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published in QATAR since 1978

WEDNESDAY Vol. XXXXI No. 11820 February 10, 2021 Jumada II 28, 1442 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani celebrated Qatar’s National Sport Day at Al Bidda Park yesterday. His Highness the Amir also wished everyone an enjoyable day through a tweet, whose unoff icial translation is as follows: “On our Sport Day during this exceptional year that all countries of the world are experiencing, exercise remains an indispensable healthy and social behaviour; wishing everyone an enjoyable day.” Doha Plan of Action Defence minister opens world’s to uplift poor nations Outdoor, online activities largest calisthenics park The Doha Plan of Action will be a starting point for transforming the lives of millions of people living in the most vulnerable countries, mark National Sport Day and putting the least developed countries on the path towards sustainable and comprehensive t was a National Sport Day (NSD) stances, in addition to being a highly development, HE the Permanent 2021 with a diff erence as people eff ective activity in terms of fi tness Representative of Qatar to the Iaround Qatar celebrated the occa- and well-being. United Nations Ambassador Sheikha sion yesterday by observing Covid-19 Others were seen running, jog- Alya Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani, has precautionary and preventive meas- ging, roller skating or simply walking, said. Page 2 ures. while some used the open spaces and While group activities were not al- green areas to exercise. Hamas, Fatah agree on lowed and several other measures put Besides these safe outdoor ac- Palestinian elections in place to curb the spread of the vi- tivities, a number of online sporting rus, the public – including both citi- events were also held yesterday in Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas zens and residents – kept the spirit of view of the Covid-19 situation. said yesterday they had agreed on the day alive by taking part in various In a statement published by QNA, the “mechanisms” for forthcoming safe outdoor events and an array of HE the Minister of Culture and elections, after a rapprochement online activities organised by diff er- Sports Salah bin Ghanem bin Nasser between the two movements. The ent entities. al-Ali said NSD is a pioneering ini- deal reached in Cairo provides for Based on last week’s Cabinet deci- tiative at the global level, adding that an “electoral court” and commits sion regarding the plan to reimpose it is based on the wise leadership’s to allowing free campaigning and some Covid-19 restrictions in Qatar, view regarding the status of sport in voting, according to the statement the Sport Day committee had recently Children enjoying National Sport Day. societies and its belief in the impor- released by Hamas and confirmed announced that all NSD activities this PICTURE: Ram Chand tance of investing in people. by Fatah. The parliamentary and year would be individual disciplines Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) presidential polls, set for May and July only, such as running/jogging, swim- masks had to be worn at all times celebrated the 10th edition of Na- respectively, are the first in 15 years. ming and cycling. except during the sporting activity tional Sport Day virtually, in line with Contact sports that required physi- itself. the Covid-19 precautionary measures Covid origins still a cal contact between players were pro- Yesterday, people were seen com- imposed in the country. hibited, for example football matches. plying with these – and other meas- QOC encouraged all segments of HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Aff airs Dr mystery as probe ends Also, all sporting activities had to be ures as they turned up at popular plac- society to get in touch via social me- Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah, inaugurated yesterday the Calisthenics park A much-anticipated inquiry into the conducted entirely in outdoor set- es such as the Doha Corniche, various dia. The committee’s sports day pro- in Meqdam camp, in conjunction with the National Sport Day. The park has origins of the coronavirus pandemic tings and individually and indoor ac- parks, Aspire Zone, Katara – the Cul- gramme included a number of events entered the Guinness World Records for being the largest of its kind in the wrapped up its mission in China tivities were prohibited. tural Village and other open areas. that aimed to raise awareness on the world. The ceremony was attended by HE the Minister of Culture and Sports yesterday with no breakthrough People were also advised to strictly A large number of people took to importance of leading an active life, Salah bin Ghanem bin Nasser al-Ali, and a number of ranking off icers in the discovery, as investigators ruled maintain a safe distance of at least cycling as this was one of the safest QNA reported. To Page 6 armed forces. HE al-Attiyah received the Guinness World Records certificate, via out a theory that Covid-19 came 3m during a sports activity. Face options in the prevailing circum- See also Pages 3-7, 12, Sport Page 1 video conference technology. Page 12 from a lab while failing to identify which animal may have passed it to humans. It remains unclear which No visitors at 4 species first transmitted Covid-19 to humans. Page 9 FM urges Lebanese parties to prioritise national interest HMC facilities Europe’s oldest person from Friday survives Covid-19 QNA HE the Foreign Minister said that Qa- Europe’s oldest person, French nun Beirut tar’s message to Lebanon is a message Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) Sister Andre, has survived Covid-19 of support and a clear message to all has announced changes to its and will celebrate her 117th birthday political parties that there must be a visitor policy. this week, her caregivers said. Sister E the Deputy Prime Minister priority for the national interest in or- Accordingly, no visitors will be Andre tested positive for coronavirus, and Minister of Foreign Af- der to form the government, stressing allowed at the Communicable but displayed no symptoms. A Hfairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Ab- that this communication continues on Disease Center, Hazm Mebeireek spokesman for the retirement home dulrahman al-Thani has called upon a permanent basis. General Hospital, The Cuban where she lives said: “We consider all Lebanese parties to give priority to He added that Qatar’s message is Hospital and Mesaieed Hospital her to be cured. She is very calm and the national interest and accelerate the the same for all regional countries, and from February 12 (Friday), HMC said she is looking forward to celebrating formation of a government. Qatar hopes that everyone will support in a post on social media yesterday. her 117th birthday on Thursday.” The In a statement at the Lebanese Re- the formation of a government that is HMC stressed that it “has become oldest person is Japan’s Kane Tanaka, publican Palace after a meeting with agreed upon by all political factions in necessary to make important who turned 118 on Jan. 2. Page 11 President General Michel Aoun, HE Lebanon in order to bring stability to changes to our visitor policy” due Sheikh Mohamed affi rmed that Qatar that country. to the rising number of Covid-19 Impeachment based will support any path that leads to the Reiterating Qatar’s support for the cases in Qatar. on ‘cold, hard facts’ formation of a government in Leba- brothers in Lebanon, he said Doha will All other HMC facilities will be non, adding Qatar does not seek to always support the Lebanese people available for visitors only between The lead prosecutor in the undermine the French initiative, rather and help them to overcome the crisis, 12noon and 8pm, with one visitor at impeachment trial of former US Lebanese President General Michel Aoun met in Beirut yesterday with HE the it is working to complete international pointing out that Qatar has undertaken a time for a maximum period of 15 president Donald Trump said yesterday Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Aff airs Sheikh Mohamed bin eff orts to form a government. some projects following the devastat- minutes. his case was based on “cold, hard Abdulrahman al-Thani. At the beginning of the meeting, HE the Foreign Minister In response to a question by the Qa- ing explosion at the Beirut port. These All visitors will be required to wear facts,” and proceeded to present video conveyed the greetings of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al- tar News Agency (QNA) correspondent include fi eld hospitals and the recon- a mask, show their Ehteraz app and evidence that Trump incited violence Thani to the Lebanese president, and his wishes to the Lebanese people of further in Beirut about Qatar’s role in resolving struction of the Karantina Hospital, in undergo body temperature checks. on January 6. The historic second progress and prosperity. For his part, the Lebanese president entrusted the Foreign the Lebanese crisis and establishing addition to the reconstruction of some “These changes are made for the impeachment trial of Trump began Minister to convey his greetings to the Amir, wishing him health and happiness stability there through Qatar’s con- buildings, including more than 55 public safety of our patients and visitors. with debate on whether trying an ex- and the people of Qatar more progress, development and prosperity. During the tact with the Lebanese factions and schools, 20 technical institutes and 80 Thank you for your understanding president is indeed constitutional. meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations and issues of common concern. regional and international countries, university buildings. To Page 2 and co-operation,” HMC added. Gulf Times 2 Wednesday, February 10, 2021 QATAR

Amir sends messages to Kuwait Amir, Crown Prince

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani sent a written message to the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, pertaining to bilateral rela- tions and ways to support and develop them. Qatar’s ambas- sador to Kuwait Bandar bin Mohamed al-Attiyah handed over the message during his meeting with the Amir of Kuwait at Bayan Palace yesterday. His Highness the Amir also sent a written mes- sage to Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, pertaining to bilateral relations and ways to support and develop them. The message was handed over by Qatar’s ambassador during his meeting with the Crown Prince at Bayan Palace.

PM sends message to Lebanese president hails distinguished relations Kuwaiti counterpart

QNA Beirut

ebanese President General Michel Aoun has expressed appre- ciation for Qatar’s support, under the directives of His Highness Lthe Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, to Lebanon, es- pecially during the diffi cult circumstances following the Beirut Port explosion by providing urgent social, humanitarian and health aid for the aff ected people. He also considered that this aid is an affi rmation of the distin- guished relations between the two countries. In a statement during his meeting with HE the Deputy Prime Min- ister and Minister of Foreign Aff airs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrah- man al-Thani, President Aoun asserted that the Qatari solidarity with Lebanon was translated on several occasions, whether through fi nan- cial and in-kind donations, through the participation of His Highness the Amir in the Paris Conference to support Lebanon which was or- ganised by the French President Emmanuel Macron, or through the air HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin bridge which was established between Beirut and Doha to send medi- Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani sent a written message to Prime cal and food aid in addition to fi eld hospitals. Minister of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Hamad al-Sabah, According to a Lebanese presidency’s statement, President Aoun pertaining to bilateral relations and ways to support and develop expressed his appreciation for the facilities provided by Qatar to Leb- them. Qatar’s ambassador to Kuwait Bandar bin Mohamed al- anese citizens residing in Qatar, and the job opportunities it provides Attiyah handed over the message during his meeting with the Lebanese President General Michel Aoun during his meeting with HE the Deputy Prime Minister and to many Lebanese, especially in light of the diffi cult economic condi- prime minister of Kuwait at Al Seif Palace yesterday. Minister of Foreign Aff airs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani and the Qatari delegation. tions which Lebanon is passing through.

Lebanon’s caretaker PM meets FM Doha Plan of Action

Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister, Dr Hassan Diab, met in Beirut yesterday with to transform millions HE the Deputy Prime Minis- ter and Minister of Foreign Aff airs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani. During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations, in addition to issues of com- of lives: Sheikha Alya mon concern. QNA Doha set to lenges and the changing global New York landscape, and the additional host Fifth UN burden the coronavirus pandem- Conference on the ic placed on the shoulders of the atar has pledged that the least developed countries, she Lebanese Speaker meets FM Doha Plan of Action will Least Developed expressed Qatar’s full confi dence Qbe a starting point for Countries that the conference will consti- transforming the lives of millions tute a diff erent and transforma- of people living in the most vul- She added that Qatar is proud tive event to chart a course that nerable countries, and putting to host the conference from Jan- responds to the unprecedented the least developed countries on uary 23-27, 2022. She reiterated challenges and strengthen the the path towards sustainable and that Qatar’s hosting the confer- capacity of the least developed comprehensive development. ence comes in line with its belief HE Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif countries to meet these chal- This came in a statement made that achieving the ambitious as- al-Thani lenges. by Qatar’s Permanent Repre- pirations of the 2030 Sustainable She referred to the Istanbul sentative to the United Nations Development plan will not be terres in the conference and his Programme of Action for the HE Ambassador Sheikha Alya possible without paying special full support for it. Least Developed Countries for Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani during attention to the least developed She also drew attention to the Decade 2011-2020 in ad- the organisational session of the countries. Qatar’s keenness to prepare and dressing the structural chal- preparatory committee for the HE Sheikha Alya highlighted provide all the requirements lenges facing the least developed Fifth UN Conference on the Least the steps that Qatar took to pre- that help in facilitating the suc- countries, expressing the aspi- Developed Countries, which was pare for the conference despite cess of the Fifth UN Conference, ration of Qatar for the new pro- held at the UN headquarters in the unprecedented circum- explaining that Qatar National gramme for the next decade to New York. stances and challenges posed by Convention Center will host build on the achievements that HE Sheikha Alya stressed that the coronavirus pandemic. She the conference, as it is one of have been made and to complete the committee’s eff orts consti- said that the preparations are the largest conference centres the goals that are still in progress. tute a guarantee for the success under way in an effi cient and ef- in the Middle East and the most She added that Doha Plan of of the preparatory process for the fective manner, including plan- technologically advanced. It also Action will be the fi rst to ad- conference, expressing Qatar’s ning visits, and continuous ef- has a state-of-the-art media dress the challenges caused by appreciation for the Member forts are being made to complete presentation and production fa- the coronavirus pandemic and its Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berri met in Beirut yesterday with HE the Deputy Prime States for electing it as a mem- all the various aspects related to cilities and is staff ed by a team of repercussions on the least devel- Minister and Minister of Foreign Aff airs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani. During the ber of the Bureau of Preparatory the conference, noting in this event and conference manage- oped countries, in addition to the meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations, in addition to issues of common concern. Committee, as the host country context the participation of UN ment professionals. recovery from the pandemic and of the conference. Secretary-General Antonio Gu- In light of the emerging chal- its multifaceted eff ects. FM urges Lebanese parties to prioritise national interest

ties success so that they priori- Agreement 2008, he said the that brings political stability to to achieve the formation of a with Prime Minister-Designate Lebanon requires the formation From Page 1 tise the interest of the Lebanese process of forming a govern- Lebanon. Regarding the writ- government and political stabil- Saad Hariri, who is currently of a government, stressing that people and work to form a gov- ment in Lebanon is an internal ten message from His Highness ity in Lebanon. outside the country. Qatar does not provide fi nancial Qatar is also providing schol- ernment as soon as possible. He matter of that country, stress- the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Ha- Asked about Qatar presenting On the invitation to the po- support in cash, but in the form arships to 400 students at the said Qatar believed that Lebanon ing that Qatar has good relations mad al-Thani to the Lebanese a new initiative that undermines litical parties to Doha, he said of programmes that make a dif- American University. has a bright future but for that to with the various political fac- President, he said the message the French initiative, HE the the Lebanese are welcome at any ference in the state’s economy HE Sheikh Mohamed affi rmed happen the country requires a tions and Qatar is ready to play a expressed Qatar’s support for Foreign Minister said that it has time, but there is no such initia- and in the interest of the peo- Qatar’s continued support for stable government. role if requested by the Lebanese the brothers in Lebanon and nothing to do with undermin- tive on the table. With regard to ple. This requires a stable gov- the completion of projects in the On a question about a Qatari parties. encouraged the parties to give ing the French initiative and “we fi nancial aid to Lebanon, the ernment and work on economic devastated areas, wishing the initiative to solve the Lebanese He said Qatar will support priority to the national interest are completing international ef- minister said allocating an inte- programmes that serve the peo- various Lebanese political par- crisis similar to that of Doha any eff ort to form a government over political interests in order forts”, expressing hope to meet grated economic programme to ple. Gulf Times Wednesday, February 10, 2021 3 QATAR QIIB participates in sporting Sport Day affi rms importance events with safety measures of investing in people: minister QNA of investing in people. He added Doha that Sport Day contributes to „ Despite Covid-19, Qatar diversifi cation of activities by remains world’s sports hub: not limiting it to competitive Dr al-Shaibei E the Minister of Cul- sports and achieving the re- ture and Sports Salah quired balance with the various IIB participated in this Hbin Ghanem bin Nasser types of sports that the commu- year’s National Sport Day al-Ali said that Sport Day is an nity practises. Q(NSD) events in a manner annual date for promoting com- This contributes for moral and that refl ected the new circum- munity sports in Qatar. intellectual advancement be- stances related to the spread of In a statement, the minister cause it confi rms the quality of Covid-19, and in line with the re- said that Sport Day is a pioneer- investment in people, especially quirements and guidelines relat- ing initiative on the global level, as the human element is impor- ed to sports activities and events adding that it is based on the tant in the sports fi eld in order to approved for NSD 2021. wise leadership’s view regarding empower generations to assume HE the Minister of Culture and In a statement, the bank said it the status of sport in societies their responsibilities in the fu- Sports Salah bin Ghanem bin encouraged all its staff members and its belief in the importance ture. Nasser al-Ali to work out individually in open QIIB CEO Dr Abdulbasit Ahmad areas in line with the precaution- al-Shaibei. ary measures that do not hinder the practice of sporting activities “However, such measures and such as walking, running and bik- controls are applied to serve in- ing, especially in parks, on walk- dividuals and provide them with Vodafone launches AR game on NSD ing trails and designated bicycle a suitable environment and con- tracks, which are given a lot of ditions under diff erent situations The QIIB building. emphasis by the State to encour- and circumstances, including odafone Qatar marked age everyone to practise sports in contingencies.” Dr al-Shaibei noted that de- its country.” QIIB’s offi cials and National Sport Day with a safe manner and create a healthy He added: “It is true that group spite the pandemic, Qatar has employees who participated in Vthe launch of a “one-of- and interactive community. sports are important and benefi - remained the world’s sports hub the National Sport Day expressed a-kind” Augmented Reality (AR) QIIB CEO Dr Abdulbasit Ah- cial and echo the real meaning of and organised a number of inter- their interest in taking part in the game that enabled individuals mad al-Shaibei and a number of participation, interaction and national and regional champi- events despite the new circum- to get some movement from the senior executive management communication at social, human onships, while maintaining the stances, the statement noted. safety of their homes. members led bank participants and cultural levels. Yet, the cur- highest standards of safety and They stressed the importance of Open to everyone in Qatar, the in the activities as they took part rent circumstances emphasise security, which has contributed complying with the prescribed immersive game that seamlessly in the events, fully adhering to the importance of exercising as to Qatar’s great successes in vari- health and safety requirements blended real and virtual ob- safety protocols and complying it boosts the individuals immune ous fi elds. for combating Covid-19 pan- jects required players to collect with the health requirements. Dr system, strengthens their deter- He stressed: “Qatar National demic and returning to a normal as many balls as possible while al-Shaibei said: “National Sport mination, helps them cope with Vision 2030 has laid the basic life. avoid getting hit by the rogue Day has a special signifi cance to pressure, and makes them much foundations that kindled interest The National Sport Day organ- characters, the company said in a our country, which has become more productive, interactive and in sports, for the national vision’s ising committee has laid down statement. these exceptional circumstances, promote well-being, and we’ll an international sports hub. able to give. primary focus is on the individu- the conditions and guidelines re- Players who got the top three we’re delighted to have still been continue using our digital exper- For this reason, celebrating this “QIIB is keen to participate in al and how to achieve his aspira- lated to this year’s events and ac- scores will win an iPhone 12 and able to engage the public in an tise to promote how you can live a event amid the current pandemic various activities that underline tions and needs according to the tivities, which require that sports the players in the fourth and fi fth innovative and more importantly healthy lifestyle using innovative refl ects our country’s determina- the positive values represented best standards and principles. activities must be conducted places will get an AirPod Pro. Vo- safe way on National Sport Day technology.” tion to get on with life and adopt by sports, which will enable the Creating successful, produc- individually and in the open air dafone will contact the winners this year. The game can still be enjoyed new measures and controls that whole society to share a strong tive, healthy and fi t individuals only, while applying social dis- today through the e-mail address “Vodafone has historically on until the end of February by shall not stand in the way of sense of strength, cohesion, pro- means creating a strong, cohe- tancing and maintaining a dis- used for their app store registra- National Sport Day each year, downloading the Vodafone AR looking after our health and ductivity and interaction in vari- sive community capable of giv- tance of at least 3m during each tion to receive their prizes. showcased how technology can App, available on both the App physical fi tness. ous indicators and trends.” ing and building and developing sports activity. Vodafone Qatar said, “During enable an active lifestyle and store and Google Play. Qatar Foundation celebrates NSD ’21 ust 10-15 minutes of exercise „ Exercise ticks every mental well-being box, say experts a day can put people on the Jpath to protecting their men- „ Community gets active and inspired through online tal well-being, health experts sessions focused on fitness, learning and inclusivity emphasised as Qatar Foundation celebrated National Sport Day Professional instructors from Zulal Wellness Resort. (NSD) in virtual form. Online fi tness classes, sessions that showcased ability-friendly sporting opportunities and in- spirational talks encouraged all members of Qatar’s community to embrace physical activity as the route to a healthy and happy life- style on the day when the nation celebrates the benefi ts and the joy of sport, QF said in a statement. The activities hosted by QF enabled people across the coun- try to get into the spirit of sport and exercise while observing Covid-19 health guidelines, and Nada Mohamed Wafa to boost their fi tness while also Mariam Farid with Khalid al-Jumaily. learning about the value of living an active life from sports stars and experts. Professional instruc- tors from Zulal Wellness Resort, Gymmito, F45 and T23 staged QF’s Qatar Reads initiative teamed up with Olympic Stars and Warrior Fit to off er a gymnastic class and a online workouts, with people bootcamp for children. also participating in a Muay Thai class with Hands of Stone and a yoga session, while QF’s Qatar Reads initiative teamed up with Olympic Stars and Warrior Fit to off er a gymnastic class and a bootcamp for children. Reem al-Muftah In a session focusing on how exercise and mental health are Qatar’s hosting of major sporting interconnected, Dr Naomi Hynd, events, has “motivated our soci- a consultant clinical psychiatrist ety to see that sport is now part of Dr Zainab Imam and Dr Naomi Hynd. at QF member Sidra Medicine, our culture”. said: “There are many diff erent And giving her advice to young factors that aff ect mental health, women thinking about follow- and exercise is certainly one of ing in her sporting footsteps, she those. said: “You should be confi dent, “Exercise boosts our mood and believe in yourself, and work to- releases the tension and worry in ward improving, changing and our body. If you have an excess growing as a person – love your- of stress in your life, you need to self, accept yourself, and go into balance it out with pleasurable society with a smile that says you activities, and exercise is really won’t give up. good in this respect. And with Ability-Friendly football with Generation Amazing. “I hope to raise more aware- social isolation being a key pre- ness in Qatar of the importance dictor to mental health issues, exercise “ticks practically every Sport and exercise’s crucial role patterns as it supports the bio- of being more active and living a Faysal al-Oshari with Khalid al-Jumaily. exercising with others is a good aspect of mental well-being”, in maintaining mental well-being logical clock, in addition to sup- healthy lifestyle. I would support way to meet people. saying: “There are fi ve ways to were also highlighted by Faysal al- pressing negative emotions like anyone to participate in sports, the challenges that lie along the ity and hearing impairments and “But it’s important to set re- mental well-being – movement, Oshari, a specialist at Qatar’s Be- stress, anger, and anxiety; and and to upcoming athletes, we have road to sporting success from learning challenges together with alistic targets with exercise – it connecting with others, tak- havioral Healthcare Center, who exercise can also enhance per- such a great opportunity through swimming star Nada Mohamed the Best Buddies initiative. doesn’t have to be a large amount ing notice, lifelong learning, and said: “The benefi ts of practising sonal and social values such as Qatar hosting the 2030 Asian Wafa, who represented Qatar at QF’s Ability-Friendly Pro- of time. If you do 10-15 minutes charity. sport are refl ected in our mental self-respect, confi dence, and Games, both to participate and to the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. gramme collaborated with the of vigorous exercise each day, “When we exercise, we move, health, producing a special hor- discipline, as well as communi- be part of our sports industry.” Meanwhile, to mark the Qatar- Supreme Committee for Delivery that is enough in terms of ben- we connect with others, we no- mone called endorphin, which is cation skills, through teamwork Those who tuned in to QF’s USA 2021 Year of Culture, QF & Legacy’s Generation Amazing efi ting our mental health. It sim- tice our surroundings and ap- considered a pain killer but also and achieving collective goals.” National Sport Day celebrations joined hands with Qatar Muse- programme, Accessible Qatar, ply has to be something that is preciate what we have around us, gives a feeling of relief and hap- QF’s National Sport Day talks, also learned about balancing ex- ums and the US embassy in Doha and Clement Academy for in- sustainable for you.” we learn new things that boost piness. The more active a person introduced by TV personal- ercise, family, work and social to off er sessions for both adults clusive demonstration sessions Dr Zainab Imam, a consultant our confi dence, and we provide is, the more endorphins are pro- ity Khalid al-Jumaily, saw Qatari life from Reem al-Muftah, head and children with leading US gym focusing on football, cricket, adult and perinatal psychiatrist a form of charity to ourselves by duced and the happier they are. athlete Mariam Farid say that the of Organisational Development Dogpound, and online activities swimming, handcycling, wheel- at Sidra Medicine, explained that keeping fi t and healthy.” “Sport can also help our sleep annual celebration of sport, and at Aspetar; and how to overcome designed for those with mobil- chair fencing and archery. Gulf Times 4 Wednesday, February 10, 2021 QATAR

QIB celebrates NSD with host of activities remotely, special off ers

atar Islamic Bank (QIB) QIB’s tips will support the cul- has celebrated National ture of sports and health among QSport Day (NSD) with a all the people in Qatar, and es- number of competitions and of- pecially to the ones who spend fers, to create awareness on the hours during work on their desks, importance of sports and fi tness helping them in adopting small in achieving a sound and healthy changes that lead to a healthier lifestyle, which, in turn, helps in lifestyle, the statement noted. the development of a strong and Further, QIB ran an exclusive prosperous society. social media competition asking Showcasing the fun and re- participants to mention an ‘In- warding benefi ts of sports and active’ friend in the comments, to promote the idea that physi- for a chance for three par- cal activities can be exciting, ticipants and their mentioned QIB has posted a series of sports friends, for both to win QR2,000 and heath tips on its social me- sports gear vouchers. dia channels, suitable for a vari- In addition, QIB has partnered ety of ages and for all members with MyBook to off er a number of the family to benefi t from, the of National Sport Day off ers. bank has said in a statement. The MyBook off er, available via QIB followers got the oppor- the MyBook App, will allow QIB Visuals from QIB’s National Sport Day celebration. tunity to contribute to the sports customers to avail of a ‘buy one tips and activities and share the and get one free’ off er on all their Gym & Spa, Gymmito Fitness Faces Swimming Academy and and their family members. Bas- Day holds a positive message and tivities are part of QIB’s Corpo- excitement of the national holi- purchases from dedicated retail- Club, Cedars Sports Academy, others. Finally, taking into con- sel Gamal, QIB Group’s CEO, goal for the people of Qatar to be rate Social Responsibility pro- day, while benefi ting from in- ers in Qatar. Discover Arabia, Swasthi Yoga, sideration the latest preventive said: “We are delighted to see more conscious of their physical gramme. During this special day, formation on how to eff ectively The off er is valid at a host of Guerlain Spa Alfardan, Nation- measures related to the Cov- many people engaging with our and mental well-being, and we QIB aims to promote an active make physical activity a daily health and fi tness outlets and al Cruise, Bodylines Fitness & id-19 pandemic, QIB conducted health and fi tness tips and par- are proud to be involved in reit- healthy lifestyle among employ- part of their schedule and em- brands, including 365 Adven- Wellness Club, Doha Golf Club, for the fi rst time four online fi t- ticipating in our sports compe- erating this message each year.” ees and the larger community in bark on a healthier lifestyle. tures, Adventure Rooms, Ozone Snow Dunes, Cenfi t, Happy ness classes for its employees titions. Qatar’s National Sport The National Sport Day ac- Qatar, the statement added. Msheireb Downtown Doha’s PUBLIC TENDER NOTICE Expressions of participation interest sport exhibition puts focus 15th February 2021 on achievements of Qataris

sheireb Downtown Doha has announced that it is hosting a sport exhibition organised by Seashore MGroup and Al Hosh Gallery at Sikkat Alwadi until February 20. Sponsored by Msheireb Properties, the exhibition aims to shed light on Qatari sport in the past and the present, intro- duces the current generation to the big achievements and en- courages them to follow a healthy lifestyle and to pursue their sports careers, according to a Participating in the press statement. exhibition are Qatar’s Open daily from 10am Ministry of Defence and until 9pm, the exhibi- a group of Qatari artists tion adopts the highest and sportspeople, standards of precautionary including Sultan measures for the safety for al-Jassem, the sport visitors and staff , the state- documentarian who ment noted. Visitors should will display a selection register their names fi rst of photographs and at the registration desk at portraits documenting the entrance and wait for the history of sports in their turn to enter based on Qatar and “reviving the the capacity of the exhibi- collective memory of tion venue and to maintain Qataris to remind them social distancing among of their achievements” them. They should always also show the Ehteraz app ‘Green’ code and wear masks. Organised on Qatar National Sport Day, the sport exhibition at Msheireb Downtown Doha “inspires people to adopt a healthy lifestyle and to accomplish their sport dreams and to overcome any chal- 15th February 2021. lenges they might face in their life”. Participating in the exhibition are Qatar’s Ministry of Defence and a group of Qatari artists and sportspeople, including Sultan al-Jassem, the sport documentarian Sponsored by Msheireb Properties, the exhibition aims to shed light on Qatari sport in who will display a selection of photographs and portraits the past and the present, introduces the current generation to the big achievements and documenting the history of sports in Qatar and “reviving encourages them to follow a healthy lifestyle. the collective memory of Qataris to remind them of their achievements”, the statement pointed out. Artist Ahmed al-Maadeed is displaying artistic portraits around sport. In addition, the exhibition will display sport equipment and tools used by Qatari sportspeople during their sport journey, including Sheikh Mohamed al-Thani, the renowned climber who has conquered the seven sum- mits, Mutaz Essa Barshim, high jump gold medallist in the World Championships and silver medallist in the Olym- pics, sports fi gure Sheikha Asma al-Thani, Qatari traveller and athlete Ali bin Towar al-Kuwari and Abdullah al-Khu- laifi , drag race champion. Gulf Times Wednesday, February 10, 2021 5 QATAR

On National Sport Day, Dukhan Bank launches Fitbit Pay and Garmin Pay

uring the Qatar National Bank debit and credit cards factors to our partners. Garmin tions that are tailored to meet ture, as it aims to “provide the Sport Day (NSD) celebra- to their respective Fitbit and Pay and Fitbit Pay use Visa Token the needs of consumers and best innovative services to cus- Dtions, Dukhan Bank an- Garmin devices to make “quick Service and off er cardholders further accelerate digital trans- tomers and to off er them the nounced the launch of Fitbit Pay and seamless contactless trans- enhanced options for contact- formation in the market. We are safest paying solutions”. These and Garmin Pay on the Dukhan actions” directly from the wrist. less payments through weara- in a unique position to leverage steps are also taken with a view Pay (D-Pay) contactless pay- Commenting on the launch, bles, enabling their active life- our expertise and act as an ena- of supporting the health and ment platform. Dukhan Bank said: “We are style while off ering a secure way bler for products that provide safety of customers amid the This came as part of the bank’s pleased to add Fitbit Pay and to pay. We are pleased to work our consumers with faster, safer, spread of Covid-19 by making “commitment to facilitate a dig- Garmin Pay to the Dukhan Pay with Dukhan Bank to introduce convenient and more hygienic banking services available any- ital transformation of banking (D-Pay) contactless platform. Garmin Pay and Fitbit Pay for ways to pay. We will continue to time and anywhere, supported services and transactions that These two services will surely Visa cardholders in Qatar.” work closely with our partners in by a wide portfolio of Internet also ensure a safe and easy pay- enhance our customers’ experi- Mastercard added: “We are Qatar to introduce products that banking services. ment experience for its cus- ence by enabling them to per- excited to extend our partner- are designed to exceed the needs D-Pay is the latest digital tomers”, Dukhan Bank said in a form contactless payments in a ship with Dukhan Bank to launch of consumers in the market.” banking service that is off ered statement. way that is seamless and safe, re- payment methods that meet From its side, Visa said: “Visa Garmin Pay and Fitbit Pay. Mas- Dukhan Bank said it plans to by Dukhan Bank to power digital On the D-Pay platform, cus- fl ecting clearly the banks’ com- the constant and ever-evolving is continuously working to de- tercard has been at the forefront launch more contactless pay- banking transformation in the tomers can now add their Dukhan mitment to creating advanced needs of our customers.” liver new and innovative form of introducing innovative solu- ment products in the near fu- country. Qatar embassies and consulates abroad celebrate NSD 2021

QNA Doha

he diplomatic, consular and representative mis- Tsions of Qatar abroad organised sporting activities marking the National Sport Day (NSD), amid precautionary measures and procedures. Qatar’s embassy in Berlin or- ganised sporting events which was attended by ambassador Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohamed al-Thani, the diplomatic and embassy staff . In Mexico City, events organ- ised by the embassy were attend- ed by ambassador Mohamed bin Jassim al-Kuwari, the president of the Qatar-Mexico Parliamen- tary Friendship Group, Deputy Sergio Perez, diplomats and the Diplomatic, consular and representative missions of Qatar abroad, organised sporting activities to mark the National Sport Day (NSD), amid precautionary measures. embassy staff . The activities in- cluded a range of sports activi- all groups in sport. In Dhaka, the eral Saif bin Ali al-Mohannadi ties and a football match. embassy celebrated NSD with and members of the mission. In Bandar Seri Begawan, Qa- the participation of the ambas- In San Salvador, the embassy tar’s embassy organised activi- sador Ahmed bin Mohamed al- organised sporting events on the ties with the participation of the Dehaimi, members of the diplo- occasion, with the participation of ambassador to Brunei Darussal- matic mission and embassy staff . Acting Charge d’Aff aires in El Sal- am Jassim bin Ali al-Obaidli and Speaking on the occasion, the vador Tariq Othman al-Othman, members of the embassy includ- ambassador said the Sport Day members of the diplomatic corps ing diplomats, local employees refl ects the interest that Qatar and embassy staff . The activities and their families. attaches to sport and physical that were held in an open sports The Sport Day programme in- health, in addition to ensure that centre included many sports such cluded many events and activi- sport is a way of life that must as spinning, yoga and boxing. ties such as running, walking, not be abandoned to prevent dis- On this occasion, the acting playing table tennis and badmin- eases and pandemics. charge d’aff aires said in a speech ton. In a speech on the occasion, In Houston, the Consulate that Qatar is keen to organise the ambassador stressed that the General of Qatar organised this event every year, and it is embassy continues to organise sporting events on the occa- one of the most important oc- the event annually based on its sion attended by Consul General casions that shows Qatar’s in- conviction of its importance in In Kabul, the embassy organ- Costa Rica organised activities In Mogadishu, the embassy In a speech on the occasion, Rashid bin Abdullah al-Dehaimi terest in sports and its keenness refl ecting Qatar’s awareness, ised activities with the partici- with the participation of the am- organised activities with the the ambassador stressed the im- and a number of Qatari citizens. to consolidate sports culture, to interest in sports and its noble pation of the ambassador Saeed bassador Dr Khamis bin Rashid participation of the ambassador portance of the day, noting that In Mumbai, the Consulate create a healthy and strong so- values, as well as contributing to bin Mubarak al-Khayarin and al-Kaabi and members of the Hassan bin Hamza Hashem, the it is an annual celebration aimed General of Qatar organised ac- ciety with the aim of promoting the upbringing of generations in members of the embassy. embassy. The activities included embassy staff , including diplo- at encouraging and supporting tivities on the occasion with the public health and to encourage a healthy way. In San Jose, the embassy in a football match. mats and administration staff . the participation of youth and participation of the Consul Gen- healthy and sound lifestyles.

Amiri Guard conducts outdoor sporting activities

QNA Doha

nder the auspices of Commander of the Amiri Guard Major General Hazza Ubin Khalil al-Shahwani, the Amiri Guard held a number of sporting activities in the outdoor sports fi eld at the Barzan camp, in celebration of the state’s National Sport Day. A number of commanders of the Amiri Guard participated in the activities with lead- ers and offi cers of departments and groups. This year’s sporting activities focused on individual sports like walking, running, pad- dling, and horseback riding, in line with the precautionary measures for doing sports that were set by the Sport Day committee, which are in accordance to the Ministry of Public Health’s protocols. The Sport Day activities committee of the Amiri Guard was keen to prepare the outdoor playgrounds to suit the individual physical activities, in order to take into account the implementation of all the necessary preven- tive measures. The activities started early in the morning in the outdoor fi elds, where the staff of the Amiri Guard conducted warm-up exercises after which they practised walking and light jogging on the side of the grass fi eld while adhering to safe distancing to limit physical contact between them. The Amiri Guard participates in celebrat- ing Sport Day along with the diff erent state authorities, which was launched in Qatar 10 years ago. The Amiri Guard, through the sports activities it organises, aims to enhance the state’s message of increasing awareness on the importance of physical activity. Physical activity in the Amiri Guard is considered one of the main pillars used to raise the level of fi t- ness of its members, as it is a fundamental and important pillar of training and rehabilita- tion plans, and one of the important elements that help individuals renew physical and mental activity. Gulf Times 6 Wednesday, February 10, 2021 QATAR

Turkish foreign minister on visit to Qatar, Gulf region

urkey’s am- bassador in TDoha Dr Mus- tafa Goksu has said that Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will hold important talks with his coun- terparts during his Gulf tour, which in- cludes Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman. The minister’s visit to Qatar and the Gulf Foreign Minister Mevlut region, which began Cavusoglu yesterday, comes at an important time after the Gulf reconciliation QU celebrated this occasion under the slogan Sport Unites Us, virtually via the Webex platform as part of the that was achieved on January 5, following the Covid-19 precautionary measures. holding of the 41st Gulf Summit in Saudi Arabia. Cavusoglu carries an important message to support reconciliation eff orts between brothers in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC). His visit to Doha is aimed at strengthening all aspects of co-operation between the two coun- tries. Turkey and Qatar are strategic partners in many issues at the bilateral, regional and inter- national levels. QU celebrates Bilateral relations are witnessing remarkable progress in recent years in all fi elds, as the sixth meeting of the Higher Joint Strategic Committee was held last December. The number of agreements signed between the two countries rose to 62 after signing 10 agree- ments in various fi elds at that meeting. The activities included aerobics, yoga and resistance training. NSD virtually atar University (QU) has hosted an He urged university employees and com- event celebrating National Sport munity members to practise sports regu- QDay (NSD) 2021. larly and throughout the year to make it a The event aims to enhance community way of life. members’ awareness of the importance of In her speech on the occasion, Asma al- sport and its impact on an individual’s life. Nuaimi, the director of the Sports Aff airs This year, the QU celebrated this occa- Department, said: “We are delighted with sion under the slogan Sport Unites Us vir- the enthusiasm that we fi nd from all seg- tually via the Webex platform as part of ments of society regarding Sport Day. the coronavirus (Covid-19) precautionary “Celebrating this day on the state level measures. has created a sports culture among the In his statement on the occasion, QU community, as we have seen with university president Dr Hassan al-Derham said: “Na- students and staff . tional Sport Day is a signifi cant national “Without neglecting precautionary occasion, in which we spotlight activi- measures, we have organised various events ties that enrich Qatari society in terms of to commemorate this day and to preserve sports, health and social development.” the health of the community.” “The university recognises the impor- QU Student Aff airs vice-president Dr tance of this national event since its launch Eiman Mustafawi stressed the importance and has organised a number of activities to of celebrating this day annually, emphasis- encourage an interactive, active and healthy ing the State’s concern for the health of the community,” Dr Hassan added. “The State people and its tireless eff orts to serve the of Qatar, which is to host the 2022 FIFA community by providing sports facilities World Cup, has provided all means of prac- that enable everyone to exercise safely. tising sports of various kinds through the The NSD activities at the QU included stadiums equipped in accordance with many sports activities coached by profes- the best international standards, pub- sionals, targeting both females and males. lic squares for practising sports and other The activities included aerobics, yoga modern equipment.” and resistance training. Bangladesh embassy organises National Sport Day activities

The Bangladesh embassy in Doha has celebrated Qatar National Sport Day 2021. Ambassador Md Jashim Uddin and embassy off icials participated in some sports activities organised on the embassy premises. On the occasion, the envoy “wished the government of Qatar and the brotherly people of Qatar peace, prosperity and continued success in the area of sports”.

Outdoor activities held to mark National Sport Day

From Page 1 tional Sport Day in virtual form. Online fi tness classes, sessions that A number of Qatari players who qualifi ed showcased ability-friendly sporting op- for the summer Olympics have stressed the portunities and inspirational talks, encour- importance of raising awareness on the im- aged all members of Qatar’s community to portance of sports. embrace physical activity as the route to a High jump champion Mutaz Essa healthy and happy lifestyle on the day when Barshim said that the NSD, on its 10th an- the nation celebrates the benefi ts and the niversary, helped raise awareness of the im- joy of sport. portance of practising sport. On its part, Qatar University celebrated There was a live broadcast of sports ac- the occasion under the slogan Sport Unites tivities on the social media channels of the Us virtually via the Webex platform as part Qatar Sports for All Federation, off ering of the coronavirus precautionary measures. exercises and healthy tips for diff erent cat- A number of banks and other corporate egories and age groups. entities also organised online activities for Qatar Foundation also celebrated the Na- their employees. Gulf Times Wednesday, February 10, 2021 7 QATAR

Celebrating National Sport Day Qatar Scientifi c Club launches Hackathon for sports innovations

QNA He said 20 projects have been These include having at least Doha registered and they will be pre- three members in the team in- sented to a technical committee cluding one Qatari member, and of the competition for evalua- adhering to the competition’s he Qatar Scientifi c Club tion. The shortlisted projects standards of controls and pro- (QSC) has launched a will be submitted to the second cedures. THackathon for sports in- phase of the competition, before The teams participating in novations, in co-operation with they enter the fi nal implementa- the competition will compete in a number of partners and sup- tion phase. presenting innovative ideas and porters, on the occasion of Qatar solutions in the fi eld of sports. Sport Day which is marked on The Hackathon is an The competition consists of the second Tuesday of February event where a group of three phases: First, registration each year. people meet and share for the innovative idea, which The Hackathon is an event interests and skills, ends today. where a group of people meet exchange experiences The second phase will be dur- and share interests and skills, and solve problems ing March, which will be held exchange experiences and solve virtually in which the qualifi ed problems. The meeting might Al-Rahimi highlighted QSC’s teams compete to develop the also be for the purposes of build- interest in providing a platform project idea. ing a project as a Hackathon for innovative ideas and Hacka- The third and fi nal phase is stimulates innovations among thon competitions in other fi elds implementing the winning and individuals and groups. in support of young people to qualifi ed projects. The competition aims at re- encourage them to generate in- The winning teams will im- inforcing innovative ideas that novative scientifi c ideas. plement their projects in QSC’s contribute to supporting inno- The club, in turn, will support laboratories, and the club will vators in the the fi eld of sports. these ideas and their owners provide the necessary funding Executive Director of the Qa- through the club’s modern tech- and technical support to com- tar Scientifi c Club, Engineer nical laboratories, he stressed. plete the project. An amount of Rashid al-Rahimi, said the com- QSC has set several conditions QR50,000 has been allocated to A group of cyclists known as ‘Team Velo Mafia’ joined the National Sport Day celebrations with a ride to the Hamad International petition was well received by the and requirements to participate fund projects and rewards for the Airport. youth. in the competition. fi rst three projects. MoPH reports 477 new Covid QC launches training event for cases, 147,191 total recoveries ‘Future’s Writers 4’ winners s part of the fi fth edition QNA tential second wave in Qatar. of the ‘Future’s Writers’ Doha For this reason, it is more im- Aprogramme, Qatar Char- portant than ever that people ity (QC) has launched an ad- adhere to preventive measures vanced training forum for win- he Ministry of Public to halt the second wave before it ners of the fourth edition with Health (MoPH) yester- gains momentum. the aim of continuing to develop Tday reported 477 new If the number of positive their story-writing skills. confi rmed cases of coronavi- cases and hospital admissions Some 24 students from pri- rus (Covid-19) during the last continue to increase over the mary, preparatory and second- 24 hours, of which 434 were coming week or two, additional ary schools and Qatar University from the community and 43 restrictions may need to be im- (QU) participated in the event. from travellers returning from plemented across the country The training forum will con- abroad who are subject to quar- and some of the early restric- tinue until April for the partici- antine. tion phases will return. pants, who are divided into three In addition, the ministry an- With the recent increase in levels (primary, preparatory and nounced two deaths of patients the number of Covid-19 cases secondary, and university), with aged 66 and 81, who were re- in Qatar, it is important for eve- each level receiving fi ve training ceiving necessary medical care. ryone to play their role in con- workshops, QC said in a state- The MoPH also recorded 158 trolling the virus by following ment. recoveries from the virus dur- these precautionary measures: The fi rst event of the training ing the past 24 hours, bringing z Adherence to physical dis- forum included three workshops the total number of cases re- tancing on various topics such as crea- One of the workshops being delivered. covered in Qatar to 147,191. z Avoid close contact with tive writing, the idea and ele- All new cases have been in- others, crowded places and ments of a story, and the plot in He also noted that such work- The third workshop was de- troduced to isolation and are confi ned closed spaces where a short story. shops would contribute to trans- livered for university students by receiving necessary healthcare. people congregate The fi rst workshop, which forming their story-writing Dr Abdelhak Belabed, associate Due to the measures put in z Wearing a face mask was delivered by writer Youssef hobby into a constant interest in professor of Literature Theory place by the government and z Washing hands regularly Baalouj, was titled ‘The Idea and this domain. and Comparative Literature at the support of the public in fol- Anyone suffering from Cov- Elements of the Story’. It was for The second workshop, pre- the Arabic Language Depart- lowing preventive steps, Qatar id-19 symptoms should con- primary school students. sented by Dr Imtenan al-Smadi ment, QU. has succeeded in controlling tact 16000 helpline immedi- The workshop also included from QU, was titled ‘Creative The workshop was about the the spread of the virus since its ately. This is important as the practice. Writing’. It was dedicated to pre- plot in the short story. peak in July. earlier the disease is detected, Baalouj expressed his delight paratory and secondary school Dr Belabed touched upon the However, over the past the easier it will be to receive at the response from the par- students. components, shapes and ele- month Qatar has seen a gradual the right treatment and re- ticipants and their eagerness to Al-Smadi said creativity is the ments of the plot in the story. and consistent increase in the in both the number of people The data over the next few cover from it. The MoPH has learn new skills, develop their production of something new, At the end of the workshop, he number of new daily infections. admitted to hospital with Cov- days and week will reveal urged people to visit its web- capabilities, and improve their useful, original and socially ac- analysed some stories, explain- Additionally, and of great id-19 and the number of people more, but these increases ap- site for regular updates and talents in the fi eld of story-writ- ceptable, and it solves a problem ing how to build a plot in the concern, is the recent increase admitted to ICU. pear to be early signs of a po- new information. ing. logically. story.

Foggy weather conditions

Parts of Qatar, including Doha (pictured), experienced foggy conditions early yesterday. Today’s forecast also says low visibility (2km or less) is expected in some places at first due to misty to foggy conditions, according to the Qatar Met department. This will be followed by moderate temperature during the day with some clouds at times, while it will be cold by night. Strong winds and high seas are expected in the northern off shore areas in the early hours of today, the forecast says, with the wind speed going up to 22 knots and sea level rising to 7ft. PICTURE: Shaji Kayamkulam Gulf Times 8 Wednesday, February 10, 2021 REGION/ARAB WORLD UAE’s Hope probe enters orbit in fi rst Arab Mars mission

Reuters na and Nasa just after the UAE’s Dubai lift-off in July are also set to Palestinians wait to leave Rafah border crossing after it was opened by Egyptian authorities, in the reach the planet this month. southern Gaza Strip, yesterday. The Emirates Mars Mission, he United Arab Emir- which has cost around $200mn, ates’ fi rst mission to Mars launched the Hope Probe from a Treached the red planet and Japanese space centre. entered orbit yesterday after a It aims to provide a complete Egypt opens Gaza border seven-month, 494mn-km jour- picture of the Martian atmos- ney, allowing it to start sending phere for the fi rst time, studying data about the Martian atmos- daily and seasonal changes. phere and climate. Minister of State for Advanced crossing ‘indefi nitely’ The Mars programme is part Technology and chair of the UAE of the UAE’s eff orts to develop Space Agency Sarah al-Amiri its scientifi c and technological told Reuters it would take a few AFP with other Palestinian factions, “This crossing must be open capabilities and reduce its reli- weeks to start collecting a mix- Rafah are discussing holding parlia- 24 hours a day, throughout the ance on oil. ture of data and images, which mentary and presidential votes year,” he said. “There are lots of The UAE Space Agency, the could be made publicly available later this year, their fi rst in 15 humanitarian cases that are ex- fi fth globally to reach the planet, as early as September. gypt yesterday opened its years. The Rafah crossing has tremely dire.” even has a plan for a Mars settle- “It’s an endeavour in develop- border crossing with the been largely closed in recent Israel withdrew its troops ment by 2117. ing capabilities and talent in the EIsraeli-blockaded Gaza months as part of eff orts to rein from Gaza in 2005 but controls “Contact with #HopeProbe country, it is something that has Strip, “indefi nitely” allowing in the coronavirus pandemic, the territory’s borders and land has been established again. The never been done before in terms the coastal strip’s people pas- although it has intermittently crossings with Israel that have Mars Orbit Insertion is now of utilising a planetary explora- sage to the outside world, a se- opened for short periods. been closed for months. complete,” said the Moham- tion mission to do this,” she said. curity source said. An Egyptian security source Hamas won an unexpected ed Bin Rashid Space Centre, The UAE fi rst announced Gaza residents crossing the said that “this isn’t a routine or landslide in a 2006 Gaza vote. where the ruler of Dubai and the plans for the mission in 2014 and Rafah border point yesterday normal opening. This is the fi rst Since then Egypt has inter- crown prince of Abu Dhabi were launched a National Space Pro- expressed a mixture of re- time in years that the Rafah bor- mittently closed the Rafah cross- present to receive the news. gramme in 2017 to develop local lief and bitterness. “I’ve been der crossing is opening indefi - ing. Egypt has recently cited the The attempt had a 50% chance expertise. waiting for six months for the nitely. It used to open only three Covid-19 pandemic threat to of failing, Dubai’s ruler and UAE Its population of 9.4mn, most crossing to open,” university or four days at a time.” keep the border closed. Vice President Sheikh Mohamed of whom are foreign workers, student Ibrahim al-Shanti, 19, Gaza is a densely populated Gaza has reported more bin Rashid al-Maktoum had lacks the scientifi c and indus- said. “The repeated closures enclave with some 2mn resi- than 50,000 cases, including said. trial base of the big spacefaring have cost me a semester of my dents, half of whom live below some 530 deaths, while Egypt To enter Mars’ orbit, the probe Dubai’s Burj Khalifa is lit up in red with a slogan yesterday as the nations. studies. I hope it’s really per- the poverty line, and which suf- has reported over 170,000 needed to burn around half its UAE’s “Hope” probe successfully entered Mars’ orbit, making Hazza al-Mansouri became manent.” fers frequent shortages of clean cases including almost 9,700 800kg of onboard fuel to slow history as the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission. the fi rst Emirati in space in 2019 Cairo took the step while water, electricity and medicine. deaths. down enough not to overshoot, when he fl ew to the Interna- hosting talks between Hamas, Another Palestinian, Yasser Palestinian Mohamed the most dangerous part of the Sheikh Mohamed tweeted after This year marks 50 years since tional Space Station. To develop which rules the Gaza Strip, and Zanoun, 50, urged political lead- Abdo, 34, who was prepar- journey. the probe entered orbit. “The independence from Britain and and build the Hope Probe, Emi- Fatah, which runs the Palestin- ers to negotiate a permanent ing to cross to Egypt yester- “Today is the start of a new UAE will celebrate its Golden the founding of the UAE federa- ratis and Dubai’s Mohamed Bin ian Authority in the occupied arrangement to ease Gaza’s day, said he hoped the gates chapter in Arab history...of trust Jubilee with science, culture and tion, which groups seven emir- Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) West Bank. worsening humanitarian plight, would not slam shut again in our capability to compete inspiration because we aim to ates, including Dubai. worked with US educational in- The rival movements, along compounded by the pandemic. any time soon. with other nations and people,” build a model of development.” Mars probes launched by Chi- stitutions.

TRAGEDY Moroccan factory death toll rises to 28 Houthis will cease attacks ‘if coalition stops’ The number of people who died when they were trapped by storm-waters Protests spread across Yemen’s Houthi rebels said cepted two drones heading surging into an illegal basement factory in Morocco rose to 28 yesterday, yesterday that their attacks for the kingdom. off icials and activists said. Heavy rains on Monday flooded the underground against Saudi Arabia and Sharaf said rebels had acted textile workshop in the northern port city of Tangiers as people worked. loyalist forces would cease against “extremist groups” Authorities in Tangiers said that 28 bodies — mostly women — had been Sudan over cost of living if the military coalition sup- in the Marib area that had pulled out the basement of factory, in a private property in a residential area. porting the Yemeni govern- come to bolster groups sup- “Waters...submerged the confined space,” Abderrahim Kabajj, senior civil ment stopped its raids. porting President Abd-Rabbu protection off icial told Morocco’s 2M television station, which also reported AFP ing black market. Yesterday, the protesters,” SUNA quoted “I am directing a message to Mansour Hadi. The region, 28 dead. “The victims were trapped with no way to get out.” Rights groups, Khartoum demonstrators in Nyala, capital South Darfur governor, Musa the new American admin- east of the rebel-held capital, the Northern Observatory for Human Rights and the Moroccan Association of South Darfur state, hurled Mahdi, as saying. istration and to the Saudis: is the government’s last for Human Rights, also confirmed the toll. stones at police and set sev- In the Red Sea city of Port stop your attacks and we will northern stronghold. rotests fl ared yesterday in eral shops on fi re in the main Sudan, student-led protests stop ours against you. Saudi air power intervened a key Sudanese port city, market, an AFP correspondent prompted the suspension of It’s as simple as that,” said against the rebels and the OPINION Pthe restive Darfur region there said. schools and closure of several Hisham Sharaf, foreign minis- Houthis were “obliged to Tehran could seek N-arms if ‘cornered’ and other parts of the country “No to high prices, no to shops, SUNA said. ter in the Houthi administra- respond”, Sharaf said. over the rising cost of living, hunger,” they chanted, as police The demonstrations were tion, which is not internation- Yemen has been locked in Iran’s intelligence minister Mahmoud Alavi said persistent Western pressure witnesses and state media said. fi red tear gas to disperse them. sparked by sharp increases in ally recognised. conflict since the rebels could push Tehran to fight back like a “cornered cat” and seek nuclear A new government that in- Authorities in South Darfur the costs of main ingredients Sharaf made the comments took control of the capital weapons, which the Islamic Republic has for years insisted it has no intention cludes in rebel leaders has been imposed a 12-hour nightime for making bread, it said. during a news conference Sanaa in 2014 and went on of ever developing. The remarks made in a television interview are a rare tasked with fi xing an economy curfew starting from 6:00pm. Protesters hurled stones at in Sanaa on recent armed to seize much of the north. suggestion that Iran might have an interest in nuclear weapons, which West- decimated by decades of US “Police forces dispersed the the municipality building and drones headed for Saudi A military coalition entered ern nations have accused Iran of pursuing. Iranian off icials have repeatedly sanctions, mismanagement protests and riots in Nyala af- set tyres on fi re in major streets. Arabia and fighting between Yemen in 2015 to prop up dismissed this charge, citing a religious decree issued in the early 2000s by and civil war under ousted ter demonstrators attempted Similar demonstrations were the rebels and government the government, but it the Islamic Republic’s top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, president Omar al-Bashir. to storm shops in the city’s held in other regions, including forces in the Marib region. has struggled to oust its that bans the development or use of nuclear arms. The US and the other It also faces breathtaking market,” SUNA state news North Kordofan state, accord- The coalition said Sunday highly motivated guerrilla Western powers which originally signed up to a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran infl ation, chronic hard cur- agency said. “The police seized ing to SUNA and videos posted and Monday that it had inter- opponents. appear to be at an impasse over which side should return to the accord first. rency shortages and a fl ourish- weapons and ammunition with online. Iran starts Covid-19 Rooftop skating in Jerusalem’s vaccination campaign Old City as lockdown eases

AFP more shipments expected by cines. In theory, medical pur- Tehran February 18 and 28, according chases are sanctions exempt, Reuters to Iranian authorities. but many international banks Jerusalem The Russian vaccine are averse to any transactions ran began its Covid-19 achieves a 91.6% efficacy with the Islamic republic, for vaccination campaign against symptomatic forms fear of litigation. igh above Jerusalem’s Iyesterday using Russia’s of Covid-19, according to an However, Health Minister narrow medieval alley- Sputnik V jab to fight the analysis of clinical trials pub- Saeed Namaki said last week Hways, teenage Palestin- Middle East’s deadliest out- lished in top medical journal that Iran would, in addition ians sped across whitewashed break of the illness. the Lancet a week ago. to the Sputnik deliveries, roofs and soaked up the light and The first doses were given The virus has infected also receive 4.2mn doses of space denied to them during a to doctors and nurses at Imam 1.4mn people in Iran and the vaccine developed by six-week Israeli Covid-19 lock- Khomeini hospital in the cap- killed more than 58,600, ac- Anglo-Swedish firm Astra- down. ital Tehran, with recipients cording to the health ministry. Zeneca and Oxford Univer- A small handful who lived in handed a blue card marked Since the start of January, sity. the Old City were able to practise with “Sputnik V” and the date the number of deaths attrib- The AstraZeneca shots are their moves long before the spice of the injection. uted to the disease daily has to be purchased via the inter- merchants below reopened their “We begin our national vac- fallen below 100, for the first national vaccine mechanism doors. cination against the Covid-19 time since June. Covax. They were joined after the virus...(in) memory of the But the health ministry last Iran started clinical trials of lockdown eased by a couple of martyrdom of health work- week warned that the epide- its own first locally developed dozen friends from other parts ers,” Iran’s President Has- miological situation remained vaccine in late December and of East Jerusalem who relished san Rouhani said, referring to “fragile”. on Monday unveiled a second the chance to release pent-up medical personnel who have Alongside the pandemic, homegrown vaccine project. frustrations. died from the disease. Iran remains mired in an eco- The second Iranian vaccine, “During coronavirus (lock- The Islamic republic has nomic crisis, triggered by dubbed Razi Cov Pars, was down) we weren’t able to go out Palestinian youths skateboard on rooftops, as Israel partially lifts its third national lockdown to fight the bought 2mn doses of Sputnik the US reimposing crippling developed at the Razi Vaccine and skate or do anything,” said coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis, in Jerusalem’s Old City. V, health ministry spokesman sanctions from 2018 under and Serum Research Institute, Baha’Shweiki, 17, from the Al- Kianoush Jahanpour said on the administration of former which is linked to the agri- Turi neighbourhood. “We have lem, most learn their skills from — most boys but with some girls smoother than they are accus- Saturday. president Donald Trump. culture ministry, according to been waiting every day to get the YouTube. But the rooftops are — cross over into West Jerusalem tomed to. “We saw that there are The first doses of the Rus- Iranian authorities have Massoud Soleimani, a mem- opportunity to go out.” rutted and they often tumble to practise in a purpose-built Arabs who skateboard, so we de- sian vaccine arrived last said that the sanctions im- ber of Iran’s national vaccine With few training resources over ventilation shafts and gut- park used by Israeli skateboard- cided to do it too, try it and im- Thursday in Tehran, with two pede the purchase of vac- committee. and little space in East Jerusa- tering. So sometimes the group ers, with ramps and runs far prove,” said Shweiki. Gulf Times Wednesday, February 10, 2021 9 WORLD

PANDEMIC PEOPLE CRISIS INITIATIVE DECISION US joins WHO programme Trump ex-lawyer apologises Pacific Islands Nigeria launches Bangladesh bans cattle aimed to boost Covid fight to Stormy Daniels Forum split widens Niger rail link project painkiller to save vultures

A US off icial told a World Health Organisation Donald Trump’s ex-lawyer Michael Cohen has had The Pacific Islands Forum plunged deeper into crisis Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday Bangladesh has banned a painkiller used to treat meeting yesterday that Washington would join porn star Stormy Daniels talk about her alleged yesterday as four more nations vowed to leave launched a $1.96bn rail project linking neighbour- cattle in an eff ort to save the country’s vultures from a programme to boost Covid-19 testing, diagnos- tryst with the billionaire on a podcast, four years because of a leadership dispute, upending diplomacy ing Niger as the country looks to boast its econo- extinction, the government said. Vulture numbers tics and vaccines as off icials urged it to increase after he helped buy her silence. “I know I put in a region where the US and China are competing my. The government has recently begun a series have plummeted in Bangladesh, with the population financing for a global response to the pandemic. you through needless pain,” Cohen tells Daniels for influence. Micronesian countries — the Marshall of large-scale infrastructure projects and Buhari now estimated at just 260 compared to 50,000 in WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during their chat. “For that I am truly apologetic,” Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, and the Federated States of said the 284km train line approved in September the 1970s. The meat of dead cows that have been welcomed the announcement. Former president he adds. At the end of the exchange, which lasts Micronesia — said they would follow Palau’s decision 2020 was crucial in linking the country to the given Ketoprofen is highly toxic when consumed Donald Trump criticised the agency and halted almost an hour and a half, Cohen adds: “Thank last week and pull out of the group. They are angry rest of West Africa. “The project, when completed, by the scavenging birds, leading to rapid kidney funding. “We want to underscore the com- you for giving me a second chance. I do really that their sub-grouping’s candidate to be the forum’s would serve import and export of goods for Niger failure. In 2017 Bangladesh outlawed the non-steroid mitment of the US to multilateralism and our appreciate it.” Cohen, Trump’s personal lawyer for next secretary-general was recently rejected in favour Republic and other countries in the sub-region anti-inflammatory painkiller in two Vulture Safe Zones common cause to respond to this pandemic and 10 years, was sentenced to three years in prison of former Cook Islands premier Henry Puna. “The through Nigerian ports,” Buhari said in a virtual ad- (VSZs), areas designated as protected areas for the improve global public health,” said Colin L McIff , in 2018 for, among other off ences, paying Daniels Micronesian presidents jointly agreed that all five dress. Nigeria will earn revenue through expansion birds. But the new ban on the sale and production of acting director at the Off ice of Global Aff airs in the $130,000 to keep quiet about her alleged liaison nations will initiate the formal process of withdrawal of trade and commerce, while Niger will benefit the medicine approved on Monday applies nation- US department of health and human services. with Trump. from the Pacific Islands Forum,” the leaders said. from transportation logistics, the president added. wide, Environment Minister Shahab Uddin said. Military raids Biden nominee sorry for past tweets Suu Kyi party offi ces as UN slams violence

AFP “We don’t operate on their Yangon wounds because they could die right away — we are 100% sure they will die if we operate — yanmar’s military yes- that’s why we are watching their terday raided the Yan- condition by treating them med- Mgon headquarters of ically.” ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s The father of one of the vic- party, offi cials said, hours after tims said his son had been shot the United Nations condemned “when he tried to use the mega- “unacceptable” violence against phone to ask people to protest protesters demanding a return to peacefully after the police used democracy. water cannon to disperse them.” The latest assault on Myan- “He got hit in the back... I’m mar’s civilian leadership came very worried about him,” the as anger at last week’s coup and 56-year-old goldsmith said. the detention of Suu Kyi by the In Mandalay, the country’s Neera Tanden speaks during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Aff airs Committee confirmation hearing, in Washington, D.C., US, yesterday. Tanden generals has driven hundreds second-biggest city, police fi red yesterday apologised for past attacks on Republicans on Twitter, which have been a focus of opposition to her nomination from members of that party. “I recognise of thousands of people into the tear gas to disperse protesters. the concern. I deeply regret and apologise for my language, and some of my past language,” Tanden said at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland streets in recent days, defying a A witness, who declined to Security and Governmental Aff airs Committee. junta ban on rallies. be named out of fear of the au- “The military dictator raided thorities, said she gave shelter to and destroyed NLD headquar- about 20 of the protesters, off er- ters at around 9:30pm,” the Na- ing them water, towels and fresh tional League for Democracy an- face masks. nounced on its Facebook page. As night fell the United Na- The party’s short statement tions voiced its “strong concern” gave no further details. over the violence. The raid came after demon- “The use of disproportionate Covid unlikely to have leaked strations erupted for a fourth force against demonstrators is straight day yesterday, with po- unacceptable,” said Ola Almgren, lice using water cannons in sev- the UN resident co-ordinator eral cities, fi ring rubber bullets and humanitarian co-ordinator at protesters in the capital Nay- in Myanmar. pyidaw and deploying tear gas in Earlier this week the protests from Wuhan lab, says WHO Mandalay. by hundreds of thousands ap- The rallies came despite a peared to have rattled the mili- warning from the junta that it tary, with junta chief General Reuters in its nearly month-long visit that could indicate that the virus of coronavirus infections that vive in conditions that are found would take action against dem- Min Aung Hlaing making a tel- Washington to the Chinese city of Wuhan, was circulating earlier than fi rst could have preceded the fi rst de- in these cold, frozen environ- onstrations that threatened “sta- evised speech on Monday to jus- where the outbreak fi rst emerged thought, he said. tected case by “several weeks”. ments, but we don’t really un- bility”, and a new ban on gather- tify seizing power, citing fraud at a seafood market in late 2019, “In trying to understand the “This suggests that we cannot derstand if the virus can trans- ings of more than fi ve people. claims. he Biden administra- said the team’s work had uncov- picture of December 2019 we rule out that it was circulating in mit to humans” or under which In Naypyidaw, the remote The army also announced tion is looking forward to ered new information but had embarked on a very detailed and other regions and the circula- conditions, Embarek told the capital purpose-built by the pre- a curfew and a ban on protest Tscrutinising data includ- not dramatically changed their profound search for other cases tion was unreported,” he told the briefi ng. vious military regime, witnesses gatherings. ed in a World Health Organisa- picture of the outbreak. that may have been missed, cas- briefi ng. The team arrived in Wuhan said police fi red projectiles at But yesterday fresh demon- tion report released yesterday “The possible path from es earlier on in 2019,” he said. Embarek said the team had on January 14 and after two protesters after earlier blasting strations emerged in Yangon, that said it was unlikely the whatever original animal spe- “And the conclusion was we identifi ed market vendors sell- weeks of quarantine, visited them with water cannon. including near the NLD’s head- Covid-19 virus originated in a cies all the way through to the did not fi nd evidence of large ing frozen animal products in- key sites including the Huanan “They fi red warning shots to quarters. laboratory in Wuhan, China, Huanan market could have tak- outbreaks that could be related cluding farmed wild animals. seafood market, the location of the sky two times, then they fi red The protesters carried plac- White House press secretary en a very long and convoluted to cases of Covid-19 prior to De- “So there is the potential to the fi rst known cluster of in- (at protesters) with rubber bul- ards, some of which read “We Jen Psaki said. path involving also movements cember 2019 in Wuhan or else- continue to follow this lead and fections, as well as the Wuhan lets,” a resident said. want our leader”, in reference The head of a World Health across borders,” Embarek told a where.” further look at the supply chain Institute of Virology, which has At least one emergency room to Suu Kyi and “No dictator- Organisation-led team probing nearly three-hour media brief- The possibility the virus and animals that were supplied been involved in coronavirus doctor said the military were ship”. By afternoon, thousands the origins of Covid-19 said bats ing. leaked from a lab — which has to the market,” he said. research. also using live rounds, leaving a had gathered in neighbouring remain a likely source and that Embarek said work to identify been the subject of conspiracy China has pushed the idea Members of the team sought 23-year-old man and 19-year-old Kamayut township, carrying transmission of the virus via the coronavirus’s origins points theories — was extremely un- that the virus can be transmit- to rein in expectations for the in a critical condition in hospital. umbrellas and wearing raincoats frozen food is a possibility that to a natural reservoir in bats, but likely and did not require further ted by frozen food and has re- mission, with infectious disease “We believe they are actual as they faced off against police, warrants further investigation, it is unlikely that they were in study, Embarek said. peatedly announced fi ndings of expert Dominic Dwyer saying bullets because of the wounds who had water cannon trucks but he ruled out a lab leak. Wuhan. Liang Wannian, head of Chi- coronavirus traces on imported it would probably take years to and their injuries,” the doctor blocking protesters from march- Peter Ben Embarek, who led Investigators were also look- na’s expert panel on the out- food packaging. fully understand the origins of said. ing ahead. the team of independent experts ing for Chinese blood samples break, said there was evidence “We know the virus can sur- Covid-19. Biden and Modi agree to Vaccine drive Manila to deploy more navy to protect fi shermen beef up regional security out the strategically important Reuters Manila waterway. Reuters tinuing close co-operation to in the Bay of Bengal after New Those are often accompanied New Delhi promote a free and open Indo- Delhi dropped its hesitation for by large numbers of fi shing boats Pacifi c, including support for fear of antagonising Beijing. he Philippines will beef up seen widely as a Chinese mari- freedom of navigation, territorial Modi told Biden he would work its naval presence in the time militia, which other claim- S President Joe Biden and integrity, and a stronger regional to elevate the strategic partner- TSouth China Sea to protect ants accuse of harassing their Indian Prime Minister architecture through the Quad,” ship between the two countries, its fi shermen, its new military fi shermen. UNarendra Modi agreed the White House said in a state- the Indian foreign ministry said chief said yesterday, as concerns “That pronouncement by in a telephone call to strengthen ment. in its readout of the call. grow about the operations of China that their coastguard can Indo-Pacifi c security through India is locked in a military China’s coastguard in disputed open fi re at people intruding into the Quad grouping of countries standoff with China over their dis- waters. their territory is very alarming,” that is seen as a way to push back puted mountainous border since The move comes after the Sobejana said. against China’s growing assert- April and public opinion has hard- Philippines protested a new law “It’s a very irresponsible state- iveness in the region. ened against Beijing after soldiers in China that allows its coast- ment because our people are not India, US, Japan and Austral- were killed in a clash there. guard to board or open fi re on going to the disputed area to go to ia are members of the Quad, an Japan’s Sankei newspaper re- foreign vessels in waters it re- war but to earn a living.” informal group that Washing- ported over the weekend that gards as its territory, which offi - China’s embassy in Manila did ton has been promoting to work Biden spoke to Modi the leaders of the US, Japan, In- cials said could heighten risks of not immediately respond to a re- as a potential bulwark against on Monday and noted dia, and Australia plan to hold a a miscalculation. quest for comment on the gen- China’s increasing political, that India-US ties were summit, in a further tightening “We will increase our visibility eral’s remarks. commercial and military activ- held together by a of ties between the four powerful through the deployment of more The Philippines, however, has ity in the Indo-Pacific, diplo- shared commitment to democracies. naval assets, but I just want to very limited naval capabilities mats say. democratic values Biden and Modi also agreed to make clear our navy presence compared with China’s fl eet of Biden spoke to Modi on Mon- work closely to fi ght Covid-19, there is not (to) wage war against navy and coastguard. day night in his fi rst call since China has denounced the renew their partnership on cli- China but to secure our own peo- US Secretary of State Antony taking offi ce last month and not- Quad as an attempt to contain mate change and defend demo- Health workers and employees of Philippine General ple,” lieutenant general Cirilito Blinken last month stressed the ed that India-US ties were held its development and urged the cratic institution and norms Hospital queue to register for Covid-19 vaccines, Sobejana said in a media briefi ng. importance of a defence pact together by a shared commit- US to drop its “Cold War men- around the world, including in expected to arrive this month, at the Philippine General China claims about 90% of the with Manila and its clear appli- ment to democratic values. tality”. Last year, the four coun- Myanmar, where the military Hospital in Manila, Philippines, yesterday. South China Sea as its own and cation if the Philippines came “The leaders agreed to con- tries held joint naval exercises seized power last week. deploys its coastguard through- under attack. Gulf Times 10 Wednesday, February 10, 2021 COMMENT

CHAIRMAN Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Whatever it takes in Italy? Faisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka

Deputy Managing Editor By Paola Subacchi K T Chacko Bologna

P.O.Box 2888, Doha, Qatar n 2012, then-European Central Bank President Mario Draghi [email protected] pulled Europe from the depths of 44350478 (News), Ieconomic crisis with his famous promise to do “whatever it takes” to 44466404 (Sport), save the euro. Now, Draghi’s native Italy 44466636 (Home delivery) is hoping he can save it, too, by leading a new unity government. But even 44350474 for “super Mario,” success is far from facebook.com/gulftimes guaranteed. Draghi’s skill, competency, and twitter.com/gulftimes_Qatar credibility are not in question. And he will surely choose a highly qualifi ed cabinet. But the challenge ahead should not be underestimated. Not only has Italy’s long-running economic crisis GULF TIMES been compounded by the catastrophic Covid-19 pandemic; the country has been mired in a paralysing political crisis. If Draghi is to address the Covid-19 emergency eff ectively, let alone fortify Vaccines emerge the Italy’s economic foundations, he will fi rst have to fi nd a way to navigate the country’s intricate politics. That means, for starters, securing the full support world’s best defence of the anti-establishment Five Star movement (M5S). In Italy’s 2018 general election, against Covid-19 the M5S became the largest party in parliament, thanks to its Eurosceptic platform. The party’s leadership even In the early stages of vaccinations to fortify human accused Draghi, who left the ECB the defences against Sars-CoV-2 (the virus that causes Covid-19 following year, of “attacking Italy.” disease), emerges the key question: Will vaccines eliminate While the M5S has softened its stance Covid-19 completely? considerably since then, and pledged its support for the Draghi-led government, The answer: It’s hard to say. it remains deeply divided, and many of For a perspective, only one human disease – smallpox – has its members consider this support as an Italy’s prime minister-designate Mario Draghi looks on during the second round of his talks on forming a new government, in been officially eradicated so far; that is, reduced to zero cases unpalatable U-turn. Rome yesterday. and kept there long-term without continuous intervention But the M5S is only part of the measures. equation. Draghi’s new government 2008 global fi nancial crisis. In 2020, For that, a functioning government is a focus should be on guiding Italy’s will probably also need the votes of the country’s GDP contracted by nearly necessary, but not suffi cient, condition. political forces toward sustainable Smallpox was stamped out thanks to a highly eff ective small centrist parties and former prime 9%. Add to that the surge in public The politics need to be credible as well. policy decisions. vaccine and the fact that humans are the only mammals that minister Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, spending, aimed at cushioning the blow Draghi’s personal stature will help It also means that those forces must are naturally susceptible to infection with the variola virus that and possibly even Matteo Salvini’s to businesses and households, and the here – Italy’s stock and bond markets fi gure out how to engage with one another causes the disfi guring, sometimes deadly disease. far-right Lega, in order to secure a country’s government debt-to-GDP rallied at the mere thought of a Draghi- constructively. That is, after all, the mark In comparison, Sars-CoV-2 is thought to persist in horseshoe parliamentary majority. But, even if he ratio has soared to approximately 155%. led government. But no one person of a mature democracy. Attempting can form such an alliance, it will remain GDP is expected to expand by just can guarantee a country’s ability to simply to suppress some voices, such bats, and has been known to infect minks, cats, gorillas and unruly, and could easily become hostage over 4% this year. However, once the meet its debt obligations. And Italy’s as those of the Eurosceptics and even other animals. Wiping out the virus would require banishing it to the disputes, preferences, and whims rebound from last year’s contraction dysfunctional politics have consumed fascists, could cause pressure to build, from every susceptible species, which isn’t feasible. of its members. is over, GDP growth will slow many good men (who still dominate leading to a potentially devastating In countries that have successfully suppressed Covid-19 And there is much about which Italy’s signifi cantly. Real output thus appears Italian politics) in the last quarter- explosion. Defusing such forces through cases, disease elimination has been proposed instead. political forces could disagree. The unlikely to return to pre-pandemic century. dialogue and eff ective governance is the Draghi government’s agenda will have levels – thereby reducing the debt-to- If Draghi is to avoid this fate, he must only credible way forward. Then, when will this pandemic end? to include both short-term emergency GDP ratio – within the next few years. focus on laying the groundwork for Italy’s current crisis, coming at a Measured in vaccinations at the current pace, Bloomberg interventions and long-term structural According to Draghi, the key to Italy’s economic transformation, rather time when citizens were languishing has built the biggest database of Covid-19 shots given reform measures – all of which will keeping high levels of debt sustainable than leading the process. This means in lockdown and the much-touted around the world, with more than 119mn doses administered require signifi cant public spending. is to channel public spending toward setting a time limit on his leadership: no vaccination programme had reached worldwide. The EU’s €750bn ($902bn) Covid-19 “productive purposes,” such as matter how much pressure he faces, he less than 4% of the population, has recovery fund – from which Italy, one education and skill formation. But should not remain prime minister past further depleted Italians’ confi dence With vaccinations of the countries most aff ected by the Italy’s political parties may not agree 2022, and perhaps not even that long. In in their political leaders. With deft and In the endemic happening more rapidly coronavirus, should get some €200bn – with Draghi’s distinctions between fact, a general election should be called bold action, Draghi can go some way to in richer countries than has been devised with this in mind. “good” and “bad” debt. There is already as soon as possible. restoring that confi dence. But he cannot phase, Sars-CoV-2 the rest of the globe, it Draghi has acknowledged that any widespread disagreement on how to There is no recipe for remedying do it alone. – Project Syndicate will take the world as a solution to the Covid-19 economic crisis spend the money provided by the EU Italy’s political crisis, and no one may be no more “must involve a signifi cant increase in recovery fund. should expect Draghi to provide one. A z Paola Subacchi, Professor of whole seven years at the public debt.” But, for Italy, that increase More fundamentally, while technocratic government needs to be International Economics at the virulent than the current pace to bring the must be signifi cant indeed. productive spending is part of the eff ective and short-lived, allowing its University of London’s Queen Mary virus spread to a halt, When the Covid-19 shock arrived, debt-sustainability equation, keeping legacy to be defi ned by the work of its Global Policy Institute, is the author, common cold according to Bloomberg’s Italy had not fully recovered from the debt-service costs low is also essential. successors. This means that Draghi’s most recently of The Cost of Free Money. Vaccine Tracker. Although international groups and a number of nations are promising to make vaccines affordable and accessible to all, doses will likely struggle to keep up with demand in a world of roughly 7.8bn people. As things stand now, it’ll take until 2024 to inoculate the world’s entire population, according to Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine maker. New-model central banks Also, none of the vaccines authorised in Western countries have been approved for children; those studies are currently By Barry Eichengreen central banks to avoid the mistakes they underway. It means, as of now, children are now included in Berkeley made in modelling Covid-19. Those the population needed to be protected. problems arose because economists and epidemiologists worked in their David Heymann, chair of the WHO’s Strategic and e are used to thinking separate silos. So, one might ask Technical Advisory Group for Infectious Hazards, warned at about the remit of advocates like Lagarde and Brainard: the end of 2020, “it appears the destiny of Sars-CoV-2 is to central banks as How many climate scientists have become endemic.” Wfocusing narrowly on central banks hired? When will they Some scientists have predicted that, once the endemic price stability, or at most as targeting start? infl ation while ensuring the smooth When it comes to inequality, some phase is reached and primary exposure to the virus is in operation of the payment system. central banks already have the relevant childhood, Sars-CoV-2 may be no more virulent than the But with the global fi nancial crisis of mandate. In the United States, the common cold. 2008 and now Covid-19, we have seen Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 For sure, there are silver linings. central banks intervening to support a tasks regulators, including the Fed, Covid won’t be a pandemic for “a lot longer” thanks to growing range of markets and activities, with ensuring that low- and moderate- using instruments that extend well income families have adequate access rapid progress in vaccine development, according to Anthony beyond interest rates and open market to credit. The Fed has delegated Fauci, the top US infectious disease official. operations. this responsibility to its 12 regional As of now, the best defence against the virus and its An example is the US Federal reserve banks, each of which fulfi ls it emerging variants is getting as many people vaccinated as Reserve’s Paycheck Protection Program in diff erent ways. Stronger guidance quickly as possible, Fauci said on Monday. Liquidity Facility, under which the Fed The US Federal Reserve from the Federal Reserve Board on provides liquidity to lenders who extend exactly how to ensure equal access to And don’t let fears over variants stop you from getting loans to small businesses in pandemic- to pursue a specific mandate, on-deck emergency. Calls for central credit, with explicit attention to racial a Covid shot, says England’s deputy chief medical officer related distress. This, clearly, is not your because there is a consensus that banks to address climate change and disparities, would reinforce existing Jonathan Van-Tam. mother’s central bank. the mandated objectives are best inequality reflect an awareness that eff orts. Make no mistake, the world’s long-drawn war against Now we hear calls to broaden this taken out of elected officials’ hands. these problems have risen to the It would be a departure for other Covid-19 is still fought with lots of ifs and buts. But longer- ambit still further. European Central But independence does not mean level of existential crises. If central central banks, such as the ECB, to Bank President Christine Lagarde and central bankers are unaccountable to bankers ignored them, or said, “These address the credit access of minority term, the fi ght calls for such proactive measures as mass Fed board member Lael Brainard have politicians and public opinion. They urgent problems are best addressed by and underprivileged groups. But the vaccinations as well as strict compliance with precautionary each urged central banks to tackle must justify their actions and explain someone else,” their response would European Parliament can so instruct it. protocols stipulated by national health authorities. climate change. Against the backdrop how their policy decisions advance the be seen as a haughty and perilous And the ECB Board can work with the At the individual level, here’s the straightforward equation of the Black Lives Matter movement, mandated objectives. Their success display of indifference. At that point, national institutions that make up the in the fight against the pandemic: If you are not infected, you US Representative Maxine Waters of or failure can be judged by whether their independence would truly be at European System of Central Banks in California has pushed Fed Chair Jerome or not the central bank achieves its risk. meeting that call. don’t infect others too. Powell to do more about inequality, independently verifiable targets. So, what to do? Central banks as Monetary policy has implications for including specifi cally racial inequality. With a greatly expanded mandate, regulators have tools with which to issues beyond infl ation and payments, Such calls horrify central-banking the relationship between policy address climate change, and their including climate change and inequality. To Advertise purists, who warn that charging instruments and targets would become responsibility for ensuring the integrity It would be disingenuous, even central banks with these additional more complex. Justifi cations for and stability of the fi nancial system dangerous, for central bankers to deny [email protected] responsibilities risks diverting them policy decisions would be harder to gives policymakers the mandate to use those connections, or to insist that they Display and their policy instruments from their communicate. Success or failure would them. They can require more extensive are someone else’s problem. The best primary objective of infl ation control. be more diffi cult to judge. Indeed, climate-related fi nancial disclosures. way forward for central bankers is to 44466621 44418811 They caution that monetary policy is a insofar as monetary policy has only They can impose stricter capital and use monetary policy to target infl ation, blunt instrument for tackling climate limited infl uence over climate change liquidity requirements on fi nancial while directing their regulatory powers Classified change and inequality, which can be or inequality, targeting such variables institutions whose asset portfolios at other pressing concerns. – Project 44466609 44418811 more eff ectively addressed by taxing would be setting up the central bank to expose them to climate risk. Such tools Syndicate carbon emissions or strengthening fail. And frustration over failure might will discourage the fi nancial system Subscription equal housing laws. lead politicians to rethink the central from underwriting brown investments. z Barry Eichengreen is Professor Above all, the critics worry that bank’s operational independence. The challenge of understanding of Economics at the University of [email protected] pursuing these other objectives These arguments are not without the risks to fi nancial stability from California, Berkeley. His latest book is will jeopardise central banks’ merit. At the same time, central climate change is that climate events The Populist Temptation: Economic independence. Central banks enjoy bankers cannot snooze quietly in their are irregular and nonlinear. When Grievance and Political Reaction in the © 2021 Gulf Times. All rights reserved operational independence in order bunks in the face of an all-hands- modelling them, it will be important for Modern Era. Gulf Times Wednesday, February 10, 2021 11 WORLD Snow and bitter cold bring chaos to Germany, UK

AFP city of Bielefeld was brought to a hours, according to police. Police in Saxony-Anhalt state The southern city of Nurem- Snowfall is expected to de- Northern Ireland were placed on Berlin standstill overnight on Monday Transport Minister Andreas said a man had probably frozen to berg declared a state of emergen- crease in the coming days, ac- amber alert yesterday, with ma- into Tuesday, with some drivers Scheuer asked residents to avoid death after he was found buried cy after a fi re in a power station cording to forecasters, but tem- jor disruptions expected to road trapped for at least 16 hours. setting out on journeys until to- in snow next to his tractor. left homes, businesses, schools, peratures as cold as -20C mean and rail travel, according to the reezing drivers were The bottleneck, caused by lor- day at the earliest. In Bielefeld, a man was found care homes and a hospital with travel conditions will remain Met Offi ce weather service. stranded for hours in traffi c ries stuck in the snow, stretched In such extreme conditions, dead on a snow-covered road limited access to heating. hazardous. Heavy snow yesterday morn- Fjams in Germany and coro- over 37km, local police said. even the best railway switch on Monday, though emergency Across the country, aid organi- With the wind-chill factor, ing drew many families to Lon- navirus (Covid-19) vaccination Video footage showed shiver- heaters and snow clearing vehi- services said initial fi ndings sug- sations have ramped up eff orts temperatures could feel as low as don’s parks for sledging, while centres were shut in Britain yes- ing drivers huddled in their ve- cles “can reach their limits”, he gested he had suff ered a medical to provide homeless people with -30C at night, forecasters have parts of northern and eastern terday as Europe was pummelled hicles, complaining of going for told the Funke media group. emergency. hot food and drinks, clothing, said. England were expecting up to by the heaviest snow in years. hours without food as tempera- Northern and eastern Ger- A nursery school bus slid off bedding and toiletries. Heavy snow has also fallen in 15cm. Some parts of Germany were tures plunged to -12° Celsius (10 many were particularly badly hit the road in Rhineland-Palatinate Train services across Germany other countries across central Some coronavirus vaccination cloaked in up to 50cm of snow by Fahrenheit). on Sunday and Monday night, state, collided with a parked car have seen severe delays and can- and northern Europe, including centres in England were forced to afternoon yesterday, according to Severe jams were also reported with blizzard-like conditions and and crashed into the wall of a cellations because of the winter Belgium, the Netherlands and close – including major hubs in local media reports. in Hesse state, where some driv- some of the coldest temperatures house, but police said no one was weather, with snow and ice clog- Denmark. Ipswich and Colchester – ham- Traffi c on a motorway near the ers were stuck in their cars for 15 seen in years. injured. ging the rails. Parts of England, Scotland and pering Britain’s rollout.

Pakistan approves Europe’s oldest person survives Covid-19 Russian vaccine for Europe’s oldest person, French nun Sister Andre, has survived Covid-19 emergency use and will celebrate her 117th birthday this week, her caregivers said. Lucile Randon, who took the name of Sister Andre when she joined a Russia’s Sputnik V has become Catholic charitable order in 1944, tested positive for the coronavirus the third coronavirus (Covid-19) that causes the Covid-19 respiratory disease in her retirement home in vaccine to be approved by Pakistan Toulon, southern France, on January 16. for emergency use after China’s Spain tops 3mn She was isolated from other residents, but displayed no symptoms. Sinopharm and the one developed by Asked if she was scared to have Covid-19, Sister Andre told France’s AstraZeneca and Oxford University, BFM television: “No, I wasn’t scared because I wasn’t scared to die ... I’m the country’s health minister said happy to be with you, but I would wish to be somewhere else – join my yesterday. big brother and my grandfather and my grandmother.” “Sputnik has received EUA David Tavella, spokesman for the Sainte Catherine Labouré retirement (emergency use authorisation),” the home, said she was doing well. “We consider her to be cured. She is very minister, Faisal Sultan, told Reuters in calm and she is looking forward to celebrating her 117th birthday.” a text message. Covid-19 cases He said Sister Andre, who is blind but very spirited, will celebrate her Pakistan has become the 22nd birthday with a smaller group of residents than usual because of coro- country to approve Sputnik V, the Reuters/AFP The death toll still jumped by them to a surge in cases after 9,649 cases during the corre- navirus infection risk. Russian Direct Investment Fund, Madrid 766, the highest daily rise since Christmas. sponding period last week. “She has been very lucky,” he added. responsible for marketing the vaccine April, to 63,061 as the health Restrictions in Spain vary by The country of 10mn inhab- Sister Andre, who was born on February 11, 1904, is the world’s second- abroad, confirmed. ministry reported 16,402 new region. itants registered 73 new deaths, oldest living person according to the Gerontology Research Group’s It is to be administered in two shots, pain has passed 3mn cases, taking the total since the Madrid has some of the loos- taking the total to 12,188. (GRG) World Supercentenarian Rankings List. three weeks apart, has a six-month coronavirus cases since start of the pandemic to 3.01mn. est rules – a fact that has at- The deaths registered have The oldest person is Japan’s Kane Tanaka, who turned 118 on January 2. shelf life and is stored at -18° Celsius, Sthe start of the pandemic Wary of new variants driving a tracted droves of French tourists occurred over several days and The world’s 20 oldest people in the GRG list are all female. – Reuters according to a document on the and extended controls along its resurgence, the government ex- eager to escape their own lock- sometimes weeks. vaccine’s authorisation. 1,200km border with Portugal tended restrictions on air travel down to enjoy the city’s relative- The number of Covid-19 Volunteer doctors turned away in Portugal The authorisation to M/s AGP Ltd, until March 1, as both countries with Britain, South Africa and ly bustling night life. patients in intensive care in Karachi, is valid until April 1, the strive to rein in a third wave of Brazil until March 2 to minimise Italy meanwhile reported France’s hospitals reached 3,363 Doctors volunteering to help Portugal’s overstretched health service document said, adding it was for infections. imports of strains from those 422 coronavirus-related deaths on Monday, the highest in two with a peak of coronavirus (Covid-19) hospitalisations say they are being those aged 18 and over. The border has been closed countries. yesterday against 307 the day months, while hospitalisation turned away or encountering unnecessary bureaucracy. A fourth vaccine candidate, since January 28 for non-essen- Health Minister Carolina before, the health ministry said, fi gures as a whole rose for the Thousands of doctors, most retired but some in the private and public developed by CanSino Biologics tial travel, with exceptions for Darias said the number of Cov- while the daily tally of new in- second day running. sector off ering to work extra hours, have put their names forward to Incorporated (CanSinoBIO), has cross-border commuters, health id-19 patients in intensive care fections rose to 10,630 from Unlike some of its neighbours, help state hospitals since March, but few have been contacted, Portu- also completed clinical trials in workers and truck drivers. should peak by the end of this 7,970 the day before. France has refrained from im- gal’s main doctors’ association said. the South Asian nation of 220mn A surge in infections after week. Italy has registered 92,002 posing a third national lock- “Nothing happened or a series of inexplicable administrative barriers people, showing 65.7% eff icacy in Christmas left Portugal’s hos- The average occupancy of in- deaths linked to Covid-19 since down, hoping that a curfew in were put forward, including the refusal of voluntary work,” more than symptomatic cases and a 90.98% pitals on the verge of collapse, tensive care units is 43%. its outbreak emerged last Feb- place since December 15 and a 100 of the medics involved said in a letter to the government on Mon- success rate in severe cases in an prompting a nationwide lock- Despite the stress on the ruary, the second-highest toll vaccination programme that has day seen by Reuters. interim analysis of global trials, Sultan down. health service, a court in the in Europe after Britain and the now given shots to more than “It’s pure incompetence,” surgeon Gentil Martins, one of the doctors said on Monday. Daily cases and deaths have Basque region suspended a re- sixth-highest in the world. 2mn people will be enough to who off ered his services and spearheaded the letter, told broadcaster He said its eff icacy in the Pakistani fallen signifi cantly in the past gional order shutting bars and The country has reported rein in the spread of the disease. TVI. “It’s the patients who lose out.” subset at preventing symptomatic week, but hospitalisations and restaurants in areas with more 2.655mn cases to date. Health offi cials have contin- The health ministry did not immediately reply to a request for com- cases was 74.8%. It was 100% for the number of patients in inten- than 500 cases per 100,000 Sweden, which has shunned ued warnings about the strain ment. preventing severe disease. sive care remain high. people. lockdowns throughout the pan- being placed on the hospital sys- The government has faced mounting criticism over its handling of the CanSinoBio’s single-dose regimen Spain’s third wave is also ebb- The court accepted hospi- demic, has registered 8,112 new tem. pandemic, including easing of restrictions over Christmas which caused and normal refrigerator storage ing, with the 14-day infection tality associations’ argument coronavirus cases since Friday, French health authorities a spike, refusing help from private hospitals last year, and reported vac- requirement could make it a rate falling to 630 per 100,000 that closures would cause seri- health agency statistics showed reported 4,317 new confi rmed cine queue-jumping. favourable option for many countries. people yesterday, compared to ous economic damage, and said yesterday. Covid-19 cases, down from Last week Germany sent a team of military doctors to help. – Reuters around 900 in late January. there was no evidence linking The fi gure compared with 19,715 on Sunday.

Britain tightens travel Denmark moves forward on North Sea ‘energy island’ restrictions with hotel AFP either, but estimates range be- Copenhagen tween 200 and 600 units at “a previously unseen scale”, with quarantine, jail threat the tip of the blades reaching as enmark has said that it high as 260m (850’) above the has approved plans to sea. Reuters “Anyone who lies on the pas- Dbuild an artifi cial island in While the project is a step in London senger locator form and tries to the North Sea that could gener- the plan to provide enough en- conceal that they’ve been in a ate wind power for at least 3mn ergy to electrify Denmark, Jor- country on the ‘red list’ in the households. gensen also said they hoped the ritain will require pas- 10 days before arrival here, will Parliament in June adopted a project could off er guidance for sengers arriving from face a prison sentence of up to political environmental frame- bigger countries looking to tran- Bcountries where worry- 10 years,” Hancock told parlia- work aimed at reducing the sition their societies in the face of ing coronavirus variants are ment. country’s CO2 emissions by 70% climate change. spreading to pay for 10 days British and Irish nationals by 2030, which included plans “We know that as a small of quarantine in hotels, while arriving in England who have for the world’s fi rst “energy country, only responsible for rule-breakers will face heavy been in high risk countries in hubs” on the island of Bornholm about 0.1 percent of the world’s fi nes or jail terms, under tighter the last 10 days would be re- in the Baltic Sea and in the North greenhouse gas emissions, it restrictions from next week. quired to pay £1,750 ($2,400) Sea. This picture taken in 2016 shows a boat sailing past the DanTysk wind farm, 90km west of Denmark’s doesn’t matter that much to the The new travel rules add to to cover the cost of a minimum On Thursday, parliament went Esbjerg. climate what we actually do in restrictions that already ban 10-day quarantine in a desig- further by approving a plan to Denmark,” he said. “We hope travel abroad for holidays. nated hotel, Hancock said. place the North Sea hub on an ar- Denmark alone and this also why maritime transport. land will function as an “energy that it will have a bigger infl uence The government said the All arrivals into the UK will tifi cial island, with a wind power we see this as a part of a big- The island, “the largest con- hub” allowing connections from by infl uencing others.” stronger measures were needed also have to take further Cov- farm that will initially supply ger European project,” Climate struction project in the history other countries’ wind power The project’s next steps in- to prevent new variants of the id-19 tests on day 2 and day 8 3GW of electricity. Minister Dan Jorgensen told AFP, of Denmark”, is to be major- farms and cables to effi ciently clude environmental impact as- virus from thwarting Britain’s of their quarantines, he said, That could later be scaled up to adding that Denmark wanted to ity owned by the Danish govern- distribute the incoming energy. sessments and talks with poten- rapid vaccination programme. on top of a pre-departure test 10GW – enough for 10mn house- also export excess energy to the ment in partnership with private Its fi nal size is yet to be de- tial investors, so construction is Airlines and travel compa- already required. holds – according to the ministry rest of Europe. companies and is expected to cided but it is expected to cover still some years off . nies called for more govern- The United Kingdom has of climate, energy and utilities, Plans also include the use of cost around 210bn Danish kroner between 120,000-460,000sq m, According to the ministry, ini- ment aid, saying the new rules rolled out the fastest vaccina- much more than needed for Den- “electrolysis” to extract hydro- ($34bn, €28bn). according to the ministry. tial construction is likely to begin would deepen a crisis that has tion programme of any large mark’s population of 5.8mn. gen for use in the production of Rather than a traditional off - The total number of wind around 2026 and fi nished some- seen them lose nearly all their country. “Clearly this is too much for renewable fuels for things like shore wind power farm, the is- turbines has not been fi nalised time between 2030 and 2033. revenue. But there has been alarm in Health Secretary Matt Han- recent days after reports that cock said people could be the vaccines it is using may be UK’s Winchester College to admit girls sent to prison and fi ned up to less eff ective against some new £10,000 ($14,000) if they break variants of the virus, such as Winchester College, one of Britain’s oldest and most prestigious the rules which come into force one that has spread rapidly in Court orders historians to apologise private schools, will open its ancient doors to girls for the first time on February 15. South Africa. in its six-century history, it announced yesterday. The school, founded in 1382 in Hampshire, southern England, said AFP/Reuters book titled Night Without End have been implicated in the local the move was part of “a new vision and significant programme of Warsaw that documented several cases massacre of 22 Jews by German change”. of complicity of Catholic Poles in soldiers. Britain’s other famous top fee-paying schools such as Eton and UK’s Princess Eugenie the genocide of Jews during the The judge said the historians’ Harrow still only admit boys and have faced calls to change the Polish court has ordered Nazi German occupation. claim was “inaccurate” but re- policy. gives birth to a boy two leading Holocaust “I respect the judge’s decision jected the demand for €22,000 Winchester, which counts finance minister Rishi Sunak among its Britain’s Princess Eugenie, granddaughter of Queen Ahistorians to apologise to but I have trouble accepting it. ($27,000) in compensation for former students, currently educates around 700 students who are Elizabeth, has given birth to her first child, a baby son, with the descendant of a village mayor I hope that our reasons will be the niece, Filomena Leszczynska. so-called “boarders” living on-site. husband Jack Brooksbank, Buckingham Palace announced they said may have been impli- taken into account in our ap- In 2018, the Polish government Girls will only be admitted to the sixth form – the final two years of yesterday. cated in a massacre of Jews. peal,” Grabowski was quoted by adopted a law banning the men- school, for 16 to 18-year-olds. Eugenie, the 10th in line to the British throne and younger But Warsaw judge Ewa Konc- Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza daily tion of any responsibility of the They will be able to choose between sleeping on site or attending daughter of the queen’s third child Prince Andrew and his zyk said Barbara Engelking, chair as saying. Polish nation or state in crimes as day pupils. ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, and her son of Poland’s International Ausch- Engelking had said earlier that committed by Nazi Germany on The first female day pupils will arrive by September 2022, with are both doing well, the palace said. witz Council, and Jan Grabowski the case was “very dangerous for Polish soil. boarders following by 2024. The baby is the ninth great-grandchild for the queen. from the University of Ottawa freedom of speech”. Six million Poles, including “Today’s announcements are the product of discussions over many “The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Duke of York, Sarah, will not have to pay a fi ne. The case was brought by the 3mn Jews, died between 1939 and years and I am delighted to take them forward,” headmaster Tim Duchess of York, and Mr and Mrs George Brooksbank have The defamation trial has raised niece of Edward Malinowski, 1945 during Nazi occupation. Hands said in a statement. been informed and are delighted with the news.” questions about the freedom to who was mayor of the village of A signifi cant body of research He told The Times newspaper that discussions about admitting girls Eugenie, who married Brooksbank in 2018, announced the research Poland’s World War II Malinowo in northeast Poland suggests that, while thousands had spanned 122 years – “notably speedy in our terms”, he said. news on her Instagram account with a picture of the new past and has prompted interna- during the war. of Poles risked their lives to help Winchester’s other famous former students include India’s former parents holding the newborn’s hand. – Reuters tional outrage. In a short passage, the book Jews, thousands also participat- cricket captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and Joss Whedon, the The researchers co-edited a mentioned that the mayor may ed in the Holocaust. screenwriter and film director behind the Avengers movies. – AFP Gulf Times 12 Wednesday, February 10, 2021 QATAR

HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Aff airs Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah at the calisthenics park in Meqdam camp. Defence minister inaugurates world’s largest calisthenics park HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Aff airs Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah inaugurated yesterday the calisthenics park in Meqdam camp, in conjunction with the Qatar National Sport Day. The park has entered the Guinness World Records for being the largest of its kind in the world. The ceremony was attended by HE the Minister of Culture and Sports Salah bin Ghanem bin Nasser al-Ali, and a number of ranking off icers in the armed forces. HE al-Attiyah received the Guinness World Records certificate, via video conference technology.

Actively sporting people spotted

Snapshots of Qatar National Sport Day celebrations yesterday. PICTURES: Thajudheen, Shaji Kayamkulam, Ram Chand, Jayaram, Shemeer Rasheed and Noushad Thekkayil