Sunday 30 August 2020

11 Muharram - 1442

2 Riyals

www.thepeninsula.qa

Volume 25 | Number 8365

Choose the network of heroes Enjoy the Internet

BUSINESS | 13 PENMAG | 15 SPORT | 19

Djokovic rallies

past Raonic to

win US Open

tune-up title

Classifieds

and Services

section

included

Germany should

re-implement

debt limits in 2022,

says Scholz

First vessel arrives at Hamad Port’s CT2THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti yesterday witnessed the arrival of the first vessel, as planned and scheduled, in Hamad Port’s Container Terminal 2 (CT2) project.

The ship was loaded with the first shipment of the rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) for vertical container transpor-tation. RTGs will be installed on CT2 quay directly to be used in the initial operation of CT2.

Inspecting work progress at CT2, H E the Minister was briefed on work updates regarding building and con-struction works at CT2 and what has been completed so far until reaching today’s new achievement.

CT2 development consists of 4 phases. Full operation of Phases 1 & 2 will start before the end of 2022, taking the port’s capacity to 3 million TEUs per year. Phases 3 & 4 will be developed later to raise the port’s operational capacity according to local market’s needs.

On this occasion, H E the Minister said that CT2 operation will boost Hamad Port’s ranking as the most updated and most efficient gateway for shipping

containers and cargo in the Gulf region and surrounding region in general.

The fact that all CT2 works near completion confirms the continuity of the plans that aim to develop and increase the port’s capacity, which is in progress in full gear with no

delay or slowdown despite the repercussions associated with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which affected several economies around the world directly and indire ctly, H E the Minister said.

The area of Phases 1 & 2 of Hamad Port’s CT2 is

380,000sqm. Its quay is 624M-long. CT2 is expected to offer the business sector all the modern equipment that uses latest and eco-friendly world technologies to execute their business fast and smoothly. CT2 will be equipped with STS quay cranes with very advanced technology. Each STS

crane can handle two containers at the same time. It will also be equipped with RTGs for vertical container transportation, Ter-minal Tractor APM 75T HE for horizontal container transpor-tation, empty container handlers (ECH) and trailers.

F u r t h e r m o r e , a l l

operation-related and service buildings and infrastructure will be constructed at CT2, in addition to telecom, ELV & SSD networks, storm water networks and rel-evant infrastructure and instal-lations, supporting CT2 inte-gration with CT1, which started operation in December 2016.

Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti being briefed about the work update at Hamad Port's Container Terminal 2.

MoTC announces measures of lifting curbs on public transportTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) has

announced measures of resuming public transit services within the first part of phase four of the gradual lifting of

COVID-19 restrictions.Operators of public transit

(buses and metro) can resume service at 30 percent capacity

as of September 1, 2020. Service hours will be the same as they were before the service sus-pension while the situation will be assessed on weekly basis.

The MoTC has stressed the need for all operators of public transit to comply with the pre-cautionary measures set by the Ministry of Public Health, run a COVID-19 test for all those who work on the public transit system and stations and ensure a negative result before allowing them to go back to work.

Those measures also include checking their temper-atures daily and continuously, isolating those who exhibit disease symptoms and con-tacting the bodies concerned for any necessary precautionary and health measures. Operators will be also training their staff in applying such precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

MoTC also stressed that

operators need to provide ‘com-pliance officers’ according to the capacity determined on public transit (buses, metro and stations). Those officers will be responsible for ensuring com-pliance to all precautionary measures and that they are being followed by public transit users who must avoid crowding in front of the stations.

It is also necessary for operators to coordinate effec-tively and directly with service and vital public utilities asso-ciated with metro and bus sta-tions such as the airport, shopping malls, hospitals and bazaars.

The aim is to make sure public transit customers do not crowd at these stations and do follow all precautionary measures, in addition to regu-lating the entry and exit of those who frequent the stations, the metro and the buses, particu-larly the metro stations with limited capacity. �P2

Tourism to get further boost from easing of restrictionsSACHIN KUMAR THE PENINSULA

Exciting offers and initiatives by hotels, restaurants, museums and other retail outlets have not only given a chance to residents to explore the country this summer, but have also reinvigorated Qatar’s tourism sector.

The recovery in country’s tourism sector is expected to gain further momentum in coming days with the beginning of fourth phase easing of restrictions. The first phase the fourth phase of easing of COVID-19 restrictions is set to begin from Tuesday.

With further lifting of restrictions, the tourism sector will be bustling with activities, as more people will be allowed to visit tourist places and outdoor excursions.

From September 1, museums will be allowed to operate with

full capacity; the souqs will be allowed to operate with 75 percent capacity while local exhibitions can be held with a capacity of 30 percent. Addi-tionally, Doha Metro and buses will also be operating with 30 percent capacity, which would help more people to reach their destinations easily and safely.

“We have seen a significant increase in the enquiries about our staycation offers this month. The number of citizens and expatriates availing our staycation offers has increased and we expect further increase in guest arrivals in coming days,” a senior official of a hotel told The Peninsula.

The attractive offers by hotels have made this summer memorable for citizens and residents. Hotels are offering a wide range of staycation packages and other hospitality deals. �P2

MADLSA, SC announce providing 15,000 rooms for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 fansQNA — DOHA

In a coordinated effort by government entities in Qatar to support with the delivery of accommodation options for the FIFA World Cup 2022, the Housing and Governmental Buildings Department of the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (MADLSA) and the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in March 2020 to lease residential properties that would be used to provide accommo-dation for visitors during the FIFA World Cup 2022, set to kick off on November 21 of that year.

As part of the MoU, a joint team from both organisations reviewed a number of landlord rental requests to be part of the accommodation plan. More than

150 complete, undivided prop-erties have been approved in the first batch. These include buildings, towers and residential complexes, all of which are fully furnished, providing approxi-mately 15,000 additional rooms for use during the tournament.

As part of this initiative, work is also underway to sign five-year renewable contracts with home owners for use during the tournament and beyond. After the FIFA World Cup 2022, the houses will be used to meet Qatar’s long term government housing needs and will form the basis of a robust government housing program that is line with the Qatar National Vision 2030.

Speaking on this occasion, Minister of MADLSA, H E Yousuf bin Mohamed Al Othman Fakhroo said: “We are pleased to complete the first phase of this project and

secure thousands of rooms for guests of the State of Qatar. Through cooperation with the private sector, these rooms can be used during the tournament and then leveraged for future gov-ernment housing needs.”

“We will continue to work with real estate owners from the private sector and inspect their properties to ensure their

compliance with our accommo-dation standards for hosting visitors and fans during the tournament,” he added.

H E confirmed that the online application portal is still open, directing an invitation to real estate owners to register as soon as possible to take advantage of this distinct opportunity. �P2

4 people arrested for violating home quarantineQNA — DOHA

The competent authorities yesterday arrested four people who violated the requirements of the home quarantine, they committed to following, which they are legally accountable for, in accordance with the procedures of the health authorities in the country.

It is in implementation of the precautionary measures in force in the country, approved by health authorities represented in the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) to ensure the achievement of public safety and to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The persons are Ali Abdullah Salem Al Malamqa Al Hajri, Mubarak Hamad Mubarak Salem Al Obaidi, Rashid Abdullah Rashid Issa Al Suwaidi and Mohamed Bilal Jumaa Bilal Al Muraikhi. �P3

Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti yesterday witnessed the arrival of the ship.

Vessel was loaded with the first shipment of the rubber-tyred gantry cranes for vertical container transportation.

Full operation of Phases 1 & 2 of CT2 development will start before the end of 2022, taking the port’s capacity to three million TEUs per year.

CT2 will be equipped with STS quay cranes with very advanced technology.

Operators of public transit (buses and metro) can resume service at 30 percent capacity as of September 1.

People without face masks will be denied entry.

Entry will be limited only to those with Ehteraz health status ‘Green’

Service hours will be the same as they were before the service suspension.

Operators should encourage users of public transit system to book their ride tickets online.

More than 150 complete, undivided properties have been approved in the first batch.

After the FIFA World Cup 2022, the houses will be used to meet Qatar’s long term government housing needs.

02 SUNDAY 30 AUGUST 2020HOME

A file photo of Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, H E Yousuf bin Mohamed Al Othman Fakhroo and Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy Hassan Al Thawadi during an MoU signing ceremony.

MoPH designates additional private healthcare facilities to carry swabbing for COVID-19THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Public Health has announced a new list of private healthcare facilities, allowed to carry out swabbing for the COVID-19 test.

It includes a total of 26 private healthcare facilities across the country — Al Emadi Hospital, Turkish Hospital, Doha Clinic Hospital, Al Ahli Hospital,

Queen Hospital, Dr. Moopen’s Aster Hospital, Magribi Centre for Eye, ENT & Dental, Elite Medical Centre, West Bay Medicare, Syrian American Medical Centre, Future Medical Centre, Dr. Khaled Al Sheikh Ali’s Medical Centre, Al Jufairi Diag-nosis and Treatment, Al Ahmadani Medical Centre, Imara Health Care, KIMS Qatar Medical Centre, Allevia Medical

Centre, Aster Medical Centre Plus-Almunazah, Al Jameel Medical Centre, Atlas Medical Centre, Al Tahrir Medical Centre, Naseem Al Rabeeh Medical Centre Doha, Naseem Al Rabeeh Medical Centre, New Naseem Al Rabeeh Medical Centre, Aster Medical Centre-Al Khor and Al Kayyali Medical Centre.

Previously the Ministry had approved 12 healthcare facilities

and the new list includes 14 additional private healthcare facilities. To recall, in a memo dated June 20, the Ministry informed the private clinics of this and asked them to send the swabs to Hamad Medical Cor-poration laboratories for testing.

Private facilities are allowed to do a swab tests in case of patients with COVID-19 signs and respiratory symptoms,

patients for admissions, including acute admissions and admissions for elective surgeries, healthcare workers, periodic testing of employees of other sectors and for pre-travel cer-tificate confirming negative COVID-19.

The private clinics have to obtain an approval from the Ministry for the same submitting an application that includes the

details of number of expected swabs and validation of swabs used for collection.

It also needs to communicate with MoPH to train the required healthcare workers once approval is received. After passing the training, clinics have to obtain final approval and approval of price list from the healthcare facilities licensing and accrediting.

MoTC announces measures of lifting curbs on public transport

FROM PAGE 1

MoTC also stresses the need for all public transit service oper-ators to put emergency plans for managing and monitoring the transportation system users and to take the necessary measures to limit and control the crowding, in collaboration with bodied concerned.

MoTC will also constantly work with the operators to develop the necessary plans and awareness campaigns to protect those who are most vulnerable such as the elderly and pregnant women with chronic diseases to urge them not to use the public transit system.

The Ministry also urges the operators to encourage users of public transit system to book their ride tickets online, ban all workers and public transit cus-tomers from eating or drinking at the utilities, stations and on transportation modes, ban

smoking at the entrances of metro and bus stations and remove all ash receptacles.

Operators are also requested to ensure all surfaces at stations and public transit system are sterilized continuously and reg-ularly, hand sanitisers are available everywhere while avoid putting them at open spaces such as bus stops, safe social distance footmarks are placed on floors and similar stickers on seats, in addition to receiving customers at a capacity not exceeding the particular occupancy percentage during the current period, which is 30 percent of the full capacity.

Additionally, MoTC stresses the need for public transit oper-ators to allow the public to use the system only after checking their health status on the Ehteraz App. Entry will be limited only to those with Ehteraz health status ‘Green’. People wearing no

facemasks will be denied entry. Temperatures must be checked. Those with temperatures higher than 38 will be denied entry to stations and public transpor-tation system.

MoTC confirms these instructions are updatable and modifiable according to the sit-uation on the ground. The Min-istry will also conduct inspection campaigns on public transit system and stations to ensure correct and full com-pliance to all back-to-business precautions.

MoTC urges the public and public transit workers to follow all precautionary guidance and measures for the safety and wellbeing of everyone. Ministry says every phase of the gradual lifting plan could not succeed without everyone’s compliance to the recommended pre-ventive and precautionary measures.

Tourism to get further boost from easing of restrictionsFROM PAGE 1

These include discounts of up to 50 percent on room bookings, hotel packages with an additional free night stay, beach and pool packages, as well as special food and beverage (F&B) promotions.

This year’s Qatar Summer Programme by Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) includes staycation packages, Culture Pass

discounts, virtual fashion shows and outdoor activities. People planning a staycation trip will not have to worry about their safety.

QNTC has also launched the Qatar Clean programme in part-nership with the Ministry of Public Health, which sets strict standards for sterilisation and disinfection that all hotel establishments must adhere to, ensuring guests can enjoy a worry-free experience

this summer and beyond. Qatar’s hospitality sector has

remained buoyant despite chal-lenges. The hotels added a total of 1,050 rooms during the last quarter of 2019, according to the fourth quarter 2019 review issued by consulting firm ValuStrat. Countrywide occupancy of hotels during the first 11 months of 2019 stood at 64 percent, up 5 percent compared to 2018.

MADLSA, SC announce providing 15,000 rooms for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 fans

FROM PAGE 1Secretary-General of the SC

H E Hassan Al Thawadi also said, “We succeeded in securing thousands of rooms more than two years before the start of the first FIFA World Cup in the Middle East and the Arab world as a result of this cooperation with the Ministry of Adminis-trative Development Labor and Social Affairs, and we are very pleased with this key achievement.”

H E Al Thawadi added, “The SC will continue its commitment to work with its local partners to provide sustainable accom-modation options in a way that

contributes to strengthening the local economy and supporting the continued development of the business sector and Qatar’s preparations to host the tournament.”

During the announcement, MADLSA and the SC encouraged owners to support tournament preparedness by renting their properties so that they can be used during the FIFA World Cup. In particular, interested parties were invited to apply online, where their applications are assessed with eligible applicants being communicated with to arrange for inspections of the propert ies pr ior to

registration.Since signing the MoU, the

two parties have worked towards providing more accom-modation options and granting investment opportunities to private sector owners in the country to offer their properties to visitors during the tournament.

As such, real estate owners in the private sector have been able to sign five-year lease con-tracts with MADLSA and the SC to support tournament needs and maximise the economic windfall from Qatar’s organi-zation of this major sporting event.

03SUNDAY 30 AUGUST 2020 HOME

COVID-19 has presented new opportunities, effortsto build resilient education systems: QF expert

FAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

Despite the challenges, COVID-19 pandemic has also presented new opportunities to embrace distance learning and to step up efforts to build resilient education systems.

The COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated that learning is no longer only restricted to schools or universities, said Abdulla Al Mansoori, Director, Qatar Career Development Centre (QCDC), a member of Qatar Foundation, speaking to The Peninsula in line with beginning of the new aca-demic year.

“The digital revolution has

put at our disposal a wealth of resources to equip students with the skills and tools to make informed academic and career choices, which will ultimately contribute to creating a ‘safety net’ of qualified professionals to address challenges in times of crisis. This has been evident in the healthcare industry, which was at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19,” he said.

“We believe every individual should be offered the opportunity to choose the profession that best aligns with his or her personal skills and aspirations and the long terms needs of the country to ensure a prosperous future for

Qatar and its people,” he added.Since the pandemic’s out-

break, QCDC has stepped up efforts to reach youth online and maintain their focus on career development so that they can make informed academic and career choices that reflect posi-tively on the labour market and the economy of Qatar.

“QCDC has seized this oppor-tunity to reinvent the delivery of its career guidance services and to build on its well-established online presence through a myriad of digital initiative aimed

at guiding students into efficiently managing their time to enhance their career prospects,” said Al Mansoori.

Given that most institutions are resuming remote learning in the new academic year, Al Man-soori said that online learning is a concept that dates back to 2000. In fact, most universities today employ so-called “learning management systems” and have capitalised on these systems to ensure the continuity of the edu-cational process since the out-break of the pandemic.

“The availability of video conferencing tools such as “Zoom” and “Google” and “Meeting” as well as interactive educational platform such a Google for Education and Office 365 has eased access to learning resources and shattered geo-graphic limitations,” he said.

“But challenges persist par-ticularly when it comes to read-iness of both teachers and stu-dents to engage in an interactive two-way learning process,” he added.

To mention, QCDC has already launched online the latest edition of ‘My Career — My Future’ programme for high school students. The programme, consisted of six dialogue sessions, streamed live via Instagram with the participation of people from different professions and disciplines.

“As part of the programme, guests interacted online with stu-dents, elaborating on their pro-fession and academic back-ground before taking questions from participants to familiarise with career tracks and in-demand jobs in the Qatari labour market to help them make informed plans to bolster their academic and career prospects,” said Al Mansoori.

Abdulla Al Mansoori

Ashghal begins project to develop Al Meshaf South

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has announced the commencement of the Roads and Infrastructure Project in Al Meshaf South (Package 7), which aims to develop roads and infrastructure services in the area. The project is located northwest of Al Janoub Stadium and west of the southern part of Doha Expressway.

Engineer Ali Ahmad Al Ansari, Project Engineer in the Southern Areas Projects Section at the Roads Projects Department at Ashghal, said that package seven of the project serves 1,389 residential plots in Al Meshaf South, and provides an integrated roads network with a total length of 24.8km, for the purpose of enhancing the traffic flow and providing connectivity with

public facilities that will be estab-lished in the area in the future, such as schools, mosques, com-mercial complexes and youth centres.

Engineer Al Ansari explained that the project will provide traffic safety elements such as street lighting systems and poles, directional signs and road

marking, in addition to providing 1,690 car parking bays and 41km of pedestrian and cycle paths. This is in addition to the development of 20km of sewage network, 22.8km of surface and ground-water drainage network, and 8.5km of Treated Sewage Effluent (TSE) network.

In addition, new sewage pipelines along with a new system to ensure the flow distri-bution will be provided and connected with Qatar’s main sewage network to provide proper protection for the entire area against flooding during the rainy season.

The project construction works are divided into three geo-graphical zones which will be carried out successively. It is planned that all project works are

scheduled to be completed in Q4 of 2022. In the context of Ash-ghal’s support for local manufac-turers and Ta’heel initiative launched by the authority in 2017, most of the project works will rely on local materials and manufacturers, bringing the local component in the project to 85 percent of the total used materials.

These materials include ele-ments such as gabbro, lumi-naires, lighting poles, directional signs, sewage, surface water and rain water drainage pipes, asphalt and prefabricated man-holes, in addition to concrete and rebar. The project is being imple-mented by Petroserv Limited / Roadbridge Joint Venture, at a cost of approximately QR422m. It is one of the projects of Ash-ghal’s Local Areas Infrastructure Programme, which includes a number of development projects distributed over all areas of the country.

QRCS, UNHCR provide medical support for Al Jomhouri Hospital in Sana'a

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) is working with the United Nations High Commis-sioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to back the health sector of Yemen. Recently, the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Al Jomhouri University Hospital in Sanaa was provided with fully-equipped medical beds.

Under the Refugee Health Care Support Project in the Amanat Al Asimah Gover-norate, 28 medical beds were procured at a total cost of $109,200 to meet the urgent needs of the hospital.

An official delegation from UNHCR and QRCS’s represen-tation mission in Yemen visited the hospital to discuss the latest provisions and further fur-nishing to inaugurate the ICU department.

They promised to continue to support the hospital with medical equipment in order to serve the refugee community and population of Sanaa as part of QRCS’s ongoing health oper-ations in the country.

Dr. Muthar Murshid, Chairman of the Al Jomhouri Hospital, gratefully thanked QRCS and UNHCR for providing the hospital with high-tech medical equipment, including the new beds, with vital signs monitors to be supplied later this month to the ICU department.

“This is a significant addition to the hospital, helping to meet the increasing pressure due to receiving critical cases and enhance the quality of services,” said Dr. Murshid. We hope for more assistance in providing Yemen’s hospitals with medical equipment and supplies to improve health care performance and outcomes at public health facilities,” said Dr. Muthar Murshid.

Dr. Mohamed Al Jaloud, Health Officer at UNHCR’s country office, emphasised the importance of partnership with QRCS for providing the health

facilities with the much-needed equipment, amid adverse con-ditions where the health authorities are unable to offer even the least services.

Dr. Hamza Al Shaibani, the project manager at QRCS’s mission said: “We are satisfied with the outcomes of the project, co-implemented by QRCS and UNHCR. It is an emergency support that took much time and effort to procure these beds as the global demand skyrocketed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Today, we are gratified to see this hap-pening, especially as there is a dire need to meet the numbers of care seekers.”

According to the hospital’s statistics centre, the new ICU department is estimated to receive 280 cases per month, or 3,360 per year. The new sup-plies will meet that demand by expanding the hospital’s capacity.

A representative of QRCS is setting medical beds at Al Jomhouri University Hospital, in Sana'a, Yemen.

MoPH: 234 morerecoveries, 211new virus casesTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) yesterday announced the registration of 211 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country. Another 234 people have recovered from the virus, bringing the total number of recovered cases in Qatar to 115,251.

Engineer Al Ansari explained that the project will provide traffic safety elements such as street lighting systems and poles, directional signs and road marking, in addition to providing 1,690 car parking bays and 41km of pedestrian and cycle paths. This is in addition to the development of 20km of sewage network, 22.8km of surface and groundwater drainage network, and 8.5km of Treated Sewage Effluent network.

New scheduled action plan to remove abandoned vehiclesTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Joint Committee for Removing Abandoned Vehicle has released a new scheduled action plan to remove abandoned vehicles from all eight municipalities.

The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Head of the Joint Committee for Removing Abandoned Vehicle, Brigadier Ali Salman Al Hasan Al Muhannadi, following a ministerial decision No. 187 of 2020 to restructure the committee, said the Ministry of Municipality and Environment in a statement.

As per the action plan, a cam-paign to remove abandoned vehicles will begin in Al Daayen Municipality on September 4 like what is going on in Al Khor and Al Zakhira, Al Rayan and Doha municipalities.

On September 9, a campaign will begin in Umm Salal Munici-pality to remove the abandoned vehicles. Afterwards, a week-long campaign will be conducted in Al Shamal Municipality to remove abandoned vehicles.

The similar campaigns will be launched in Al Sheehaniya and Al Wakra municipalities in Sep-tember and October respectively. The regular campaigns will be conducted for a week in each municipality to remove the aban-doned vehicles as per the new plan.

The committee will revise the action plan in middle of October till year-end to make the nec-essary changes if needed. .Head of the Committee Brigadier Ali Salman Al Hasan Al Muhannadi stressed on intensifying efforts to remove the abandoned vehicles

to put an end on the phenomena of abandoned vehicles across the country.

The vehicle owners have been asked to not occupy footpath and parking with abandoned vehicles. The com-mittee urged people to report about abandoned vehicles through hot-line No. 33238885.

The new scheduled action plan of Joint Committee for Removing Abandoned Vehicles for municipalities are as follow: Al Khor and Al Zakhira Municipality from August 26 to September 3, 2020; Al Daayen Municipality from September 4 to 11; Umm Salal Municipality from September 12 to 19; Al Shamal Municipality from September 20 to 27; Al Sheehaniya Municipality from September 28 to October 5; Al Wakra Munici-pality from October 6 to 13.

“The digital revolution has put at our disposal a wealth of resources to equip students with the skills and tools to make informed academic and career choices, which will ultimately contribute to creating a ‘safety net’ of qualified professionals to address challenges in times of crisis. This has been evident in the healthcare industry, which was at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19,” said Abdulla Al Mansoori, Director, Qatar Career Development Centre.

Under the Refugee Health Care Support Project in the Amanat Al Asimah Governorate, 28 medical beds were procured at a total cost of $109,200 to meet the urgent needs of the hospital.

Four arrested for violating home quarantine

FROM PAGE 1

The violators are currently being referred to prosecution. The authorities concerned called on citizens and residents under home quarantine to fully commit to the Ministry of Public Health’s conditions, to ensure their safety and the safety of others.

Anyone who violates the conditions is subject to the penalties stated in article no. 253 of criminal law no. 11 of 2014, the provisions of law no. 17 of 1990 on protection from infectious diseases, and law no. 17 of 2002 on protecting society.

A view of Al Khaleej Street after opening of both sides for traffic. ABDUL BASIT/THE PENINSULA

Traffic opens at Al Khaleej Street

04 SUNDAY 30 AUGUST 2020HOME

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Qatar-Kyrgyzstan ties reach new level: AmbassadorIRFAN BUKHARI THE PENINSULA

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plen-ipotentiary of the Kyrgyz Republic to Qatar H E Chyngyz Eshimbekov has said that the private sector of the Kyrgyz Republic and Qatar can be a powerful driver for enhancing bilateral trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian relations.

In an interview with The Peninsula on the eve of 29th anniversary of inde-pendence of the Kyrgyz Republic, which will be celebrated tomorrow (August 31), the Ambassador said that ties between the Kyrgyz Republic and Qatar are traditionally characterised as fraternal and friendly.

“Ties between our peoples have developed for a long time, in par-ticular, our ancestors actively traded with each other through the Great Silk Road. But, our countries, as modern states, started formal relations from March 3, 1998, when they signed the protocol on establishing the diplo-matic ties. From that time, relations between the two countries have reached a new level and have been marked by active mutual contacts and bilateral events.”

He said that over the years, the necessary legal basis for bilateral rela-tions had been formed with the signing of 19 different agreements.

Regarding bilateral trade rela-tions, the Ambassador said that despite the fact that Kyrgyzstan and Qatar have been successfully

developing bilateral cooperation for over twenty years, bilateral trade rela-tions were still at a developing stage.

“Kyrgyzstan is known for its high-quality, environmentally friendly agri-cultural products, including vegetables and fruits, meat and dairy products and honey. The economy of Kyr-gyzstan is in great need of foreign investment as it has huge tourism potential,” H E Eshimbekov said.

“For several years now, Kyr-gyzstan has been successfully exporting Kyrgyz mountain honey to Qatar, which has deservedly won high popularity among Qataris due to its unsurpassed qualities. Also in Qatari

shops, you can find some Kyrgyz dried fruits. For its part, Kyrgyzstan is ready to buy goods that are produced in Qatar,” he said.

The Ambassador said that bilateral cooperation in the tourism industry is gradually increasing.

“Kyrgyzstan has become a favoured country for hundreds of Qataris who regularly visit for recre-ation and tourism. Taking this into account, a visa-free regime has been introduced in Kyrgyzstan for citizens of Qatar,” he added.

“I am very impressed by Qatar, where a lot is being done to develop tourism. And my country, Kyrgyzstan,

also strives to keep up with the times and is actively developing the tourism sector. I am sure that our ties in this direction will be strengthened and developed, there is great mutual potential in this sector.”

When asked about plans to sign agreements or memorandum of understanding in the near future, the Ambassador said: “Sure. Our parties are ready to sign a number of important agreements in the fields of finance, sports, healthcare, agri-culture and justice. I hope by signing these agreements we will create even more favourable conditions for mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation.

“At the same time, we put the main priority in the development of coop-eration in the private sector. We believe that the private sector can be a powerful driver for enhancing our trade, economic, cultural and human-itarian relations.”

On Qatar’s preparation to host 2022 FIFA World Cup, he said that the World Cup will be held for the first time in an Arab country. “This is a well-deserved victory not only for the Qataris, but also for the entire Arab community. I am sure the Qatar World Cup will remain an unforgettable event in history.”

On Qatar’s initiatives for workers welfare, the Ambassador said: “The Ministry of Administrative Devel-opment, Labour and Social Affairs of Qatar works very quickly and effi-ciently in this direction, all issues are

resolved quickly and without bureaucracy in the interests of the employee."

“I am confident that such a pro-gressive approach will allow a free flow of new labour resources into the country, which will certainly affect the success of Qatar’s economic development.”

On Qatar’s handling of COVID-19 crisis, he said that the Qatari expe-rience of action is valuable and exem-plary for all.

“Qatar in this situation has shown the highest level of self-organisation and self-mobilisation. We are delighted with the calm and com-petent work of the government, the Ministry of Public Health, doctors, vol-unteers, the Ministry of Interior and the media.”

He said that Qatar quickly imple-mented the mobile application ‘Ehteraz’, which allowed constant monitoring of the main sources of the spread of COVID-19 and promptly took the necessary measures against them.

“As a result, Qatar has the lowest death rate from COVID-19,” he noted.

The Ambassador said that Qatar once again showed its true leadership qualities in the world community towards the global threats of the COVID-19 pandemic, provided enormous financial and humanitarian assistance to the world community, including the Kyrgyz Republic.

“The Kyrgyz people will never forget this fraternal help,” he added.

Qatar National Library takes part in Europe’s first virtual Arabic book fairTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar National Library is partici-pating in Europe’s first Arabic book fair, held via the European virtual platform specialising in Arabic book exhibits with 2D, 3D, from August 20 till September 4.

The Arabic Book Fair in the EU is the first of its kind to take place entirely virtually, organised by pub-lishers Nordk Digital World and Dar Lusail Publishing in collaboration with the Arabiskabazar.se website, which sells Arabic books to the European market.

Qatar National Library’s involvement in the cultural pro-gramme that is held on the side lines of the Fair will include a lecture, revealing its efforts to support the preservation of documentary her-itage, looking at future projects in countering the trafficking and illegal circulation of heritage items in the Middle East and North Africa region and neighbouring countries.

Staff from the Library is also offering delegates information on Qatar Digital Library, a lecture on Qatari history, as well as a story-telling session from the Children and Young Adults team.

The Fair is taking place in virtual environment, allowing visitors to roam between participating pub-lishing houses, displaying over 27,000 books. It encourages intel-lectual diversity between East and West, featuring distinguished guests from Sweden, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Algeria, Morocco, Turkey, Netherlands, and Britain, besides Qatar.

The cultural programme features lectures by Arab writers, authors and thinkers, in addition to seminars on translation and publishing and ways to activate cooperation between the Arab region and Europe with regard to Arab culture. It also features sem-inars on the importance and mech-anisms of teaching Arabic to children in Europe.

Representatives from Qatar

National Library at the event include Maryam Al Mutawa, Head of Col-lection Access, Distinctive Col-lection; Ebrahim Al Bishri, Senior Information Services Librarian; Haya Alsheeb, Information Services Librarian; Maryam Al Khalosi, Infor-mation Services Librarian; Maha Al Naimi, Information Services Librarian, History and Philosophy; and Maxim Nasra, Book Conser-vation Specialist.

Amani Saleh Alyafei, Head of Science at Qatar National Library, said, “We are delighted to play a key role in this one-of-a-kind event. The Arabic Book Fair in EU features a distinguished cultural programme in partnership with a whole host of important research centres, spe-cialised institutions and other Arab

book fairs. “Qatar National Library facilitates

knowledge acquisition by safe-guarding the past, embracing the present, and helping to define the future. Being a part of such a dynamic event using the latest modern tech-nology is vital — as is our support for initiatives which reveal Arab culture to European audiences and encourage intellectual diversity wherever possible,” she said.

Thousands of titles for hundreds of Arab publishing houses are available to virtual visitors. The Fair supports the spread of Arab culture in Europe, including the launch of a coveted prize for Arab young writers in Europe, as well as a number of initiatives on book publishing and distribution in Europe.

A view of Qatar National Library.

Ooredoo confirms network efficiency in preparation for back to schoolTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar’s leading telecommunications operator has confirmed its network is ready to cope with continued demand for efficiency as Qatar prepares for schools to reopen.

With 30 percent of lessons being offered physically in schools and 70 percent being offered via remote learning, demands on Ooredoo’s Supernet are expected to remain at the much-increased levels seen during lockdown. As citizens and residents stayed home to stay safe, Ooredoo saw a much greater number of voice calls with each call lasting twice as long, an 11,000 percent increase in video calls and a 3,500 percent growth in online learning sessions.

In response to the phenomenal demand, the operator facilitated network upgrades and capacity boosts at hundreds of sites across the country to cope with the demand for more and longer voice calls, while internet speeds were doubled, free of charge, across homes and businesses so cus-tomers could stay connected, informed and entertained. Engineers worked around the clock to ensure a reliable network for the millions of group video calls, and networks were optimised in order for educational establishments

to continue providing lessons to the many students learning from home.

The telecoms operator has con-firmed that all steps were taken during lockdown to ensure network per-formance, efficiency and reliability will continue as the country moves towards a return to normal.

Sabah Rabiah Al Kuwari, Director PR at Ooredoo, said: “After a challenging few months, we’re delighted to be moving towards what will be our new normal for the time being.

We’re sure our young people are looking forward to getting back to edu-cation, and we’re looking forward to leveraging our technology and network capabilities to support educational establishments and parents as they create this new blended learning environment.”

The Arabic Book Fair in the EU is the first of its kind to take place entirely virtually, organised by publishers Nordk Digital World and Dar Lusail Publishing in collaboration with the Arabiskabazar.se website, which sells Arabic books to the European market.

Qatari Calendar application witnesses huge popularityTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Qatari Calendar application was down-loaded over 50,000 times via Android and Apple phones, within few days of its launch.

The Qatar Calendar House launched a few days ago the new application on the Android and Apple platforms to deliver its message to the largest number of audiences, to improve its services, and keep pace with the new digital rev-olution in phones and online applications.

Faisal Mohammed Al Ansari, Executive Director of Sheikh Abdullah Al Ansari Complex, said that the upcoming Qatari Calendar appli-cation updates will witness substantial improve-ments that take into account correcting the errors of the first version.

Al Ansari pointed to the great support and active contribution from a group of social media influencers and their role in the spread of the application in a short time.

Kyrgyzstan has become a favoured country for hundreds of Qataris who regularly visit for recreation and tourism. Taking this into account, a visa-free regime has been introduced in Kyrgyzstan for citizens of Qatar. I am very impressed by Qatar, where a lot is being done to develop tourism. And my country, Kyrgyzstan, also strives to keep up with the times and is actively developing the tourism sector.

H E Chyngyz Eshimbekov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kyrgyz Republic to Qatar

The telecoms operator has confirmed that all steps were taken during lockdown to ensure network performance, efficiency and reliability will continue as the country moves towards a return to normal.

05SUNDAY 30 AUGUST 2020 MIDDLE EAST

UN Council approves cut in Lebanon peacekeepersAP — UNITED NATIONS

The UN Security Council unani-mously approved a resolution cutting the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon and expanding its mandate to address US and Israeli concerns about activities of the militant group Hezbollah in the area.

The French-drafted reso-lution reduced the troop ceiling for the force, known as UNIFIL, from 15,000 to 13,000 under US pressure. And it also made another concession to the Trump administration and close ally Israel.

It calls on the Lebanese gov-ernment to facilitate “prompt and full access” to sites requested by UN peacekeepers for investi-gation, including tunnels crossing the UN-drawn Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel. And it urges freedom of movement and unimpeded access for peacekeepers to all parts of the Blue Line, and condemns “in the strongest terms” all attempts to restrict UN troop movements and attacks on mission personnel.

Israel has repeatedly accused Hezbollah, which is backed by its greatest foe Iran, of impeding UNIFIL peacekeepers from car-rying out their mandate, a view strongly backed by the Trump administration.

The resolution gives the United States a symbolic victory, but it almost certainly will also be welcomed by many countries that view UNIFIL as critical to maintaining peace in the volatile region and strongly support its

current mandate which is largely maintained for another year.

“Today we halt a long period of Council complacency on UNIFIL and the growing and destabilisng influence of Iran and its client, the terrorist organisation Hezbollah,” US Ambassador Kelly Craft said in a statement after the vote. “The Trump Administration is deeply concerned these last years about UNIFIL’s overall inability to contain the Hezbollah menace.

“We are not going to allow this to stand,” she said. “The Council must join us in con-fronting this.”

Kraft urged the UN with “seize the tools” in the resolution and that Lebanon’s government will redouble efforts to ensure that UNIFIL can discharge its mandate.

“If, however, today’s action does not trigger necessary improvements, including improved access for UNIFIL and steps to diminish the vast and growing Hezbollah arsenal of weapons, council members must

be prepared to take further action when the mandate comes up for renewal next year,” she warned.

Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan went further, calling the resolution “a last warning” for Lebanon’s government and declaring that it “will be held responsible and will bear full responsibility for any escalation of tensions or the grave conse-quences of such actions” if Hez-bollah continues turning southern Lebanon “into a base for its terrorist activity under UNIFIL’s nose.”

Erdan said Israel will respond “with force” to any terrorist attacks from Lebanese territory.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 15 members of the council voted by e-mail, with a Friday deadline. Soon after, the Security Council president, Indo-nesia’s UN Ambassador Dian Tri-ansyah Djani, sent a letter to council members, saying “the draft resolution received 15 votes in favour ... (and) has been adopted as resolution 2539.”

While the resolution reduces the troop ceiling from 15,000 to 13,000, it will not require any cuts in the current peacekeeping force. That’s because UNIFIL’s current strength is about 10,250 troops, well below the ceiling.

The US envoy, called the reduction “an important step toward right-sizing a mission that has for years been over-resourced given the limits on its freedom of movement and access.”

Seven still missing after Beirut blast: ArmyAFP — BEIRUT

The Lebanese army said yesterday that seven people, including at least three Lebanese nationals, remained missing after an August 4 blast at Beirut port that left at least 188 dead.

“Search and rescue opera-tions will not stop until the missing are found,” said army spokesman Elias Aad during a press conference.

There are still “seven missing people: three Lebanese nationals whose relatives have submitted DNA samples, three Syrian nationals and one Egyptian national,” he told reporters.

The army spokesman said the figure was compiled from data submitted by the country’s Internal Security Forces, in coordination with the Red Cross.

The ISF last week said it had identified the remains of 33 people who had gone missing following the explosion.

The health ministry said yesterday the death toll from the blast had climbed to 188.

The explosion of a huge stockpile of ammonium nitrate fertiliser in the port of Beirut also injured at least 6,500 people and left tens of thousands more homeless, piling new misery on the city

after months of economic crisis and the coronavirus pandemic.

An estimated 300,000 people including around 100,000 children, whose homes were damaged or destroyed in the blast, face a lack of access to critical safe water and sanitation services, Unicef warned on Friday.

“As COVID-19 cases con-tinue to surge, it is more critical than ever to ensure that children and families whose lives were turned upside down by the explosion have access to safe water and sanitation,” said Unicef Lebanon Representative Yukie Mokuo.

Istanbul to limit indoor gatherings over COVID-19ANATOLIA — ANKARA

The Istanbul governor’s office yesterday issued a statement titled “Pandemic Measures for Weddings in Istanbul”, banning some indoor gatherings as of Monday.

According to the statement, some events and gatherings including engagement cere-monies, and similar activities will not be allowed in any indoor areas as part of new measures to stem the spread of the virus.

At the wedding and cer-emony halls , seating

arrangements should not exceed one-third of the total capacity, in accordance with social distancing measures, said the statement.

Under the new regulations, no food or drinks will be served at these events while citizens aged 65 and over as well as children under the age of 15 —unless they are first- or second-degree relatives to the bride or groom — are not allowed to attend such occasions.

The new regulations will become effective tomorrow at 8am local time.

Turkey on Friday confirmed

1,517 new cases of the novel coronavirus, bringing the nationwide tally to 265,515.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced the number of recoveries reached 241,809.

Citing the ministry data, Koca said that 1,017 additional patients recovered from COVID-19, while the death toll rose to 6,245 as 36 more people lost their lives to the disease.

The coronavirus pandemic has claimed nearly 838,000 lives in 188 countries and regions since it originated in China last December.

UAE scraps Israel boycott in new step towards normal tiesREUTERS — DUBAI

The president of the United Arab Emirates scrapped an economic boycott against Israel, allowing trade and financial agreements between the countries in another key step towards normal ties, the UAE’s state news agency reported yesterday.

Israel and the UAE said on August 13 they would nor-malise diplomatic relations in a deal brokered by US Pres-ident Donald Trump that reshapes the order of Middle East politics from the Pales-tinian issue to the fight against Iran.

President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a decree abolishing a boycott law as part of “the UAE’s efforts to expand diplomatic and commercial cooperation with Israel, leading to bilateral relations by stimulating eco-nomic growth and promoting technological innovation,” the WAM news agency said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said the UAE had taken “an important step towards peace, which will yield substantial economic and commercial achieve-ments for both people while strengthening the stability in the region.”

The announcement came as Israeli flag carrier El Al Israel Airlines Ltd prepared to operate the country’s first

direct flight between Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport and the UAE’s capital, Abu Dhabi.

An Israeli government del-egation and top aides to Trump, including his senior adviser Jared Kushner, are due to travel on the flight on August 31, a US official confirmed.

Before the deal can be officially signed, details must be agreed on issues such as the opening of embassies, trade and travel links.

Israel’s Channel 13 TV said bilateral trade could initially be worth $4bn a year, a figure it said could soon be tripled or quadrupled. Government officials did not immediately confirm that estimate.

Israeli Agriculture Minister Alon Schuster said Israel was working on potential joint projects that could help improve the oil-rich Gulf nation’s food security, such as water desalination and crop cultivation in the desert.

“With their money and our experience, we could go a long way,” he told Tel Aviv radio station 102 FM in an interview on Friday.

Officials from the two countries recently said they were looking at cooperation in defence, medicine, tourism and technology.

The decree announced yesterday means that UAE cit-izens and businesses will be free to do business with Israel.

A 96-year-old Hasibe Yavuz (foreground) is being discharged from the Ankara City Hospital after recovering from novel coronavirus, in Ankara, yesterday.

Workers remove the rubble beneath a partially-destroyed traditional Lebanese building in the Gemmayzeh neighbourhood of Beirut, in the aftermath of the devastating port blast.

The French-drafted resolution reduced UNIFIL from 15,000 to 13,000 under US pressure. And it also made another concession to the Trump administration and close ally Israel.

1,281 suspectsheld in raidsacross TurkeyANATOLIA — ANKARA

At least 1,281 suspects were nabbed in simultaneous oper-ations across Turkey over the past 24 hours, the Interior Ministry said yesterday.

In a statement, the min-istry said 63,591 security per-sonnel were part of the “Turkey Peace Security” oper-ations carried out in different areas of the country.

It added that search oper-ations were carried out at shopping malls, abandoned buildings, fair grounds, event and entertainment venues, bus terminals and other public transport stations, piers and ports, routes leading to air-ports, internet cafes, and other public places. Along with the suspects arrested for various crimes, 24 missing persons, two of them children, were also recovered in the operations.

At least 45 unlicenced handguns, 15 unlicenced shotguns, 18 blank firing guns, and 704 bullets were seized.

Security forces also recovered 22,675 grams of marijuana, nearly 50 grams of heroin, 14 grams of cocaine, 653 grams of the synthetic drug called bonsai, 3,000 grams of methamphetamine, 1,382 root cannabis, 942 ecstasy pills, 312 synthetic drugs, smuggled cig-arettes and tobacco.

Syrian oppn urges major powers to back nationwide ceasefireREUTERS — GENEVA

The main Syrian opposition called on major powers yesterday to help clinch a nationwide ceasefire in coming months to pave the way for a political transition after nearly a decade of war.

Hadi Al Bahra, the Syrian oppo-sition co-chair of the Syrian Consti-tutional Committee, was speaking to reporters in Geneva after week-long UN-sponsored talks.

The 45-member committee composed of representatives of the government, opposition and civil society, has a mandate to draw up a new Constitution leading to UN-supervised elections.

UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen said that there were “many areas of disagreement”, but also “quite a few areas of commonalities”. “My hope is with continued calm on the

ground...we will also see some progress,” he told a briefing.

Pedersen, referring to a ceasefire brokered by Turkey and Russia in March in the last remaining rebel-held bastion of Idlib in northwest Syria, said it was “by and large holding” despite violations.

Bahra said that as long as there was no nationwide ceasefire, the political process would remain stalled.

It was the responsibility of the international community and coun-tries supporting either warring side to push for a full and permanent

ceasefire, he said.“When we see that happen we

will see the political process moving faster, because all sides they will know that there is no way for them to achieve a final victory on military terms,” he said.

Troops from the United States, Russia, and Turkey as well as Iranian militias are present in Syria, Bahra said. “They will not permit any victory for any one side. My expec-tation is that within the coming months we will see a complete, comprehensive ceasefire through all of Syria, that then we will see more international effort to move the political process forward to make it move faster,” he added.

Ahmad Kuzbari, the Syrian gov-ernment co-chair, did not speak to reporters. No date was announced for the next round.

A file photo of UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, and Hadi Al Bahra, co-chair for the Syrian opposition, attend the first meeting of the new Syrian Constitutional Committee at the United Nations in Geneva.

Hadi Al Bahra said that as long as there was no nationwide ceasefire, the political process would remain stalled.

06 SUNDAY 30 AUGUST 2020MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Protest in Mauritius overdead dolphins, oil spillAP — JOHANNESBURG

Honking and drumming, tens of thousands of people protested yesterday in Mauritius over the government’s slow response to an oil spill from a grounded Japanese ship and the alarming discovery of dozens of dead dolphins in recent days.

The protesters displayed signs such as “You have no shame” and “I’ve seen better Cabinets at IKEA.” “Inaction,” one protester scrawled on an inflatable dolphin held above the crowd.

They marched peacefully through the capital, Port Louis, a month after the ship struck a coral reef off the Indian Ocean island nation. It later cracked under the pounding surf and spilled around 1,000 tons of fuel oil into fragile marine areas.

“It’s clear we are at a turning point in the history of our country,” a commentary in the Le Mauricien newspaper said. Other protests were reported outside the Mauritius High Commission in London and in Paris and Perth, Australia.

Addressing the crowd in

Port Louis, some speakers called for top officials to step down. There was no immediate government comment.

“I’d be surprised if it’s not close to 100,000” people who attended the march, local writer Khalil Cassimally said. Public demonstrations aren’t common in Mauritius, but “one of the things that really binds people together is the sea,” he said. “It’s one of the jewels of this country, and everyone feels very pas-sionately about this.”

Another protest is planned on September 12 in Mahebourg, one of the most affected coastal villages, Cassimally said.

Mauritius depends heavily

on tourism, and the spill has been a severe blow on top of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, which has limited international travel.

Authorities on Friday said at least 39 dead dolphins have washed ashore but it’s not yet clear what killed them. The gov-ernment said no fuel oil was found in two necropsies so far and called the deaths a “sad coincidence.”

Civil society groups should be present as necropsies con-tinue, and independent experts should give a second opinion, local environmental group Eco-Sud said Friday.

Some experts fear water-soluble chemicals in the fuel are to blame.

“Something that is also con-cerning is that we don’t know the possible long-term effects. The oil is a new low-sulfur fuel oil that is being introduced to reduce air pollution,” Jacqueline Sauzier with the Mauritius Marine Conservation Society told the journal Nature this week. “This is the first time that type of oil has spilled, so there have been no long-term studies

on the impacts.”Residents and environmen-

talists have demanded investi-gations into why the MV Wakashio strayed miles off course. Its captain and first officer have been arrested and charged with “endangering safe navigation.”

The ship ran aground on July 25 and began leaking fuel Aug. 6 into the Mahebourg Lagoon, fouling a protected wetlands

area and a small island that was a bird and wildlife sanctuary.

Thousands of civilian vol-unteers worked for days to try to minimize the damage, cre-ating makeshift oil barriers by stuffing fabric bags with sugar cane leaves and empty plastic bottles to keep them afloat. Environmental workers care-fully ferried dozens of baby tor-toises and rare plants to shore, plucking some trapped seabirds

out of the goo.Meanwhile, Prime Minister

Pravind Jugnauth blamed bad weather for the government’s slow response. Experts from ship owner Nagashiki Shipping, France and the United Nations have since arrived at the scene, and multiple investigations are underway.

The ship’s remaining fuel was pumped out before the vessel finally split in two.

A placard reads “PRA-20 OUT”, means (Prime Mnister) Pravin out, is seen as people protest against the government’s response to the oil spill disaster, in Port Louis, on the island of Mauritius, yesterday.

Mali junta postpones transfer of powers meetingAFP — BAMAKO

Mali’s military junta yesterday postponed the first meeting on the transfer of power after rising tensions with the group that sparked the August 18 coup.

The junta had invited civic groups, political organisations and former rebels to consulta-tions yesterday, but said in a statement that the meeting was postponed at the last minute to a later date due to “organisa-tional reasons”.

A protest coalition that had campaigned against former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the June 5 Movement, was not invited to the meeting and accused the new military

rulers of trying to hijack the coup.

The group has demanded that the military junta give it a role in the transition to civilian rule, in keeping with its role in spearheading Keita’s ouster. The military has promised to do so, though without a timetable.

“We state with bitterness that this junta which had sparked hope in the hearts of all Malians... is in the process of drifting away from the people,” said Tahirou Bah, from the Espoir Malikoura association, one of the pillars of the June 5 movement.

The June 5 movement said they had been summoned later Saturday to the Kati military

barracks near the capital to meet with the junta leaders.

After an escalating series of mass protests, young army officers mutinied on August 18, seizing Keita and other leaders and declaring they now gov-erned the country.

The coup shocked Mali’s West African neighbours and ally France, heightening worries over instability in a country already struggling with an Islamist insurgency, ethnic vio-lence and economic malaise.

Mali’s influential imam Mahmoud Dicko, a key player in the mass opposition protests that led to Keita’s ouster, said Friday that the new military rulers did not have “carte blanche”.

“We will not give a blank cheque to anyone to run this country, that’s over,” he said.

“We led the fight,” he said. “People have died and the sol-diers who have completed (this fight) must keep their word.”

Dicko’s spokesman Issa Kaou Djim later expanded on this, saying the imam “said the people have started to doubt” the junta.

“A revolution cannot be confiscated by a group of sol-diers,” he said.

His comments came as a new document published on the Malian government’s Official Journal said the junta’s head had been effectively invested with the powers of head of state.

West African leaders on Friday demanded an immediate civilian transition and elections within 12 months, as they con-sidered sanctions.

The West African regional bloc ECOWAS closed its borders with Mali after the coup, banning trade and financial flows as it demanded the release of Keita and other detained officials.

Keita, 75, was elected in 2013 as a unifying figure in a fractured country and was returned in 2018 for a second five-year term.

But his popularity crashed as he failed to counter the raging jihadist insurgency and brake Mali’s downward eco-nomic spiral.

Libya unity govt names new defence officials

2 South African police officersarrested for teen’s murderAFP — JOHANNESBURG

Two South African police officers have been arrested for murder following the gunning down earlier this week of a disabled teenager in a Johannesburg suburb, a police watchdog has said.

Nathaniel Julius, a 16-year-old with Down syndrome, was shot dead on Wednesday night in Eldorado Park, a township ravaged by drugs and crime.

His family said he was out to buy biscuits from a shop when he was shot by police on patrol.

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) said that “after careful consideration of the evidence at hand” it decided to detain two police officers implicated in the shooting.

“The pair will be charged with murder,” said the IPID in a statement released late Friday night.

The killing sparked violent protests in the township and forced President Cyril Ramaphosa to appeal for calm.

The family alleged police opened fire on the teenager after he failed to respond to questions due to his disability.

Mauritius depends heavily on tourism, and the spill has been a severe blow on top of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, which has limited international travel.

AFP — TRIPOLI

The head of Libya’s unity government yesterday appointed a new defence minister and army chief, after days of protests against poor public services and living conditions.

The decrees followed the announcement hours earlier by Libya’s UN-recognised Gov-ernment of National Accord (GNA) that it had suspended its interior minister after militia gunmen fired on peaceful dem-onstrators last week.

GNA chief Fayez Al Sarraj promoted deputy and acting defence minister Salah Eddine Al Namrush to the ministry’s top job and appointed General Mohammad Ali Al Haddad as head of the army.

Haddad hails from Misrata, 200km east of Tripoli, the home of powerful armed groups that

have fought on the side of the GNA in the battle against eastern-based military strongman Khalifa Haftar, who tried to seize the capital last year.

The appointments come days after Sarraj announced a government reshuffle in response to growing popular discontent in Tripoli and other western Libyan cities under its control.

Hundreds of demonstrators staged rallies from Sunday in Tripoli against corruption and extended shortages of power, water and fuel in the oil-rich North African country. Gunmen fired on crowds on several occasions.

In response, the GNA said Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha “has been tempo-rarily suspended” pending an inquiry “on his statements about the protests and incidents

in Tripoli and other cities”.Bashagha, who was visiting

the GNA’s main backer Turkey, said in a statement posted on the interior ministry’s Facebook page early yesterday that he was ready to submit to an investigation.

But he demanded any hearing be broadcast live for the sake of transparency.

Upon his return to Tripoli yesterday evening, Bashagha told a crowd of supporters at the Mitiga airport: “I am ready to be questioned. I have nothing to hide.”

“Everyday life in Libya is painful,” he said, blaming hard-ships in the country on “cor-ruption in all sectors”.

A police marching band, security forces commanders and supporters of the sus-pended interior minister had thronged the airport for his return home.

Libya’s suspended Interior Minister Fathi Bachagha (centre) poses for a picture upon his arrival at Mitiga International Airport, east of Tripoli, yesterday.

Boko Haram kill two, kidnap two in northeast Nigeria

AFP — KANO

Boko Haram militants on horseback killed two men and seized two others when they attacked farmers outside Maiduguri city in northeast Nigeria, anti-militant militia said yesterday.

The insurgents rode into fields in Alau village on Friday, seizing four farmers, hacking two to death and kidnapping the others after inflicting machete cuts on them, the sources said.

“We recovered the bodies of the two slain farmers, bearing deep machete wounds to the head and torso,” mili-tiaman Mohammed Bukar said.

“Farmers who escaped the assault said two others were injured and abducted by the attackers,” Bukar added yesterday.

The farmers were from a displaced camp on the out-skirts of the city who grow crops in the village, said militia leader Babakura Kolo, con-firming the death toll.

Around two million people have been displaced by the decade-long militant conflict. Many now live in camps where they rely on food and human-itarian assistance from aid agencies.

Some people have turned to felling trees from the sur-rounding bushland to sell as firewood to make money to buy extra provision while others engage in subsistence farming in nearby fields.

SA bikers ride against farm violenceAFP — PRETORIA

Thousands of South African bikers rode to the seat of government in Pretoria yesterday to protest against farm attacks and racism.

Estimated at more than 5,000, some wore t-shirts, jackets and face masks with messages denouncing farm violence.

“If there is no justice for farmers there will be no peace for the government,” read one placard stuck to steel fence.

Similar protests were staged in various other towns and cities.

“The state has to declare that farm murders are a priority and realise that racism doesn’t only affect blacks, but whites too,” protest coordinator Frikkie Geyser, 60, said.

A 57-year-old protester Brandus van Jaarsveld declared: “We can’t even lose one more farmer”.

“There are too many farm murders and all lives matter, and the murders have to stop,”

said biker Micheline Botha during the protest.

AfriForum, a pressure group that advocates on behalf of the country’s nine-percent-strong white population, said 216 attacks have been recorded so far this year, 26 of which were murders.

The group said the assaults

and murders are not only tar-geting whites, but also black people and Indians.

Attacks dropped drastically during the first few months of the country’s coronavirus lockdown due to restricted movement, but from June the assaults spiked, according to farmers.

A private traffic postmen directs Bikers United Against Farm Murders and Racism towards the Union Buildings to protest against farm murder and racism in Pretoria, yesterday.

07SUNDAY 30 AUGUST 2020 ASIA

India reports 76,472 new coronavirus casesIANS — NEW DELHI

The coronavirus pandemic in India currently seems to be at its worst, as the country’s trajectory of daily cases continued to be the highest-ever recorded globally since the start of the health crisis in December 2019.

Yesterday, India reported 76,472 new coronavirus cases, taking the total tally to 34,63,972, according to the Min-istry of Health and Family Welfare.

This was slightly lower than the country’s all-time spike of 77,266 cases a day earlier.

Single-day cases in India have been rising at an alarming rate in the last three weeks, putting it ahead of the US and Brazil, the two worst-hit countries.

Out of the total 34,63,972 cases, the number of recoveries

surged to 26,48,998, while the death toll climbed to 62,550 with 1,021 people succumbing to it in a span of 24 hours.

India’s journey to over 34 lakh cases took almost seven months since the emergence of the first case on January 30.

On July 17, the country had logged 10 lakh cases, which then doubled to 20 lakh in 20 days, on August 7 and added another 10 lakh by August 23.

It has now added four lakh

cases in six days.At this point, it is pertinent

to compare parameters to see the progression of the virus.

The doubling rate, which is the rate at which the total cases in the country are doubling, is 32 days as against 68 days in Brazil and 96 in the US.

The positivity rate, which is the total confirmed cases out of the total tests conducted that day, has come down as com-pared to July. It currently stands

at 8.23 per cent.Another parameter — case

fatality rate, which is the pro-portion of deaths among the confirmed cases, is 1.8 percent.

The rate is better than the global average of 3.4 percent and also of the US and Brazil, at 2.1 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively.

Meanwhile, the recovery rate is currently 76.4 percent. It was 7.10 percent on March 25 when the lockdown was imposed.

The rate slowly increased to 7.1 per cent during the first lockdown; 11.42 per cent in the second; 26.59 in the third; and 41.61 percent in the last phase.

The recovery rate was 64.50 percent on July 29, which was exactly a month ago.

The five most affected states by total tally of cases are Mahar-ashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.

Delhi, which had reportedly peaked in June, has again started to record more cases every day.

Meanwhile, in a reprieve for many people seeking to resume travel through public transport, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) yesterday decided to allow the resumption of metro operations from September 7 in a graded manner.

The MHA has issued new guidelines for opening up of more activities in areas outside the containment zones. Unlock 4, will come into effect from September 1.

“Metro rail will be allowed to operate with effect from 7th September 2020 in a graded manner, by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MOHUA)/ Ministry of Railways (MOR), in consultation with MHA. In this regard, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) will

be issued by MOHUA”, said a statement issued by MHA.

The new guidelines, issued today, are based on feedback received from states and UTs, and extensive consultations held with related central min-istries and departments.

However, schools, colleges, educational and coaching insti-tutions will continue to remain closed for students and regular class activity up to September 30.

The Centre has also per-mitted social, academic, sports, entertainment, cultural, reli-gious, political functions and other congregations with a ceiling of 100 persons, with effect from September 21. However, such limited gath-erings can be held with man-datory directives like wearing of face masks, social distancing, provision for thermal scanning and hand washing or use of sanitiser.

Entrance exams amid rising COVID-19 cases ‘divide’ IndiaANATOLIA — NEW DELHI

India’s entrance exams for admission to medical and engi-neering colleges have divided the student community in the country, with most of them demanding that the government postpone them over the health risk due to the COVID-19 pandemic and floods in several parts of the nation.

In India, a high school graduate must sit for nationwide exams to be eligible for the chance to enter a medical or engineering college for higher studies.

At least 2 million students in the country will participate in the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for engineering colleges and the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) exams for medical. The exams are scheduled for next month.

The students, however, are demanding the postponement of the exams until the situation improves in the country.

“I am prepared for the

exams,” Kumar Indranand, 19, from the flood-hit Bihar state, said. He, however, explained why students like him do not want the exams to be held next month.

“Everyone is worried, and there is a fear about the spread of COVID-19. There is no guar-antee that I will reach the exam cente (180km away0 and then return to home without getting infected.”

Kumar said the government should wait for some time before the exam is conducted. “The COVID-19 numbers are increasing,” he said, adding: “It is better to wait for the safety of the students across the country.”

Gaurav Mishra, 21, another aspirant for the medical exam, however, said the exams should be held on time “if the gov-ernment ensures the safety of everyone showing up for the exam”. “They have to keep the safety of students in mind,” he added.

Mishra downloaded the official exam admission card which said his examination

center is 130km away from his home in Bihar.

“I will take the exam because there is no option left,” he said.

On Sunday, 4,000 students observed a day-long hunger strike to press their demand to postpone the exams.

Rakesh Sharma from a Rajasthan-based tuition centre which trains students for com-petitive exams said parents are also worried for multiple reasons.

“The first problem is acces-sibility. When there is no public transport and trains available, how will a student reach the exam venue on time? In addition, what is the surety that a student is not infected?” he said and added: “No parent wants to put their children’s lives at a health risk.”

Sharma also said the gov-ernment should wait for a few months. “If the government has decided to conduct exams now, then they have to take extra precautions for students.”

Politicians across parties in the country have backed the demand to postpone the exams.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee said: “It is our duty to ensure a safe envi-ronment for all our students.” Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the

leader of the Indian National Congress in the lower house of the parliament, has also urged postponement of examinations, while several other politicians have demanded the same.

Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi said on Twitter the

government must find an acceptable solution. “They have genuine concerns of: - fear of Covid19 infection - transport & lodging during pandemic - flood-mayhem in Assam & Bihar. GOI must listen to all stakeholders & find an acceptable solution, he tweeted.

Students wearing protective face masks participate in a protest march demanding postponement of admission tests to medical and engineering schools, in Kolkata, India, yesterday.

Internet and mobile network restored at Rohingya campsANATOLIA — DHAKA

Bangladesh’s government has restored the high-speed mobile network and Internet for the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar.

The 3G and 4G mobile net-works and Internet were restored on Friday amid repeated calls from UN agencies and rights groups to uphold the basic rights of the persecuted Rohingya, about onemillion of whom fled to southeastern Bangladesh after a 2017 crackdown by Myan-mar’s military.

Following inter-ministerial meetings, Bangladesh’s gov-ernment took the decision to restore the mobile network about a year after its suspension.

A task force formed by the government Wednesday sent a letter to the Post and Tele-communication Ministry, restoring the services, officials said.

“Following the government decision, the 3G and 4G mobile network and the Internet have been restored today,” Md. Mahbub Alam Talukder, Bang-ladesh’s refugee relief and repatriation commissioner

(RRRC), said. “Various mobile network service companies have already started providing high-speed mobile and Internet services.”

Restoration of the service is important for better services to the Rohingya people amid the pandemic, said the commissioner.

Earlier, he had urged the government to provide digital communications services to the 1.2 million displaced Rohingya Muslims in Cox’s Bazar.

In September 2019 Bang-ladesh imposed a ban on the use of cellphone SIM cards and the Internet by Rohingya ref-ugees on security grounds. Since then, rights groups, UN agencies, and Rohingya ref-ugees repeatedly asked for the restoration. Some Rohingya, however, continued to use mobile SIM cards in secret.

Meanwhile, coronavirus cases in Rohingya refugee camps topped the 100 mark with six new infections in the past 24 hours, according to an official update released on Friday.

Another 47 people died from the lethal virus in the last 24 hours in Bangladesh, raising the total casualties to 4,174.

Victoria postslowest COVID-19new cases in two months

REUTERS — MELBOURNE

Australia’s Victoria state yesterday reported its lowest rise in new coronavirus cases in almost two months, but author-ities warned there would be no rush to lift social distancing rules.

The Victorian state capital of Melbourne is four weeks into a six-week hard lockdown that was spurred by a second wave of infections in Aus-tralia’s second largest city.

State officials yesterday reported 94 new COVID-19 infections and 18 deaths. It was the first time new daily case numbers have fallen below 100 in eight weeks, and continued a steady trajectory downward this week. Australia has recorded a total of around 25,500 cases and 601 deaths so far.

“Every day we see the strategy working is a good day but we just need a bit more time to be able to be confident that we are, in fact, defeating this and that we can open up, grad-ually, steadily, safely,” Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said at a televised news briefing.

The hard lockdown has restricted most people in the city to one hour of outdoor activity per day. Even if the current measures are eased at the end of the six weeks, some restric-tions are expected to remain.

“There’s still a way to go so stay strong and keep going,” Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on his Facebook page. “Australians all around the country are backing you.” In bordering New South Wales state, con-cerns were rising about a resurgence in cases after a cluster of more than a dozen people was identified at one of Sydney’s oldest clubs.

Hong Kong’s mass virus test plan hampered by swirling China distrustAFP — HONG KONG

Hong Kong’s plan to offer free coronavirus tests to all residents has become swept up in the festering political debate dividing the city, where many remain deeply distrustful of both local leaders and China.

Billed as a benevolent public health initiative made possible with Chinese help, the city-wide tests are set to start on Tuesday in an attempt to stamp out a

third wave of infections that have swept through the densely populated financial hub.

But the involvement of doctors and companies from the mainland has sent the rumour mills into overdrive and com-pounded fears of Beijing’s sur-veillance state, while many health experts in the city have questioned the efficacy of a mass testing programme.

On mainland, biometric data forms a crucial part of China’s

vast security dragnet and many Hong Kongers fear mass testing will lead to widespread DNA col-lection — something local author-ities have strenuously denied.

The furore is the latest illus-tration of the polarisation in Hong Kong as Beijing clamps down on its critics after months of huge, often violent and ulti-mately unsuccessful pro-democracy protests last year.

“Public trust in Hong Kong’s government has been hovering

at all-time lows for many months,” Dixon Sing, a political expert at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology said.

China’s involvement in the testing scheme, he added, “simply intensifies that distrust among the majority of the population”.

The city had an enviable track record of keeping the coro-navirus under control until July when infections began to soar, brought in by small groups of arrivals who were exempted

from strict quarantine controls.New cases rose to more than

150 a day and the city went back into an economically painful semi-lockdown. Citing the spike in coronavirus infections, Chief Executive Carrie Lam — a pro-Beijing appointee — postponed local elections for a year.

Daily infections have since dropped to the low double digits but authorities believe mass voluntary testing will help elim-inate hidden transmissions.

In a reprieve for many people seeking to resume travel through public transport, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) yesterday decided to allow the resumption of metro operations from September 7 in a graded manner. The MHA has issued new guidelines for opening up of more activities in areas outside the containment zones.

People, some without face masks, take rickshaw rides amid the coronavirus disease outbreak in Dhaka, Bangladesh, yesterday.

Dhaka extends schools shutdown to Oct 3IANS — DHAKA

Bangladesh has extended the shutdown of schools and other educational institutions until October 3 due to a continued surge in the number of corona-virus cases across the country.

The government had pre-viously announced that the shutdown would be extended to September 30 but later

issued a revised statement on the matter, bdnews24 reported on Friday. “The ongoing holiday for all educational institutions, except Qawmi madrasas, has been extended to October 3 because of the global corona-virus pandemic,” the Education Ministry said.

The government announced the closure of all schools and other educational institutions

in the country on March 17 fol-lowing the outbreak.

It later ordered the shutdown of offices, work-places and public transport services under a nationwide lockdown which came into effect on March 26.

Offices and public transport services later reopened on a limited scale at the end of the 66-day lockdown on May 31.

Bangladesh has generously welcomed and hosted people who fled for their lives, but an overcrowded refugee camp is no place for a life of dignity. A whole generation of Rohingya children is growing up in deplorable conditions, with little access to education, or hope for the future.

08 SUNDAY 30 AUGUST 2020VIEWS

CHAIRMANDR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFDR. KHALID BIN MUBARAK AL-SHAFIeditorinchief@pen.com.qa

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMEDm.salim@pen.com.qa

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED OSMAN ALI osman@pen.com.qa

EDITORIAL

WITH the implementation of the fourth phase of relaxing curbs imposed as precautionary measures to combat COVID-19 on September 1, the competent authority is continuing to enforce the law and bring violators to justice. The second stage of the fourth phase will commence at the beginning of the third week of September according to the Supreme Com-mittee for Crisis Management.

Qatar continues to enforce its precautionary measures to ensure safety of citizens and residents against the coronavirus as an effective means to achieve well being of public and curb the spread of the virus.

The Committee believes that this phase is important for the community to continue to follow procedures to ensure that efforts are successful and the nation can fully reopen. Thanking both citizens and residents for their commitment to adhering to the precautionary measures, the Committee urged the society in whole to continue their cooperation and adherence to the rules and regulations approved by the health authorities as one of the effective measures to curb the spread of the virus.

On the other hand, the authorities concerned have shown their keenness to implement the law without tolerating the offenders or just leaving the matter of compliance without any oversight or accountability for the violators.

What confirms the commitment of the authorities concerned to implement the law is its recent announcement of arrest of around 10 people who vio-lated the requirements of home quarantine which they had committed to follow and for which they are legally accountable for, in accordance with the procedures of the health authorities in the country.

Therefore easing restrictions and moving towards running a normal living condition in homes, public places like shopping centers, public transport, edu-cational institutions and allowing cultural events to take place, does not mean that pandemic is over.

Therefore the health authorities have warned that any violation of the provisions of the health rules and restrictions exposes the violators to legal procedures and accountability and this is what happened with the arrested people recently.

It should also be kept in mind by the people that according to public health indicators and virus infection rate in the country, the phases-based reopening plan is subject to amendment and updating in line with the developments. The success of the fourth phase of the comprehensive plan for the gradual lifting of restric-tions depends on the extent of everyone’s commitment to implement or follow the required preventive and precautionary measures and respecting rules.

Defeating COVID-19 with commitment

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Quote of the day

Prime Minister Abe is a man of integrity and wisdom. He has been the senior statesman in our region and across the globe, a strong promoter of open trade and an outstanding

international diplomat for Japan.

Scott Morrison, Australian Prime Minister

Newly arrived Rohingya refugees board a boat as they transfer to a camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh on October 2, 2017

Last week marked exactly three years since the Myanmar military poured into Rakhine State and launched a vicious operation against the Rohingya people. Over the course of a few weeks, thou-sands of women, men and children were killed, mutilated and raped, whole villages were burned to the ground, and hundreds of thousands fled into neighbouring Bangladesh.

Even for us Rohingya, who have been oppressed and ren-dered stateless in our home country for decades, the savagery of the violence in 2017 was unprecedented. Today, our plight has mostly disappeared from the headlines in international media, but our people are still suffering. We need the world’s help more than ever to end the genocide against us in Myanmar.

Close to a million Rohingya continue to live as refugees in Bangladesh, mainly in the south-eastern district of Cox’s Bazar. Bangladesh has generously wel-comed and hosted people who fled for their lives, but an over-crowded refugee camp is no place for a life of dignity. A whole gener-ation of Rohingya children is growing up in deplorable condi-tions, with little access to edu-cation, or hope for the future.

What the refugees want the most is to return home to Myanmar, but that is simply not possible today. The 600,000 Rohingya who remain in Rakhine State live in an open-air prison. At the moment, Myanmar is gearing up to hold a general election on November 8. It is the first vote

since the historic election in 2015, when Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) won in a landslide, ending decades of direct military rule. Many Rohingya supported the NLD at that time, but have since grown bitterly disillu-sioned with the party’s policies.

Although in the past, many Rohingya in Myanmar were able to vote and run in elections, today they are being barred from both. In 2015, Myanmar abruptly withdrew temporary citizenship cards from ethnic Rohingya, which had given them the right to vote. This year, the authorities have also rejected members of the Rohingya community who have tried to reg-ister to run in the elections, claiming their parents were not citizens and that they, therefore, did not meet the criteria. This is despite the fact that some of these candidates have been allowed to run in previous elections.

There still is a glimmer of hope for the Rohingya, however: the momentum behind the interna-tional justice process. Last November, the Gambia filed a case against Myanmar in the Interna-tional Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing it of committing genocide against the Rohingya. A few days later, the International Criminal Court announced that it was launching an investigation into the Myanmar military for crimes against humanity.

In January this year, the ICJ ordered Myanmar to end genocidal practices against the Rohingya, and to report regularly on how it com-plies with these orders. But even though the government has claimed it was improving conditions in Rakhine State since, in reality, almost nothing has changed. If any-thing, conditions have become even worse this year for the Rohingya, as fighting between the military and armed groups has intensified while the pandemic has swept through the region.

My own organisation, the

Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, has also brought a case against Aung San Suu Kyi, her government and the military before the Argen-tinian judiciary. It relies on the principle of universal jurisdiction - the notion that some heinous crimes can be tried anywhere, regardless of where they took place. But for these efforts to be effective, we need the interna-tional community’s support. We have spent the past three years telling the world about our plight and telling the same stories over and over again. In return, we have received little more than sympathy and empty promises.

The world has failed to take concrete action to help the Rohingya. Despite the over-whelming evidence against Myanmar of their crimes, our reality is the same - Rohingya are suffering, whether in villages in Rakhine State or in refugee camps in Bangladesh.

The UN Security Council has remained paralysed for three years, failing to condemn Myanmar. The US and the EU have imposed indi-vidual sanctions on members of the security forces, but they do not go far enough in pressuring the mil-itary leadership. They have also refused to use the term “genocide”, in part because that would bring with it some legal obligations to act.

Rohingya are only asking for an opportunity to live a life of dignity in our own country. The oppression that has rendered us stateless and prisoners in our own homes must end immediately. Those respon-sible for the violence against us must be held to account to prevent it from ever happening again.

These are big but far from impossible tasks - history shows that genocidal regimes do not last long. One year from now, on the next anniversary, I hope we will have gotten closer to making this a reality.

The author is President of Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK.

JAMES OLIPHANT REUTERS

The back-to-back presidential nominating conventions that concluded with Donald Trump’s speech on Thursday showed both sides intend to fight for the sliver of independent and moderate voters that will decide the election, each with a wildly different strategy in the final sprint to November 3.

A self-styled showman, Trump used all of his reality-show talents during the Repub-lican convention this week to try to win back supporters alienated by his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, with a dire warning of a lawless America if his Democratic rival Joe Biden takes power.

That illustrated the Repub-lican strategy for the next two months: change the subject from a pandemic that has killed 180,000 Americans and shackled the US economy, and

blame Democrats for the vio-lence on the streets.

Republicans largely aban-doned talk of the health crisis as if it had abated, in favor of reminding voters of the robust economy that existed beforehand. During the Demo-cratic convention the previous week, Biden put the focus on holding Trump accountable for his actions during the outbreak.

“These two conventions have offered very different pic-tures of reality, in terms of where our country is now and what our future may hold,” said Christopher Devine, an expert in US elections at the University of Dayton in Ohio.

Trump’s convention depicted the president as a champion of “law and order,” taking aim at voters who do not approve of his divisive and inflammatory rhetoric but may be jittery about months of pro-tests over racial injustice and police brutality that have

sometimes turned violent.“This is their attempt to nail down the base and mobilize them to get out and vote,” said Kathleen Dolan, a political science pro-fessor at the University of Wis-consin-Milwaukee. “But I do think he is trying to peel away some of those undecided women, the people who he’s calling the ‘suburban women.’”

Biden holds a seven point lead over Trump nationally, about the same position he held before the conventions, according to the Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll conducted Aug. 19-25. But it showed the race for suburban voters narrowing, a worrying sign for the former vice president who had previ-ously expanded his lead with the crucial voting group.

Suburban women - a cohort considered key to the election - have become less critical of Trump than they were in June, and Biden’s advantage with this group has

narrowed to nine points in the latest poll, compared to a 15-point advantage over Trump in a similar Reuters/Ipsos poll in June.

The August poll also showed Biden with a 5-point lead with college-educated white Americans, compared with his 7-point lead in July and an 11-point advantage in June.

But in reaching out to sub-urban voters with unapologetic tough-on-crime messages, while showing little empathy for the protesters who demand racial justice, Trump may have further bolstered Black American support for Biden, already strong.

Trump’s message would have been more powerful before the pandemic, said Kyle Kondik, an analyst for the University of Virginia Center for Politics. “It could be successful if COVID is not as much of a focus in the fall as it is now. That seems hard to imagine, but it’s possible,” he said.

The world cannot forget the Rohingya

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What the conventions reveal for Biden, Trump in final stretch to November

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09SUNDAY 30 AUGUST 2020 ASIA

Virus cases spark hospital bed shortage in SeoulREUTERS — SEOUL

South Korea recorded its 16th consecutive day of triple digit rises in new coronavirus cases yesterday, extending a second wave of infections that is fanning concerns about a shortage of hospital beds in Seoul.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) posted 308 new cases as of midnight on Friday, the majority of them in the capital and surrounding areas.

Outbreaks have continued to erupt at churches, offices, nursing homes and medical facilities, even after officials tightened social-distancing rules.

The spike in cases has

depleted hospital facilities, with the health ministry reporting that just 4.5 percent of beds in greater Seoul were available for critical cases as of Friday, down from 22 percent a week earlier.

“Only about 15 beds are immediately available in the greater Seoul area for patients in critical condition as there were numerous patients who

were in a serious condition and needed to be hospitalised,” Yoon Tae-ho, director general for public health policy at the health ministry, said yesterday.

“But we should have a little more room shortly because more people are being released,” he told a news briefing.

The KCDC said that more than 1,000 cases have been traced to the Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul, which is at the centre of the new wave of infections. Its head, Rev. Jun Kwang-hoon, is an outspoken government critic who was also confirmed to have contracted the virus.

The church outbreak led to at least 25 new clusters, and more than 300 people who joined an anti-government protest this month together with church members have tested positive so far, according to the KCDC.

The resurgence in cases has brought the country’s total reported COVID-19 cases to 19,400, including 321 deaths.

Dealing with the second wave of infections has been complicated by an ongoing

strike of almost 16,000 intern and resident doctors. The medics walked out on August 21, in a dispute over the govern-ment’s plans to boost the number of doctors to better deal with health crises like the coronavirus.

The Health Ministry earlier this week filed a police com-plaint against at least 10 doctors and extended a back-to-work order for the doctors, who are the backbone of healthcare services in emergency rooms and intensive care units.

The striking doctors have volunteered at temporary testing centres to help with the outbreak, but major hospitals have reported delays and dis-ruptions since their walkout.

“Doctors should be by the

side of patients as we face the possibility of a nationwide transmission of COVID-19,” Yoon said on Saturday.

“We are standing on the last line of defence to calm the spread in the Seoul metro-politan area, and if we fail at it, the only option we have left is to step up distancing rules to the highest level.” The government took the unprecedented step on Friday of restricting the oper-ation of eateries in the capital area.

For a week starting on Sunday, onsite dining at restau-rants, pubs and bakeries in the Seoul area will be banned after 9pm, while coffee shops, some of which have been identified as hotspots, are restricted to takeout and delivery.

In race to replace Abe, loyalist Suga emerges as strong contenderREUTERS — TOKYO

Yoshihide Suga, a longtime lieu-tenant of Japan’s Shinzo Abe, has emerged as a strong contender to succeed him as prime minister, an outcome that would extend the fiscal and monetary stimulus that defined Abe’s nearly eight years in office.

Abe, Japan’s longest-serving premier, said on Friday he was stepping down due to a wors-ening of a chronic illness, setting the stage for a leadership election within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

While some other would-be successors have declared their intention to run, the 71-year-old Suga has said he doesn’t want the job. But such comments have been called into question by an aggressive media push in recent days that put him squarely in the public eye.

“They are really going to try to get Suga to replace Abe and continue the Abe government without Abe,” said Sophia Uni-versity political science pro-fessor Koichi Nakano.

In an interview this week, Suga stressed the need to spur

economic growth over tight-ening restrictions to contain the virus, pointing to the need to promote tourism.

“We need to consider what we can do to prevent the economy from falling off a cliff,” Suga said at his parliamentary office, where a large photo-graph of him standing next to US President Donald Trump was on display.

The interview, in which Suga again denied he wanted the job, was part of the publicity blitz before Abe announced his resignation, in which he gave interviews to at least four major news organisations.

A self-made politician, Suga was chosen by Abe in 2012 for the pivotal role of chief cabinet secretary, acting as top gov-ernment spokesman, coordi-nating policies and riding herd on bureaucrats.

The winner of the LDP vote, which domestic media said could be held around Sep-tember 15, is virtually ensured the premiership because of the party’s majority in parliament. The victor will serve out Abe’s remaining term as LDP chief, which ends in September 2021.

Former defence minister

Shigeru Ishiba, 63, a soft-spoken security hawk who aims to revive Japan’s regional econ-omies, is also expected to run. A long-time Abe critic, Ishiba is popular with the public but less so among party members of parliament.

Ex-foreign minister Fumio Kishida, 63, long seen as Abe’s favoured heir, said on Friday he would run in the party poll, but the dovish lawmaker from Hiroshima has struggled to gain traction with voters.

Dark-horse potential

candidates include Defence Minster Taro Kono, 56, who has an image as a maverick but has toed the line on key Abe policies, and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, 64, who has a reputation as a tough negotiator.

Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is popular but at 39 seen by many as too young. What format party executives pick to choose their next leader will have a big impact on the outcome. A decision is expected on Tuesday.

Usually, a leadership vote is held by LDP MPs along with

grassroots party members.In case of a sudden resig-

nation, however, an extraor-dinary vote can be called with participants narrowed to MPs and representatives of the party’s local chapters. “A regular election gives Ishiba a better chance,” said Steven Reed, professor emeritus at Chuo University.

In 2012, Ishiba beat Abe in a first-round party poll that included rank-and-file members but he failed to win a majority and lost in a run-off, when only MPs voted.

Police patrol on a road leading to the office of Japan’s Prime Minister in Tokyo yesterday. The race to succeed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe kicked off informally yesterday.

Japan and US defence chiefs oppose bid to alter status of Asian waters

REUTERS — TOKYO

Japan’s Defence Minister Taro Kono said yesterday he had agreed with his US counterpart Mark Esper that both countries opposed any unilateral attempt to change the status quo in the key waterways of the South China Sea and the East China Sea.

Kono shared his view with the US defence secretary at a time when the United States and China are at loggerheads over issues ranging from tech-nology and human rights to Chinese military activities in the disputed South China Sea.

A thorny issue in China’s ties with Japan is Beijing’s claim to a group of tiny East China Sea islets controlled by Tokyo.

“We agreed that the inter-national community will respond firmly to any uni-lateral change to the status quo in the South China Sea as well as the East China Sea,” Kono said.

He was speaking online from Guam to reporters in the Japanese capital following his meeting with Esper.

Kono said Esper had con-firmed that the US-Japan security treaty covered the East China Sea islets, known as the Senkaku islands in Japan and the Diaoyu islands in China.

Turning to Japan’s domestic politics, Kono said he would think hard about running in a ruling party election to choose a successor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who abruptly announced his resignation for health reasons on Friday.

The United States has long opposed China’s expansive ter-ritorial claims in the South China Sea and has sent war-ships regularly through the strategic waterway.

China claims 90% of the potentially energy-rich waters but Brunei, Malaysia, the Phil-ippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also lay claim to parts of it.

Pakistan health experts fear COVID-19 resurgenceINTERNEWS — PESHAWAR

Experts in Pakistan have divergent opinions about sharp decline in COVID-19 cases and deaths as some believe that it is still premature to say that the virus is disappearing while others argue that decrease in cases is result of herd immunity developed by the community and measures taken by the government.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has recorded 1,249 deaths and 35,893 cases since the onset of the pandemic, hasn’t reported any death during the last three days while cases remain 42 on average per day during the same period. However, experts say that it is premature to say that the virus

has disappeared.“I am very surprised with no

logical explanation except to mention Almighty Allah. The virus has suddenly decided to behave but like horror movies I fear it to come back,” said Prof Mohammad Amjad Taqweem, the chief executive officer of Health Net Hospital.

He said that he was expecting massive rise in Covid-19 cases after Eidul Azha, August14, inau-guration of Bus Rapid Transport (BRT), reopening of markets and no one following any standard operating procedure from market to mosque but surpris-ingly he was wrong.

“The cases are actually decreasing. Medically speaking, probably the virus has mutated

to less aggressive form.Anyway, I still expect it to

come back anytime as disap-pearance without quantifiable reason is more worrisome as we don’t know what to expect,” said Prof Amjad, a former physician at Lady Reading Hospital.

He said that his advice remained same that was better safe than sorry. “Mask, distance and hand wash along with mouthwash should be regular part of our life at least for six months.

If there is no recurrence of Covid-19 in the six months then Allah has done special treatment with Pakistan and we should be grateful for that, he said.

When asked if there was any scientific evidence about decline in Covid19-cases so far,

Prof Amjad said that the number of patients in clinics and hospitals declined so it was good enough evidence.

“The virus has decreased, not disappeared totally but its decrease is a mystery. It is because the reason for increase are all present and the reason for decrease is speculative theory that virus has mutated to less lethal form,” he said.

Prof Amjad said that the virus could stage comeback and people should adhere to SOPs.

Khyber Medical University Vice-chancellor Prof Ziaul Haq attributes decline in Covid-19 cases and mortality to the measures taken by the gov-ernment as well as herd immunity to the disease.

North Korea celebrates Youth DayPerformers take part in an event entitle ‘Youth, Let’s Uphold Our Party’, at the plaza of the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang. The event was held to mark North Korea’s ‘Youth Day’ on Friday.

Rescuers continue to search for victims of Afghan flash floodsREUTERS — KABUL

Rescuers in Afghanistan continued to search amidst mud and rubble for missing people yesterday after flash flooding this week killed around 160 people and washed away homes across the country, officials said.

Thirteen provinces, mostly in the country’s north, had been affected by floods, according to the Ministry for Disaster Management.

In Parwan, just north of the capital Kabul, 116 people had been killed and more than 120 injured, with 15 people still missing, national and local officials said.

“Rescue teams are still in the area and searching for the missing bodies,” said Wahida Shahkar, a spokeswoman for Parwan’s governor.

Flash flooding hit Parwan early on Wednesday, washing away homes and buildings. Local police spokesman Salim Noori said that the community in the worst-affected areas were mostly farmers and informal workers who were already struggling financially and that police were appealing for dona-tions of blood.

The Ministry of Defence said that Afghan security forces were assisting in recovery efforts and distrib-uting aid. The forces have also been dealing with rising vio-lence from the insurgent Taliban as the start of peace talks in Doha hit delays.

Nato said that its forces were also supporting the Afghan military and had flown food, water and blankets to the area earlier in the week.

China to step up efforts to fight ‘splittism’ in Tibet: XiREUTERS — SHANGHAI

China must build an “impreg-nable fortress” to maintain stability in Tibet, protect national unity and educate the masses in the struggle against “splittism”, President Xi Jinping told senior leaders, state media said yesterday.

China seized control over Tibet in 1950 in what it describes as a “peaceful liberation” that helped the remote Himalayan region throw off its “feudalist” past. But critics, led by exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, say Beijing’s rule amounts to “cultural genocide”.

At a senior Communist Party meeting on Tibet’s future gov-ernance, Xi lauded achievements made and praised frontline offi-cials but said more efforts were needed to enrich, rejuvenate and

strengthen unity in the region.Political and ideological

education needed to be strengthened in Tibet’s schools in order to “plant the seeds of loving China in the depths of the hearts of every youth”, Xi said in remarks published by Xinhua.

Pledging to build a “united, prosperous, civilised, harmo-nious and beautiful new, modern, socialist Tibet”, Xi said China needed to strengthen the role of the Communist Party in the territory and better inte-grate its ethnic groups.

Tibetan Buddhism also needed to adapt to socialism and to Chinese conditions, he added. China’s policies towards Tibet have come under the spotlight again this year amid the country’s deteriorating relationship with the United States.

“Only about 15 beds are immediately available in the greater Seoul area for patients in critical condition as there were numerous patients who were in a serious condition and needed to be hospitalised,” Yoon Tae-ho, director general for public health policy at the health ministry, said yesterday.

10 SUNDAY 30 AUGUST 2020EUROPE

Berlin police halt protest against virus restrictionsREUTERS — BERLIN

Berlin police yesterday disbanded a mass protest in the German capital against coro-navirus curbs a few hours after it had begun after marchers failed to keep their distance and wear masks as instructed.

The protest came as infec-tions rise across Europe and as public frustration at measures to contain the virus grows in some quarters. Similar events took place in Paris, London and elsewhere yesterday.

“Unfortunately, we have no other option,” Berlin police said on Twitter, adding people had failed to comply with the safety conditions of the march.

Protesters were dispersing peacefully although there were some pockets of disturbance, such as a construction container fire and blocked roads, police said.

Some 3,000 officers had been deployed to control crowds estimated at 18,000.

Police had been preparing for possible violence as activists opposed to measures to contain the virus urged social media fol-lowers across Europe to arm themselves and gather in Berlin.

Earlier this week the city banned the protest but a German regional court over-night gave the final go-ahead by overruling the earlier decision.

Until now Germany has managed the coronavirus crisis better than many of its European counterparts, with rigorous testing helping to hold down infections and deaths.

But new daily infections have accelerated in recent weeks, as in much of the world.

On Friday, Chancellor Angela Merkel urged citizens to keep up their guard against the virus.

“This is a serious matter, as serious as it’s ever been, and you need to carry on taking it seriously,” she said.

Protesters had gathered

before the Brandenburg Gate in central Berlin ahead of the march with signs reading “Stop the corona lies” and “Merkel must go”.

About two hundred anti-mask activists held a rally in Paris to protest against sanitary

measures with slogans such as “No to the health dictatorship” and “Let our children breathe”.

In London, several hundred demonstrators gathered in Tra-falgar Square calling corona-virus a hoax and demanding an end to lockdown restrictions.

Many carried banners saying “Fake News,” or “Masks are Muzzles” and rejecting any mandatory vaccination programmes.

The coronavirus has killed more than 40,000 people in Britain.

Police officers detain a demonstrator during a rally against the government’s restrictions following the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Berlin, yesterday.

Czech Senate Speaker visits Taiwan, angering ChinaREUTERS — PRAGUE

The head of the Czech Senate travelled to Taiwan yesterday for a rare trip by a senior foreign official that has angered China, which considers the island a breakaway province ineligible for state-to-state rela-tions.

Senate speaker Milos Vys-trcil said his visit would promote business links with Taiwan, and that the Czech Republic would not bow to Bei-jing’s objections.

“You cannot accept being someone’s servant, because if you do, then when you obey once, it’s assumed that you obey

every time,” Vystrcil told Reuters ahead of the trip.

Vystrcil said his visit under-scored the “values-based” foreign policy put in place by late President Vaclav Havel, an anti-communist dissident and personal friend of the exiled Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama.

The delegation is due to meet President Tsai Ing-wen and other top officials in Taiwan, where strict corona-virus measures will be observed during the meetings.

For Taiwan, the Czech visit is a welcome sign of support amid growing tensions with China.

“Taiwan and the Czech

Republic both share the uni-versal values of democracy, freedom and human rights,” Johnson Chiang, head of the European Affairs Office at Tai-wan’s Foreign Ministry’s, told reporters this week.

Earlier this month, US Sec-retary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar went to Taiwan in the highest-level visit by a US official in four decades.

Vystrcil’s trip has further complicated relations between China and the EU country.

Czech President Milos Zeman has sought closer business and political ties with China since taking office in 2013, but his efforts have been

hit by failed investment plans and Czech wavering about allowing China’s Huawei Tech-nologies to play a role in devel-oping next-generation telecoms networks.

China warned of possible consequences for Czech com-panies with Chinese operations when Vystrcil’s predecessor started planning a trip to the self-ruled island.

“Such a visit is deliberately undermining the political foundation between China and the Czech Republic, we condemn such a despicable act,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Thursday.

Outrage after French magazine depicts black MP as a slaveAFP — PARIS

French President Emmanuel Macron led nationwide outrage yesterday after an ultra-conservative magazine portrayed a black lawmaker as a slave.

The French presidency said Macron called Danielle Obono from the far-left party France Unbowed and “expressed his clear condemnation of any form of racism”.

The magazine, Valeurs Actuelles, which caters to readers on the right and far right, showed Obono in chains with an iron collar on her neck to illustrate a seven-page imag-inary story.

Prime Minister Jean Castex

said it was a “revolting publi-cation that calls for clear con-demnation” and told Obono that

she had the government’s backing.

“I share the indignation of

lawmaker Obono,” he said.“One is free to write a putrid

novel within the limits fixed by the law. One is free to hate it. I hate it,” said Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti.

Obono tweeted: “The extreme right — odious and cruel. In brief, like itself.”

The anti-racism body SOS Racisme deplored rising hate speech against African and Arab politicians and said it was mulling what legal measures could be taken to counter this.

The magazine however denied it was racist, saying the story concerning Obono was “a work offiction... but never nasty.”

An official from France’s far-right National rally party,

Wallerand de Saint-Just, said the story was “in absolute bad taste”.

France witnessed several protests in June and July against racial injustice as well as colonial and police brutality, inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and George Floyd’s death at the knee of police in the United States.

Macron, a centrist, who raised eyebrows when he gave an interview to Valeurs Actuelles last year and praised it as a “good magazine”, has pledged to root out racism.

But he also said France will not take down statues of figures linked to the colonial era or the slave trade, as has happened in other countries recently.

French leftist party La France Insoumise (LFI) MP Daniele Obono speaking during a session of Questions to the government, at the National Assembly, in Paris, on July 28, 2020.

Greece bans flights from Barcelona, extends COVID-19 travel restrictionsREUTERS — ATHENS

Greece will ban flights to and from Barcelona from tomorrow, health authorities said, as they extended most of the travel restrictions for foreign visitors by three weeks due to a surge in COVID-19 infections.

The rise in coronavirus cases in recent weeks has forced Greek authorities to gradually reimpose restric-tions in the capital Athens and other areas, including popular islands at the peak of tourism season to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Greece also requires vis-itors from a list of countries, including Belgium, Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Sweden, Spain, Albania, North Mace-donia and the United Arab Emirates to show a negative COVID-19 test to enter the country.

The restrictions will be extended until September 19, Deputy Civil Protection Min-ister Nikos Hardalias told reporters, adding that the Netherlands would be dropped from the list.

Flights to and from Bar-celona and Spain’s Catalonia region will be banned, the minister said.

Health authorities also said that restrictions, including a complete ban on festivities, a limit of nine people in all public and private gatherings and com-pulsory mask wearing in closed and open spaces, will be imposed on the islands of Zakynthos or Zante and Lesbos as of yesterday.

On Friday, Greece reported 270 new cases. In total, the country has registered 9,800 COVID-19 infections and 259 deaths since its first case sur-faced in February.

Azerbaijan accuses Moscow of arming Armenia since July clashREUTERS — MOSCOW

An Azeri presidential aide said yesterday that Russia has been supplying Armenia with weapons since a clash between the two former Soviet republics in July.

More than a dozen Armenian and Azeri soldiers were killed in July at the border between the two, which have long been at odds over Azerba-ijan’s breakaway, mainly ethnic Armenian region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Russia has called the conflict is a highly sensitive matter.

Hikmet Hajiyev, a senior adviser to Azerbaijan’s Pres-ident Ilham Aliyev, said Russia has been “intensively arming Armenia” right after the July conflict, with Russian Il-76 strategic airlifters flying towards Armenia after July 17.

Russia has a military base in Armenia and considers it to be a strategic partner in the South Caucasus region and supplies it with weapons.

Russia told Azerbaijan that those Il-76 planes were carrying building materials, Hajiyev said, adding that Baku was not sat-isfied with this answer.

Italy rescues Banksy’s overloaded migrant boatREUTERS & AFP — ROME

The Italian coastguard sent help yesterday to a rescue boat funded by British street artist Banksy after the vessel issued urgent calls for assistance, saying it was stranded in the Mediterranean and overloaded with migrants.

The coastguard said a patrol boat dispatched from the southern Italian island of Lampedusa had taken on board 49 of “those considered most vulnerable” among the 219 migrants picked up by the ship since Thursday off the coast of Libya.

Named after a French fem-inist anarchist, the Louise Michel started operating last week. Despite the help from Italy, it has still not found a safe port for the rest of the mainly African migrants on board.

The 49 people who were transferred off the ship include 32 women and 13 children, the Italian coastguard said.

The Louise Michel, a German boat manned by a crew of 10, issued a series of tweets overnight and on Saturday saying its situation was wors-ening, and appealing for help

from authorities in Italy, Malta and Germany.

“We are reaching a state of emergency. We need immediate assistance,” said one tweet, adding that it was also carrying a body bag containing the corpse of one migrant who had died.

Another tweet said the boat was unable to move and “no longer the master of her own destiny” due to her over-crowded deck and a life raft deployed at her side, “but above all due to Europe ignoring our emergency calls for immediate assistance.”

Before Italy’s coastguard intervened, an Italian charity ship, the Mare Jonio, said it was leaving the Sicilian port of Augusta, much further away than Lampedusa, to offer assistance.

Two United Nations’ agencies called for the “urgent

disembarkation” of the Louise Michel and two other ships car-rying a total of more than 400 migrants in the Mediterranean.

Some 200 are on the Sea Watch 4, a German charity ship, while 27 have been on board the commercial tanker Maersk Etienne since their rescue on August 5.

The International Organi-sation for Migration and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said in a joint statement they were “deeply concerned about the continued absence of dedi-cated EU-led search and rescue capacity in the Central Mediterranean”.

“The humanitarian imper-ative of saving lives should not be penalised or stigmatised, especially in the absence of ded-icated state-led efforts,” they said.

Italy is the destination of

most migrants who have departed from Libya across the Mediterranean in recent years. The influx has created political tensions in Rome and fuelled the success of Matteo Salvini’s right-wing League party.

Banksy’s decision to fund the high-speed boat follows a body of work by the artist that has levelled scathing judge-ments on Europe’s halting response to the migrant crisis.

Painted in hot pink and white, the Louise Michel

features a Banksy artwork depicting a girl in a life vest holding a heart-shaped safety buoy.

The motor yacht, formerly owned by French customs, is smaller but considerably faster than other charity rescue vessels — enabling it to outrun Libyan coastguard boats, according to The Guardian.

Its crew is “made up of European activists with long experience in search and rescue operations” and is captained by

German human rights activist Pia Klemp, who has also cap-tained other such rescue vessels, the paper reported.

Banksy’s involvement in the rescue mission goes back to September 2019 when he sent Klemp an email asking how he could contribute.

Bristol-born Banksy, who keeps his identity a secret, is known for his political or social-commentary graffiti that has popped up in cities around the world.

Migrants are seen on the Louise Michel ship operating in the Mediterranean sea and financed by British street artist Banksy, yesterday.

The International Organisation for Migration and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said in a joint statement: “The humanitarian imperative of saving lives should not be penalised or stigmatised, especially in the absence of dedicated state-led efforts.”

Firefighters had a grip on the three largest blazes on Friday in the San Francisco Bay Area but warned residents to prepare for fall winds that typically drive the state’s largest fires.

11SUNDAY 30 AUGUST 2020 EUROPE / AMERICAS

Protesters holding placards take part in a demonstration in Trafalgar Square organised by the organisation Stand Up X in London, yesterday. The group is against the British government's policy of the COVID-19 pandemic measures including mask wearing, vaccinations and lockdown.

UK head teachers concerned about COVID-19 test and trace schemeREUTERS — LONDON

Almost 70% of head teachers do not have confidence in the UK government’s test, trace and isolate system ahead of the return of millions of school children next week, a new survey of over 4,000 school leaders has shown.

England’s nearly 25,000 schools are set to return full time next week after many saw only a fraction of pupils return for the end of the last academic year.

They face challenges trying to manage the challenges of the coronavirus in busy buildings and what will happen if there

is an outbreak in a school, as some other countries have seen.

The survey by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) of predominantly English schools showed that only 7% of school leaders said they were confident in the gov-ernment’s test, trace and isolate scheme while 68% were not.

Only 30% are confident that pupils and parents understand government safety guidance for the return to classrooms and only 18% are confident about arrangements in case of a local lockdown in their area.

After failing to persuade schools to bring back all stu-dents before the summer, and

a scandal over estimated exam results, Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson is keen to make sure the reopening now happens smoothly as he urges people to get back to some kind of normality after the corona-virus lockdown.

“Very clearly, school leaders need more information about the government’s track and trace scheme, and what the authorities will expect them to do if there is a local lockdown,” Paul Whiteman, general sec-retary of the NAHT said.

“Leaders are also worried that public awareness about the return to school could still be low.”

California’s wildfireyear 'could be the worst in decades'REUTERS — CALIFORNIA

California may experience its worst year for wildfires in decades, climate experts say, pointing out that it has already battled two of the three largest blazes in its recorded history during an intense heatwave this month - even before the peak season begins.

Record temperatures have exacerbated the state’s ongoing drought and triggered dry-lightning that started more than 700 fires, some in redwood rainforests and Joshua trees that do not normally burn.

Firefighters had a grip on the three largest blazes on Friday in the San Francisco Bay Area but warned residents to prepare for fall winds that typically drive the state’s largest fires.

With more than 1.6 million acres blackened this year, clima-tologist Zach Zobel said Cali-fornia was on track to overtake the nearly 2 million acres burned in 2018, when the state suffered its deadliest wildfire and the most acreage burned in records going back to at least 1987.

“I would be very surprised if we didn’t overtake that given the conditions in place,” said Zobel an atmospheric scientist who tracks extreme weather for the Woodwell Climate Research Center. What worries climatol-ogists is not so much the size of

California’s wildfires, which have long rejuvenated forests and chaparral, but their ferocity.

“It’s Mother Nature injected with steroids” Michael Gerrard, director of Columbia Law School’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, said of events like the 14,000 lightning strikes to hit California since August 15 due to what he believes is human impact on climate.

Higher temperatures in Northern California have created drier-than-normal veg-etation and above-normal risk of rapid, extreme fires once off-shore “diablo” winds begin mid September, the National Inter-agency Fire Center reported.

Human factors are also to blame. A century of fire sup-pression to protect timber resources caused build up of the kind of fuel Native Americans long burned to rejuvenate

forests, according to professor Dustin Mulvaney. Clear-cutting and regrowth created crowded, unhealthy forests with a lack of older trees that can survive fire, he said. “That’s not related to climate, that’s about coloni-alism and kicking people off the land that managed that grove for 10,000 years before,” said Mulvaney, a professor of envi-ronmental studies at San Jose State University.

Species such as redwoods, which may have experienced fires four or five times over a 1,000-year life, may not with-stand more intense blazes or recover during drought condi-tions, he said. Extreme fires also burn more homes and infra-structure. A blaze in the red-woods of the Santa Cruz moun-tains destroyed nearly 800 struc-tures as of Friday and may jeopardize reservoir water sources for the city of Santa Cruz.

Communities in Napa and Solano counties hit by 2017 fires have suffered the state’s second-largest blaze in history that destroyed 1,080 homes as of Friday, making it the tenth-most destructive on record.

“People who lost their houses last time are suddenly faced with losing them again after they rebuilt,” said Sandy Chute, 76, a retiree as she evacuated her two horses to the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa.

A health worker makes a selfie with “LaLuchy Robotina” robot at the 20 de Noviembre National Medical Center in Mexico City, amid the new coronavirus pandemic. The robot helps health workers with consultations, therapies and mental health evaluations of COVID-19 patients, as part of the Psychiatry, Paidopsychiatry, Psychology and Neuropsychology service of the hospital.

Robot eases loneliness of Mexican virus patientsAFP — MEXICO CITY

A robot at a hospital in the Mexican capital is providing a lifeline for coronavirus patients separated from their relatives and reducing the risk of infection for medical workers.

“Hi, I’m LaLuchy Robotina! What’s your name?” the 1.4-meter-tall (4.6 feet) robot asks patients as it goes from room to room.

It moves around on wheels and has a camera and display screen enabling relatives and doctors to chat with patients or staff in full protective gear in the coronavirus ward.

“It allows us to have a physical presence... but with zero exposure to aerosols within the COVID-19 area,” said Lucia Ledesma, a neu-ropsychologist at the November 20 National Medical Center.

The hospital robot, part of a global trend aimed at reducing the risk of infection during the pandemic, was even

designated as a “co-therapist” for coronavirus patients in July.

Since then, it has carried out around 160 missions with infected patients, their rela-tives and the mental health team.

It can even make soothing sounds to reduce the stress caused by isolation.

The robot “helps us with the mental health of the patient,” said Sandra Munoz, who coordinates the hospital’s strategy against the virus, which has killed more than 60,000 people in Mexico.

The bot has computer vision enabling it to recognize people and sensors to help it to move around.

It is a lifeline for patients like Rosa Maria Velazquez, one of more than half a million Mexicans who have been infected with the virus.

“As (families) cannot enter, they see us and we see them, and that cheers us all up,” the 55-year-old said from her hos-pital bed.

Belarus withdraws accreditation of several foreign journalistsAFP — MINSK

Belarusian authorities yes-terday withdrew the accredi-tation of several foreign media journalists, including AFP, ahead of the latest demon-stration challenging the results of the presidential election.

Belarusian President Alex-ander Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, is facing unprecedented protests since the disputed August 9 election in which he claimed a landslide victory with 80 percent of the vote.

The opposition has rejected the results as manipulated, and has organised two major dem-onstrations this month and called for a large-scale protest on Sunday.

Government spokesman Anatoly Glaz said the decision to revoke the media accredita-tions was taken on the recom-mendation of the country’s counter-terrorism unit.

He did not specify how many journalists were affected by the measure, but foreign media including the BBC and Radio Liberty reported the

withdrawal of accreditation of several of their journalists.

A BBC spokesperson con-firmed two BBC journalists working for its Russian service in Minsk had their press accred-itation withdrawn with imme-diate effect.

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms this sti-fling of independent journalism. We call upon the Belarusian authorities to revoke this decision and allow our jour-nalists to continue doing their jobs,” the BBC said.

Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has fled to neighbouring Lithuania, an EU nation, after claiming she beat the 65-year-old Lukashenko at the polls and calling for the pro-tests. She called news about the withdrawn media accredita-tions extremely worrying.

“If true, it is another sign that this regime is morally bankrupt and the only way it will attempt to cling onto power is by fear and intimidation,” she said in a statement.

“This tactic will not work. Belarusian people are not afraid any more. We will win. The

darkest hour is always before the dawn.” The US embassy in Minsk also condemned the actions against journalists.

“We stand with the Bela-rusian people in their aspira-tions for a democratic, pros-perous future and support their call for the government of Belarus to carry out democratic reforms and respect human rights,” it said.

The results of the presi-dential election have been rejected by the European Union, which is preparing sanc-tions against high-ranking Belarusian officials and has urged Lukashenko to set up a dialogue with the opposition.

Lukashenko, for his part, has refused to make any con-cessions and has denounced a Western plot to bring him down. The demonstrations have sparked a violent police crackdown condemned by rights groups and Western leaders.

At least three people have died and hundreds have been wounded in the violence while nearly 7,000 have been arrested.

Brazil says will keep fighting Amazon deforestationREUTERS — BRASILIA/POCONÉ

In a dramatic u-turn, Brazil’s Environment Ministry said on Friday that it would continue to fight deforestation, reversing its position after saying hours earlier that it could not afford to continue enforcement efforts in the Amazon.

The ministry, through its enforcement arm Ibama and its parks service ICMBio, plays a vital role in combating defor-estation with teams deployed on frequently dangerous mis-sions to catch illegal loggers and miners in the world’s largest rainforest.

So the original announ-cement on Friday afternoon that it would cease all opera-tions from Monday came as a shock, especially amid rising deforestation and growing crit-icism of Brazil’s environmental policy from environmental groups as well as international investors. Last year an area about the size of Lebanon was cleared in the Amazon.

The ministry cited a decision by Brazil’s Federal Budget Secretariat (SOF), to block certain funds that had been allocated to Ibama and

ICMBio. The ministry said the SOF’s move ultimately was ordered by the office of the chief of staff for right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro. But Vice President Hamilton Mourão quickly denied the funds had been pulled. He accused Envi-ronment Minister Ricardo Salles of “jumping the gun”.

“The minister jumped the gun, and that’s not going to happen,” he said. “There will not be a blockage of 60m reais ($11.1m) dedicated to Ibama and ICMBio.” Mourão said the gov-ernment was looking to take money out of almost every ministry to fund emergency aid payments Brazilians are receiving during the economic downturn brought about by the novel coronavirus pandemic. He said the Environment Min-istry’s announcement was based on an unfinalized planning document.

Later, the Environment Ministry officially reversed course. “The Environment Min-istry discloses that Ibama and ICMBio resources were unblocked this afternoon and, as a result, operations to combat illegal deforestation will continue normally,” it said.

Venezuela’s Guaido banking on US support even if Trump loses voteAFP — CARACAS

Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido said on Friday that he is counting on the United States to maintain pressure on President Nicolas Maduro no matter who wins the US’ November presidential election.

US President Donald Trump has been a staunch ally of Guaido’s and has cranked up the pressure on the Maduro regime with a series of new sanctions. Guido said Maduro was hoping to “deceive” his entourage into believing that, depending on whether the Republican Trump or his Dem-ocratic rival Joe Biden wins the November 3 election, things “could get a little better” for the Venezuelan regime.

“Your problem is not with the White House, your problem is with the Justice Department... you’ve been accused of drug trafficking and terrorism,” Guaido said in an interview with Transparency International, addressing Maduro.

National Assembly speaker Guaido, who heads the only government branch in oppo-sition hands, was responding to a question about whether he feared he would lose US support if Biden is elected.

The Trump administration was the first government to back Guaido’s January 2019 claim to be Venezuela’s acting president in a challenge to Maduro’s authority. The National Assembly had declared Maduro a “usurper” over his 2018 re-election in a poll widely derided as fraudulent. Following the US, more than 50 other countries also backed Guaido.

The US has also accused Maduro of “narcoterrorism” and placed a $15m bounty on his head. “I have to deeply thank the administration of President Trump” for “sup-porting the Venezuelan cause,” said Guaido.

Venezuela is also gearing up for elections in December to vote in a new legislature. But Guaido is leading a boycott by the main opposition parties after the Supreme Court appointed new election authorities — a role that should be fulfilled by parliament.

The shooting of Blake, in front of three of his children, turned the mostly white city of 100,000 people on Lake Michigan, into the latest flashpoint in a summer of nationwide demonstrations against police brutality and racism.

12 SUNDAY 30 AUGUST 2020AMERICAS

Tense calm in Kenosha ahead of anti-racism marchREUTERS — KENOSHA

Black Lives Matter organizers in Kenosha, Wisconsin, planned for a mass rally and march as reinforced National Guard units stood by with orders to prevent a resurgence of the unrest that convulsed the lakeside city earlier in the week.

A tense calm prevailed for a third night on Friday in the downtown area surrounding a courthouse and park that was the hub of tumultuous protests in support of Jacob Blake Jr, the Black man shot in the back by a white police officer on Sunday.

The shooting of Blake, in front of three of his children, turned the mostly white city of 100,000 people on Lake Michigan, into the latest flash-point in a summer of nationwide demonstrations against police brutality and racism.

Blake, 29, survived but was left badly wounded and para-lyzed from the waist down. Anger at the shooting, captured on video that went viral, soon escalated into pitched street skirmishes, with protesters hurling fire-crackers and bricks at police in riot gear who fired volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets.

Despite a dusk-to-dawn curfew, a wave of arson attacks and vandalism devastated a predominantly minority district on Monday night, and on

Tuesday night three demon-strators were shot — two fatally — by a white teenager armed with a semi-automatic rifle.

The 17-year-old suspect, Kyle Rittenhouse, who walked away from the scene as police looked on, surrendered to law enforcement on Wednesday near his home in Illinois, not far from the Wisconsin border, according to his lawyers.

Since mid-week, as Gov-ernor Tony Evers deployed additional Wisconsin National Guard troops to help local law enforcement restore order, the unrest has subsided.

By Friday, more than 1,000 Guard soldiers were on the ground, many brought in from out of state, ahead of a large protest march through Kenosha planned by activists.

In Illinois on Friday, a hearing on a bid by Kenosha prosecutors to extradite Ritten-house back to Wisconsin was postponed while the teen, a former lifeguard jailed held without bond, arranged for a private legal team. He has been charged with six criminal counts, including first-degree intentional homicide, attempted homicide, reckless endan-germent and unlawful pos-session of a firearm by a minor.

One of his lawyers, prom-inent Atlanta-based trial attorney Lin Wood, said his

client acted in self defense. “An egregious miscarriage of justice occurring with respect to this 17-year-old boy,” Wood wrote on Twitter on Friday.

Blake, who has undergone multiple surgeries since the shooting, had been handcuffed to a hospital bed because of an outstanding arrest warrant. The handcuffs were removed on Friday and officers guarding Blake stood down after the warrant was vacated, his attorney, Pat Cafferty, said.

The warrant was based on a criminal complaint filed against Blake in July based on statements made by his former girlfriend, the mother of three of his children. The woman told police Blake broke into her home on May 3 and assaulted

her before stealing her truck and debit card.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said this week that police confronted Blake when called to the home of a woman who had reported her “boy-friend was present” without permission, and officers tried to arrest him. Kaul said efforts to subdue Blake with a Taser failed, and that investigators later recovered a knife from the floor of the car that Blake was

leaning into when he was shot.The Kenosha police union

defended the officers, saying Blake was armed with a knife, fought the officers and was given several chances to cooperate before they used deadly force. This account, in a statement by union lawyer Brendan Matthews, said the scuffle with police included Blake “putting one of the officers in a headlock”.

Blake’s lead attorney, Ben Crump, has said his client was

not armed with a knife and did not provoke or threaten police.

Demonstrators and Blake’s family have demanded that the three officers involved in the encounter, including the policeman who shot all seven bullets fired at Blake from behind at point-blank range, be fired and prosecuted.

The three have all been placed on administrative leave, pending an investigation by the Wisconsin Justice Department.

A small group of peaceful demonstrators protesting the shooting of Jacob Blake hold a rally in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Friday.

14 dead in wake of Hurricane Laura in USAFP & REUTERS — LAKE CHARLES

At least 14 people were killed after Hurricane Laura slammed into the southern US states of Louisiana and Texas, author-ities and local media said.

Louisiana’s Governor John Bel Edwards confirmed at least 10 people had died in his state, half from using carbon mon-oxide-producing portable gen-erators indoors in the aftermath of the storm making landfall on Thursday. Four of the remaining deaths were caused by trees falling on people’s homes, according to Edwards, while a man drowned after his boat sank in the storm.

There were 464,813 cus-tomers without power in Lou-isiana on Friday, according to the site Poweroutage.us.

Texas ended up being spared the brunt of the hur-ricane, which has since weakened significantly. Three of the state’s four deaths were also reportedly due to carbon monoxide poisoning from gen-erators. Those victims, all believed to be homeless, had sought shelter in a pool hall in the southeastern town of Port Arthur and carried its generator inside. Earlier, Haiti’s civil protection service said 31 people had died due to Hurricane Laura.

Meanwhile, the 20-foot high “unsurvivable” wall of water that Hurricane Laura was forecast to send onto the Loui-siana coast showed up despite widespread reports of a lower peak, authorities said, rejecting criticism that they had raised too much alarm.

The highest surge hit about 15 miles east of where Laura was forecast to make landfall but it “wobbled” at the last moment. That slight change likely saved the city of Lake Charles, said Jamie Rhome, head of the storm surge team at the National Hur-ricane Center (NHC).

Most US media played up a nine-foot surge recorded by a National Oceanic and Atmos-pheric Administration obser-vation station near Cameron, Louisiana, and the NHC was criticized for perhaps raising too much alarm. There is just one problem, Rhome said. “It’s

wrong. That reporting is based off a single observation station in Cameron Parish that didn’t come close to measuring the peak storm surge which occurred at 10 or 15 miles east of there,” he said.

Fresh data on Friday from an Army Corps of Engineer gauge 15 miles east indicates that the storm surge was right at the 15-to 20-feet forecast that was Rhome’s highest in his 20-year career, he said.

Rhome said it would be unfair to accuse NHC fore-casters — who warned of an “unsurvivable storm surge” the

day before Laura made landfall — or local and state leaders for raising alarm about storm surges. A decade ago, 50 percent of deaths from hurri-canes were because of storm surges, he noted. Today, that figure is closer to 4%, Rhome said, largely because the NHC started including storm surge warnings in its bulletins.

The storm was forecast to drop heavy rain over Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Ten-nessee, Missouri and Kentucky as it headed out to the East Coast, the National Weather Service said.

An aerial view from a drone shows railcars that derailed as Hurricane Laura passed through the area in Lake Charles, Louisiana, yesterday.

US executes fifthfederal prisonerREUTERS — WASHINGTON

The US government executed Keith Nelson, a convicted child murderer, on Friday in its fifth execution since resuming capital punishment this summer after a 17-year hiatus and despite a ruling the lethal injections violated US drug laws.

Nelson, 45, was declared dead at 4:32pm in the US Department of Justice’s exe-cution chamber in Terre Haute, Indiana, after being injected with lethal doses of pentobar-bital, a powerful barbiturate, the department said. It was the second execution this week after Lezmond Mitchell, another convicted murderer, was killed on Wednesday.

The administration of Pres-ident Donald Trump, a vocal supporter of capital pun-ishment for serious crimes, has now carried out more federal executions than took place in the preceding 57 years.

Nelson was convicted of molesting and murdering 10-year-old Pamela Butler in Kansas in 1999. A Bureau of Prisons official asked Nelson if he had any last words. About 15 seconds passed with no response from Nelson before the official began the execution, according to a journalist selected by the department to witness the execution and share a report with news outlets. Nelson took about nine

minutes to die.His victim’s mother, Cherri

West, said his death brought her some peace. “I wasn’t expecting him to say anything because he never had no remorse,” she said. “I have no remorse for him.”

On Thursday, a federal judge overseeing legal chal-lenges to the execution protocol by Nelson and other death row inmates ruled that the Justice Department’s protocol violated drug safety laws. Judge Tanya Chutkan of the US District Court in Washington ordered Nelson’s execution be delayed until the Justice Department revised its protocol to comply with the Food, Drug, and Cos-metic Act, including a requirement that a drug can only be issued on a clinician’s prescription.

The Justice Department challenged the injunction delaying the execution in the US Appeals Court for the Dis-trict of Columbia Circuit. The appeals court overturned the injunction on Thursday, ruling that Chutkan had not estab-lished that violations of the act constituted “irreparable harm”.

Nelson was one of more than a dozen inmates on federal death row in Terre Haute who sued the Justice Department over its lethal injection protocol, which was announced in 2019, replacing the old three-drug protocol last used in 2003.

‘Black Panther’ star Boseman dies of cancerAFP — LOS ANGELES

Chadwick Boseman, star of the ground-breaking superhero movie “Black Panther”, has died at the age of 43 after a private four-year battle with colon cancer, his publicist said.

Boseman never publicly dis-cussed his condition and con-tinued to work on major Hol-lywood films during and between “countless” operations and chemotherapy, his family said. “It was the honour of his career to bring King T’Challa to life in ‘Black Panther’,” they said.

“A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all,” the statement added. He died in his home “with his wife and family by his side,” it said.

Boseman played the first black superhero to get his own standalone film in the record-breaking Marvel franchise with 2018’s “Black Panther”. The movie, set in the fictional African kingdom of Wakanda, was adored by critics and

audiences, becoming the first comic book film to be nomi-nated for best picture at the Oscars and grossing over $1bn worldwide. Earlier in his career, Boseman played black icons Jackie Robinson in “42”, and James Brown in “Get on Up”.

The news of Boseman’s death

sent shockwaves through Hol-lywood and around the world. “The true power of @chadwick-boseman was bigger than anything we saw on screen,” wrote Demo-cratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. “From the Black Panther to Jackie Robinson, he inspired generations and showed them

they can be anything they want — even super heroes.”

Kamala Harris said she was “heartbroken” and referenced Howard University in Wash-ington, nicknamed Bison, where they both studied. “My friend and fellow Bison Chadwick Boseman was brilliant, kind, learned, and humble,” she tweeted. “He left too early but his life made a dif-ference. Sending my sincere con-dolences to his family.”

Boseman’s final post to Twitter, on August 12, was to congratulate Harris the day after she was announced as the Democratic candidate for vice president in the 2020 election.

“Our hearts are broken and our thoughts are with Chadwick Boseman’s family. Your legacy will live on forever. Rest In Peace,” wrote the official Marvel Twitter account.

Born in South Carolina, the son of a nurse and an uphol-stery entrepreneur, Boseman has roots in the West African state of Sierra Leone.

A March 30, 2019 file picture shows Chadwick Boseman posing backstage with his Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture award for ‘Black Panther’.

Sarah Palin can sue NYT for defamation: Court rulingREUTERS — NEW YORK

A federal judge on Friday rejected the New York Times’ bid to dismiss Sarah Palin’s def-amation lawsuit over a 2017 editorial she said falsely linked her to a mass shooting.

US District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan said that while much of Palin’s case was cir-cumstantial, it was strong enough for a jury to find the Times and former editorial page editor James Bennet acted with “actual malice by clear and convincing evidence.” in publishing the editorial.

Rakoff scheduled a Feb-ruary 1, 2021 trial. “We’re dis-appointed in the ruling but are confident we will prevail at trial when a jury hears the facts,” Times spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades-Ha said in an email.

Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate and former Alaska governor, sued

over a June 14, 2017 editorial published after an Alexandria, Virginia, shooting that wounded four people, including then-House Majority Whip Steve Scalise.

The editorial referred to a January 2011 shooting where six people died and Congress-woman Gabrielle Giffords was seriously wounded, and said Palin’s political action com-mittee had before that shooting circulated a map that put 20 Democrats including Giffords under “stylized cross hairs”.

It also contrasted the shootings, saying the Scalise attack had “no sign of incitement as direct as in the Giffords attack.”

The Times later corrected the editorial, saying there was no link between “political rhetoric” and the Giffords shooting, and Bennet has said he had not intended to blame Palin.

THE PENINSULA - DOHA

QNB Group, the largest financial institution in the Middle East and Africa, recently announced a strategic part-nership with the leading digital travel platform provider Booking.com. As part of the new partnership, QNB cus-tomers will receive a limited-time fixed 10 percent upfront discount, available until December 31, 2020.

QNB customers will be able to choose from more than 29 million accommodation listings on Booking.com, including hotels, homes, apartments and other unique places to stay, and only need to book through the special QNB co-branded

version of Booking.com (www.booking.com/qnbdeal) with their QNB payment card to take the advantage of the offer.

Heba Al Tamimi (pictured), General Manager - QNB Group Retail, said: “We are pleased with the launch of this cam-paign, as it further demonstrate the Bank’s commitment to bring the most rewarding experience to our loyal cus-tomers for using their QNB cards.”

“QNB Cards and Payments continues to lead the market both in Qatar and regionally, offering the best overall cus-tomer value proposition besides leading in technology, safety and convenience. We are confident our cardholders will benefit greatly from this unique partnership,” she added.

“We are continuously looking for new ways to make it easier for everyone to expe-rience the world in the most seamless way possible, partic-ularly as people begin to travel again, whether that’s a weekend trip to reconnect with family and friends or a holiday to enjoy some beautiful nature nearby,” said Bianca Mussi, Director of Partnerships, EMEA at Booking.com. “We’re very pleased to be partnering with QNB and to be helping their customers find the travel expe-riences that are just right for them.”

The QNB Group’s presence through its subsidiaries and associate companies extends to more than 31 countries across three continents, pro-viding a comprehensive range of advanced products and services. The total number of employees is more than 29,000 operating through 1,000 locations, with an ATM network of more than 4,200 machines.

As part of the new partnership, QNB customers will receive a limited-time fixed 10 percent upfront discount, available until December 31, 2020.

BUSINESSPAGE | 14 PAGE | 14

13SUNDAY 30 AUGUST 2020

French finance

minister Le Maire

calls on banks to

keep loan rates low

Diageo Nigeria

unable to refinance

loan on dollar

shortage

QNB announces new strategic partnership with Booking.com

A view of the QNB Group’s headquarters building in Doha.

Industrial SectorPPI in Qatar upby 6% in JulyTHE PENINSULA - DOHA

Qatar’s overall Monthly Pro-ducer Price Index (PPI) of Industrial Sector for July 2020 was estimated at 39.0 points showing an increase of 6 percent compared to the pre-vious month’s PPI (June 2020). When compared on yearly basis, the PPI of July, 2020 showed a decrease of 37.1 percent when compared to the PPI of July 2019, data released by the Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.

The producer price index covers goods relating to “Mining” (weight: 72.7 percent), “Manufacturing” (weight: 26.8 percent), and “Electricity & Water” (weight: 0.5 percent).

The PPI of July, 2020 for Mining sector showed an increase by 9.1 percent when compared with PPI of June 2020, primarily due to the price increase of “Crude petroleum and natural gas” by 9.1 percent, however “Stone, Sand and Clay” decreased by 2.7 percent. PPI of July 2020, when compared with its coun-terpart in previous year (July 2019), there was a decrease of 43.7 percent. In the Manufac-turing sector index, an increase of 1.1 percent has been recorded in July 2020, when compared with the pre-vious month’s Manufacturing index (June, 2020). The prices increase are seen in: “Refined Petroleum products” and “Rubber and Plastics products” by 3.3 percent each, followed by “Juices” by 1.2 percent, “Basic Chemicals” by 0.9 percent, and “Beverages” by

0.5 percent. However, the decreasing prices are noticed in “Basic Metals” by 6.9 percent, “Dairy products” by 2.3 percent, “Cement and Other non-metallic products” by 2.0 percent, and “Grain mill and Other products” by 0.3 percent. No changes noticed in “Paper and Paper products” and “Other chemical products and fibers”.

Comparing with the index of counterpart in the previous year (July 2019), “Manufac-turing” PPI of July 2020 showed a decrease of 24.5 percent. The major groups which explain this price fall are: “Refined Petroleum products” by 29.8 percent, followed by “Basic chemicals” by 20.5 percent, “Basic Metals” by 12.8 percent, “Rubber and Plastics products” by 10.6 percent, “Other chemical products and fibers” by 2.5 percent, “Dairy products” by 0.8 percent, and “Cement and Other non-metallic products” by 0.2 percent. However, prices increased in “Juices” by 6.4 percent, followed by “Paper and Paper Products” by 5.7 percent, “Grain mill and Other products” by 0.5 percent, and “Beverages” by 0.4 percent.

The PPI of Electricity and Water group showed a decrease of 0.8 percent compared to June 2020, resulting from a decline in “Electricity” by 1.5 percent, and “Water” by 0.3 percent. When compared the PPI of July, 2020, to the PPI of July 2019 (Y-o-Y), showed also decrease of 0.8 percent, affected by prices fall in “Electricity” by 1.1 percent, and “Water” by 0.5 percent.

Hefty deals in Doha boost real estate price index to record levels: Ezdan weekly reportTHE PENINSULA - DOHA

The real estate activity during the third week of August (from 16-20) 2020, has seen the reg-istration of exceptional property sale deals triggering a robust increase in Real Estate Price Index, where Doha formed the chunk of sale value by clinching three major deals, each exceeded the threshold of QR100m, notably in the Pearl, Mansoura, and Fareej Bin Mahmoud areas, according to Ezdan Real Estate weekly report.

The breakdown of sale deals as reflected in the weekly

bulletin released by the Real Estate Registration Department of the Ministry of Justice showed that the number of registered deals accounted for 161 property sales with a total value of more than QR1.26bn. The deals were distributed over 8 municipal-ities: Umm Salal, Al-Khor, Al-Dhakhira, Doha, Al-Rayyan, Al-Shamal, Al-Daayen, Al-Wakra and Al-Sheehaniya, and included vacant land lots, resi-dences, multi-use buildings, multiple-use land lots and res-idential buildings. Doha ranked first in terms of the highest deal value through

selling a multi-use land lot in Al Mansoura spanning over 13,175 square meters, sold at QR1,269 per square foot, totaling QR180m.

The second major deal was also clinched in Doha by selling a residential tower in the Pearl spreading over 7239 square meters at a price of QR2,200 per square foot, totaling QR171.4m. Al Rayyan municipality has seen the lowest sale deal for a 174 square meter- house in Muaither, sold at QR327 per square foot, accounting for an aggregate value of QR612.5 thousand.

More than 400 Misk account holders of QIB awarded cash prizes in its third editionTHE PENINSULA - DOHA

Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) has awarded more than 400 winners with cash prizes in the third edition of its innovative Misk savings account. The Misk account comes as part of the Bank’s ongoing efforts to promote positive financial habits and encourage indi-viduals to save money.

Existing and new QIB cus-tomers interested in opening a Misk account can do so easily, from anywhere, at any time, simply by reaching out to their mobile phone and using the award-winning QIB Mobile App. New customers can start their relationship with QIB by opening the Misk account through the mobile app and subsequently start using the app to manage all their day-to-day banking needs remotely having access to more than 90 features and services.

Upon opening the account, customers will receive a free debit card, e-statement service, and can request a free for the first year credit card backed by the funds balance in their MISK account.

MISK has witnessed two

previous successful editions, awarding a total of 490 loyal QIB Customers, where two lucky winners walked home with One Million Qatari Riyals each. All the draws are held in the presence of official rep-resentatives from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, as well as QIB representatives. The names of the winners from the most recent draws are published on QIB’s website. The next millionaire take place this coming November.

Due to the increasing pop-ularity of the account, in this years’ edition, QIB has doubled the number of weekly winners to 545 and will award QR7.4m in total. Every week, 10 lucky winners are entitled to QR10,000 each, and two monthly winners are eligible for QR50,000 each. While the grand prize draw for the QR1m will take place in November 2020.

All Qatari citizens and res-idents are eligible to open an innovative MISK Savings Account for themselves or their minor children. Cus-tomers have to maintain a minimum monthly balance of

QR10,000 to be eligible for the weekly draws.

To qualify for the grand prize draw, the customer must open the account three months prior to the draw and maintain a minimum of QR10,000 for each of those months. Every additional QR10,000 earns the cus-tomer one more chance in the draw.

The QIB Mobile App has undergone an immense transformation over the years, to keep up with the hyper-connected, online world. Regular updates to the app make it easier than ever to bank on the go, 24/7, as they were developed to meet the customers’ daily banking requirements. Customers can conveniently enjoy a contact-free banking experience with QIB by completely banking remotely using QIB’s Mobile App or Internet Banking that has over 90 features, available 24/7, that serve the customers’ daily banking needs. QIB Mobile App is available on Apple and Google Play stores, and cus-tomers can easily self-reg-ister using their Debit Card number and PIN.

Germany should re-implement debt limits in 2022, says Finance Minister ScholzBLOOMBERG

Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (pictured) said Germany should in two years time re-implement limits on the amount of new debt that the country can take on after bor-rowing huge sums to support the economy during the coro-navirus pandemic.

“Of course it must be our perspective to have budgets from 2022 onward that meet the constitutional require-ments for normal times,” Scholz, who is also the Social Democrats candidate to replace Angela Merkel as chancellor, said in an

interview with the Rheinische Post published yesterday.

In response to the crisis,

Merkel’s government in March abandon its balanced-budget policy and temporarily sus-pended constitutional debt limits as part of the massive stimulus push. Some in Mer-kel’s financially conservative bloc want to reimpose the restrictions on new debt already in 2021.

However, Scholz told the German newspaper that the exceptional spending abilities must remain in place for the time being because “the crisis won’t be over before by the end of this year” and “if eve-rything goes well, the worst will be behind us by end of next year.”

14 SUNDAY 30 AUGUST 2020BUSINESS

Further $1.5-2 trln of US fiscal stimulus delayed but still likely: QNBThe coronavirus pandemic has prompted governments across the globe to use fiscal measures to support their economies. So far, the US government has spent around $3 trillion to spur demand and protect individuals and corporates from bank-ruptcy. However, the per-sistence of the virus and its eco-nomic impact means that further stimulus is likely to be required to prevent the recovery fading away.

Negotiations in Congress on further fiscal stimulus via the CARES 2 Act have stalled. In response, the White House issued several Executive Orders targeted at key provisions of the first CARES Act that were due to expire. However, Congres-sional deal is still required due to both practical and legal chal-lenges associated with exec-utive orders. For example, state and local government finances, which are already under pressure, would be squeezed further, without any additional aid. In addition, the supple-mental unemployment program is very limited in size and faces high hurdles with regards to implementation.

Our analysis covers the like-lihood, timing and size of the pro-posed new US stimulus package.

First, we judge that the stimulus package is likely to pass because of widespread agreement on the need for additional support, despite political differences on the details. Prolonged delays are beginning to weigh on household incomes and both state and local government spending. Therefore, if this additional stimulus package is not passed, it would threaten to interrupt the recovery that we have had so far.

Second, we expect an agreement in September. The federal fiscal year ends at the end of September and the government would then partially shut down without a new spending bill. This is likely an outcome that both sides would like to avoid, so we expect agreement in early Sep-tember. The stimulus package has been delayed because of the current dispute in the legislative branch. Further delays also mean that there might not be enough time for policies to impact the economy before the election, which could reduce Republican support. However, there is a risk

that Democrats delay further aid until after the election, as they may wait in hope of a Biden presi-dency that could result in greater fiscal support.

Third, we expect the size of the stimulus to be around $1.5-2 trillion. The Democrats are arguing for a broad based package that adds up to$2 trillion. On the other hand, the Republicans are arguing the recent recovery does not justify a package of that size, so they are pushing for a smaller package of $1 trillion. As agreement and implementation are pushed out further, the total size of the package seems likely to increase with it. Both parties are now in favour of stimulus checks, which alone could add $300-600bn to the total size of the package, on top of prior expectations of $1 trillion. Indeed, markets seem to be expecting sizable fiscal stimulus on the rational of the

Republicans accepting a larger package to support the economy ahead of the November election.

In the meantime, the lack of a fiscal package is becoming a headwind for the US economy. Executive orders to provide $300 per week will likely not start before the end of the month and only provide half as much income support as the prior policy. However, once approved, the stimulus should buttress economic activity, allowing the flexibility and creativity at the core of the US economy to drive the recovery.

Al Attiyah Foundation: Weekly Energy Market ReviewTHE PENINSULA - DOHA

Oil prices inched lower on Friday as Hurricane Laura passed the heart of the US oil industry in Louisiana and Texas without causing any widespread damage and companies began to restart operations. Brent crude futures for October fell four cents to settle at $45.05 a barrel, before expiring on Friday. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell seven cents to $42.97 a barrel.

Both benchmarks notched weekly gains of about 1.5 percent, with WTI rising for a fourth straight week. The bench-marks hit five-month highs during the week as US producers cut crude output ahead of Laura at a rate close to the level of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. The oil market has had an unusually long spell of low volatility, analyst Eugen Weinberg at Com-merzbank said, in contrast with stock markets.

Laura, since downgraded to a tropical depression, hit Loui-siana early on Thursday with winds of 150 miles per hour (240 km/h). The storm killed at least six people, damaged buildings and felled trees. Power was cut to hun-dreds of thousands of people in Louisiana and Texas, but refin-eries were spared from massive flooding. However, shut offshore crude oil production in the

US-regulated northern Gulf of Mexico remained at 84.3 percent.

US energy firms kept the number of oil and natural gas rigs operating relatively unchanged this week, as higher crude prices now start to prompt some pro-ducers to start drilling again. Further ahead, demand expec-tations remained bearish. The contango between Brent crude for nearby delivery and six-months ahead remained near its widest since late May with the front-month contract more than $2 cheaper

Asian spot LNG prices hovered above $4 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) last week, as cargo loadings from the US were delayed due to the pow-erful hurricane. The average LNG price for October delivery into Northeast Asia was estimated at about $4.05 per mmBtu, down five cents from the previous week. European prices followed

a similar steady trend, as both NBP and TTF saw weekly gains.

Most of the buying interest was seen in the Far East, with South Korea’s Kogas purchasing a September loading cargo, while Japan’s Kansai Electric bought a cargo for delivery in September through private negotiations. The Korean Peninsula is expected to have warmer-than-average weather over the next two weeks, weather data from Ref-initiv Eikon showed, which will lead to increased cooling demand.

Loadings of LNG cargoes from the US have been delayed following Hurricane Laura, which made landfall early Thursday near the Texas-Louisiana border and is one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the region. US LNG exports were on track to fall to 2.1 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) on Thursday, their lowest since February 2019, according to data from Refinitiv.

Cheniere Energy Inc’s Sabine Pass and Sempra Energy’s Cameron LNG export plants in Louisiana, which suspended operations early in the week, will likely be the last terminals to restart exports in the Gulf basin, analysts at ClipperData said. As a result, internal US gas prices rose nearly 10 percent on the week, with Henry Hub closing at $2.66 per mmBtu on Friday.

NBK Automobiles offers the most intelligent sedan Mercedes-Benz E-ClassTHE PENINSULA - DOHA

With its distinct, emotive design, exclusive interior and impressive number of innova-tions, Mercedes-Benz is taking a big step into the future with the E-Class. The car is available now in Qatar at the showroom of Nasser Bin Khaled Automo-biles, the authorized distributor of Mercedes-Benz in Qatar. Marking the world premiere of

numerous technical innovations that enabled comfortable, safe driving on a new level, plus a new dimension in driver assistance – the E-Class sees Mercedes-Benz taking another step closer to its goal of accident-free and autonomous driving.

The E-Class is the core of Mercedes-Benz brand, and in the past has repeatedly

redefined the standards in the executive-class segment. Now it carries this tradition into the future with a wealth of top-class innovations that take safety, stress relief and comfort to a new level. It is without doubt the most intelligent sedan in the executive class.

The design of the E-Class is characterised by hallmark Mer-cedes-Benz sedan proportions. The elongated bonnet coupled with a coupé-esque roof and broad-shouldered tail end creates an exciting silhouette, while its extended powerful vehicle body is characterised by short overhangs, a long wheelbase, large wheels and taut well-defined flanks that display a fresh, stylish and dynamic interpretation of the feature line. The muscular front end boasts a different look for each design and equipment line – EXCLUSIVE AND AVANT-GARDE Line models – with each of the radiator grill designs lending the E-Class a distinct character.

Next Level Interior Design The interior of the E-Class

embodies the synthesis of emotion and intelligence. Optional extras include the Widescreen Cockpit with two brilliant next-generation high-resolution displays, each with a wide screen diagonal of 12.3 inches – unique in this segment. As the entire cockpit is fully digital, the driver is free to con-figure the information and views of relevance for them and thus create their own personal cockpit. In a first for a car, the steering wheel features

touch-sensitive Touch Controls that, like a smartphone interface, respond precisely to horizontal and vertical swiping movements. In keeping with the motto “hands on the wheel, eyes on the road“, this allows minimum driver distraction to be achieved.

Intelligent material designHigh-quality materials

define the interior style. They include open-pore woods, wood in a yachting look with flowing lines as a contemporary

interpretation of inlaid wood and a novel metal fabric. Just as carefully composed is the colour concept with various shades of brown, including attractive colour combinations such as nut brown/macchiato and saddle brown/macchiato.

A further highlight of the E-Class are its seats. Their ergonomic, sculptural form combines Mercedes-Benz’s hallmark suitability for long journeys with a refined, sporty look, featuring a unique design for each line. Furthermore, Active Multicontour Seat package is also available as an option for the front seats. This includes the following func-tions: Energizing Massage, dynamic seat, multicontour backrest and the active cushion.

The interior lighting makes exclusive use of durable, energy-saving LED technology. The same applies to the enhanced ambient lighting included in the lines. With 64 colours, it offers a host of pos-sibilities for personalisation throughout the interior.

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

Interior of Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

Masraf Al Rayan completes successful issuance of $750m Sukuk

THE PENINSULA - DOHA

Masraf Al Rayan (MAR), Qatar’s second largest Islamic Bank, rated A1 by Moody’s with a stable outlook, has announced the suc-cessful issuance of $750m Sukuk with a term of 5 years under the Bank’s existing $2bn Sukuk programme.

MAR’s Sukuk issuance was 4.4 times oversubscribed ($3.3bn). The overwhelming demand from investors has allowed the Bank to increase the issue size from an

initial $500m to $750m. The issuance was priced at a spread of 185 basis points over the 5-year mid swap carrying a fixed profit rate of 2.21 percent per annum.

MAR’s Sukuk issuance has attracted investors from across the globe with 41 percent from Europe, 28 percent from Asia, 24 percent from MENA and 7 percent from US offshore accounts. By investor type, 69 percent were allocated to fund managers, 15 percent to banks and private banks, 8 percent to

Agencies and 8 percent to insurance and pension funds. The success of the issuance was based on a comprehensive mar-keting strategy that aimed to demonstrate the strong funda-mentals of MAR and the strength of the Qatari economy to the international investors. Al Rayan Investment, Crédit Agricole CIB, HSBC, Mizuho, MUFG, QNB Capital, Société Générale and Standard Chartered Bank acted as Joint Lead Managers & Book-runners on this transaction.

Diageo Nigeria unable to refinance loan on dollar shortageBLOOMBERG

Diageo Plc’s Nigeria unit said it’s struggling to refinance a foreign-currency loan and trim costs following a shortage of dollars in Africa’s largest economy.

Guinness Nigeria Plc is weighing options to manage a $23m debt as a lack of liquidity in the local foreign-exchange market has made it difficult to refinance, Stanley Njoroge (pic-tured), finance and strategy director, said on an investor call in Lagos on Friday.

“We will want to refinance it but there is no foreign cur-rency in the market at the moment,” he said. The brewer of Guinness Stout is looking to roll over the loan which matures in May next year, but is yet to decide whether to keep it as a dollar debt or convert to a local-currency loan. Nigeria’s second largest brewer’s out-standing debt rose 16 percent to 23.2 billion naira ($60m) as of June compared with a year ago, while finance costs rose 74 percent to 4.5 billion naira.

Nigerian companies are struggling to access the greenback after a slump in oil prices cut export earnings,

putting pressure on the central bank’s capacity to meet dollar obligations to investors and businesses. “Foreign exchange is a big concern for us,” Njoroge said.

Guinness Nigeria made a net loss of 12.6 billion naira for the full year through June com-pared with a profit of 5.5 billion naira a year ago, according to its filing on the Nigerian Stock Exchange on Friday. Revenue dropped by 21 percent to 104.4 billion naira.

The company will prioritize stout, spirit and malt brands in 2020 and focus less on lager as it aims to grow the business and cushion the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on opera-tions, Njoroge said.

“We don’t have the right price in lager,” he said.

French Finance Minister Le Maire calls on banks to keep loan rates lowBLOOMBERG

The French finance minister is counting on banks to help the state salvage the economy by supporting companies hit by fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

Following months of strict lockdown to contain Covid-19, a wave of bankruptcies is looming. For companies that received state-sponsored loans, the fear is that the relief will prove short-lived, and interest rates could climb next year, increasing the cost of repaying the aid.

“Hundreds of thousands companies have taken out

state-guaranteed loans in March and April -- and it saved them,” Bruno Le Maire (pictured) said yesterday on France Inter radio. “With a great deal of solemnity, I’m asking banks to continue

supporting companies.”Le Maire said interest rates

on loans that get extended will be capped at 3 percent.

A national lockdown that began in March stifled the virus but also sent the economy into its worst tailspin on record. The government now expects that output may contract less than the 11 percent initially forecast this year, but with infections climbing in France and around Europe, uncertainty remains high. Many small and medium-sized com-panies are concerned they won’t be able to repay their emergency loans with the virus spreading and the economic outlook grim.

QNB ECONOMIC COMMENTARY

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Tour de France: Kristoff wins first stage as Pinot crashesREUTERS — NICE

Alexander Kristoff won the opening stage of the Tour de France while Thibaut Pinot, who is hoping to end the home nation’s 35-year wait for a local champion, was one of several riders to take a tumble during a rain-hit ride yesterday.

Norway’s Kristoff out-sprinted Danish world champion Mads Pedersen after 156 km around Nice. Pinot trailed by some dis-tance but was credited with the same time as the winner since the massive crash occurred within three kilo-metres of the finish line on the Promenade des Anglais.

“For the moment he’s fine, but you always need to wait a few days to see if there’s been consequences or not,” said Pinot’s sports director at Groupama-FDJ, P h i l i p p e M a u d u i t , yesterday.

Dutchman Cees Bol fin-ished third.

Colombian Nairo Quintana, twice a Tour runner-up, fell earlier while Pavel Sivakov, one of defending champion Egan Bernal’s key lieutenants, hit the ground twice.

Pre-stage favourites Sam Bennett, Caleb Ewan and Giacomo Nizzolo also crashed on slippery roads as rain wreaked havoc during the stage.

Organisers postponed the start of the Tour de France by several weeks due to the

COVID-19 pandemic. The race got off to an eventful start as rain made the roads extremely slippery.

“There must have been 100 riders crashing. Eve-ryone struggles, everyone got scared,” said Pinot’s team mate Valentin Madouas.

“It was like an ice rink.” The multiple incidents

had prompted the Jumbo Visma team to ask the peloton to take it slow in a descent, but Astana refused to take the foot off the gas pedal.

Their decision backfired, however, as their team leader Miguel Angel Lopez aquaplaned head first into a road sign. The Colombian got back on his bike.

In another descent, Primoz Roglic’s team mate George Bennett also crashed, meaning riders from the top two teams - Jumbo Visma and Ineos Grenadiers - were nursing bruises after the first day.

Pinot, who is considered as one of the title contenders behind favourites Roglic and

Bernal, sustained bruises on his leg and shoulder.

The race started in front of scarce crowds in central Nice amid fears of a corona-virus second wave as the number of daily cases has been rising within France at an alarming rate in recent weeks.

Riders and their staff are part of a race bubble in order to minimise risks of infec-tions and French health authorities on Saturday imposed stricter regulations in the event of coronavirus

cases. They ruled that a team should be withdrawn if two or more of its members -- including riders and support staff -- tested positive within seven days, race organisers said yesterday.

Riders, however, put on a brave face.

“I think nobody imagined 2020 to be like this. But we have to go through this for the good of everyone and the fact that the Tour is starting is already a good thing,” triple world champion Peter Sagan told reporters.

Alexander Kristoff of Norway celebrates after winning the first stage, yesterday.

NBA: Celtics and Raptors ready for Game 1 of semi-final series

REUTERS — NEW YORK

After several days of powerful protests, the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors return to the court for Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semi-final series near Orlando.

The second-round series was orig-inally slated to begin on Thursday before the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their play-off game on Wednesday in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Wisconsin last weekend.

The historic gesture had a ripple effect, as the NBA postponed games for three days while many other sports fol-lowed suit in a show of unity across the American athletics landscape.

Potentially cancelling the remainder of the NBA play-offs was on the table as players, coaches and owners were involved in a series of meetings to determine the next course of action.

It was ultimately decided that resuming the postseason was the best way to move forward, with a renewed focus on advocating for social justice, voting access and police reform.

“What everyone saw in the past couple days was guys just needing to reset, to refocus, and that’s what we did,” said NBA Players Association president Chris Paul of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Players from both the Celtics and Raptors were each vocal about the need for change in the 24 hours progressing toward the Bucks’ boycott.

The idea of potentially protesting games was first broached by Toronto guards Fred VanVleet and Norman Powell during media availability on Tuesday, with each player describing in detail how the shooting of Blake had affected them.

The Celtics and the defending champion Raptors met four times during the regular season, with Boston winning three of four. The Atlantic Division rivals have never met in the play-offs.

The Celtics swept the Philadelphia 76ers during their first-round series, with Tatum averaging 27.0 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in the four con-tests. The defending champion Raptors swept the Brooklyn Nets, with VanVleet (21.3 points per game) and Pascal Siakam (20.8) leading the way.

Toronto guard Kyle Lowry (left ankle sprain) had been questionable for the originally scheduled start of the semi-final series Thursday.

Boston remains without starting forward Gordon Hayward, who sprained his right ankle in Game 1 against Philadelphia.

The second-round series was originally slated to begin on Thursday before the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their play-off game on Wednesday in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Wisconsin last weekend. The historic gesture had a ripple effect, as the NBA postponed games for three days while many other sports followed suit in a show of unity across the American athletics landscape.

Lewis Hamilton gestures in homage to late US actor Chadwick Boseman after securing his 93rd pole position, yesterday.

Hamilton takes Belgian pole, Ferrari struggleAP — SPA FRANCORCHAMPS

Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton set a track record at the Belgian Grand Prix as he clinched a record-extending 93rd pole position yesterday, finishing well ahead of Mer-cedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas.

Hamilton is primed to extend his championship lead, which stands at 37 points over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and 43 over Bottas.

“I didn’t make a mistake,” Hamilton said proudly.

“That’s one of the cleanest qualifying sessions I’ve ever had. It’s a phenomenal feeling driving around this track, how fast this track has become.”

The six-time F1 champion dedicated it to Chadwick Boseman, who played Black American icons Jackie Rob-inson and James Brown before inspiring audiences as the regal “Black Panther” in

Marvel’s blockbuster movie franchise. Boseman died on Friday of cancer. He was 43.

“This was an important pole. I woke up today to the saddest news of Chadwick passing away,” Hamilton said.

“That news broke me, so it wasn’t easy to get back focused. For what he’s done for our people and super heroes - to show the kids what’s possible in life. Wakanda forever.”

Hamilton stood up on his all-black Mercedes car with his arms crossed, which is the “Wakanda forever” salute that became a pop culture landmark after the release of “Black Panther” two years ago. Bottas trailed the British driver by 0.511 seconds in qualifying while Verstappen was 0.526 adrift in third.

It was a strong per-formance from Renault driver Daniel Ricciardo, who starts from fourth on Sunday at the

7-kilometre (4.3-mile) track nestled in the Ardennes forest.

Things are going from ter-rible to abysmal for Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc in 13th and Sebastian Vettel 14th.

Ferrari’s lack of form was such that Leclerc, who won last year from pole position, was happy to qualify in 13th.

Vettel regis-tered the previous track record on his way to victory here in 2018, but this season the veteran German driver has not even finished in the top five in six races.

Earlier, Hamilton led the third and final practice, with Vettel last and Leclerc faring little better in 17th place.

McIlroy and Cantlay share lead at challenging Olympia FieldsREUTERS — NEW YORK

Rory McIlroy (pictured) and Patrick Cantlay were tied for the lead at one-under par after the second round of the BMW Championship as the Olympia Fields Country Club continued to torment the world’s best golfers.

McIlroy and Cantlay were the only two players under par at the halfway point of the second of three FedExCup play-off events, where 69 players are battling it out for a place in next week’s Tour Championship.

Starting on the back nine, McIlroy (69) was cruising early with three birdies and a bogey over his first nine holes but struggled coming in as condi-tions worsened at the course outside Chicago.

“As it got later in the day, the golf course definitely became a little firmer, a little

tougher,” said the world number four.

“The wind got up a little bit. A little disappointed to drop those shots on the way in, but I think if you shoot anything under par on this golf course, you’ve got to be pretty pleased.” Cantlay’s eventful round included an eagle, four birdies,

two bogeys and a double bogey as the American carded a second round two-under 68 to sit at one-under 139 for the tournament.

Dustin Johnson, who is leading the season-long Fed-ExCup standings, pumped his fist after he drained a tricky 32-foot birdie putt on his last hole to finish at even-par 140 going into the weekend.

The world number one is currently tied for third with overnight leader Hideki Matsuyama.

Tiger Woods’ poor putting led to a miserable round that included five bogeys, a double bogey and two birdies for a round of five-over 75.

The 15-time major champion is currently eight-over 148 for the tournament and would need a miraculous turnaround to make the Tour Championship.

AFP – NEW YORK

Japan’s Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from yesterday’s Western & Southern Open final due to a left hamstring injury, meaning Victoria Azarenka takes the title by walkover.

“I’m sorry to have to withdraw today with an injury,” said Osaka, who is currently on the Monday night schedule at the US Open where she is due to play fellow Japanese Misaki Doi in first round.

“I pulled my left ham-string yesterday in the second set tiebreak and it has not recovered overnight as I had hoped.”

Osaka had defeated Bel-gium’s Elise Mertens in the semi-final to set up the championship match against two-time Australian Open winner Azarenka, from Belarus, in the same New York Covid-19 quar-antine bubble where the US Open begins on Monday.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Osaka, of Haitian and Japanese her-itage, had threatened not to play in the semi-finals to protest the police shooting of African-American Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Osaka said she was “sick to her stomach” and “exhausted” by repeated violence against blacks by US police, echoing a move by the NBA Milwaukee Bucks in boycotting a playoff game for the same reason.

Osaka’s decision prompted the WTA and ATP to postpone all semi-final matches to Friday, which inspired Osaka to change her mind and play, although she was worried other delayed players would be upset.

“This has been an emotional week and I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of support,” Osaka said.

19SUNDAY 30 AUGUST 2020 SPORT

Banton shines before rain ends 1st Pakistan T20

AP – MANCHESTER

Tom Banton's explosive 71 off 42 balls proved to be in vain for England as the first Twenty20 international against Pakistan was abandoned as a no result because of rain in Manchester on Friday.

The opener smashed four fours and five sixes in an entertaining knock featuring lusty hitting and unorthodox scoops, helping England score 131-6 in 16.1 overs before it started to rain at Old Trafford.

Pakistan never got to bat in what would have ended up being an unsatisfactory five-over match, with the groundstaff unable to get the wet outfield in a fit state to play.

England will be concerned that Ban-ton's departure sparked the loss of four wickets for 14 runs in 19 balls before the stoppage.

Before that, opener Jonny Bairstow was out for 2 and Dawid Malan made a run-a-ball 23 after Pakistan won the toss and decided to field first under floodlights below gloomy skies.

England had scored just 34-1 after six overs, the team's lowest powerplay total since the 2016 World Twenty20 final.

Imad Wasim (2-31) and Shadab Khan (2-33) were Pakistan's best bowlers in Man-chester, where there were no spectators because of coronavirus restrictions.

The other matches in the series are tomorrow and on Tuesday. England won a rain-affected Test series 1-0.

Anderson record may be ‘Jimmy’s alone’: SangakkaraAFP – MANCHESTER

Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkara believes England’s James Anderson may have set a record that will be “Jimmy’s alone” after he became the first paceman to take 600 Test

wickets.

Anderson, 38, made history when he had Pakistan captain Azhar Ali caught at slip by England skipper Joe Root in the drawn third Test at Southampton on Tuesday.

MCC President Sangakkara, in an email to club members pub-lished yesterday, said Anderson’s feat was a “joyful moment for the ages” and “an exceptional achievement”.

“Jimmy is a fast bowler of immense skill and determination,” added the 42-year-old Sangakkara, a former Sri Lanka captain.

“His achievement is tre-mendous, not just for the fact that it is 600 wickets, but also for what that entails in terms of effort, com-mitment and reinvention.”

The only bowlers ahead of Anderson in the all-time list of

Test wicket-takers are three retired spinners - Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (800),

Australia’s Shane Warne (708) and India’s Anil Kumble (619).

And of the three other fast bowlers to have taken more than 500 Test wickets, only Anderson’s longstanding England new-ball colleague Stuart Broad (514 wickets), is still an active cricketer, with Australia’s Glenn McGrath (563) and West Indies’ Courtney Walsh (519) having long since hung up their boots.

“He has set a record for current and future pace bowlers to chase, but it may just be one record that will be Jimmy’s and Jimmy’s alone,” said Sangakkara, a former wicketkeeper-batsman who appeared in 134 Tests and was Sri Lanka’s captain when they lost the 2011 World Cup final to India in Mumbai.

“It was my great privilege to play against him and I now share with you the enjoyment of watching him from beyond the boundary rope for as long as he may continue.” Sangakkara is the first overseas President in the 233-year-old history of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC),

the owners of London’s Lord’s cricket ground.

By tradition, MCC Presidents serve for just one year.

But with no internationals being played at Lord’s, ‘the home of cricket’ in 2020 because of Covid-19 -- Saturday will see the ground’s first match of the season when Middlesex play Kent in an English domestic Twenty20 -- Sangakkara’s time in office has been extended by 12 months.

“I would like to thank you (the MCC membership) for your support in granting an extension to my term as President,” San-g a k k a r a w r o t e i n acknowledgement.

Chennai in further trouble asRaina leaves, virus cases riseAFP – DUBAI

The Indian Premier League yesterday confirmed that two players have tested positive for coronavirus before the start of the world’s richest Twenty20 tournament and reports said they were from Chennai Super Kings.

The three-time champions also lost key batsman Suresh Raina for “personal reasons” and doubts are growing whether they will take part in the gala opening game on Sep-tember 19.

The much-delayed IPL has been moved to the United Arab Emirates because of the growth of the pandemic in India and teams are being kept in strict isolation bubbles.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India said two players and 11 other support staff and officials have Covid-19 but did not name the team involved.

“Thirteen personnel have tested positive of which two are players,” said a BCCI statement.

“All the affected personnel as well as their close contacts are asymptomatic and have been isolated from other team members,” said the board, which added that about 2,000 tests had been carried out on players and staff since August 20. Indian media reports said

bowler Deepak Chahar, an Indian one-day international, was one of the two players while the other was a batsman, though not Raina.

The team now face ques-tions over their decision to hold a training camp in their home city before heading to Dubai. They were the only one of the eight teams to practice in India.

Chennai ’s troubles deepened with the loss of Raina.

“Suresh Raina has returned to India for personal reasons and will be unavailable for the remainder of the IPL season,” the team announced on Twitter.

“Chennai Super Kings offers complete support to Suresh and his family during this time.” Chennai lost to Mumbai Indians in last year’s final and traditionally the two sides would open this tournament.

The IPL has not yet released a schedule for the league, which runs through to November 10.

But reports said Chennai would struggle to be ready for the first game.

The IPL was originally scheduled to start in March but has been repeatedly put back because of the coronavirus.

Barca unwillingto negotiate Messi departureAP – MADRID

Barcelona is unwavering in its intention to keep Lionel Messi, who told the club earlier this week that he wanted to leave.

Spanish media say Messi has contacted the club to try to resolve the situation, but Barcelona confirmed yesterday that it will not negotiate to allow the Argentina great to depart before his contract ends next year.

Earlier this week, Messi said he wanted to invoke a contract clause that allowed him to leave at the end of last season, but the club said the clause had already expired.

A lengthy legal battle may ensue as the 33-year-old forward is expected to say the clause was valid until the end of the season, which was pushed back because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Barcelona is not willing to give up on the player, especially not for free. Messi’s contract, which ends in June 2021, has a buyout clause of €700m ($831m). He has been with the club for nearly two decades, leading it to more than three-dozen titles and holding most of its individual records.

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus poses with the Western and Southern Open winner’s trophy in Queens borough, New York , yesterday after Naomi Osaka of Japan, withdrew before the start of their final.

Osaka withdraws from final, Azarenka wins title

A man takes a picture of a new artwork by street artist TVBoy depicting Barcelona’s Argentinian forward Lionel Messi entitled “Hasta Siempre Comandante” (Until Forever, Commander) in Barcelona, yesterday.

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Messi will not attend Barca training: ReportREUTERS – MADRID

Lionel Messi will not take a planned coronavirus test today or attend training tomorrow after his shock announcement earlier this week that he wants to leave Barcelona, Spanish media including La Vanguardia reported yesterday.

Spanish sports paper Marca said Messi was “going to war” with his lifelong club by making the decision.

La Vanguardia reported Messi will send another burofax, the method by which he told the club he wanted to leave, to inform them of his decision not to attend the first training session under new coach Ronald Koeman.

A burofax is a service used in Spain to urgently dis-patch a document through a certified email, which issues a digital certificate with legal validity.

Djokovic rallies past Raonic to win US Open tune-up titleAFP — NEW YORK

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic rallied to defeat Canada’s Milos Raonic 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in yesterday’s ATP Western & Southern Open final, remaining unbeaten this year only two days before his first US Open match.

The 33-year-old Serbian star won his 80th career title, improving to 23-0 in 2020 and 11-0 all-time against Raonic, while capturing his 35th ATP Masters Series crown, matching Rafael Nadal’s all-time record.

Djokovic is set to launch his quest for a fourth US Open title and 18th career Grand Slam crown against Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 107th-ranked Damir Dzumhur tomorrow night at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The victory gives Djokovic a double career sweep of all nine ATP Masters Series titles while Raonic has gone winless in 63 Masters Series starts.

The US Open tun-eup event, usually played in Cincinnati, was moved to New York due to the COVID-19 pandemic and played inside the same quar-antine bubble at the National

Tennis Center where the US Open will be staged.

In the third set, Raonic broke to lead 2-0 when Djokovic sent a forehand long, but Djokovic broke back at love, Raonic netting a backhand on the final point, and broke again in the fifth game, seizing a 3-2 edge when the Canadian netted a forehand.

Djokovic held serve from

there to claim the crown after two hours when Raonic netted a forehand.

Raonic, who dropped his serve only twice this week before the final, took the first set on an ace after 30 minutes. Djokovic saved a break point in the second game on a service winner but Raonic broke through in the fourth game and Djokovic double faulted away another

break to hand the Canadian a 5-1 lead.

In the second set, Djokovic got his first break-point chance of the match in the sixth game when Raonic sent a forehand long and capitalized with a backhand crosscourt winner to seize a 4-2 edge. Djokovic then held at love and again in the ninth game to claim the set from 0-30 when Raonic netted a forehand.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia kisses the trophy after defeating Milos Raonic of Canada in the final.

THE PENINSULA – DOHA

Al Arabi and Al Sadd cruised into the final of Ooredoo Cup after defeating their respective opponents in the semi-finals at the Al Sadd Stadium, yesterday. Al Arabi stunned Al Rayyan 2-1 in the first semi-final while Al Sadd overcame Al Ahli 2-0 to book their spot in the final.

In the first semi-final, Al Arabi fought back from being a goal down in the 29th minute through Al Rayyan’s Abdulrahman Al Harazi, with The Dream Team scoring through Abdulaziz Al Ansari (43rd minute) and Hamdi Harbaoui (57th minute). Icelandic midfielder Aaron Gunnarsson had a hand in Al Arabi’s both goals as they resulted from his throw-ins.

Striker Yacine Brahimi led Al Rayyan’s charge and they could take the lead around the half-hour mark through Al Harazi whose placing shot went into the goal off the defensive wall. Al Ansari drew level for Al Arabi by converting Gunnarsson’s throw-in from the right into the goal.

Before Hamdi headed in Gunnars-son’s measured cross from the right, off the latter’s own throw-in, Al Arabi captain Ahmed Fathi had a shot saved by Al Rayyan goalkeeper Mahmoud Ahmad. Al Rayyan’s series of attacks saw Al Arabi goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada thwart Abdulaziz Hatem twice. Generally, The Lions’ attacks were weak to fetch them a second goal.

Al Rayyan thus lost their chance to land a silverware this season as they had exited in the quarterfinals of Amir Cup (beaten 1-0 by Al Markhiya) and finished as runners-up, behind Al Duhail, in the QNB Stars League. On the other hand, the victory was a big boost for Al Arabi, who could finish only seventh in the league.

Meanwhile, Spanish Santi Cazorla (71st minute) was on target on his Qatar debut as Al Sadd claimed victory

after scoring both their goals in the second half. Feared striker Akram Afif (90+1) was the other scorer for Al Sadd.

Al Sadd’s star signing Cazorla, who had great stints with Spanish club Vil-larreal and English side Arsenal among, started the game and impressed with his speed and drib-bling skills before being substituted late in the match.

Yousef Abdulrazaq started the

proceedings for Al Sadd by shooting over the bar in the seventh minute and Baghdad Bounedjah sent his shot straight to goalkeeper Ivanildo Rod-riguez in the 12th minute. Umaru tested goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham the next minute.

Al Ahli’s Hazem Shehata’s angular shot in the 53rd minute was parried by Barsham and soon Al Sadd’s Rodrigo Tabata made an attempt.

Cazorla put Al Sadd ahead as he

linked up with Yousef Abdulrazaq and Bounedjah before curling the ball into the top left corner of the net.

Akram sealed the issue with a neat finish past the Al Ahli goalkeeper after playing a one-two with Ahmed Bader Sayyar.

It may be recalled that Al Ahli had defeated Al Sadd by a 4-3 margin when they faced off in the group stage (Round 3) of this season’s Ooredoo Cup on 23rd November, 2019.

SPORT | 18

Lewis Hamilton

takes Belgian GP

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struggle

SPORTAnderson

record may be

‘Jimmy’s alone’:

Sangakkara

SPORT | 19

SUNDAY 30 AUGUST 2020

LONGINES HATHAB EQUESTRIAN SERIES

ROUND 12 - DAY 3 RESULTSCOMP. (7) SMALL TOUR, TWO ROUNDS WITH JUMP OFF (2ND RND), 100-115CM, PRIZE MONEY QR15,000- Rk, Horse, Rider, Time (faults), Prize Money - 1: Vol De Nuit Tardonne, Maryam Ahmad Al Boinin, 48.36, 33.13 (8) - JO 2: Dino Bb Z, Mohammed Al Ghazali, 44.74, 34.67 (8) - JO3: Vlacido, Mohammed Nasser Al Qadi, 45.97 (4)COMP. (8) MEDIUM TOUR, TWO ROUNDS WITH JUMP OFF (2ND RND), 120/130CM, PRIZE MONEY QR20,000 1: Jazz De Semilly K Z (Dupli), Ghanim Nasser Al Qadi, 45.62, 32.85 (4) - JO 2: Verona, Mohammed Khalifa Albaker, 43.72, 33.12 (4) - JO3: Canavaro De Muze (E.T.), Jaber Rashid Al Amri ,44.58 El4: Miss Chili, Mohammed Saeed Haidan, 40.76 (4)COMP. (9) BIG TOUR, TWO ROUNDS WITH JUMP OFF (2ND RND), 130/145 CM, PRIZE MONEY QR40,000 1: Quel Homme, Nasser Al Ghazali, 56.10, 31.64 - JO2: The Toymaker, Salman Mohammed Al Emadi, 57.64, 32.45 - JO3: S I E C Lonnie, Hamad Nasser Al Qadi, 57.86 (8)4: Carport, Faleh Suwead Al Ajami, 52.46 (12)

OVERALL STANDINGSSMALL TOUR1: Mohammed Al Ghazali 1912: Khalifa Abdulla Al Khaldi 188.53: Mohammed Nasser Al Qadi 186.54: Ali Mohammed Al Marri 1625: Abdulaziz Ghanim Al Nuaimi 158

MEDIUM TOUR1: Mohammed Khalifa Albaker 1932: Ghanim Nasser Al Qadi 1873: Mohammed Saeed Haidan 1844: Mohammad Hazim Abara 1755: Alqaqa Adel Nassar 170

BIG TOUR1: Hamad Nasser Al Qadi 1842: Salman Mohammed Al Emadi 1793: Faleh Suwead Al Ajami 1784: Nasser Al Ghazali 1765: Khalid Mohammed Al Emadi 175

Al Sadd, Al Arabi book Ooredoo Cup showdown

Longines Hathab: Hamad wins Big Tour title in thrilling finale

Al Sadd's Santi Cazorla (left) and an Al Ahli player in action during the semi-final yesterday.

Al Arabi's Abdulaziz Al Ansari (right) is congratulated by team-mate Aaron Gunnarsson after he scored against Al Rayyan yesterday.

Big Tour champion

Hamad Nasser Al Qadi

Winner of yesterday's round of Big Tour, Nasser Al Ghazali celebrating with Quel Homme

CHINTHANA WASALA THE PENINSULA

Prominent rider Hamad Nasser Al Qadi emerged overall champion in the Big Tour despite missing out on the top podium finish yesterday as the curtain came down in the 12-leg Longines Hathab Eques-trian Series.

At the Qatar Equestrian Federations Indoor Arena, Quel Homme, with Nasser Al Ghazali in the saddle, clinched a thrilling win the final round of the Big Tour yesterday, but that could not place him among the top three in the overall standings.

Al Ghazali clocked a time of 56.10 secs in the 130/145cm event and followed up with a jump off that lasted 31.64 secs to win yesterday and bag a prize cheque for QR11,200.

The Toymaker and Salman Mohammed Al Emadi finished second in both yesterday's round as well as the overall standings (179 points) after completing the same task in 57.64 secs and 32.45 secs respectively.

Hamad and S I E C Lonnie came third in the 12th leg with a routine which he completed in 57.86 secs (8 faults).

Hamad topped overall Big Tour standings with 184 points.

"Despite finishing third in the 12th round, I’m so happy I could still emerge on top. It was not an easy competition and this experience will stand me in good stead moving forward," the jubilant Big Tour champion, Hamad said after the event.

Faleh Suwead Al Ajami, after finishing fourth in yes-terday's round with Carport,

was placed third in the points table (178).

The Medium Tour cham-pionship was won by Mohammed Khalifa Albaker while Mohammed Al Ghazali won the Small Tour Championship.

The overall champions were crowned by Omar bin Khaled Al Mannai, Vice-Pres-ident of the Longines Hathab Organising Committee, Ali Al Rumaihi, Director of the Championship and Bader Al Darwish, Member of the Organising Committee of the Championship and Secretary-General of both Qatari and Asian Equestrian Federations. Representing official sponsors of the series, Saleh Al Mana, Vice President and Gov-ernment Affairs Director for ExxonMobil Qatar, and Abdul-salam Abu Issa, Chief Exec-utive Officer of Salam Inter-national, were also present.

The organisers and the hosts of the event, Qatar Equestrian Federation (QEF) and Al Shaqab, also honored the official sponsors, Longines, ExxonMobil, and Salam International and volunteers of the Qatar Red Crescent, led Abdul Rahman Al Mahdi.

Earlier, in the Medium Tour, Ghanim Nasser Al Qadi excelled with Jazz De Semilly K Z (Dupli) to seal the season's final podium win, but the second place was enough for Albaker to seal the overall title with 193 points.

Ghanim and his eight-year-old mare completed yesterday's second round in 45.62 secs before a jump off that was com-pleted in 32.85 secs. He bagged QR5,500 in prize money.

Albaker's Verona completed the same routine in 43.72 secs, followed by a 33.12 second jump off. Both of them made four errors each during the jump off. Ghanim was placed second in

the overall standings after 12 rounds with 187 points.

"My aim was to win the Medium Tour title and I’m happy I got to achieve that. It was a very satisfying experience," Albaker, who achived seven podium spots during the 12-leg series, said after yesterday's victory.

Canavaro De Muze (E.T.), with Jaber Rashid Al Amri in the saddle, completed yesterday's round in 44.58 secs to book the remaining spot on the podium, but Mohammed Saeed Haidan and Miss Chili who missed out on a podium spot yesterday, managed to finish the season with 184 points at the third spot in the overall standings.

In the Small Tour, the overall victory was clinched by Mohammed Al Ghazali (191 points) who finished second with Dino Bb Z yesterday.

Vol De Nuit Tardonne, with Maryam Ahmad Al Boinin in the

saddle, won yesterday's event after completing the round in 48.36 secs and following up with a jump off of 33.13 (8 faults). Dino Bb Z was faster in the regular round (44.74 secs) but spent a time of 34.67 (8 faults) during the jump off.

Vlacido, ridden by Mohammed Nasser Al Qadi (45.97 -4 faults) finished third in yesterday's round as well as in the overall standings with 186.5 points.

Khalifa Abdulla Al Khaldi, despite not competing yes-terday, secured the second spot in the points table (188.5).

Ghanem Nasser Al Qadi also emerged Dressage (Level 2) champion while Jessica and Don won the Dressage (Level 1) overall title.

'The Top', which consisted of Faleh Al Ajami, Hussein Haidan, Sayed Al Abara and Muhammad Abara, emerged team champions.