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published in QATAR since 1978

SUNDAY Vol. XXXXI No. 11642 August 16, 2020 Dhul-Hijjah 26, 1441 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals

Amir sends greetings to Indian president His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and His Ashghal opens vital Highness the Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani sent yesterday cables of congratulations to Indian President Ram Nath Kovind on the anniversary of his Duhail-Al Gharrafa country’s Independence Day. HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani sent a similar cable to Prime Minister Narendra bridge to traffi c Modi. Ooredoo, Es’hailSat to O New bridge provides free-flowing traffic between Al Khafji St and launch satellite services Al Gharrafa St and connects West Bay, Al Markhiya, Madinat Khalifa and Duhail with Al Gharrafa and Al Rayyan Ooredoo has partnered with Es’hailSat to deliver “next- generation” Inmarsat L-band A view of the Duhail-Al Gharrafa bridge that was opened to traff ic yesterday. By Shafeeq Alingal Dignitaries present at the opening included satellite voice and data services Staff Reporter Yousef al-Emadi, Projects Aff airs director; Bader that will enhance business Darwish, Highway Projects Department assist- communications across Qatar ant manager; Mubarak bin Freish Mubarak Alsa- and worldwide. Ooredoo will he Public Works Authority (Ashghal) lem, CMC member (Constituency No 15); Ali bin off er “cutting-edge” satellite yesterday announced the opening of the Khalaf Majrin al-Kubaisi, CMC member (Con- services for customers in Qatar, TDuhail-Al Gharrafa bridge and a section of stituency No 3); and other offi cials from Ashghal including prepaid and postpaid UN rejects US resolution to the traffi c signals within the Duhail Interchange and the contracting company. global satellite voice services Development Project on Shamal Road. A section of the traffi c signals under North and satellite broadband plans. The opening comes six months ahead of Bridge have also been opened in addition to the Business customers can also turn extend Iran arms embargo schedule and coincides with the opening of Duhail Al-Gharrafa Bridge. So, commuters from their smartphones into satellite schools for the new, 2020-2021 academic year. Al Shamal Road can directly access Duhail and phones and easily communicate Ashghal began implementing this project in the West Bay through Al Khafj i Street and vice- worldwide. Page 3 QNA of maintaining international peace and security. fi rst quarter of 2019. versa, while those from Al Gharrafa can directly New York Reuters adds: Iran’s president said yesterday Consisting of a 400m three-lane dual car- reach Al Shamal Road and vice-versa. Passengers Threats won’t deter the United States suff ered a humiliating defeat riageway to accommodate about 12,000 vehi- along Al Gharrafa Street, Al Khafj i Street and Turkey: Erdogan with the UN Security Council’s refusal to extend cles per hour on both directions, the bridge will Shamal Road can take a U-turn after the opening he US resolution to extend the arms em- the arms embargo on Tehran. provide free-fl owing traffi c between Al Khafaji of all U-turn exits on all streets. International threats and sanctions bargo on Iran failed to get the required Street and Al Gharrafa Street and reduce travel Due to its strategic location at the northern will not deter Turkey from carrying Tnumber of votes during a UN Security Russia and China voted against, while time by 95% from West Bay, Al Markhiya, Madi- entrance of Doha city on Shamal Road, the new out energy research in disputed Council session on Friday, as the majority of the 11 members abstained including nat Khalifa and Duhail towards Gharrafat Al openings on Duhail Interchange will enhance eastern Mediterranean waters, members abstained. France, Germany and Britain. The Rayyan, Al Gharrafa and Al Rayyan. traffi c fl ow in the region by providing alterna- President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said In a statement, the Security Council announced United States and the Dominican Ashghal has stressed that the remaining parts tive routes to schools, Qatar University and the yesterday. The search for oil and gas on 14 August its failure to adopt a draft resolution Republic were the only votes in favour of the Duhail Interchange project are scheduled College of the North Atlantic-Qatar and Educa- in contested energy-rich waters not aimed at extending arms-related restrictions on to open in September, within 18 months from the tion City. It will also serve commuters heading to far from Cyprus has pitted Turkey Iran, set to expire in October under resolution “I don’t remember the United States prepar- start of works on the project. commercial entities in the region. To Page 2 against its uneasy Nato ally Greece 2231 (2015). Russia and China voted against, while ing a resolution for months to strike a blow at the and the entire EU bloc. Turkey’s 11 members abstained including France, Germany Islamic Republic of Iran, and it garners only one decision to send a scientific vessel and Britain. The United States and the Dominican vote,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a accompanied by a navy fleet into the Republic were the only votes in favour. televised speech. “But the great success was that Oil spill threatens ecological devastation volatile region prompted Greece and Tabled by the United States, the text would the United States was defeated in this conspiracy France to reinforce their presence in have had the Council decide acting under Arti- with humiliation.” the eastern Mediterranean. cle 41 of the Charter of the United Nations that “It’s a serious mistake, we regret that,” Pom- paragraph 5, as well as subparagraphs (b) and (e) peo said yesterday in a news conference during a Public Health England to of paragraph 6, Annex B of resolution 2231 (2015), visit to Poland. be replaced by new body continue to apply until the Council decides oth- The United States could now follow through erwise, notwithstanding the duration specifi ed on a threat to trigger a return of all UN sanctions Britain’s Health Secretary Matt in each paragraph or subparagraph. on Iran using a provision in the nuclear deal, Hancock will announce that Public Russia and China strongly opposed extend- known as snapback. Diplomats have said the Health England (PHE) will be ing the 13-year ban, which was due to expire on United States could do this as early as next week, scrapped and replaced by a new October 18 under a 2015 nuclear deal signed be- but that it would face a tough, messy battle. body specifically designed to protect tween Iran and six world powers. Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said England against a pandemic by US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in the Security Council’s decision not to extend the early next month, The Telegraph a statement the United Nations Security Council arms embargo on Iran will lead to further Middle newspaper reported. Hancock will “failed today to uphold its fundamental mission” East instability. announce a merger of the pandemic response work of PHE with NHS test and trace into a new body, called France grapples with new virus surge the National Institute for Health Protection, the newspaper said. France reported 3,310 new coronavirus infections France was in the middle of one of Europe’s strictest over the past 24 hours, marking a post-lockdown lockdowns. The resurgence prompted Britain to President Aoun rules out high for the fourth day in a row as the country impose a 14-day quarantine for people arriving from resigning aft er blast grapples with a rebound in cases. France, fuelling a rush by British travellers to return The latest count took France’s cumulative cases home before an early Saturday deadline. Lebanese President Michel Aoun ruled to 215,521, the health ministry said in a website A relatively high incidence in Paris also led the out resigning in the wake of last week’s update yesterday, adding that 252 clusters were authorities to expand zones in the capital where disastrous explosion at Beirut port, being investigated, 17 more than 24 hours earlier. wearing a mask is mandatory outdoors. A picture taken yesterday shows iridescence on the water at the beach in Petit Bel Air, due to the in which 178 people were killed and This week’s upswing has taken the seven-day But doctors are increasingly calling for masks to oil leaked from vessel MV Wakashio, that ran aground near Blue Bay Marine Park off the coast of some 6,000 injured. Prime Minister moving average of new infections above the 2,000 be required in the workplace as they see people south-east Mauritius. The oil spill threatens ecological devastation as demands mount for answers Hassan Diab and his government threshold for the first time since April 20, when mingling in confined spaces as a bigger risk factor. as to why the vessel had come so close to shore. resigned on Monday amid growing anger on the streets, but Aoun told French broadcaster BFMTV that if he followed suit it would cause a “power vacuum.” The current situation in Lebanon made it impossible to organise elections “that would Indian community celebrates 74th enable a genuine representation of the people,” Aoun said. ‘Putin agreed to help Independence Day with zeal security of Belarus’ By Joseph Varghese Later the envoy, paid fl oral tributes to the “The nation is indebted to doctors, nurses Belarusian President Alexander Staff Reporter Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, and and other health workers who have been con- Lukashenko said he had secured planted a sapling on the premises along with tinuously at the forefront of our fi ght against a pledge from Russia to provide the heads of the apex bodies of community this virus. Unfortunately, many of them have comprehensive assistance if needed s India marked its 74th Independence organisations working under the aegis of the lost their lives battling the pandemic. They to ensure the security of his country Day yesterday, the Indian embassy embassy as well as other attendees at the event. are our national heroes. All ‘corona warriors’ in a phone call with President Vladimir Ain Doha held a special fl ag-hoisting In his message, the Indian president un- deserve high praise. They go much beyond Putin yesterday. The two presidents ceremony marked by patriotic fervour in the derscored the sacrifi ces of freedom fi ght- their call of duty to save lives and ensure es- spoke as tens of thousands of people presence of a limited number of community ers and recalled the eff orts of the country to sential services. These doctors, health work- took to the streets of Minsk once leaders and embassy offi cials. become a thriving and progressive, modern ers, members of disaster management teams, again urging Lukashenko to quit Attendance was limited to selected guests nation. police personnel, sanitation workers, delivery and staff at the Belarusian state due to the regulations put in place to fi ght the “The ethos of our freedom struggle forms staff , transportation, railway and aviation broadcaster BT considered joining a spread of Covid-19 and the programme con- the foundation of modern India. Our vision- personnel, providers of various services, gov- wave of strikes and mass protests. ducted by strictly observing the relevant pro- ary leaders brought together a diversity of ernment employees, social service organisa- tocols and guidelines. However, the event was world views to forge a common national spir- tions and generous citizens have been script- Lyon upset Man City to live-streamed on the embassy’s social me- it. They were committed to the cause of lib- ing inspiring stories of courage and selfl ess set up semi with Bayern dia platforms so as to reach out to the wider erating Bharat Mata from oppressive foreign service,” he pointed out. community, which is estimated to have more rule and securing the future of her children. The Indian envoy, while addressing the Substitute Moussa Dembele struck than 700,000 members. Their thoughts and actions shaped the iden- gathering, spoke at length about the deep- twice as Olympique Lyonnais Indian ambassador Dr Deepak Mittal un- tity of India as a modern nation,” the presi- rooted relations between Qatar and India stunned Manchester City with furled the Indian fl ag on the embassy premis- dent said in the message. and the support of the Government of Qa- a 3-1 victory in Lisbon, Portugal, es, followed by the national anthem. He also He also highlighted the eff orts of the tar towards the Indian community, espe- yesterday to move into the semi- read out the Independence Day message from healthcare workers who have been fi ghting cially during the Covid-19 pandemic and finals of the Champions League Indian ambassador Dr Deepak Mittal hoisting the national flag Indian President Ram Nath Kovind on the oc- the Covid-19 pandemic and praised their with regard to the Vande Bharat Mission. where they will face Bayern Munich. on the embassy premises yesterday. casion. selfl ess service. To Page 12 Gulf Times 2 Sunday, August 16, 2020 QATAR

Amir sends greetings to MoTC signs MoU with Ashghal on road projects Korean president His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and he Ministry of Trans- z MoU will upgrade the level of collaboration, joint efforts and constructive co-operation global practices in the fi eld. His Highness the Deputy Amir port and Communica- This is aimed at widening the Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Ttions (MoTC) has signed between the two sides with the aim of providing a safe, integrated transportation system scope of the economic move- al-Thani sent yesterday cables a memorandum of understand- ment, catering to the require- of congratulations to President ing (MoU) with the Public Works with other modes of transporta- on Amiri decisions in such a have been carried out by the for Qatar. The MoU also covers ments of national development of the Republic of Korea Moon Authority (Ashghal) on planning, tion in an effi cient, economic, way that avoids duplication and contractor and the end of the activating community partici- and achieving Qatar National Vi- Jae-in on the anniversary of his studying, designing, maintaining safe and environment-friendly limits overlapping competen- period dedicated for mainte- pation, facilitating co-opera- sion 2030, the statement added. country’s Liberation Day. HE the and managing road projects. fashion. The two sides aim to ful- cies by activating a joint work- nance. tion, transferring knowledge Ashghal carries out infra- Prime Minister and Minister of The MoU will upgrade the fi l the needs of Qatar in mobility ing mechanism for planning, Additionally, there will be and technology for supporting structure projects across the Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa level of collaboration, joint ef- and transportation in line with studying, designing, imple- an activation of a joint working the eff orts of achieving Qatar country according to the rec- bin Abdulaziz al-Thani also sent forts and constructive co-op- the Second National Develop- menting, operating, maintain- mechanism regarding putting National Vision 2030 in this do- ommendations of the MoTC a similar cable to Prime Minister eration between the two sides ment Strategy (2018-2022) and ing and managing road projects the necessary strategies and main, as well as realising mutual and the comprehensive plans, Chung Sye-kyun. with the aim of providing a safe, Qatar National Vision 2030, the in the country according to plans for maintaining and man- benefi ts, services and expertise strategic studies, concept de- integrated transportation sys- statement noted. approved development plans, aging road projects and net- that each party can make avail- signs, priorities, recommenda- Amir congratulates tem in line with the best uni- The MoU was signed by implementation priorities and works as well as co-ordinating able for the other. tions, reports, researches and versal practices and standards MoTC acting assistant under- by following up the implemen- on the resolution of complaints Land Transport Aff airs at the the like. Liechtenstein prince within the tasks and competen- secretary of Land Transport tation according to the set de- from the public, doing the nec- MoTC is preparing the neces- Signing this MoU refl ects the His Highness the Amir Sheikh cies of the two parties, accord- Aff airs Hamad Essa Abdulla livery timelines”, the statement essary maintenance works, sary studies for planning and two parties’ interest in co-or- Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and ing to a press statement. and Ashghal president Dr Saad explained. developing and boosting co- designing land transportation dinating relevant business, bol- His Highness the Deputy Amir The MoTC and Ashghal aim bin Ahmed al-Muhannadi. The This also includes taking all operation to benefi t from their networks and railroads, as well stering co-operation on plan- Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad to develop and manage mobility MoU defi nes and explains the necessary measures and acti- capabilities in joint fi elds and as governance of the land trans- ning, designing, implementing al-Thani sent yesterday cables of and transportation projects as an “roles, missions and responsi- vating the road assets delivery stimulating sustainable eco- portation system in accordance and maintaining road projects congratulations to Prince of the integrated network compatible bilities of the two sides based mechanism, after road projects nomic and social development with latest systems and best in Qatar. Principality of Liechtenstein Hans- Adam II on his country’s National Day. HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani also sent a similar cable to Prime Minister Adrian Hasler. Ashghal projects go full steam Amir greets Congo president His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and His Highness the Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad ahead despite many challenges al-Thani sent yesterday cables of congratulations to President of By Shafeeq Alingal the Republic of the Congo (Braz- Staff Reporter zaville) Denis Sassou Nguesso on his country’s National Day. HE the Prime Minister and Minister of In- he Public Works Author- terior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin ity’s (Ashghal) project Abdulaziz al-Thani sent a similar Tworks are continuing cable to Prime Minister Clement without any interruption de- Mouamba. spite the unjust blockade or Covid-19, and strong evidence of this can be found in the open- ing of the Duhail-Al Gharrafa Bridge and a section of traf- Yousef al-Emadi addressing the fi c signals six months ahead of media. Fall 2020 schedule. This was stressed by Yousef al-Emadi, director of Projects semester Aff airs, yesterday when Ashghal announced the openings. Al-Emadi told Gulf Times at Qatar that Ashghal continued its race towards completing various infrastructure projects despite University the challenges. “All projects are continuing at the right pace,” Bader Darwish Off icials at the opening of Duhail-Al Gharrafa Bridge and a section of traff ic signals. PICTURES: Ram Chand he said, exuding confi dence in begins completing the ongoing projects before their deadline. He also noted how the au- today thority sets priorities for major projects that serve large sec- tions of people. QNA On the challenges posed by Doha Covid-19, he said the contrac- tors faced some shortage in terms of manpower but proper atar University’s Fall planning and expedited works 2020 semester begins to- helped them overcome these Qday with distance learn- issues. “Things were appro- ing. priately planned and we were Students will not come to the ahead of schedule when the campus until the end of the third crisis started to hit. The works phase of lifting of the Covid-19 were sped up and we kept up the restrictions imposed by the pace,” he said, adding that the country. main reasons for achieving the QU’s Vice President for Stu- completion of works before the dent Aff airs, Dr Iman Mosta- deadline are the construction A view of the bridge. Supplied picture fawi, emphasised the necessity methodology and availability of for students to attend lectures materials. remotely as per the academic “We study and assess the calendar, as well as following construction methodology the circulars sent by the various with contractors before starting departments via e-mail, besides the works. The ways of reduc- regularly following up the black- ing the time taken (to carry out board system to ensure eff ective the works) are discussed while communication. Ashghal ensures the availabil- ity of materials,” al-Emadi said, QU’s Vice President for thanking the contractors for be- Student Aff airs, Dr Iman ing fully co-operative. Mostafawi, emphasised the Ashghal yesterday announced concerned. Al-Salem stressed Al Markhiya and Al Gharrafa. implementing its projects, al- necessity for students to the opening of the Duhail-Al that the new openings would Meanwhile, Ashghal engineer Emadi noted. attend lectures remotely as Gharrafa bridge and a section mostly benefi t people residing Saad al-Dousari stressed that A number of infrastructure per the academic calendar of the traffi c signals within the in Al Gharrafa and Gharrafat Al almost 60% of materials used services were also developed Duhail Interchange Develop- Rayyan, as well as those visiting in the project works are locally within the scope of the project, Dr Mostafawi also called on ment Project on Shamal Road. vital facilities in the region. manufactured in Qatar, such as including 10,722m of rainwater students to follow Covid-19 pre- The opening comes six The area houses many schools iron, concrete, fi ttings and most drainage and sewage network cautionary measures, such as months ahead of schedule and and commercial entities, he said, of the asphalt works. to prevent the accumulation measuring temperature, wearing coincides with the opening of A section of the bridge. praising Ashghal for its eff orts to These included some 207,000 of water during the rainy sea- masks, observing social distanc- schools for the new, 2020-2021 complete the project in “record tonnes of asphalt, about 53,000 son and 14,205m for laying the ing, and activating the Ehteraz academic year. Projects Department assistant Khalaf Majrin al-Kubaisi, CMC time”. Al-Kubaisi said the Du- cubic metres of reinforced con- treated water network and ir- application, in the event that Dignitaries present at the manager; Mubarak bin Freish member (Constituency No 3); hail Interchange is located in a crete and 14,128 tonnes of iron. rigation pipes, besides the ex- they are on the campus to receive opening included al-Ema- Mubarak Alsalem, CMC mem- and other offi cials from Ashghal vital area, in the heart of densely Ashghal is proud that it could tension of 16.8km of electricity textbooks. di; Bader Darwish, Highway ber (Constituency No 15); Ali bin and the contracting company populated zones such as Duhail, promote local production while networks. Director of Academic Advising Center at the university Wedad Rebeeh said academic counsel- ling offi ces will continue their work remotely, until the start of the fourth phase of lifting of the Covid-19 restrictions, adding Ashghal opens vital Duhail-Al Gharrafa bridge to traffi c that meeting with the academic adviser will not require a student to personally attend the campus, From Page 1 Bridge and traffi c six months time. “The remaining works are mercial entities and shopping under the North Bridge to pro- destrian paths of about 5.5km but rather by booking an ap- before schedule. continuing in full swing to end centres. The interchange will re- vide commuters on Shamal Road stretching from Duhail to Al pointment through the Appoint- Further, the openings will Darwish said the Duhail In- the project in 2021,” she added. duce the traffi c pressure on Doha with accesses to Duhail and Al Gharrafa and parts of Shamal ment Manager system. provide alternative traffi c routes terchange will bring about a She also noted that the open- Expressway, especially in the Gharrafa, construction of an un- Road, besides works to develop According to the university cal- at the Izghawa and Umm Lekhba radical change in traffi c fl ow ing of the Duhail Al-Gharrafa Duhail and Al Gharrafa areas, and derpass that facilitates access for rainwater drainage and sewage endar, the last date for deleting interchanges, which are being once it’s completed. “The new Bridge and a section of traffi c provide free-fl owing vehicular commuters from Shamal Road network. and adding courses is August 20. developed within the Sabah Al bridge will help shorten dis- lights at the interchange co- movement in the area. towards service roads and com- Ashghal began implementa- Students can delete or add courses Ahmad Corridor project, result- tance and save travel time by incides with the start of the The project includes construc- mercial complexes and another tion works on this project in the electronically through the student ing in reduced traffi c congestion more than 95% after renova- new academic year, as the area tion works for 3.3km of road net- service road for commuters from fi rst quarter of 2019. self-service system (banner), and at two vital interchanges. tion of the Duhail Interchange. houses many schools and other work and development of an old Al Gharrafa Street towards Al In December 2019, it opened benefi t from remote academic ad- Al-Emadi stressed Ashghal’s Previously, road users had to use educational institutions. interchange. It covers the con- Shamal Road. The works also in- the North Bridge after provid- vising services through the online project works are continuing the congested, signalised Duhail The Duhail Interchange is lo- struction of a bridge consisting clude removal of the roundabout ing fi ve lanes towards the north appointment reservation system. without any interruptions de- Roundabout,” he noted. cated in a densely populated and of a three-lane dual carriageway known as Sheikh Faisal Rounda- and four lanes towards Doha, re- The university is scheduled spite the blockade and Cov- Assistant project manager commercially important location connecting Al Khafj i Street and bout and link Al Gharafa Road placing the previous three-lane to announce later this month, id-19, and strong evidence of Sheikha al-Mansoori said 75% as it houses many government Al Gharrafa Street along with the with Al Mashabiya Street. bridge, thus achieving tremen- the details of the gradual transi- this can be found in the open- of works on Duhail Interchange institutions, educational and development of parts of the two The project also includes the dous development in traffi c fl ow tion from distance learning to ing of the Duhail Al-Gharrafa have been completed in record health facilities as well as com- streets, installing a traffi c signal construction of bicycle and pe- in the crowded area. on-campus education. Gulf Times Sunday, August 16, 2020 3 QATAR Ooredoo launches satellite voice and data services Company partners with Es’hailSat

oredoo yesterday an- Ooredoo chief operating offi cer, Qatar’s mobile work forces and nounced a partnership said: “Ooredoo is seeing a strong economic growth.” Owith Es’hailSat to deliver demand for satellite services L-band satellite services de- “next-generation” Inmarsat for mega-projects, specialised livered by Es’hailSat utilising L-band satellite voice and data industries and mission-critical Inmarsat satellites complement services that will enhance busi- situations. Thanks to our part- its existing portfolio of fi xed Ku QAC continues ness communications across nership with Es’hailSat, Oore- and Ka band services, and are Qatar and worldwide. doo continues to be Qatar’s designed to provide customers Ooredoo will off er “cutting- leading provider of satellite ergy exploration and drilling and dent & CEO of Es’hailSat, said: with the most fl exible and reli- edge” satellite services for services, with tailored plans that protecting critical national in- “Whether drilling for oil off - able access to satellite connec- its special off er customers in Qatar, including let businesses have robust voice frastructure. shore or working on mega- tivity services in the region. prepaid and postpaid global sat- and Internet when and where Satellite services are also ideal for projects in-land, Es’hailSat’s Business customers can lever- ellite voice services and satellite they need it anywhere around media agencies that are covering expertise in satellite commu- age the Ooredoo Advantage, mak- broadband plans, according to a the world.” stories in remote locations, includ- nication enables businesses of ing Ooredoo “Best for Business, on Mitsubishi press statement. In particular, Ooredoo is tar- ing international mega-events and all sizes and verticals to adopt thanks to its breadth and depth Business customers can also geting business customers in disaster areas, and for Qatar’s fast- satellite services for their mis- of talent, best fi xed and mobile turn their smartphones into sat- key industry verticals such as growing adventure travel sector for sion-critical operations. By networks, broadest portfolio of ellite phones and easily commu- government and public sector tour guides conducting desert safa- continuing our partnership with ICT services and solutions, and vehicle ACs nicate worldwide. for diplomats and international ris and other activities. Ooredoo, we are exchanging for being a trusted partner for 60 Yousuf Abdulla al-Kubaisi, relief agencies, oil and gas en- Ali Ahmed al-Kuwari, presi- global best practices to support years”, the statement adds. atar Automobiles Com- can enjoy real cooling and comfort pany (QC), the author- when driving a Mitsubishi.” Qised general distributor of Qatar Automobiles Company Mitsubishi Motors in Qatar, con- and Mitsubishi service centres tinues with its exclusive off er on provide premium maintenance Mitsubishi vehicles’ air-condi- services for all Mitsubishi ve- tioners (ACs), providing custom- hicles by highly skilled profes- ers with “ultimate cooling and sional staff who undergo regular comfort during the hot summer”. training, the statement notes. Mitsubishi service centres are Customers can book their serv- off ering free AC check-ups and ice appointment at QAC service free AC gas top-ups for all Mit- centres by phone or e-mail, sav- subishi vehicles, by professional ing time and eff ort. and expert technicians, QAC has The main QAC Mitsubishi said in a statement. service centre is located in the QAC general manager Hesham Industrial Area, Street 10, while AlSahn said, “As most people are other centres are located in Abu spending their summer vacations Hamour, Duhail and Wakrah. in Qatar, Qatar Automobiles Com- The centres welcome custom- pany is thrilled to present the best ers from Saturday to Wednesday, off ers to help their valued custom- 7am to 10pm, and on Thursdays ers maintain their vehicles in the from 7am to 5.30pm. best way. Due to the high tempera- The Al Khor service centre tures and the possibility of AC def- welcomes customers from Sat- icit, our exclusive off er comes to urday to Wednesday, 7am to assist customers in checking their 8pm, and on Thursdays from car AC and gas for free, so they 7am to 3.30pm.

PHCC continues to A floral wreath was laid at a portrait of Bangabandhu to pay tribute to the Father of the Nation. Present on the occasion were ambassador Ashud Ahmed and other off icials and guests. ensure well-being Bangladesh embassy observes of mothers, children he maternal and child Mujibur Rahman martyrdom health clinics at Primary THealth Care Corporation (PHCC) health centres are con- angladesh embassy in Messages delivered on the development in the comity of tinuing to operate uninterrupted Doha yesterday observed day by Bangladesh’s president, nations”. during the Covid-19 pandemic, Bthe 45th anniversary of prime minister, foreign minister He called upon all members with an emphasis on providing the martyrdom of Father of the and state minister for foreign of the Bangladeshi community health and wellness education. Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh aff airs were read out before the to uphold the image of Bang- Khawla al-Jaray, health educa- Mujibur Rahman and the Na- gathering. A self-composed ladesh in Qatar in line with the tor at the Madinat Khalifa Health tional Mourning Day. poem on Bangabandhu was re- government’s eff orts to turn the Centre, says the PHCC believes On the occasion, the national cited by the vice-principal of country into ‘Golden Bengal’. health education plays a signifi - fl ag was hoisted at half-mast. Bangladesh MHM School in A documentary titled Banga- cant role in enhancing the health Recitation of the Holy Qur’an Qatar. bandhu bojre tomar baje bashi of individuals and societies. This was done from early in the In his remarks, ambassador was screened to highlight the is in keeping with PHCC’s aim to morning seeking the salvation Ashud Ahmed paid homage life and work of Sheikh Mujibur provide enhanced preventative, of the departed souls of Banga- to the memory of Sheikh Mu- Rahman. A Milad and special health and wellness services in bandhu and his family mem- jibur Rahman whose historic prayer was held to “seek eter- the community, by focusing on bers who were killed on August leadership “ushered the Ben- nal salvation of all martyrs and empowering people to make in- Khawla al-Jaray 15, 1975, the embassy said in a gali nation to its long-cherished peace and prosperity of Bang- formed decisions for their health. statement. dream of independence”, the ladesh”. Supporting the country’s A fl oral wreath was laid at a statement noted. A good number of people “The PHCC’s option of healthcare system and the meas- portrait of Bangabandhu to pay He applauded the leadership representing diff erent profes- virtual services was ures taken to combat the Cov- tribute to the Father of the Na- of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasi- sions, political and community also popular with the id-19 pandemic, PHCC proac- tion for his great contribution na, daughter of Sheikh Mujibur organisations in Qatar partici- patients. When required, tively turned certain health to the independence of Bang- Rahman, “who has uplifted pated in the observance of the the teams would centres into dedicated Covid-19 The national flag was hoisted at half-mast on the occasion. ladesh. Bangladesh as the role model of National Mourning Day. organise appointments testing centres. However, at the and personal same, PHCC believed it was im- visits to patients at perative to continue services to advanced stages of ensure the well-being of mothers pregnancy, ultrasound and children, a press statement services and medical noted. New measures were in- tests. In addition, troduced to limit the number of MoPH reports 111,505 Covid recoveries vaccinations continued visitors to the health centres at uninterrupted” any given time, avoiding crowd- ing and minimising the chances QNA sive testing of suspected cases to avoid close contact with each “In fact, health education is of spreading infection. Doha has enabled the MoPH to iden- other, crowded places and con- a priority when it comes to pro- “The PHCC’s option of virtual tify a high number of positive fi ned closed spaces where other tection from diseases, which in services was also popular with cases in the community. people gather. “Now more than turn helps accomplish the ob- the patients. When required, he Ministry of Public Qatar has one of the low- ever, we must be careful and jectives of the health centres. the teams would organise ap- Health (MoPH) reported est Covid-19 death rates in the protect the most vulnerable.” PHCC has assigned qualifi ed pointments and personal visits Tyesterday 277 new con- world. While the restrictions of Cov- and experienced health educa- to patients at advanced stages of fi rmed cases of coronavirus This is due to: id-19 are gradually being lifted tors at the centres to help create pregnancy, ultrasound services (Covid-19) and 247 recover- zVery high quality of care in Qatar, it is important for eve- awareness among patients re- and medical tests. In addition, ies from the virus in the last 24 provided thorough the public ryone to play their role in con- garding various health issues. We vaccinations continued uninter- hours, bringing the total number healthcare sector for Covid-19 trolling the virus by following assist them in making the right rupted,” said al-Jaray. of people who have recovered so patients precautionary measures: decisions and fi nding solutions, The PHCC’s post-natal pro- far in Qatar to 111,505 cases. zQatar’s young population zAdherence to physical dis- providing them with essential gramme, meanwhile, helps as- It also announced the deaths zProactive testing to identify tancing health information, promoting sess the physical and mental of two patients aged 75 and 81 cases early zAvoid close contact with and supporting good health be- health of mothers, providing who were receiving the neces- zExpanding hospital capac- other people, crowded places haviour, amending or correcting them with support to help them sary medical care. ity, especially intensive care, to and confi ned closed spaces bad health attitudes and beliefs, through challenges that might The MoPH said all new cases ensure all patients receive the where other people congregate and building a healthy lifestyle,” aff ect their health during the have been transferred into isola- medical care they need zWearing a face mask she said. post-natal phase. This service tion and are receiving necessary zProtecting the elderly and zWashing hands regularly Prenatal services at the health is available only to new mothers healthcare. those with chronic diseases. zMost importantly, it is vital centres support women from giving natural birth at any Ha- The health ministry said “Even though restrictions are that we continue to protect the gestation through childbirth mad Medical Corporation ob- measures to tackle Covid-19 in being lifted, and numbers are de- elderly and those with chronic and include assessment, early stetric hospital, and who are reg- Qatar have succeeded in fl at- clining, this does not mean that the medical conditions detection of risk factors, refer- istered at PHCC health centres. tening the curve and limiting Covid-19 pandemic is over in Qatar zWhen spending time at home ral of high-risk cases to second- Additionally, health education the spread of the virus and the as people continue to be admitted with elderly family members or ary care, and stable and low-risk awareness services are provided number of new daily cases and with moderate to severe Covid-19 those with chronic diseases, en- cases to the hospital for follow to mothers with a special fo- hospital admissions is continu- symptoms,” the ministry said. rience a second wave of the virus happening in other countries sure you wash your hands regu- up, and assessment in week 34 cus on the role of breastfeeding ing to decline each week. “Unless we follow all precau- and see numbers increasing as around the world.” larly, wear a mask and maintain of pregnancy to ensure delivery and healthy nutrition to raise a Qatar’s proactive and exten- tionary measures, we may expe- there are already signs of this The MoPH has urged people social and physical distancing. with minimal risks. healthy child. Gulf Times 4 Sunday, August 16, 2020 QATAR

Qatar Lebanese express gratitude for Calendar House to Qatar’s swift and eff ective aid launch app QNA By Shafeeq Alingal Doha Staff Reporter atar Calendar House hukran Qatar (Thanks (QCH) is to launch its Qatar) slogans have fi lled Qapplication on smart- Sthe streets of Beirut, after phones at the beginning of the Qatar pledged to help the blast- new Hijri year, as part of its new hit Lebanon and aid began to be policy of developing its services fl own from Doha into the crisis- for the public. hit Middle East country. Eng. Faisal Mohamed al- “After the 2006 war, Qatar Ansari, Executive Director stood as the main contributor of Sheikh Abdullah Al Ansari to rebuild Lebanon. We remem- Complex, which includes QCH, ber Qatar’s generosity and the said that the “Qatari Calendar” Shukran Qatar slogans marked application will be available to our gratitude. The same slogan the public on Android and Apple is now back on our streets,” Ziad devices free of charge, starting Nassar, an activist of the Mint- Thursday, 1st Muharram 1442 eshreen Youth Movement, told AH. Gulf Times. Al-Ansari explained that the He expressed gratitude to application will embody the Qatar, as well as businesses and spirit and message of Qatar Cal- entrepreneurs for donating a endar House, as it provides ba- portion of their sales proceeds to sic information for the calendar help their Lebanese sisters and such as the times of entry of the brothers. zodiac, horoscopes and the star NGOs, youth movements and Ziad Nassar (in yellow vest) and other volunteers at an aid distribution centre in Beirut. of Suhail, sunrise and sunset rights groups in Lebanon have times and the expected astro- hailed Qatar’s “instant, eff ec- “Already hit by a political and sions where Qatar played a piv- Safety guidance is also given be- has also arrived in Beirut. elections,” he said and demand- nomical phenomena during the tive” aid for Lebanon, which has economic crisis, the blast has otal role in restoring peace and sides mental and emotional sup- Ziad said this help comes de- ed an international investigation year. been reeling under shortages aggravated the plight by causing political stability in his country. port through a clinic. spite Qatar having faced bitter into the explosion. The application also provides after the August 4 deadly ex- a big humanitarian disaster. Qa- Qatar has so far provided Qatar has sent a fully- political experience from some “The number of casualties as a service for determining the plosion that hit the Beirut port, tar’s help has come as a big relief $50mn in aid to Lebanon and is equipped team from the Qa- parties in Lebanon. well as the real size of the dam- direction of the Qiblah and the devastating surrounding areas. and at the right time,” he said. expected to unveil plans to help tari International Search and Alleging lack of transparency age remain unknown. But, what prayer times in Doha as well as They said Qatar’s generosity was Since the October Revolution of rebuild the devastated capital. Rescue Group and established on part of the Lebanese govern- we all know now is that the gov- both Makkah and Madinah, in “not surprising at all and memo- 2019 in Lebanon, the 28-year- The ‘Lebanon in Our Hearts’ two fi eld hospitals in Beirut. ment in spending funds, Ziad ernment was aware of the pres- addition to information about rable”. They have urged Qatar to old Qatar resident has been ac- fundraising campaign raised over Qatar Airways has launched an urged the international commu- ence of a ‘mini nuclear bomb’ hunting and agricultural sea- play a leading role in bringing an tive in Beirut taking part in pro- QR94mn, after Qatari citizens aid programme that has ena- nity to help the victims through in the middle of our capital. We sons. end to the long pending politi- tests and relief activities. and organisations joined hands to bled citizens and residents of NGOs and other support groups. paid the price for its laxity of The application will also in- cal chaos and help the youth put “No surprise to see Qatar in help Beirut blast victims. Qatar to donate essential sup- “The country is in dire need storing explosives in residential clude the dates of the offi cial pressure on the government to the forefront while it comes In order to help the blast vic- plies. On Thursday, two aircraft of help from the international areas,” he said, adding nothing holidays in the country and the work towards establishing a true to helping Lebanon. Qatar has tims, Minteshreen along with of the Amiri Air Force landed at community to minimise the but only an international inves- academic calendar for schools democratic state where justice always been there to support other organisations, has set up a Beirut’s Rafi c Hariri Interna- suff ering. Complete absence of tigation will shed light into the and universities. reigns. Lebanon whether politically Base Camp where stations sup- tional Airport with 44 tonnes Lebanese government in serv- facts. “Our government’s cre- The application will also The port explosions caused at or fi nancially when faced with ply food and tools and fi rst aid of medical and humanitarian ing on the ground and extending dentials are dubious. Countries provide various astronomical least 172 deaths, 6,000 injuries, hardships. Qatar has a penchant round-the-clock, all covered by aid. Another cargo plane carry- relief is beyond evident. We urge like Qatar can play a pivotal role calendar and Ramadan cal- $10-15bn in property damage, for extending relief to us. And volunteers and donations. The ing tonnes of relief aid, food and the international community to help us Lebanese achieve our endar (Imsakiah Ramadan) to and left an estimated 300,000 this legacy remains intact,” he group is helping clear and assess other essential items for those and Qatar to put pressure on the demands and take our country to be available to everyone at all people homeless. said, reminiscing several occa- the damage caused by the blast. aff ected by the Beirut explosion government to announce early a new era,” he said. time.

QCRI scientist speaks on epidemiological insights into Covid-19

r Halima Bensmail, principal scientist and as- sociate professor, Qatar Computing Research DInstitute (QCRI), part of Hamad Bin Khalifa University, has delivered a talk titled ‘Toward a Suc- cessful Reopening of the Economy: Epidemiological Insights SPECS’. The talk was part of a webinar hosted by the Texas Tech University (TTU) Obesity Research Institute (ORI). Using the SEIR (Susceptible, Exposed, Infectious, Recovered) model, Dr Halima discussed the diff er- Dr Halima Bensmail ent non-pharmaceutical mechanisms of Covid-19 intervention and their ef- fi cacy in containing the disease. She explained the relation between mobil- ity, reproduction number and other factors that in- fl uence the rate of trans- mission.

Dr Halima’s presentation illustrated how epidemiological data helps in creating a strategy for economic reopening and the gradual easing of mobility aft er the Covid-19 restrictions

She also highlighted the signifi cance of ac- counting for unreported or asymptomatic cases in implementing measures for controlling the spread of disease. Since the early stages of the pandemic, SEIR models have been an es- sential instrument in the strategic implementa- tion of preventive meas- ures against Covid-19. As governments start opening their econo- mies, public safety re- mains the top consid- eration, along with the prevention of possible medical relapse. Dr Halima’s presenta- tion illustrated how epi- demiological data helps in creating a strategy for economic reopening and the gradual easing of mo- bility after the Covid-19 restrictions. For more information on QCRI, one can visit qcri.hbku.edu.qa Gulf Times Sunday, August 16, 2020 5 QATAR/ARAB WORLD DHFC partners with EAA for ‘Protecting Education’ campaign z Qatar residents will have the opportunity to give back to the community, where shoppers at the mall can help send underprivileged children back to school, by donating while shopping Medical aid for Lebanese Red Cross. nder the umbrella of Qa- tar Unites Us, an ongoing UCSR initiative, Doha Fes- tival City (DHFC) has announced QRCS repairs damaged homes, a collaboration with Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, wherein EAA envisions bringing off ers medical aid for Beirut hope and real opportunity to the lives of impoverished and mar- ginalised children, youth and he immediate response women. by Qatar Red Crescent “Doha Festival City is com- TSociety (QRCS) to the mitted to social responsibility, Beirut port explosion is going and has always thrived to take an on in co-operation with the active part in promoting major Lebanese Red Cross, under the causes eff ecting the community. ‘Lebanon in Our Hearts’ cam- This year, the ‘Back to School’ paign co-launched by QRCS initiative will support Education and Qatar Charity under the Above All Foundation’s ‘Pro- supervision of the Regulatory tecting Education’ campaign,” Authority for Charitable Ac- DHFC said in a statement. tivities (Raca). Through this partnership, QRCS’ relief groups are re- Qatar residents will have the pairing homes damaged by the opportunity to give back to the explosion, using the shelter kits community, where shoppers sent from Qatar as humanitar- at the mall can help send un- ian aid for Beirut. derprivileged children back to This year, DHFC’s ‘Back to School’ initiative will support Education Above All Foundation’s ‘Protecting On the fi rst day, 25 homes school, by donating while shop- Education’ campaign. were repaired as part of 500 Repair of damaged homes. ping for their favourite brands. houses planned to be repaired Doha Festival City is running go-to destination, bringing to- the importance of education, not ness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. within seven to 10 days. its ‘Back to School’ off ers un- gether Landmark Group’s core just for providing a better life to The ‘Protecting Education’ By repairing the doors and til September 9, during which retail brands, including Max, a child but also towards the eco- campaign aims to garner global windows, the aff ected families major retailers will be releasing off ering value fashion and foot- nomic development of a country advocacy to ensure accountabil- will be able to return to their their latest collection of school wear, and Home Centre off ering and globally. We hope that Doha ity for the continued, deliberate homes soon. supplies, ranging from clothing a complete home experience. Festival City will continue to be attacks on education and the Further repairs will be done through to all school essentials. “Get your hands on amazing the destination of choice for our prevalent armed violence expe- at later stages, thus alleviating With a host of major brands stationary and acrylic storage Community and will support us rienced by children worldwide. the economic, health and men- assisting in support of the ‘Back products by Japanese retail store in this notable cause.” DHFC’s opening hours are tal impact on the population to School’ collaboration with Muji, who are also participating Mubarak al-Thani, Commu- from Saturday to Wednesday, and meeting their needs, QRCS EAA Foundation, visitors can in the campaign.” nication manager and head of 10am to 10pm, and from Thurs- has said in a statement. now “do the right thing by do- Further, shoppers can donate Advocacy at EAA Foundation, day to Friday, 10am to 11pm. At the same time, the fi rst nating to protect education”, the directly to the EAA Foundation said: “We appreciate the eff orts In line with the preventive batch of medical supplies was statement notes. through the donation box placed of Doha Festival City and its sup- measures set out by the au- delivered by the QRCS repre- Among the participating at a strategic location in the mall port for the ‘Protecting Educa- thorities, DHFC has introduced sentation mission in Lebanon brands are Old Navy and Cen- by West Court 2, throughout tion’ campaign. The donations stringent health and safety to the ambulance workers of trepoint brands, including Home August and September. will contribute to our mission to measures throughout the mall Lebanese Red Cross at Martyrs’ supplies and family hygiene tion over the coming period of Centre and Max, where people Robert Hall, general manager provide quality education op- for its staff and visitors. This in- Square, central Beirut, includ- kits. time, QRCS welcomes dona- can shop and do their bit to help of Doha Festival City, said: “We portunities to the impoverished cludes a thorough mall disinfec- ing 70,000 masks, face shields, These activities cover Zone tions from the people of Qatar marginalised children get qual- are delighted to collaborate with and marginalised, in order to en- tion treatment on a weekly basis, gloves and sanitisers. 2 (Martyrs’ Square), Zone 23 via the website (www.qrcs. ity education. “Visit Old Navy, Education Above All Foundation able them to exercise their basic robust cleaning and sanitisation Apart from the repair of (Gemmayzeh) and Zones 6-11 org.qa), donor service line American essentials accessible and support them in their eff orts right to education and give them operations during mall trad- damaged homes, an early re- (Karantina) in the proximity (66666364), home collector to every family, and enjoy great to provide access to education a better chance to build their ing hours and 127 hand sanitis- covery plan is in progress to of the Beirut harbour. service (33998898) or Raca- new products in the store to cel- for children and youth in areas future.” The EAA Foundation is ing stations installed in the ar- provide medical and ambu- To continue undertaking licensed donation collectors ebrate the season,” the statement aff ected by poverty, confl ict and a global education foundation eas that have commonly touched lance aid, fresh meals, food the humanitarian interven- at malls and shopping centres. continued. “Centrepoint is your disaster. We are fully aware of established in 2012 by Her High- surfaces. Auto Class Cars presents summer US calls for credible off er on MG SUV range probe into Beirut blast uto Class Cars, the au- thorised distributor of AMG in Qatar, presents Reuters the new summer off er on the Beirut SUV range of MG. The off er allows new buyers to leverage from a wide range of he United States called benefi ts and own their favour- yesterday for a trans- ite cars with monthly instal- Tparent and credible in- ments, the company has said in vestigation into the massive a statement. port blast in Beirut and said the Running until August 31, the country would only get fi nancial off er is valid on the MG RX8, support when Lebanese leaders RX5, HS and ZS. Customers can commit to reforms. now visit Auto Class Cars on The Aug 4 blast, which the au- Salwa Road or check the MG thorities say was caused by more Qatar website to buy any of than 2,000 tonnes of ammonium these SUVs. nitrate that had been unsafely The vehicles are available at stored at the port for years, killed starting monthly instalments 178 people, injured 6,000 and of QR999, or a grace period of left 300,000 homeless. three months. Buyers can ben- “We can never go back to an efi t from a package of added era in which anything goes at features, including free car reg- the port or the borders of Leba- US Under Secretary of State for Political Aff airs David Hale and US istration and comprehensive non that had to contribute to ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea visit the site of a insurance for one year, six-year this situation,” said David Hale, massive explosion at Beirut’s port, yesterday. warranty/200,000km (which- US Under-Secretary of State for ever comes fi rst) and free serv- Political Aff airs, after visiting was negligence, an accident or in an investigation would serve ice for two years/30,000km the port. “external interference”. the same purpose. (whichever comes fi rst). He added that FBI agents “They won’t do a thing in The explosion has pitched Any of these vehicles can would be arriving this weekend, an investigation and the whole Lebanon into a new political be purchased with no down- at the invitation of Lebanon, to world knows that,” said painter vacuum since the resignation payment and with the option of help investigate what led to the Mohamed Khodr, as he helped of the government, which had in-house fi nancing with a spe- introduces MG Motor to a seg- try level standard or mid-range which consist of 21 individual explosion. repair a restaurant damaged in formed in January with backing cial rate interest through NBK ment it has previously never COM models. The more pow- LEDs that light up sequentially. The blast has fuelled anger at the blast. of Hezbollah and its allies, in- Financial Services, subject to been present in. The RX8 is erful 2.0T power plant is mated The MG ZS is the perfect Lebanon’s ruling politicians who The Hezbollah said on Friday cluding Aoun. terms and conditions. a fully equipped 4x4 with six to a 6-speed automatic gearbox option for buyers seeking a were already facing criticism it would wait for results of the Lebanon’s most senior Chris- Hesham AlSahn, general driving modes. Its strong truck and is off ered for either COM good-looking, well-equipped, over a fi nancial meltdown that offi cial Lebanese investigation tian cleric said the Lebanese manager of Auto Class Cars, chassis frame is capable of or top-of-the-range LUX trim well-built car at a sensible has sunk the currency, demol- into the blast. people had run out of patience said: “We are thrilled to launch handling the toughest off -road levels, with the latter featuring price. A distinctive grille, in- ished the value of savings and But if it turns out to be an act with ruling politicians. this special off er on our amaz- terrains, and is powered by an All-Wheel Drive. creased MG branding and a left depositors unable to with- of sabotage by neighbouring Is- In his strongest intervention ing SUVs. MG enthusiasts can effi cient 220hp 2.0-litre turbo Off ering a 231hp 2.0L Turbo delicate front end give the draw their money. rael then it would “pay an equal since the blast, Maronite Patri- now buy their favourite car at engine. engine mated to a 6-speed dual car a refined look that carries “When we see Lebanese lead- price”, Hezbollah leader Sayyed arch Bechara Boutros al-Rai said special monthly instalments The new MG RX5 will ap- clutch gearbox, Super Sport through its sweeping corners ers committed to real change, Hassan Nasrallah said in a tel- the church reserved the right to and leverage from a wide range peal to a range of customers button, bucket racing seats to the robust rear end. The ZS change in word and deed, Amer- evised address. veto any proposals that further of benefi ts that will reduce the in Qatar, especially younger and red racing calipers, the all- is available in NSE Major 1.3L ica and its international partners Israel has denied any role in jeopardise Lebanon. cost of service in the medium buyers looking for value for new HS brings MG’s celebrated Turbo engine or 1.5L engine, will respond to systemic reforms the explosion. The United Nations launched or long term. Auto Class Cars money in a stylish, technologi- sporting heritage to a state-of- giving it unrivalled fuel effi- with sustained fi nancial sup- Nasrallah said his group was a $565mn aid appeal on Friday. will stay committed to the local cally advanced package that al- the-art SUV. The sporty look ciency for its class. port,” Hale said. against an international inves- Priorities included stabilising community and off er best deals lows them to stand out from of the MG HS combines soft The MG line-up of cars is “The popular demand for real tigation because its fi rst purpose the grain supply, UN humanitar- that refl ect the strong relations the crowd. Equipped with a curves with the sleek lines that available at the Auto Class Cars change could not be clearer.” would be to “distance Israel from ian co-ordinator Najat Rochdi with our valued customers.” 1.5T petrol engine or 2.0L and fl ow from the bonnet and down showroom on Salwa Road. The President Michel Aoun has any responsibility for this explo- said yesterday, after the explo- A robust and spacious SUV, 7-speed automatic gearbox, the side before rising at the rear showroom opens from Satur- said a probe will look into sion, if it had responsibility”. He sion destroyed Lebanon’s only the new seven-seater MG RX8 the MG RX5 is available as en- to sweep over the rear lights, day to Thursday, 8am to 9pm. whether the cause of the blast said the participation of the FBI port-based grain silo. Gulf Times 6 Sunday, August 16, 2020 AMERICAS Report: Pentagon forming UFO commission

DPA task force is being headed by Dobbs’s programme on August 4 documents to the public?” In June, the Senate Intelligence might actually be better than the “I’m glad the Pentagon is fi - New York Deputy Secretary of Defence for a chat where the host derided The president’s response left Committee asked the Pentagon fact that we’ve seen some sort of nally releasing this footage, but it David Norquist and will be an- “The Deep State”, then asked Dobbs giggling with glee. to take a look at recent videos of technological leap on behalf of only scratches the surface of re- nounced soon. Trump about unidentifi ed fl ying “Well, I think probably in this US aircraft having run-ins with the Chinese or the Russians or search and materials available;” week after President Don- Other entities with sway in objects (UFOs). country, you are the UFO expert, foreign objects, then tell the pub- some other adversary,” the Re- the retired Nevada lawmaker ald Trump told Fox Busi- Washington, DC – arguably more “Actually a lot of my friends so I’m going to be totally guided lic what’s going on. publican senator said. tweeted. “The US needs to take a Aness host Lou Dobbs that so than Dobbs – have recently are very concerned about what by the great Lou Dobbs and I will Committee chairman Marco Former Democratic senator serious, scientifi c look at this and he would follow the conspiracy pushed for the nation’s intel- the federal government is doing tell you that I will do whatever Rubio told WFOR-TV last month Harry Reid praised the Pentagon any potential national security theory-peddling host’s lead on ligence apparatus to address the when it comes to UFOs,” Dobbs you ask me to do, including total that knowing what’s in the sky in April for releasing aerial video implications. The American peo- investigating UFOs, CNN is re- topic as well, but it never hurts said. “So if I could just ask you, transparency,” Trump answered. where US military exercises are footage that helped pique curi- ple deserve to be informed.” porting that the Pentagon is to ask when you have a Trump- are we going to commit, are you It isn’t just right-wing talk taking place is a good idea. osity about “unidentifi ed aerial The Pentagon has not com- forming a UFO task force. friendly cable talk show. going to commit more resources shows who want to know what’s “Frankly, if it’s something phenomena” observed by the US mented on the alleged formation According to that report, the The president appeared on to exploring UFOs and open the fl ying around over the country. from outside this planet, that Navy. of a UFO task force.

Asylum-seekers on virus frontlines to get USPS watchdog to Canada residency

AFP risk. And we are grateful for Montreal their service, for their sacri- fi ce. And for their instinct to put the needs of community probe service woes anada is to off er perma- ahead of all else,” he said. nent residency to asy- In May, Prime Minister Reuters standards and recommended Clum-seekers who put Justin Trudeau promised to Washington timelines,” USPS spokeswoman themselves at risk to care for consider a regularisation pro- Martha Johnson said. coronavirus patients, Immi- gramme for people doing “he- Election offi cials are bracing gration Minister Marco Men- roic work” in the midst of the he US Postal Service for a deluge of mail ballots as dicino said on Friday. pandemic. (USPS)’s internal watch- many states have made it easier to The coronavirus causes the The head of Quebec’s pro- Tdog is investigating cost vote by mail to address concerns deadly Covid-19 respiratory vincial government Francois cutting that has slowed delivery about public gatherings during disease. Legault called them “guardian and alarmed lawmakers ahead the coronavirus pandemic. They will be able to apply angels”. of a presidential election when Republican President Donald for residency for themselves The majority of the asylum- up to half of US voters could cast Trump said on Thursday that he and their families if they had seekers work in Quebec, the ballots by mail, a congressional opposes additional funding to submitted their application Canadian region worst hit by aide said on Friday. make mail voting easier. by March 2020, even if their the pandemic, with close to The postal service’s inspector- Trump, who is trailing Demo- demand had already been re- 61,000 cases of Covid-19 and general also will examine possi- cratic rival Joe Biden in opinion jected. 5,715 deaths. ble confl icts of interest involving polls, has said without evidence The measure will apply to Those numbers are roughly new Postmaster-General Louis that widespread mail voting asylum-seekers who have half of all infections and deaths DeJoy, who has donated $2.7mn could lead to fraud. helped directly care for the in Canada, which nationwide to President Donald Trump and However, public records show sick in a health clinic, a nursing has recorded 121,000 cases his fellow Republicans, accord- he has requested mail ballots for home or a household, Mendi- with 9,050 fatalities. ing to Saloni Sharma, a spokes- himself and his wife Melania be- cino told a news conference. Nursing homes accounted woman for Democratic Senator fore Florida’s Tuesday primary “As these individuals face for more than 80% of corona- Elizabeth Warren, who requested election. an uncertain future in Cana- virus-related deaths in Cana- the investigation. Evidence has shown that mail da, the current circumstances da. DeJoy owns millions of dollars voting is as secure as any other merit exceptional measures, Nationwide, the new meas- in stock in USPS competitors and method. in recognition of their excep- ure is expected to aff ect at most customers, according to a fi nan- Biden and other Democrats say tional service during the pan- 1,000 people, lawyers for the cial disclosure form fi led by his Trump is trying to interfere with demic,” Mendicino said. asylum-seekers told Radio- wife. the election. “They put themselves at Canada on Friday. The Inspector-General’s Of- Former Democratic president fi ce is “conducting a body of Barack Obama said he was wor- work to address concerns raised”, ried that Trump was trying to The door of Postmaster-General Louis DeJoy’s condo building in Washington is seen stuff ed with mock spokeswoman Agapi Doulaveris “kneecap” the postal service. mail-in ballots during a protest against changes in the postal service. said. The issue has taken on added The investigation comes as the urgency in recent weeks as cost- USPS spokesperson Rod Spur- other states with tight deadlines Mail that will occur because of Latin America’s virus postal service is warning states cutting measures put in place geon said that the service would have so far not pushed them the pandemic”. that there is “signifi cant risk” by DeJoy have led to widespread stop the removal of mail collec- back. In past elections the postal voters will not have enough time mail delays. tion boxes in 16 states and parts Pennsylvania’s secretary of service has given priority to all caseload exceeds 6mn to complete and return their bal- The measures have included of two others until after the elec- state asked the state Supreme political and election mail, no lots. removal of letter collection boxes tion, CNN reported. Court to allow ballots to be matter the postage rate, accord- The USPS late on Friday re- in some states. The postal service has issued counted if they are received up to ing to workers and the service’s Reuters The Pan American Health leased letters that it had sent Democratic congressional warning to some states that al- three days after the November 3 internal watchdog. Santiago Organisation, the regional arm to 46 states and the District of leaders and committee leaders lowing voters to only request bal- election, rather than on Election “If this letter aims to back- of the World Health Organi- Columbia, after the Washington sent a letter to Dejoy on Friday lots less than one week before the Day. track on that collaboration or sation (WHO), warned this Post reported earlier on the ex- demanding an explanation for election does not leave enough The USPS’s top lawyer, Tho- the promise of prioritisation of oronavirus cases in Lat- month of an increase in other tent of the warnings. changes he is making at postal time to print the ballot, mail it mas Marshall, also encour- election mail, that would be very in America, the region diseases due to the saturation The warning highlighted the facilities. to the voter, and have the ballot aged election offi cials to use its concerning,” said Tracy Wim- Cof the world worst- of health services and the sus- possibility that a meaningful Arizona Secretary of State Ka- returned. fi rst-class mail service to ensure mer, a spokeswoman for the aff ected by the pandemic, pension of routine vaccination number of mail votes in the No- tie Hobbs, a Democrat, said on Half of the states allow vot- prompt delivery, rather than the Michigan Department of State, exceeded 6mn on Friday and campaigns as a result of the vember 3 presidential election Friday that the changes could ers to request an absentee ballot cheaper and slower bulk-mail which oversees elections. continued to accelerate, ac- pandemic. might go uncounted if they are violate state laws against election within seven days of an election. rate. Roughly 0.25% of mail ballots cording to a Reuters tally, as The International Monetary returned too late. tampering. The USPS recommends that Marshall told Congress in a were rejected in 2016 because most of its nations begin to re- Fund predicted in June that the “State and local election of- She called for a criminal inves- mail ballots should be completed letter released on Friday that “we they arrived too late, according to lax lockdown measures. regional economy would con- fi cials must understand and take tigation. and sent in by that point. have ample capacity to handle the US Election Assistance Com- The coronavirus causes the tract 9.4% this year. into account our operational In a statement on Friday night, Ohio, Michigan and several the increased volume of Election mission. Covid-19 respiratory disease. The region’s worst-aff ected The region, which has re- country is Brazil, which has the ported an average of more most cases in the world after than 86,000 daily infections the United States, and 15% of of the new coronavirus in world’s total. the last seven days and more Peru and Chile also have the Trump visits brother at hospital than 2,600 Covid-19 deaths, highest caseloads and number reached 6,000,005 confi rmed of deaths in the world per cases by Friday evening and 100,000 inhabitants, of coun- AFP US media reports say the pres- tion of a book by his niece Mary 237,360 deaths. tries with more than 100,000 New York ident’s brother is seriously ill, al- Trump, called Too Much and That accounts for just under cases. though there were no details. Never Enough: How My Family one-third of the world’s total The region’s climb from 5mn Trump, who was stopping in Created the World’s Most Dan- case load and a similar share of to 6mn cases took 11 days, one S President Donald New York on the way to his golf gerous Man. reported deaths from the pan- day less than it took to reach Trump has visited his club in nearby Bedminster, New The book, which paints Donald demic. the previous million. Uyounger brother Robert Jersey for the weekend, told re- Trump as the product of a “toxic” at a hospital in New York, where porters only that “he’s having a family was a “disgrace”, Robert he is being treated for an undis- hard time”. Trump said. closed illness. While far less famous than his Although a temporary re- The US leader, who was wear- older brother, Robert Trump has straining order was applied, a ing a face mask upon arriving at long been an integral part of the judge lifted this in July. Venezuela jails 15 New York-Presbyterian Hospi- family real estate empire and is At a press conference, Presi- tal, entered through a back door fi ercely loyal to the president. dent Trump called his brother and stayed about 45 minutes, ac- Robert Trump unsuccessfully “wonderful” and said they have over kidnap plot cording to an AFP reporter cov- went to court to try and get an “had a great relationship for a Trump arriving at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital to see his ering the trip. injunction preventing publica- long time, from day one”. brother. DPA turned against Maduro. Bogota Two US citizens had already Largest New York City police union backs Trump Judge dismisses NRA lawsuit against governor been sentenced to 20 years each for what the government New York City’s biggest police union has back to our country,” said Trump, who A federal judge has dismissed a National provide any specific facts to support its ifteen people have been says were incursions aimed at backed President Donald Trump’s bid for re- said Joe Biden will make the country more Rifle Association (NRA) lawsuit filed against assertion of injury-in-fact”. sentenced to 24 years taking Maduro to the United election, as Trump slammed a “a left-wing dangerous. Governor Andrew Cuomo for shuttering The suit was the second of its kind tossed Fin prison each for in- States and installing a “puppet war on cops”. “No one will be safe in Biden’s America ... gun stores during the pandemic. out by a federal judge in recent weeks. volvement in a plot to kidnap government”. “We need your strong voice across they’re ruining your suburbs, they want to US District Court Judge Mae D’Agostino “It’s no surprise that yet another frivolous Venezuelan President Nicolas Several armed groups had the country,” said Police Benevolent ruin it,” he said. ruled the gun lobby group failed to prove suit by the NRA has been laughed out of Maduro, the country’s attor- entered Venezuela from Co- Association (PBA) president Patrick Lynch. Trump also said Mayor Bill de Blasio has that fielding questions from members court,” said senior Cuomo adviser Rich ney-general, Tarek William lombia, according to offi cial Lynch and Trump spoke before a crowd “launched a real crusade against the following the state’s decision to close gun Azzopardi. “Their brand of destructive Saab, said on Friday. sources. at Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New police”. shops caused a “perceptible impairment”. political games are bad enough in normal “They all form part of a At least eight people were Jersey, attended by PBA leaders wearing Trump also said he believes he can win New New York closed down most businesses times and are completely beyond the pale group of soldiers and police killed in fi ghting with security red MAGA (Make America Great Again) York state, which would give him 29 votes back in March as the state became the during the pandemic.” offi cers who received train- forces, while dozens were ar- hats. in the Electoral College. epicentre of the outbreak in the US. Attorney-General Letitia James’s off ice, ing from US citizens in Co- rested. Lynch said it was the first time in his “We’re going to give New York a real shot,” Only “essential” stores, such as pharmacies which defended the state in the case, filed a lombian territory, and went in Saab said arrest warrants memory that the PBA had endorsed a Trump said. “I think we have a real chance and grocery stores, remained open. motion to dissolve the NRA last week. speedboats with war material have been issued for dozens presidential candidate. is winning New York.” The NRA claimed in its suit, filed in the Following an 18-month investigation, James to Venezuelan coasts on May more people. “That’s how important this is,” he said to Biden led Trump 57-32 – a margin of 25 Northern District, that by not deeming found evidence that the gun-rights group is 1,” the attorney-general said on Maduro earlier accused US applause from the crowd. “Mr President, points – in a Siena poll of New York state gun shops, weapon distributors and “fraught with fraud and abuse”. television and on Twitter. President Donald Trump and we are fighting for our lives out there ... you voters taken in June. shooting ranges “essential” businesses, the In her suit against the organisation, James He said the leader of the Secretary of State Mike Pom- earned this endorsement, and I’m proud to The PBA – the largest of the city’s police state violated the Second, Fifth and 14th alleges that top off icials used charitable group was Antonio Jose Se- peo of involvement in a foiled give it.” unions – says it represents 50,000 current amendments. funds for personal gain and defrauding quea Torres, a former national coup against him, but Wash- “We have to bring order back to our cities, and retired cops. D’Agostino ruled that the NRA failed “to members. guardsman who reportedly ington denied responsibility. Gulf Times Sunday, August 16, 2020 7 ASIA/AUSTRALASIA

Philippine security forces ‘alert’ for reprisals after militant held

AFP eigners. Abduljihad Susukan, United States as a terrorist or- spond to any reprisal attack,” gen Kantner, who was abducted ties said Susukan had gone to in 2013 that left more than 200 Manila a member of Abu Sayyaf, was ganisation, Abu Sayyaf is a loose police spokesman Brigadier- from his yacht off the southern Davao, near where the Canadi- people dead. detained in the southern city of network of militants blamed for General Bernard Banac said. Philippines the previous year, ans were abducted, to get a pros- Despite the charges, Misuari Davao and fl own to the capital the country’s worst terror at- The Philippine military said said military spokesman Briga- thetic arm after losing one in a has government permission to live hilippine security forces Manila on Friday, where he was tacks as well as kidnappings of Susukan was behind the April dier-General Edgard Arevalo. clash with security forces. at his home and travel. President were on alert yesterday being held at the national police foreign tourists and Christian 2016 beheadings of Canadian “There is a strong possibility” Police said they found him Rodrigo Duterte enlisted Misuari’s Pfor possible reprisal at- headquarters. missionaries. tourists Robert Hall and John that Susukan was also behind in the home of rebel leader Nur help last year to negotiate peace tacks after arresting a key leader He has been charged with 23 “The Philippine National Po- Ridsdel, after Manila and Ot- the 2015 beheading of Malaysian Misuari, who is awaiting trial with various armed groups in the of an Islamic State-linked mili- murders, fi ve kidnappings and lice along with the Armed Forces tawa rejected the kidnappers’ hostage Bernard Then, who was for an attack carried out by hun- country’s troubled south as well tant group accused of kidnap- six attempted murders, a police of the Philippines remain alert ransom demands. In 2017 Susu- abducted in Malaysia’s Sabah dreds of his armed followers on as to help negotiate the release of ping and beheading several for- statement said. Listed by the and vigilant to prevent and re- kan’s group also beheaded Jur- state, Arevalo said. The authori- the southern city of Zamboanga Abu Sayyaf hostages. Abe pledges not to repeat war Japanese Prime Minister as National Liberation Day, re- Shinzo Abe was sent Japan’s 1910-1945 coloni- speaking on the 75th sation of the peninsula. anniversary of Japan’s China has bitter memories World War Two surrender of imperial troops’ invasion and occupation of parts of the Reuters country from 1931 to 1945. Tokyo/Seoul “We must learn from history, let history be a warning for the future, and show that we are apanese Prime Minister prepared to fi ght in the event Members of pro-US conservative right-wing and religious groups wave flags and shout slogans during an Shinzo Abe, speaking on of a war”, said a commentary anti-government rally in the central Gwanghwamun area of Seoul, yesterday. Jthe 75th anniversary of Ja- by the offi cial newspaper of pan’s World War Two surren- China’s military, the People’s der, pledged never to repeat the Liberation Army. tragedy of war and Emperor Japan’s ties with South Korea Naruhito expressed “deep re- especially are strained by a dis- Protest as Seoul scrambles morse” over the wartime past, pute over compensation for Ko- which still haunts East Asia. reans forced to work in Japan’s “Never to repeat the tragedy wartime mines and factories. of war. We will continue to re- “The door for negotiation is to curb virus resurgence main committed to this reso- still widely open,” Moon said in lute pledge,” said Abe, wearing a speech in Seoul. a face mask at an offi cial cer- Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe makes a speech during a Relations are also strained Reuters groups protesting against Presi- came into contact with the emony for war dead yesterday memorial service marking the 75th anniversary of Japan’s surrender over “comfort women”, as wom- Seoul dent Moon’s recent real estate churchgoers. The authorities that was scaled back because of in World War II at the Nippon Budokan hall in Tokyo, yesterday. en, many Korean, made to work market policy and a series of sex are testing 4,000 members of the Covid-19 outbreak. in Japanese military brothels are scandals involving leaders of his the church, Health Minister Abe, who did not echo a message that Abe “paid his signs seeking to maintain social euphemistically known. spike in new coronavi- administration. Park Neung-hoo told a brief- Naruhito’s reference to re- respects from the heart to the distance. Consensus over the war re- rus cases in South Korea LIBERATION DAY ing.The authorities decided morse, sent a ritual off ering to war dead and prayed for the rest Many people stood in long mains elusive within Japan, Ahas prompted authori- The protests, with some car- to upgrade the social distanc- Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine for and permanent peace of their queues for hours, holding par- where more than 80% of people ties to reimpose tighter social rying placards reading “Expel ing guidelines to second stage war dead. souls.” asols to block the sun in heat were born after the confl ict’s distancing curbs in Seoul, but Moon Jae-in”, coincided with the for Seoul and nearby Gyeong- But he avoided a personal Abe has not gone to Yasukuni over 35 degrees Celsius. end. that didn’t stop thousands of National Liberation Day from Ja- gi province, Prime Minister visit that would anger China in person since a December “I earnestly hope that the Abe has said future genera- demonstrators from protesting pan’s 1910-1945 colonisation of Chung Sye-kyun told a meet- and South Korea. 2013 visit that outraged China ravages of war will never again tions should not have to keep against President Moon Jae-in’s the peninsula. ing yesterday. South Korean President and South Korea, but has sent be repeated,” Naruhito, 60, said apologising for mistakes of the policies. South Korea used invasive “We are facing a desperately Moon Jae-in said in a speech off erings. at the offi cial ceremony after past. For the second day in a row tracing and widespread test- dangerous situation that could Seoul was always ready to dis- Environment Minister Shin- bowing together with Empress One visitor to Yasukuni, in over four months, the coun- ing to contain its first outbreak lead to another wave of epi- cuss history disputes with To- jiro Koizumi, 39, often fl oated Masako before an altar in front Nobuko Watanabe, 51, said she try has reported a sudden jump of the novel coronavirus, but demics if we cannot overcome kyo. as a future premier, was among of a bank of fl owers. Both royals understood why Koreans would in locally transmitted cases, the Asia’s fourth-largest econo- this crisis,” said Chung. At least four Japanese cabinet the ministers who visited the also wore face masks. resent visits there but added Korea Centres for Disease Con- my has experienced persist- Health authorities had cat- ministers paid their respects in shrine on the emotive anniver- The grandson of Emperor ties could improve. “When trol and Prevention (KCDC) said. ent outbreaks in recent weeks, egorised social distancing rules person at Yasukuni, which hon- sary. Hirohito in whose name Im- people talk to each other one- The KCDC reported 166 new mostly in the densely populat- in three stages — stage 1 being ours 14 Japanese wartime lead- South Korea’s foreign minis- perial troops fought the war, on-one...we are able to com- cases as of Friday, of which 155 ed capital area. the least intense and stage 3 the ers convicted as war criminals try spokesman expressed “deep Naruhito is Japan’s fi rst mon- municate and open our hearts were domestic, prompting au- The new cases took South toughest, where schools and by an Allied tribunal, as well as disappointment and concern” arch born after the war. to each other.” Fewer than 600 thorities to re-introduce anti- Korea’s tally to 15,039 with 305 businesses are urged to close. Japan’s war dead. over the ministers’ visit and He ascended the throne last people, including relatives of virus measures as they worried deaths by Friday midnight. Second stage limits indoor The shrine is seen by Beijing said Japan’s leaders must show year after his father, Akihito, war dead, took part in yester- about the spectre of a fresh wave The recent spike in infec- gatherings to below 50 and out- and Seoul as a symbol of Japan’s their “deep remorse through abdicated. day’s state-sponsored ceremo- of the disease. tions are emerging in multi- door gatherings to below 100, past military aggression. action”. Thousands of men and The United States and Japan ny, down from more than 6,000 The tougher rules come as ple clusters, including church and bans spectators in sports Shuichi Takatori, a member women braved scorching heat have become staunch security last year. thousands staged demonstra- gatherings and restaurants. matches, disappointing fans who of Abe’s ruling Liberal Demo- amid the Covid-19 pandemic to allies in the decades since the Seats were spaced out and a tions in downtown Seoul, de- Over 100 infections were had just gone back into baseball cratic Party, told reporters he pay their respects at Yasukuni, war’s end but its legacy still musical performance replaced spite a ban on rallies in the capi- linked to members of a Seoul and soccer stadiums after a fi ve- made the off ering on behalf of where queues quickly became haunts East Asia. the singing of the national an- tal city, with some conservative church alone and those who week delay to the season. Abe as party leader, delivering congested, despite markers and Koreans, who mark the date them.

LEGAL Death sentence of Myanmar men Thai student activist released on bail China eatery apologises commuted in Brit murder case Reuters Parit told reporters at the court that for weighing customers Bangkok he had been ordered not to re-off end as a Two Myanmar migrant workers on condition of his bail, but that the director- death row for the brutal murder general of the court had agreed that he AFP cording to a report by the state- of a pair of British backpackers in Thai student activist vowed yester- could take part in a major protest planned Beijing run China News Service. Thailand have had their sentences day to continue to protest against for today. President Xi Jinping this week commuted to life imprisonment Athe government and demand re- “My arrest must not be wasted, people urged the nation to stop wasting following a mass royal pardon. form of the monarchy after being detained must talk more publicly about the mon- restaurant in China has food, as the coronavirus pandem- The men’s lawyer Nadthasiri overnight on charges related to a demon- archy,” Parit said after reciting a 10-point apologised for its contro- ic and serious fl ooding last month Bergman said the pardon decree stration last month and released on bail. call for monarchy reform issued earlier Aversial policy of asking have led to a rise in food prices. — which was published Friday and Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, 22, was ar- this week by one of the student group. “We diners to weigh themselves before In response, regional cater- applies to all inmates on death rested on Friday and charged with breach- have lifted the ceiling, there is no lowering entry in an overzealous response ing groups have urged customers row — was “eff ective immedi- ing internal security rules and breaking it now.” to a new national campaign to order one dish fewer than the ately”. Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun regulations to stop the spread of coronavi- The monarchy is protected by a strict against food waste. number of diners at a table — an were found guilty of the rape and rus among other charges, by co-organising Parit Chiwarak, a pro-democracy student, lese majeste law that punishes anyone The beef restaurant in the cen- attempt to overturn the ingrained murder of Hannah Witheridge, 23, a protest on July 18. one of the leaders of Thailand’s recent who off ends King Maha Vajiralongkorn or tral city of Changsha was heavily cultural habit of ordering extra and of killing David Miller, 24, after Since that protest in July, university and anti-government protests, reacts as he his family, but Prime Minister Prayuth said criticised on Chinese social media food for group meals. Signs were their battered bodies were found high school student groups around Thai- is being sent to the court, at the police earlier this year that the king had asked for as soon as it unveiled the policy on displayed in the beef restaurant on a beach on the southern resort land have rallied almost daily, demanding station in Bangkok, yesterday. it not be used. Friday. Customers were asked to reading “be thrifty and diligent, island of Koh Tao in September for the removal of Prime Minister Prayuth Prayuth appealed for national unity stand on scales and scan their data promote empty plates” and “op- 2014. Chan-ocha, who fi rst took power in a 2014 Some students have also demanded re- earlier this week but also said some of the into an app that recommended eration empty plate” — referring military coup, and an end to the military forms to the powerful monarchy, once a student activist demands on the monar- food choices based on their weight to the campaign — according to TRAGEDY domination of politics. taboo subject. chy “went too far.” and the dishes’ calorifi c value, ac- photos published in local media. Fish kills angler in Australia A 56-year-old fisherman has died in Australia after being hit by a New Zealand Covid-19 outbreak grows, Australia still struggles fish which jumped into his boat, police said yesterday. “The man had been fishing with family and Reuters have been linked to the cluster so far. The lockdown in Auck- Although economically costly, populous state, Victoria, contin- are well below the peak of 725 new friends on Darwin Harbour when Melbourne responsible for all the previous land, home to 1.7mn people, was the measures raised public trust ues to struggle after it last month cases seen on Aug 5 and there has he was struck in his chest by a community cases, while one extended for nearly two weeks, in the leaders of both countries became the centre of the coun- been some stabilisation in the large fish,” Northern Territory case was being investigated, Di- and followed the discovery on signifi cantly. try’s biggest coronavirus out- outbreak, state authorities urged police said. The party returned ew Zealand yesterday rector-General of Health Ashley Tuesday of the country’s fi rst New Zealand Prime Minister break. Its capital, Melbourne, is vigilance. the man to shore, where para- reported seven new Bloomfi eld told a media briefi ng Covid-19 infections in 102 days, Jacinda Ardern, is now, however, under a strict six-week lockdown “The signs are encouraging but medics administered CPR. “Sadly Ncases of the coronavirus in Wellington. in a family in Auckland. under pressure ahead of a up- and the rest of the state has lim- it is not over,” Victoria Premier the man passed away,” police as a lockdown in the country’s The new cases bring New Zea- New Zealand and its neighbour coming general election, with the ited public movement. Daniel Andrews told a televised said. “This appears to be a freak biggest city, Auckland, was ex- land’s total infections since the Australia have suff ered far less main opposition National Party Yesterday, Victoria recorded briefi ng. “There is a long way to incident which is hugely distress- tended on Friday in response to start of the year to 1,258, while the death and disease from the Cov- accusing the government of fail- 303 new cases and four deaths, go and the only thing that wins ing for the people in the boat and the country’s fi rst coronavirus number of currently active cases id-19 pandemic than many other ing to secure quarantine facilities following 372 new infections and if we get fatigued, if we were in other family and friends of the outbreak in months. stands at 56. nations, thanks in part to swift and withholding information. 14 deaths on Friday. a sense to give up, the only thing man.” Six of the seven new cases Twenty two people have died lockdown measures. And Australia’s second most- Although yesterday’s numbers that wins is the coronavirus.” Gulf Times 8 Sunday, August 16, 2020 EUROPE

Russia produces first batch of virus vaccine, says health ministry

Russia said yesterday that it has produced the first batch of its coronavirus vaccine, after President Vladimir Putin announced it had been first in the world to approve a vaccine. “The first batch of the novel coronavirus vaccine developed by the Returning Britons Gamaleya research institute has been produced,” the health ministry said in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies. Putin said the vaccine was safe and that one of his own daughters had been inoculated, though clinical trials were not yet complete and final stage testing involving more than 2,000 people only started this week. Western scientists were sceptical, with some warning that moving too quickly on a vaccine could be dangerous, but Russia denounced criticism as an attempt to undermine Moscow’s research. begin quarantine The Russian vaccine, called “Sputnik V”, was developed by the Gamaleya research institute for epidemiology and microbiology in AFP must quarantine for 14 days, with just four days after President return from popular Mediterra- the end of the communist era. Moscow in coordination with the Russian defence ministry. London the measure already in place for Vladimir Putin announced Rus- nean destination Croatia before Hopes to break the cycle of The head of the institute, Alexander Gintsburg, told the Tass state news people coming from several other sia had won the global race to ap- similar rules come into eff ect to- outbreaks and lockdowns deci- agency yesterday that volunteers taking part in the final stage testing countries including Spain and prove a vaccine. morrow, while Serbia introduced mating economies have turned to of the vaccine’s safety and eff icacy would have two inoculations. ritish travellers returning Belgium. It has drawn a sceptical re- mandatory testing for travellers a vaccine, with Britain announc- Russia has said that industrial production is expected from September home from parts of Europe French student Antoine, 23, sponse from Western scientists from four neighbouring coun- ing it has secured access to an- and that it plans to manufacture 5mn doses per month by December or Band beyond began having cut short his holiday to rush back and the World Health Organisa- tries. other 90mn doses of two “prom- January. to quarantine yesterday under to Bristol, in southwestern Eng- tion (WHO), which have said the And thousands of Albanians ising” vaccines. Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said this week that the vaccine would new restrictions, while Rus- land, where he is at university. vaccine still needed a rigorous queued for miles in their cars at Meanwhile, about 5,000 first be made available to medics and would later be available to all sia said it has produced the fi rst “I’m a waiter in a small cafe safety review. the Greek border before tougher pilgrims attended the annual Russians on a voluntary basis. batch of its coronavirus vaccine near college, I can’t aff ord to France has vowed to impose a entry requirements designed to Assumption mass in the un- (see accompanying report). spend 14 days in the house,” he “reciprocal measure” on Britain’s slow mounting infections began. derground basilica in France’s Ireland’s tourism authority chairman The coronavirus causes the said at London’s St Pancras rail- quarantine move, leaving French The US also said it was extend- Lourdes Roman Catholic shrine Covid-19 respiratory disease. way station after arriving on a holidaymakers set to face tough ing a ban on non-essential travel yesterday – with strict health resigns over holiday in Italy The UK opted to remove Eurostar train. choices in the coming days. through border crossings with measures in place. France, the Netherlands, Malta France is facing a resurgence of The Netherlands said it would Canada and Mexico throughout “It’s weird. There aren’t many The chairman of Ireland’s tourism authority, former Ryanair chief and three other countries from the disease that emerged in Chi- advise against all but essential most of September to slow the people this year,” said Michel operating off icer Michael Cawley, resigned yesterday after going on its list of places exempt from na late last year and has so far in- travel to the UK, but will not in- spread of the disease. Clavel, a retired 66-year-old holiday to Italy, contrary to government advice to avoid non-essential self-isolation rules, as a second fected over 21mn people globally troduce self-isolation measures A slew of data on Friday re- truck driver, who comes every travel abroad. wave of virus infections threat- and killed more than 760,000. for arrivals. vealed the scale of the economic year for the pilgrimage which Cawley, a Ryanair director who also served as finance chief and deputy ens more disruption and eco- French authorities have re- Germany added most of Spain impact of the virus and punish- usually attracts about 250,000 chief executive at the airline, faced calls from opposition parties to quit nomic chaos on the continent. ported more than 2,500 new – where cases have surged in re- ing lockdowns, with Hungary, worshippers. after he confirmed to the Irish Independent newspaper yesterday that The move announced late on cases on each of the past three cent weeks – to its list of regions Bulgaria, Romania, the Neth- Face coverings have become he was holidaying in Italy. Thursday sparked a 36-hour days – levels not seen since May from where arrivals must show a erlands, Finland and Denmark compulsory in entire districts Italy is one of 10 countries on the government’s green list, meaning scramble for plane, train and when the country emerged from negative Covid-19 test or quar- all booking hefty hits to GDP in of the French capital, including anyone arriving in Ireland can avoid a 14-day quarantine requirement ferry tickets among some Britons lockdown. antine for two weeks. April-June. large sections of central Paris, that applies to travellers from anywhere else. desperate to get back before the With cases still rising around The restrictions include the is- Denmark and Hungary both while Denmark said it will make However off icial travel advice since Ireland’s coronavirus outbreak 4am (0300 GMT) change. the world, Moscow said the fi rst land of Mallorca, a highly popu- reported their worst slumps them mandatory on public trans- began in February has remained that non-essential travel abroad All arrivals from the black- consignments of its “Sputnik” lar resort for German sunseekers. since the early 1990s and Poland port across the country from Au- should be avoided and people have been encouraged to holiday at listed states after the deadline vaccine had been produced, Austria urged its citizens to entered its fi rst recession since gust 22. home to support the hard-hit tourism sector.

Downgraded A-level students stage protest Belarus leader seeks Putin’s help

By Mattha Busby as opposition pressure builds Guardian News & Media

AFP s thousands of A-level Minsk students in England seek Ato replan their futures after being downgraded by an he opposition in Bela- algorithm, some have spoken of rus kept up the pressure feeling cheated and as if they can Ton President Alexander never recapture their dreams. Lukashenko with a new dem- For Leah Glenday, 18, in Essex onstration in Minsk yesterday, – the fi rst pupil from her school while the strongman sought the to be off ered a place at Cam- support of his main ally, Russia’s bridge – the system’s bias to- Vladimir Putin. wards private schools with more Thousands of opposition sup- resources than state schools has porters gathered near a metro been exposed. station in the capital where a And she has no hope in ap- demonstrator died during this pealing. week’s police crackdown on pro- Her school, West Hatch High tests against Lukashenko’s claim Demonstrators hold their phones with flashlights on during a rally School, had given her predicted to have won re-election last Sun- in Minsk to protest against presidential election results and demand grades of A*AA, which she had day. objective reporting on the situation in the country, outside the achieved in her mock exams, but With the opposition gaining building of Belarusian National State TV and Radio Company. she was awarded ABB and lost momentum after days of dem- her place at the prestigious uni- onstrations, Lukashenko’s main “It’s obvious that our presi- end of “peaceful mass gather- versity to study law. election challenger Svetlana dent can’t deal with his own peo- ings” in cities across the country. She said: “It’s so upsetting as Students hold placards during their protest yesterday at Downing Street in London. Tikhanovskaya had called on ple any more, he’s seeking help She is also demanding au- I was planning and had always supporters to rally again over the in the east,” said Alexei Linich, a thorities be held to account for dreamed of going to Cambridge. not confi dent about being suc- appeals process would see her grades” of A*AA were down- weekend. 27-year-old programmer. the crackdown, which saw police I’m disappointed because I cessful. expected grades be reinstated. graded to A*CC. Demonstrators heaped fl ow- “If Russia intervenes, that use rubber bullets, stun grenades know I would have received She said: “It’s biased and it’s But, as she fought back tears, She said: “What was meant ers at the spot where Alexander would be the worst. I’m really and, in at least one case, live higher grades if I’d taken the ex- not helping people actually try- she was not satisfi ed by his to be the best day in my life be- Taraikovsky, 34, died on Monday. afraid of this,” said Olga Nester- rounds to disperse protesters, ams myself. ing to turn their lives around and promise. came the worst. I feel cheated The crowd chanted “Thank uk, a landscape designer. with at least 6,700 people de- “They’re not giving children make change. They’re putting “When I said, ‘You’ve ruined by the government and will fi ght you!” and raised victory signs Meeting military chiefs, Lu- tained and hundreds injured. a chance to succeed. My school a stop to it and not giving us a my life, I received a heartless for the results I deserve and the while police kept a low profi le. kashenko ruled out foreign me- Offi cials have confi rmed two has never been high-achieving. chance.” response back’,” she said yes- place I earned.” Many held up photographs diation between him and the deaths in the unrest, including “I want to be a barrister spe- As the anger felt across the terday. “He just kept regurgi- Afzal went to a protest in of protesters beaten during the protesters. Taraikovsky who they say died cialising in family law to help country crystallises and confu- tating that the system is robust London yesterday and met a girl crackdown while one man stood “”We will not give up the when an explosive device went people going through similar sion grows over the nature of the but said later on there have been who received EDC after being in his underwear revealing the country to anyone,” state news off in his hand during a protest, experiences to ones I had when appeals process due to a lack of mistakes. How can the system predicted AAB. purple bruises on his thighs, but- agency Belta quoted him as say- and another man who died in I was younger.” clarity, an A-level student who be robust when there are mis- “People were so angry, you tocks and back. ing. “We don’t need any foreign custody after being arrested in Her foster father, Ian Dyer, missed out on a top veterinary takes?” could just feel the heartbreak in Hundreds of mourners also governments, any intermediar- the southeastern city of Gomel. said: “It’s like disappointment school after being handed three Of her appearance on the the air,” she said. “The govern- attended the dead protester’s fu- ies.” On Friday authorities began mixed with tragedy when it D grades launched an attack on programme, Bunting-Mitcham ment has robbed young people neral, including poet and former Yesterday US Secretary of releasing hundreds of those ar- should have been a story of tri- the schools minister, Nick Gibb, said: “I was speaking up for eve- of their futures.” opposition candidate for presi- State Mike Pompeo urged Lu- rested and many emerged from umph. on live radio for “ruining my ryone who has been put into this Over the last 48 hours, she dent Vladimir Neklyayev, who kashenko to “engage with civil detention with horrifi c accounts “To have it snatched away life”. situation. said she experienced every pos- told AFP: “This cannot be for- society” while visiting Poland, of beatings and torture. from her by a government al- Nina Bunting-Mitcham, who “How is it that all the grades sible emotion, culminating in given.” which has off ered to act as a me- In some of the biggest dem- gorithm, we feel she has been attended a state college in Pe- at independent and private her Oxford college contacting Facing the biggest challenge diator. onstrations yet, thousands cheated.” terborough, said that she was schools have gone up and low- her to extend an unconditional to his rule since taking power The opposition is planning a marched in Minsk on Friday to Dyer told of Glenday’s dif- predicted to achieve ABB and er-attaining schools have gone off er – for the 2021-22 academic in 1994, Lukashenko called in major show of force today with denounce the police violence and fi cult early years and that she scored As and Bs in her mock down? It’s not a standardisa- year as accommodation is full. Moscow’s help and spoke on the a “March for Freedom” through demand Lukashenko step down. could not properly read or write exams, but she failed to meet tion, it’s a classist algorithm.” “It just hurts because if I’d got phone with Putin, after warning the streets of central Minsk. Large groups of workers from when he fostered her almost a her off er from the Royal Veteri- In Croydon, Saher Afzal, 18, the grades this year I could have there was “a threat not only to Tikhanovskaya, a 37-year-old huge tractor and automobile fac- decade ago. nary College. said she was the fi rst in the his- gone,” she says. “It wasn’t my Belarus”. political novice who ran after tories downed tools for the fi rst She has been accepted by her On Friday evening, she ap- tory of her school to get an Ox- initial plan to be forced to defer The Kremlin said the leaders other opposition candidates in- time and marched to the central insurance choice, Warwick, but peared on Radio 4 on a show bridge off er. a year. But I’m not going to let it concluded the “problems” in Be- cluding her husband were jailed, square, chanting for Lukashenko intends to appeal, though she is with Gibb, who assured her the But her “centre assessment get to me.” larus would be “resolved soon” accuses Lukashenko of rigging to “Leave!” and “Long live Bela- and the countries’ ties strength- the vote and has demanded he rus!” ened. step down so new elections can European Union ministers While Lukashenko periodi- be held. agreed on Friday to draw up a list cally plays Moscow off against The 65-year-old has ruled the of targets in Belarus for a new the neighbouring EU, Russia is ex-Soviet country with an iron round of sanctions in response to UK marks 75 years since Belarus’s closest ally and the grip and claims to have won the the post-election crackdown. countries have formed a “union election with 80% of the vote. Sweden’s Foreign Minister state” linking their economies Tikhanovskaya left the coun- Ann Linde said in a tweet that the Japan’s WWII defeat and militaries. try on Tuesday for neighbouring “EU will now initiate a process of Opposition protesters criti- Lithuania, with her allies say- sanctions against those respon- cised Lukashenko for seek- ing that she came under offi cial sible for the violence, arrests DPA ic had continued for several ing Moscow’s aid and said they pressure, but on Friday she re- and fraud in connection with the London months after the defeat of Nazi feared a Russian intervention. emerged with the call for a week- election”. Germany – Japan’s ally – in May 1945. ritain observed yester- Prince Charles, heir to the Eastern Russia sees thousands in sixth Saturday protest day the 75th anniversary British throne, and his wife, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, sign the visitors’ Bof the defeat of Japan in Camilla, attended a VJ Day na- book during the VJ Day National Remembrance event, held at the Thousands of people demonstrated for the sixth He is on remand in Moscow. World War II, with many events tional service of remembrance National Memorial Arboretum in Staff ordshire, Britain. Saturday in a row in the far east of Russia, against Investigators accuse him of having commissioned held online due to the coronavi- at the National Memorial Arbo- the imprisonment of the former governor of the far two murders when he was a businessman 15 years rus pandemic. retum. Prime Minister Boris Johnson Philip, 99, was present in To- eastern region of Khabarovsk. ago. In another case he is charged with attempted Victory in Japan (VJ) Day The royal couple led a na- was also present. kyo Bay in 1945. Video images showed the crowd with posters and murder. marks 75 years since Japan sur- tional two-minute silence, and An estimated 50,000 Brit- Fighting in Europe ended in flags marching through the streets of the city, which The 50-year-old denies the allegations. rendered to the Allied forces, reviewed a fl y-past by the Battle ish and Commonwealth serv- May 1945. lies near Russia’s Pacific coast. Furgal, of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR), led ending hostilities. of Britain Memorial Flight. ice personnel died in the war This is commemorated on The city administration spoke of more than 2,000 by ultra-nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky, prevailed A formal surrender ceremo- They also laid wreaths at the against Japan. May 8, Victory in Europe (VE) demonstrators, but observers said there were more. against the Kremlin candidate in the gubernatorial ny was held on September 2 on Kwai Railway Memorial, with Celebrations of the 75th an- Day, although this year, many People again criticised Moscow’s influence on the election two years ago. board the USS Missouri in To- some war veterans and their niversary include a fl y-past by VE Day events across Europe region, which is about 6,000km from the capital. President Vladimir Putin has since dismissed Furgal. kyo Bay. relatives watching from a safe jets from Britain’s Red Arrows were cancelled due to the pan- Former governor Sergei Furgal was arrested more There have been rallies every week since in Fighting in the Asia-Pacif- distance. air force display team. demic. than a month ago. Khabarovsk. Gulf Times Sunday, August 16, 2020 9 INDIA

Govt considers resettling Kashmiri youth who give up arms

Reuters terview from his headquarters in ers to put down their guns have ley with security forces – about Promising a concerted eff ort Some 70 local Kashmiris are weapons handed over. New Delhi/Srinagar Srinagar, Kashmir’s main city. had mixed success. 200,000 military and paramili- to develop the region economi- reckoned to have been recruited The New Delhi-based South He told Reuters recommen- But Raju said the military had tary troops are deployed there. cally, Modi said the move was by these groups since the start of Asia Terrorism Portal estimated dations had been submitted to recommended the scheme to And Raju said militant attacks need to integrate Kashmir more the year, about a dozen less than that more than 400 insurgents ndia is considering off ering Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s take a longer-term approach to have dropped by nearly 40% fully with the rest of the country, during the same period a year have surrendered since 2004, young Kashmiri militants an government and that the plan, rehabilitating ex-militants. compared to last year. but critics said it would further ago. but after 2007 the numbers came Iescape from a life of violence while not fi nalised, was in an ad- “The bottom-line is that it Last August, Prime Minister alienate Kashmiris. “We wish that this should down to a trickle, with only two by temporarily resettling them in vanced stage. will have a structure that will Modi changed the political land- Since the start of the year, se- drop further, and fi nally cease dozen men giving up arms in the more peaceful parts of the coun- “These are young boys who help and give confi dence to the scape by taking away Jammu & curity forces have killed around altogether,” Raju said. last three years. try, according to the top military need to be taken care of for a pe- people who are opting to surren- Kashmir’s status as India’s only 135 militants, most of them re- Currently most surrenders are Kuldeep Khoda, a former commander in the Kashmir Valley. riod of time,” Raju said, adding der,” Raju said. Muslim majority state, splitting cruited locally. conducted in line with a 2004 Kashmir police chief, said the Lieutenant General B S Raju that could involve temporarily More than 50,000 people have it into two federally-controlled The military estimates that there policy that provides a lump sum scheme had partly failed because revealed the plan for a new settling them outside of Mus- died during more than three union territories and removing are currently around 180 militants payout of Rs150,000, a small the vocational training provided scheme to off er a way out of lim-majority Kashmir. decades of an insurgency. the special privileges aff orded to operating with various groups ac- monthly stipend, free vocational by the government was inad- militancy during a telephone in- Past eff orts to persuade ght-fi India has fl ooded the val- Kashmiris. tive in the valley, Raju said. training and cash payments for equate. Villagers ignore Covid rules, say virus is not a serious threat

Reuters He said that made him confi - Guwahati dent that some sort of herd im- munity had been reached. But the numbers tell a diff er- armahan Deka doesn’t ent story. wear a mask anymore to More than 2.3mn people have Havoid the novel corona- been infected with the novel virus nor does he try to keep a coronavirus in India, the third safe distance from others. highest number in the world af- For the 25 men and women ter the United States and Brazil, he works with in his construc- and more than 46,000 have died. tion materials business near the “Our concern at the moment small town of Baihata Chariali in is that the disease, in mov- A general view shows traff ic in front of the illuminated India Gate on the occasion of the India’s 74th Independence Day in New Delhi yesterday. Assam, life is more or less as it ing into more rural areas that used to be, Deka says. don’t necessarily have the same “The virus can’t attack me, it’s strength in their health system, weakened,” the 50-year-old dia- that we would see increased betic said. spread and potentially increased “I often hang out at a busy mortality,” World Health Organ- neighbourhood grocery store – isation emergencies chief Mike without masks, nothing. Both Ryan said about India last week. the store owner and I are fi ne. The federal government says PM unveils ‘health ID’ Maybe we’ve had it already masks are mandatory in public, without symptoms.” but it can’t enforce the order as In two dozen small towns health aff airs are managed by and villages visited by Reuters state authorities. reporters in recent weeks, peo- Some states have imposed ple have largely given up on so- fi nes for not wearing masks but cial distancing and masks after still many people don’t bother. scheme for all citizens months of sticking to the rules, The ICMR’s Kant said peo- believing the virus is not such a ple in urban areas were better Agencies enable access to timely, safe and the mission in the country. ards of the NDHM ecosystem,” Health Minister Harsh Var- serious threat. at sticking to the rules because New Delhi aff ordable healthcare through a Expanding on the key com- Bhushan said. dhan welcomed the announce- The change in behaviour in ru- they were generally “more edu- ‘citizen-centric’ approach. ponents, Dr Indu Bhushan, The mission aims to liberate ment and said, “Based on the ral India – where two-thirds of its cated and aware”. All these digital products, ex- chief executive offi cer of the citizens from the challenges of initial learnings in the UTs, we 1.3bn people live, often with only Sometimes there’s a belief rime Minister Naren- cept e-Pharmacy and Telemed- National Health Authority, fi nding the right doctors, seek- will gradually work in partner- the most basic health facilities that isolation will protect vil- dra Modi yesterday an- icine, are up and running. said: “The core building blocks ing appointment, payment of ship with the states to launch – has come as infections in the lages, often combined with a fa- Pnounced a National Digit- Modi said the mission will of the mission is that the Health consultation fee, making sev- the NDHM. I seek the whole- countryside have surged. talism among people long used al Health Mission which would bring about a revolution in the ID, DigiDoctor and Health Fa- eral rounds of hospitals for pre- hearted support, inputs and co- Health offi cials are exasperated. to suff ering. use technology to improve health sector and that a Unique cility Registry shall be owned, scription sheets, among several operation of doctors, healthcare “Sometimes people take it too “We’re not going out and not health services and provide Health ID will be provided to operated and maintained by the others and will empower people facilities, citizens and state gov- lightly, as if nothing will hap- letting anyone in to our village, each citizen with a “health ID” every citizen which will have government of India.” to make an informed decision to ernments to adopt this game- pen to them just because they’re that’s why we don’t wear masks,” that would include records of details of the diseases, diagno- Private stakeholders will have get the best possible healthcare. changing scheme.” breathing fresh air and eat- said Rohit Kumar, 22, who was their history of illnesses, medi- sis, reports, medication etc in an equal opportunity to inte- ing fresh vegetables,” said Rajni holding a toddler in a crowded cation and other information. a common database through a grate and create their own prod- ‘3 Covid vaccines in testing phase’ Kant, a member of a rapid re- market in Jhakara village in Uttar The scheme will be rolled out single ID. ucts for the market, Bhushan sponse team of the Indian Coun- Pradesh. through a pilot launch in the The NDHM is a holistic, vol- said, adding that the core ac- Prime Minister Narendra Modi from scientists, the country’s cil of Medical Research (ICMR) “But if the coronavirus has to in- union territories of Chandigarh, untary healthcare programme tivities and verifi cations, for yesterday said three coronavirus preparation is also ready set up to fi ght the pandemic. fect it will, even if we wear masks.” Ladakh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli that will reduce the existing example generation of Health vaccine candidates are currently for their mass production,” “Health infrastructure is poor Across the country, villagers and Daman and Diu, Puduch- gap between various stakehold- ID or approval of a doctor will, under testing phase in India and Modi said. The prime minister in rural areas, that’s why they have gather in the cool of the evening, erry, Andaman and Nicobar Is- ers such as doctors, hospitals however, remain with the gov- their mass production would lauded the eff orts of frontline to strictly follow social distancing as they’ve done for generations. lands and Lakshadweep. and other healthcare providers, ernment. begin as soon as scientists health workers, saying “in norms, wear masks, avoid crowd- “There’s a breeze and people Making the announcement pharmacies, insurance compa- “The additional components, give the green signal. Modi this extraordinary time of ed areas and keep washing hands. like getting together and chat- from the ramparts of the Red nies, and citizens by bringing like Personal Health Record said the fight against the corona, our doctors, nurses, Otherwise they’ll suff er.” ting,” said Devan, a 65-year old Fort on the occasion of Indian’s them together and connecting and Electronic Medical Record pandemic was progressing paramedical staff , ambulance But for many villagers, it farmer on a recent evening in the 74th Independence Day, the them in an integrated digital solutions can be developed by in the right direction and at personnel, sweepers, policemen, seems the reality has not hit rice and jasmine growing village prime minister said the scheme health infrastructure. private players as well, in line the right pace. “Not one or servicemen, and many home as they’ve not seen the vi- of Karalapakkam in Tamil Nadu, comprises six key building The National Health Author- with guidelines that will be is- two,but there are three corona other people are working rus kill anyone they know. sitting with about 50 people blocks – HealthID, DigiDoctor, ity, under the Ministry of Health sued. All such products by pri- vaccines presently under continuously round-the-clock, Deka in Assam, for example, around a tree by a temple, after a Health Facility Registry, Person- and Family Welfare, has been vate participants shall be as per testing phase in India. As soon regardless of their lives, with a said he’d not heard of any deaths day in the fi elds. al Health Records, e-Pharmacy given the mandate to design, offi cial guidelines taking care as the green signal is received sense of service”. or even infections. None wore a mask. and Telemedicine – that will build, roll out and implement of security, privacy and stand-

AIADMK issues warning Independence Day dance Indian, Nepali PMs after row over CM candidate speak for fi rst time since land dispute IANS pating in media debates, spokes- before meeting Palaniswami. Chennai persons should instead highlight The joint statement was is- the government’s achievements sued after the discussions. Reuters included a region controlled by and its schemes. The controversy over the chief New Delhi India. India rejected the map, n an attempt to put to rest The statement said the AI- ministerial candidate cropped saying it was not based on his- speculation about All India ADMK will take policy deci- up after Minister for Co-oper- torical facts or evidence. IAnna Dravida Munnetra sions like electoral alliances ation Sellur K Raju said recently rime Minister Naren- Ties between India and Ne- Kazhagam’s chief ministerial democratically after discus- said the party MLAs will elect dra Modi and his Nepali pal strained in May after In- candidate for the 2021 assem- sions with party leaders and the chief minister. Pcounterpart K P Sharma dia inaugurated an 80km road bly polls, Tamil Nadu’s rul- also after getting the views of Later, K T Rajenthra Bhalaji, Oli spoke yesterday for the fi rst from the northern state of Ut- ing party yesterday warned of its cadres. minister for Milk and Dairy De- time since a diplomatic spat tarakhand to Lipulekh on the action against party officials The recent remarks of some velopment, said that Palaniswa- over a map and a disputed area border with the Tibet region airing personal views to media party leaders on the AIADMK mi will be the chief ministerial of territory erupted earlier this of China, about 19km of which without the leadership’s ap- chief ministerial candidate in the candidate. year between the neighbours. passes through the area Nepal proval. 2021 assembly elections resulted On the other hand, AIADMK Oli called Modi on the occa- says belongs to it. In a joint statement, party’s in media speculation. Deputy Co-ordinator K P Mu- sion of India’s Independence In an Independence Day co-ordinator and Deputy Chief Earlier yesterday, posters pro- nusamy said that one spoke Day and congratulated him for speech yesterday, Modi called Minister O Panneerselvam and claiming Panneerselvam as the about the procedure while the the country’s recent election for peace and harmony in joint co-ordinator and Chief chief ministerial candidate ap- other may have expressed his as a non-permanent member South Asia, adding that lead- Minister K Palaniswami said peared in some part of Theni personal wish. of the United Nations Security ers, politicians and intellectu- nothing was going to be gained district, his homwtown. He said the party leadership Council, India’s External Af- als should fulfi l their respon- by the party by airing such per- Panneerselvam’s son P will take the decision on the fairs Ministry said in a state- sibility to ensure development sonal views in public. Raveendranath Kumar has been chief ministerial candidate. ment. and progress in the region. The two leaders said that the elected to the Lok Sabha from In an attempt to put an end to On the call, Modi “recalled Oli appreciated Modi’s “re- personal views of some party the Theni constituency. the controversy, Panneerselvam the civilisational and cultural newed priority to neighbour- offi cials without any basis had After the Independence Day in a tweet urged the party activ- A woman dressed in a traditional Kashmiri attire dances links that India and Nepal hood” and “looked forward to resulted in unnecessary specu- function, a group of ministers ists to be united as the AIAD- during a ceremony to celebrate India’s 74th Independence share,” the ministry added. meaningful bilateral co-oper- lation. and senior party leaders met MK’s goal is to emerge victorious Day in Srinagar yesterday. Nepal approved a political ation,” Nepal’s foreign aff airs They said that while partici- Panneerselvam at his residence in the 2021 elections. map of the country in June that ministry said in a statement. Gulf Times 10 Sunday, August 16, 2020 COMMENT

CHAIRMAN Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Behind the Beirut blast: Faisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka Deputy Managing Editor K T Chacko ships, seafarers and cargo P.O.Box 2888, Doha, Qatar [email protected] By Ian Urbina Cotton, General Secretary of the ITF. 44350478 (News), Port offi cials globally have a tough time preventing the abandonment 44466404 (Sport), idden behind the tragedy of ships or seafarers partly because 44466636 (Home delivery) of the recent deadly of the opaque way that the shipping explosion in Beirut is the industry polices itself. For centuries, 44350474 Hmore pervasive travesty of the world’s merchant fl eets fl ew the fl ag facebook.com/gulftimes the abandonment of ships, seafarers of the country of their home port. That and cargo, and unless the global public country was responsible for ensuring twitter.com/gulftimes_Qatar reckons with this deeper problem, a the proper treatment of the crew and next disaster is all but inevitable. safety of the vessel. This began to Though Lebanese investigators say change in the early 20th century with that nearby fi reworks likely ignited the the emergence of “open registries,” also 2,750 tonnes of explosive ammonium called “fl ags of convenience.” GULF TIMES nitrate, the true causes of this The company collecting fees for explosion stem from slower-moving the right to fl y a certain fl ag is also and less dramatic factors: anaemic responsible for policing its customers, enforcement by shady fl ag registries ensuring they abide by safety, that are supposed to hold shipowners labour, and environmental rules, and Don’t let our guard accountable, tightened immigration conducting investigations when things controls that routinely trap stranded go wrong. But in practice, fl ags of crews on decrepit ships, lax rules and a convenience create a perverse incentive maritime bureaucracy designed more to for ship operators to shop around for down on mitigating the most lax registries with the lowest protect anonymity of ship owners than to enable oversight and transparency of prices and fewest regulations. the industry. The Rhosus, for instance, was fl agged Covid-19 impact These are the factors that make it so to Moldova, which at least since 2013 has easy for vessel owners and operators to The Rhosus ship is seen at the port in Volos, Greece on April 19, 2013. The Rhosus been on a black list due to the number walk away from their responsibilities was detained by Lebanese off icials in 2013 for being unseaworthy. of times the registry’s ships have been Qatar has done well by maintaining one of the lowest usually with impunity, and sometimes inspected or detained, according to the Covid-19 death rates in the world, besides registering a fall with life-or-death consequences for the of the stranded crew waited a full year instance, the FSO Safer, a tanker full of Paris MoU, an organisation that monitors in the number of hospital admissions and a decrease in the crew that gets left behind. before they were able to go home with oil , that was abandoned last year in one marine traffi c. While transporting the dangerous help from the International Transport of the world’s busiest shipping routes The shipping industry has taken some number of daily cases in the last few weeks. chemical, the Russian-owned ship Workers’ Federation (ITF), which is the along the coast of Yemen. Hit by a productive steps, including by imposing At the peak of the coronavirus, Qatar had seen more than called the Rhosus was detained by largest global seafarers union. rocket-propelled grenade, this fl oating a new rule requiring larger shipowners 2,000 new confi rmed cases a day, but for the past few weeks Lebanese offi cials in 2013 for being On any given day, hundreds of ships bomb could send a shudder through to carry insurance to cover the costs of the number has constantly remained under 500. unseaworthy, after which the ship’s and thousands of seafarers are in the the global energy industry if it ground sailors marooned in port. owner, Igor Grechushkin, was same situation. A database created commercial traffi c to a halt. Satellite fi rms like SkyTruth and Therefore, the country is midway through Phase 3 of the confronted with heavy fi nes, including by the ITF and international labour That the owner of the Rhosus in KSAT have also started playing a lifting of nation-wide restrictions. roughly $100,000 in back wages and section of UN documented roughly 400 Beirut could disavow his duties so easily forensic role connecting the dots Already Qatar announced a comprehensive master plan port fees. In response, Grechushkin cases involving about 5,000 seafarers is partly a consequence of the distinctly between major spills, abandoned did what many shipowners do. He cut who were abandoned on their vessels transient and transnational nature of vessels, and their operators. to ease restrictions through four stages (from June 15 to the his losses, declared bankruptcy, and between 2004 and 2018. the industry. Lebanese authorities were But until some of the privacy fourth and fi nal stage on September 1). quietly disappeared, abandoning the Part of the problem is that jettisoning hard pressed to arrest Grechushkin facilitated by fl ags of convenience Obviously, this does not mean we let our guard down. dilapidated ship and its deadly cargo. an old ship in port or at sea is easier and or seize his property since he lived is stripped away and all ships are Meanwhile, the Rhosus’s crew found cheaper than disposing of it properly not in Lebanon but in Cyprus, and his required to have unique and globally The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) says “though themselves in a bind that is surprisingly even though it creates severe hazards shipping company, Teto Shipping Ltd., standardised tracking numbers, law restrictions are being lifted and numbers are declining, common for seafarers around the world. like the one near Manila, where an was registered on the Marshall Islands. enforcement and port authorities this does not mean that the Covid-19 pandemic has ended Lacking clean water, fuel, or food, not abandoned Spanish tanker is currently Covid has made matters worse, will struggle to hold ship owners in Qatar. People continue to be admitted with moderate to to mention cell service, legal help or the stranded with 15 men on board. The ship stranding tens of thousands of ships accountable. ability to speak local language, these is at risk of catching fi re or exploding and roughly 400,000 mariners at severe Covid-19 symptoms.” men had no money to get home nor because it is fully loaded with liquid sea and in ports. “The ITF has been z Ian Urbina is an investigative The health ministry has emphasised, “Unless we follow all even the immigration papers allowing petroleum gas but lacks enough fuel to receiving e-mails from hundreds reporter who writes most often for precautionary measures, we may experience a second wave them to disembark. While warning keep the cargo refrigerated. of seafarers daily, expressing their The New York Times, but is also a anyone who would listen about the These risks are global when they concern about contracts being contributing writer for The Atlantic, and of the virus (attack) and see numbers increasing – there are dangers of the Rhosus’ cargo, several occur at choke points. Take, for extended under duress,” said Stephen National Geographic. already signs of this happening in other countries.” “A second wave of Covid-19 is a very real threat – as several other countries around the world are now experiencing,” Dr Abdullatif al-Khal, chair of the National Strategic Group on Covid-19, said during a press conference convened by the Ministry of Public Health recently. Despite the total number of new cases Covid-19 has declining considerably placed a new in recent weeks and months, there has been level of personal a worrying trend of accountability on increasing cases within the Qatari community each one of us and expat professional population groups, Dr al-Khal observed. “This is due to a minority of people within these population groups who continue to ignore preventive advice – putting themselves and those around them at risk,” he said. The pandemic has presented a unique set of challenges for all of us. We are still learning more and more about coronavirus every single day, but public health experts continue to warn that you don’t actually have to be exhibiting symptoms to spread the new coronavirus. This picture taken on August 14 shows a view of ships moored at the port of Lebanon’s capital Beirut. A person infected with the virus can be contagious as early as three days before he or she begins showing symptoms. In addition, some people never develop symptoms, but are still able to spread the virus. The Covid-19 pandemic has placed a new level of personal accountability on each one of us. To slow the spread of Why do HIV vaccine trials keep failing? coronavirus and protect the health and vitality of our people, we must remain committed to the extra precautions our By Denis Chopera modest positive results in Thailand. Yet the vaccinated individuals who became In the case of RV 144, a smaller public health offi cials are recommending. Durban the conclusion that the vaccine worked infected would have lower viral loads intermediary trial could have enabled was based on somewhat dubious than their unvaccinated counterparts. researchers to determine whether it was At the core of these preventive measures is the need for statistical analysis. That was not the case. worth investing in another large-scale continued social distancing and take all of the precautions et another seemingly In fact, of the 125 (initially HIV- Nonetheless, some researchers trial – at much lower cost. The leftover seriously— even if one is healthy. promising HIV vaccine negative) trial participants who became considered the results promising money could have been channelled has failed in clinical trials. infected with HIV (out of a total of enough to proceed with the recent toward other mitigation strategies for The Covid-19 cases have surpassed 21mn with more than According to Anthony Fauci, 16,402), 74 had received the placebo South Africa trial, HVTN 702, which HIV/Aids, including basic research. 762,000 deaths worldwide. Y the head of the National Institute of and 51 had received the vaccine. That tested a vaccine candidate based on Fauci is right: a vaccine is essential to The World Health Organisation (WHO) continues to Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the amounts to an effi cacy rate of 31.2% – a the RV 144 candidate, but adapted to end the HIV epidemic in Sub-Saharan urge both governments and people everywhere to work to United States National Institutes of good starting point, but nowhere near the HIV strain that is most prominent Africa and beyond. But it is a long-term Health, which was conducting the trial, the level required to tackle a public- in the country. After 18 months, 129 of solution, and we don’t yet have the suppress the new coronavirus. a vaccine is “essential to end the global health challenge of the magnitude of the 5,400 participants who received the knowledge to merit highly expensive, No matter where a country, a region, a city or a town is – pandemic.” But while the latest failure is Sub-Saharan Africa’s HIV epidemic. vaccine had become infected, compared large-scale clinical trials. Small-scale it’s never too late to turn the outbreak around! a disappointment, it should come as no A closer look at the results indicates to 123 of those who received the placebo. human trials, which can be scaled up surprise. that they are even weaker than they This outcome was a major blow to once they have been convincingly To understand why, it is useful to go seem. As the former Harvard Medical the millions of Africans who hoped that shown to work, are simply more To Advertise back to the beginning. Just over 12 years School professor Ronald Desrosiers researchers were fi nally approaching a appropriate at this point. ago, two studies involving a vaccine observed in 2017, the HIV-acquisition long-term solution to the Aids epidemic. In the meantime, vulnerable or [email protected] candidate known as MRK-Ad5 were curve for the placebo group is nonlinear, But the results of the Thailand trial were infected people need other kinds of Display halted. The failure was comprehensive: with a sudden increase in acquisition never strong enough to justify such a large support, from education to treatment. the studies – STEP (which enrolled among the placebo recipients within the – and expensive – clinical trial. As exciting as they may seem, pie-in- 44466621 44418811 men and women in the Americas, the fi rst year of the trial. This is not to say that trial results the-sky ideas – or even “intelligent” Caribbean, and Australia) and Phambili That “anomalous” increase accounts have to be overwhelmingly positive to guesses – are not suffi cient reason to Classified (including men and women in South for “most or all of the diff erence in merit further study. But, as Desrosiers sacrifi ce the health and well-being of 44466609 44418811 Africa) – found that MRK-Ad5 failed to acquisition” compared to the vaccine also emphasises, spending hundreds of people today. – Project Syndicate protect subjects against HIV infection. recipients. In other words, the fact that millions of dollars to manufacture and Subscription Worse, there was evidence that it may more placebo recipients contracted HIV test products with little reasonable hope z Denis Chopera is a medical have increased the chances of acquiring had nothing to do with them being less of effi cacy is wasteful, at best. More virologist and Programme Executive [email protected] HIV, the virus that causes Aids. protected than those who had received comprehensive basic and preclinical Manager for the Sub-Saharan African The next year, however, hopes were the vaccine. research would enable scientists to Network for TB/HIV Research Excellence again raised, as another clinical trial Moreover, Desrosiers argued, if the identify approaches with a far better (SANTHE), based at the Africa Health © 2020 Gulf Times. All rights reserved – known as RV 144 – seemed to show vaccine did have a protective eff ect, chance of success. Research Institute. Gulf Times Sunday, August 16, 2020 11 PAKISTAN

Highest civilian honour for military off icers Bill Gates, army chief Bajwa discuss country’s No casualties reported after false ceilings who saved Pakistan from $1.2bn penalty coronavirus response, anti-polio campaign at Islamabad airport fall during downpour

The Sitara-e-Imtiaz, the highest civilian from Panama and the British Virgin Co-chair of the Bill and Melinda national polio drive, ensuring proper A major portion of the false ceilings at Aviation Division spokesman Senior award, has been announced for the Islands, which proved useful in winning Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, has reach and coverage. Islamabad International Airport (IIA)’s Joint Secretary Abdul Sattar Khokhar team comprising off icers from Pakistani the case against the firm. appreciated Pakistan’s success against The army chief attributed the success international departure and concourse said that it was an extraordinary 56mm military, whose eff orts made the country As a result, Karkey withdrew six cases the coronavirus despite resource in the fight against Covid-19 to a true hall has collapsed during a downpour. rain which fell within a short span of proud internationally and saved the filed against Pakistan, saving the nation constraints. national response executed through Heavy leakage of water has been time. nation from a penalty of $1.2bn. from penalties and embarrassment. The coronavirus causes the Covid-19 the mechanism of National Command observed in the hall after the incident. “The design of the outer ceilings is such As per details, Brigadier Rana Arfan The team, headed by Ramay, would be respiratory disease. and Operation Centre, which allowed No one was injured in the incident and that it allows for entry and circulation Shakeel Ramay, Lieutenant-Colonel conferred the Sitara-e-Imtiaz for public According to Inter-Services Public optimisation of resources. there was also no disruption in the of air in areas where there is no air- Farooq Shahbaz, and International service on March 23, 2021. Relations, he was speaking with Chief of About Pakistan’s eff orts against polio, service. conditioning. During high speed winds, Dispute Unit head Ahmed Irfan Aslam The ICSID, an arm of the World Bank, Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa Bajwa said that it is a national cause and The mishap occurred around 3am. we sometimes encounter with such a worked hard in gathering information had slapped a penalty worth $760mn by telephone about Pakistan’s Covid-19 national eff ort for a polio-free nation. As the panels collapsed, the airport situation,” the spokesman said. from Swiss, Lebanese, and Dubai banks plus interest on Pakistan following response and resumption of the polio He said that credit goes to the management closed the area and “We are trying to rectify the position regarding the corruption of the Turkish Karkey’s move to register arbitration vaccination campaign. grassroots workers, including mobile cordoned it off . with the help of the engineering power rental company Karkey. claims against Pakistan under a bilateral Gates also conveyed his appreciation teams, law enforcement agencies, and Staff were called in to clear the rainwater directorate of the Civil Aviation The off icials also collected documents investment treaty (BIT). to the Pakistan Army for supporting healthcare representatives. and debris. Authority,” Khokhar said.

Sharif challenges arrest Economy is improving warrant

Internews Islamabad despite pandemic: PM „ Cabinet committee expresses satisfaction over CPEC He said that in the power sec- according to a paper published akistan’s former ruling projects’ progress tor, two projects with capacity of in the Journal of the American party Pakistan Muslim „ China to supply potential coronavirus vaccine to Pakistan: 1,980MW were commissioned, Medical Association (JAMA) by PLeague – Nawaz (PML-N) reports while the ground-breaking of scientists who are part of Sinop- supremo Nawaz Sharif has chal- another had been completed. harm and other China-based lenged in the Islamabad High Internews precautions of social distancing Similarly, the fi nancial close disease control authorities and Court (IHC) his arrest warrants Islamabad to avert a resurgence of the coro- of two projects was achieved and research institutes. and summoning in the Tosha- navirus. concession agreements of two The results were based on data khana reference. He said that the uplift of the hydel projects of 1,800MW ca- from 320 healthy adults in Phase The former prime minister re- rime Minister Imran Khan construction sector would ben- pacity were signed. 1 and 2 trials. quested the High Court through has said that despite the efi t 40 connected industries to China is to supply a corona- The candidate vaccine trig- his counsel Jahangir Jadoon to Pcoronavirus pandemic, create jobs and wealth, which virus vaccine candidate being gered robust antibody responses nullify an accountability court’s the country’s economic indica- would consequently enhance developed by a unit of the China in inoculated people, but it re- decision to issue an advertise- tors are improving to herald and the government’s tax collection. National Pharmaceutical Group mains unknown if that is suffi - ment for his arrest. paving way for an industrial Pa- Meanwhile, the cabinet’s (Sinopharm) to Pakistan as part cient to prevent coronavirus in- Sharif also requested the kistan. Committee on the China Paki- of a trial agreement, the Wall fection, researchers developing IHC to nullify the accountabil- The coronavirus causes the stan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Street Journal reported. the vaccine said in the paper. ity court’s decision to issue war- Covid-19 respiratory disease. has expressed satisfaction over State-owned Sinopharm is Sinopharm’s chairman told rants. In his message to nation on the progress of CPEC projects. set to work with the University state media last month that a po- The petition added that the its 74th Independence Day, The committee met in Islam- of Karachi on vaccine trials, ac- Prime Minister Khan: no other country has managed to maintain a tential vaccine could be ready by National Accountability Bureau the prime minister said that no abad, with Minister for Plan- cording to the Wall Street Jour- balance between saving lives and livelihood as had been the end of this year, with Phase 3 (NAB) is targeting the opposition other country has managed to ning Asad Umar in the chair, nal report, which said that Pa- accomplished by Pakistan. testing expected to be completed to suppress its voice. maintain a balance between sav- and reviewed the progress of the kistan will receive enough doses in about three months. “Nawaz Sharif is not a fugi- ing lives and livelihood as had CPEC. early in distribution to vaccinate In a letter sent to NIH execu- to be safe and triggered anti- The novel coronavirus, which tive, but is abroad undergoing been accomplished by Pakistan. Special Assistant to the Prime about one-fi fth of its popula- tive director Major-General Dr body-based immune responses has killed more than 750,000 treatment, and should be al- Khan said that initially, the Minister on Information and tion. Aamer Ikram, China Sinop- in early and mid-stage trials. people globally, has prompted a lowed to face trial through his government had been concerned Broadcasting Lt General (retired) The initial doses will be used harm International Corpora- The candidate vaccine has race to develop a vaccine. representative,” the petition about deaths due to both the Asim Saleem Bajwa briefed the to vaccinate the most vulnerable tion general manager Li Can had already moved into a late-stage More than 150 candidate vac- stated. coronavirus and hunger caused committee about the progress of among the Pakistani population, expressed the hope that “a suc- trial, one of a handful of can- cines are being developed and The counsel for the former by a lockdown. various CPEC projects being ex- including the elderly, healthcare cessful clinical trial in Pakistan didates being tested on several tested around the world. prime minister also noted that However, thanks to the gov- ecuted across the country. workers and people with medi- will make it one of [the] fi rst thousand people to see if they Russia became the fi rst coun- the European Union and Hu- ernment’s decision of smart Bajwa said that the offi cials cal conditions associated with few countries for the launch of a are eff ective enough to win reg- try to grant regulatory approval man Rights Watch have also ex- lockdowns, coronavirus cases from the relevant ministries re- serious cases of Covid-19, the Covid-19 vaccine”. ulatory approval. to a vaccine after less than two pressed concerns over the NAB’s are declining and the economy is affi rmed their full commitment report added. Ikram had then said that al- Sinopharm is also testing the months of human testing, and actions. on the path to revival. to accelerate work on the CPEC Earlier in April, Sinopharm though clearances were needed potential vaccine in the United a shot developed by Chinese On June 11, a non-bailable ar- Khan warned however that projects. had invited the National Insti- for the purpose, the collabora- Arab Emirates in a Phase 3 trial fi rm CanSino Bilogics has been rest warrant for Sharif was is- the war against coronavirus is In a series of tweets, Umar tute of Health (NIH) Islamabad tion could be “a great thing for expected to recruit 15,000 peo- cleared for use in the military. sued by an accountability court not over, and that challenges re- said that the cabinet commit- to collaborate in conducting Pakistan”. ple, as China has too few new China is leading the develop- in the Toshakhana reference. main. tee reviewed progress of CPEC clinical trials of its inactivated Meanwhile, researchers have cases to be a useful trial site. ment of at least eight vaccine According to the accountabil- The prime minister advised projects during the fi nancial vaccine for Covid-19 in Paki- said that Sinopharm’s coronavi- The potential vaccine did not candidates in diff erent stages of ity bureau, former president Asif people to continue adhering to year 2019-20. stan. rus vaccine candidate appeared cause any serious side eff ects, clinical trials. Ali Zardari and former premier Sharif obtained cars from the Toshakana, the state gift deposi- tory, by paying 15% of the cars’ Independent play price. The bureau further alleged Two held for beating that former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani facilitated Zardari and Nawaz in this regard. up metro bus guards Zardari had paid only 15% of the total cost of the cars through fake accounts, according to the Internews control,” he added. NAB. Peshawar The spokesman said some He also received cars as gifts revellers behaved badly with from Libya and the UAE when he the company’s guards. was president, and utilised them he police have arrested He said that people had been for his personal use instead of two people for trespass- thronging BRT stations since depositing them in the treasury, Ting on the Peshawar Bus the bus service was launched the anti-graft body had alleged. Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor on Thursday afternoon. The NAB had also said that and beating up guards. “The situation is likely to Abdul Ghani Majeed paid for the The people had taken to the normalise within a couple of vehicles through fake accounts, streets on Thursday night in days,” he said. and that Majeed made more than large numbers to celebrate In- In a post on its Facebook Rs20mn through illegal trans- dependence Day. page, the company said in- actions using the Ansari Sugar Many of them entered the cidents had been recorded Mills accounts. BRT corridor and beat up at stations and buses since According to reports, Sharif guards trying to stop them. Thursday. was not holding any public offi ce A police offi cial said that two “We are monitoring every in 2008 but was given a vehicle of the trespassers were arrest- minute of the service and shall without any justifi cation. ed after identifi cation by way inform everyone that ZU Pe- The NAB says that the lead- of closed-circuit television shawar services are designed ers have been charged with cor- camera footage. to cater to the transport needs ruption under sub-sections 2, 4, He said the identifi cation of for the public,” it said, adding 7, and 12 of Section 9 (A) of the other suspects is under way. that in co-ordination with the NAB Ordinance. The offi cial said the police security forces, they will take A Toshakhana gift from any had registered a fi rst infor- strict action against wrongdo- country to the head of the state mation report (FIR) against ers. remains the property of the gov- the accused under Pakistan “Please take responsibil- ernment unless sold at an open Penal Code sections 337(A2), ity to protect this service and auction. 337(F2), 427, and 506 for the avoid any damage,” it said. Rules allow offi cials to retain injuries and criminal intimida- Videos shared on social me- gifts with a market value of less Boys play in front of a shop in Karachi, illuminated with the colours of the national flag, during Pakistan’s Independence Day celebrations tion of guards, and damage to dia showed a large number of than Rs10,000 without paying on Friday evening. BRT property. people entering the BRT corri- anything. He said the police had re- dor on the GT Road, with many ceived a formal request from assaulting guards. the relevant department for The torn uniforms and action against the trespassers. bruised faces of guards were However, an offi cial of the visible in pictures shared on Hashtnagri police station social media. Major tax evasion scam in Faisalabad is exposed claimed that no one was in- Some trespassers were heard jured in the incident. urging the crowd to join in the Earlier, TransPeshawar chief assault. Internews ing” invoices and tax evasion issuing fake and fl ying invoices to Arrow International is a non- These 65 registered persons executive Fayyaz Khan told Gunshots were also heard. Islamabad would be dealt with strictly as a non-existing unit named Arrow existent and dummy unit, which allegedly evaded further tax media that the company was However, it was not clear per the law, adding that it would International. had been registered by the sus- amounting to Rs134.453mn. gathering details of the inci- who used fi rearms. take swift action even against Accordingly, tax fraud pro- pects for issuing and adjusting The FBR has encouraged the dent for legal action. A video showed a large ederal Board of Revenue its own employees if they were ceedings against the suspects fake/fl ying invoices and to facili- people to come forward and re- TransPeshawar, the govern- number of people jump over (FBR) chairman Javed found to be involved. have been initiated and a First tate buyers and suppliers to avoid veal the identity of people in- ment-owned company, was closed fare gates at a BRT sta- FGhani has issued directions In a related development, Information Report (FIR) has payment of sales tax, including volved in tax evasion by using formed to manage the BRT op- tion. to his offi cers to speed up opera- the Directorate of Intelligence been lodged against Arrow In- further tax. fake and fl ying invoices. erations. Prime Minister Imran Khan tions against tax evasion after the and Investigation (Inland Rev- ternational, its buyers, suppliers Moreover, 65 registered per- The FBR says it will grant a re- A spokesman for the com- formally launched the much- FBR unearthed a major sales tax enue) Faisalabad has arrested the and other benefi ciaries, under sons were also declared “pur- ward to whistleblowers under its pany said the mob did not delayed BRT project on Thurs- evasion scam in Faisalabad. owner of Fazal Awais Textiles in section 37A of the Sales Tax Act chasers” by the suspects in a Reward Rules, and assured that damage the BRT machinery. day afternoon before the bus The bureau said that all those Faisalabad for his suspected in- 1990. scheme to avoid the payment of the names of the whistleblowers “We’re carrying out surveil- service was opened to people found involved in fake and “fl y- volvement in tax fraud by way of The investigation revealed that due tax. would be kept secret. lance. The situation is under around 5pm. Gulf Times 12 Sunday, August 16, 2020 QATAR New Indian envoy praises community’s eff orts during Covid crisis The Indian ambassador addressing the gathering yesterday.

By Joseph Varghese the past years. The Indian com- each and every one. We helped Staff Reporter munity has been the backbone not only fellow Indians but also of this great relationship and other people in Qatar, which is provided the strong foundation the uniqueness of Indian culture ew Indian ambassador for such a relationship to grow of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’,” Dr Deepak Mittal has and prosper. During my meet- he said. Nlauded the eff orts of the ing to present the credentials, He also thanked the govern- community to support fellow His Highness the Amir Sheikh ment of Qatar for facilitating Indians in distress during the Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani had the return of a large number of Covid-19 pandemic. a lot of positive things to say Indians stranded in Qatar during The envoy who took charge a about the Indian community this pandemic and said that an few days ago also highlighted the and vividly recounted the con- agreement has been reached be- long-standing and cordial rela- tributions of the community for tween the two countries to set up tions between Qatar and India the development of the country,” an air bubble travel arrangement and assured the continued sup- Mittal said. for the return of Indians to Qatar. port of the embassy to endeav- The envoy said the Indian “We have an understanding ours aimed at the welfare of the community has worked together and agreement to setting up an community members. as one body to face the chal- air bubble travel arrangement Mittal was speaking to the In- lenges posed by Covid-19. “The between the two countries so dian community in his maiden community came together and that people from India and Qa- address in Qatar during the In- worked selfl essly to reach out tar can travel and families can be dian Independence Day celebra- to everyone who were in dis- reunited, students can join their tions at the embassy yesterday. tress. We worked together and educational institutions and “Qatar and India have a very showed to the world that in Qa- people can return and resume good and cordial bilateral rela- tar we represent the cosmos of their jobs. Both the Qatari and tionship. We have seen it grow the Indian society as we come Indian authorities have worked from strength to strength over together, work together and help out this arrangement,” he added. The Indian embassy building illuminated in the colours of the Indian flag. Indian expats celebrate I-Day

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“The Government of Qatar has always been supportive of the community all through these years and especially during this pandemic. With this great support, we have been able to facilitate the return of a large number of Indians, who were stranded in Qatar, to their native places. It was not a small task but a very dif- fi cult one, but was carried out successfully,” he highlighted. The event ended with the presentation of patriotic songs and a cultural programme by the students of Indian schools.

Sapling plantation on the occasion. Students singing a patriotic song.

Dr Deepak Mittal addressing the gathering.

The ambassador off ering a floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. Guests at the event.