Israel, Hamas Agree Gaza Truce They Reviewed Brotherly Relations Between the Two Countries and Ways to Support and Strengthen Them

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FRIDAY Vol. XXXXII No.11920 May 21, 2021 Shawwal 9, 1442 AH

GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals

Amir holds phone call with King of Jordan His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani held yesterday evening a telephone conversation with Jordanian King Abdullah II ibn al-Hussein, during which Israel, Hamas agree Gaza truce they reviewed brotherly relations between the two countries and ways to support and strengthen them. During the call, they discussed Mediation eff orts by US, Egypt and Qatar led to ceasefi re aft er Israel regional and international issues of common concern, especially the killed 232 Palestinians, including 65 children, and injured over 1,900 latest developments in Palestine, where they expressed their strong condemnation of the continued Reuters tion, while Egypt, Qatar and the shelling by the Israeli occupation Gaza/Jerusalem United Nations sought to medi- forces of civilians in Gaza Strip, ate. calling for an immediate ceasefire Biden was due to deliver remarks and the protection of Al-Aqsa, holy srael and Hamas will cease fi re on the Middle East at 5:45pm sites and defenceless civilians. (QNA) across the Gaza Strip border as Washington-time, the White Iof 2am today, the Palestinian House said. Islamist faction and Egyptian state Hamas said the ceasefi re would Amir, Deputy Amir, PM TV said, bringing a potentially ten- be “mutual and simultaneous”. greet Cameroon president uous halt to the fi ercest fi ghting in “The Palestinian resistance will years. abide by this agreement as long as His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin the Occupation (Israel) does the bin Hamad al-Thani, His Highness Netanyahu’s offi ce said his security same,” Taher al-Nono, media ad- the Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah cabinet had voted unanimously in viser to Hamas chief Ismail Hani- bin Hamad al-Thani and HE the favour of a “mutual and uncon- yeh, told Reuters. Prime Minister and Minister of ditional” Gaza truce proposed by Egyptian President Abdel Fat- Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Egypt, but added that the hour tah al-Sisi had ordered two se- Abdulaziz al-Thani sent yesterday of implementation had yet to be curity delegations into Israel and cables of congratulations to agreed. the Palestinian Territories to work Cameroon President Paul Biya on his Within minutes of the an- towards upholding the ceasefi re, country’s National Day. nouncements, in the countdown to Egyptian state TV reported. the ceasefi re, the sides were trad- In a televised speech Abu Uba- ing blows again. Sirens warned of ida, spokesman of the Hamas Pfi zer vaccine eff ective incoming rockets in Israeli border armed wing, said: “With the help against Indian variant communities, and a Reuters re- of God, we were able to humiliate porter heard an air strike in Gaza. the enemy, its fragile entity and its BioNTech SE Chief Executive Ugur There was no immediate word of savage army.” Sahin said yesterday the Covid-19 casualties. He threatened Hamas rocket fi re vaccine it developed with Pfizer Inc is Amid growing global alarm that would reach throughout Is- expected to be 70% to 75% eff ective at the bloodshed, US President rael if it violated the truce or struck in protecting against infections Joe Biden urged Netanyahu on Gaza before the hour of implemen- caused by the coronavirus variant Wednesday to seek de-escala- tation. To Page 3 Smoke billows above buildings during an Israeli air strike on Gaza City, yesterday. first detected in India. “So far we’ve had the chance to test our vaccine against more than 30 variants of the virus. It has proven eff ective against mutations so far,” said Sahin, a Qatar decries German scientist with Turkish parents. First ever Ooredoo female Tests this week have focused on the First Qatari tracking India variant, he said. “We expect (our Israeli actions vaccine) to protect against infections CEO to lead Ooredoo Oman by 70% to 75%.” number launched that led to crisis Ooredoo appoints new CEO of Ooredoo Algeria, following his Boko Haram leader he fi rst national tracking number took place in the presence CEO in Algeria as well earlier appointment as Ooredoo Alge- ‘badly wounded’ number has been delivered by of Abdulaziz bin Nasser al-Khalifa, ria’s deputy general manager in March THE Ali bin Ahmed al-Kuwari, CEO of Qatar Development Bank 2020, and having successfully steered Nigeria’s Boko Haram leader Minister of Commerce and Industry (QDB), and Mohamed Hassan al- oredoo has announced the ap- the company through the Covid-19 pe- Abubakar Shekau has been seriously and Acting Minister of Finance, to Malki, Assistant Undersecretary for pointment of Noor al-Sulaiti as riod. wounded after trying to kill himself QLife Pharma. Industry Aff airs at the Ministry of OCEO of Ooredoo Oman — the Under his leadership, Ooredoo Al- to avoid capture during clashes with The presence of a tracking number Commerce and Industry (MoCI). fi rst female CEO in one of Ooredoo geria delivered a healthy set of results rival Islamic State-allied fighters in the on products facilitates the process of This measure follows QDB’s inau- HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Group’s key markets — and Bassam during the fi rst quarter of 2021, despite north of the country, two intelligence identifying all product details, from guration of the Qatari Product Cod- Minister of Foreign Aff airs Sheikh Yousef al-Ibrahim as CEO of Ooredoo a challenging macroeconomic environ- sources said yesterday. After a series its source to the details of its valid- ing and Tracking Offi ce, in a first for Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Algeria. ment. of clashes, Shekau and some of his ity, components, and in some cases, Qatar, and in appreciation of the al-Thani addressing the UNGA session. Their appointments took eff ect yes- In local currency terms, revenues men were surrounded on Wednesday its price. Previously, Qatari produc- eff orts made by the pharmaceuti- terday. increased 2% in Q1, 2021 compared by ISWAP militants in Boko Haram’s ers used tracking numbers belong- cal industries sector in the country QNA Noor al-Sulaiti has been with Oore- to the same period in the previous Sambisa forest stronghold, where ing to foreign countries to distin- during the Covid-19 pandemic, the New York doo since 2004, most recently as the year. they demanded he surrender. “To guish their products. MoCI said in a press statement yes- CEO of Starlink, an Ooredoo Group Sheikh Faisal bin Thani al-Thani, avoid capture, Shekau shot himself The handing over of the tracking terday. To Page 3 company. chairman, Ooredoo Group, said, “I in the chest and the bullet pierced his E the Deputy Prime Minis- In her latest role as CEO of Starlink, am very happy to announce the ap- shoulder,” the source said. “He was ter and Minister of Foreign she made a considerable impact on the pointment of two of our outstand- badly injured.” Page 7 HAff airs Sheikh Mohamed market by rebranding and expanding ing talents to lead our companies in bin Abdulrahman al-Thani held the portfolio and capability of the com- Oman and Algeria. These appoint- yesterday a ministerial co-ordi- pany to compete in e-commerce, retail ments come as part of our strategy to Norway fund dumps nation Arab meeting to discuss the and ICT. continue to invest in our finest people West Bank-linked fi rms developments of the crisis in Pal- Previously, she was the general as we push forward with our digital estine. manager of Phono and Fasttelco in transformation journey and create a Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the UN Secretary-General An- Kuwait. Noor al-Sulaiti brings a more modern, efficient and agile way world’s largest, has decided to dump tonio Guterres also attended wealth of experience and expertise of work. two companies involved in the the meeting of the Arab Foreign gained over 17 years of progressive “I am particularly proud of the ap- development of Israeli settlements Ministers. and rotational roles in the Telecom pointment of the fi rst female CEO, one in the West Bank, citing concerns Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrah- industry. of many Ooredoo female leaders who about potential rights violations. man al-Thani also gave a speech She is succeeding Ian Dench, who have stepped up and delivered during The fund will divest its holdings in during the UN General Assembly has resigned after a successful career the most diffi cult times. Congratula- the companies “due to unacceptable HE Ali bin Ahmed al-Kuwari with other dignitaries at the handover of the first on developments in the Middle spanning 15 years within the Group. tions to the new CEOs. I wish them risk that the companies contribute Qatari tracking number. East and Palestine. To Page 3 Bassam al-Ibrahim was appointed success during their tenure.” to systematic violations of individuals’ rights in situations or war or conflict”. Business Page 1

‘Interview contributed to Diana’s death’ EU reaches deal on Covid passes to open up tourism Princess Diana’s brother yesterday blamed deceptive practices used Reuters who headed the parliament’s team, told give up their fi nal say on border controls. to secure an explosive TV interview Brussels a news conference. In the end, EU countries agreed to about her troubled marriage to The free certifi cate will take the form refrain from imposing additional re- Prince Charles for contributing to of a QR code on a smartphone or paper, strictions, such as testing or quaran- her death nearly two years later. he European Union reached a letting authorities determine the sta- tines, unless considered necessary on Page 9 deal yesterday on Covid-19 cer- tus of a visitor based on records in their public health grounds, such as because Ttifi cates designed to open up home EU country. The certifi cate would of the rise of a new coronavirus variant. Classifi ed tourism across the 27-nation bloc this show if a person had received a vaccine, The European Commission, which summer as a rapid pick-up of vaccina- had a recent negative test or had immu- also participated in the negotiations, Advertisements tions allows widespread easing of coro- nity based on recovery. committed to make 100mn euros Page 8 navirus restrictions. Nearly 40% of EU adults have re- ($120mn) of its emergency support European Parliament lawmakers and ceived a fi rst vaccine dose. fund available to help make tests af- current EU president Portugal rep- Lawmakers had wanted countries to fordable, with more money if required. COMMUNITY resenting member states sealed the commit to free testing for the certifi cate The agreement between the institu- agreement after a fourth round of ne- and said that no EU country should set tions should allow the European Parlia- gotiations yesterday afternoon. additional quarantine requirements. ment to pass a law in the week from June See Pages “We won’t be repeating the night- Germany and Sweden were among 7 and for more than a dozen EU coun- mare of summer 2020,” Juan Fernando those resisting, EU offi cials said, though A gondolier handles his gondola near Santa Maria della Salute church in Venice tries, including France and Spain, to test 4,5 & 6 Lopez Aguilar, the Spanish lawmaker EU countries in general are reluctant to yesterday. the system before a launch on July 1. Gulf Times 2 Friday, May 21, 2021 QATAR Qatar making constant eff orts through mediation to resolve confl icts in Africa

QNA bate of the Security Council on HE Sheikha that in this context, it is the re- opment (QFFD) and United Na- Vaccines Global Access (Covax), New York ‘Peace and Security in Africa: Ad- sponsibility of the international tions Development Programme in addition to QFFD signing a dressing Root Causes of Confl ict Alya indicated community at the present time (UNDP) and Germany to build the core contribution agreement with in Post-Pandemic Recovery in that the African to assist African countries to world’s biggest and fastest infor- WHO worth $10mn, to support atar has said that over the Africa.’ strengthen their health systems mation network on developmen- WHOs Thirteenth General Pro- past years it has made un- HE Sheikha Alya noted that continent is rich in and institutions and obtain vacci- tal challenges called the UNDP gramme of Work (GPW 13) and for Qremitting eff orts, through the Security Council’s continued great and varied nations, and to emphasise the im- Accelerator Labs. Covid-19 response through the mediation based on the United consideration of means to address portance of implementing Secu- The entity is currently ac- Access to Covid-19 Tools Accel- Nations Charter, to prevent and the root causes of confl ict refl ects potentials, yet rity Council Resolution No. 2565 tive in 78 countries, the majority erator (ACT-A). resolve confl icts on the African the extent of its eff ects on devel- the exacerbation of February 26 regarding a cease- of which are among the slowest HE Sheikha Alya said that Qa- continent, in co-ordination with opment in its human, economic fi re in all confl ict areas in order to growing in Africa, and aims to tar Airways for its part repatriated the Security Council. and social dimensions, and the and prolongation provide vaccination, and support deal with developmental chal- 3mn people back home in addition Qatar also confi rmed that this urgent need for a comprehensive, of the conflicts the Covax facility to provide vac- lenges more eff ectively. to shipping medical equipment, came as a contribution to ad- co-ordinated and eff ective re- cines to the people most in need of In the framework of interna- as well as signing a Memorandum dressing the root causes of con- sponse as an integrated approach it faces casts assistance, based on the fact that tional eff orts to eliminate epidem- of Understanding (MoU) with fl icts and achieving security, to maintain international peace a negative HE Ambassador Sheikha Alya the pandemic is a challenge for ics, QFFD and the World Health Unicef to support its Humanitar- peace and development in the and security. Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani everyone and that the response to Organisation (WHO) signed a ian Airfreight Initiative. African continent, and within She also indicated that the Af- shadow over its it must be global and with the co- three-year agreement that elimi- Qatar Airways will also ship the framework of Qatar’s strate- rican continent is rich in great and lessons and incentives towards operation of all. nates tropical diseases and other vaccines, medicine, medical gic partnership with the United varied potentials, yet the exac- ambitious plans promoting co-operation among HE Sheikha Alya said that, in diseases in 49 African countries, equipment, and other supplies Nations, where Qatari diplomatic erbation and prolongation of the and development the countries of the continent response to the challenges facing benefi ting close to 400mn people. to ensure their fair and quick de- mediation eff orts led to the reso- confl icts it faces casts a negative to advance the promising Afri- less-developed countries includ- She also said that, given recover- livery everywhere including the lution of a number of confl icts in shadow over its ambitious plans programmes can agenda and achieve coming those on the African conti- ing from the pandemic in Africa African continent, in addition to Africa, the latest of which was the and development and humanitar- Pointing out that while African prehensive recovery, through nent when it came to achieving can only happen with the recov- supporting the Covax facility. resumption of diplomatic rela- ian programmes, and therefore it countries are working, within the the development of sustainable sustainable development, Qatar ery of all, Qatar took the initiative In the conclusion of the state- tions between Somalia and Kenya, is important for the international framework of the African Union, development policies in its vari- will host the 5th United Nations and off ered urged medical aid to ment, she stressed that Qatar will in a way that enhances stability on community to join hands to ad- to confront the dangers of armed ous dimensions, and strengthen- Conference on the Least Devel- more than 78 countries around continue its partnership in the the African continent. dress the root causes of confl icts confl icts and the challenges of ing the interdependence between oped Countries, and support their the world to help their eff orts in UN framework to deal with the This came in a statement made on the continent and help it focus sustaining security, stability and peacekeeping and peace-building developmental eff orts for the next dealing with the pandemic. core reasons leading to confl icts, by HE Qatar’s Permanent Repre- on implementing the African Un- development, the Covid-19 pan- activities, in a way that contrib- 10 years, in line with the Sustain- The total value of governmen- and will honour its commitments sentative to the United Nations ion’s agenda 2063 and the United demic constituted an additional utes to addressing the root causes able Development Agenda 2030. tal and non-governmental aid aiming to maintain peace and se- Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustain- burden and cast its eff ects on life. of confl ict. There is also co-operation reached $88mn. There was also curity in the African continent bin Saif al-Thani, at the open de- able Development. Yet it produced additional The ambassador indicated between Qatar Fund for Devel- $20mn allocated to the Covid-19 and the world.

Shura Council takes part in Qatari Forum for Authors marks meeting on Mena recovery MoPH reports 313 The Shura Council participated in a parliamentary meeting on economic recovery the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) by designing comprehensive, sustainable, and adaptable policies. The World Day for Cultural Diversity meeting was organised by The Parliamentary Network on the World new Covid-19 cases Bank and International Monetary Fund via video conference. Talks focused on a number of subjects related to the recovery. They included QNA sity, cultural and intellectual dia- vaccines, governance, reforms, debt, climate change, and the role QNA Doha logue, respect for other cultures parliamentarians play in ensuring transparency and the availability of Doha in the rapprochement between aid to face the crisis and build a more sustainable economic recovery. peoples, and the promotion of The Shura Council was represented in the meeting by member of the he Qatari Forum for Au- the values of tolerance, peace and council Nasser bin Sultan al-Humaidi. he Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) reported yesterday 313 thors held yesterday via security in the world, and the im- new confi rmed cases of coronavirus (Covid-19) – 208 of these Tvideo conference tech- pact of this on building societies Twere from community cases and 105 from travellers returning nology a symposium as part of that are able to achieve the goals from abroad. The MoPH recorded 522 recoveries from the virus during the celebration of the World Day of sustainable development. the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases recovered in Qa- for Cultural Diversity, which is Out of our responsibility as an Shura in APA meeting tar to 209,773. The ministry announced one new death aged 62, who marked on May 21 each year. active member in the intergov- was not chronically ill, and had received the necessary medical care. The forum’s celebration of the ernmental committees for agree- World Day for Cultural Diversity ness for civilisation because ments to protect and promote Vaccination data is within the activities of Doha, civilisation advances by diff er- diversity in cultural expressions 2,190,807 Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered since the Capital of Culture in the Islamic ence rather than symmetry, and in Unesco, she added, Qatar has start of the programme. World 2021, and the forum’s cultural diversity is based on the hosted many conferences, semi- 40,058 vaccine doses have been administered in the past 24 hours. celebration on this occasion in- perception of human dignity, he nars and forums on dialogue be- 55.6% of the eligible population has now received at least one dose cludes a number of activities. said. tween cultures, civilisations and of the vaccine. The opening of the symposi- HE the minister added that religions, including the cultural 89.8% of over 60s (the most vulnerable population group) have um featured speeches by HE the human dignity is based on free- diversity festivals which are held been vaccinated with at least one dose, while 84.3% have received Minister of Culture and Sports dom and justice which are two annually in Katara, with the par- both doses. Salah bin Ghanem bin Nasser basic components that are in- ticipation of many countries of al-Ali, Secretary-General of the dispensable for members of the the world. In recent weeks the combined impact of Covid-19 restrictions and Qatar National Commission for same society and for all human Doha also hosts the Doha increasing vaccination rates, and the overwhelming support of the Education, Culture and Science societies. Center for Interfaith Dialogue community, has resulted in a consistent reduction in the number of Dr Hamda Hassan al-Sulaiti, From this point of view, free and the Qatari Committee for the new daily infections in the country. and HE Director General of the people in any part of our world Alliance of Civilizations, which However, it is still important to be cautious as the second wave is Islamic World Educational, Sci- do not accept attacks on human aim to promote dialogue and not yet over and there are still two highly contagious and highly viru- entifi c and Cultural Organization dignity and do not accept injus- openness, consolidate the values lent strains of the virus that are actively circulating in the community. (Icesco) Dr Salem bin Mohamed tice, and what is happening in of tolerance, solidarity and peace The plan to gradually lift restrictions will be delivered over 4 phases al-Malik. Palestine is a blatant attack on among peoples, and reject vio- with each phase lasting 3 weeks. In his speech on the occa- the Palestinians and all the free lence, intolerance and extrem- The date of implementation and the duration of each phase will sion, HE the Minister of Cul- people in the world. What is be- ism. depend on the epidemic indicators which depend to a great extent on ture and Sports pointed out that ing targeted today is not only For his part, HE Dr Salem bin the degree of compliance of the community members with the cur- the event of the Doha, Capital Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa and Gaza, Mohamed al-Malik expressed his rent measures, restrictions and guidance by the government. With the of Culture in the Islamic World but rather that human covenant happiness to participate in this The Shura Council participated yesterday in the meeting potential spike post-Eid, a distinct possibility, the fi rst phase of the confi rms that culture is a light upon which humanity has agreed celebration, describing theme of of Standing Committee on Economic and Sustainable lifting of restrictions is planned to start on May 28 – this will allow that illuminates the path of and proclaimed by United Na- the celebration as valid, consist- Development of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA), suffi cient time to analyse the data and determine the impact of Eid. human civilisation, and it is a tions charters, he said. ent with the goals pursued by the through video conference technology. The committee Unlike last year, it is possible to make more freedoms available to safety valve for society as it is For her part, Dr Hamda Has- events of Doha, Capital of Cul- discussed several reports related to the Asian integrated energy those people who are vaccinated where they will enjoy certain privi- closely linked to identity, add- san al-Sulaiti said that Qatar ture in the Islamic World 2021, as market, the activation of economic growth eff orts, poverty leges before others. It is vital that people do not claim victory against ing that any society that seeks to has been keen for a long time to part of the Icesco programme to eradication, and the role of Asian parliaments in supporting and this virus too early with the new, highly-transmissible variants in the enhance its identity requires to pay attention to cultural diver- celebrate the capitals of culture implementing the sustainable development goals. The Shura community, there is still the potential for the virus to gain momentum take care of its culture. sity and the dialogue of cultures in the Islamic world, and within Council was represented in this meeting by HE Ali bin Abdullatif and for numbers to rise. With Covid-19 still a threat to our health here Its distinction from other so- and civilisations, believing in the the framework of the Icesco dec- al-Misnad al-Muhannadi, member of the council. in Qatar, it is important for everyone to play their role in controlling cieties will be a source of rich- eff ective role of cultural diver- laration on cultural diversity. the virus by following precautionary measures.

Temporary closure at Midmac 10 arrested for violating home quarantine pledge

QNA 2- Salem Rashid Hamad Doha Said al-Atraq. 3- John Phillip Padila Vir- tuoso. he designated authori- 4- Mohamed Haroun May- ties arrested yesterday an. T10 people who violated 5- Kwayes Ahmed Abdul- the requirements of home nour. quarantine, they committed 6- Omar Ali Omar. to following which they are 7- Salman Fares Moheldin legally accountable for, in ac- 8- Atef Youssef al-Dereiri. cordance with the procedures 9- Abdulmalek Soufan. of the health authorities in the 10- Ratna Pita. country. The designated authorities The arrest of the violators called on citizens and resi- came in implementation of dents under home quarantine the precautionary measures in to fully commit to the Ministry force in the country, approved of Public Health’s condition, by health authorities repre- to ensure their safety and the sented in the Ministry of Pub- safety of others. They added The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has announced a temporary traff ic closure at Al Aseiry lic Health, to curb the spread that anyone who violates the Roundabout (known as Midmac), at the entrance to Salwa Road towards Bu Samra, from midnight of the Covid-19. quarantine will be subject to on Friday until 5am on Saturday. The closure, which will be implemented in co-ordination with the The violators, who are cur- article no 253 of Law no 11 of General Directorate of Traff ic, has been announced to complete the installation of ITS gantries, rently being referred to the 2004, provisions of Law no 17 Ashghal has said in a tweet. The authority has requested all motorists to follow the road signs and designate prosecution, are: of 1990 on communicable dis- abide by the speed limit to ensure everyone’s safety. 1- Saeed Mohamed Hamad eases, and Law no. 17 of 2002 al-Ghafrani al-Marri. on protecting society. Gulf Times Friday, May 21, 2021 3 QATAR/ARAB WORLD

Awqaf increases Palestinians in solidarity drive waiting time PHCC celebrates contribution after adhan to 10 of family doctors on special day minutes The mosques department at the Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) QNA and Islamic Aff airs has increased Doha the waiting time after the call to prayer (adhan) to 10 minutes from five. The department he Primary Health Care Cor- informed this through a circular poration (PHCC) celebrated sent to mosque imams and Tthe World Family Doctor muezzins, local Arabic daily Day under the slogan ‘Building the ‘Arrayah’ said in a report. For Future with Family Doctors’. Friday prayers, mosques will be This day, which falls on May 19 opened 20 minutes before the every year, aims to celebrate the second call to prayer, as has been eff orts of family doctors, highlight announced earlier by Awqaf. their role in community service, Meanwhile, Covid-19 restrictions and shed light on family medicine, will remain in place at mosques, which is one of the most important with the wearing of masks and specialties that deals with compre- showing the Ehteraz app green hensive health care for all family status being mandatory. Also, members. believers should carry personal The Primary Health Care Cor- Palestinians chant slogans during a demonstration in support of their relatives in Gaza earlier prayer mats and maintain social poration participated in celebrat- yesterday in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israel and Hamas, the ruling party in Gaza, distancing. ing this day by publishing cards on agreed to a ceasefire yesterday ending 11 days of deadly violence. social media highlighting the four axes of the World Family Doctor 829 face Day 2021, the most important of care to all patients, and empha- community of the importance and which is building the future with sised the need to build a future with role of the family doctor by pre- prosecution for family doctors and primary care them by providing continuous and senting videos published through violating Covid staff , as family doctors are often the comprehensive care, which is the various forms of media and social fi rst point of contact for patients second axis, as family doctors build communication that highlight the measures in combating epidemics, as well mutual trust with patients and so- family doctors in the institution First Qatari tracking as caring for people suff ering from ciety, as one of the four aforemen- and their primary role in reaching The designated authorities chronic diseases and the need to tioned axes, by fi lling the existing a healthy and well-being society, in referred 829 people to follow preventive measures. gaps in health care that is provided addition to thanking the employees prosecution for violating the The Primary Health Care Cor- every day, while family doctors proof the institution through an online preventive and precautionary poration praised the essential role vide continuous and comprehen- post, showing gratitude and appre- number delivered measures enforced by the of family doctors in providing com- sive care to those who need it most. ciation for their continuous eff orts country to contain the spread prehensive and continuous health PHCC noted that it informs the in serving people and society. of Covid-19, the Ministry of From Page 1 Assembly of the GS1, we worked manufactured products, which will Interior (MoI) said yesterday. diligently to establish an offi ce contribute to facilitating many local Among them, 563 people were Qatar decries Israeli actions that led to crisis HE al-Kuwari said, “The launch in Doha. Today, we celebrate the commercial operations, whether referred to the prosecution for of the Qatari Product Coding and launch of the fi rst Qatari product in terms of product movement or not wearing masks in places From Page 1 ment increased to a stage that can tion of civilians by avoiding their Tracking Offi ce comes within the with a national tracking number, circulation, or in terms of tradi- where they are mandatory, only be described as ethnic cleans- targeting or the disproportionate framework of the country’s strate- and we aspire for this step to be tional or electronic international 209 for gathering at parks He said the dangerous situa- ing against the Palestinians, and use of force. gy and eff orts to improve the qual- the start of new horizons for our commercial operations. The Qatari and the Corniche and 34 for tion in the occupied Palestinian the occupation forces have repeat- The Minister of Foreign Af- ity of national products and en- national products, whether at the Product Coding and Tracking Of- not maintaining safe physical territories, especially in Al Quds, edly stormed the blessed Al Aqsa fairs said that Qatar condemns hance their competitiveness in all level of local or international cir- fi ce has invited all Qatari compa- distancing. and the bombardment of deadly Mosque and intimidated worship- the Israeli arbitrary bombing local, regional and global markets. culation, in order to achieve our nies, whether those investing in the Also, 13 people were referred weapons on unarmed civilians and pers without any regard for the of Gaza over the past few days, Further, it is an affi rmation of the strategy and Qatar’s national vi- local market or companies working to the prosecution for not their homes, which led to the death sanctity of the blessed month of which left many civilians dead remarkable development Qatar has sion.” QLife Pharma obtained the to export their products abroad, to installing the Ehteraz app and of dozens, including women and Ramadan, which led to fueling the and injured, particularly in Al achieved in the industrial sector.” fi rst Qatari tracking number, start- submit their requests to obtain a 10 for violating quarantine children, requires the international situation. Shati camp which left dozens of He added that this step “consti- ing with 630. It is the fi rst company national tracking number for their requirements. community to act urgently to stop He affi rmed that Qatar has re- civilian casualties, including 10 tutes an incentive for the private in Qatar to get the national tracking products starting from May 23, or The measure is in line with the the Israeli attacks on the Palestin- iterated its complete rejection and from one family, in addition, to sector to continue its eff orts toward code, and will be followed by many visit the registration website via Cabinet decision, Decree Law ian people, the blessed Al Aqsa condemnation of the Israeli police the targeting of residential which the development of local industries national companies in the coming this link: www.GS1.qa No 17 of 1990 on infectious Mosque and prevent its recurrence, and settlers’ attacks on Jerusale- left dozens dead, the majority of and the enhancement of their pro- period, the statement notes. The Qatar last year secured the unan- diseases, and the precautionary adding that it also requires show- mites in the Damascus Gate area which were children. duction and export capabilities in a GS1 is a not-for-profi t organisa- imous approval of the GS1 General measures in force in the ing the respect to the Hashemite of the Haram Al Sharif, the use of He said that Qatar also strongly manner that supports their expan- tion that develops and maintains Assembly to establish a barcode country to contain the spread guardianship of the Hashemite violence against defenceless civil- condemns and denounces the tar- sion and access to global markets”. global standards for business com- offi ce for Qatari products. Qatar of Covid-19. The authorities Kingdom of Jordan over Al Aqsa ians, the setting up of barriers to geting of the headquarters of Qa- On his part, al-Khalifa marked munication. This initiative follows has been assigned the code 630 have called on the public to Mosque. rob them of their religious rights, tar Red Crescent Society in Gaza, the importance of this step for Qa- eff orts made by the ministry in for locally manufactured products, adhere to the precautionary He added that Qatar has re- and the Israeli occupation forces’ and stresses that the targeting of tari companies, saying: “After ob- co-ordination with QDB to create a which can be exported or traded measures in place to ensure peatedly warned of the dangers of storming of the courtyards of the humanitarian and media organisa- taining the approval of the General tracking code for Qatar and locally within the country. their safety and that of others. Judaisation policies in the city of blessed Al Aqsa Mosque and bru- tions is a fl agrant violation of inter- Al Quds, and the attempts to harm tally assaulting worshippers. national law. Islamic and Christian sanctities, He added that these unlawful He then wondered whether especially the Haram Al Sharif, practices, many of which amount the international community will pointing out that despite warnings to war crimes, constitute a provo- move to support the Palestin- and widespread condemnation by cation to the feelings of millions of ian people’s rights and stop Israeli the international community in Muslims around the world and a from continuing with its arbitrary QU researchers in int’l project recent months on the Israeli au- fl agrant violation of human rights, and unilateral policies of Judaising thorities and Israeli settlers’ at- international covenants, religious Al Quds and changing its demo- tack on Palestinian residents of Al laws and human values. He also graphics, in addition, to the ongo- Quds and seizing their homes in emphasised the importance of ing settlement policy, violation of the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, committing to the international holy places, and the unjust siege on for sustainable crop production the rate of Judaization and settle- humanitarian law, and the protec- Gaza.

he Center for Sustain- Sfax and principal investigator of Israel, Hamas agree Gaza truce able Development (CSD) at the project said: “We are thrilled to TQatar University (QU) has be working together with our col- From Page 1 and more than 1,900 wounded in An Israeli offi cial told Reuters been awarded a project to produce leagues at Qatar University to pilot aerial bombardments. Israel said there was no such condition in biological fertilisers based on salt- this technology – we believe it can Rocket attacks by Hamas and it had killed at least 160 combat- the truce. “The only way there’ll tolerant microorganisms to pro- have a signifi cant impact on the the allied Islamic Jihad had re- ants in Gaza. be a Hamas-Jerusalem linkage is mote organic crop production in sustainability of the food-supply sumed after an eight-hour pause Authorities put the death toll if they agree to us drowning them the country. A view of the QU campus. chain in Qatar, and look forward earlier yesterday, as Israel pur- in Israel at 12, with hundreds on ‘Jerusalem Beach’ in Tel Aviv,” The project, in response the to seeing it in action.” The project sued shelling that it said aimed of people treated for injuries in security cabinet minister Tzachi Food Security Call from the Qatar to grow using salt-water will per- sociate professor at CSD and co- is in collaboration with Agrico, to destroy the factions’ military rocket attacks that caused panic Hanegbi told Israel’s top-rated National Research Fund and Min- mit for a drastic alleviation of the lead-principal investigator of the where the novel technology will be capabilities and deter them from and sent people rushing into Channel 12 TV earlier yesterday. istry of Municipality and Environ- pressure on Qatar’s scarce ground- project, explained that the novel demonstrated. Agrico managing future confrontations after the shelters. The violence was trig- Biden discussed Gaza with Sisi ment, aims to support the cause in water resources. The project will bio-fertiliser will increase the soil director Nasser al-Khalaf com- current confl ict. gered by Palestinian anger at and the White House said reports a sustainable manner, a QU state- foster international collaboration quality, as well as enhance the salt mented: “Our company strives Israeli Defence Minister Benny what they saw as Israeli curbs of moves toward a ceasefi re were ment explained yesterday. This between local researchers and the tolerance capacity of the plant, to explore innovative agricultural Gantz said on Twitter that the on their rights in Jerusalem, in- “encouraging”. Hamas is deemed bio-fertiliser will not only im- Center of Biotechnology of Sfax which will allow for the use of ir- solutions to achieve national food Gaza off ensive had yielded “un- cluding during police confronta- a terrorist group in the West and prove plant productivity and fruit (Tunisia) where the technology rigation waters with higher salt security. This technology has the precedented military gains”. tions with protesters at Al-Aqsa by Israel, which it refuses to rec- quality, but also enhance the soil- originates. Agrico, one of Qatar’s concentrations. “This can play an potential to drastically reduce the Since the fi ghting began on mosque. Hamas previously de- ognise. The United Nations said quality and allow for the use of leading crop producers, will be one important role in promoting sus- ecological footprint of crop pro- May 10, health offi cials in Gaza manded that any halt to the Gaza its Middle East envoy, Tor Wen- salt-water for sustainable produc- of the fi rst to apply the new tech- tainable food production in Qatar,” duction in Qatar, whilst producing said 232 Palestinians, includ- fi ghting be accompanied by Is- nesland, was in Qatar yesterday tion of conventional crops such nology. he said. Dr Slim Tounsi, director sustainable organic and nutritious ing 65 children, had been killed raeli drawdowns in Jerusalem. as part of truce eff orts. as tomatoes. The ability of crops Dr Imen Saadaoui, research as- of the Centre of Biotechnology of food for the Qatari society.”

Sheehaniya inspections MME yards to continue on Thursday, Friday, Saturday

The activities of the local agricultural product yards under the Agricultural Aff airs Department of the Ministry of Municipal- ity and Environment (MME) at Al Khor and Al Thakhira, Al Mazr- oua and Al Wakra will continue on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 6.30pm to 10pm. The yards aim to support local Qatari farms in displaying their high-quality vegetables and fruits, which are sold at aff ordable rates, a MME statement said.

Al Sheehaniya Municipality, represented by its Municipal Supervision Department, carried out 1,470 intensive inspection rounds in April and issued 166 seizure records, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment said yesterday in a statement. Gulf Times 4 Friday, May 21, 2021 COMMUNITY Handbook on eff ective communication launched In Decoding Communication, munication. I started sharing authors define and decode these incidents through small communication for young articles, many were published professionals and managers in diff erent journals. They say that journey of a thousand mile By Mudassir Raja begins with a single step, and that single step for me was in early 2020 when Gulf Times ommunication connects published my article on com- people and words are munication in their monthly Cthe most powerful force magazine – Society. available to humanity. Effective “Suddenly I was fl ooded with communication is also consid- calls from friends who applaud- ered a key to personal and ca- ed my eff orts and asked me to reer success. write more on the subject. That With continuous learning and was the point that triggered con- practice, one can master the art verting a mere four-page article of eff ective communication. into a 200-page book.” Girish Jain, left, and Manzoor Moideen holding their book. Two prominent Indian mo- Talking about the book, he tivational speakers and toast- said: “The idea was to have a reading and never thought about ingredients of eff ective com- masters have come out with book that can give a holistic ap- the eff ort behind each book, un- munication. There are 11 chap- their debut book on communi- proach of mastering one’s com- til, Girish asked me to help him ters which mainly includes the cation titled Decoding Commu- munication. I soon realised that with his debut publication. importance of a two-way com- nication. I needed someone to share the “While the pandemic and munication, vocabulary, body The book is a maiden attempt Book launch online event. burden and help me as a co- lockdown last year was a chal- language, upholding dignity, by the authors to defi ne and de- author. I approached my close lenging period, I thought why not knowing audience, managing code communication for young chored by Usha Ravishankar also School; Baburajan, ICC presi- as programme quality director friend Manzoor, who promptly use the spare time to do some- anger and emotions, confl ict professionals, managers, and all saw the presence of Maryam al- dent; Ziad Usman, president, of District 116. agreed. After many detailed dis- thing productive and thus began resolution and listening skills. those who need to understand Hammadi, Director General of ICBF; Manikantan, past presi- A prominent quiz master and cussions and late-night sessions the journey of Decoding Com- The readers will fi nd many real- diff erent aspects of communica- Qatari Forum for Authors, Min- dent, ICC; and Thayalan, dis- trainer, he used to write humor- on what to include and what not munication. We spent hundreds life examples to connect with, tion to help them improve their istry of Culture & Sports. trict director of toastmasters. ous short stories on social media. to, how to design the chapters, of hours in discussions, writing, interviews of experts in their communication skills. The authors expressed special Hailing from Delhi, India, Speaking on the book launch what is relevant, and what will rewriting, rephrasing, amending, respective fi elds to quickly learn Girish Jain and Manzoor thanks to Hemant Dwivedi from Jain is a chartered accountant an what triggered the idea, Jain work, we could give it a shape. updating, improvising, editing, from their intelligence and wis- Moideen launched their book Indian embassy and Rashmi by professional. He is currently said: “Throughout my life, es- This book is a result of the pa- proof-reading and what not? dom. We used simple English recently in an online session Agarwal, Indian entrepreneur, working as chief fi nancial offi cer pecially in my career as a fi - tience and hard work of one- The time, the exertion, the de- to promptly understand the that was attended by numerous for their support and presence. with MAN Energy Solutions Qa- nance professional, I met and and-half years.” votion, the eff orts, and the sweat thoughts without jargons. We professionals and toastmasters The other prominent attend- tar. The author is also a philan- interacted with many amazing Speaking on his experience of have fi nally paid off . Careful also included group exercises, mainly from the Indian expatri- ees were: Abdul Nasser and Ja- thropist, motivational speaker individuals. These interactions penning the book, Moideen said: thoughts and eff orts have been surveys, case studies, refer- ate community in Qatar. tin Gupta, authors; Ole Bogh and trainer. He has been living originated several interesting “Soon after my college, I began put in while writing every chap- ences of suggested books and Deepak Mittal, ambassador of Nielsen, managing director, in Qatar for 22 years with family. real-life incidents. working with a private company ter of this book so that the core of YouTube videos so the read- India to Qatar, and R Seethara- MAN Energy Solutions Qatar; Manzoor Moideen, from Ker- “On the other hand, my as- back in my home town in India. message is conveyed in simple ers can add on and master their man, Group CEO of Doha Bank, Hamad al-Karbi, senior project ala, is an entrepreneur, manag- sociation with CA chapter, ICC The job involved extensive trav- words for everyone’s clear un- knowledge and skills. There is a conveyed their best wishes to manager, Qatargas; Asna Nafees, ing a fire protection company and toastmasters off ered me elling, mostly by long distance derstanding.” pinch of humour with few light- the authors. principal of DPS-MIS school; A in Qatar. A toastmaster for over an abundance of opportunity trains. That is when I developed Jain said: “The book is a com- hearted cartoons specially cre- The virtual event that was an- P Sharma, principal, Birla Public 18 years, he is currently serving to learn the intricacies of com- my love for books. I just enjoy plete handbook of all essential ated for this book.” BCQ’s virtual Eid reunion witnesses huge turnout

angladesh Community Qatar (BCQ) recently or- Bganised a virtual Eid reunion. A large number of its com- Dua Fatima Hasnain Arshad Abdul Rafay Noor Tahir Shahwaiz Tahir munity members from diff erent walks of life attended the session. Mohamed Jassim Uddin, Bangladesh ambassador to Qa- tar, was the chief guest while Mohamed Mahbur Rahman, counsellor (political & economic aff airs), was the special guest. Anwar Hossain Akon, president, BCQ, presided over the meeting. The speakers on the occasion hoped that Covid-19 will be eradicated soon and next year Eid might be celebrated in the formal manner. Ahmad Hossam Yassin Essam Ragab Ayesha Rashid Ahlam Rashid The ambassador spoke about the teachings of Ra- madan and expressed hope the pandemic will come to an end soon, He lauded the Qa- tar government for vaccinat- PISQ students excel ing expatriates free of cost. mortality rates in the world, he the rules, regulations set by the Covid-19 and for those who died Due to the comprehensive added. government to combat the pan- of the virus. measures put in place by the The Bangladesh Community demic. Dua (prayer) was held for Prayers were also off ered for government, Qatar has record- Qatar president urged the com- the community members, who those killed in Gaza due to Israeli in annual exams ed one of the lowest Covid-19 munity members to abide by suff ered and recovered from bombing.

wing to its timely plan- shad (98.04%), Shahwaiz Tahir VI whereas Isra Rashid was sec- ning and up-to-date (98.02%) and Mohamed Rayyan ond with 98% marks and Man- Eid gifts distributed at labour camps Ostrategies, students of Rahat (96.19%) were declared aal Salman third with 97.79% Pakistan International School, the top three position holders. marks. Qatar, (PISQ) produced excel- Grade-VII toppers were Ab- In grade-VII, Laiba Hina, Dua lent academic results in the 2021 dul Rafay Noor Tahir (98.15%), Amir and Syeda Maryam Rizwan annual examination despite the Abdul Basit (97.45%), and Anas secured fi rst, second and third severe constraints caused by the Faisal (97.35%) whereas Hu- positions with 98.50%, 97.89% Covid-19 pandemic. zaifa Ahmed (97.11%), Saif Raza and 97.79% marks respectively. In the Boys Wing, Abdul Naqvi (96.79%), and Shehryar The top three position hold- Rafay Noor Tahir from grade- Najam (96.52%) got the fi rst ers of grade-VIII were Ahlam VII took overall fi rst position three positions respectively in Rashid (98.77%), Maheen with a score of 98.15%, while grade-VIII. Saghir (98.29%), and Maimoo- Ahmad Hossam from grade-V In the evening classes, Aslam na Luqman (98.16%). took fi rst position with a score Sarwar (88.23%), Mohamed In the evening classes, of 98.17%. Ilyas (92.08%), Ahmed Syed Abeer (92.15%), Huda Sameer Hasnain Arshad (VI) stood (90.70%), and Fahad Mehmood (91.7%), Salma Bibi (95.72%), second with a 98.04% score and (96.28%) topped grade-V, VI, and Khola Baber Nisar (90.3%) Yassin Essam Ragab (V) won the VII, and VIII respectively. topped grade-V, VI, VII, and parallel second position by get- In the Girls Wing, Ahlam VIII respectively. ting 98.1% marks. Rashid (VIII) grabbed over- Nargis Raza Otho, principal, Shahwaiz Tahir (VI) stood all first position by securing PISQ, congratulated the posi- third by securing 98.02% 98.77% marks. Ayesha Rashid tion holders and their parents. marks. (V) was in second position She urged them to showcase In grade-V, Mohamed Emam by securing 98.62% marks their talent in future endeav- Shafi que, Mohamed Sanan and and Duaa Fatima (V) bagged ours as well and continue to Daniyal Khurram stood fi rst, third place by getting 98.54% earn a good name for them- second and third by getting marks. selves and for the institution. 97.94%, 97.74% and 97.33% According to the class- She also commended the teach- respectively, whereas Ahmad wise positions, Ayesha Rash- ers for their hard work and un- Hossam, Yassin Essam Ra- id (98.62%), Duaa Fatima tiring eff orts to impart qual- gab, and Yahia Abdel Rahman (98.54%), Kaennat (98.44%) ity education to their students The Center for Indian Community (CIC), Rayyan zone, in co-ordination with the Telugu Welfare Association (TWA) and IT Professional notched the parallel fi rst, sec- bagged fi rst, second and third through in-person and virtual Networks (ITPN) recently distributed Eid gifts to more than 300 workers at diff erent labour camps. Each gift bag contained new clothes ond and third positions respec- positions in grade-V. schooling during the challeng- for workers. Measurements of the workers were taken in advance and clothes arranged accordingly. The distribution was headed by tively. Noor Sajid obtained 98.28% ing circumstances caused by CIC Rayyan zone off icials, TWA and ITPN off icials. ICBF representative Rajani Murthy was also present. In class-VI, Hasnain Ar- marks and stood fi rst in grade- Covid-19. Gulf Times Friday, May 21, 2021 5 COMMUNITY

From left: Camel race in acrylic paints, Doha sunset on a pandemic evening, old architect and seascape in acrylic paints Art ‘makes learning easier for kids’

By Mudassir Raja life and gave me a direction to GT: How and when did you de- With all your experience how ing at home helps people increase and material of creative art. develop into a creative artist,” velop interest in art? do you best describe art or paint- creativity? New artists are moving forward recalls Gani while speaking with I have always been fascinated ing? What is art for you? It goes beyond saying that positively. Art is an individual hazi Abdul Gani has been Gulf Times. by diff erent objects of nature In my opinion, art is life and creative minds need free time talent. a keen observer and ar- Introducing himself, Gani re- including birds and animals life is art. I think colours speak and peace of mind to turn their One can express his or her Kdent admirer of beauti- vealed that he hails from a family since childhood and would try out. Every colour has a theme imaginative ideas into reality. feelings using diff erent methods ful objects in nature around him of farmers in India. drawing pictures of these since and meaning. Those who under- The recent challenges of Cov- and materials. since childhood. “I have always “I have done my masters in an early age. I used to observe stand the themes of colours can id-19 lockdowns also presented What are your future plans re- looked at them with awe. The Fine Arts and worked as an art insects and birds in the ﬁ elds. enjoy abstract paintings. There an opportunity for artists to garding your art works? artist in me has never been not teacher in diff erent schools and I love painting natural objects, is an artist in every child. Chil- hone their techniques and come I plan to write a book on art. content with mere admiration. an art lecturer in India and Qa- landscape, and architectures. I dren learn through art in their up with new ideas. I attended I want every child to learn art. I This led me to copy these ob- tar. like realism. initial days. Art is integrated into many art workshops and exhibi- have plans to write the book for jects the way they impressed “It’s been 21 years since I What kind of work and medi- all subjects. tions via Zoom. diff erent stages of schoolchil- me. moved to Qatar. I have been ums do you use for your creative There is more and more reali- How do you see the works of dren. I have also been working “As an amateur artist I contin- working with Ideal Indian pieces? sation in the modern day teach- young artists? What you advice on Qatari culture and heritage. ued to do this until I joined up for School. I have received the state Khazi Abdul Gani I use acrylic, oil paints and ing that learning can be made for aspiring artists? I also wish to continue mak- a professional course in visual university award, twice best art mixed media as medium of ex- more interesting and easier for The current artistic trends ing both realistic and abstract art,” says the experienced art teacher award and two times all- also been honoured by diff erent pression. I like to experiment children through art. gives me immense encourage- paintings. I wish to give back teacher at Ideal Indian School. India best artist award. I have at- embassies in Qatar. with diff erent canvasses. I have How did you spend your time ment. My advice to the new to society. I want to do this by “The formal training in art tended many art exhibitions and “My passion is learning and also done work with 3D models, at home during lockdown? Do you generation of artists is to ex- means of my art and paintings. became a turning point in my art workshops in Qatar and have teaching art,” Gani stressed. mosaic paintings and ceramics. think having free time and be- periment with every method I want to leave my legacy.

Birla School student is ‘Grand Master’ DPS-MIS children MES holds function he editorial board of Asia Book of Records Trecently honoured Azra Fathima, a grade- XII student of Birla Public mark Mother’s Day on Mother’s Day School (BPS), by conferring the title of ‘Grand Master’. PS-Modern Indian seeing a special assembly. This was followed by kid’s She received the title in the School (DPS-MIS) Doha There was a virtual aware- speeches, prayer, AV presenta- ES Indian School con- fancy dress show. ems written by them during a India Book of Records and the Dkindergarten team cel- ness workshop for mothers tion, poem, and a yoga session. ducted a function on The VI graders made greet- virtual assembly. Asia Book of Record for creat- ebrated Mother’s Day for four conducted by Dr Rati Barman The yoga session was con- MMother’s Day. ing cards for their mothers Speaking on the occasion, the ing a typographic portrait of consecutive days. (Obstetrics and Gynecology). ducted by certifi ed yoga trainer Teachers attired in red pre- while students of grade-VII and principal stressed that moth- Malayalam actor Mohanlal. On the fi rst day, children Dr Barman highlighted the Nisha Agarwal. sented a bouquet to principal VIII prepared poems glorifying ers are the epitome of love and Around 404 movies were were encouraged to make a card most commonly faced problems The assembly was graced by Hameeda Kadar. motherhood. sacrifi ce in everyone’s life and mentioned in the portrait in for their mums. On the second by the women such as Polycyst- principal Asna Nafees and vice There was a special cultur- Grade-IX and X students per- undoubtedly the most trusted Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, day, nursery children were told ic Ovarian Disease and Premen- principal Shifa Shaikh. al programme through Zoom formed short skits on Mother’s driving force in every family. Kannada and Hindi. to cook some dessert and Prep strual Syndrome. The tiny tots presented cards wherein students sang songs Day. She expressed deep apprecia- Azra’s creativity has thus children were told to bake cakes The celebration continued to their mothers and made the and gave speeches glorifying the Students of Grade-XI pre- tion for the eff orts by the stu- brought yet another glo- for their mothers with the help with a special virtual assembly day special. roles played by mothers. There pared ‘Wealth out of Wastes’ dents to make the day special. ry for the institution. The of their dads. The third day was which started of with an opening The mothers thanked the KG was also a PowerPoint presen- to gift their mothers while XII Vice principals and heads of management, staff and stu- dedicated to a health awareness address by kindergarten head- team by posting online mes- tation highlighting remarkable graders created two- minute section, head of academic in- dents of BPS conveyed their workshop, with the fourth day mistress Najla Mohd Bukhari. sages. achievements of MES under Ka- videos conveying a message for spection, school offi cials also wishes and acknowledged dar’s leadership. their mothers. congratulated the students and her unique glory attained Grade-V students presented a The students also recited po- applauded their creativity. through diligence and talent.

BDK Qatar holds blood donation drive Birla Public School holds dance workshop

dance workshop was conducted by the music Aand dance department of Birla Public School (BPS) based on the topic ‘Bharatanatyam’. The workshop commenced with a welcome speech by Mar- shal D’Silva, head of the music and dance department. Principal A P Sharma expressed his views on the importance of dance in day to day life. He also congratulated the department for organsing the workshop. Vice principal (co-scholas- tic) Rajesh Pillai highlighted the diff erent activities taking place in the school and encouraged students to participate, learn and enjoy the sessions. BDK Qatar recently organised a blood donation campaign in association with Qatar Mallu Volunteers and Radio Malayalam 98.6FM. The The dance workshop was drive was carried out in co-ordination with Hamad Medical Corporation. Several donors participated in the event amidst the Covid-19 presented by dance teachers – The workshop focused on in- A question and answer ses- pandemic. Sreelakshmy Sujit and Kunjal C formation related to Bharatan- sion at the end helped students Patel. atyam and its techniques. get more clarity on the topics. Gulf Times 6 Friday, May 21, 2021 COMMUNITY LEISURE/HOROSCOPE

Wordsearch Super Cryptic Clues Dilbert

F Minus

BARKER HOSKINS WELCH GIBSON SMITH FOSSE NEWHART DOLE MARLEY CROSBY KNEPPER GELDOF HOPE WEIR MATHIAS Across Down SEGER DYLAN 1 Being there, have a ball a 1 The colour of fresh bream CUMMINGS LILLY couple of hours before (5) midnight? (10) 2 Mormon's end by salt lake 7 Braille translation for a (4) Codeword politician (7) 3 The naval hero is in the hold Every letter of the alphabet is used at least once. 8 Name of man responsible (6) Squares with the same number in have the same letter for seaside structures (5) 4 Part of book taken out in Garfield in. Work out which number represents which letter. 10 Short dog with a little tail theatre! (8) (4) 5 Care for teachers is head's 11 Two instruments for sailors’ part (7) dance (8) 6 Girl going by jet or prison 13 Poor sample of trees (6) van (5,5) 15 Cleryman moved diago- 9 Knot for fastening a leg of nally (6) mutton? (10) 17 After restraint certain to 12 After bad scare finish climb get cover again (8) again (8) 18 Chief supporter (4) 14 Page bound to be easily 21 Stroll round Minehead, bent (7) having the power (5) 16 Conservative upset by 22 Disturbance resolved in doctor's decay (3-3) Big Nate

Puzzles courtesy: Puzzlechoice.com courtesy: Puzzles court (7) 19 Being sorry, destroy force (5) 23 The dogs ran wild, being 20 Repeat what is said in the wilful (10) newspaper? (4)

Solution Sudoku

Answers Codeword Wordsearch

Sudoku is a puzzle based on a ٩x٩ grid. The grid is also divided into nine (٣x٣) boxes. You are given a selection of values and to complete the puzzle, you must fill the grid so that every column, every .anone is repeated

Colouring Horoscope ARIES TAURUS GEMINI March 21 — April 19 April 20 — May 20 May 21 — June 20

Attend to your duties today, Aries. There’s a pronounced sense Two diff erent sides may tug on you today, and neither one may Your heart is going pitter-pat, Gemini, and you’re tempted to of time and a feeling that the days are slipping away. At first really make a strong case for pulling you one way or the other, escape into a fantasyland in which you play the starring role. The you may experience a bit of resistance in this department, Taurus. Realise that adjustments may have to be made for you bad news is that something may be trying to hold you back today. but see that as an indication that this is an area of your to fit in with the scheme of things and fulfill your duties and It could be that your conscience is coming on the scene to remind life that you need to explore and ultimately feel more responsibilities. A close loved one may distract you in subtle ways, you that work needs to be done before you can go off into your comfortable with. so try not to get sidetracked if you can help it. own little fairytale world. CANCER LEO VIRGO June 21 — July 22 July 23 — August 22 August 23 — September 22

Remember that you’re here to have fun, and happiness is your You will recognise and appreciate the need for structure and Tension may build today if you aren’t careful about how you use true destiny, Cancer. Keep this in mind today, as forces may tend stability on a day like today, Leo. This practical energy may work your words, Virgo. Remember that forces are trying to push you to pull you away from the fun you’ve been having. There may be a to take away some of the fun out of the equation. You may not one way and pull you another. You may encourage a focus on rather sobering tone to the day that’s stubbornly trying to rain on realise it, but the fun in your life may be getting chipped away little the collective while others seem too worried about themselves. your parade. Recognise the need for structure and stability, by little. Hold tight to the things that give you passion and purpose Yet another force is calling for outdated remedies and traditional but don’t let it bring you down. in life. These are the keys to healthy living. structures that no longer suit your purposes. Blaze your own trail. LIBRA SCORPIO SAGITTARIUS September 23 — October 22 October 23 — November 21 November 22 — December 21

Take a look at what’s going on around you today, Libra, and do Watch out for a jolt in the action, Scorpio, as someone close Just when you thought you had everything planned and working some internal processing before you reach a conclusion regarding to you puts on the brakes in a relationship. There could be smoothly, Sagittarius, a situation comes in and clogs up the works. the best way to proceed. You may find that a combination of conflicts based on a need for more structure and stability in the Suddenly your attention is diverted from work as someone special powerful forces is trying to win you over to their camp. Don’t partnership. The imbalance between having fun and taking care of catches your eye. This could be a good or bad thing, depending pigeonhole yourself into one way of doing things. Keep in mind that practical matters is currently working to slowly destroy the good on how you view it. Remember that both aspects of your life are the best route is often a combination of several diff erent paths. thing that you have going. Nip this problem in the bud. important. The key now is to find a healthy balance between the two. CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES December 22 — January 19 January 20 — February 18 February 19 — March 20

This is going to be a great day for you, Capricorn. Strangely You may feel a bit of a strain today as you try to figure out the best Your loving side is powerfully charged today, Pisces. The more you enough, you will find that tension may help you get things done. way to get to where you need to be, Aquarius. The happy, jovial tune in to this side of your nature, the happier you will be. The one There’s an easiness today that will create openings for exploring approach tells you to let loose, be courageous, and strike out with thing to watch out for is keeping at least one foot on the ground at creative outlets. Regarding partnership, try to stay grounded. You conviction toward the things that mean the most to you. A sense all times. Work from a stable platform of honesty and practicality. and the object of your desire may have two diff erent points of of duty and restriction may be holding you back. Take the best of Without this foundation, you will be hard pressed to establish any view. Communicate clearly. both worlds and come up with a unique plan of attack. walls or windows. Gulf Times Friday, May 21, 2021 7 WORLD

CRITICISM WARNING INQUEST INVESTIGATION CRACKDOWN US ‘creating risks’ with Australian doctors voice Man ‘killed intruder, lived Police make arrest in Singapore bans nine Brits warship sail-bys: China concern over jab hesitancy with body for 15 years’ Nasheed assassination bid for flouting Covid rules

China yesterday branded the US an “out-and- Australia’s peak medical body yesterday warned the An Australian hoarder killed a burglar and kept the Police have arrested a key suspect in the at- Nine Britons have been banned from working out security risk creator” in the South China country’s residents were “sitting ducks” for Covid-19, corpse for 15 years, using more than 70 air freshen- tempted assassination of Maldives ex-president in Singapore after breaking coronavirus rules Sea, after an American warship sailed through as business leaders call for the international border ers to mask the smell, local media reported yes- Mohamed Nasheed, off icials said yesterday as by partying on a yacht, reports said yesterday. waters near the disputed Paracel Islands. Ten- to be reopened faster despite a sluggish national terday. A coronial inquest heard that Sydney man the well-known climate change campaigner Images of last year’s Boxing Day festivities on the sions in maritime waters claimed by both China vaccination drive. The Australian Medical Association Bruce Roberts shot intruder Shane Snellman during recovered in a German hospital. The unidentified vessel went viral on social media, sparking fury and many of its neighbours have ratcheted up (AMA) said it was worried many Australians were an attempted home robbery in 2002 and kept the man, reportedly a known extremist and the fourth from Singaporeans and prompting authorities recently, with Beijing staging live-fire drills and delaying getting vaccinated because of the country’s body in his house, public broadcaster ABC reported. person to be arrested, parked the motorcycle to launch an investigation. At that time, gather- sending hundreds of fishing vessels to a reef success in stamping out the virus, and urged authori- After Roberts himself died in 2017 of natural causes, rigged with a bomb that exploded in Male on ings outside the home were limited to only five claimed by the Philippines. China’s military said ties to roll out a more eff ective advertising campaign. neighbours alerted emergency services who found May 6, police sources said. Nasheed, 54, was people under curbs to prevent the spread of the the USS Curtis Wilbur, a guided missile destroyer, “Seeing what is happening overseas where there his body slumped over a heater. But Snellman’s flown to Germany last week following 16 hours of virus. The labour ministry announced yesterday was warned and driven away from the contest- is a tsunami of Covid and also the development of remains were not discovered amid piles of rubbish emergency surgery. A ball bearing in the bomb that eight Britons from the party — five men and ed waters near the islands, which are claimed variants, we’re sitting ducks... until we get a significant in the house until cleaners were hired to clear the missed his heart by a centimetre (0.4 inches), and three women — had been permanently banned by China. The US Seventh Fleet described it as a portion of the population vaccinated, particularly estate about a year later. Roberts was said to be an shrapnel was removed from his lungs, liver and from working in Singapore, broadcaster CNA and “routine” transit. those over 50,” AMA vice president Chris Moy said. extreme hoarder who rarely left his home. limbs. He now appears to be on the mend. newspaper the Straits Times reported. Pandemic triggering orphan crisis in India

AFP believed to be far higher with New Delhi many people dying outside of the overwhelmed medical system. “We don’t know how many hree days after their father people are dying, let alone how died of coronavirus, six- many children are orphaned,” Tyear-old twins Tripti and said Akancha Srivastava, a cy- Pari were found sleeping next to bersecurity expert who has their mother, unaware that she launched a coronavirus helpline had also become a victim. for children. Thousands of children have However online evidence lost one or both parents in the points to a devastating scale. new pandemic wave ravaging Social media appeals are being India, where there were already made for breast milk and food millions of orphans. for infants who have lost their The prospect of a surge of mothers. abandoned minors worries Some coronavirus orphans many. are also being put up for illegal Tripti and Pari, whose names adoption on social media. have been changed, are now be- Srivastava said her helpline re- People in the age bracket of 18-44 years wait to get themselves inoculated with the Covishield vaccine at a camp held in a residential area in Chennai yesterday. ing cared for by their mother’s ceived at least 300 calls and mes- uncle, Ramesh Singh. sages in a day. “I keep telling the girls their “Our authorities are over- parents will come home soon,” burdened, people are hassled. said Singh, whose name has also It’s extremely easy in these cir- been changed to protect the chil- cumstances to misassign a child dren’s identities. to some traffi cking racket or an “I don’t want to tell them the adoption racket,” she said. Deadly ‘black fungus’ surges truth now... they’re too young.” Under Indian law, an orphaned Their heartbroken mother re- child must be seen by a govern- fused to eat properly after her ment offi cial and is put in an in- husband’s death, which compli- stitution if there are no relatives cated her recovery from corona- to look after them. virus, Singh said. Smriti Irani, India’s minister among India’s Covid patients When repeated knocks on the for women and child develop- door went unanswered, relatives ment, this month warned that threw water on the girls from a unoffi cial approaches to adopt- Reuters/AFP immunity and push up sugar Act, meaning they have to iden- The second wave has pen- New Delhi’s chief minis- window to make them open up. ing Covid-19 orphans are a “trap” Bengaluru levels. tify and track every case. etrated deep into the countryside ter Arvind Kejriwal said special They were taken away as doc- and “illegal”. AFP received one Health Secretary Lav Agarwal India yesterday reported and the additional burden of mu- wards would be set up at three tors arrived to declare their message on WhatsApp off ering said in a letter to state govern- 276,110 new coronavirus infec- cormycosis has hit a rural health hospitals to handle the increased mother dead. a two-year-old girl and a two- ndia has ordered tighter ments that mucormycosis had tions over the previous 24 hours, system ill-equipped to cope. number of black fungus cases. While the twins are being month-old boy for adoption. surveillance of a rare fun- emerged as a new challenge for slightly higher than a day ear- S P Kalantari, a doctor based He also vowed to ensure that looked after, the pandemic – “Brahmin children,” the mes- Igal disease hitting Covid-19 Covid-19 patients on steroid lier but well below the 400,000 in Sevagram, a town in Mahar- all patients will get the medi- which is claiming thousands of sage said, suggesting the chil- patients, offi cials said yester- therapy and those with pre-ex- high seen at the beginning of this ashtra, said that a team including cines they need, with anti-fungal lives a day – is leaving others dren were upper-caste Hindus. day, piling pressure on hospitals isting diabetes. month in a devastating second ear, nose, and throat surgeons, drugs the latest shortage to hit without a caregiver. The contact number has since struggling with the world’s high- “This fungal infection is lead- wave. ophthalmologists and neurolo- India’s already stretched health- Such children “are not only been switched off and has been est number of daily infections of ing to prolonged morbidity and The total caseload stands at gists was needed to treat mu- care system. living an emotional tragedy, they investigated by authorities. the novel coronavirus. mortality among Covid-19 pa- 25.77mn, the world’s second cormycosis. There are more than 200 black are at high risk of neglect, abuse Children whose parents have Mucormycosis, or “black tients,” he said in the letter yes- highest after the US. “Unfortunately, this kind of fungus patients in New Delhi and exploitation”, said Unicef In- died or are sick have been re- fungus” usually infects people terday. Deaths rose by 3,874 overnight, team does not exist in rural ar- hospitals, with dozens on waiting dia’s chief Yasmin Haque. duced to selling vegetables on the whose immune system has been He gave no numbers of the taking the total tally 287,122. eas,” Kalantari said. lists for beds, according to media In another case, media report- streets, according to the Protsa- compromised, causing blacken- mucormycosis cases nation- But with hospitals and crema- Meanwhile special hospital reports. ed last month on a baby found han India Foundation, a child ing or discolouration over the wide but Maharashtra, one of toria overfl owing and the health wards will be set up in New Delhi Indian social media has been next to its mother who had been rights NGO. nose, blurred or double vision, the states worst hit in the sec- system overwhelmed, it is widely to fi ght the ‘black fungus’, au- fl ooded with requests from rela- dead for 48 hours and whose “We’re looking at a genera- chest pain, breathing diffi culties ond wave of coronavirus infec- accepted that the offi cial fi gures thorities. tives of mucormycosis suff erers neighbours feared contracting tion of children in extreme dis- and coughing blood. tions, has reported 1,500 cases grossly underestimate the real The disease kills more than pleading for help to fi nd medi- the virus. tress and facing severe trauma Doctors believe that the use of of it. impact of the epidemic, with 50% of suff erers within days. cines. The offi cial pandemic toll is who will grow up to be broken steroids to treat severe Covid-19 Agarwal asked state govern- some experts saying infections In some cases, eyes and upper The Rajasthan and Telangana more than 270,000 in India, adults,” said Sonal Kapoor from could be causing the rash of cas- ments to declare it as a “notifi a- and deaths could be fi ve to 10 jaws are removed by surgeons to states have declared black fungus though the real number is widely the foundation. es because those drugs reduce ble disease” under the Epidemics times higher. stop the spread of the infection. epidemics. Nigeria’s Boko Haram Wait for oxygen New storm brewing leader ‘badly wounded’ off India’s east coast AFP The toll could rise further, Ahmedabad however, with local newspapers AFP surrounded on Wednesday by in northeast Nigeria, and fi ghting saying almost 80 people had died Kano, Nigeria ISWAP militants in Boko Har- has spread to parts of neighbour- in the state, many killed by col- am’s Sambisa forest stronghold, ing Chad, Cameroon and Niger. major new storm was lapsing houses or walls. where they demanded he surren- Boko Haram and ISWAP have brewing in the Bay of Around 200,000 were evacu- igerian Boko Haram lead- der, one intelligence source said. fought battles for control of ter- ABengal off India’s east ated before the cyclone arrived er Abubakar Shekau has “To avoid capture, Shekau shot ritory in the past. coast yesterday, forecasters but no serious problems were re- Nbeen seriously wounded himself in the chest and the bullet ISWAP has emerged as the warned just days after the big- ported at Covid hospitals. after trying to kill himself to avoid pierced his shoulder,” the source stronger force, carrying out gest cyclone to hit the west of the The cyclone weakened as capture during clashes with rival said, adding: “He was badly in- complex attacks on the military country in decades left at least it moved northeast, dumping Islamic State-allied militants in jured.” Some of his men managed and overrunning army bases. 120 people dead. heavy rain in Allahabad and New the north of the country, two in- to escape with him to an unknown Shekau took over Boko Haram Scientists say cyclones in the Delhi, which reportedly had its telligence sources said yesterday. destination, the source added. after its founder Mohamed Yusuf densely-populated region, cur- wettest and coolest day in May in Shekau’s Boko Haram faction A second intelligence source was killed by police in 2009. rently reeling from coronavirus, 70 years. and fi ghters from the Islamic said Shekau was critically Under Shekau’s leadership, are becoming both more frequent The storm also pummelled off - State West Africa Province had wounded after detonating explo- Boko Haram turned large swathes and stronger as climate change shore oil installations with waves been battling in northeastern sives in the house where he was of the northeast into a no-go ter- leads to warmer sea temperatures. up to 26 feet high, dislodging one Borno state, where ISWAP mili- holed up with his men. ritory. An off ensive since 2015 by Even before cyclone Tauktae oil rig and several support vessels tants have become the dominant “We are investigating,” Niger- Nigerian troops backed by sol- hammered the coast late Mon- with around 700 people on board. force in Nigeria’s more than dec- ia’s army spokesman Mohamed diers from Cameroon, Chad and day, torrential downpours at its Around 600 were rescued by ade-long militant insurgency. Yerima said by text, asked about Niger drove the militants from outer bands and strong winds the navy but 49 died and 26 re- Shekau, who made interna- those reports. Shekau’s critical most of the area that they had killed around 20 people in west- main missing from an accommo- tional headlines when his men injury or death would be a blow once controlled. ern and southern India. dation barge for oil workers that kidnapped nearly 300 schoolgirls to his Boko Haram faction which Angered by Shekau’s indis- In Gujarat where winds ripped free of its anchors in the in Chibok in 2014, has been re- has already been weakened by criminate targeting of civilians smashed windows, felled tens of storm and sank. ported dead several times since military air strikes on its bases and use of women and children thousands of trees and knocked Thirty-seven bodies have been Boko Haram fi rst began its insur- and defections among his men. suicide bombers, a rival faction out power for huge numbers of recovered so far and navy planes gency in 2009. More than 40,000 people have broke away in 2016 to become People wait to fill oxygen cylinder at an oxygen factory people, the number of dead rose and helicopters were scouring After a series of clashes, Shek- been killed and over 2mn displaced ISWAP with the backing of the in Kathmandu yesterday. to 53, offi cials said late Wednes- the Arabian Sea for any more au and some of his fi ghters were from their homes by the confl ict Islamic State group. day. survivors. Gulf Times 8 Friday, May 21, 2021 AMERICAS

Guatemala US House votes to establish detains anti-graft panel to probe Capitol riot activists Reuters AFP tives at least temporarily weath- Donald Trump for inciting vio- have already resulted in more that’s most unfortunate,” House presidential election was stolen Guatemala City Washington ered a brewing storm, voting 252 lence at the Capitol, which was than 400 arrests, and said a new Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top from him. to 175 to approve legislation that overrun by the then-president’s panel might cause unnecessary Democrat in Congress, told re- Other Republicans say they establishes a 10-member panel supporters seeking to block cer- overlap. porters. would like broader scope to al- uatemala has dropped he US House has voted commission. tifi cation of the election won by The legislation that would While McCarthy slammed low investigation into last year’s a graft charge against a to establish a bipartisan Thirty-fi ve Republicans Joe Biden. create a commission evenly split Pelosi’s tactics for the panel, violence at Black Lives Matter Gjailed former president Tcommission to investigate bucked their party’s leadership This week McConnell said he between fi ve members chosen Pelosi herself said that she protests, but Pelosi refused. and arrested former investiga- January’s deadly riot at the US and joined Democrats in sup- remained open to supporting by Democrats and fi ve chosen by yielded to several Republican She said the panel would be tors who built cases against him, Capitol, overcoming tensions porting the eff ort. a commission if changes were Republicans. demands including a 50-50 similar to the high-profi le 9/11 hours before a White House for now amid rising Republican “This commission is built to made to its structure, but by Each side would have equal commission split. commission created in 2002. meeting to discuss concerns hostility to an independent fact- work, and it will be depoliti- Wednesday he hardened his op- subpoena power. Some Republicans critical of That body’s two chairs, about the rule of law in the Cen- fi nding panel. cised, and it will get the results position. But McConnell’s opposition, the panel said it would mere- former New Jersey governor tral American nation. One day after top House Re- we need,” House Republican “After careful consideration, coming a day after Trump urged ly serve as a vehicle to attack Tom Kean and ex-congressman The arrests and move favour- publican Kevin McCarthy came John Katko, who worked with I’ve made a decision to oppose Republicans to oppose it, com- Trump. Lee Hamilton, have endorsed a ing former president Otto Perez out against the commission, Democrats to craft a deal on the the House Democrats’ slanted plicates passage in the Senate. Democrats will “use this to January 6 commission. Molina were the latest setbacks Senate Minority Leader Mitch commission, told his colleagues and unbalanced proposal for an- The chamber is divided 50- smear Trump supporters and “As we did in the wake of Sep- to US President Joe Biden’s cam- McConnell also expressed op- on the fl oor. “I urge all of you in other commission to study the 50, but at least 10 Republicans president Trump for the next tember 11, it’s time to set aside paign to hold the powerful ac- position, raising hurdles to the body, all of you on both sides events of January the 6th,” Mc- would have to join Democrats for few years”, warned controver- partisan politics and come to- countable in Central America. Senate passage more than four ... to set aside politics just this Connell said. the measure to become law. sial House Republican Marjorie gether as Americans in common Guatemala’s fi rst chamber of months after the violence. once – just this once.” He pointed to ongoing law “It sounds like they (Republi- Taylor Greene, who has peddled pursuit of truth and justice,” the the Court for High Risk Crimes But the House of Representa- In January McConnell blamed enforcement investigations that cans) are afraid of the truth, and Trump’s baseless claim that the pair said in a statement. said it dropped one of fi ve charges linked to corruption and money laundering against Perez Air pollution costs each American Molina, 70, whose government was brought down by scandals. $2,500 a year in healthcare: study Perez Molina, a former army Panda cub to get fi rst general, will remain in a prison Air pollution from fossil fuels costs each American an average of on a military base, where he has $2,500 a year in extra medical bills, researchers said yesterday, as been held since he resigned and peek at visitors as US climate change hurts both health and finances. lost his immunity in 2015. The national price tag was put at more than $820bn a year, with air Also on Wednesday morning, pollution contributing to an estimated 107,000 premature deaths police arrested Juan Francisco National Zoo reopens annually, said the Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC), an Solorzano Foppa, a former pros- environmental advocacy group, ecutor who was part of a team “The science is clear: the dangerous eff ects of climate change – that revealed the fi rst case of Reuters Xiang, who gave birth to him in and their profound costs to our health and our pocketbooks – will corruption against Perez Molina. Washington August at age 22, thrilling zoo worsen each year we fail to curb the pollution,” said the NDRC’s Solorzano went on to serve as offi cials who thought she had a Vijay Limaye. the head of the Tax Administra- slim chance of having a fourth Female giant panda Mei Xiang is seen eating bamboo at the The report used data from several dozen scientific papers to tally tion Superintendency (SAT) be- giant panda cub born healthy cub. Smithsonian National Zoo in this picture taken yesterday. The the overall cost of a changing climate on US health. tween 2016 and 2018, where he during the pandemic The National Zoo, part of the Smithsonian National Zoo will reopen to the public starting today. Heatwaves, which can trigger strokes and exacerbate built a reputation for chasing the Aand so far only seen by Smithsonian Institution, will cardiovascular problems, cost the country $263mn a year, the wealth of powerful families that the public on a virtual “Panda reopen today at 20% capacity, shutting down again in Novem- must wear a mask. report found, with wildfire smoke costing $16bn annually. hold huge sway in Guatemala. Cam” will greet visitors in per- admitting 5,000 to 6,000 visi- ber. Pandas were once listed as A wildfire in Los Angeles this week has fueled fears that California’s Under a warrant in the same son for the fi rst time today as tors a day, down from as many To minimise crowds, the zoo endangered but are now classi- wildfire season is becoming longer. case, police also arrested Ani- the National Zoo in Washington as 20,000 pre-pandemic. will issue timed-entry passes fi ed as vulnerable thanks to ef- On Tuesday, scientists estimated that Hurricane Sandy, which bal Arguello, a lawyer who had reopens. The zoo closed in March 2020 and have guests use one-way forts to restore their habitat. pummeled New York City and much of the East Coast in 2012, worked for Guatemala’s UN- The cub, named Xiao Qi Ji, as the coronavirus pandemic paths, according to its website. There are an estimated 1,800 caused $63bn in property damage, making it one of the most backed anti-corruption com- is the son of Tian Tian and Mei hit and reopened in July before Visitors aged two and older giant pandas in the wild. costly storms in US history. – Reuters mission CICIG.

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Putin threatens to ‘knock out the teeth’ of Arctic nations meet as tensions and temperatures run high foreign aggressors President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that Moscow would “knock AFP a time of increased military ma- Council has generally been a out the teeth” of any power that Reykjavik noeuvres in the region. forum for consensus, and the tried to take a chunk of Russia’s On the eve of the Council’s adoption of a joint statement is territory. meeting, the new US Secretary all but assured this time. The Russian leader, in televised he eight countries bor- of State Antony Blinken met his In addition to the countries remarks during a virtual meeting dering the Arctic meet in Russian counterpart Sergei Lav- bordering the Arctic, the Coun- with senior off icials, cited what TIceland yesterday to dis- rov for the fi rst time, ahead of a cil also includes six organisations he said were foreign remarks cuss peaceful co-operation in the possible summit between Biden representing the indigenous peo- questioning Russia’s control of region amid rising temperatures and Russian President Vladimir ples of the region and 13 observer energy-rich Siberia. and tensions, in particular be- Putin in the near future. countries, including China. A similar comment has been tween Russia and the US. “If the leaders of Russia and Its mandate explicitly excludes attributed in Russia to a former Accelerated global warming, the United States can work to- military security and the body US secretary of state, Madeleine untapped resources and new gether co-operatively ... the has no formal legal powers. Albright, although she has denied maritime routes opened up by re- world can be a safer and more se- But in the lead-up to this year’s making it. treating sea ice, as well as the fu- cure place,” Blinken said, warn- meeting, tensions mounted “Some even dare to say publicly ture of local populations top the ing however that Washington nonetheless. that it is allegedly unfair that Rus- agenda for the foreign ministers would “respond” to any Russian Lavrov on Monday issued a sia owns the wealth of a region gathered in Reykjavik. acts of aggression. stern warning against Western such as Siberia. Only one country Canada, Denmark (through “We are ready to discuss all ambitions in the Arctic, insisting does,” said Putin. its autonomous territory Green- issues without exception if we “this is our territory, this is our Using combative language land), Finland, Iceland, Norway, understand that discussions will land”. that appeals to the president’s Russia, Sweden, and the US meet be honest and based on mutual Blinken in turn expressed US power base among the armed every two years in the Arctic trust,” Lavrov responded. concerns about increased mili- and security forces, Putin said Council. Mikaa Mered, a professor tary activities in the region. Moscow would give a blunt and With the departure of Donald at French university Sciences Russia has steadily beefed up forceful response to any would-be Trump, who sparked agitation Po and a specialist on the Arc- its military presence in the Arc- aggressors. by proposing to buy Greenland in tic, told AFP that the Biden and tic in recent years, reopening and “Everyone wants to ‘bite’ us 2019 and repeated opposition to Trump administrations “share a US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod are seen at the Black Ridge modernising several bases and somewhere or ‘bite off ’ something Russian and Chinese ambitions common perspective: in saying Viewing site in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. airfi elds abandoned since the end of ours, but those that would do in the region, all eyes will now be that the United States is back in of the Soviet era. this should know that we will on the line adopted by President the Arctic and is a leader in Arctic did it mainly for issues related same: the United States is back.” ation 25 years ago, as it refused to But Lavrov has also called for knock out the teeth of all of them Joe Biden’s administration. co-operation”. to energy and security, the Bi- At the previous Council meet- include climate change in the fi - a resumption of regular meet- so they aren’t able to bite ... and Russia is meanwhile set to suc- The two administrations how- den administration will focus on ing in 2019 in Finland, the Trump nal statement. ings between the chiefs of staff of the key to this is the development ceed Iceland as the rotating chair ever have diff erent motivations other subjects, such as climate administration blocked the sign- Designed to focus on co-op- the Council’s member countries, of our armed forces,” he said. – of the Arctic Council – a body for their interest in the region. change,” Mered told AFP. “But ing of a joint declaration for the eration between countries and which have been suspended since Reuters which aims to foster dialogue – at “The Trump administration in both cases the dynamic is the fi rst time since the Council’s cre- to avoid contentious issues, the 2014.

Merkel hopes history won’t brand her ‘lazy’ After almost 16 years in charge of Europe’s biggest economy and often dubbed the most powerful Inquiry says BBC journalist woman in the world, no one could accuse German Chancellor Angela Merkel of kicking back. But Merkel, who will retire from politics after elections in September, still fears people might think she didn’t work hard lied to get Diana interview enough, she told an online forum hosted by the WDR broadcaster Reuters Dyson’s report found that two years later, she was with- relationship with Camilla Parker ties, notably the late US singer “By his deceitful behaviour yesterday. London Bashir, then a little-known re- out any form of real protection,” Bowles, now his second wife – Michael Jackson. ... Mr Bashir succeeded in engi- Asked what she would not porter, had shown Spencer fake Spencer said. was particularly damaging. Last week, the BBC said that neering the meeting that led to want to be written about her in bank statements suggesting that The BBC has written to Di- After it was aired, Bashir re- he was leaving his current job the interview,” the report said. the history books, the veteran BBC journalist used de- Diana was being bugged by the ana’s son Prince William to peatedly lied to his bosses about as the publicly-funded broad- “But it is important to add that chancellor replied: “That I was ceit to win a sensational security services and that two apologise. how the interview was obtained, caster’s religious aff airs editor Princess Diana would probably lazy.” A1995 interview with senior aides were being paid to During the Panorama inter- the report said. because of ill health. have agreed to be interviewed.” Merkel made the comment with a Princess Diana in which she provide information about her. view, watched by more than As questions continued, BBC Bashir apologised for the fake The BBC said there had been wry smile, a nod to her reputation disclosed intimate details of her “Mr Bashir deceived and in- 20mn viewers in Britain, Diana managers failed to scrutinise his statements, but said he stood by clear failings and it would hand for in fact being exactly the failed marriage to Prince Charles duced him to arrange a meeting shocked the nation by admitting version of events properly and his evidence from 25 years ago back the awards the programme opposite. and the broadcaster covered up with Princess Diana,” the report to an aff air and sharing details covered up facts about how Ba- and he did not believe they had won. The 66-year-old chancellor is the deception, an inquiry found said. “Mr Bashir acted inappro- of her marriage to the heir to the shir had secured the interview. prompted Diana to give the in- “While the BBC cannot turn famous for packing an eye- yesterday. priately and in serious breach of throne, Prince Charles. “Without justifi cation, the terview. back the clock after a quarter of wateringly busy schedule and The BBC set up the investiga- the 1993 edition of the Produc- It was the fi rst time Diana, BBC fell short of the high stand- Dyson’s report included a a century, we can make a full and once said she stores sleep like a tion, headed by former senior ers’ Guidelines on straight deal- who died in a Paris car crash in ards of integrity and transpar- handwritten note from Diana unconditional apology,” BBC camel stores water. judge John Dyson, in November ing.” 1997, had commented publicly ency which are its hallmark,” the from a month after the inter- director-general Tim Davie said. In 2015, her diary itself made following allegations from Di- Spencer said he drew a line about her doomed marriage. report said. view in which she said she had Diana’s sons, Princes Wil- the headlines after she packed ana’s brother Charles Spencer between the events and Diana’s Her remark that “there were The interview propelled Ba- no regrets and that Bashir did liam and Harry, have previously in meetings in Kyiv, Moscow, that he had been tricked into in- death. three of us in this marriage, so shir into the limelight and he not show her any information of welcomed the investigation as a Washington, Ottawa and Minsk troducing her to journalist Mar- “She didn’t know who to trust it was a bit crowded” – a refer- went on to secure high-profi le which she was previously una- chance to fi nd out the truth of all in the space of one week, tin Bashir. and in the end when she died, ence to Charles rekindling his interviews with other celebri- ware. what had happened. culminating in 17 hours of negotiations on a ceasefire deal. More recently, Merkel has Belgian security employed her well-known tactic of wearing people down with all- forces hunt for nighters during negotiations on Greek villages evacuated as forest fi re rages rogue soldier the European Recovery Fund and when thrashing out virus curbs Belgian security forces were with Germany’s state premiers. AFP not under immediate threat, yesterday combing a national Asked last year about her plans Alepochori, Greece fi re offi cials said. park for a soldier suspected of for retirement, when she might However, electricity has been extreme-right views who went be expected to take it easy, out in the area and it could take missing after stealing arms from Merkel said: “I haven’t thought ore than a dozen Greek 48 hours to restore service, ac- a military base and threatening about it yet. I will continue to villages were evacu- cording to state grid techni- public figures. work for now and eventually Mated yesterday as fi re- cians on the scene. Hundreds of police and army things will fall into place. I am fi ghters battled the country’s “This is the fi rst major fi re of personnel were deployed on the optimistic that I will come up with fi rst major blaze of the year on 2021 ... communities have been hunt for Jurgen Conings, 46, after something.” – AFP a mountain range overlooking evacuated as a precaution,” fi re his abandoned vehicle was found the Gulf of Corinth. department spokesman Vassi- in the area near the Dutch border No injuries were reported, lis Vathrakogiannis had earlier on Tuesday evening with four Britain’s daily but “it will be a hard night... told Skai. “We have no infor- rocket launchers inside. we’re fi ghting in diffi cult con- mation ( people’s lives threat- “More than 400 people are Covid-19 cases ditions”, junior civil protection ened) and we have not had to sweeping this territory to try to highest in a month minister Nikos Hardalias said. rescue anyone.” resolve this dangerous situation,” People were evacuated be- More than 180 fi refi ghters Prime Minister Alexander De Britain reported its highest fore dawn from the fi rst of Local residents look at a forest fire near the village of Pefkaneas, west of Athens. with 62 fi re engines in addi- Croo told lawmakers yesterday daily total of new coronavirus 17 villages and hamlets af- tion to volunteers have been afternoon. (Covid-19) infections in a month fected after the fi re broke out with loudhailers. Bleary-eyed villagers said Kolokouris said reinforcements deployed to the area, backed by Prosecutors have warned that while cases of a variant of on Wednesday evening near “We’re on a war footing, they barely had time to dress as had been rushed in from around 17 planes and three helicopters, Conings, who reportedly served concern first found in India Schinos on the Gulf of Corinth, we’re in a state of emergency,” they were brought from nearby the country to contain the the fi re service tweeted. in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, continue to climb, off icial some 90km (55 miles) west of mayor Grigoris Stamoulis told communities to the coastal blaze, which local offi cials said A handful of homes are be- likely remained armed and is statistics showed yesterday. Athens, a fi re service spokes- the ANA news agency, adding Corinthian Gulf village of Ale- had a front 10km wide. lieved to have been burned, the considered extremely dangerous The overall incidence of man told AFP. that “when the fi re started, we pochori for safety. “It’s a large fi re in a pine for- Loutraki mayor said. after he was suspected of infections in Britain is still low, “Hundreds of people” had had to keep an eye out because “I was woken up by the sound est (and the) terrain is diffi cult,” The fi re on Wednesday had stealing weapons from a military while the number of people in been moved out in the action, we couldn’t rule out the wind of the planes. I was startled and Kolokouris told Skai TV. reached the sea, burning two base where he worked as an hospital with Covid-19 fell to its which also covered two mon- bringing the fi re front here”. my husband told me there was a “This is a dense forest that boats in the coastal village of instructor. lowest level since September. asteries, Hardalias said, add- The national observatory in fi re,” local resident Irini Lianou had never burned before,” Yior- Mavrolimni, local offi cials said. Belgian authorities put out a call But clusters of the Indian B.1.617.2 ing that around 20sq km (8sq Athens said smoke from the told AFP. gos Gionis, mayor of the neigh- Wildfi res pose a challenge to neighbouring countries to variant, believed to be more miles) of pine forest had been blaze had billowed over the “We had no electricity and bouring resort town of Lout- for Greece every year during assist in the man hunt. transmissible than the dominant razed. capital and the Cycladic islands we rushed outside. There was raki, told Alpha TV. the dry summer season, with Dutch police told AFP that they Kent variant, are growing quickly. Additional evacuations were as far as Ikaria. panic, with the planes and heli- Kolokouris said he believed strong winds and temperatures were “on alert”. British cases of the B.1.617.2 ordered yesterday afternoon The health ministry recom- copters, the police and ambu- the fi re could be brought under frequently exceeding 30° Cel- The manhunt dominated variant first found in India after the fi re crossed the rug- mended people limit physical lances everywhere,” she added. control during the day. sius (86° Fahrenheit). newspaper headlines in the have risen to 3,424, up by 2,111 ged Mount Gerania and headed activity and close doors and In the village of Kato Alepo- But the winds picked up in In 2018, 102 people died in country, with some labelling compared to comparable figures for the coastal town of Megara, windows. chori, police used loudhailers to the afternoon. the coastal resort of Mati, near him the “Belgian Rambo” after last week, Public Health England with authorities contacting Another fi re broke out yes- tell residents to leave. Many people have summer Athens, in Greece’s worst ever the 1980s action film starring said. – Reuters residents by text message and terday in Viotia, central Greece. Fire service chief Stefanos homes in the area, but lives are fi re disaster. Sylvester Stallone. – AFP

Pakistani youth dies in TikTok fake suicide stunt gone wrong A youth was killed as he pretended to shoot himself “The young man was locally famous and active on while being filmed by friends for a TikTok video, police TikTok,” Hazrat told AFP. German ‘refugee’ soldier in dock over attack plot said yesterday. The 19-year-old had more than 8,000 followers and Hamidullah, 19, who police said was well-known locally posted nearly 600 TikTok clips. on social media, held a friend’s pistol to his temple and Most were of him playing pranks with friends, cricket, AFP yesterday in a case fuelling fears Prosecutors say the Bun- he had also successfully posed pulled the trigger, unaware the gun was loaded. or featured life in the rugged and picturesque valley. Frankfurt over right-wing extremism. deswehr lieutenant had taken as a Syrian refugee in order to “The young man died on spot,” said Badshah Hazrat, The death was just the latest incident of a social media Franco Albrecht, 32, is ac- weapons and explosives from “redirect suspicion onto asy- a senior police off icial based in the northwestern Swat stunt gone wrong in Pakistan. cused of plotting “a serious act the German army in his plot to lum-seekers in Germany in the Valley. A security guard was killed in Karachi last year while German soldier who of violence that endangers the carry out an attack on targets subsequent investigations” of While the clip of the incident was not uploaded to Tik- toying with his rifle as he filmed a TikTok clip, while in posed as a Syrian refugee state”. including high-ranking politi- the attack, they said. Tok, police said friends circulated it among themselves January another teenager died after being struck by a A denied plotting an at- He is also charged with fraud cians such as then-justice min- If convicted in the trial set to and it soon spread further afield. train while filming for the app in Rawalpindi. – AFP tack on high-ranking politicians and illegally possessing weap- ister Heiko Maas. last until August, he could face as he went on trial in Frankfurt ons and explosives. Despite speaking no Arabic, up to 10 years in prison. Gulf Times 10 Friday, May 21, 2021 COMMENT

CHAIRMAN Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Faisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka Deputy Managing Editor K T Chacko P.O.Box 2888, Doha, Qatar [email protected] 44350478 (News), 44466404 (Sport), 44466636 (Home delivery) 44350474 facebook.com/gulftimes twitter.com/gulftimes_Qatar GULF TIMES Languishing Laschet: plan to boost Merkel’s would-be successor

Pollsters are already writing off Armin Laschet. And while Chancellor Angela Merkel’s would-be successor thinks he can turn things around before Germany’s federal election in September, he has his work cut out. Since the conservatives picked him last month to run for chancellor, Laschet has seen the Greens overtake them in opinion polls; faced persistent sniping from his former, internal rival; and suff ered a party rebellion in the east. Merkel also ticked him off over his lax handling of the coronavirus pandemic. What is more, four months out from the election, Laschet’s conservative alliance still has no campaign programme, Fighting the pandemic: How allowing the Greens to set the agenda. At stake is the direction of Germany, and Europe, and the fate of a conservative alliance that has ruled Germany for 16 years under Merkel, who steps down after the election. No makeover is planned, sources close to Laschet say. Instead, his strategy is three-pronged and largely focussed on dealing to vaccinate every country with his own side: seek out internal critics and win them over, build a bridge to erstwhile Bavarian rival Markus Soeder with a Delays in starting vaccination Some countries have gone well send supplies without exposing over 140 countries over the last half- joint programme of renewal on which to campaign, and show rollouts in developing beyond vaccinating their most at-risk themselves to legal risk. Or it could year, working closely with Gavi, the voters that his team includes women and young people. citizens. But many others have yet to involve actually fulfilling funding Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund, the countries are deepening World Health Organisation, and Unicef. Divisions between Laschet and Soeder stand in stark contrast to receive any doses, much less administer commitments to the Covid-19 Vaccine global inequality and leaving them widely to the vulnerable. Many Global Access (Covax) facility set up Thus, the Bank’s online portal is also the united front presented by the Greens, whose co-leader Robert of the poorest countries have limited by the international community to an invitation to vaccine manufacturers, Habeck last month graciously presented Annalena Baerbock as hundreds of millions of vaccination capacity, and will require allocate doses equitably to poorer purchasers, and intermediaries to chancellor candidate — a role he himself had coveted. elderly and vulnerable several months to immunise a large countries. follow suit, and another plea to those Since party grandees share of the most at-risk groups. The World Bank already has board- controlling the supply of approved picked him over the people at risk This illogical approach – using approved fi nancing available in 18 vaccines to release them to safe, well- A key test for more popular Soeder in limited vaccine supplies to protect developing countries, with several funded deployment programmes. late April, Laschet has By David Malpass low-risk populations in a handful of dozen more expected by mid-year The third pillar is increased vaccine Laschet comes reached out to rank- Washington countries while low- and middle- under the fast-track process we used production. The International Finance for emergency Covid-19 assistance Corporation, the World Bank Group’s and-fi le members of his income economies wait indefi nitely for on June 6, when doses – doesn’t make sense for anyone. in 2020. This $12 billion can facilitate private-sector arm, has invested over Christian Democrats he Covid-19 pandemic will not More lives will be lost, global economic rapid vaccine deployment through $800 million in healthcare, including in the eastern state (CDU) and to their truly end until everyone has access growth will be more unequal, and national health systems and pay for vaccine manufacturers. And it currently Bavarian sister party, Tto vaccines, including people even countries with high vaccination vaccine purchases and shipments if has another $1.2 billion in the pipeline of Saxony-Anhalt Soeder’s CSU. The two in the poorest countries. Worldwide rates will be more at risk from novel needed. Standardised, transparent through the Global Health Platform, a run jointly in federal vaccination off ers the best hope for coronavirus variants than they would contracts that arrange for fair and $4 billion fi nancing mechanism created holds an election elections. stopping the spread of infections, be if developing countries had greater equitable distribution are crucial. If to help meet the immediate need for A CDU offi cial close saving lives, and protecting livelihoods. access to vaccines. The longer it takes vaccine supplies pass through Covax, vaccines, medical equipment, and to Laschet says the party is getting on board with the candidate, People cannot reach their potential until to achieve broad vaccination of the which envisions immunising the health services. The IFC is actively they can again study, work, travel, and vulnerable, the higher the risk of most vulnerable 20% of countries’ engaging with governments and and Merkel is expected to campaign for him over the summer socialise in the confi dent knowledge extreme poverty in 2021 and 2022, populations, World Bank fi nancing companies on early-stage development despite rebuking him over the pandemic. that they are safe from Covid-19. which in turn will invite future health can be used to help with distribution of commercially viable pharmaceutical The strait-laced Laschet has the look of a regional bank Distributing vaccines more widely is and social crises. and to purchase additional supplies to manufacturing projects, including for manager and party offi cials acknowledge that, like Merkel, he thus an urgent necessity. The pandemic Conducting a large-scale vaccinate more people. Covid-19 vaccines. lacks charisma. But — also like the chancellor — they say he is has worsened inequality by hitting vaccination campaign is a major Second, we need greater The pandemic has overwhelmed seen as somebody who can be relied on. the poorest and most vulnerable the undertaking for any country, but the transparency regarding contracts health systems worldwide, even in the But Manfred Guellner, head of pollster Forsa, told Reuters hardest. In developing countries, logistics are particularly challenging between governments, pharmaceutical most developed countries. We must now that Laschet’s ratings were so bad he did not see how they could women, children, the poor, and for countries with limited resources companies, and organisations involved strengthen them, not just to cope with the informal-sector workers have paid an and fragile health systems. The in vaccine production and delivery vaccination eff ort, but also to prevent and improve enough by September. extremely high price as Covid-19 took ongoing Covid-19 disaster in India so that fi nancing can be directed treat Covid-19 and ensure the full range of “Laschet would have to convince and activate non-voters to away livelihoods, closed classrooms, and the surge of infections and deaths eff ectively, and countries can plan for essential health services. vote for the CDU again. But I don’t see that,” added Guellner, and prevented urgent social spending. in Latin America are grim reminders receipt and deployment. This is also The global Covid-19 vaccination whose latest poll put support for the Greens at 26% with the Delays in starting vaccination that the pandemic is as bad as ever for critical to enable the private-sector campaign will be the largest in history CDU/CSU on 24%. rollouts in developing countries are many of the world’s poor. investments that will be needed to – unprecedented in scale, speed, and A member of the CDU’s executive committee set out the deepening global inequality and leaving A successful global vaccination expand supply. complexity. Our goal must be to carry challenge: “From now on, the race to catch up begins.” hundreds of millions of elderly and effort must stand on three pillars. In that spirit, this week the World it out as quickly, broadly, and safely as A big part of that is getting Soeder on board. vulnerable people at risk. I continue First, countries with an adequate Bank is launching a comprehensive possible; learn from what worked and what didn’t; and boost preparedness After losing to Laschet for the chancellor candidacy, Soeder to urge countries with suffi cient vaccine supply should immediately online portal that provides easy access vaccine supplies for their most release doses to the vulnerable to information about our projects, and resilience for future crises. — went rogue, jibing at the CDU and outdoing it on climate policy vulnerable citizens to release their worldwide. This may mean exercising including individual country-fi nancing Project Syndicate by setting Bavaria a target of becoming greenhouse gas-neutral additional doses as soon as possible to options and guiding vaccines to operations. The portal will also by 2040, compared with 2050 for Germany as a whole. developing countries that have delivery other countries, or making clear to incorporate the vaccine-readiness David Malpass is President of the CDU offi cials have described Soeder as “uncontrollable”. But programmes in place. manufacturers that they can quickly assessment we helped undertake with World Bank Group. Laschet’s party believes the Bavarian is now onside — after all, the CSU’s strength in Bavaria derives from its common strength with the CDU in Berlin. The CDU and CSU plan to present a joint election programme in June. Laschet wants to use this as a bridge to Soeder by focusing on modernising Germany for the digital, climate- neutral age — a theme the Bavarian champions. Laschet, 60, also wants to use the programme for a “modernisation decade” to throw the conservative alliance forward and distinguish himself from the Merkel era. The CDU is encouraged by signs that Soeder has fi nally come to terms with the fact that he is not the chancellor candidate. A key test for Laschet comes on June 6, when the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt holds an election. Failure to win there would be a big hit to CDU hopes of winning September’s federal election, party offi cials say. — Reuters

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THE CRUX: The global Covid-19 vaccination campaign will be the largest in history – unprecedented in scale, speed, and complexity. Our goal must be to carry it out as © 2021 Gulf Times. All rights reserved quickly, broadly, and safely as possible; learn from what worked and what didn’t; and boost preparedness and resilience for future crises. Gulf Times Friday, May 21, 2021 11 THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH Loving and glorifying the Sunnah

o you truly love the Messenger our own souls. He Almighty Says what One will never taste the sweetness Anas, radhiallah ‘anhu, said: “After not wish that Muhammad was in your him, despite the fact that they may of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa means: “The Prophet is more worthy of of faith except after achieving this, as being blessed by embracing Islam, we place and that we killed him instead, while also be in Paradise. sallam? A fundamental of our the believers than themselves…” [Qur’an he, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said in never rejoiced at anything as much as you could go to your family and be with The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Dreligion, and a tenet of our 33: 6] another narration: “I swear by the One we did about this answer of the Prophet, them?” He replied: “I swear by Allah! I sallam, did not comment on his words faith, is to love him. This means that the believer should in whose Hand my soul is! None of you sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, to that would rather be here facing this than have until Allah revealed the following verses Allah Says what means: “Say [O love the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa will truly believe until I become dearer man. I love Allah, His Messenger, Abu him even being pricked by a thorn.” Upon which mean: “And whoever obeys Allah Muhammad]: ‘If your fathers, your sons, sallam, more than he loves his own self. to him than his child, his father and all of Bakr and ‘Umar and hope to be with hearing this, Abu Sufyaan, radhiallah and the Messenger – those will be with your brothers, your wives, your relatives, This love entails full obedience, mankind.” [Al-Bukhari & Muslim] them (in the Hereafter) even if I cannot ‘anhu, said: “I never saw a people who the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed wealth which you have obtained, submission and acceptance; it also entails This love is not simply an emotion perform the good deeds they did.” [Al- love a man more than the Companions of favour of the prophets, the steadfast commerce wherein you fear decline, and favouring the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi that is confi ned to the heart, but rather Bukhari & Muslim] Muhammad love him.” affi rmers of truth, the martyrs and the dwellings with which you are pleased are wa sallam, over oneself, one’s family and it has implications and eff ects. This love The Companions had great love Such incidents greatly aff ected the righteous. And excellent are those as more beloved to you than Allah and His one’s wealth, and to surrender to the makes the slave achieve a rank that he for the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa disbelievers and caused many of them to companions. That is the bounty from Messenger and Jihad in His cause, then Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, the would not otherwise achieve by means sallam, to the extent that they would embrace Islam. Allah…” [Qur’an 4: 69-70] Thereupon wait until Allah executes His command. controlling direction that one has over of his bodily deeds, as in the narration face arrows that were being fi red in his A man from the Ansaar came to the the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa And Allah does not guide the defi antly himself. of Ibn Mas’ood, radhiallah ‘anhu, who direction to shield him. They would Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, sallam, summoned him and said: “Glad disobedient people.” [Qur’an 9: 24] The infl uence that the Prophet, said: “A man came to the Messenger of risk their lives for him and sacrifi ce and said: “You are dearer to me than tidings to you!” [Al-Bayhaqi] Al-Fudhayl ibn ‘Iyaadh said: “This sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, should have Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and everything for his rescue. ‘Amr ibn Al- myself, my child, my family and my Once, a female companion was waiting verse is enough of an evidence to prove over us is greater than that which a master said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! When will ‘Aas, radhiallah ‘anhu, said: “There was wealth, and I feel as if I am dying when at the approach to Al-Madinah for the the obligation of loving the Prophet has over his slave, or a father has over his the Hour (i.e., the Day of Resurrection) no one dearer to me or more glorifi ed I do not see you.” Then he began to return of the Muslim army from the because Allah dispraised in it those child. We should have no control over come?’ He replied: “What have you than the Prophet; I could never look him cry. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa battle of Uhud. She was informed that her whose wealth, family or children are ourselves except in acting in accordance prepared for it?” The man said: ‘Only directly in the eye due to the extent of sallam, asked: “Why are you crying?” husband, brother and father were killed, dearer to them than the love of Allah with the way he directed us to. my love of Allah and His Messenger.’ The my glorifi cation, and if someone were The man replied: “I remembered that but her only reply was: “What happened and His Messenger describing them as It is for every Muslim to prove his Messenger of Allah then said: “You will to ask me to describe him, I would not we will die and you will die, then you to the Prophet?” They told her that he, defi antly disobedient at its conclusion.” love for him, which can be determined be with those whom you love.”” [Al- be able to, as I never looked at him for will take your place in Paradise with sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, was fi ne and Love of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi according to the following narration Bukhari & Muslim] long enough to be able to describe him.” the other Messengers and Prophets, unharmed, but she insisted to seeing him wa sallam, branches from Allah’s love of of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa It is not as important to know when [Muslim] while we, if indeed we do enter so that she would be sure that he was truly him; our love of the Prophet is due to the sallam: “There are three qualities; the Hour will occur as it is to prepare for When Abu Sufyaan, radhiallah ‘anhu, Paradise, will be lower in rank than safe. When she did see him, she remarked: fact that Allah loves him, and because whoever has them will taste the its arrival, and this is the reason why the was still a disbeliever, he asked Zayd ibn you, and thus we will not be able to see “Any affl iction, after seeing that you are Allah sent him to us as His Messenger, sweetness of faith: To love Allah and His Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, Thaabit, radhiallah ‘anhu, who was taken you in Paradise.” safe, is minor.” as well as the fact that Allah instructs us Messenger more than anyone else…” drew this to the attention of the man by as a hostage and being brought out by the Note how much they loved him; Article source: http://www.islamweb. to make him dearer to our hearts than [Al-Bukhari & Muslim] asking him that question. people of Makkah to execute: “Do you they were worried about not seeing net/emainpage/ ‘Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not from me’ nas, radhiallah ‘anhu, reported and then said: ‘Why are some people benefi ts that we can extract from this means): “Say: ‘Who has forbidden the that: “Three men came to the saying such things? I perform (optional narration: adornment of [i.e., from] Allah which houses of the wives of the night) prayers (sometimes) and sleep The recommendation of imitating He has produced for His servants and AProphet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi at night (at others); I observe fasting the ways of one’s seniors and following the good [lawful] things of provision?...” wa sallam, and asked how his worship (sometimes) and break it (at others); and in their footsteps, and that if one is [Qur’an 7: 32] was. When they were informed, they I marry. So whoever turns away from my unable to fi nd out about their way of The good deeds that are continuous are considered their own worship to be Sunnah (i.e., way) is not from me.’” doing things by means of inquiring from the dearest to Allah, even if they are few. insignifi cant and said: ‘Where are we in “A few of the companions” in the men, then it is permitted to inquire from The method of the Prophet, comparison to the Prophet when Allah narration means that there were between women, provided that nobody will be sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, is the very has forgiven his past and future sins?’ three to nine of them, and their asking: subjected to temptation. best one, whereby he would sometimes One of them said: ‘As for me, I shall off er “Where are we in comparison to the The virtue of marriage and an eat in order to preserve his strength, and prayer all night long.’ Another said: ‘I Prophet when Allah has forgiven his past encouragement of it. fast at other times; he would also sleep shall observe fasting perpetually, never and future sins?” means that since they One may do righteous deeds openly at night sometimes in order to have to break it.’ Another said: ‘I shall abstain did not have this assurance that He had, and inform others about them, provided the strength to pray at night on other from women and will never marry.’ The then it followed that they would have to he feels secure from thereby becoming occasions; also, he would marry in order Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, exert more eff ort in order to try to attain arrogant. to fulfi l his desires, save himself from then came to them and said: ‘Are you it; however, he explained to them that Deeds that are Islamically permitted following his lusts, maintain his chastity, the people who said such things? I swear one may do the things that these men may become recommended, disliked or and increasing the number of Muslims. By Allah that I fear Allah more than you wished to refrain from and still be fearful prohibited, according to one’s intention. A warning against exaggeration in do, and I am most obedient and dutiful of Allah and obtain a great reward. Nimra Mosque in the holy city of Makkah. Imaam At-Tabari said: “This the matters of the religion because this among you to Him, but still, I observe The second narration of this story narration refutes the claim of those leads to one stopping the deeds that he is fasting (sometimes) and break it (at includes diff erent things that the The fact that the Prophet, sallallaahu the one who worships in any way other who forbid eating lawful foods and performing. Also, one who exaggerates others); I perform (optional) prayer (at companions stated that they will abstain ‘alaihi wa sallam, took an oath was in order than his is not from him, meaning, that wearing permissible clothing, claiming in acts of worship will eventually become night sometimes) and sleep at night (at from, which proves that they were more to show these men that despite him being he does not follow him; here, he was that it is better to use harsh clothing apathetic, which may cause him to stop his others); I also marry. So whoever turns than three in number. forgiven by Allah, he did not do what they alluding to the methods that monks and refrain from eating good food.” obligatory acts of worship and not only the away from my Sunnah (i.e., my way) is Also, the speech of the Prophet, planned to do, which was to exaggerate have, who innovated extreme ways But, Imaam Ibn Hajar added to this optional ones that he performs. Also, one not from me.’” [Al-Bukhari & Muslim] sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, in the in their worship, and that reward from of worship for which they have been saying: “The fact of the matter is that who only performs the obligatory deeds is Anas also reported: “A few of the fi rst narration refl ects that he spoke Allah could be attained without such dispraised by Allah. the one who gets himself accustomed also in great danger; if he loses interest, he companions of the Prophet, sallallaahu to them directly, whereas the second exaggeration; this is because he who is The one who worships in a way other to always consuming fi ne things (i.e., may abandon worship altogether; so the ‘alaihi wa sallam, inquired from his one indicates that he spoke generally, moderate in his worship is more likely to than that of the Prophet sallallaahu food and clothing) may become too best way is to be moderate. wives about his worship when he would without directing his speech to them continue whereas those who exaggerate ‘alaihi wa sallam has not left the fold habituated to them and therefore cannot Finally, There is an indication in be alone. When they found out, one of in particular. It may be that he fi rst will eventually become too weak to of Islam if he did it in ignorance or was live without them, and consequently, this narration that knowing Allah and them said: ‘I shall abstain from women spoke to everybody in the congregation continue and give up. mistaken in his interpretation of the when he is deprived from them, he may His rights and commandments is of a and will never marry.’ Another said: ‘I and explained that such abstention is His saying: “…my Sunnah…” did not Sunnah, but if he does it due to wishing commit prohibitions in order to attain higher rank than simply worshipping shall never eat meat.’ Another said: ‘I impermissible, and then spoke to the refer to the Islamic categorisation which to deliberately shun the way of the what he is accustomed to. On the other Him without it, and that the deeds of will always off er the night prayer and men concerned in private, addressing refers to recommended acts rather than Prophet and thinks that his way and hand, refraining from them from the the heart are essential for practicing shall never sleep.’ Later, the Prophet, them personally so as not to expose obligatory ones. Rather, it refers to his method is better, then he has committed perspective of prohibiting them for servitude to Allah. sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, ascended their identity to others, which may have complete manner in life and his approach an act of disbelief. oneself contradicts the saying of Allah Article source: http://www.islamweb. the pulpit, praised and thanked Allah, caused them embarrassment. to every matter. He instructed them that The following are some of many in the verse of Surah Al-A’raaf (which net/emainpage/ The second source The eff ects of using weak Hadith he term “weak Hadith” refers to any b. The weak Hadith should be used under narration which does not fulfi l the already well-established principles and should conditions of authenticity. The scholars not bring in ideas of its own. Tof Hadith agree that a “weak Hadith” c. When a weak Hadith is used (after it fulfi ls of legislation must not be attributed to the Prophet, sallallaahu the above two conditions), it should not be ‘alaihi wa sallam, by saying: “The Prophet said …”. believed to be said by the Messenger of Allah ; to he Sunnah (the actions, sayings it does not specify how the prayer has to be clear error.” [Qur’an 33:36] Applying weak Hadith in excellent deeds do so we would be crediting him with that which and confi rmations of Prophet performed. According to many verses in the Qur’an, Very often when you point to the weakness he did not say.” Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alaihi Even after knowing the details, it may not the Muslim is bound to follow the Sunnah of of a Hadith you hear being cited, someone will For the above conditions to be satisfi ed, people Twa sallam, is the second source of be possible to follow the divine injunctions the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. No immediately say: “But this Hadith is talking planning to use the weak Hadith should have the Islamic legislation and must be in complete contained in the Qur’an. For not everything one remains Muslim if he does not accept the about (the reward of) excellent deeds, and it is all ability to: agreement with the fi rst source (i. e. the can be properly understood by words alone. Prophet’s Sunnah. right to refer to unauthentic Hadith when talking 1. Distinguish between the weak and the Qur’an). Therefore, the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu The Sunnah is nothing but a refl ection of the about excellent deeds.” authentic Hadith in order to fulfi l condition (c) The term Sunnah comes from the root word ‘alaihi wa sallam, demonstrated before the personality of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi It has become a norm amongst the majority above, otherwise they may fall into lying about ‘sanna’, which means to pave the way. believers how the prayer was to be performed. wa sallam, who is to be obeyed at every cost. of a good number of scholars and students of the Messenger . Sunnah can be used to describe a path that Thus, not only did the Prophet, sallallaahu The Sunnah was not, as is generally Islamic learning that it is all right to use weak 2. Distinguish between the slightly weak people follow. In Islamic terminology, Sunnah ‘alaihi wa sallam, inform the believers of supposed, a thing of which the need may have Hadith when it refers to the reward of excellent Hadith and those which are very weak or applies to a prophetic way which includes the divine injunctions, but he also put these been felt only after the Prophet’s death, for it deeds. They consider it a fully accepted rule that fabricated, in order to fulfi l condition (a) above. references to the Prophet’s sayings, actions, teachings into practice in all matters pertaining was very much needed in his lifetime. The two should not be argued. They also would quote the What should be very clear to Muslims is that approvals, physical features and character to religion and daily life. He, sallallaahu most important religious institutions of Islam words of great scholars to support their point. the ability to make the above two distinctions is traits. ‘alaihi wa sallam, himself practiced these are Prayer and Zakat (obligatory alms giving); Before going into detail to refute the arguments not possessed except by a very small category of His actions pertain to anything he did, as injunctions scrupulously. His practice was not yet when the injunction relating to Prayer and of these people, let me point out that they have, the scholars of Hadith (who can be counted on authentically reported by the Companions. a private matter; it had the status of a detailed Zakat were delivered, and they were repeatedly in general, misunderstood the sayings of the great the fi ngers). His silent approvals on diff erent issues meant interpretation and application of the Qur’an. revealed in both Makkah and Madinah, no scholars of Islam they quote, relative to weak In particular with reference to item (2) above, he didn’t oppose or mind what he saw, heard details were supplied. ‘Keep up prayers’ is the Hadith and how it should be used. only a few of the scholars of Hadith in all of the or knew of the actions or sayings of his Importance of the Sunnah Qur’anic injunction, and it was the Prophet This serious misunderstanding has led to the history of Islam have dealt with it. Companions. Sunnah also includes everything The Qur’an repeatedly reminds us of the himself who by his own actions gave details great epidemic of freely using weak narrations; Someone might justifi ably ask: “Why are we so authentically narrated concerning the importance of the Sunnah, enjoining us to of the prayer by saying: “Pray as you see me which certainly may involve lying against the strict in this matter (of using weak Hadith), when Prophet’s physical features and his traits. strictly follow the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi praying.” [Al-Bukhari] Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. some scholars of Hadith have permitted it?” The Qur’an and the Sunnah complement wa sallam. Zakat is again an obligation frequently The answer to this question was given by a each other. Without the Sunnah, Islam is not Allah, Almighty, Says what means: “… repeated in the Qur’an, yet it was the Prophet, Refutation of the claim: great scholar of Hadith, Mohammad Naassir Ad- complete, likewise without the Qur’an, Islam is And whatever the Messenger has given you – sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, who gave the rules First, we should mention that the rule cited Deen Al-Albaani who said: not complete. take; and what he has forbidden you – refrain and regulations for its payment and collection. earlier (that weak Hadith can be used in excellent “The earlier scholars used to mention the Actually, Sunnah is so important that from…” [Qur’an 59:7] These are two examples, but since Islam covers deeds) is not accepted by all the scholars of Hadith with their full Isnaad (chain of Narrators), without it one cannot fully understand the Allah also Says what means: “But no, by your the entire sphere of human activities, hundreds Hadith. For instance, Abu Bakr Ibn ‘Arabi said: so that any other scholar reading their treatise Qur’an and Islam, or be able to apply it to his Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they of points had to be explained by the Prophet, “The weak Hadith should be absolutely avoided could know from the chain of Narrators the life. Both of these sources guide us to the right make you [O Muhammad] judge concerning sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, in word and deed. and not dealt with.” degree of authenticity of the Hadith.” path. that over which they dispute among themselves The importance of the Sunnah, even as a Second, we should know that the scholars of We pray that this small introduction to the The Qur’an is the word of Allah, whereas the and then fi nd within themselves no discomfort second source of Islam, was an openly accepted Hadith who permitted the use of weak Hadith subject of weak Hadith and using it as proof has Sunnah is its practical interpretation. Sunnah from what you have judged and submit in [full, issue by the Companions of the Prophet, have set very strict rules applying to their use. helped in clarifying how dangerous this is. also gives a full account of the life of the willing] submission..” [Qur’an 4:65) sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. Whenever they Al-Haafi th Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalaani said: “There Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/ Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. Again, Allah Says what means: “It is not for couldn’t fi nd a solution to a problem in the are three conditions that must be fulfi lled in emainpage/ The Qur’an principally deals with basics. a believing man or a believing woman, when Qur’an, they would refer to the Sunnah. And order to use the weak Hadith: It is the Sunnah which gives the details and Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, they were the most diligent in preserving it for a. It is well accepted that the weakness should necessary explanations of Qur’anic injunctions. that they should [thereafter] have any choice those who came after them. only be slight. This will help to exclude Hadith For instance, Allah Says in the Qur’an what about their aff air. And whoever disobeys Allah Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/ reported by liars or accused reporters (of lying) means: “…Establish the prayer…” [2: 43] But and His Messenger has certainly strayed into emainpage/ who are known to commit big mistakes. Gulf Times 12 Friday, May 21, 2021 QATAR Ship with 40MT of oxygen leaves Doha National AI contest winners announced atar University’s Col- lege of Engineering (QU- QCENG), Hamad bin Kha- lifa University (HBKU), and Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) announced yesterday at an online event the winners of the Artifi cial Intelligence (AI) National Competition. In track one: Concept and Design, Dabeeruddin Syed and Ameena Zainab came fi rst, Tareq Yousef Kamel AlKhraishi second, and Abhinav Balram Gudavalli third. In track 2: Proof of concept and Demos, Nandhini Subramanian was fi rst, Anas Mohamed Tahir and Yazan Hazim Ali Qiblawey second, and Serkan Kiranyaz and Mohamed Uzair Zahid came third. QU-CENG dean Dr Khalid Indian naval ship ‘INS Kamal Naji said: “This is a na- The AI competition winners being announced at an online event. Tarkash’ left Doha carrying tional competition challenging 40 metric tonnes (MT) of students, developers, profes- QCRI director Dr Ahmed K ognised developers who are pav- limited to: Healthcare solutions, oxygen in two sionals, and researchers to devel- Elmagarmid explained that the ing the path for future innovative AI in Education, automatic and cryogenic tankers, the op and demonstrate how humans competition was divided into AI technologies that can be de- real-time detection of ‘trolls’ Indian embassy in Qatar can collaborate with powerful AI phases: Idea Submission, An- ployed to support infrastructure over social media, real-time AI tweeted yesterday. technologies to tackle some chal- nouncement of shortlisted ideas, and address challenges for dif- solutions for assisting sports ref- “So far, 160MT of liquid lenges for diff erent applications.” Solution design/development ferent applications. erees to take prompt decisions, oxygen organised in Qatar “This opportunity raised duration, Project Submission, QU-CENG’s Research and crowd monitoring and behaviour by Air Liquide Group have awareness of AI technologies in Project testing and demos (track Graduate Studies associate dean analysis and prediction, detec- been sent to India. Qatar, supported building local 2), and Announcement of win- Dr Ahmed Masoud elaborated: tion and prevention of attacks Concerted eff orts continue capacity in this timely and cru- ners. “We looked for creative and in- and malware, drones emergency as #IndiaFightsCorona,” cial area, and provided a platform The HBKU’s College of Science novative AI solutions, which can services, and logistics impact- the embassy said. for participants to share AI ideas and Engineering dean Dr Mounir be deployed to resolve practi- ing the supply chain and security and applications,” he added. Hamdi said the competition rec- cal problems including but not challenges due to the blockade.” MME takes part in World Bee Day celebrations

58,530kg of honey have been Bee Day, organised by the United Na- al honey bee project with the par- produced in Qatar since the start tions’ Food and Agriculture Organi- ticipation of 130 farms to distribute of honey bee project until end of sation (FAO). beehives and apiaries requirements, 2020 The celebration came within the supervise the progress and increase framework to protect and preserve the reproduction of bees and produc- he Ministry of Municipality bees and held under the slogan Com- tion of various kinds of honey. and Environment (MME), rep- mitted to Protecting Bees: Rebuilding The statement noted that 58,530kg Tresented by the Department Better for the Sake of Bees, a MME of honey has been produced in Qatar of Agricultural Aff airs, participated statement said. since the start of the project until the yesterday in the celebration of World The ministry launched the nation- end of 2020.

The national honey bee project was launched with the participation of 130 farms.

Right: The flowering plants and trees in the various parks across Qatar are honey bee havens. PICTURE: Thajudheen

Virtual talk conducted on ‘Abstraction and Ornament’ in contemporary, Islamic art

virtual talk yesterday showcased some of the unique collections Afrom the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) in Doha and PalaisPopulaire in Berlin, highlighting the use of patterns and ornaments in Islamic art. Dubbed as “Abstraction and Ornament in Contemporary and Islamic Art”, the online event was hosted by PalaisPopu- laire in co-operation with the Arabic Cul- tural House, The Divan on the occasion of “Ways of Seeing Abstraction – works Hutte presenting a number from the Deutsche Bank Collection” ex- of works at the exhibition. hibition. MIA director Dr Julia Gonnella provid- Below: One of the rare MIA ed insights into their work and mission, collections presented by Dr focusing on the past, present, and future Gonnella. exhibitions, in addition to the stunning architecture of one of the largest museums in the world dedicated to Islamic Art. Speakers at the virtual dialogue answering questions from viewers. She also presented a number of rare objects at the MIA, such as carpets, Holy Deutsche Bank and curator of the exhibi- Speaking on behalf of Qatar’s am- Qur’an, and other collections made of tion, noted an increasing number of art- bassador to Germany and chairman of textiles and ceramics, among other mate- ists who use Islamic patterns and orna- the Arabic Cultural House, The Divan, rials, with ornamental, geometrical, and ments on their works. Sheikh Abdulla bin Mohamed bin Saoud calligraphy designs. He presented a number of pieces in the al-Thani, counsellor at Qatar embassy in These include an artwork on the MIA’s exhibition, which seemed to have been Berlin, Nawaf Mubarak Nasser al-Nasr, dome, inspired by Ottoman mosques in produced using a computer, but were ac- thanked the organisers and speakers. Istanbul; a metal horse from Spain; a door tually drawn manually by the artists. Al-Nasr said that the PalaisPopulaire from Turkey; carpets from Venice and These include works by Adriana Cz- and the Arabic Cultural House, The Di- Turkey; ceramics from Turkey; and items ernin, Achraf Touloub, Imran Qureshi, van share a similar mission and act as a from the 15th century Iran, among others. Ibn Tulun, and works of German artists platform to build bridges of cultural ex- Friedhelm Hütte, global head of Art of in the 60s that refer to Islamic traditions. change. The MIA is one of the largest museums in the world dedicated to Islamic art.