SUBSCRIPTION OPEN [email protected] / 4496 2333 BUSINESS | Page 1 SPORT | Page 1 Qatar to cover Al-Attiyah leads 2020 defi cit by from Sainz aft er funds available opening desert from previous debt issuances stage of Hail Baja published in QATAR since 1978 SATURDAY Vol. XXXXI No. 11760 December 12, 2020 Rabia II 27, 1442 AH GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals Amir congratulates Qatar National Day parade rehearsal Burkina Faso leader His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and PSA to launch His Highness the Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani sent yesterday cables of congratulations to Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian fi eld work of Kabore on his country’s National Day. HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al- Thani also sent a similar cable of fi nal phase of congratulations to Prime Minister Christophe Joseph Marie Dabire. MoPH reports 138,194 A dress rehearsal of the Qatar National Day parade was held on Doha Corniche yesterday. Many dignitaries including total Covid recoveries HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Aff airs Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah and HE the 2020 census Chief of Staff of the Qatari Armed Forces Lieutenant-General (Pilot) Ghanem bin Shaheen al-Ghanem were present. The Ministry of Public Health The parade is among the highlights of the Qatar National Day, which will be celebrated on December 18. (MoPH) reported yesterday PICTURES: Jayan Orma and Shaji Kayamkulam. Pages 3, 4, 12 QNA 164 new confirmed cases of Doha coronavirus (Covid-19) during the last 24 hours, of which 130 are from community and 34 from he Planning and Statistics Au- travellers returning from abroad thority will launch fi eld work of who are subject to quarantine. The Tthe fi nal phase of Qatar Census MoPH also recorded 161 recoveries 2020 tomorrow, which will continue from the virus during the past 24 until mid-January 2021, with the par- hours, bringing the total number ticipation of more than 2,000 fi eld re- of cases that recovered in Qatar to searchers. 138,194. Page 3 The Authority explained in a press release that the fi eld work consists Ten militants killed of collecting and completing data on community members. in Somalia airstrike families and individuals, as the re- The Authority called on all citizens searcher will provide the head of the and residents, including families and At least ten militants were killed in family with three options to complete individuals, to co-operate with fi eld an airstrike which was conducted in his data and his family data, either researchers and to provide accurate southern Somalia, off icials said. The through a direct interview with the re- and correct data due to its importance Somali ministry of information said searcher, or through the enveloped pa- in drawing up the state’s development the two airstrikes conducted in co- per form that will be distributed dur- policies and plans. operation with US Africa Command ing the fi eld visit, in a way that allows The Authority also confi rmed the (Africom) targeted militants’ citizens and residents to fi ll it out in a continuation of the self-fi lling serv- explosives factory and storage timely manner and hand it over to fi eld ice for the online form of the census, facility in the vicinity of Jillib. The researchers on another day during the which is available until Jan. 7, through initial assessment indicates the census period, or by self-completing the link www.psa.gov.qa/census2020. strike killed eight terrorists who the electronic form on the Authority aspx, calling on citizens and residents were known to play important Doha 2030 team in Oman website. to fi ll in their data and the data of their roles in producing explosives for The Planning and Statistics Author- families electronically because of the militants, to include vehicle-borne ity confi rmed that the fi eld process ease, convenience, speed, accuracy improvised explosive devices. comes in co-ordination with the Min- and complete privacy of this method. to boost Asian Games bid istry of Public Health in order to ensure The Authority added that this Brexit trade deal the implementation of all precaution- method is one of the latest technologi- ‘hanging in balance’ ary measures in place in the country cal means applied in censuses and fi eld By Sports Reporter Qatar’s ability to maintain its posi- to combat the spread of coronavirus surveys to collect data on individuals A Brexit trade deal between Britain Doha tion as the safest Arab country in the (Covid-19), indicating that fi eld re- through an electronic form available to and the European Union looked region and worldwide for another searchers have received intensive all Qataris, whether inside or outside to be hanging in the balance year, refl ects the constant and out- training on precautionary measures to the country, in addition to non-Qataris yesterday, after leaders on both high-profi le Qatari delegation standing level of security and safety ensure their safety and the safety of residing in the state. sides of the Channel gave a gloomy comprising former and current enjoyed by the country. assessment of progress in last-gasp A athletes, sports administrators Al-Buenain said recently that if talks. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and journalists reached Oman yester- Doha is elected to host in 2030, high- WHO expects decisions on vaccines in weeks and European Commission chief day to support Doha’s bid to host the ha’s bid,” a member of the delegation level safety protocols and state-of Ursula von der Leyen have given Asian Games in 2030. said yesterday. the-art sporting facilities will be of- The World Health Organisation expects Swaminathan said at least 10 their negotiators until tomorrow The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Qatar, the 2022 FIFA World Cup fered to the participating countries. to make decisions on whether to give companies had expressed an interest in before a decision is made on is to announce the winning city at its hosts, has almost all infrastructure “If Doha has the honour of hosting emergency use approval to Covid-19 or submitted a request for emergency whether to keep talking or give up. General Assembly on December 16 in place for the 2030 event, with op- the 2030 Asian Games, our state-of- vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and approval for vaccine candidates. Business Page 1 in Muscat, which is playing host to erational costs comprising the bulk of the-art venues will provide a gate- AstraZeneca in the coming weeks, its Pfizer’s vaccine has already received several meetings in the run-up to the the expenditure needed for the Games way to certainty for the OCA family chief scientist said yesterday. emergency approval in Britain and ‘Approve vaccine or vote on Wednesday. Doha 2030 CEO and Qatar Olympic and for Asia’s athletes that they can Soumya Swaminathan said the global Canada, and could receive US approval quit’: US regulator told Doha, where the continental multi- Committee Secretary-General Jassim expect the very best conditions,” he health body could decide on Pfizer’s within days. sport gala was held in 2006, is hoping al-Buenain has said that “providing said. vaccine candidate in the next “couple The first British recipients were US President Donald Trump’s White to host the Games for the second time athletes with a safe and world-class “We have proven ourselves reliable of weeks”, and later said it could also vaccinated this week. House reportedly told the head and is competing with Riyadh this environment to compete is always our partners and we are ready to put our review Moderna’s and AstraZeneca’s WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom of the country’s drug regulator to time. fi rst priority.” experience and expertise to the ben- candidates in a few weeks. Ghebreyesus said nearly a billion doses approve Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid “We have a busy schedule in Mus- Qatar continues to lead the way as efi t of Asian sport.” WHO approval could allow a vaccine to of vaccines had been secured for the vaccine or resign, after indications cat where we will be holding several the safest country in the world, top- Qatar is promoting the Doha 2030 be deployed in some countries where COVAX programme to provide shots the first immunisations were meetings discussing important issues ping the Numbeo crime index for fi ve bid as “Your Gateway to a Brighter national medical regulators have not for poor- and middle-income countries, imminent. The threat reported by relating to sports and promoting Do- years in a row now. Future for Asian Sport”. yet been able to evaluate it. with 189 countries participating. The Washington Post came on the same day Trump tweeted that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was a “big, old, slow turtle” and told its commissioner, Stephen Hahn, to “Get the dam(n) vaccines out NOW.” Qatar Airways soars to new heights with 2021 APEX award AstraZeneca hitches ride with Sputnik O Distinction follows passenger ratings of 1mn flights across 600 airlines AstraZeneca is to start clinical trials to test a combination of its atar Airways has received the complishments push us to continue craft equipped with Qsuite can enjoy Asia-Pacifi c, 38 in Europe and 15 in the experimental Covid-19 vaccine 2021 Airline Passenger Expe- innovating and redefi ning the passen- the enhanced privacy this award-win- Middle East.