appeals court judge tates across the US record- day for a meeting with Gover- pandemic, has said that he would have “no problem” When pressed by the interviewer whether he truly raising concerns about large in New York has lifted ed more than 54,000 cases nor Ron DeSantis, who has all doing so, while reiterating his belief that the conta- believed the virus would vanish, he said: “I do. I do. gatherings for Independence Aa temporary ban on the Sof the novel coronavirus in but said he will not signifi cantly gion will just “disappear”. Yes, sure, at some point. And I think we’re going to Day. publication of a potentially ex- a single day, breaking a record, shut down the economy, though “If I were in a tight situation with people, I would abso- have a vaccine very soon too.” Some local authorities in plosive “tell-all” book by Presi- as infections continue to spike in he has placed restrictions on lutely,” Trump said in an interview with Fox Business, Trump made similar statements in February, when Florida cities are imposing dent Donald Trump’s niece, a number of regions. bars and taverns. as many US states are seeing a surge in the number he said: “It’s going to disappear. One day, it’s like a stricter measures than their court documents showed. The offi cial numbers from the Florida’s exact fi gure of 10,109 of cases. miracle, it will disappear.” governor, including cancelling The ruling issued on Wednes- Centres for Disease Control and cases – for a total of 169,106 – But he added: “Usually I’m not in that position.” Many Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader fi rework shows. day allows publisher Simon & Prevention (CDC) for Wednes- marks the second record since Trump noted that most people he sees at the White Mitch McConnell, are now more actively encouraging At the same time, New York, Schuster to print and distrib- day come on top of a rolling just Saturday. House are tested for the coronavirus before coming Americans to wear masks in public. once the epicentre of the US ute the 240-page book by Mary average this week of more than In another sign of how bad in contact with him. While Vice-President Mike Pence has worn masks on outbreak, has paused some re- Trump, who dubs the US presi- 40,000 new cases a day, as the things are getting in Florida, the “I’m all for masks – I think masks are good,” he said, several occasions, including during a recent trip to openings, including indoor din- dent “the world’s most danger- number of new daily cases now largest health care provider in while adding his doubts about whether face cover- hard-hit Texas, Trump has never been seen in public ing. ous man”. regularly surpasses peaks seen Miami, Jackson Health System, ings needed to be “mandatory” nationwide to curb wearing one. New York City, however, is It would be the latest bomb- in April and May. announced on Wednesday that the spread of the deadly virus. The president told Fox Business that people have still planning to reopen schools shell memoir to dish dirt on the There is no sign of a let-up. it will no longer do non-urgent “You have many places in the country where people seen him wearing one, adding: “It was a dark black in September, Mayor Bill de Bla- leader after former aide John Florida, one of the main new surgeries. stay very long distance” from each other, he said. mask, and I thought it looked OK. Looked like the sio said. Bolton’s book, which described hotspots, reported more than Its president Carlos Migoya “I think we are going to be very good with the corona- Lone Ranger.” Many of the new cases are Trump as corrupt and incompe- 10,000 cases in a single day, lo- warned that the provider will among people below the age of tent, was cleared for publication cal health department data re- run out of hospital beds if the 40, with Florida reporting an last week. leased yesterday showed, just rise in cases seen over the past new infected are young people sisted: “People going to a busi- Beaches in south Florida have average age of 37. The president’s brother Rob- about matching a single-day two weeks goes on for another who are asymptomatic. ness is not what’s driving it.” been shut down ahead of the Elected offi cials seem to be ert Trump had asked for the record for the Sunshine State. month or two. DeSantis has ruled out clos- Rather, he blamed the surge long July 4 holiday weekend, and hoping that with the most vul- restraining order, arguing that Cases are also on the rise The state does not provide ing down the economy, which on “social interactions” among there will be limited use of pools nerable not badly aff ected right Mary was violating a non-dis- across southern and southwest- fi gures on how many people are reopened in phases in May and young people gathering at par- at hotels and apartment build- now, and some restrictions in closure agreement signed in ern states, with California, Tex- hospitalised. June. ties, beaches, bars, swimming ings. place, the worst can be avoided. 2001 after the settlement over as, Arizona, Georgia and North Governor DeSantis, a Repub- For now, because of the surge pools and elsewhere. Trump has continued to say The CDC said the past day the estate of Fred Trump – the Carolina all seeing signifi cant lican ally of President Donald in cases, the process is on hold. Miami Beach reinstated a that the federal government is saw 725 new deaths, raising the father of Donald and Robert and spikes. Trump, attributes the rise in “We’re not going back to clos- nighttime curfew on Wednes- helping local offi cials deal with national toll to 128,024. of Mary’s father Fred Trump Jr. As cases mount, there is cases in part to a more “robust” ing things,” he said on Wednes- day, and Miami-Dade County hotspots, but has downplayed While high, this rate remains Judge Alan Scheinkman post- growing concern that some ar- testing programme. day. made the wearing of masks concerns that the new spikes far below records seen earlier in poned addressing whether the eas of the country reopened too He insists that many of the Of the increase in cases, he in- mandatory. would derail the economic re- the pandemic. author had violated the agree- ment preventing her from re- vealing family secrets by writing the book, titled Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dan- Former gerous Man. Los Angeles cuts police budget Nevertheless Simon & Schus- ter “is not a party to the agree- Epstein ment”, so the block of their pub- School board slashes police students and a task force to ex- lication of the book “is vacated”, department’s budget too amine school safety. he ruled. The board did not announce girlfriend In the book, Mary, a clinical AFP/Reuters any lay-off s, but it ordered the psychologist, recounts what she Los Angeles department’s 460 offi cers to witnessed of the “toxic family” stay off campuses and not to arrested in the home of her grandparents, wear their uniforms until the according to her publisher. os Angeles voted on agency’s role in the schools can “According to the plaintiff , Ms Wednesday to cut the be fully assessed. Reuters Trump has stated that (the) book Lcity’s police budget by “The school board’s action New York contains an ‘insider’s perspec- $150mn, acceding in part to is a huge fi rst step in the cam- tive’ of ‘countless holiday meals’, demands made during last paign for police-free schools ‘family interactions’, and ‘fam- month’s anti-racism protests and ground-breaking in terms hislaine Maxwell, the ily events’,” Scheinkman’s ruling sparked by the death of George of our movement for support- former girlfriend and said. Floyd. ing black lives in our schools,” Glong-time associate of The Daily Beast website has The measure was passed in said United Teachers Los An- the late accused sex off ender reported the book will reveal a 12-2 vote by the city council, geles President Cecily Myart- Jeff rey Epstein, was arrested in that Mary Trump was the crucial with much of the money to be Cruz in a statement. New Hampshire yesterday on US source for explosive New York diverted to minority areas of School systems in several charges of helping to lure under- Times reporting on Trump’s fi - Los Angeles. major cities including Oakland, age girls who were then sexually nances, which suggested the “This is a step forward, sup- Minneapolis and Denver have abused by Epstein. billionaire paid little in tax for porting minority communities removed police and school re- The Federal Bureau of Inves- decades. in ways in which they deserve source offi cers from campuses tigation (FBI) arrested Maxwell In a statement, Mary Trump’s – with respect, dignity and an and have made other policing about 8.30am ET (1230 GMT) in attorney Ted Boutrous said the even playing fi eld,” said Curren changes as part of a nationwide Bradford, New Hampshire. lifting of the prior restraint Price, the sole black member on push for law enforcement re- She was expected to appear in against the publisher was “very the council’s budget commit- form following Floyd’s death in federal court in New Hampshire good news”. tee. police custody. later to discuss her bail or con- “We look forward to fi ling our The cut will see the Los The teachers’ union and sev- tinued detention, according to a brief tomorrow in the trial court Angeles Police Department eral local civic and school or- law enforcement offi cial. explaining why the same result is (LAPD) fall below 10,000 offi c- People paint a ‘Black Lives Matter’ mural in front of the Manhattan courthouses on Centre Street in ganisations had demanded the The indictment charged Max- required as to Ms Trump, based ers next summer, to its lowest New York City. board make wholesale reforms well, 58, with conspiracy to en- on the First Amendment and ba- level since 2008, the Los Ange- to its policing strategy. tice minors to travel to engage sic contract law,” he said. les Times reported. fi cer in Minneapolis in May. makers also approved a budget nation’s second-largest school Proponents have cited a Uni- in illegal sex acts, enticement of Mary Trump’s legal team said The city has 4mn residents. Organisers demanded the that purports to slash $1bn district, joining other US school versity of California, Los Ange- a minor to travel to engage in il- they were hoping for a July 10 Before the measure, the LAPD be “defunded” far be- from the city’s much larger po- systems that have made similar les study that showed LASPD legal sex acts and conspiracy to hearing, which will most likely LAPD budget had been stead- yond the scope of Wednesday’s lice force. reforms after Floyd’s death. police offi cers disproportion- transport minors with intent to take place virtually. ily growing for years to reach cut. The LAPD cut comes as Los The board, which oversees ately detain and cite black stu- engage in criminal sexual activ- Last week a judge refused to $1.86bn, out of the city’s total “I want to take this time to Angeles faces a massive budget 600,000 students, voted 4-3 on dents. ity. block the release of Bolton’s $10.5bn budget. acknowledge Black Lives Mat- defi cit following the coronavi- Tuesday night to cut the budget Defenders of police in She was also charged with book, titled The Room Where Black Lives Matter (BLM) ter-LA organisers and others rus lockdown. of the Los Angeles Schools Po- schools say offi cers are special- two counts of perjury, accord- It Happened, saying that it was protests swept Los Angeles and for keeping our feet to the fi re Meanwhile, the Los Ange- lice Department (LASPD) by ly trained to de-escalate ten- ing to the indictment by the act- too late for the restraining order the nation following African and demanding more from our les board of education has also $25mn, a 35% reduction, and sions and to protect campuses ing US attorney for the Southern sought by the Trump adminis- American Floyd’s death under government,” said Price. slashed funding for the police use the money to pay for staff from outside threats, such as District of New York, Audrey tration. the knee of a white police of- On Tuesday New York law- department that patrols the who serve the needs of black mass shootings. Strauss.

Police detain armed man near Facebook’s Zuckerberg agrees to meet activists

Trudeau’s residence in Ottawa AFP lence, which has gained momen- “We’re not gonna change our The spokesperson said Zuck- Washington tum with more than 650 adver- policies or approach on anything erberg agreed to join a meeting tisers joining a boycott. because of a threat to a small per with activist leaders including Reuters charges were pending. Zuckerberg told an employee cent of our revenue, or any per from the National Association Ottawa A spokesman for Trudeau acebook founder Mark meeting this week the boycott is cent of our revenue,” he said. for the Advancement of Col- confi rmed that the 48-year-old Zuckerberg has agreed to not likely to have a major impact “We’re gonna do what we think oured People (NAACP), the Anti- prime minister was not at home Fa new meeting with activ- and that most of the advertis- are the right things that we think Defamation League, and Colour anadian police arrested at the time. ists on the social media giant’s ers “will be back on the platform are gonna serve the community of Change to discuss Facebook’s an armed man early yes- Trudeau, who is married with content policies while vowing to soon enough”, according to an best over time.” moderation practices. Cterday, who had gained three children, also has access resist pressure from an advertiser account fi rst reported by The In- A Facebook spokesperson, “They asked about having access to an exclusive part of to a summer house about 22 boycott, the company said yes- formation and confi rmed by AFP. asked about the pressure, said in Mark at the meeting, and we’ve Ottawa where Prime Minister miles (35km) northwest of Ot- terday. The Facebook chief execu- an e-mail: “We take these mat- since confi rmed that Mark is able Justin Trudeau lives, though tawa. The news comes amid in- tive repeated that he would not ters very seriously and respect to join,” the Facebook statement Trudeau was not home at the Unlike the United States, creased pressure on the world’s change policy based on “a threat” the feedback from our partners said. time, offi cials said. where four presidents have been leading social network to clamp to revenue but based on “the ... but as we’ve said, we make The Washington Post reported Trudeau and his family are assassinated since 1865, there is down on incendiary content right things” for the Facebook policy changes based on princi- the meeting would take place on based in a large house on the almost no history of serious po- which promotes racism and vio- community. ples, not revenue pressures.” Monday. grounds of Rideau Hall, the Trudeau: not at home at the litical violence in Canada. residence of Governor General time. The one exception was in Julie Payette, the offi cial repre- 1970, when a radical group Posthumous award for victim of 2017 Canada mosque attack sentative of head of state Queen not present at the moment of seeking independence for Que- Elizabeth. the incident,” the Royal Cana- bec kidnapped the Canadian Five men were honoured on Wednesday for ongoing coronavirus pandemic. how Soufiane lunged at him in an attempt to Rideau Hall sits on an 88-acre dian Mounted Police (RCMP) province’s deputy premier and their bravery in a 2017 attack on a mosque in On January 29, 2017, a man known for his save fellow worshippers. (0.35sq km) wooded estate. said on Twitter. later killed him. Quebec, including a posthumous award for far-right, nationalist sympathies opened Soufiane was posthumously awarded the Star “At approximately 6.40 this “The man was arrested Trudeau donned a bullet- Azzedine Soufiane, who was shot dead as he fire on worshippers praying at the Quebec of Courage “for having sacrificed his life while morning (1040 GMT), an armed shortly after without any inci- proof vest for an election cam- lunged at the gunman. City mosque, killing six people and seriously trying to disarm the shooter”, the governor- man was able to access the dent. He is currently in custody paign rally in October last year The awards, unveiled on Canada Day, will be injuring several others. general announced in a statement. grounds ... the prime minister and is being interviewed,” the after offi cials detected a secu- presented by the Governor General of Canada The five men tried to stop the attacker, with The four survivors of the attack will receive the and the governor-general were RCMP added, saying criminal rity threat. Julie Payette at a later date because to the surveillance video showed in court revealing Medal of Bravery. Gulf Times 6 Friday, July 3, 2020 ASIA Duterte aide defends dolphin swim in coronavirus-hit Philippines

AFP tion although I recognise that his behaviour. “I did not party. I moved. Twitter users criticised ing ventures” that include a farm. eased in Manila, non-essential lies have been accused of violat- Manila some people might have been of- was alone – I was with four dol- Roque for taking the trip during He is attempting to sell them to trips outside the capital are not ing regulations imposed by his fended by the pictures they saw,” phins.” the coronavirus outbreak that comply with a constitutional permitted under the current government as it seeks to slow said Harry Roque, spokesman for Roque, 53, told reporters has left many in the country job- provision that prohibits public rules without special permis- the spread of the virus. The Phil- top aide to the Philip- Rodrigo Duterte, during a news someone had taken photos of less and devastated the economy. offi cials from running a business. sion. ippines has nearly 39,000 con- pines’ president has made conference yesterday. him at Ocean Adventure, near “Here he is swimming with “How could I sell them off Tens of thousands of Filipinos fi rmed cases, including 1,274 fa- Awaves after he swam with “Swimming is now allowed the former US naval base at dolphins while the whole coun- during a lockdown? So that was have been detained by police for talities. dolphins at a theme park, even as because it’s a non-contact sport. Subic Bay, on Wednesday with- try is crippled by a pandemic,” the real reason I went to Bataan,” quarantine violations ranging Duterte, who rarely wears a the country endures tough travel If I had violated any social-dis- out his knowledge. The photos one post said. Roque said, adding he had used from failure to wear face masks, mask in meetings broadcast on restrictions due to the coronavi- tancing rules, well I was with were posted to the marine theme Roque said he had taken a “side a police-issued permit to travel breaking curfews or leaving their television, warned in April that rus. dolphins, not with people,” he park’s Facebook page, local me- trip” to the park in Bataan prov- and was not a “tourist”. While homes without special passes. people caught breaking lock- “I did not violate any regula- said, while also apologising for dia reported. They have been re- ince after visiting his “loss-mak- virus restrictions have been Several Duterte aides and al- down rules would be shot dead. At least 126 die in Myanmar jade mine collapse Reuters „ Miners buried under wave of mud and water Yangon „ Survivor heard people yelling ‘run, run!’

landslide at a jade mine „ Global Witness laments ‘preventable tragedy’ in northern Myanmar Akilled at least 126 people, with more feared dead, authori- ties said yesterday, after a heap of mining waste collapsed into a lake and buried many workers under mud and water. The miners were collecting stones in the jade-rich Hpakant area of Kachin state – the cen- tre of Myanmar’s secretive jade industry – when the “muddy wave” crashed onto them, after heavy rain, the fi re service de- partment said in a Facebook post. By late afternoon rescue work- ers had recovered 126 bodies, the department said, but more were missing. “Other bodies are in the mud,” Tar Lin Maung, a local offi - cial with the information minis- try, told Reuters by phone. “The numbers are going to rise.” Deadly landslides and other accidents are common in the poorly regulated mines of Hpa- kant, which draw impoverished workers from across Myanmar in search of gems mostly for export to China. But yesterday’s acci- dent was the worst in over fi ve People carry a dead body at the mining site in Hpakant, Kachin, Myanmar. Rescuers attempting to locate survivors after a landslide at a jade mine in Hpakant, Kachin state. years. About 100 people were killed in Video footage on social me- military offi cers would continue by phone. “I feel empty in my ing and 30 had been hospitalised. has changed. Offi cial sales of jade Kachin rebels fi ghting for greater a 2015 collapse which strength- dia showed frantic miners rac- the rescue eff orts. Maung Kha- heart. I still have goose bumps... A local offi cial had warned in Myanmar were worth 671mn autonomy for the region. In a ened calls to regulate the indus- ing uphill to escape as a towering ing, a 38-year-old miner from There were people stuck in the people not to go to the mine yes- euros ($750mn) in 2016-17, ac- statement, the group called yes- try. Another 50 died in 2019. pile of black waste cascaded into the area who witnessed the ac- mud shouting for help but no one terday because of the bad weath- cording to data published by the terday’s accident a “preventable Many of those killed are free- a turquoise lake, churning up a cident, said he was about to take could help them.” er, she said. government as part of an Extrac- tragedy” and said the Suu Kyi’s lance “jade pickers” who scour tsunami-like wave of mud. a picture of the precarious waste Than Hlaing, a member of a “There’s no hope for the fami- tive Industries Transparency Ini- administration had failed to im- tailings – the residue from min- Photos showed rows of dead mound he felt looked set to col- local civil society group helping lies to get compensation as they tiative. plement promised reforms to ing – for gemstones overlooked bodies laid out on a hill, cov- lapse when people began shout- in the aftermath of the disaster, were freelance miners.” The gov- But rights group Global Wit- curb “illicit and rapacious min- by larger operators. One good ered by tarpaulin. In a statement ing “run, run!” said those killed were freelanc- ernment of Nobel laureate Aung ness says the trade is worth bil- ing practices”. piece of jade, worth tens of thou- posted online, the armed forces “Within a minute, all the peo- ers scavenging the waste left by San Suu Kyi pledged to clean up lions of dollars a year, funds it A government spokesman did sands of dollars, could transform commander-in-chief, Senior ple at the bottom (of the hill) just a larger mining fi rm. She said the industry when it took power says fuel armed confl ict between not answer phone calls by Reu- their lives. General Min Aung Hlaing, said disappeared,” he told Reuters about 100 people were still miss- in 2016, but activists say little government troops and ethnic ters seeking comment.

Japanese retailers begin Back to school in Thailand Indonesia seeking its charging for plastic bags own Covid-19 vaccine

AFP The country produces more Reuters Tokyo plastic packaging waste per Jakarta capita than any nation apart from the United States, ac- etailers in Japan began cording to the United Nations, ndonesia is working to produce its own Covid-19 vaccine next year, charging for plastic bags with campaigners criticising amid growing anxiety that developing countries could have diffi cul- Ryesterday, a move aimed Tokyo for moving too slowly on Ity getting access to a future jab, the head of Indonesia’s national re- at curbing Japanese consum- reducing plastic consumption. search team said yesterday. “The production capability and capacity of ers’ love for packaging and fi- With the measure, Japan has biotech companies in the world is, we know, limited, and global supply nally bringing the country in vowed to “curb excessive use of chains also have challenges,” Ali Ghufron Mukti, head of the innovation line with other major econo- plastic and think about how to team at Indonesia’s research and technology ministry, told a streamed mies. use it wisely”, according to its press conference alongside the country’s foreign minister. Shops including ubiquitous most recent policy document. “Therefore, it is necessary for Indonesia to develop its own Covid-19 convenience stores can decide Introducing a nationwide fee vaccine. And it will be by Indonesia, from Indonesia, to Indonesia,” he how much to charge customers “is aimed at prompting people said. “We are using our theory and we are optimistic that in the year for the bags, with a common to think twice if a bag is really 2021 and early 2021, this will be fi nished in the laboratory,” he said, add- price being three yen (around necessary and helping people ing state-owned fi rm Bio Farma could conduct trials in the second half three US cents). to review their lifestyles,” the of next year. The new rule seemed to government said. Students wearing face masks talk in the Attarkiah Islamic School in the southern Thai province Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has in recent months be having some effect, with In 2018, Japan vowed to re- of Narathiwat yesterday as schools across Thailand reopened after being temporarily closed to spoken about the need for developing countries to have access to any one shopper making sure she duce its annual 9.4mn tonnes concerns about the novel coronavirus. future vaccine, amid concern that rich countries would try to corner brought her own bag. of plastic waste by a quarter by a limited supply. Such concerns increased this week, when the United “There are lots of issues now, 2030. States announced it had bought up most of the global supply of Gilead like the environment and glo- And at a meeting in Osaka Sciences Inc’s drug remdesivir, shown to speed up recovery times from bal warming. Each of us needs last year, leaders from the G20 Rare Javan Rhino captured on camera in gleeful mudbath Covid-19. The pandemic has sparked a race to fi nd a vaccine, with more to be more aware of these is- economies agreed to reduce than 100 in development and around a dozen already being tested in sues, and that is why I am car- marine plastic waste. A rare Javan rhinoceros has been more than 12,000 times and males and 33 females, according humans. rying my own shopping bag,” Japan touts an enviable waste captured on camera gleefully shows the rhino, a male estimated to Bakar. “Let’s keep watching Yesterday, Mukti also outlined eff orts underway between local and Yoshimi Soeda, 66, told AFP management system, and the rolling around in the khaki, to be seven years old, rolling and loving the rhino,” Bakar foreign pharmaecutical companies to mass produce a vaccine in In- outside a Tokyo store. government says more than tropical waters of a national around on his back in the muddy wrote in her viral Twitter post, donesia. A Covid-19 Vaccine Development Team has been tasked with “I am worried. I want plastic 80% of its plastic waste is re- park, on the westernmost tip of waters at the base of a waterfall. “Looking after and loving them guaranteeing the availability of a vaccine nationally within the next 12 bags and containers for food to cycled. Indonesia’s Java island. The video The minister said that a rhino is the same as looking after and months. Honesti Basyir, the director of Bio Farma, told Reuters in late be changed to something more But much of that “recycling” of the critically endangered Javan mud bath helps to regulate their loving Indonesia.” onservationists June it was working with Chinese fi rm Sinovac on a vaccine which environmentally friendly, al- involves simply incinerating rhino, one of only 72 left in the body temperature and protect and researchers from the World would enter the third phase of clinical trials in humans this month. If though it may not be so easy.” plastic, often to produce en- wild, was posted on Twitter by their skin from parasites and Wildlife Fund and the World the trial is successful, it could start production in the fi rst quarter of Visitors to Japan are often ergy — a process that generates Indonesia’s environment minister, insects. Javan rhinos, which once Resources Institute in Indonesia next year with a minimum 100mn doses. With a population of more surprised by the amount of carbon dioxide and contributes Siti Nurbaya Bakar, and off ers a lived throughout northeast India told Reuters the government than 265mn, Indonesia estimates it would need more than 352mn shots packaging involved in even to climate change. rare glimpse into the life of one of and Southeast Asia, are among should increase monitoring of of a two-dose vaccine. Yesterday, Indonesia recorded 1,624 new coro- the most basic of transactions According to government the world’s largest land mammals. the most threatened of the five Ujung Kulon National park, and navirus cases, the highest daily rise so far, taking the total numbers of – most convenience stores data, bags account for 2% of The footage, captured by a rhino species. reinvigorate eff orts to develop a cases to 59,394. In addition to Bio Farma and Sinovac, Mukti said pri- wrap individual bananas in the total amount of plastic hidden camera at Ujung Kulon’s There are only 72 Javan rhinos second habitat for the critically vate Indonesian pharmaceutical fi rm Kalbe Farma and the South Ko- plastic. waste. national park has been shared left in the wild, including 39 endangered species. rean biotech company Genexine were cooperating to produce a vaccine. Gulf Times Friday, July 3, 2020 7 ASIA/AUSTRALASIA US House moves to toughen sanctions over Hong Kong security law

AFP pen the next day. “The Chinese last year before signing another China says the new law doesn’t sion” and other acts of dissent has been weak, I will be strong, backburner in an eff ort to sell Washington regime just thinks that they can rights bill on Hong Kong which damage the territory’s rights but on Tuesday. On Wednesday, clear and consistent in standing soybeans and we haven’t even act with impunity and repressing also lays out sanctions against will restore stability after months Hong Kong police cracked down up for our values.” The Trump sold the soybeans,” Representa- the spirit of democracy,” Speak- Chinese offi cials for infringing of pro-democracy unrest. on protesters marking the an- administration has taken a series tive Brad Sherman, a Democrat, he US House of Represent- er Nancy Pelosi said before the on the city’s autonomy. Beijing said yesterday it “de- niversary of the 1997 handover, of actions in response to China’s told a congressional hearing. atives agreed unanimously House passage. Unlike the previous act, the plores and fi rmly opposes” the arresting about 370 people — in- moves on Hong Kong, including Trump has tried to link Biden Tto seek tough sanctions on “If we refuse to speak out on new legislation would make US bill, adding that Hong Kong cluding 10 under the new law. restricting visas to an unspecifi ed to Beijing, pointing to his exten- Chinese offi cials and Hong Kong human rights in China because sanctions mandatory, limiting issues are part of China’s internal US presidential candidate Joe number of offi cials and blocking sive interactions with China as police after Beijing imposed a se- of commercial interests, we lose Trump’s ability to waive them. In aff airs. Biden accused Trump of allow- high-tech exports to the fi nan- Barack Obama’s vice president. curity law that clamps down on all moral authority to speak out a crucial pressure point, it would “We urge the US to grasp the ing China to impose its will on cial hub. Critics say the actions Biden said that, if elected presi- unrest in the city. for human rights any place in also slap sanctions on banks that reality of the situation, stop in- Hong Kong through a hesitant were not enough and that Trump dent, he would “fully enforce” After a day in which Hong the world,” said Washington’s conduct transactions with viola- terfering in Hong Kong aff airs response. has prioritised a trade deal with laws on the rights of Hong Kong Kong authorities arrested hun- top elected Democrat, long a vo- tors. and implementing the nega- “It’s no wonder Beijing is act- President Xi Jinping. and Xinjiang, where China has dreds of protesters, the House on cal proponent of human rights in Under a deal ahead of the 1997 tive bill, otherwise we will take ing with impunity. Time and John Bolton, Trump’s former detained some 1mn Uighurs and Wednesday quickly passed the China. President Donald Trump handover from Britain, authori- strong countermeasures,” said again, President Trump has sur- national security advisor, wrote other Turkic Muslims. act that had already passed the has not said if he will sign the bill tarian China guaranteed Hong foreign ministry spokesman rendered our values and reas- in an explosive new book that Secretary of State Mike Pom- Senate last week. but one of his allies briefl y held Kong civil liberties as well as ju- Zhao Lijian. sured China’s autocrats they Trump explicitly asked Xi to help peo hinted that the Trump ad- Due to technical changes, the up the Senate version, seeking dicial and legislative autonomy China imposed the long- have a like-minded partner in the his re-election through buying ministration will do more to Senate will need to vote again changes. until 2047 in a formula known threatened security law in Hong White House,” the Democrat said farm produce. punish China – by reducing the and a senator said it would hap- Trump publicly hesitated as “One Country, Two Systems”. Kong that criminalises “subver- in a statement. “Where Trump “Hong Kong has been on the special privileges of Hong Kong. Hong Kong police arrest stabbing suspect after security law protests

Reuters and provides a route to citizen- Hong Kong ship, the source told local station Cable TV. Cathay Pacifi c did not immediately respond to a request HK Bar Association ong Kong police arrested for comment. a 24-year-old man at the Former Hong Kong leader Le- Hcity’s airport early yes- ung Chun-ying posted on Fa- ‘gravely concerned’ terday on suspicion of stabbing cebook on Wednesday that a an offi cer during protests against bounty of HK$500,000 ($64,513) a new national security law im- would be off ered to anyone help- AFP posed by Beijing on the fi nancial ing catch the fugitive. Hong Kong hub. Police said on Wednesday they The arrest followed the latest had made around 370 arrests for protests on Wednesday in which illegal assembly and other of- sweeping new security law imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing police fi red water cannon and fences, with 10 involving viola- undermines the semi-autonomous city’s independent judici- tear gas and arrested more than tions of the new security law. Aary and stifl es freedoms, the city’s infl uential Bar Association 300 people as demonstrators de- The law punishes crimes of se- has warned. In a scathing critique, the group detailed how the new law fi ed the sweeping security leg- cession, subversion, terrorism dismantles the legal fi rewall that has existed between Hong Kong’s in- islation introduced by China to and collusion with foreign forces dependent judiciary and China’s Communist Party-controlled courts snuff out dissent. with up to life in prison. since the 1997 handover. In the latest diplomatic ten- It will also see mainland secu- The legislation outlawing acts of subversion, secession, terrorism sions over the law, China said rity agencies in Hong Kong for and colluding with foreign forces was passed on Tuesday in Beijing, Britain would bear all conse- the fi rst time and allows extradi- bypassing Hong Kong’s legislature, its wording kept secret until it was quences for any move to of- tion to the mainland for trial in enacted later that day. The unprecedented move has sent a wave of fer Hong Kong citizens a path courts controlled by the Com- fear through the city, sparked international criticism and rattled the to settlement in the United munist Party. legal community in a business hub that has built its reputation on the Kingdom, and Taiwan advised China’s parliament adopted Chinese national flags are seen on the ground during a march against national security law at the anniversary independence and reliability of its courts. citizens to avoid unnecessary the law in response to protests of Hong Kong’s handover to China from Britain, in Hong Kong. In a fi ve-page analysis, the Bar Association said the new national transits through or visits to last year triggered by fears that security off ences were “widely drawn” and “are capable of being ap- Hong Kong, Macau or mainland Beijing was stifl ing the city’s plied in a manner that is arbitrary, and that disproportionately inter- China. The police had posted freedoms and threatening its ju- Australia considering ‘safe haven’ off er to Hong Kongers feres with fundamental rights, including the freedom of conscience, pictures on Twitter of an offi cer dicial independence, guaranteed expression and assembly”. “In addition to the total absence of mean- with a bleeding arm saying he by a “one country, two systems” Australia is actively considering National Overseas status and legislation, after Foreign Minister ingful consultation, lawyers, judges, police and Hong Kong residents was stabbed by “rioters holding formula agreed when it returned providing safe haven to Hong their families to move there and Marise Payne expressed “deep were given no opportunity to familiarise themselves with the contents sharp objects”. The suspects fl ed to Chinese rule in 1997. Beijing Kong residents in response to eventually apply for citizenship. concern” over the developments of the new law, including the serious criminal off ences it creates, be- while bystanders off ered no help, denies the accusation. China’s sweeping new security Hong Kong was under UK on Wednesday. fore it came into force,” the analysis added. the police said. Apparently seeking to allay law, it said yesterday, a move jurisdiction until Britain handed Morrison said no final decision In response, China dismissed the statement as “unfounded”, claim- A police spokesman said the fears that judges for national likely to further inflame tensions it back to China in 1997 with a had been made on how Aus- ing offi cials had held dialogue sessions with Hong Kong residents to arrested man was surnamed security cases would be cherry- with Beijing. Prime Minister Scott guarantee that Beijing would tralia’s arrangements would be hear their opinions on the law. “The lawyers’ association’s claim... Wong but could not confi rm picked by Hong Kong’s unpopu- Morrison said the situation in preserve the city’s judicial and structured, but the country was that the law lacked meaningful consultation is totally unfounded,” whether he was leaving Hong lar, pro-Beijing leader Carrie Hong Kong was “very concern- legislative autonomy for 50 “prepared to step up and provide said foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian at a routine briefi ng yes- Kong or working at the airport. Lam, Chief Justice Geoff rey Ma ing” and his government was years. support” to Hong Kong residents. terday. Under a deal ahead of the handover from Britain, authoritar- Local media, citing unnamed said yesterday that they would be “very actively” considering pro- But critics say the new law Any off er is sure to further strain ian China guaranteed Hong Kong civil liberties as well as judicial and sources, said the suspect was on- appointed on the basis of judicial posals to welcome in residents of — passed by Beijing’s parlia- Canberra’s relationship with legislative autonomy until 2047 in a formula known as “One Country, board a Cathay Pacifi c fl ight to and professional qualities, rather the former British territory. ment this week without its text Beijing, coming after repeated Two Systems”. Critics – including Britain – say the new law demol- London due to depart just before than politics. Asked by a reporter whether being released to the public — clashes between the two sides. ishes that deal, especially as China says it will have jurisdiction over midnight. Chinese state media yesterday Australia could extend an off er of breaches the “One Country, Two Most recently, Australia enraged some cases and has empowered its security agents to operate openly A witness said three police ve- praised the passage of the law, safe haven, Morrison responded Systems” principle that formally China by calling for an independ- inside Hong Kong for the fi rst time. hicles drove towards a gate as a saying it would bring “prosper- “yes.” He said the measures entered international law in 1984. ent investigation into the origins It has also claimed global jurisdiction, saying the law covers na- Cathay Pacifi c plane was prepar- ity and stability.” “We must face would soon be considered by The Chinese Embassy in Can- of the coronavirus pandemic. tional security off ences committed overseas – even by foreigners. ing to take off and around 10 riot up to the fact that the existence his Cabinet, hinting strongly berra yesterday dismissed criti- Canberra has also pushed back The Bar Association said the law makes clear “suspects can be re- police ran up the bridge to the of legal loopholes in safeguard- that it would be approved. “We cisms of the new law, releasing against what it describes as moved to face trial in Mainland China” and points out that the process aircraft. ing national security has already think that’s important and very a statement telling Australia to China’s economic “coercion”, cov- does not have the usual checks and balances of extradition hearings. The suspect held an expired made Hong Kong society pay a consistent with who we are as a “stop meddling in Hong Kong af- ert influence campaigns and the Instead, it looks more like rendition – when a person is simply tak- British National Overseas pass- heavy price,” a commentary in people.” It comes a day after the fairs and China’s internal aff airs”. use of technology companies as en to another jurisdiction. It noted the law allowed mainland security port, a special status created People’s Daily, the offi cial news- United Kingdom announced a It said “we strongly deplore” a tool for intelligence-gathering agents working in Hong Kong to be “above the reach of local law” and under British law in 1987 that paper of the Communist Party, new route for those with British Australia’s response to the and geopolitical leverage. said empowering the city’s chief executive to appoint judges to over- specifi cally relates to Hong Kong read. see national security cases undermined judicial independence.

NZ health minister Australia sets up checkpoints to contain virus hotspots quits after virus lapse Reuters tion on all of us to consider how Sydney we minimise our interactions with other people,” Victorian AFP chief health offi cer Brett Sutton Wellington ustralian police set up told reporters. “All of us across suburban checkpoints Victoria have to really consider Ain new coronavirus whether we need to see people ew Zealand’s health minister resigned yesterday after a pub- hotspots in Melbourne yester- in other settings, other house- lic backlash over his breach of lockdown and his criticism day as authorities struggled to holds, including family mem- Nof the civil servant responsible for the country’s world- contain new outbreaks in the bers and friends.” leading coronavirus response. Outgoing minister David Clark was country’s second-largest city, On the other side of the coun- already under a cloud after breaking lockdown in April and Prime even as travel restrictions eased try, remote Northern Territory Minister Jacinda Ardern, who faces an election in September, ad- elsewhere. reported its fi rst infection in two mitted his presence had become a distraction. Images published by the Aus- months after a traveller who had “It’s essential our health leadership has the confi dence of the tralian Broadcasting Corp yes- entered the country via Mel- New Zealand public,” she said. “As David has said to me, the needs terday showed police fl agging bourne and completed the man- of the team must come before him as an individual.” Clark de- down cars in suburban streets datory two-week quarantine scribed himself as “an idiot” in April after admitting he breached after 36 suburbs in Melbourne showed symptoms after return- strict lockdown orders by taking a 20-km drive to the beach with in Victoria state went into lock- ing to his home territory. his family. down following a spike in new “People will be anxious hear- He kept his job but was kept out of the public eye, with health de- infections there. ing this news ... but we have partment director-general Ashley Bloomfi eld appearing alongside The state reported 77 new measures in place to protect Ardern to give daily updates on the coronavirus crisis. As the suc- cases yesterday, up slightly from our community (and) these cess of New Zealand’s response became apparent – it has recorded the previous day and in line with A health worker hands out test kits as people queue during coronavirus testing in a park in the Melbourne measures have been followed,” only 22 deaths in a population of 5mn – the bespectacled Bloom- two weeks of double-digit daily suburb of Brunswick West yesterday. Northern Territory Health Min- fi eld became wildly popular, with fans printing his face on tea tow- increases. ister Natasha Fyles told report- els and posting tributes on social media. “I’m obviously concerned the Victorian state government. many countries in the pandem- except to Victoria. Neighbour- ers. The infected person, aged It meant there was public anger when Clark criticised Bloom- about the outbreak, and I’m “We have seen some levelling ic, with around 8,000 cases and ing New South Wales, the most in their 30s, has been isolated in fi eld for a series of mistakes linked to border quarantine and foot- pleased that the premier has (in new cases) although they re- 104 deaths. However, the recent populous state, has kept its bor- hospital, she added. age went viral of the minister admonishing his subordinate as the taken the action he’s taken by main at elevated levels and that jump in Victoria has stoked fears der open except to people arriv- Globally, coronavirus cases civil servant stood by looking crestfallen. Critics said it was “like putting in place the lockdown is of concern and that means as of a second wave of Covid-19, ing from the targeted Victorian exceeded 10mn on Sunday, a kicking a puppy” and accused Clark of throwing Bloomfi eld “under for the outbreak in those sub- the lockdown now is in place, we echoing concerns expressed in suburbs. major milestone in the spread a bus”. Announcing his resignation, Clark insisted he had a warm urbs,” Prime Minister Scott would hope to see those num- other countries. “Though these restrictions of a disease that has killed more relationship with Bloomfi eld and singled him out for praise. “He is Morrison said in a televised bers fall again.” Most states have said they will are in place in those restricted than half a million people in sev- an exceptional public servant,” Clark told reporters. news conference, referring to Australia has fared better than reopen their internal borders postcodes, there’s an obliga- en months. Gulf Times 8 Friday, July 3, 2020 BRITAIN/IRELAND

EDUCATION DECISION APPEAL LEGAL CRIME Pupils to go back to BBC to cut 450 jobs Sheeran, Stones back call Depp’s ‘wife-beater’ libel Police probe destruction school in September to reduce costs to aid UK live music case can go ahead: judge of Haile Selassie statue

All children in England will have to go back The BBC yesterday announced plans to cut Some 1,500 acts including Ed Sheeran, Paul A judge yesterday ruled that Hollywood star Police yesterday said they were investigating the to school in September, the government 450 jobs as it reduces costs and restructures McCartney and The Rolling Stones urged the Johnny Depp’s libel case against The Sun criminal damage of a statue of former Ethiopian said yesterday, after weeks of wrangling local reporting services in England. Britain’s government yesterday to save the country’s newspaper over claims he abused his ex-wife emperor Haile Selassie, which was smashed in as coronavirus restrictions are lifted. The main journalists’ trade union warned that live music industry from collapsing because can go ahead next week after rejecting the a London park. The Metropolitan Police said government initially intended pupils to the cuts would have a “serious impact” of the coronavirus. Coldplay, Eric Clapton, publication’s bid to have the case thrown it received a report of damage to the statue return before the summer break later this on the national broadcaster’s local news Sam Smith, Rod Stewart, Liam Gallagher, Iron out. Depp, the 57-year-old star of the Pirates in Cannizaro Park, in Wimbledon, southwest month but was forced to revise its plans coverage. The broadcaster said its BBC Maiden, Dua Lipa, Skepta and Florence + the of the Caribbean films, is suing the tabloid’s London, on Tuesday afternoon. The damage after concerns from teaching unions and England network of local radio stations Machine were also signatories to an open letter publisher, News Group Newspapers, and its appeared to have been carried out by a group of parents. Local authorities said it would and regional television would “undergo a warning that the ongoing shutdown threatened executive editor, Dan Wootton, at London’s about 100 people, most of them men, according be difficult to enforce two-metre social significant reinvention” to save £25mn by thousands of jobs. They cited new research High Court for libel over an article Wootton to one eyewitness quoted by the domestic Press distancing with children, and many schools March 2022. “It would mean in the region of showing that live music added £4.5bn to the wrote in 2018 calling Depp a “wife-beater”. Association news agency. “I heard the statue would have to cut class sizes because of a 450 job losses out of the more than 3,000 British economy and supported 210,000 jobs Last week, judge Andrew Nicol ruled that being smashed up but didn’t actually see it lack of space. The two-metre rule has now staff currently working across the English across the country last year. Depp had not fully complied with a court happen,” said Andrew Morris, who was walking been cut to one metre, in part because of regions,” the BBC said. It said the economic “UK live music has been one of the UK’s biggest order by not supplying details of mobile his dog in the park at the time. “They (the increased pressure from businesses, who impact of the coronavirus pandemic had left social, cultural, and economic successes of the phone texts to his assistant which the Sun’s group) weren’t some rabid mob. They looked say they would be unable to enforce it or it needing to save an extra £125mn due to a past decade,” they wrote in the letter to Culture legal team said referred to obtaining drugs for pretty calm. I didn’t think they were in danger of have to remain closed. shortfall in revenue. Minister Oliver Dowden. the actor. attacking anyone.”

Hundreds held as communication system used by criminals cracked

Guardian News and Media over 1,800 rounds of ammuni- London tion. More than two tonnes of class A and B drugs had been recov- ritish law enforcement ered and at least 28mn Etizolam offi cials have “broken pills were seized from an illegal Binto” a communica- manufacturing laboratory. tion system used by criminals Over 50 high-end cars had in their biggest ever series of been seized as well as 73 luxury strikes against serious and or- watches. ganised crime. The agency said that on June The National Crime Agency 13 criminals were aware Encro- said that EncroChat was used Chat had been broken into by exclusively by criminals with law enforcement and they were handsets costing £1,500 for a being watched. six-month contract. The NCA said one sent a mes- They said it was a “command sage saying: ““This year the po- and control” system for crime lice are winning.” barons and was used as an en- The NCA’s director of inves- crypted way to plot drug deals, tigations, Nikki Holland, said: kidnaps and murder plots. “The infi ltration of this com- Cracking EncroChat had also mand and control communi- allowed the NCA to identify po- cation platform for the UK’s Prince Charles and mayor of London Sadiq Khan meet key workers from Transport for London, who have worked throughout the coronavirus outbreak, in London yesterday. lice offi cers and other law en- criminal marketplace is like forcement offi cials who were having an inside person in every suspected of corruption and top organised crime group in the were now being investigated, country. This is the broadest offi cials said. and deepest ever UK operation They refused to give any more into serious organised crime.” detail. Holland added: “Together The NCA said that hacking we’ve protected the public by EncroChat was the law enforce- arresting middle-tier criminals Ban on non-essential travel ment equivalent of breaking and the kingpins, the so-called the Nazis’ World War II Enigma iconic untouchables who have code and that dozens of organ- evaded law enforcement for ised crime groups had been dis- years, and now we have the evi- mantled. dence to prosecute them.” to 90 countries ‘to be lifted’ The Guardian understands The NCA has faced recent that luck played a big part in the questions about its eff ective- breakthrough, which came two ness and role. Guardian News and Media the air-bridge or travel corridor announcement. so we can get this thing an- pleased that she can do, which The Transport Secretary, nounced.” is to ask the Scottish govern- months ago. Its leadership is delighted by London policy that has been pursued by the Transport Secretary, Grant Grant Shapps, said that the de- He told Dr Philippa Whit- ment to join with us in ensur- Every single police force the successes, which come as Shapps, for several weeks. volved administrations needed ford, the SNP MP for Central ing we have these air bridges was involved in hunting down they press government for more verseas holidays and vis- This would have involved to “get on board” so they could Ayrshire: “There is something in place nationwide as soon as criminals using EncroChat, in a resources. its to up to 90 countries setting up reciprocal arrange- get the policy announced. the honourable member may be possible.” series of names under Operation The Home Secretary, Priti Pa- will be possible for Brit- ments with a core of Mediterra- The Scottish First Minister, Venetic. O tel, said: “This operation dem- ons from Monday without the nean countries including France, Nicola Sturgeon, said Scotland Offi cers were in eff ect, able to onstrates that criminals will not need to quarantine for 14 days on Greece and Spain to not quaran- had not been adequately con- PM’s dad travels to Greece despite advisory watch criminals plotting their get away with using encrypted return. tine each other’s citizens. sulted and that the UK’s position every move as they used Encro- devices to plot vile crimes under The Foreign Offi ce is expected Since June 8, nearly all pas- had changed three times in the The father of Prime Minister home, but said there was Chat. the radar.” to lift its ban on non-essential sengers have been required to go past 24 hours. Boris Johnson has flown to nothing untoward in his The NCA said they had miti- The NCA said law enforce- travel to nearly all EU countries, into self-isolation for 14 days at Shapps told Scottish National Greece, despite current advice arrival. Photos on Stanley gated 200 threats to life as part ment in Europe had also been British territories such as Ber- a declared address when they ar- party MPs in Westminster that for British nationals to avoid Johnson’s Instagram account of the operation, which has so going after criminals in their muda and Gibraltar, and Aus- rive in the UK. they needed to lean on Sturgeon all but essential international showed him wearing a mask far led to the arrest of 746 sus- countries, with EncroChat es- tralia and New Zealand. People who fail to comply can to change her mind. travel. Greek government in what appeared to be an pects and the seizure of at least timated to have 60,000 users Turkey, a popular holiday des- be fi ned £1,000 in England. Responding to the SNP’s off icials confirmed yesterday airport. Two videos on the £54mn in cash alleged to be worldwide. tination, is also expected to be But as offi cials confi rmed the shadow transport spokesman, that author Stanley Johnson same account showed an linked to criminals, along with Law enforcement in France included in the list. number of countries to be in- Gavin Newlands, he said: “I’m had arrived, likely via Bulgaria, aircraft coming in to land. 77 fi rearms, including an AK-47 and the Netherlands had also The announcement, con- cluded on the list, the UK gov- very keen to get the devolved ad- in the northern region of “Arriving in Athens this assault rifl e, submachine guns, infi ltrated EncroChat, the NCA fi rmed by government offi cials ernment blamed the Scottish ministrations, including Scot- Pelion, where he has a holiday evening!,” the caption said. handguns, four grenades, and said. and due today, puts an end to executive for holding up a fi nal land’s government, on board Meghan felt ‘unprotected’ O’Neill rejects DUP call to step aside by royals: court papers Reuters prisoner Bobby Storey attracted Belfast thousands of people onto the streets of Belfast. Reuters The Mail justifi ed publishing from royal duties at the end of O’Neill responded by saying London the letter by saying fi ve unnamed March. orthern Ireland Deputy she was very satisfi ed her actions friends of Meghan, who gave birth Harry said he had fallen out First Minister Michelle were in line with public health ad- to Archie in May 2019, had put her with his elder brother, Prince NO’Neill yesterday rejected vice and accused parties both in eghan, the Duchess of version of events in interviews William, and Meghan has spoken calls by her partner in govern- Northern Ireland and the Irish re- Sussex, felt “unprotect- with the US magazine People. of a lack of support when preg- ment, the Democratic Unionist public who criticised her of “petty Med” by the British royal Her legal team say it was un- nant and as a new mother. Party (DUP), to stand down tem- attempts to political point score”. family while she was pregnant true she had authorised or ar- They have also said media in- porarily for allegedly undermining The DUP-Sinn Fein govern- with her son Archie, according to ranged for her friends to tell Peo- trusion, and what they believe Covid-19 restrictions. ment collapsed in 2017 after London High Court documents ple about the letter. are some newspapers’ racist cov- The DUP called for O’Neill to Foster rejected Sinn Fein calls to fi led as part of her legal action “The claimant had become the erage towards Meghan, whose step aside pending a police probe step aside pending an investiga- against a tabloid newspaper. subject of a large number of false mother is African-American and into a funeral of a party member tion into the DUP’s handling of a Meghan, wife of Queen Eliza- and damaging articles by the UK father is white, were behind their attended by O’Neill that attracted botched green energy scheme. beth’s grandson Prince Harry, tabloid media, specifi cally by the decision. large crowds, threatening another “Michelle O’Neill will not be is suing publisher Associated defendant, which caused tre- The trial for Meghan’s case is political crisis in the region’s pow- stepping aside under any circum- Newspapers over articles its Mail mendous emotional distress and not expected this year. er-sharing government. stances,” a Sinn Fein spokesman on Sunday newspaper printed damage to her mental health,” But in May, the judge rejected The devolved executive led by said yesterday after the DUP called last year which included parts of her lawyers said in a submission part of her claim that the paper the two parties was only restored on her to do so while police review a handwritten letter she had sent to the high court. had acted dishonestly and stoked in January after a three-year footage for any suspected breach- to her estranged father, Thomas “As her friends had never seen the rift with her father. standoff between Sinn Fein and es of laws to control the spread of Markle, in August 2018. her in this state before, they were On Wednesday, Harry said he the DUP led to the suspension of coronavirus. Markle and his daughter have rightly concerned for her welfare, regretted racism was “still en- the regional assembly formed as Northern Irish police said they not spoken since he pulled out of specifi cally as she was pregnant, demic” in society in comments part of a 1998 peace agreement. had engaged with the funeral or- appearing at her wedding to Har- unprotected by the institution, for The Diana Award, established Northern Ireland First Minis- ganisers before Tuesday’s service ry in May 2018 after undergoing and prohibited from defending in memory of his late mother, ter Arlene Foster of the DUP had to highlight the public health ad- heart surgery and following news herself.” Princess Diana, who was killed in asked O’Neill to apologise after vice and the requirement for those he had staged photos with a pa- The couple are now living in a car crash in 1997 while fl eeing the funeral of party member and attending to adhere to social dis- parazzi photographer. Los Angeles after stepping down paparazzi. Meghan: legal battle ex-Irish Republican Army (IRA) tancing. Gulf Times Friday, July 3, 2020 9 EUROPE E-waste levels surge 20% in fi ve years: UN report

AFP In its annual report on e-waste its of gold, silver, copper and world’s population and 13% fast- generated the greatest volume stantially heavier than every are urgently required to ensure Paris – tossed away smartphones, platinum as well as highly-prized er than the world’s GDP during of e-waste in 2019, with 24.9mn adult in Europe put together, or smarter and more sustainable computers, white goods and rare Earth metals, non-recycled the last fi ve years,” said Antonis tonnes, followed by the Ameri- as much as 350 cruise ships the global production, consump- electronic car parts – the UN said e-waste means more must be Mavropoulos, president of the cas (13.1mn tonnes) and Europe size of the Queen Mary 2. tion, and disposal of electrical umans discarded more that materials worth more than mined to equip consumers with International Solid Waste Asso- (12mn tonnes), while Africa and It equates to more than 7kg of and electronic equipment,” said than 50mn tonnes of $55bn (€50bn) were being wasted new products. ciation. “This sharp rise creates Oceania generated just 2.9mn e-waste for every human on the David Malone, rector at the Unit- Helectronic waste last year every year. The report’s authors blamed substantial environmental and tonnes and 700,000 tones re- planet. ed Nations University and UN – an increase of 20% in just fi ve In 2019 only 17% of the year’s ever-shorter device lifespans and health pressures and demon- spectively. The UN warned that e-waste under-secretary-general. “This years – making tech refuse the 53mn tonnes of e-waste was re- a lack of recycling infrastructure strates the urgency to combine Europe had the highest e- contained a number of toxic sub- report contributes mightily to world’s fastest growing waste cycled, with the rest ending up in for the e-waste problem. the fourth industrial revolution waste fi gure per capita. stances known to be harmful to the sense of urgency in turning problem, the United Nations said scrapheaps or landfi ll. “E-waste quantities are ris- with circular economy.” To put the numbers into per- human health. around this dangerous global yesterday. With its unreclaimed depos- ing three times faster than the According to the report, Asia spective, 53mn tonnes is sub- “Substantially greater eff orts pattern.”

Nato puts defence plan for Turkey demands French Poland, Baltics apology over sea incident into action DPA/AFP France has claimed that a tion” that France and the UAE about the incident, has now sus- Berlin Turkish naval vessel turned its were not subjected to the same pended its involvement in the fi re guidance radar onto a French scrutiny under the arms embar- Sea Guardian operation. Reuters ship that was trying to stop a go and stressed that Hafter had According to DPA’s informa- Vilnius urkey has accused France cargo vessel suspected of violat- “no legitimacy in Libya”. tion, the investigation is now to of spreading fake news ing a UN arms embargo on Libya. Paris fi ercely denies claims be discussed promptly within Tabout an incident be- Turkey has dismissed the alle- that it is backing Haftar, who is the alliance. he North Atlantic Treaty tween the two countries’ navies gations as “groundless”, insist- supported by Russia, Egypt and Maas remained neutral on the Organisation (Nato) has off Libya, as Foreign Minister ing that its vessels only observed the UAE – though some analysts dispute in a press conference Tput a defence plan for Po- Mevlut Cavusoglu demanded an the warship. argue that France too has given with his Turkish counterpart land and Baltic states into action apology from Paris. It accused the French ship of a him at least diplomatic backing. and called for dialogue. after Turkey dropped its objec- France had made false claims “high-speed and dangerous ma- Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg “We have to talk about it,” he tions, offi cials from Lithuania, to the European Union and to noeuvre”. had said that the defence alli- said. “I believe it is exception- Poland and France have said. the North Atlantic Treaty Or- Turkey has given key support ance would investigate the in- ally important that relations Turkey’s foreign ministry de- ganisation (Nato), Cavusoglu to Libya’s weak-yet-interna- cident in the Mediterranean, between France and Turkey are clined to comment yesterday. said in Berlin, following talks tionally-recognised govern- which occurred on June 10. constructive.” The plan for Poland, Lithua- with German Foreign Minister ment, which recently defeated The French frigate had been In France, far-right leader nia, Latvia and Estonia, details Heiko Maas. an off ensive on the capital, operating as part of Nato’s Sea Marine Le Pen said the incident of which are classifi ed, was “France must apologise to us,” Tripoli, by eastern Libyan mili- Guardian mission. Cavusoglu: When France makes false claims and works against “raises the question of our pres- drawn up at their request after Turkey’s top diplomat said. tary strongman Khalifa Haftar. An initial report has since Turkey, that should not be accepted. We expect France to apologise ence in the alliance with Turkey”. Russia annexed Crimea from “When France makes false “We provide [the Tripoli gov- been presented but a French unconditionally. France’s allies in the alliance Ukraine in 2014. claims and works against Tur- ernment] with consultancy as source argued that the investi- “have been, to say the least, It was approved at a Nato key, that should not be accept- part of a military co-operation gators did not have the time or the French Senate on Wednes- France, which only won the very discreet in their support for summit in London in December. ed,” Cavusoglu told reporters agreement,” Cavusoglu said in means to look into it properly. day that he understood the in- support of eight members of France,” Le Pen charged. “This However, Turkey did not al- in Berlin. “We expect France to Berlin. The Turkish ambassador to vestigation had been “not con- the 30-strong alliance when it act cannot remain without con- low Nato chiefs to put the plan apologise unconditionally.” He decried the “contradic- France, Ismail Hakki Musa, told clusive”. initially complained to the Nato sequences!” into action unless they recog- nised the Kurdish YPG militia in northern Syria as a terrorists. “The Turks have dropped their objections,” an offi cial of the French Armed Forces Minis- Italy seizes drugs from Syria worth €1bn French court orders try said on Wednesday. A Nato diplomat said that the plans were now fi nally agreed. AFP state to pay damages Although it is unclear if Tur- Rome key extracted any concessions for agreeing, a second Nato dip- in birth defects case lomat said Ankara had acqui- talian police said on esced after pressure from the Wednesday that they had other 29 allies late last month. Iseized a 14-tonne haul of AFP 2004 are excluded from com- The Poland and Baltics de- amphetamines allegedly made Paris pensation,” she said, adding fence plan, known as Eagle De- by the Islamic State (IS) group in that autism means the children fender, has no direct bearing on Syria, calling it the biggest sei- are disabled for life. Turkey’s strategy in Syria. zure of such drugs in the world. court has ordered the Depakine is Sanofi ’s brand “Putting in place the politi- The drug, in the form of French state to pay tens name for sodium valproate, cal decision, which was reached around 84mn Captagon tab- Aof thousands of euros which has been used world- in London, is a success for all lets hidden inside industrial in damages after fi nding it re- wide since the 1960s. Nato,” Lithuanian Defence Min- goods within containers, was sponsible in a case over birth Besides epilepsy, it is also ister Raimundas Karoblis told worth about €1bn ($1.12bn), defects linked to an anti-epi- used to treat migraines and bi- reporters. and intended to be sold on the lepsy drug made by pharma- polar disorder. Paweł Soloch, head of Po- European market “to fi nance ceutical giant Sanofi . During the hearing last land’s National Security Bureau, terrorism”, the fi nance police of The French court ordered Wednesday, the court’s advi- also confi rmed the deal. Naples said in a statement. the state to compensate three sory expert said the state knew Turkey began its off ensive in “We know that the Islamic families who fi led complaints about the risks regarding mal- northern Syria after the United State fi nances its terrorist ac- after the women took the med- formations from using Depa- States pulled 1,000 troops out of tivities mainly by traffi cking icine and gave birth to children kine starting in 1983, and for the area in October. drugs made in Syria, which in with congenital malforma- learning disabilities and au- Ankara’s Nato allies have said the past few years has become tions, autism or learning dif- tism from 2004. the incursion undermines the the world’s largest producer of fi culties. In a case of a child born in battle against Islamic State mili- amphetamines,” the statement The court ruled that Sanofi 1985, the court followed the tants. said. and doctors who prescribed expert and ruled that the risks The Nato declined to com- Police said that three suspect the drug Depakine were also of physical defects were known ment directly, saying that it “has containers had arrived at the This photo grabbed from an undated video handout from the Naples branch of the Italian Guardia di responsible, in a scandal that and should have alerted the plans in place to protect all allies. port of Salerno, just south of Finanza law enforcement agency shows a record seizure of 14 tonnes of amphetamines, in the form of has aff ected 15,000 to 30,000 authorities, but that the risks Those plans are regularly revised Naples, containing large cylin- 84mn captagon tablets produced in Syria by the Islamic State (IS), hidden in three containers found in children, studies have found. of autism were not clear at the and updated”. drical paper rolls for industrial the port of Salerno, just south of Naples. The state has been or- time. use as well as industrial ma- dered to compensate the three As a result, the three fami- chinery. “the Jihad Drug” – after being The amount of drugs seized in consortiums, have turned to families between €20,000 lies are appealing the court’s Migrants in Italy Cutting open the paper rolls widely used by IS fi ghters in were suffi cient to satisfy the Syria where production, howev- and €290,000 ($22,500 and ruling, the families’ lawyer and metal gearwheels with combat – the police said. entire European market, police er, does not seem to have slowed $327,000), depending on the Charles Joseph-Oudin said. test positive for chainsaws, police found them Citing the US Drug Enforce- said, without providing a time down.” date of birth of the fi ve chil- Sanofi is facing separate coronavirus fi lled with tablets imprinted ment Administration (DEA), frame. Two weeks ago, also at the dren, now aged between 11 and charges of aggravated fraud with two semi-cirles, the sym- Naples police said that IS A “consortium” of criminal port of Salerno, police seized 35. and unintentionally caus- Eight migrants who disembarked bol of Captagon. “makes extensive use of it in all groups was likely involved for a container from Syria hiding “The state has neglected its ing injury, though under the in Sicily this week after being Video images taken by police territories over which it exerts the distribution of the drugs, 2,800kg of hashish and over duties to monitor (drugs),” the French legal system the charges rescued in the Mediterranean showed pills spilling out of the infl uence and where it controls including possibly many clans 1mn amphetamine pills bearing court said in a statement. do not automatically mean the by a charity boat are in rolls and wheels as they were the drug trade”. within the infamous Camorra of the same symbol as those inter- “I welcome the conviction case will reach a courtroom, quarantine after testing positive forced opened. Once the plants are estab- Naples, police said. cepted on Wednesday. of the state, which we were ex- since prosecutors could decide for coronavirus, the group “This is the largest seizure of lished, “it is easy for Islamic “The hypothesis is that dur- La Repubblica daily reported pecting,” said Marine Martin, not to move to trial. Mediterranea said. amphetamines in the world,” State to produce large quanti- ing the lockdown ... production that police were suspicious be- president of the APESAC as- The company has denied The eight migrants were part of police said. ties also for the world market and distribution of synthetic cause the container, ostensi- sociation that represents 7,000 any wrongdoing, saying that a group of 43 people aboard the Captagon, a brand name, was for synthetic drugs, in order to drugs in Europe has practically bly containing “desks and gym victims’ families. it warned health authorities of humanitarian vessel Mare Jonio, originally for medical use but il- quickly accumulate substantial stopped,” the statement said, clothes”, was destined for Libya, “But I’m angry because 80% the drug’s risks beginning in who disembarked at the Sicilian legal versions have been dubbed funding”, the statement said. adding: “Many smugglers, even via a Swiss company. of the children born before the 1980s. port of Augusta on Wednesday. Yesterday, Mediterranea said in a statement that health authorities had informed them of the positive results, adding that the individuals represented no risk Finland’s air force quietly drops swastika from emblem for the wider population as they were in quarantine, along with the remaining migrants and the AFP 2017, but it has taken time to roll aircraft have featured a white- times is associated with Nazi Before then, Finland was un- tweeted about it on June 30. crew. Helsinki out the change and only received blue-white roundel as the na- Germany, the symbol, and vari- der Russian rule. While the Finnish air force’s Seeking to quell worries about widespread attention this week tional insignia but the swastika ants of it, has been used in Hin- “The swastika has also been adoption predates the Nazis’ the infected migrants in Sicily, when a Helsinki professor spot- remained in some unit emblems, duism and several other Indo- part of Finnish mythology, so it use of the symbol, von Rosen did the mayor of Noto, in the island’s inland’s air force, which ted the change. unit fl ags and decorations. European religions since ancient was natural to use it,” Gahmberg have a connection to the Nazis lower tip, revealed that the for over a century has had According to the air force, the “This is something that we’ve times. said. as he was the brother-in-law of migrants were being quarantined Fa Swastika as part of its new emblem with a golden eagle had to explain for foreigners who Finland’s air force adopted the The change has been rolled Hermann Goring – future su- about 20km (12 miles) outside of emblem, has replaced the con- has been its offi cial logo since connect it to Nazi Germany, symbol after the Swedish count out quietly without the air force premo of the German air force. town. troversial Nazi-linked symbol 2002 but some units and aircraft even though it has a completely Eric von Rosen donated a plane, communicating it. During World War II, Finland “There should be no concern with a golden eagle, the military kept the one featuring a swas- diff erent background,” military which had his good luck charm – However, it received media also fought alongside the Axis for our community because no said yesterday. tika, which was the offi cial logo press offi cer Henrik Gahmberg a blue swastika – painted on the attention after Teivo Teivainen, powers against the Soviet Union, possible contact will be allowed,” The decision to remove the from 1918-1945. told AFP. wings, to the newly independent a professor of World Politics but in 1944 it also fought against said Mayor Corrado Bonfanti. emblem was actually made in Since 1945, Finnish military While the swastika in modern Finland in 1918. at the University of Helsinki, Germany in the Lapland War. Gulf Times 10 Friday, July 3, 2020 INDIA

DEFENCE OPPOSITION CRIME ANGER TRAGEDY Govt clears purchase of Plan for private sector GVK chairman, son booked Congress objects to PwC Man ends life after failing to Russian jets worth $2.4bn role in railways slammed for siphoning off Rs7.05bn off ice in Kerala secretariat give daughter smartphone

The government yesterday approved the The Congress yesterday claimed that the Four days after registering a case against The Congress-led opposition in Kerala yesterday A labourer committed suicide after he failed purchase of 33 Russian fighter jets and government was pushing the railways Gunupati Venkata Krishna Reddy, the slammed the Pinarayi Vijayan government to provide a smartphone to his daughter. upgrades to another 59 planes, acting to beef into private hands and the public-private chairman of the GVK Group of Companies for going ahead with opening the off ice of Police said 45-year Sukumar Bhowmik after up its air force at a time when the military is partnership (PPP) is just a “jugglery of and his son G V Sanjay Reddy, managing PricewaterhouseCoopers Pvt Ltd inside the being pressured by his 15-year-old eldest locked in a border stand-off with China. The words” after the government invited private director of Mumbai International Airport state secretariat. Opposition leader Ramesh daughter bought an ordinary mobile phone. approval for 21 MiG-29 planes and a dozen Su- participation in passenger train operations Ltd. among others for alleged irregularities Chennithala told the media that the file for this “When he gave the phone to his daughter, 30 jets will together cost Rs181.48bon ($2.43bn), select routes. “Why did the government to the tune of Rs7.05bn in the running of would have been signed by state Transport she refused to accept it as she needed the defence ministry said. The purchase, along decide on privatisation in the midst of the airport, the CBI carried out searches at Minister A K Saseendran, had the opposition a smartphone for her online coaching. with the upgrade of 59 other MiG-29s, was an corona” asked Congress spokesperson multiple locations in Mumbai and Hyderabad, remained silent. “This file has been raised by the Sukumar’s wife and daughter also scolded attempt to address the “long felt need of the Abhishek Manu Singhvi. He said that “on sources said. A CBI source connected to the state transport secretary and has been given the him for not buying a smartphone,” police Air Force to increase its fighter squadrons.” March 17, 2020, the government said in probe said, “Multiple teams of CBI carried nod by the finance department and it (the PwC said. Sukumar tried to tell his wife and Tensions between India and China are at their Parliament that it was not going to privatise out searches in Mumbai and Hyderabad in off ice) will become a reality when Saseendran daughter he did not have the money to highest in years following a clash last month. the railways.” The Congress said the connection with the probe.” The source, signs the file. Such a thing has never happened purchase the costly phone but his daughter The green light for the Russian planes followed government is moving towards retrenchment however, said that the searches were not in the history of Kerala...,” he said. Chennithala broke the phone by throwing it to the a visit to Moscow last month by Defence of employees. The Indian Railways employs carried at the residential premises of the claimed that four staff ers for the off ice have also ground. Humiliated, he committed suicide by Minister Rajnath Singh where he urged his up to 15mn people. “Is retrenchment next?” Reddys but at the premises of the companies been appointed and their salary is higher than hanging himself at his home in Madhupur, hosts to speed up deliveries, off icials said. asked Singhvi. named in the chargesheet. the salary of the chief secretary. Tripura. Coronavirus-hit Hero’s welcome Ahmedabad reels as other deaths spike

Reuters than 5.6mn people. Ahmedabad “We have collected the data re- lated to actual births and deaths registered across the state and it hmedabad, badly hit by is not showing such a big devia- the coronavirus, is now tion,” she said when asked about Awitnessing a sharp rise in the spike. deaths not attributed to the out- The federal health ministry and break, according to offi cial data Ahmedabad’s municipal com- and burial records, highlighting missioner did not respond to how the pandemic has aff ected questions from Reuters. general healthcare. Dr Mona Desai, president of the The spike in deaths in Ahmeda- Ahmedabad Medical Association bad, the most populous city in that represents over 9,000 doc- Gujarat, is due to patients with tors, said some of those who died serious illnesses either not able may have been Covid-19 positive. to go to hospitals or being afraid But more fatalities were likely to visit them because of the virus, to have occurred because patients doctors said. did not seek timely treatment The numbers contain “omi- fearing they might become in- nous signals” for the rest of the fected by the virus, she said. country, said Dr Rajib Dasgupta, “Many patients went to hospi- People shower flower petals to honour state health workers who came to collect swab samples from people testing for coronavirus in Kolkata. a professor of community health tal only when their condition de- at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru teriorated, but then it was too late University. to do anything,” Desai said. India has the world’s fourth Doctors also said that a closure biggest outbreak of the Covid-19 of some private health facilities disease caused by the virus, with during a weeks-long lockdown over 600,000 confi rmed cases that began in late March made it and 17,800 deaths, and some of its diffi cult for many patients to seek largest cities are still reeling from treatment. rising infections. Dasgupta, from Jawaharlal Authorities say over 1,400 Nehru University, said: “Excess Italy gets jurisdiction over people have died because of the deaths during the Covid surge coronavirus so far in Ahmeda- phase has been in evidence in bad, one of the country’s worst- other countries too on account hit cities with more than 20,000 of the inability to access medi- confi rmed cases. cal care for other time-sensitive But the indirect death toll may emergencies.” be even higher. Twenty-four There was also growing evi- marines in shooting case Hindu crematoriums and four dence that routine healthcare had of the largest Muslim graveyards been disrupted in the country, he AFP to the acts that they committed because the region was prone to that “India is precluded from suff ered by the captain and other in the city have reported 3,558 said, adding that mortality data The Hague during the incident”. piracy, and said they had fi red on exercising its jurisdiction over crew members” of the Indian deaths in April and 7,150 deaths in from high-incidence areas would Salvatore Girone and Massi- the fi shing boat because it failed the Marines.” boat, called the St. Antony. May — a spike compared to 2,784 provide more details. miliano Latorre spent years fac- to heed warnings to stay away. The tribunal noted Italy has Rome and New Delhi were in- and 2,706 deaths reported by Data from the Hindu crema- wo Italian marines ac- ing charges in India for shooting But New Delhi insisted that said it would continue a criminal vited to consult over the amount them in April and May last year, toriums in Ahmedabad shows cused of killing two Indi- the fi shermen when their boat the two marines — one of whom investigation into the Enrica Lexie to be paid to India, with the PCA respectively. that the number of bodies cre- Tan fi shermen in 2012 were neared the Italian oil tanker MV was allowed home in 2014 for incident and that India “must pointing out it retained its juris- State government data for mated rose by 19% in April and entitled to immunity from pros- Enrica Lexie off the Kerala coast. medical reasons and the other take the necessary steps to cease diction should any of the parties Ahmedabad district, which in- 145% in May compared to the ecution, a tribunal ruled yester- Italy took the issue to the PCA in 2016 — should both return to to exercise its criminal jurisdic- “wish to apply for a ruling from cludes the city limits, shows 839 same months last year, with the day in a case that poisoned ties in 2015, saying that the tribunal India for a fi nal judgement by an tion over the Marines, and that no the Arbitral Tribunal.” deaths because of Covid-19 dur- fi rst half of June also registering a between the two countries. should hear the case under mar- Indian court. other remedies are required.” Latorre was allowed to return ing April and May this year. marked increase. The Permanent Court of Arbi- itime law as the incident hap- A fi ve-member panel chaired But the panel however did to Italy in 2014 after suff ering a Jayanti Ravi, the health secre- The data was provided by the tration (PCA) in The Hague said pened in international waters off by Russian judge Vladimir Golit- fi nd that India was entitled to stroke. Girone was permitted to tary of Gujarat, however said she Ahmedabad Municipal Corpora- it had decided by three votes to India’s southern coast. syn however handed down a compensation for “loss of life, do the same in 2016 after living wasn’t aware of any signifi cant tion under a right to information two “that the Marines are en- Italy argued that the marines ruling on May 20 — but only physical harm, material dam- in Italy’s embassy in Delhi for rise in deaths in the city of more application. titled to immunity in relation were stationed on the tanker announced yesterday — saying age to property and moral harm four years.

Star attends event Policemen arrested Millions switch from over custody deaths

Chinese to local apps IANS Raghu Ganesh, head constable Chennai Murugan and constable Muth- uraj. AFP made over the past fi ve years app, Naveen Tewari, chief ex- The police nabbed Sridhar at New Delhi were deleted at the request of ecutive of owners InMobi, said, he Tamil Nadu Police’s Gangaikondan as he was trying Indian authorities, the Chinese bringing its user base to 75mn. crime branch-crime in- to fl ee in his car. company said. An estimated 120mn Indi- Tvestigation department Ganesh was sent to custody illions have joined India’s 1.3bn population is a ans were TikTok users before (CBCID) have arrested fi ve till July 16 late Wednesday. homegrown social me- key market for global internet the ban. Tewari said the app ban suspended policemen of the According to inspector gen- Mdia platforms since New players and homegrown app would give local platforms the Sathankulam police station in eral, CBCID, Shankar, 12 teams Delhi banned a slew of Chinese platforms Sharechat and Roposo chance to become the world’s Tuticorin district for the murder have been formed to carry out apps, including TikTok, amid said they had seen a huge surge in fourth major tech hub alongside of P Jeyaraj and his son J Ben- the probe into the custodial growing tensions between the new users since Monday’s ban on the US, Russia and China. nicks, offi cials said. death. giant neighbours, industry offi - their Chinese rivals. “Such opportunities don’t The CBCID also altered the Jeyaraj and Bennicks had been cials said yesterday. Sharechat said in a state- come easily,” he added. fi rst information report regis- booked for not closing their mo- The ban comes as the govern- ment that its video platform had The Indian industry has long tered on the death of Jeyaraj and bile shop in time on June 19 by ment steps up economic pressure clocked 15mn new downloads been pressing for action against Bennicks as a murder case from the Sathankulam police. They on China following a border bat- — sometimes at a rate of half-a- Chinese apps which dominate the earlier charge of suspicious were sent to judicial custody tle last month in which 20 Indian million every 30 minutes — in the the market, with Sharechat and death. and lodged in Kovilpatti jail on soldiers died. 48 hours following the ban. Inmobi calling for the platforms Police have registered the case June 21. The 59 banned apps include It now has at least 150mn reg- to follow Indian laws and values. as two separate murders while Jeyaraj died on the night of video-sharing giant TikTok, istered users, it said. There are also fears foreign security has been provided to June 22 and Bennicks on June 23 Helo and Likee, with authori- “We welcome the move from apps could infl uence domestic Revathy, the policewoman who morning in judicial custody, al- ties accusing them of activities the government against platforms aff airs in areas such as politics. deposed before a magistrate that legedly due to the police torture. “prejudicial” to the “sovereignty that have had serious privacy, cy- “Deep penetration of Chinese the father and son were beaten Kovilpatti judicial magistrate and integrity of India”. ber-security and national security platforms in an open democ- throughout the night of June 19 M S Bharathidasan, who was Prime Minister Narendra risks,” Berges Malu, public policy racy like India makes its future by police at the Sathankulam asked to inquire into the case of Modi, who has a huge social me- director for ShareChat, said. election processes vulnerable police station. brutal torture of Jeyaraj and his dia profi le, threw his weight be- “We believe this move will help to outside interference and ma- The court also ordered that son Bennicks by the Sathanku- hind the campaign by closing his create a level playing fi eld (for In- nipulation,” said one senior New Revathy be given leave with pay. lam police on June 19 and their account on China’s Weibo plat- dian platforms),” Malu added. Delhi-based digital industry Bollywood actress Urvashi Rautela poses for a picture The fi ve arrested policemen subsequent deaths, had sub- form on Wednesday. Some 10mn new subscribers analyst, speaking on condition of during a commercial event in Mumbai yesterday. are: inspector Sridhar, sub- mitted his report to the High His photograph and 115 posts have joined the Roposo video anonymity. inspectors Balakrishnan and Court. Gulf Times Friday, July 3, 2020 11 LATIN AMERICA UK court sides with Guaido in Venezuela gold row

By Anna Cuenca, AFP response to the coronavirus cri- Teare was asked to decide who But Guaido’s London envoy countries in search of food and Trump” and the White House The Maduro-appointed cen- London sis. had the authority to make the de- hailed the ruling as “a victory for safety as the poverty-stricken chief said he “would maybe think tral bank board lawyer Sarosh The Bank of England said it mand — Guaido or Maduro. the Venezuelan people”. country plunged into chaos. about” meeting Maduro. Zaiwalla said yesterday’s judge- was unable to act on the instruc- Teare’s judgement said: “Her “Our intention now, as always, Maduro’s claim on the presi- Maduro started off working ment “entirely ignores the reality enezuela’s opposition tions because it was “caught in Majesty’s Government does rec- is to safeguard the gold of the na- dency is mainly supported by as a bus driver before becom- of the situation on the ground.” yesterday cried victory the middle” of competing claims ognise Mr Guaido in the capacity tional reserve for the Venezuelan Russia and Cuba. ing a trade union leader and then “Mr Maduro’s government is Vafter a London judge ruled for the presidency after disputed of constitutional interim presi- people,” opposition envoy Va- Guiado’s January 2019 claim to getting elected to parliament in in complete control of Venezuela that the British government had elections in 2018. dent of Venezuela and, it must nessa Neumann told AFP. the presidency had been backed 2000. and its administrative institu- “unequivocally recognised” op- The Venezuelan central bank’s follow, does not recognise Mr “We want to make clear that by the US and around 60 other He succeeded Chavez after his tions, and only it can ensure the position leader Juan Guaido as board was appointed by the gov- Maduro as the constitutional in- we never sought the gold.” countries. death in 2013 but pursued many distribution of the humanitar- the troubled Latin American ernment of President Nicolas terim president of Venezuela.” The rival claims come two But the opposition movement of the same policies with the ian relief and medical supplies country’s president. Maduro, successor to the late The judge added that it was years after election results hand- has been riven by internal con- same iron grip on power. needed to combat the coronavi- The ruling came in a dispute anti-US populist Hugo Chavez. impossible to recognise both men ing Maduro a victory sparked fl icts and Maduro’s grip on power The once prosperous coun- rus pandemic,” he said. over $1bn in gold reserves that A rival ad hoc board appointed as president. mass protests and a violent police has held. try — home to the world’s largest He added: “This outcome will Venezuela’s central bank wants by Western-backed Guaido had A lawyer for the Maduro-ap- crackdown. The leftist leader said last untapped oil reserves — has con- now delay matters further, to released from the Bank of Eng- asked for the release to be denied. pointed central bank board said Hundreds of thousands of month that he was “prepared to tinued its decline into poverty the detriment of the Venezuelan land to help fund the country’s Commercial Court judge Nigel his clients would fi le an appeal. people fl ed to neighbouring speak respectfully with President throughout his rule. people, whose lives are at risk.”

Obrador blames deadly Hit hard by coronavirus, attack on drug cartels

By Andrea Sosa Cabrios, DPA drug cartel vies for power with Mexico City the locally based Santa Rosa de Lima cartel. Jose Antonio Yepez Ortiz alias exican President An- El Marro, the leader of the Santa Rio reopens cautiously dres Manuel Lopez Ob- Rosa de Lima cartel, recently Mrador yesterday tenta- threatened with an escalation AFP/DPA/Reuters tively attributed to drug cartels of violence after his mother and Rio de Janeiro an attack in which at least 24 sister were arrested. The mother people were killed, and vowed has meanwhile been released. that the authorities would not The attack against the drug io de Janeiro’s bars and restaurants abandon violence-plagued Gua- rehabilitation centre, which was reopened yesterday after more najuato state. operating without an offi cial au- Rthan three months of coronavirus The attack occurred on thorization, was the second of its lockdown, despite criticism by health Wednesday at a drug rehabili- kind in Irapuato within less than specialists in Brazil, one of the world’s tation centre in Irapuato in the a month. worst-hit nations. centrally located Guanajuato The previous attack on June 6 As part of a phased return to normality, state. claimed 10 lives. bars, restaurants and cafes are authorized Several people entered the In December, more than 20 to reopen to 50% capacity, with a distance clinic’s annex, threw residents to people were also kidnapped in a of 2m between tables and priority given to the ground and shot them, police drug rehabilitation centre in the open-air dining and drinking. chief Pedro Cortes Zavala was same city. Rio’s gyms, beauty and tattoo parlours quoted by media reports as say- Such private centres often may also open on a staggered basis, to ing. operate without offi cial permits avoid crowding. Seven people were injured, ac- and in inadequate sanitary con- “There is nothing to celebrate, but cording to a police statement. ditions. we have been in this fi ght since March,” Unconfi rmed reports said as The attackers are believed to Rio’s Mayor Marcelo Crivella said late on many as 30 people may have target drug dealers from rival Wednesday. been killed. gangs who are staying at the cen- “Low demand for intensive care and Lopez Obrador said such at- tres. hospital beds and the stabilized death toll tacks were usually carried out by Cartels also kidnap dealers to show us that we had a dark peak in May criminal gangs. force them to work for them- and then dropped to current levels,” he “We shall not abandon the selves. said. people of Guanajuato,” the presi- In 2010, an attack against a The city, rimmed with beaches and A handout picture released yesterday in Montevideo by Uruguay’s presidency shows the screen as Uruguayan President Luis dent said at his daily press con- drug rehabilitation centre in the mountains that normally draw tourists Lacalle takes part in the the first Mercosur Summit held via video conference due to the Covid-19 novel coronavirus pandemic. ference. northern city of Chihuahua left from around the world, registered 68 He said the navy, the Defence 19 people dead. new deaths from Covid-19 in the past 24 Brazil on Wednesday surpassed 60,000 some areas are only accessible by boat. Chile, Peru, Panama and Brazil, accord- Ministry and the National Guard The country of 130mn resi- hours. deaths and 1.44mn infections, although “We lament the death of the leader ing to data from Oxford University. were helping to fi ght crime there. dents recorded an average of The number has fl uctuated in recent specialists believe the actual number of of the Awajun and Wampis people, who The Colombian government says The industrialised state has nearly 100 intentional homicides weeks after peaking on June 3 with 227 cases may be much higher due to the lack dedicated his life to the protection of the Chile, Panama and Uruguay top it in tests become one of Mexico’s most per day in 2019. deaths. of diagnostic tests. Amazon and to defending the rights of per million inhabitants. violent areas as the rapidly ex- More than 60,000 people re- Although the disease is migrating in- According to Medronho, the cumula- the forest’s native communities,” Peru’s Colombia is doing about 15,000 tests panding Jalisco New Generation main missing. land — a trend throughout Brazil — spe- tive number of infections could be up to culture ministry said on Twitter. per million residents, with a Covid-pos- cialists warn that the infection rate is still 10 times higher and the actual number of “His case should not be repeated. The itive rate of about 16%, according to the high and that relaxing social isolation deaths could be double the offi cial count. state must make every eff ort to help Am- government. measures now could put the health sys- azonian indigenous peoples aff ected by tem under pressure again. Covid-19,” it added. When the process of reopening began Indigenous leader dies Peru has reported more than 9,600 Honduran president Brazil Amazon faced worst a month ago, the Reproduction Number of disease in Peru coronavirus deaths and over 285,000 leaves hospital or “R number” — the average number of confi rmed cases. people that one infected person will pass An indigenous leader who fought for Meanwhile, Colombia’s confi rmed Honduran President Juan Orlando June fi res in past 13 years the virus on to — was 1. Currently it is the land rights of Amazonian commu- coronavirus infections tipped across the Hernandez yesterday left hospital after 1.51, said Roberto Medronho, director of nities in Peru died on Wednesday from 100,000 case threshold on Wednesday, as two weeks of treatment for a coronavirus AFP 30,000 fi res that month, a three- research at Rio’s Clementino Fraga Filho Covid-19, his family said. the country’s quarantine measures roll on infection. He will remain under quar- Rio de Janeiro fold increase on the same month University Hospital. Santiago Manuin, 63, was transferred and intensive care units fi ll. antine at home and continue taking his in 2018. “That number will increase even more to a hospital in the capital Lima from the Confi rmed coronavirus cases now medication, doctor Alicia Jimenez said. Most forest fi res in the Ama- with reopening, bringing health problems Amazon region where he lived after he number 102,009, the health ministry The 51-year-old president said he had mazon forest fi res in Bra- zon are caused by arson and are to our population,” Medronho told AFP. developed symptoms of the respiratory said, 54,941 of which are active. “withstood another challenge that life zil increased by 19.5% directly linked to deforestation, Reopening now, he said, is “premature illness. Some 3,470 people have died. and God handed us.” Ain June compared to the often caused by crop farmers for and inopportune.” “My papa just passed away, at seven Wednesday also marked the highest- “The truth is, I don’t wish this for any- same month last year, making cultivation. Margareth Dalcomo, a specialist at o’clock in the evening. Our family is hurt- ever daily increase in confi rmed cases one,” he said at the military hospital in it the worst June in 13 years, au- Deforestation in Brazil was Brazil’s public health institute Fiocruz ing very much,” his daughter Luz Angel- with an uptick of 4,163. Tegucigalpa. thorities revealed on Wednesday. very high this year before the dry said the reopening plan “is a disaster.” ica Manuin told RPP radio. The mayor of the country’s capital Hernandez then tweeted a picture of June marks the start of the dry season even began, with more “We could have saved many lives with She expressed outrage at the situation Bogota said over the weekend the city himself leaving the hospital, wearing a period and there were 2,248 re- than 2,000sq km lost between more strict confi nement from April,” she faced by Peru’s indigenous groups, who should prepare for a stricter lockdown face mask and raising his hand. corded fi res, leaving analysts ex- January and May, a 34% increase said. have been hard hit by the coronavirus as ICUs reached 70% capacity, but ruled “My engagement with Honduras is pecting a worse year for the rain- on the same period in 2019, ac- Even at the pandemic’s height, Rio au- pandemic. out tougher measures after the national greater than ever. Let’s get to work! Who forest than the devastating 2019, cording to INPE. thorities opted for a relatively loose lock- “Many people have died; the commu- government turned over hundreds of ad- ever talked about fear?” the tweet said. which provoked anger through- The Amazon environmental down, with no coercive measures taken to nity are holding vigils and burying them. ditional ventilators. On announcing his novel coronavirus out the world. research institute estimates that ensure people stayed home. The government has forgotten about us,” Low oil prices and the lockdown, be- infection on June 16, Hernandez said he The National Institute for 9,000 square kilometres of jun- The city’s decree was limited to a ban she said. gun in March and set to last until July 15, would work from home, but was hospi- Space Research (INPE), which gle already cut down since last on visiting beaches and the closure of Indigenous people across Latin Amer- have damaged the usually healthy econ- talised the same day and later received follows fi re alerts in real time on year could go up in fl ames before shops deemed non-essential. ica have been decimated by the new dis- omy, with businesses shuttered and un- oxygen after his pneumonia worsened. its website, has not recorded as August begins. Rio de Janeiro state, the second hardest ease, due to weak immune systems and employment soaring. The Central American country, which many fi res in June since report- Specialists also believe an in- hit Brazilian region after Sao Paulo, has centuries of state neglect. The government predicts the economy has confi rmed 20,262 novel coronavirus ing more than 3,500 in 2007. crease in forest fi res could in- already surpassed 10,000 deaths, more The Pan American Health Organization will contract by 5.5% this year. infections and 542 deaths, backtracked The worst is expected in Au- crease breathing diffi culties in a than 60% of them in Rio municipality, estimates that at least 20,000 people are Colombia has fewer confi rmed cases on plans to loosen restrictions of move- gust. population already badly hit by and more than 115,000 infections. infected in the Amazon River basin, where per million people than neighbours like ment in the Tegucigalpa area. Last year there were more than the novel coronavirus.

Exiled Morales pulls political strings back home as Bolivia heads to battle of the ballot box

By Jose Arturo Cardenas, AFP Morales last year hand-picked Maria Teresa Zegada, a soci- dignity to the Bolivian people,” that have tainted his adversaries Anez — a hitherto little known own party, whose support comes La Paz economist Luis Arce as the man ologist at the state-run Univer- said a message on his Twitter ac- in power. conservative senator — assumed mainly from indigenous people who can win back the presidency sidad Mayor de San Simon, says count. Morales fl ed the country after the presidency the following and poor farmers, and there is no for his Movement for Socialism Morales is a key player in the Morales on Wednesday con- three weeks of protests over his month. one in the party ranks to over- rom exile in Buenos Aires, (MAS) party. electoral campaign, despite his demned what he said was an at- controversial re-election in Oc- Her government accuses him shadow him. former leftist president Evo To do so he faced down grass- absence. tempt by Anez to get the courts to tober 2019 in a poll in which he of sedition and terrorism for al- According to Zagada, his FMorales continues to infl u- roots members who favoured “I believe that he will continue outlaw his party and remove Arce was constitutionally barred from legedly urging his supporters to broader infl uence has waned, ence Bolivian politics and is plot- former foreign minister David to play an important role, as long from the electoral race. participating. lay siege to major cities such as however. ting his party’s return to power Choquehuanca or young coca- as he continues to be a polarising “The de facto government He had tried to cling to power La Paz. “We have a gravitating fi gure, in September elections, analysts growers’ leader Andronico Rod- factor in the country’s politics. initiated a judicial strategy with but lost the backing of the coun- However, Morales, a member but at the same time one that is say. riguez. There are important sectors that political ends to disqualify our try’s military after an Organiza- of the Aymara indigenous com- worn out, and he is no longer the Though banned from running Arce, however, has slowly won support MAS and that is where candidate and MAS and prevent tion of American States audit munity, has built up a “messianic fi gure he was when he was presi- in the poll and facing arrest if he over the doubters and is riding Morales’ presence lies.” us from participating in the elec- found clear evidence of election leadership — which is why his dent of the country,” she said. returns, the 60-year-old — Bo- high in opinion polls, which if Ahead of the pandemic, the ex- tions,” he tweeted. fraud. voice continues to carry so much Under Morales’ 14-year rule, livia’s fi rst indigenous president confi rmed in the September 6 president frequently convened Anez has accused Morales of He initially fl ed to Mexico, weight, even in exile,” said Cor- Bolivia’s 36 indigenous groups — is masterminding opposition elections, would hand the presi- meetings with MAS leaders in conspiring to damage her elec- which sent a government plane to dero, a professor at the Catholic — which account for 62% of the to right-wing interim leader dency back to MAS a year after Argentina, but that direct com- toral chances by sending over- pick him up, before settling later University in La Paz. country’s more than 11mn people Jeanine Anez. Morales’ tumultuous resigna- munication has been frustrated priced Spanish ventilators for in Argentina, home to a large Bo- “These leaders become po- — were constitutionally recog- “At this time when Evo Mo- tion. by the pandemic lockdowns. Covid-19 patients into the coun- livian population. litical professionals...Their life nised. rales is in exile, outside of power, The polls give Arce 33% and These days, he issues instruc- try as part of a relief operation Most of Morales’ cabinet fl ed is simply doing politics, that’s The country also reduced ex- he has become a kind of king- centrist ex-president Carlos tions via social media. during the pandemic. with him, leaving behind a power the psychological profi le of these treme poverty from 38% to 17%, maker,” political scientist Carlos Mesa just over 18%, while Anez “We will come back stronger Zegada said Morales has bene- vacuum in the bitterly divided people,” he said. and achieved an average eco- Cordero told AFP. trails with nearly 17%. and we will restore freedom and fi ted from the errors and scandals country. Morales is a colossus of his nomic growth rate of 4.8%. Gulf Times 12 Friday, July 3, 2020 PAKISTAN

ADB, Swiss Eight Rawalpindi areas agency to help with placed under lockdown pandemic Internews Sindh govt extends smart lockdown till July 15 response Rawalpindi The Sindh Home Department has extended the lockdown till July 15. According to a notification, all educational institutions, marriage halls, Internews arrison city Rawalpindi cinemas, theatres, beauty parlours and restaurants will remain closed. Islamabad has reported 55 new cases Operational timings for all, except for pharmacies and essential services, Gof Covid-19 – the res- will be from 6am to 7pm, five days in a week. piratory disease caused by the Home delivery services will be operational until 11pm. he Asian Development novel coronavirus – and 80 re- Bank (ADB) and the coveries. THealth Services Acad- In addition, security person- practice social distancing. Attock’s focal person for Cov- emy of Pakistan have signed an nel have been deployed in eight Meanwhile, one Covid-19 pa- id-19 Dr Asif Arbab Niazi said agreement to strengthen the localities – Gulzar-e-Quaid, tient has died in Islamabad and that the patient is from Attock public health response to the Khayaban-e-Sir Syed, Dhoke Ali another 137 people tested posi- city. coronavirus pandemic and to Akbar, Kotha Kalan, Morgah and tive for the disease. So far, 235 patients have re- support frontline health work- Takhtpari, as well as Narankari Capital administration offi - covered. ers by providing a national rapid Bazaar and Bara Market – to cials said that the capital’s death He said that the test results of critical care training programme. enforce a lockdown to limit the toll has reached 129, with so far 341 suspected patients are being The training programme en- spread of the coronavirus. 12,912 Covid-19 cases reported awaited. visages a rapid capacity devel- No deaths of Covid-19 pa- in the city. There are 11 patients be- opment of 4,500 doctors and tients have been reported in the There have been 7,850 recov- ing treated in various hospitals paramedical staff in critical care four main hospitals in Rawalpin- eries reported so far, bringing while 137 are isolated in their management and handling of di in the past two days. active cases to 4,933. homes. Covid-19 patients in Pakistan’s The total number of cases re- The deceased was a woman In Taxila, three more cases hospitals and healthcare centres. ported in Rawalpindi district has between the ages of 90 and 99 brought the total to 356. The Covid-19 disease is reached 5,815, with 243 dead, Members of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Corona Relief Tiger Force speak with a shopkeeper as part of a who lived in I-10 but died out- Deputy District Offi cer Health caused by the coronavirus. and 3,136 recoveries. coronavirus awareness campaign in Rawalpindi. side the capital, offi cials said. Dr Sara Qadeer said that all the Jointly funded by the ADB and At present, 2,436 patients in They said that 1,736 tests have cases are from urban areas in the Swiss Agency for Develop- all seven tehsils of the Rawalpin- BBH laboratories for testing. Visitors to markets were also Commissioner Captain (re- been conducted in Islamabad in Wah and are under home isola- ment and Co-operation (SDC), di district are under treatment: The number of patients in seen violating preventative tired) Mohamed Mehmood has the last 24 hours. tion. the initiative also aims to set 933 admitted to the Rawalpindi Rawalpindi district is increasing measures to limit the spread of lauded the government’s “smart Three people died of Covid-19 She said that 18 patients have up a 24/7 telemedicine support Institute of Urology (RIU), Holy in comparison to other districts the coronavirus, which include lockdowns” in the major cities in Attock, bringing the total been admitted to local hospitals, system to enable follow-up and Family Hospital (HFH) and in the division. wearing masks. in the province, saying that the number of fatalities to 20. with 90 patients having recov- critical care supervision for the Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH), Rawalpindi has reported 5,815 Regional Transport Authority measures have brought positive According to district health ered so far. trainees afterwards. and 1,503 under home isolation. patients in the last four months, (RTA) secretary Mehar Ghulam results, with fewer cases report- authorities, two of the deceased Another 230 patients are iso- The assistance is being pro- Another 1,739 suspected pa- while Attock reported 429, Jhe- Abbas inspected bus terminals ed than in the last month. were from Fatehjang tehsil, and lated in their homes, and health vided under the technical assist- tients have been admitted to the lum 381, and Chakwal 220. and public transport vehicles He said that the provincial one was from Hazro tehsil. authorities are monitoring their ance project, “Capacity Building RIU, the HFH, the BBH and the The district administration and impounded two vehicles, is- government has fi nalised stand- They were males aged 63, 41 condition, she said. of Disaster Management Insti- District Headquarters Hospi- has sealed 27 shops because sued notices to 38 vehicle own- ard operating procedures (SOPs) and 80. Dr Qadeer said that all the new tutions”, which is co-fi nanced by tal, and their samples have been the shop staff were not wearing ers, and imposed Rs45,000 in for cattle markets ahead of Eid One new case was reported in cases are of local transmission. the SDC with nearly $1mn. sent to the National Institute of masks or taking any other pre- fi nes for violations in the dis- al-Adha so that vendors and the district; Attock has now re- The last death reported was Frontline health profession- Health, and the HFH and the cautions. trict. buyers of sacrifi cial animals can ported 429 cases of Covid-19. on June 24. als, including medical offi cers, women medical offi cers, spe- cialists, postgraduate trainees, nurses and paramedics working Cooldown in diff erent capacities in inten- sive care units, will be invited to KP govt to conduct join the programme. The training will be delivered in 150 batches, with each batch 10,000 virus tests comprising 30 participants. Vice-Chancellor of the Health Services Academy Dr Assad Ha- daily by end July feez and ADB Country Direc- tor for Pakistan Xiaohong Yang signed the pact in Islamabad. Internews Wazir said earlier this week “The Covid-19 pandem- Peshawar that a total of 16,834 raids have ic continues to pose a major been conducted on shops, fi ll- healthcare challenge to the peo- ing stations and public places, ple and the Government of Pa- he Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 154 units were sealed and kistan. The training programme government will in- Rs850,421 in fi nes imposed on being led by the Health Services Tcrease its Covid-19 test- 1,236 persons for violations of Academy would help boost the ing capacity to 10,000 a day by the SOPs. critical care system’s effi ciency the end of July. He said that 548,759 ac- and the capacity of the health The Covid-19 respiratory tions had been taken across the workers in responding to the disease is caused by the coro- province over SOP violations current emergency situation and navirus. over the past month, while future critical care needs,” said Addressing a press confer- warnings had been issued to Yang. ence, government spokesper- 134,968 businesses, 9,811 units The basic assessment and son Ajmal Wazir said that so have been sealed, and a total support in intensive care pro- far the province had conducted of Rs27mn in fi nes imposed on gramme is based on the course 145,958 tests. 65,194 persons. outline developed in 2004 in re- He added that the overall ca- Wazir said that the “smart sponse to Sars by the University pacity of hospitals across the lockdown” had been imple- of Hong Kong, and has been up- province is also being increased mented in 14 more areas, and dated in response to the corona- on an emergency basis. 26,257 persons in those areas virus outbreak. Wazir said that the number had been issued instructions The 10-day course involves of beds reserved for Covid-19 to limit their movement and eight days for pre-test, distant patients in the Lady Reading strictly follow the government learning through course material Hospital would be enhanced to guidelines. available via course book, pres- 500 in the coming days. On an unrelated matter, he entation modules, video tutori- He said that the district ad- said that 62,462 hectares of als, and other online reference ministrations are playing active land had so far been sprayed material. role in implementation of the during the anti-locust op- In the remaining two days, one standard operating procedures eration, adding that 80 teams, day is dedicated for the physical (SOPs) devised by government comprising 758 personnel, training at the health facilities, to stem the spread of the novel were taking part in the opera- Residents cool down as water sprays from a water pipeline during a hot summer day at a slum in Karachi. and one day for the online post- coronavirus. tion. course test with certifi cation.

Rethink urged over PUBG ban University punishes 36 over teachers’ memes

Internews of suicides by students. timent and appealed to the PTA Internews courses registered in the Spring degree with intimation to the is wrong on so many levels! You Islamabad “Let me remind you that hun- to “unban PUBG”, as there are Lahore 2020 semester, and directed to Higher Education Commission are toying with their futures to dreds of students commit suicide many players representing Paki- do one-hour daily community (HEC), blacklisting, and report- soothe your egos! You should be every year because of mental stan through the game. service for four weeks by clean- ing to authorities for trail under ashamed!” ollowing a temporary ban pressure and overburden they “Many people have careers on private university has ing the campus lawn and high- cyber-bullying and harassment FAST University academics placed by the Pakistan face in universities. Ban those this game. You will destroy their initiated disciplinary ac- way after reopening; one stu- laws.” manager Saifullah explained FTelecommunication Au- institutes. This is not how things careers!” he said. Ation against 36 current dent was expelled for a year and However, students – both that the students started this as thority (PTA) on popular online work,” he wrote. Another, tagging Prime Min- and former students for alleg- told to do one-hour daily com- the punished and others – ex- a joke, but later created obscene game PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Another user also endorsed ister Imran Khan along with the edly posting defamatory memes munity service for six weeks by pressed outrage over the univer- and objectionable memes, over Battlegrounds), players stormed the view that policy on mental PTA, said that the source of in- of teachers on their personal as cleaning the campus lawns and sity’s decision on social media. which the university had taken Twitter to register their protest, awareness and therapy, instead, come for many streamers had well as the university Facebook highway after opening. Shah Murad, a student, post- disciplinary action. calling on the PTA to rethink its should be the focus when some- been stopped. accounts and other groups. Three other students were ed on Facebook: “Dictatorship He said that a seven-member decision. one is “mentally disturbed” and “E-sports is a fi eld, and the The FAST National University punished with one-grade re- at its best.” committee was constituted to They called for a focus on men- commits suicide. PTA should be realising that as (NU) of Computer and Emerg- duction in all courses of the He noted that while there probe into the issue, that had tal health awareness instead, and “I am playing PUBG for four soon as possible,” he said. ing Science Faisal Town Campus Spring 2020 semester, four stu- are countless problems to solve called all the students individu- for a better understanding of the years. It’s just a normal game,” A fan also questioned the “log- took action against 24 current dents with one-grade reduction amidst this pandemic, the FAST ally, and some had recorded e-sports industry, which has the he said. ic” behind such a move. and 12 former students for post- in various courses, and another was worried about humorous statements over the phone. potential to lead to large earnings One user pointed out that the The fan argued in favour of e- ing the allegedly objectionable directed to submit a written memes and was taking this sort The students had two chanc- and laurels for the country. game would have brought laurels sports, how it is an industry like memes online. explanation to the Central Aca- of decision to prove that it could es to challenge the disciplinary Journalist Maha Dar said that to the country, with a local team’s any other and how this move A FAST Disciplinary Com- demic Offi ce and his result for not tolerate criticism. committee orders within 14 the authority was quick to ban success in the PMCO (PUBG Mo- would harm the careers of many. mittee notifi cation revealed Spring semester would be with- Former student and journal- days before the university direc- the popular game, but ques- bile Club Open) a tournament A female user said that the that 13 students were directed to held till further orders. ist, Ali Moeen Nawazish, posted tor, and later before the Board of tioned the government’s belated held for players of the game. government should instead “go submit an apology to the cam- Twelve former students were on his Facebook and Twitter Governors chairman. response over questionable avia- He said that the team “free- and solve actual and factual is- pus administration and post also directed to submit a written accounts in solidarity: “FAST He said that 12 students had tion licences granted to pilots. styler” would have represented sues”, citing domestic abuse, it to their personal Facebook apology to the administration University, this is shameful! apologised for their action and A student from Mehran Uni- Pakistan and would have been a the coronavirus pandemic, lack timelines within 10 days from and upload it to their personal Universities are supposed to were given relief. versity of Engineering and Tech- “nice opportunity for Pakistani of education, harassment, child June 27. Facebook timelines in 10 days. be beacons of free speech and “The administration has not nology said that it is “ridiculous” gamers to earn money through abuse and rape, as issues that still Two other students were ex- “Failure to comply with the thought. expelled any student, but rusti- how an online game is being YouTube”. persist and require much needed pelled for the Fall 2020 semes- orders will render the respond- “What is wrong with FAST! cated some for one year and oth- blamed for an increasing number Another user echoed the sen- attention. ter, their one grade reduced in all ent liable for cancellation of Don’t reduce their grades! This ers for a semester,” he claimed. Gulf Times Friday, July 3, 2020 13 THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH A life of satisfaction and contentment

a‘d ibn Abi Waqqaas (may to be satisfi ed, please do so, otherwise, Allah be pleased with him) be patient.” Luqmaan (may Allah exalt travelled to Makkah after his mention) would advise his son, She had become blind. Upon saying, “I advise you to be endowed his arrival the people hastened to with certain characteristics that would him and kept on asking him to make bring you closer to Allah The Almighty supplication for them, and he did, as and would keep you away from His Allah always accepted his supplication. dissatisfaction: to worship Allah The ‘Abdullaah ibn As-Saa’ib (may Allah Almighty Alone without associating be pleased with him) said: “I came to any other deity with Him, and to be him when I was still a young boy and satisfi ed with His decree in anything became acquainted with him, so he that you like or dislike.” knew me and said to me, ‘Are you the The one who adjusts himself to this one who recites the Qur’an for the would lead a good life as distress and people of Makkah?’ I replied, ‘Yes.’ worries would not reach his heart. Then I asked him, ‘You supplicate to Indeed, how could that be when Allah Allah for all the people, so why do you The Almighty has become pleased not supplicate to Allah for yourself so with him, and he with Allah? Allah that He would cure you?’ He smiled, The Almighty Says (what means): and said, ‘O son! The decree of Allah is {Whoever does righteousness, whether better for me than my sight.’” male or female, while he is a believer This is the satisfaction that the - We will surely cause him to live a Companions (may Allah be pleased good life,} [Qur’an 16:97] Some of the with them) adjusted themselves to, righteous predecessors (may Allah and the decree of Allah The Almighty have mercy upon them) interpreted became more beloved to them than “good life” as a life of satisfaction and their desires, and so they loved nothing contentment. more than what Allah the Almighty Once, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may had decreed. ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd Al-‘Aziz Allah be pleased with him) became (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: angry with his wife ‘Aatikah (may “I do not want anything except what Allah be pleased with her) and said to Allah The Almighty decrees.” her, “By Allah, I will upset you.” She What confi rms the importance of said, “Can you drive me away from this satisfaction is that the Prophet, Islam after Allah The Almighty has sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam (may Allah guided me to it?” He replied, “No.” exalt his mention), would ask Allah She then said, “Then how can you The Almighty to grant him satisfaction upset me?” She meant by that that she with His decree, and it is well-known was satisfi ed with the decree of Allah that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa The Almighty, and that nothing could sallam, only asked Allah The Almighty have brought her distress except being for the highest ranks. Satisfaction is driven away from Islam, and there is no sincerely giving precedence to all that way ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with me.” It was narrated on the authority Allah is Knowing of it.} [Qur’an 2:273] heart that is the equivalent of Jihaad, the slave and his injustice, he considers Allah The Almighty has ordained, him) could ever have done that. of Ibraaheem An-Nakhaa‘i (may Allah Regarding this trait, Thawbaan (may which is one of the deeds of the limbs that bliss is the only thing to give him without being hesitant or objecting. There are three conditions for have mercy upon him) that Umm al- Allah be pleased with him) narrated [body], for each one of them is the peak pleasure in the worldly life. This is exactly what the righteous being truly satisfi ed with Allah The Aswad was paralysed and her daughter that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi of Faith.” If man was truly knowledgeable, he predecessors sought and strived for. Almighty: grieved, so she told her “Do not be sad. wa sallam, said: “Who will guarantee would have considered all that Allah They were fully content in matters First: Being content at times of O Allah, if this is something good then me this trait so that I will guarantee Deprivation is in fact a Blessing The Almighty decreed as a blessing. pertaining to their fate and what Allah both blessings and affl ictions alike, as please increase it.” him Paradise?” Thawbaan said, “I.” from Allah The Almighty This was the state of the righteous The Almighty had inscribed in the one believes that Allah the Almighty Second: Abandoning disputes The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Sufyaan Ath-Thawri (may Allah predecessors. The slave will never fi nd Preserved Slate and never desired chooses what is best for him. This unless they are related to any of the sallam, replied: “Do not ask people have mercy upon him) said that if Allah the sweetness of faith except through anything contrary to what He had is what happened with some of the rights of Allah The Almighty or His for anything.” After that, he never The Almighty deprives His servant of this. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi decreed for them. However, as for righteous predecessors (may Allah Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. asked anyone for anything, even if his something, it is in fact a blessing; when wa sallam, said: “Whoever is content matters of religion that pertain to have mercy upon them) as they were Having confl ict with others for the whip fell while riding, he would get off Allah The Almighty deprives His slave, with Allah as God, Islam as a religion His orders or prohibitions, one must patient and satisfi ed when they sake of one’s desires drives satisfaction and pick it up himself without asking it is not because He is miserly or unable and Muhammad as a messenger, has always progress and aspire to what is were affl icted with hardship. When away, disturbs its purity and alters its anyone to hand it to him. [Ahmad] to give, but because He chooses what certainly felt the sweetness of faith.” better. Sulaymaan ibn Al-Ghaazi (may Allah sweetness. is best for His believing slave, and for O Allah! Make us satisfi ed with Your The righteous predecessors (may have mercy upon him) went to condole Third: Refraining from continually Satisfaction is the Peak of Faith a certain wisdom. Allah The Almighty decree and bless our destiny so that we Allah be pleased with them) would ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz (may Allah asking of people. Allah The Almighty Abu Ad-Dardaa’ (may Allah be never decrees anything bad for His would not wish to hasten something advise each other to be satisfi ed and have mercy upon him) upon the death Says (what means): {An ignorant pleased with him) said: “There are four believing slave, whether that decree that You have delayed or delay get used to it as they knew its high of his son, ‘Abd al-Malik, ‘Umar (may [person] would think them self- traits at the peak of faith: patience, brings happiness or misery to the slave. something that You have hastened. rank. ‘Umar (Al-Faarooq) - may Allah be pleased with him) said to him, suffi cient because of their restraint, satisfaction with destiny, sincerity Thus, even when Allah The Almighty Article source: http://www. Allah be pleased with him - wrote to “I seek Allah’s refuge from wanting but you will know them by their in reliance, and submission to Allah deprives His believing slave, it is in fact islamweb.net/emainpage/ Abu Moosa al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be something that is contrary to what [characteristic] sign. They do not ask The Almighty.” Ibn al-Qayyim (may a blessing, and the affl iction is for his pleased with him) saying: “All that is He likes, as this does not change the people persistently [or at all]. And Allah have mercy upon him) said: well-being, even if it is in the form of good lies in satisfaction. If you are able affl iction and His good treatment of whatever you spend of good - indeed, “Satisfaction is one of the deeds of the an affl iction. Due to the ignorance of The seven under the Shade of Allah

By Fareena Aslam and ‘Itrat Azad cause you to act unjustly, that is nearer to This describes the type of person who piety.” [Al-Maa’idah 5: 8] 4. “Two men who love each other goes to great lengths to protect himself Unfortunately, even if we admit this in for Allah’s sake, meeting for that and from ar-Riyaa. Ar-Riyaa means to do he Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi theory, we quickly forget it in practice. parting upon that...” deeds in order to earn the praise and wa sallam, said: “There So we fi nd that when we speak about Having mutual love for the sake of recognition of people. This sin destroys are seven whom Allah will our friends and loved ones, we praise Allah is one of the great doors leading to all the benefi ts that lie in righteous deeds shade in His Shade on the them beyond reason and when we speak the good of the Hereafter and a cause of and brings on a serious punishment for T the one who commits it. It is particularly Day when there is no shade except about those whom we hold diff erence tasting the sweetness of eemaan (faith) His Shade: a just ruler; a youth who with, we can fi nd no good in them and in this world. Loving one another for dangerous because it is in man’s nature grew up in the worship of Allah, the we just capitalise on their bad points. Allah’s sake means that the Muslim to desire and enjoy the praise of others. Mighty and Majestic; a man whose This is far removed from the justice does not love another except for the Thus, great care has been taken to ensure heart is attached to the masjids; two which Allah loves and gives great reward correctness of his Deen. So it does not that one’s intentions begin and remain men who love each other for Allah’s for, as mentioned in the hadith: “The matter what the person looks like, what pure whenever good actions (such as sake meeting for that and parting doers of justice will be on thrones of he wears, how rich or poor he is, where charity) are being done. Not like what upon that; a man who is called by a light at Allah’s Right Hand – and both of he comes from, or what the colour of his we see today in some masjids around woman of beauty and position [for Allah’s Hands are Right Hands – those skin is – perhaps you dislike everything the world where we have noticeboards illegal intercourse], but he says: ‘I fear who were just in their Ruling, with about him, but you love him for his announcing who gave what to whom, Allah’; a man who gives in charity and their families and in all that over which eemaan: this is loving for Allah’s sake. why and when! hides it, such that his left hand does they were given authority.” [Narrated “Allah, the Mighty and Magnifi cent Allah warns us: “O you who believe! not know what his right hand gives in by ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar and reported in says: Those who have mutual love for the Do not render vain your charity by charity; and a man who remembered Sahih Muslim. This hadith is one among sake of My Glory will have pillars of light reminders of your generosity or by Allah in private and so his eyes shed several authentic ahadith which prove and will be envied by the Prophets and injury, like him who spends his wealth to tears.” (Narrated by Abu Hurairah and that Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, has the martyrs.” [Sahih – collected in Sunan at- be seen of men and he does not believe in collected in Sahih al-Bukhari) Attribute of possessing Hands. Ahlus- Tirmidhee and Musnad Ahmad] Allah nor in the Last Day.” (Al-Baqarah 2: In this beautiful hadith, the Prophet, Sunnah therefore affi rm that belief that Subhaan Allah! Imagine being envied 264). May Allah preserve us from this. sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, spoke about Allah has Hands. They do not delve by Allah’s chosen Messengers and those small acts of worship which result in into what His Hands are like, nor liken who were slain in His Path! Such is the 7. “...A man who remembered such a huge reward: shade on the Day His Hands to the hands of creation, nor reward for those who love one another Allah in private and so his eyes shed when there will be no shade except His do they say that His Hands symbolise for Allah’s sake. tears.” Shade [this shade refers to the Shade of Power or anything else, since these Our noble Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi Allah’s ‘Arsh (Throne) as is mentioned in claims have no basis except conjecture 5. “A man who is called by a wa sallam, informed us: “If you knew other authentic ahadith.] and opinion. And it is impermissible woman of beauty and position, but what I knew, you would laugh little and This may not seem like much at fi rst to say anything about Allah, except he says: ‘I fear Allah’...” weep much.” [Narrated by Abu Hurairah but then refl ect upon the following that which He affi rms or denies about This world is full of temptations and Anas and collected in Sahih Muslim] hadith: “On the Day of Resurrection, the Himself, not going further than that.] which lead to burning in the Fire, and Crying is not a ‘sissy’ thing to do. sun would draw so close to the people The concept of justice is most amongst them is that which comes The Prophet, who was the best of all that there would be left a distance of only important for the Ruler, since he is in from women. Many a man has led his creation, would weep as would all of a mile. The people will be submerged in charge of the people and the prime soul into destruction on account of his Companions. Tears are a genuine perspiration according to their deeds, disposer of justice in the land. For told, which is why many Muslims said, “Do not prevent your women from the lure of a woman, which is why the expression of fear of Allah’s Punishment some up to their ankles, some up to their this reason, the Ruler is given special nowadays waste their youth thinking going to the masjids, but their homes are Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and of our sincere love and awe of Him. knees, some up to the waist and some mention as one of the seven who will be that they will pray, wear hijab and go on better for them.”] warned his ummah specifi cally about But how often do we remember Allah in would have the bridle of perspiration honoured with Allah’s Shade. Haj, etc when they are old, as if they have Not only does it make the person this. He said, “The world is sweet seclusion and are then moved to tears? and, while saying this, the Messenger of a guarantee of longevity from Allah! eligible to Allah’s Shade on the Day and green and verily Allah is going to How much do we laugh and how little Allah put his hand towards his mouth.” 2. “A youth who grew up in the How well we would do to heed the of Judgment, but, “he does not take a install you as successors upon it in do we weep? The Prophet, sallallaahu (Narrated by al-Miqdaad in Aswad and worship of Allah...” Prophet’s advice when he said: “Take step (towards the masjid), except that order to see how you act. So avoid the ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “There is nothing collected in Sahih Muslim) The great scholar Ayyoob as- benefi t of fi ve before fi ve: your youth because of it, he is raised by one rank allurement of women: verily the fi rst more beloved to Allah than two drops And in another hadith, some will be Sakhtiyaanee (d. 131H) said, “From the before old age, your health before and one sin is removed from him. Then, trial for the Children of Israa’eel was and two marks: A tear shed due to fear of submerged in sweat “seventy armlengths success of a youth or non-Arab is that sickness, your wealth before your when he prays, the Angels do not cease caused by women.” [Narrated by Abu Allah, and a drop of blood spilled in the in the earth.” (Narrated by Abu Hurairah Allah guides him to be a scholar of the poverty, your free time before you are supplicating for him (for) as long as he Sa’eed al-Khudree and collected in Path of Allah. And as for the two marks, and collected in Sahih al-Bukhari) Sunnah.” [Hasan – reported in Sharh preoccupied and your life before your remains at his place of prayer (saying): O Sahih Muslim.] they are a mark caused in the Path of Let us examine the characteristics Usoolis-Sunnah of al-Laalikaa’ee] death.” [Sahih – Narrated by Ibn ‘Abbass Allah send blessings upon him, O Allah The most important provision which Allah, and a mark caused by fulfi lling one and virtues of these seven categories of Indeed, it is a great blessing and collected in al-Haakim and others.] have mercy upon him...” [Narrated by we need to protect ourselves from this of the duties made obligatory by Allah.” people who will be worthy of such an from Allah for a youth to be guided Abu Hurairah and collected in Sahih and all other temptations in life is the [Hasan – collected by at-Tirmidhee and exalted position on the Day of Gathering. towards worship and befriended by 3. “A man whose heart is attached al-Bukhari.] fear (khawf) of Allah. This fact is alluded al-Mishkaat] the righteous, since it is in youth that to the masjids...” It must be emphasised here however to in the following Qur’anic aayah: “And Alhamdulillaah, through these seven 1. “A just ruler...” a person is most vulnerable to the There is great encouragement in the that all the ahadith encouraging the men as for him who feared standing before his types of people mentioned in the hadith, The concept of justice in Islam is very temptations of life and liable to drift Sunnah for men to pray in the masjids to be attached to the masjids are not Lord and restrained himself from impure we have been given clear signposts of important and it is something which the away from the Islamic Path. This and the reward associated with it is intended to lead one to the conclusion evil desires, verily Paradise will be his the way to attain Allah’s pleasure and Muslim – Ruler and the ruled – must becomes apparent when we look at the tremendous. [This applies only to that Islam is a Religion which should abode.” (an-Naazi’aat 79:40-41) satisfaction. So dear brothers and sisters apply in all matters without exception. society around us and we see that most men, because for women it is more be confi ned to the masjids, as many in eemaan, devote yourself to being Justice means to give each the right of the worldly distractions, such as meritorious for them to pray in their people imagine. Nonetheless, the masjid 6. “A man who gives in charity and one amongst those seven, for indeed he deserves: Muslim or non-Muslim, music, games, clubs, fashion, etc, are homes. This is based on the authentically should be at the heart of the Muslim hides it, such that his left hand does fortunate will be those who are granted relative or stranger, friend or enemy. all specifi cally targeted at the young. related hadith in Sunan Abu Daawood community, and the role of those in not know what his right hand gives Allah’s Shade on the Day when there will Allah says: “...And do not let hatred “You’re only young once,” they are where it is reported that the Prophet authority of the masjids is vital here. in charity...” be no shade but His. Gulf Times 14 Friday, July 3, 2020 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 [email protected] 44350478 (News), 44466404 (Sport), 44466636 (Home delivery) 44350474 facebook.com/gulftimes twitter.com/gulftimes_Qatar GULF TIMES George Floyd murals bring deeper meaning to issues of injustice

In the US state of Minneapolis, hues of blue and yellow form the face of a George Floyd mural, with a resolution to his last words scrawled against the purple of his sweatshirt: “I can breathe now.” Radiating from the halo cast by a sunfl ower standing prominently behind him are the names of those who passed before him, all too soon: Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice – and the list goes on. The country erupted in outrage following the death of Floyd by police on Memorial Day in Minneapolis. Protests fl ooded the streets and chants ran clear through the Why more men aren’t wearing night across states at the sheer horror of the death of the 46-year-old Black man who died when a police offi cer pressed his knee against his neck for nearly eight minutes, ignoring pleas for him to stop. masks — and how to change that But along with those protests, rallies and marches, art has formed. Just as Floyd’s yellow, blue and purple mural By Adam Tschorn numbers on gender diff erences and might it actually be possible to hack communicate this way. They have appeared at the place of his death, so have thousands of Los Angeles mask-wearing, she explained to The the male mind to motivate more men serious conversations but in humorous Times. to wear a face covering in public? To ways because (they) can’t fully own it so others appeared across the country and the world. “They were outside on bicycles — a answer that question, we sought the (they) joke about it. For example, guys in In Houston, his arth Vader, the Minnesota Vi- papa, a mama and two kids,” Barcelo input of folks who’ve studied the topic, the locker room might be talking about The country hometown, Floyd’s kings and Mike Pence, who’s said. “And the mama and the two kids including the study’s authors, a couple the diffi culties in (their) marriages but image is accompanied wearing a “Make America were wearing masks. And the papa had of psychologists who focus on men’s by joking about it. It’s kind of a code erupted in outrage by thick white angel DGreat Again” face mask, walk a mask, but it was around his neck, not behaviour and a medical historian. they use to communicate, to admit into a hotel. on his face. I thought, ‘OK, maybe there Together, their suggestions make up they’re having a hard time.” wings; a halo fl oats That may sound like the setup to a very is something there,’ and Valerio and I a broad, four-pronged strategy we’re Until there’s a sweeping nationwide following the above his head forming funny joke, but it also hints at how to solve decided to look into it more carefully.” going to call the M.A.S.K. Approach. campaign, humorous or otherwise, death of Floyd the phrase, “Forever a deadly serious problem: getting more Posted online in mid-May, the M — Make it about the community, aimed at getting more men to wear breathing in our hearts.” people — particularly the swaggeringly resulting study of 2,459 US participants, not the individual. face coverings in public, it’s up to toxic mask-averse males of the species “The Eff ect of Messaging and Gender A big part of Capraro and Barcelo’s every individual, business and local by police on Similar wings follow — to don face coverings in public to help on Intentions to Wear a Face Covering study focused on trying to fi gure out government entity to use all four prongs him to Dallas where his prevent the spread of the coronavirus. to Slow Down Covid-19 Transmission,” what sort of messaging would be most of the M.A.S.K. approach to convince Memorial Day in image expands across Although there’s certainly no off ers an interesting glimpse into why eff ective in convincing mask-averse mask-averse men to do the right thing. Minneapolis the boarded windows of shortage of antimask women out there some men resist the call to cover up — folks (male and female) to wear one. That Independence Day bash you’re the Dallas Chop House; (including a few in my own family tree), and provides some clues as to how to It found that emphasising the benefi t hosting, for example? That could be a we’re focusing specifi cally on men here infl uence that behaviour. to one’s community rather than one’s good opportunity to put out a stack of a painted banner remains blank for viewers to decide the for two reasons. In addition to fi nding that men are family, one’s country or one’s self was star-spangled face coverings. (After message for themselves. First, men are statistically more less inclined to wear a face mask, the the biggest motivator. all, who can say no to Old Glory on the At a time when the video of Floyd’s death has been so adversely aff ected by Covid-19 than study found that men are less likely than However, they note, and it bears Fourth of July?) heavily circulated, people see not the refl ection of a police women. women to believe they will be seriously repeating here, the biggest motivator of Even if deployed skilfully and offi cer’s knee on his neck but the refl ection of the strength Second, a recently released study aff ected by the coronavirus. all is a mandatory mask order. surreptitiously, none of these man- authored by researchers Valerio Capraro Further, it found a big diff erence A — Appeal to patriotism. brain hacks will be totally eff ective. in his face. They choose to remember Floyd in life rather of London’s Middlesex University and between men and women when it came If mask-hating men won’t wear face As mentioned, the most eff ective than death. These pieces memorialise the life of a man Helene Barcelo of the Mathematical to the self-reported negative emotions coverings for the health and safety of way to increase mask-wearing (for both whose time on Earth was cut too short. His face has become Science Research Institute in Berkeley that come with that simple strip of the fragile fl ower on her fainting couch genders) is to simply make the order a symbol of the injustices of the world, a reminder that found that in comparing the mask- fabric across the face. or for the old and infi rm, perhaps they’ll mandatory. That’s what California wearing intentions of men and women, As study co-author Capraro do it for God and country. Governor Gavin Newsom did in Americans are still a long way from the country they have men are less likely than women to wear explained, “We asked (participants S — Stick with the stereotypes. response to a spike in Covid-19 cases. dreamed of. face coverings. to rank) on a scale of one to 10 how If stereotypical masculine behaviour However, as the University of And the art goes further than the image of Floyd’s That probably doesn’t come as much much they agreed with fi ve diff erent is part of the problem, might it be part Michigan’s Navarro points out, getting face. His power has manifested itself in messages of of a surprise to anyone who has watched statements: ‘Wearing a face covering of the solution? Could some of the every last man, woman and child to empowerment that line the boarded windows of shops the president of the United States and is cool,’ ‘Wearing a face covering is traits traditionally associated with wear a mask is not really the goal that his No 2, the latter of whom happens not cool,’ ‘Wearing a face covering is manliness be Trojan Horsed to increase matters. in Dallas. Images of unity and calls for justice stand to be the chair of the White House shameful,’ ‘Wearing a face covering is the number of masked men? Glick, “Whether it’s through vaccination, prominently as members of the Dallas Army of Artists Coronavirus Task Force, fl y in the face a sign of weakness’ and ‘The stigma who back in April penned a piece for (PSA) campaigns or social distancing continue to work with local businesses to cover the wooden of science by not covering their own attached to wearing a face covering is Scientifi c American titled “Masks and measures, you’re never going to get a planks that line their stores in precaution of damage and faces in public. preventing me from wearing one as Emasculation: Why Some Men Refuse 100% compliance. You try and get as Or maybe your lack of surprise comes often as I should.’ to Take Safety Precautions,” thinks the high (a percentage) as you can,” he said. break-ins amid unrest. from the curious sight of a family unit “The two statements that showed approach might work. “We now know from a lot of modelling Art has long been a part of struggles against inequity who has caught your eye: The mother the biggest diff erence between men and K — Key into humour. studies and studies involving masks and oppression. It’s a powerful and universal language and children are dutifully mask-clad women,” Capraro said, “were, ‘Wearing While the coronavirus pandemic is that if we can get over 50% — preferably that transcends all barriers and informs people from all out in public but, for some reason, the a face covering is a sign of weakness’ certainly no laughing matter, Englar- 60 to 80% of compliance with mask walks of life. It humanises the struggle and connects father is not. and ‘The stigma attached to wearing Carlson thinks getting more guys to orders — we could really drive this It was the latter scenario happening a face covering is preventing me from wear face coverings might be. epidemic to a manageable level between with people emotionally in a way that organised protest on a Berkeley street that inspired wearing one as often as I should.’” “I think (humour) defi nitely now and the time we get a vaccine.” cannot replicate. Even small endeavours go a long way in mathematician Barcelo to crunch the Armed with this sort of insight, could work,” he said. “A lot of men TCA/DPA injecting meaning that cannot be formulated by speeches or explanations. Take Dallas’ giant eyeball sculpture, which sits outside the Joule, a fi ve-star hotel. “NOW UC US” was spray painted at the bottom of the piece along with Floyd’s initials and last words, “I can’t breathe.” One doesn’t need to support the spray-painting of private (or public) property to understand that this was a powerful statement. It made visible the frustration exacerbated by injustice that can no longer be ignored. And as a result Eye has made its way into other murals across the city as symbolism signifying that change is coming. Most importantly, however, art never lets us forget. – Tribune News Service

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© 2020 Gulf Times. All rights reserved FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump looks at a face mask being shown to him by Honeywell’s Vice-President of Integrated Supply Chain Tony Stallings, on May 5, 2020. Gulf Times Friday, July 3, 2020 15 COMMENT Why disaster preparedness cannot wait

By Jagan Chapagain 2030, while meeting World fi rst responders in any crisis, and and Andrew Steer Health Organisation minimum it is vital that they be empowered Geneva/Washington, DC standards for pandemic to act. preparedness will require up to Before Cyclone Amphan made $3.4bn per year. landfall, for example, the IFRC he world has been But these sums are small sent funds to the Bangladesh Red planning for the future compared to the costs of not Crescent chapter, which helped in the mistaken belief being prepared. Ntural disasters 20,000 vulnerable people receive Tthat it will resemble the already cost hundreds of dry food and drinking water, past. But as Covid-19 coincides billions of dollars a year; with fi rst aid, safety equipment, with cyclones in South Asia a 2˚C increase in temperature, and transportation to cyclone and the Pacifi c and vast locust according to one estimate, shelters. At the same time, swarms in East Africa, the damages from climate change the chapter helped implement need to prepare for a world of could reach $69tn by 2100. Covid-19 safety measures, such unexpected shocks has become The human cost is high, too. as disinfecting shelters, making clearer than ever. Epidemics, An analysis by the International additional space available to fl oods, storms, droughts, and Federation of Red Cross and Red allow for social distancing, and wildfi res are all expected to be- Crescent Societies (IFRC) last providing personal protective come more frequent and severe, year found that doing nothing equipment. aff ecting hundreds of millions of could increase the number of Local communities are also people each year. people who need international often in the best position to The Covid-19 pandemic humanitarian aid because of identify eff ective solutions. is a global wake-up call. And fl oods, storms, droughts and After Typhoon Ondoy struck the as leaders of international wildfi res every year – currently Philippines in 2009, for example, organisations, we understand 108mn – 50% by 2030. The total people living in informal both the grave threat and the could nearly double, to 200mn settlements worked with city potential opportunity for change people, by 2050. offi cials to design resilient that it represents. Moreover, the coming year housing that could withstand In particular, Covid-19 and represents a critical window for future fl ooding. recent climate disasters have investing in resilience, because As countries emerge from shown that we must step up governments will spend trillions the Covid-19 pandemic over investment in preparedness of dollars to restart economies the coming year, world leaders now, instead of waiting for the after the pandemic. The danger will face a watershed moment. next crisis to hit. The choice is is that fi nancial resources, and By ramping up investments clear: delay and pay, or plan and with it the political appetite for in disaster preparedness, they prosper. change, will then shrink. That is can shape their legacies and set We know that investing in why now is the time for the rich humanity on a safer course for disaster preparedness is worth world to help poorer countries the next decade and beyond. – it – both in terms of human reboot their economies and A man cuts branches of an uprooted tree after Cyclone Amphan made its landfall, in Kolkata, India, in this May 21, 2020, photograph. Project Syndicate lives saved and economic boost their resilience to future returns. Research by the Global threats, including climate 30%, while spending $800mn with decades of planning and through a new risk-informed like these, which are supported O Jagan Chapagain is Commission on Adaptation, for change. on early-warning systems in preparedness, enabled the two early-action partnership. by the German and British Secretary General of the example, shows that benefi t- One of the most important developing countries would save countries to evacuate more than This initiative aims to make governments, among others, International Federation of Red to-cost ratios for climate- things governments can do today $3-16bn per year. three million people and keep the one billion people safer from can save lives and reduce the Cross and Red Crescent Societies adaptation investments range is invest in better collection and For example, although death toll far lower than it would disasters by 2025, partly by damage when storms and heat and a member of the Global from 2:1 to 10:1. analysis of data on the disaster Cyclone Amphan recently have been in the past. scaling up so-called forecast- waves hit. Commission on Adaptation. To be sure, preparing for major risks their countries face. Simply wreaked havoc on India and Governments and based financing, which uses But none of these solutions O Andrew Steer is President shocks involves substantial having 24 hours’ notice of a Bangladesh and killed dozens international organisations weather projections to give will be eff ective if funding and and CEO of the World Resources outlays. Building resilience storm’s arrival or foreknowledge of people, early-warning are now working to make vulnerable communities the threat information don’t reach Institute and a member of to climate impacts could cost of an impending heat wave systems saved countless more early-warning technology resources they need to prepare. the local level. Communities and the Global Commission on $140-300bn annually by can cut the resulting losses by lives. Accurate forecasts, along more accessible and effective Innovative financing schemes local organisations are often the Adaptation.

A stronger recovery through Three-day forecast TODAY Maximum Temperature : 400c Minimum Temperature : 310c better accounting SATURDAY Maximum Temperature : 440c Minimum Temperature : 330c By Willem H Buiter, Ian Ball, cuts and tax increases. They also greater space for countercyclical fi scal better use of their assets during SUNDAY and Dag Detter show that overall government policy, and thus less need for ad hoc, a pandemic, a better approach to Maximum Temperature : 440c Minimum Temperature : 320c New York indebtedness can be measured as a uncertainty-inducing measures. public-sector accounting can help proportion of the physical assets a As with personal or household governments free up sorely needed Fisherman's forecast government possesses. Viewed from wealth, an assessment of the public- revenues, while also guarding against ne eff ect of the Covid-19 this perspective, a government need sector balance sheet should include risks that are currently being ignored. WARNING lockdowns this year is that not rely only on projected annual both what a government owns and Because these revenue fl ows would Inshore : Nil many young adults have GDP when generating the cash what it owes. A relevant model for the be ongoing, they are a much better returned home temporarily needed to service its debt. Instead of current crisis can be found in New solution than shedding assets at fi re- Offshore : Expected strong O windand high sea by sale prices every time there is a shock to stay with their parents, subletting treating capital expenditures as an Zealand’s Public Finance Act of 1989. afternoon their apartments to others in need. For immediate expense, it can start to With a strong public-sector balance or downturn. WEATHER those who have lost their jobs, the rent leverage its vast public wealth through sheet and a focus on net worth, Better yet, those additional Inshore : Misty at places at first paid by these tenants has doubtless a proper accounting of its long-term that country has easily managed revenues can be used to reduce becomes hot daytime with slight dust at times provided a welcome and necessary investments in infrastructure. several negative shocks since its last existing debt levels (and thus the and relatively hot by safety net. Thanks to the modern gig When the time comes to increase deep fi nancial crisis 30 years ago. need for new borrowing), or to build night economy, victims of the downturn can taxes or cut spending, governments There is no better time than now the government’s net worth, thereby WIND Inshore : Northeasterly-North- operate like corporations, “sweating” will have to weigh the trade-off s for more governments to recognise providing a fi nancial buff er with which westerly 05-15/18 KT their balance sheets to maximise the according to their fi scal positions. the importance of all elements of to improve its sovereign credit rating income from their existing assets. While Ireland’s general government the public-sector balance sheet and and reduce its cost of capital. As with Offshore : Southwesterly-North- westerly 18-25 KT Given the sheer scale of spending spending amounted to 25% of GDP rethink how they invest and leverage any corporation or individual, more that this crisis demands, public in 2018, the United States spent existing assets for the sake of longer- effi ciently managed government assets Visibility : 4-8/3 KM policymakers, too, should consider the equivalent of 38%, and GDP term goals. would contribute to economic growth, Offshore : 5-8 FT a more creative approach. The share of public spending in France Of course, the current crisis also generate cash fl ows for the public pandemic presents a unique (representing the higher end of the should spur a reassessment of the real budget, and lower net operating costs. Around the region opportunity for governments to spectrum) was 56%. The implication fi nancial impact of debt guarantees, Only in this case, the whole society Weather Weather consolidate their fi nances by looking is that it would be much easier for now that many governments are would benefi t. – Project Syndicate Today Max/min Tomorrow Max/min not just at spending and revenues, but Ireland to restore long-term fi scal extending them to the private sector Baghdad Sunny 46/28 Sunny 47/29 also at assets and liabilities. By taking health by raising taxes than by cutting on a massive scale. There is an obvious O Willem H Buiter, a former chief Kuwait City Sunny 44/32 Cloudy 47/34 an integrated approach, as would be public spending, whereas spending and serious risk that some banks and economist at Citigroup, is a visiting Manama Sunny 40/33 Sunny 41/33 done in a corporate restructuring, cuts would probably have to come fi rst fi rms will go bankrupt, at which point professor at Columbia University. Muscat Sunny 35/32 Sunny 37/32 governments can steer their way in France. debt guarantees will be called in. The O Ian Ball, former CEO of Tehran Sunny 35/23 Sunny 36/23 toward a stronger recovery without In any case, it is critical that fact that these promises are currently the International Federation of the need for excessive austerity and governments adopt public-sector being treated as if they were “free” is Accountants, is a professor at Victoria the social hardship that comes with it. net worth as a key fi scal metric. yet another reason for governments to University of Wellington. Insights from the fi eld of corporate Economies with stronger public- adopt proper accrual accounting that O Dag Detter is an investment fi nancial management not only can sector balance sheets tend to uses an expected-credit-loss model. adviser and former president of improve governments’ understanding experience shallower recessions and Just as platforms like Airbnb and Stattum, the Swedish government of the trade-off s between spending recover faster, because they have Uber can help some individuals make holding company. Live issues Surviving core of ill-fated Jupiter-like planet spotted near distant star Around the world Weather Weather Reuters atmosphere,” said astronomer David Today Max/min Tomorrow Max/min Washington Armstrong of the University of Warwick Athens Sunny 36/23 M Sunny 36/24 in England, lead author of the research Beirut Sunny 28/24 Sunny 29/24 published in the journal Nature. Bangkok S T Storms 33/27 S T Storms 31/26 rocky planet 39 times as “An alternative is that the planet Berlin P Cloudy 25/16 P Cloudy 23/15 massive as Earth has been got stuck while forming, building up Cairo Sunny 39/23 Sunny 39/23 spotted orbiting a distant a core but failing to collect the gas we Cape Town Showers 17/10 Sunny 17/09 Astar at breakneck speed, would normally expect.” Colombo T Storms 29/26 T Storms 29/26 with astronomers concluding it may Its diameter of 27,000miles Dhaka T Storms 32/27 S T Storms 32/27 be the surviving core of a planet once (43,500km) is a bit less than Neptune, Hong Kong T Storms 29/26 T Storms 29/26 perhaps larger than Jupiter that was the smallest of our solar system’s four Istanbul Sunny 30/22 P Cloudy 30/22 stripped of its gaseous atmosphere. gas planets, but much larger than Jakarta T Storms 32/24 I T Storms 33/25 Researchers said on Wednesday Earth’s 7,900miles (12,700km). It orbits Karachi P Cloudy 35/31 M Sunny 35/31 it is the largest rocky planet ever extremely near its star – much closer London M Cloudy 21/16 S Showers 21/16 discovered and would be the fi rst than our solar system’s innermost Manila S T Storms 33/26 T Storms 33/26 planetary core ever found, off ering planet Mercury is to the sun – and Moscow I T Storms 26/18 T Storms 26/19 a unique opportunity to better travels 10 times more quickly than New Delhi M Sunny 40/32 M Sunny 41/31 Artist’s impression showing a Neptune-sized planet orbiting a star located 730 understand the interiors of gas giants Earth, completing an orbit every 18 New York M Sunny 32/24 S T Storms 31/21 light years from our solar system. like Jupiter, the largest planet in our hours. Paris S Showers 22/13 P Cloudy 24/15 solar system. travels in a year, 5.9tn miles (9.5tn km). outer envelope through some violent “TOI-849b itself is much more Sao Paulo P Cloudy 19/11 P Cloudy 19/11 The planet, called TOI-849b, orbits Gas giants are composed of a solid evolution. massive than we expect even gas giant Seoul P Cloudy 29/19 M Cloudy 31/20 a star a bit smaller and cooler than core surrounded by a vast atmosphere This could be because it collided with planetary cores to be,” Armstrong said, Singapore S T Storms 31/27 S T Storms 31/27 the sun, located 730 light years from mostly of hydrogen and helium. another planet towards the end of its “and this might imply a new planet Sydney M Sunny 22/09 Sunny 16/07 Earth. “This planet could have been a gas formation, or later ventured too close formation or evolution pathway which Tokyo Cloudy 26/20 Rain 27/20 A light year is the distance light giant like Jupiter, which then lost its to its host star and was stripped of its we don’t yet understand.” – Reuters Gulf Times 16 Friday, July 3, 2020 QATAR Qatar Airways increases health and safety measures onboard

atar Airways has in- creased its health and Qsafety measures onboard by introducing new personal protective equipment (PPE) for customers and cabin crew. The airline’s additional “ro- bust” measures include off ering face shields and protective kits to all passengers, in addition to a new protective gown for cabin crew. left corner. ness seat, business class cus- lery are served sealed as usual, departure of fl ights and after The disposable face shield will Qatar Airways Group Chief tomers are off ered even greater and menu cards have been tem- their arrival, and are quaran- be available in two standard siz- Executive, HE Akbar al-Baker privacy with sliding partitions porarily discontinued. tined and tested if any col- es – one for adults and the other said, “Throughout the Covid-19 and fully closing doors, and an All social areas onboard the leagues or passengers on a fl ight for children. crisis, the safety of our pas- option to display a ‘Do Not Dis- aircraft have been closed ad- shows any symptoms of infec- The children’s face shields sengers has been our highest turb (DND)’ indicator if they hering to the social distancing tion or test positive for the virus. feature the airline’s Oryx Kids priority. By introducing these wish to limit their interactions measures. In addition, HIA has imple- Club mascots as part of their additional onboard safety and with cabin crew. Qatar Airways’ aircraft mented stringent cleaning pro- Stylish eco-friendly items on off er design. hygiene measures, our custom- Parents fl ying with children are regularly disinfected us- cedures and applied social dis- Passengers travelling from ers can rely on us and our un- should advise them to keep ing cleaning products recom- tancing measures throughout its Hamad International Airport paralleled expertise to fl y them wearing their PPE throughout mended by the International Air terminals. Residents urged to join (HIA) will receive their face safely to their destination. the journey, although children Transport Association (IATA) All passenger touchpoints are shields at the check-in counters, “As the largest internation- under two years of age are not and the World Health Organisa- sanitised every 10-15 minutes in Plastic Free July whereas at other destinations, al airline fl ying consistently advised to wear face shields and tion (WHO). Its aircraft feature and every boarding gate and the face shields will be distrib- throughout the pandemic, we face masks or coverings. the most advanced air fi ltra- bus gate counter is cleaned after By Joey Aguilar Alon (meaning wave) by The uted at the boarding gates. have become one of the most ex- During boarding and disem- tion systems, equipped with each fl ight. Staff Reporter De La Salle-College of Saint Be- Onboard, all Qatar Airways perienced in safety and hygiene. barkation, all passengers will be industrial-size HEPA fi lters that In addition, hand sanitisers nilde, which bagged the 2020 passengers will be provided with “We will continue to lead the required to wear their face mask remove 99.97% of viral and bac- are provided at immigration and Best Film for Science and Educa- a “complimentary” protective industry in terms of the services or covering as well as the face terial contaminants from re-cir- security screening points. atar Museums (QM) has tion at the London International kit. off ered to our passengers, so that shield. culated air, providing the most Since mid-February, Qatar urged residents in the Film Festival, “explains the ef- Inside a ziplock pouch they they can travel with confi dence.” Since the start of the Cov- eff ective protection against in- Airways has helped reunite al- Qcountry to take part in fects of marine plastic faced by will fi nd a single-use surgi- To ensure the highest levels id-19 crisis, the airline has also fection. most 2mn passengers with their a global initiative, ‘Plastic Free diff erent surfi ng communities cal face mask, large disposable of hygiene onboard, Economy applied other additional health All the airline’s onboard linen loved ones, operating a mix of July’, by reducing plastic use and in the Philippines and explores powder-free gloves and an alco- Class passengers are required and safety measures onboard its and blankets are washed, dried scheduled and charter services aimed at protecting the environ- ways to reduce the consequenc- hol-based hand sanitiser gel. to wear their face shield visor fl ights. and pressed at microbial lethal plus extra sectors. ment. es.” Business class customers will in addition to their face mask or Business class meals are temperatures, while its headsets Globally, Qatar Airways re- Launched in 2011 by Plastic QM also shared a number of also be off ered an additional covering throughout the fl ight, served covered on a tray instead are rigorously sanitised after launched 11 destinations on July Free Foundation founder Rebec- articles on reducing plastic use 75ml sanitiser gel tube. except when they are served of a table set up, and a cutlery each fl ight. 1. ca Prince-Ruiz, the movement such as ‘Tips To Use Less Plastic’, Qatar Airways has also intro- their meals or drinks. wrap is off ered to passengers as These items are then sealed This marks the largest number has been attracting many peo- ‘The Lifehacker’s Guide to Living duced new disposable protec- Business class customers are an alternative to individual cut- into individual packaging by of route resumptions in a single ple around the world every year with Less Plastic’, and ‘10 Simple tive gowns for cabin crew that asked to wear their face shield lery service, in an eff ort to mini- staff wearing hygienic dispos- day since Qatar Airways started to join the cause and “Say No To Ways to Reduce Single-Use Plas- are fi tted over their uniforms, in and mask onboard at their own mise contact between crew and able gloves. to rebuild its network in what Plastic”. tics in Your Life.’ addition to safety glasses, gloves discretion, as they enjoy more passengers. Cabin crew have received the airline has dubbed ‘Takeoff While it is celebrated for a “Switching to a plastic-free and a mask. space and privacy. Qatar Airways has also intro- training on how to minimise Wednesday’.By mid-July, the month, the campaign saw par- lifestyle is accessible and achiev- The new branded gowns are In addition, for aircraft duced single-use menu cards their chances of contracting airline’s network will expand ticipants going beyond July and able. You can take small steps, personalised with Qatar Air- equipped with Qsuite, Qatar and sealed refreshing wipes. or spreading the infection, are to more than 65 destinations continue to lessen their use of which will contribute in a big ways’ logo imprinted on the top Airways’ award-winning busi- Economy class meals and cut- thermally screened before the worldwide. plastic. way to this global movement. We QM yesterday also shared a have diff erent tips and product number of documentaries to its swaps that you can incorporate Culture Pass members on the into your daily life right now,” negative environmental impact QM said. of plastic pollution. A number of companies such Plastic Wars by PBS Frontline as EcoSoul, Root.qa, The Neat IMF chief discusses global economic “examines the industry’s role in Store, The Flying Rooster Soap shaping a system that has never Company, Ecoloco off er various worked as advertised and the product (to eco-friendly) swap decades-long eff ort to keep a solutions. Their products such recovery at QF-sponsored event highly profi table secret alive: re- as stylish reusable coff ee cups, cycling hasn’t kept plastic out of water bottles, and tote bags can the environment or the oceans. It be used daily and help reduce or the world to be prepared “Return to growth (post- sure we don’t lose the benefi t of has just sold more plastic.” plastic waste at home and in the for future global crisis pandemic) will be on the basis trade that has served the world Premiered on March 31 this community. Flike the Covid-19 pan- of massive digital infusion for for thousands of years.” year, this documentary about QM cited an article by Plastic demic, countries need to invest businesses, and underlying that She also highlighted the im- the “battle over plastics and Pollution Coalition highlighting in people as much as in their is investing in people.” portance of capitalising on en- recycling” got 227,212 views 12 artworks that inspire others economies, the International According to Georgieva, the vironmentally sustainable eco- and hundreds of comments on to act and stop plastic pollu- Monetary Fund (IMF) managing solutions proposed around the nomic growth to prevent similar YouTube. tion. These include the “Vida director told a live event spon- world to fi ght the pandemic, crises in future, something she A Plastic Wave (November 18, Toxica” (Toxic Life) by Catalan sored by Qatar Foundation (QF). whether medically or economi- said she is already optimistic 2018) by James Roberts, a surf artist Alvaro Soler Arpa, “Natu- Kristalina Georgieva out- cally, cannot be implemented about post-Covid-19. photographer, provides a deeper ral Plasticity” by Jana Cruder and lined her views at The Outlook without people executing these “We would see more attention understanding of the cause and Matthew LaPenta, and “Bris- for Global Business, which dis- solutions. She said that even to sustainable agriculture and to extent of this crisis, which has be- tol Whales” by Sue Lipscombe, cussed the global economic after a vaccine for Covid-19 be- everything that is connected to come a huge threat to the planet. among others. landscape during the Covid-19 comes available, for instance, more sustainable lifestyles,” she pandemic and how it can recover many countries do not have the IMF head Kristalina Georgieva and other panellists during the QF said. “And hopefully — with the from the crisis moving forward. adequate medical staff or facili- Harvard Business Review event. right policies in place — green “Protecting lives and protect- ties to inject the vaccine among growth and investing in low- ing the economy and livelihood people, and so healthcare sys- think about equality through access underprivileged communities. carbon, climate-resilient devel- go hand in hand,” said Georgieva tems need to be strengthened to digital. Anything that is digitally “It is very straightforward and opment will be a winner.” during the talk, hosted by the prior to the vaccine being ready enabled wins,” she said, adding that simple: when we trade with each Georgieva told the event’s au- Harvard Business Review and – and that can only be achieved trade agreements and government other, we are all better off . When dience that all of these mitiga- supported by Qatar Foundation by empowering people. policies need to account for the we don’t, costs go up, incomes tion practices need to be imple- (QF). She also emphasised that an- expanding scale of e-commerce to go down, and poverty spreads,” mented right away and not after “For the world to be agile and other important factor in recover- become more agile. said Georgieva. the crisis is over. resilient in the next crisis, it is so ing from the crisis economically is Georgieva stressed the need to “If you’re poor, global trade “Forget about the hope that we critical that people are healthy, to prepare for a digital future. continue global trade and inter- shrinks the price of what you pay will get rid of the pandemic and have access to healthcare, are “One thing this crisis is telling national co-operation to mend by one-third to three-quarters. then start the recovery,” she said. Plastic Wars by PBS Frontline able to function in an agile man- us is that the digital transformation the economic damage caused In other words, you benefi t tre- “We have to move with recovery ner, and can learn remotely. is accelerating. So, you do need to by the coronavirus, especially to mendously. So, we need to make while the pandemic is still with us.” Doha Festival City reopens all retail outlets

s part of the second phase between visitors, and have been of the gradual lifting of the set up to screen incoming visitors Anovel coronavirus (Cov- and to ensure that they comply id-19) restrictions in Qatar, Doha with entry requirements includ- Festival City has expanded its ing monitoring of body tempera- reopening capacity to welcome tures and checking of the green back shoppers. code in the Ehteraz app. Visitors can now shop from Parking spaces have been re- fashion, home decor, electronics, duced to 50% to ensure they do accessories and beauty brands, not exceed the restricted 50% with an extended capacity of up capacity of the mall. Touch- to 50% of the regular mall capac- less pedal bins are also located ity, while still maintaining the throughout the mall to provide preventive measures of social an extra layer of protection for distancing in each store. Doha Festival City has introduced stringent health and safety measures shoppers and mall visitors. Food and drinks are available throughout the mall. In line with the Ministry of for takeaway and home delivery Commerce and Industry’s di- from a variety of restaurants, Favourite brands including itised every 30 to 45 minutes. rectives, opening hours will be cafes and food stalls in the mall Harvey Nichols, FNAC and Go Some 127 hand sanitising sta- Sunday to Thursday from 8am to including Five Guys, Maison du Sports are now open and ready to tions have also been installed in 10pm. Monoprix remains open Sushi and Eately. welcome shoppers. the areas that have commonly Sunday to Thursday from 8am Families can now enjoy their In line with the preventative touched surfaces such as entry to 11pm, and Friday and Satur- summer shopping experiences measures set out by the authori- and exit points, customer service Doha Festival City visitors must show their green Physical distancing stickers in common queuing day from 8am to midnight, while with children aged 12 and above ties, Doha Festival City has intro- desks, offi ces, inside of elevators Ehteraz QR code. areas, including lifts. M&S Food Hall remains open allowed inside the mall, while duced stringent health and safety and washrooms. daily from 9am to 10pm. taking into consideration all the measures throughout the mall Smoking areas have also been should wear a face mask during physical distance as set forth in been placed throughout the mall Boots Pharmacy will remain precautionary measures in place. for its staff and visitors. This in- moved far from the entrances to their whole time in the mall. the guidelines by the authorities. highlighting the safety meas- open from 9am to 10pm on Children are also required to cludes a thorough mall disinfec- avoid contact between people Physical distancing stick- Security personnel will be walk- ures required as well as ministry weekdays, and from 9am to 11pm show their green code on the tion treatment on a weekly basis, not wearing masks and visitors ers in common queuing areas, ing around the mall with hand- messages to keep visitors well in- on weekends, and Kulud Phar- Ehteraz app and must be accom- robust cleaning and sanitisation coming in or out of the mall. such as ATM machines, banks, held signs reminding visitors to formed. macy will be open daily from 8am panied by their parents, they also operations during mall trading At the entrance to the mall telecommunication kiosks and keep their masks on and adhere Entry and exit points are now to midnight. Banking and tel- always must wear masks while in hours, all seating areas and lifts and all shops, visitors must show branches and various retail shops to social distancing. segregated by single entry and ecommunications branches will the mall. are constantly reviewed and san- their green Ehteraz QR code, and help shoppers keep the required Informational signage has also exit doors to avoid close contact be open Sunday to Friday.