THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar Rail has announced to expand its metroexpress service, which is free on-demand ride-sharing service. The service will now cover Al Qassar, Katara, Legtaifiya and Qatar University stations.

“We are pleased to announce the expansion of our metroexpress pilot service, which covers DECC, West Bay, Al Qassar, Katara, Legtaifya & Qatar University Stations,” said Doha Metro & Lusail Tram on its official twitter account, yesterday.

The ride-sharing service, which was launched in July 2019, provides metro users with quick and con-venient access to metro stations and the area nearby. metroexpress that can be booked through the app is available on iOS and Android platforms.

The programme accepts mul-tiple passengers’ bookings heading in the same direction and pools them into shared vehicles, using an

advanced algorithm that calculates the most direct route possible without lengthy detours, or incon-venient fixed routes and schedules.

Qatar Rail also announced to expand metrolink services to The Pearl Qatar. “We are pleased to announce the service expansion of our free metrolink services, which now takes you to and from The Pearl Qatar and Legtaifiya Station,” said Doha Metro & Lusail Tram.

Qatar Rail has opened Legtaifiya Station on the Red Line from

September 1. Legtaifiya station falls in between the Katara and Qatar University stations and is close to The Pearl-Qatar and is also one of the interchange stations for Lusail Tram.

Choose the network of heroes Enjoy the Internet

SPORT | 11

UK not afraid to walk away without deal

with EU: David Frost

AFC lists Al Sadd stars Afif and Bounedjah among best in CL 2019

MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2020 www.thepeninsula.qa19 MUHARRAM - 1442 VOLUME 25 NUMBER 8373 2 RIYALS

d

BUSINESS | 01

Every Monday and Thursday

PAGES 06 & 07

QNA — DOHA

Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, held last evening a tele-phone conversation with Prime Minister of the Republic of the Sudan, H E Dr. Abdalla Hamdok, during which he expressed his sincere condolences on the victims of the floods that swept through several regions in Sudan, wishing a speedy recovery for the injured.

Also, H E the Prime Min-ister informed HE Dr. Abdalla Hamdok of the directives of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to send urgent relief aid to brotherly Sudan to mitigate the effects of these floods.

For his part, H E the Sudanese Prime Minister expressed his thanks and appreciation for this aid and the State of Qatar’s permanent standing by Sudan.

QA operates special flights to 11 Indian citiesTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar Airways started special flights to 11 destinations in India for limited period from September 6 to October 24. The award-winning airline has also resumed services to Mogadishu, Somalia from yesterday.

“Do not miss your chance to reach your destination of choice in India in all convenience during this limited period. You can rely on us to connect you to Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Ben-galuru, Chennai, Kochi, Delhi, Hyderabad,Kolkata, Kozhikode, Mumbai and Thiruvanan-thapuram,” said Qatar Airways in a mail sent to its customers.

“Throughout your journey, you can expect the highest standards of hygiene and the latest security measures, whether on board or at our

state-of-art Hamad Interna-tional Airport. We recommend all passengers to abide by the regulations published by the

government of their destination country before travelling,” it added.

Qatar Airways requires

passengers to wear a face shield and face mask or covering throughout their flight. The airline will provide these items, but recommends passengers bring their own face mask or covering for fit and comfort purposes.

The airline has also started flights to the capital city of Somalia, said the airline yesterday.

“We are pleased to announce the resumption of three weekly flights to Mogadishu, Somalia from today,” said the airline in a tweet, yesterday.

Service to Mogadishu fea-tures an Airbus A320 with 12 seats in Business class and 120 seats in Economy class. The airline operates this service as a tagged flight to its existing oper-ations to Djibouti which resumed last month.

The resumption of three-weekly flights to Mogadishu, Somalia, will see Qatar Airways network in Africa expand to nine destinations. With the addition of Mogadishu, the airline operates 40 weekly flights to the continent across nine destina-tions including Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti, Kigali, Kili-manjaro, Nairobi, Tunis and Zanzibar.

Hamad International Airport has invested in advanced tech-nologies and additional measures to ensure passengers' safety in transit. These safety measures have also been imple-mented in the Oryx Airport Hotel, Hamad International Airport Lounges and across Al Maha Services. All arrivals and departures passengers are screened for COVID-19 symptoms. �P2

Qatar Rail is currently working on setting up 300 air-conditioned bus shelters in different areas around the Doha Metro stations. These shelters are dedicated to serve the users of public transport buses & Metrolink, Qatar Rail tweeted sharing the picture yesterday.

Qatar Rail expands metroexpress service

MoI revisestimings atservice centresTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

In fulfilment of the fourth phase of gradual lifting on restrictions imposed to control the spread of the coronavirus in the country, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) announced the expansion of operations in its service centres.

On Twitter yesterday, MoI stated that its service centres are open to receive visitors in the morning and afternoon shifts from 6am to 6pm, starting from yesterday (Sep-tember 6, 2020).

With the centers back in operation, the Ministry urged citizens and residents to con-tinue observing proper pre-cautionary measures, most especially in public.

Amir directs sending urgent aid to Sudan

The special flights started operations yesterday and

will continue till October 24 to Ahmedabad, Amritsar,

Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata,

Kozhikode, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram.

The award-winning airline has also resumed three

weekly services to Mogadishu in Somalia.

Minimum wage will help hire skilled labourSANAULLAH ATAULLAH THE PENINSULA

Director of Labour Inspection Department at the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, Fahad Al Dosari has said that the minimum wage is the amount to be paid to a worker regardless of the skills and work nature.

“The minimum wage has been fixed QR1,000 as basic salary in addition there is food allowance of QR300 and accommodation allowance of QR500,” said Fahad Al Dosari while speaking in a Qatar TV programme yesterday.

For example, he said, if an employer provides accommo-dation and food then in that case the worker will get QR1,000, the basic salary. “In case of provision of accommo-dation without food, the worker will receive QR1,300 and in case neither food nor accommo-dation is provided, the worker will get a total of QR1,800 unless there is agreement between an employer and a worker for more amount.”

Regarding the punishment for violating the rules of minimum wage, Al Dosari said: “The punishment (for wage vio-lations) has been increased from one month jail sentence to one year jail sentence and the maximum fine has been also

raised from QR6,000 to QR10,000.”

Speaking about the pun-ishment for not providing suitable accommodation, he

said: “After amendment of the law, now the punishment has become six months jail sentence

and fine ranging from QR2,000 to QR100,000 and the law stip-ulates severe punishment in case of repetition.”

He said that the minimum

wage aims at hiring skilled lab-orers, increasing productivity of the companies and

institutions. “The law of minimum wage will come into effect after six month from the date of publishing in official gazette,” said Al Dosari.

He said that the law of minimum wage for workers includes all workers including domestic workers and those workers who are receiving more payment than minimum wage will be unaffected.

Abdullah Mubarak Al

Dosari, Director of Labour Rela-tions Department said, in the same Qatar TV programme, that

an employee is entitled to change his work organisation during the contract period or after the end of the contract period or during the probation period as per the rules and reg-ulations in this regard.

“In these cases, as per the rules, the second employer will compensate the first employer, provided that there is no compe-tition and the worker has notified the first employer,” said Al Dosari.

He said that the worker is entitled to change the work organisation during probation period and in this case the new employer will compensate to the previous employer like (some of the recruitment charges or ticket fare). “The worker should notify to the pre-vious employer for one month notice period. The compen-sation will be maximum the two salaries of the worker.”

“The worker cannot return to work in Qatar for one year if he fails to notify his employer and leaves the country without completing the notice period,” said Al Dosari.

He said that there are three Labor Dispute Resolution Com-mittees at the Ministry chaired by a judge and members appointed by the Ministry fol-lowing the decision issued by the Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs.

Fahad Al Dosari, Director of Labour Inspection Department

Abdullah Mubarak Al Dosari, Director of Labour Relations Department

The punishment (for wage rule violations) has been increased from one month jail sentence to one year jail sentence and the maximum fine has been also raised from QR6,000 to QR10,000.”

The worker cannot return to work in Qatar for one year if he fails to notify his employer and leaves the country without completing the notice period.”

An employee is entitled to change his work organisation during the contract period or after the end of the contract period or during the probation period as per the rules and regulations in this regard.

OFFICIAL NEWS

02 MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2020HOME

Qatar condemns

stabbing incident

in Tunisia

QNA — DOHA

The State of Qatar expressed yesterday its strong condem-nation and denunciation of the running over by a car and the stabbing that took place in Sousse city, central eastern Tunisia, killing a police officer and injuring another.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated Qatar’s firm position on rejecting violence and ter-rorism, regardless of motives and reasons. The statement expressed the condolences of the State of Qatar to the fam-ilies of the victims, the gov-ernment and people of Tunisia, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

QRCS, Aspetar sign pact to support global humanitarian workTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) and Aspetar, the Ortho-paedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, yesterday signed a memorandum of under-standing (MoU) to establish mutual cooperation in supporting humanitarian activ-ities related to the provision of health care for vulnerable indi-viduals and communities.

At the Aspetar premises, the MoU was signed by Eng Ibrahim Abdullah Al Maliki, Chief Executive Director of QRCS, and Dr. Abdul Aziz Jaham Al Kuwari, Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Aspetar.

Under the three-year instrument, the two parties agreed to work together based on mutual trust, cooperation, and partnership to obtain the best possible outcome for the intended beneficiaries. To do

so, they will implement joint humanitarian projects in Qatar or other countries, in con-sistency with the regulations and requirements of both parties, involved countries, special circumstances of projects, and mechanisms of

implementation stated in project MoUs (if needed).

The services involved under this MoU include bringing international poor patients by QRCS for treatment at Aspetar.

The hospital will support

QRCS’s medical convoys pro-gramme, by allowing its spe-cialised physicians to travel on charitable medical missions abroad. Also, it will donate medical drugs and consum-ables to be used by QRCS’s clinics or as medical aid to vul-nerable communities.

Eng Al Maliki said, “This MoU is a new legal framework of cooperation between QRCS and Aspetar. For many years now, we have been working collaboratively on the medical coverage of sports matches and events supervised by Aspetar in Qatar.

This time, the scope of work expands to QRCS’s foreign medical operations, such as medical aid and sur-gical delegations to treat poor patients”.

According to him, this agreement goes in line with QRCS’s strategic approach to government, NGO, and private

partnerships. It also reflects Aspetar’s belief in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and humanitarian action.

“I hope this partnership would continue and thrive in the future, acting in the best interest of underserved groups, towards the shared visions and goals of both parties,” said Eng. Al Maliki.

Dr. Al Kuwari said, “This agreement builds on our good relations with QRCS for over a decade, opening up new horizons for bilateral strategic cooperation. We applaud the leading role of QRCS in sup-porting the various areas of humanitarian and relief work”.

He promised, “Aspetar will spare no effort to contribute its world-class health care and research expertise towards such a noble cause, cherishing the hospital’s underlying values of supporting humanitarian action locally and globally”.

Chief Executive Director of QRCS, Eng Ibrahim Abdullah Al Maliki, and Acting Chief Executive Officer of Aspetar, Dr. Abdul Aziz Jaham Al Kuwari, signing a memorandum of understanding, yesterday.

Amir condoles with Bangladesh President, PM

53rd Asean Day in Doha highlights bloc’s cohesive journey towards resilience amid pandemic

RAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULA

As the Asean Committee in Doha (ACD) marked Asean Day yesterday, H E Mohamed Bahrin Abu Bakar, Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam in Doha and this year’s ACD Chairman under-scored Asean’s cohesive journey towards resilience amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ambassador was speaking at an event held yes-terday at the Embassy of Brunei Darussalam to celebrate the 53rd anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (Asean).

He echoed what had been pointed out by the Secretary-General of Asean, Dato Lim Jock Hoi on the significance of Asean to develop a robust, holistic and pragmatic post-pandemic recovery framework to mitigate socio-economic effects of COVID -19 on the people, while con-tinuing to advance Asean’s regional economic integration.

Asean leaders recognise the opportunities and challenges presented among others by the social and economic ramifica-tions of the COVID-19 pandemic, including disrupted production and supply chains, demand shocks, decreased trade and investment, financial vulnerabil-ities, and high unemployment, he noted.

“In this regard, the Asean leaders through their declaration of the special Asean summit on COVID-19 have demonstrated their collective will and shared commitment to strengthen soli-darity, enhance cooperation and mutual support among Asean member states, with external partners and the international community in the fight against COVID-19 as well as mitigate the multi-facet impact of the pan-demic while working towards a comprehensive post-pandemic recovery plan for Asean,” he said.

He added that the member states are to undertake necessary measures for gradual revitali-sation of Asean’s economic activ-ities to implement facilitative measures and to expedite recovery of the Asean economies. While the region’s economic growth appears to be stabilising with an estimated GDP growth of 4.6 percent last year, it is noted that the COVID-19 pandemic will affect the prospect of further recovery in the region in 2020.

The Ambassador lauded Qatar’s excellent response to deal with the pandemic.

“Qatar has been exemplary in showing how important it is for countries to continue working together in overcoming and addressing the global pandemic and its impacts. Hence, allow me to take the opportunity to

commend the efforts of the Gov-ernment of the State of Qatar under the leadership of H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar, in managing the COVID-19 crisis since this unprecedented out-break began,” he said.

“We also like to express our deepest gratitude to the Ministry of Public Health and the front-liners for taking care of our nationals and they have been receiving the best medical services and treatment throughout their illness,” he said.

“A significant impact of the pandemic is connectivity in context of the global travel restrictions. We value the role and the efforts of Qatar Airways

to bring people home and those returning here as well as the tireless assistance rendered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior, Civil Aviation Authority and Hamad Interna-tional Airport,” he added.

With the growing interest from countries and regional organisations outside the Southeast Asian region to engage and develop stronger cooper-ation with Asean, he vowed that ACD “will continue to play its role to promote Asean’s interest and to forge partnerships in various fields with our host country, the State of Qatar.”

Yesterday’s event was attended by H E Ambassador Ibrahim Yousif Abdullah

Fakhroo, Director of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Qatar and ambassadors and heads of missions of Asean member states in Doha including H E Alan L Timbayan, Ambas-sador of the Philippines; H E Jai S Sohan, Ambassador of Sin-gapore; H E Nathapol Khanta-hiran, Ambassador of Thailand; H E Nguyen Dinh Thao, Ambas-sador of Vietnam; Mohamad Shahir Sabarudin, Chargè d’Affaires at Malaysian Embassy; and Maulana Syahid, Chargè d’Affaires at Indonesian Embassy.

The highlight of the event was the hoisting of the flag of the Asean member states with the playing of the Asean states' anthem titled “The Asean Way.”

H E Mohamed Bahrin Abu Bakar (fourth right), Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam in Doha and current Asean Committee in Doha Chairman, with H E Ambassador Ibrahim Yousif Abdullah Fakhroo (third right), Director of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Qatar and Ambassadors and Heads of Missions of Asean countries during the 53rd Asean Day at the Embassy of Brunei, in Doha, yesterday. PIC: RAYNALD C RIVERA/THE PENINSULA

With the growing interest from countries and regional organisations outside the Southeast Asian region to engage and develop stronger cooperation with Asean, Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam in Doha and this year’s ACD Chairman vowed that ACD “will continue to play its role to promote Asean’s interest and to forge partnerships in various fields with our host country, the State of Qatar.”

Maritime Customs foils attempt to smuggle hashish at Ruwais PortTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Maritime Customs adminis-tration foiled an attempt to smuggle a large amount of hashish at Ruwais Port.

In many pictures and videos shared by the General Authority of Customs on Twitter, the con-traband is shown to be hidden inside the spare tyre of a refrig-erated truck.

When opened, there were 45 bags containing hashish hidden

inside the tyre, weighing a total of 45.5kg.

The Authority has been issuing continuous warning against carrying illegal sub-stances into the country. Customs officers are provided with all means of support including the latest devices and training to read body language of passengers and to be aware of the latest methods adopted by smugglers.

The contraband was hidden inside the spare tyre of a truck.

Al Khor and Al Zakhira Municipality records four violations at food outlets in AugustTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Health Monitoring Section at Al Khor and Al Zakhira Municipality recorded four violations at food outlets in August.

The action was taken over the law No. 8 of 1990 for regu-lating foods. The municipal inspectors made 366 inspection visits to food outlets operating across the municipality during the period of study.

The inspectors also inspected over 959kg of fish at a fish market and jetty. A total of 1,927 slaughtered animals were inspected resulting in 214 slaughtered animals completely and 407 partially destroyed for being unfit for human consumption.

As much as 10 inspection campaigns were conducted on key processing units and com-panies to ensure the safety of products in all stages of production.

Samples of the products were taken to the central lab-oratory to check the specifica-tions required in Qatar.

The health monitoring section of Al Khor and Al Zakhira Municipality is moni-toring all food outlets seven days in a week to make sure the health provisions, specifica-tions, proper transportation and

storage, prepa-ration of foods in healthy envi-ronment so the food items reach the customers safely.

M e a n w h i l e , General Monitoring Section of Al Shamal Munici-pality conducted a two-day campaign for removing aban-doned vehicles and equipment from a c r o s s t h e municipality.

A total of 133 stickers of viola-tions were put on abandoned vehicles and equipment which were iden-

tified during the campaign.

The Municipality removed 20 vehicles and equipment.

Meanwhile, many owners removed their vehicles and equipment which received vio-lation stickers during the given grace period.

Inspectors during a visit to a fish market.

Mitsubishi Pajero

models of

2017-2018

recalled

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry in cooperation with Qatar Automobiles Company, dealer of Mitsubishi vehicles in Qatar has announced the recall of Mitsubishi Pajero models of 2017-2018 due to possible defect in the front right lower arm, which may lead to the instability of the vehicle.

The recall campaign comes within the framework of the Ministry’s continuous efforts to protect consumers and ensure that car dealers follow up on vehicle defects and repairs.

The Ministry said that it will coordinate with the dealer to follow up on the maintenance and repair works and will communicate with customers to ensure that they carried out the necessary repairs.

The Ministry urged all customers to report any vio-lations to its Consumer Pro-tection and Anti-Commercial Fraud Department, which processes complaints , inquires and suggestions through its communication channels.

QA operates

special flights to

11 Indian cities

FROM PAGE 1

At the airport, advanced thermal screening helmets are also being used, which are equipped with infrared thermal imaging and artificial intelligence.

All handrails, baggage belts, trolleys and surfaces are disinfected and sanitised every 15 minutes, in addition to fully autonomous roaming mobile disinfectant robots. All departure, arrival and transfer baggage are disinfected at Hamad International Airport.

DOHA: Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin

Hamad Al Thani and Deputy Amir

H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad

Al Thani sent yesterday cables of

condolences to President of the

People’s Republic of Bangladesh

H E Mohammad Abdul Hamid and

Prime Minister H E Sheikh Hasina

Wajed on the victims of a mosque

explosion in the south of the capital

Dhaka, wishing a speedy recov-

ery for the injured.

Prime Minister and Minis-

ter of Interior H E Sheikh Khalid

bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani

also sent a cable of condolences

to Prime Minister of the People’s

Republic of Bangladesh H E Sheikh

Hasina Wajed on the victims of a

mosque explosion in the south

of the capital Dhaka, wishing a

speedy recovery for the injured.

03MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2020 HOME

Sepsis still a major health concern globally: HMC expertsTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

As sepsis is a life-threatening complication of an infection and arises when the body’s response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs, experts at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Sidra Medicine have stressed the importance of raising awareness about the condition.

Sepsis may lead to shock, multi organ failure, and death, especially if not recognised early and treated promptly. Around the world, sepsis remains the main cause of hospital readmissions and higher healthcare costs.

The World Health Organi-sation (WHO) advocates a multi-disciplinary approach to improve sepsis prevention and outcomes. Early diagnosis and timely and appropriate clinical management of sepsis, including optimal anti-microbial use and fluid resusci-tation can also help increase the likelihood of survival.

Dr. Abdulla Al Ansari, Chief Medical Officer at HMC, said that the onset of acute sepsis can pose a significant mortality risk or be the cause of signif-icant long-term morbidity requiring ongoing treatment and support.

“Sepsis is a medical emer-gency and the one where timely

intervention is essential to prevent septic shock and potential death or persistent health impairments. Global research has shown that up to 50 percent of sepsis survivors suffer from long-term physical and/or psychological effects of the condition. From a healthcare perspective, it is essential to monitor patients carefully in the months after they have been discharged from the hospital to make sure the patient is safe and to avoid any risk of renewed infections and rehospitalisation,” said Dr. Al Ansari.

According to international statistics, every year between 47 to 50 million people contract sepsis, and at least 11 million people die from it (one in five

deaths worldwide are asso-ciated with sepsis). Interna-tional clinical consensus high-lights the need for health pro-fessionals to recognise early warning signs of sepsis and to carry out treatment in severe cases within one hour following diagnosis. Often referred to as the ‘Golden Hour’, during this period, health professionals should carry out a series of treatment steps referred to as the ‘Sepsis Six’, which could maximise a patient’s chance of survival.

Dr. Ahmed Labib, Senior Consultant at the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Hamad General Hospital highlighted the importance of greater awareness of the basic signs and symptoms of sepsis. He noted

that sepsis awareness is still rel-atively low among the general public and research indicates that around 80 percent of sepsis cases occur outside hospitals. A lack of knowledge and awareness among patients and their family members makes sepsis the number one pre-ventable cause of death worldwide.

“There are six common signs that may indicate sepsis, these include slurred speech or exhibiting confusion, extreme shivering or muscle pain, fever, passing no urine all the day, severe breathlessness, and skin looking mottled or generally discoloured. Many people with sepsis have expressed a feeling that they will die, which of course can be terrifying. More

awareness that can support sus-pecting sepsis is a first major step towards early recognition and diagnosis and ultimately better patient recovery out-comes,” said Dr. Labib.

Dr. Mohammad Janahi, Chief Paediatric Infectious Disease at Sidra Medicine explained that children and pregnant women are among the groups at risk as they are more susceptible to infections.

“While anyone can develop sepsis, certain vulnerable pop-ulation groups are more at risk, including people with chronic diseases, older people, pregnant or recently pregnant women, and children, particularly pre-mature babies and infants whose immune system is not fully developed. Literature sug-gests that about 40 percent of sepsis cases around the world involve children under the age of five,” said Dr. Janahi.

“Parents should monitor their children carefully when they get sick and contact their doctor immediately if they find persistent symptoms of fever, pain, sweaty or blotchy skin, heightened fatigue, or if the child has trouble waking up or appears to be confused,” added Dr. Janahi.

Qatar’s National Sepsis Program remains an important

initiative to enhance healthcare professionals’ knowledge of sepsis detection and treatment, based on international best practice. Sidra Medicine is hosting the Qatar 7th National Sepsis Symposium on World Sepsis Day on September 13 from 8am to 12.45pm. The accredited symposium is being organised by the Sidra Sepsis Program Steering Committee Lead, Dr. Rasha Ashour, along with support from HMC’s sepsis experts. To register please visit: www.sidra.cme-cloud.com.

Given the restrictions on regular educational events for healthcare professionals, HMC’s Sepsis Steering Com-mittee is recommending inter-ested clinicians attend the free World Sepsis Meeting titled ‘Breaking Barriers around the World’. The virtual symposium, endorsed by the Global Sepsis Alliance, will take place from September 12 to 16. More than 150 speakers from 55 countries will speak on many aspects of sepsis, including COVID-19 and the link between COVID-19 and sepsis.

World Sepsis Day, held annually on September 13, was established in 2012 as an initi-ative of the Global Health Alliance to raise awareness of the dangers of sepsis.

Dr. Abdulla Al Ansari Dr. Mohammad JanahiDr. Ahmed Labib

Qatari portrait artist displays works at new Katara virtual exhibitionRAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULA

Seasoned Qatari portrait artist Eman Al Sulaiti is showcasing 29 of her works at a virtual exhi-bition titled “Portrait” which was launched yesterday at the Cultural Village Foundation - Katara website.

With over 25 years of expe-rience of artistic practice and many trainings under the tutelage of art masters, Al Sulaiti demonstrates fluency in her chosen style and mediums evident in the high quality pieces on the show. She pays particular focus on facial expressions and details specially the eyes of her subjects.

From paintings of famous personalities to portraits of anonymous faces and intriguing figures on display, the exhibition offers a wide range of works that can be enjoyed by artists and art lovers and collectors.

Al Sulaiti has been into art since her school days. She studied and practised art with several masters in Qatar and abroad to perfect her skills in many techniques and mediums such as oil painting, watercolour, graphite and coloured pencil.

She received her Executive MBA from HEC-Paris in Inno-vation and Entrepreneurship in 2015 and her second major in Luxury the following year. She is a polyglot and can speak three languages, including Arabic, English and French.

“Portrait” is the ninth virtual exhibition presented by Katara.

It follows “Femmes à la mode” featuring 12 paintings by Indian artist Surabhi which draws inspiration from the artist’s innate love for fashion and the important role fashion plays in women’s life.

Previously, Katara also launched virtual exhibitions including “Trace” featuring abstract paintings by Qatari artist Jawaher Al Mannai inspired by carvings found in archaelogical sites north of Qatar, “The Unreachable Mirage” displaying 20 paintings by Qatari artist Masoud Al Bulushi which depict portraits of women wearing

traditional face covering which is the batoola, “Heritage” fea-turing works by Hassan Bu Jassoum reflecting important aspects of Qatari culture and her-itage, and “Patches” by Syrian contemporary artist Hadi Qasous showcasing 16 paintings in which he integrates calligraphy into stunning colours and shapes.

Katara’s ongoing virtual exhibitions also include “Culture

Collision” by Hassan Taleb Alsalat which displays 14 inter-esting artworks that place famous cartoon characters in a the Gulf setting in which familiar objects in the region are depicted in the paintings, “The Result” by Fatima Al Nuaimi which displays 19 acrylic on canvas works which reflect both unanticipated and foreseen results combined in one artwork and “Al Taybeen”

by Ali Dasmal Al Kuwari which focuses on 17 realist paintings depicting traditional objects and Qatari architecture.

With a number of exciting features, these exhibitions, which can be accessed via Katara’s website until end of the year, make it possible for people to see artworks up close anytime as if they were personally vis-iting Katara’s galleries.

Some of the paintings by Qatari artist Eman Al Sulaiti on display at a virtual exhibition titled “Portrait” launched by Katara, yesterday.

Al Sulaiti has been into art since her school days. She studied and practised art with several masters in Qatar and abroad to perfect her skills in many techniques and mediums such as oil painting, watercolour, graphite and coloured pencil.

MoPH: 218 more recoverto total 116,998;231 new virus casesTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) yesterday announced the registration of 231 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country. Among them 6 were travellers returning from abroad.

Another 218 people have recovered from the virus, bringing the total number of recovered cases in Qatar to 116,998.

The Ministry has also reported one new death due to COVID-19, of a person aged 47 who was receiving medical care. While all new cases have been introduced to isolation and are receiving necessary healthcare according to their health status.

The Ministry further said that measures to tackle COVID-19 in Qatar have suc-ceeded in flattening the curve and limiting the spread of the virus. The number of daily new cases and hospital admissions has gradually declined over the past few weeks.

The Ministry has also said that Qatar has one of the lowest COVID-19 death rates in the world as a result of Qatar’s young population proactive testing to identify cases early, expanding hospital capacity, especially intensive care to ensure all patients receive the medical care they need, pro-tecting the elderly and those with chronic diseases. However

the Ministry has emphasised on the importance of taking pre-cautions against COVID-19.

“Even though restrictions are being lifted, and numbers are declining, this does not mean that the COVID-19 pan-demic is finished in Qatar — every day between 50 and 100 people are admitted to hospital with moderate to severe COVID-19 symptoms,” the Min-istry said.

“Unless we follow all pre-cautionary measures, we may experience a second wave of the virus and see numbers increasing — there are already signs of this happening in other countries around the world. Now more than ever, we must be careful and protect the most vulnerable.”

6 arrested for

violating home

quarantine rules

QNA — DOHA

The competent authorities yesterday arrested six people, who violated the requirements of the home quarantine they committed to follow, 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 to ensure the public safety and to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The six persons, currently being referred to prosecution, are Ghanem Jabor Jabor Khalifa Al Rumaihi, Hamad Ahmad Mohammad Saleh Al Janahi, Talal Nasser El-Din Omran Nasser, Afdal Saleem Moamen Khan, Mohammad Abdul Elah Abdullah Mohammad Saleh, Al Sayyid Farouq Ibrahim Hamid Kabshah

The concerned authorities in the state call on citizens and residents who are subject to quarantine to fully adhere to the requirements set by the Ministry of Public Health, to ensure their safety and the safety of others.

The concerned authorities warned that anyone who vio-lates these conditions will expose himself to the penalties stipulated in accordance with the provisions of Article (253) of the Penal Code No. (11) of 2004, and the provisions of Law No. (17) of 1990 regarding the pre-vention of infectious diseases, and Law No. (17) of 2002 on the protection of society.

Qatar National Library extends opening hours; visit by appointment onlySIDI MOHAMED THE PENINSULA

Qatar National Library (QNL) has extended the timing as part of fourth phase of easing of restrictions imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

The Library said that it will now allow people in three times slots.

“Only 100 people will be allowed in the building during the 8am to 10am time slot and 150 people during the other two time slots (10.30am to 2.30pm and 3.30pm to 7.30pm),” the Library announced on its website.

Earlier during COVID-19 restrictions time, only 100 people were allowed in the building during each time slot and there was only two daily slots (9am to 11am and 12pm to 2pm), with formal and informal gatherings restricted to five people.

The Library visit will con-tinue to be by appointment only, the Library said, adding, “To borrow books, you need to request them in advance at least 2 working days before the time slot you’ve booked for your Library visit. You will need your Library ID to self-checkout these books.”

“Also only books can be borrowed from the Library for the time being. No bor-rowing of DVDs, CDs, iPads, headphones, chargers, or any other equipment is per-mitted for safety reasons,” said the Library.

For everyone’s safety, vis-itors will be allowed into the building only if they fulfil the following conditions which include, a confirmation of their slot booking through the form, age is between 13 and 60, having a green status on the Ehteraz app, temperature of no more than 37.8 degrees Celsius and have a face mask or shield.

The Library also advised

people to follow the social distancing rules everywhere in the Library and stand only on designated stickers whenever queuing.

Social gatherings of more than 10 people are strictly restricted in the Library and will be monitored by our security, it added.

“No public group tours will be conducted in the Library, including the Her-itage Library Exhibition Area, until further notice. Individual visits are per-mitted by appointment only through the booking form, and all health precautions must be followed,” said the Library.

A view of Qatar National Library.

The Ministry said that measures to tackle COVID-19 in Qatar have succeeded in flattening the curve and limiting the spread of the virus. The number of daily new cases and hospital admissions has gradually declined over the past few weeks.

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THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Al Zaman Exchange WLL inaugu-rated its new corporate office at H&A Building, near Dar Al Qutub R/A , Ras Abu Abboud Street, Old Al Ghanim on September 3, 2020. Senior officials of Al Zaman Exchange joined the inaugural ceremony.

QU College of Pharmacy scoops up regional and international awardsTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Qatar Pharmacy Under-graduate Society (QPhUS) in collaboration with the Lebanese Pharmacy Student Association (LPSA) conducted a competition entitled ‘The Policy Ambassador Competition’ for pharmacy students in the Middle East.

The competition aims at building member’s delegation skills, and knowledge on policy and position papers. In light of the current pandemic, the topic chosen was ‘Challenges of Online Learning during COVID-19’ to reflect on the pre-viously conducted webinar entitled ‘COVID-19 Creating Opportunities from a Crisis for Pharmacy Students: Discussions from Around the Globe’ organised by QPhUS and hosted by Qatar University College of Pharmacy (QU-CPH).

Sixty-four students from different Middle Eastern pharmacy student associations teamed up and participated in the competition. A training session on writing a position paper was conducted by the Eastern Mediterranean Regional

Office (EMRO) Chairperson Rayene Abdel Hadi.

Pharmacy students Shahd Elamin and Waad Elamin won first place for their position paper ‘Online Learning during COVID-19: Challenges and Res-olutions.’ The position paper focused on transforming chal-lenges facing the educational sector due to COVID-19 and changing them into opportunities.

Shahd Al Amin commented, “We are proud of this oppor-tunity to represent ourselves, our college and the community of pharmacists and pharmacy students. With this opportunity, we stress the importance of engaging all of us in the decision-making system, whether in our college com-munity or the pharmacy pro-fession as a whole.”

“We are grateful to QU’s

CPH for providing us with many opportunities for learning. Par-ticipation in the position paper is of great importance as it enables us to present our position and encourage change in a professional manner based on evidence,” said Waad Al Amin.

QPhUS contact person Bassant Elkattan commented, “It was a great and joyful experience to be able to see the students from different countries starting to step up and be part of the solution. Reading all the papers shows the analytical and innovative side of the young generation, ready to strive for the best and able to tackle emergent issues such as e-learning.”

LPSA contact person Hadil Mdaihly added, “Nothing beats the pleasure of seeing youth exploring challenges a n d r e s o lutions. The

enthusiasm participants had for the competition, and their cre-ative thoughts gave me so much pleasure, and hope, that we are the change makers, and that the future lies in good hands.”

F u r t h e r m o r e , C P H Pharmacy students also partic-ipated in the International Pharmacy Student Federation (IPSF) COVID-19 online compe-tition aiming to test and enhance the knowledge of COVID-19 among pharmacy students. Pharmacy Student Kheloud Awad was the first runner up for the EMRO and Fatima Nazar was the second runner up.

Kheloud Awad commented on the competition saying, “I was very proud to represent Qatar and specifically QU-CPH. This competition reinforced my medical knowledge about COVID-19, satisfied my curi-osity about the virus and enhanced my research and critical appraisal skills. Moreover, it made me realize how complex and strong the virus is, which eventually made me appreciate all health care providers and the idea of inter-professional education.”

Fatima Nazar added: “I was able to explore in depth about the properties and transmission of the virus as well as its impact on the human body. It amazed me how such a minuscule subject could bring drastic changes to the world. The com-petition also enhanced my skills in research and clinical perspective.”

QU-CPH Dean Dr. Mohammad Diab congratulated the students saying: “We are proud and delighted to see our students shining locally and

internationally. In line with QU vision of being recognized regionally for distinctive excel-lence in education, we at CPH support our students and encourage them to participate in these types of competitions. Student competition will enhance student’s creative thinking, strengthen their skills, and increase their sense of responsibility. Moreover taking part in this, students will build up and expand their networks with international and local experts.”

Pharmacy students Shahd Al Amin and Waad Al Amin won first place for their position paper ‘Online Learning during COVID-19: Challenges and Resolutions.’

Lulea Jewelry opens its flagship kiosk at Hyatt Plaza MallTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Hyatt Plaza Mall has announced the opening of the first branch of Lulea Jewelry inside a shopping centre in Al Waab Street, Doha on September 1, 2020.

Lulea Fine Jewelry is a leading Qatari firm specialising in fine jewelry in Qatar. Moreover, it has earned the highest reputation in Qatar jewelry industry for its designs and finest craftsmanship. In which the Mall has opened the chance for the customers to visit the kiosk and explore their new collection.

The kiosk features a modern concept and have been d e s i g n e d t o l o o k

drastically different from the other traditional jewelry store’ layout. Also, the kiosk is spa-ciously arranged and enjoyable to shop in.

Lulea Jewelry — officially launched at Hyatt Plaza Mall —was inaugurated by Feroz Moideen, CEO of Hyatt Plaza Mall and Ali Ahmed Al Korbi, Manager of Lulea Jewelry Company.

The new kiosk is located in Hyatt Plaza Mall fashion area near to gate number 03. Lulea Jewelry will open daily from 9am to 10pm on weekdays, 9am to 11pm on Thursday, and 2pm to 11pm on Friday.

Feroz Moideen, CEO of Hyatt Plaza Mall, and Ali Ahmed Al Korbi, Manager of Lulea Jewelry Company, with other officials during the opening of the Lulea Jewelry.

Sixty-four students from different Middle Eastern pharmacy student associations teamed up and participated in the competition. A training session on writing a position paper was conducted.

The kiosk features a modern concept and have been designed to look drastically different from the other traditional jewelry store’ layout. Also, the kiosk is spaciously arranged and enjoyable to shop in.

Al Zaman Exchange

inaugurates its new

corporate office

INJAZ Qatar announces winners of Mubadara 2020THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Under the patronage of Minister of Education and Higher Education, H E Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulwahed Al Hammadi, INJAZ Qatar a non-profit organization and member of Junior Achievement (JA) Worldwide, held an award ceremony to mark the conclusion of Mubadara 2020, the Annual Young Enterprise of the Year Competition virtually via Zoom.

To encourage and support young entrepreneurs in Qatar, the grand finale of the 13th edition of Mubadara was attended by the competition’s partners, sponsors, officials, ministry of education representatives, students, parents, volunteers, friends and media representatives.

The Best Company of the Year award, sponsored by Exx-onMobil Qatar, was presented to “Tailory” from Texas A&M University at Qatar and to “Just Move” from Um Ayman Sec-ondary School for Girls. The Most Innovative Product/Service Award, sponsored by Qatar Development Bank was pre-sented to “Anamil” from Qatar University and “Hands-On” from Al Maha Academy for Girls.

The Best Marketing Plan Award sponsored by Ooredoo was presented to “Al Nakhla” from College of North Atlantic and to “Palmware” from Qatar Banking Studies and Business Administration School for Boys. The Best Social Impact Award sponsored by HSBC Bank was won by “Cofenix” from North-umbria University and “JABSEED” from Michael E. DeBakey High School. In addition, to the People’s Choice Award spon-sored by FRAME won by “Re-Furnish” from Northumbria University, as the Best Company Report award went to “Gherass” and “Friendly Nurse” from Qatar University and to “Taiao” from Newton International Academy. The Best Public Presentation Awards won by “Al Nakhla” from College of North Atlantic, “Tailory” from Texas A&M University at Qatar, and to “Thrifted” from Pearling Season International School.

“We have partnered with INJAZ Qatar since its inception in 2007, and we’re honored to continue supporting its Mubadara

initiative. We’re proud of how our relationship has developed over the years, guided by a strong sense of responsibility towards creating a sustainable future for Qatar,” said Dominic Genetti, President and General Manager for ExxonMobil Qatar. “Mubadara provides the tools, mentoring and training that will help Qatar’s youth become successful business entre-preneurs, advancing innovation and competitiveness, and strengthening local communities”.

Mubadara is the culmination of a five-month-long program where student teams are offered the opportunity to conceptualise, establish and run a real business, with the guidance of professionals from leading businesses across Qatar.

“It is inspiring to see the spirit, ideas and effort presented by these students. Now more than ever we should continue to focus on will developing the future entrepreneurs and leaders. Collaborations such as this, between the private sector and INJAZ, is important because it provides Qatari youth the oppor-tunity to turn their ideas into reality,” stated Bernard Dunn, President of Boeing in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey.

The winner “Tailory” from Texas A&M University at Qatar was also awarded seed funding of QR35,000 from BOEING to help support their enterprise in addition to ongoing support and Incubation Award by QBIC (Qatar Business Incubation Center).

Sheikha Hanadi bint Nasser Al Thani, Chair-person, INJAZ Qatar and INJAZ Al Arab said: “Mubadara comes as a part of the ongoing efforts to provide our youth with the support they need to develop their skills and capabilities aiming at empowering them to succeed in a very competitive and rapidly changing world on the road to build a knowledge-based society in Qatar. We are proud of reaching out to more than 92,000 students from Qatar’s schools and universities since the launch of our initiatives 13 years ago.” Sheikha Hanadi stressed on the youth’s growing need of support from dif-ferent institutions and bodies in the country in light of the exceptional challenges related to COVID-19 pandemic all over the world noting the rising impor-tance of such initiatives more than ever due to these unprecedented conditions.

Both winning teams of the Best Student Company Award from University & High School will now rep-resent Qatar at the Regional INJAZ Al-Arab Young Enterprise of the Year Competition to compete against other teams from 14 different countries in the MENA region.

To express its support to INJAZ Qatar, Ooredoo distributed iPhones to the winning teams of the best company award.

This year’s Mubadara Award Ceremony sponsors are: ExxonMobil as Platinum Sponsor, “Ooredoo” as Gold Sponsor and “HSBC Bank” as Silver Sponsors. “BOEING” is the strategic partner for the Start-Up program, “Qatar Development Bank” is the program partner, Qatar Business Incubation Center (QBIC) is the Incubation partner who will host the winner and “Frame” is the Media Partner.

05MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2020 HOME

Pakistan Defence Day observed with solemnity and reverence

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

A flag hoisting ceremony was held at the Pakistan Embassy premises yesterday to pay homage and tributes to the Shuhada (martyrs) and Ghazis of Pakistan Armed Forces who rendered supreme sacrifice in defence of the motherland.

The event was attended by members of Pakistani Armed Forces and embassy staff. The national anthem of Pakistan was played and Ambassador H E Syed Ahsan Raza Shah hoisted the national flag.

A smartly turned out mil-itary contingent gave salute. Later, the participants wit-nessed an emotional and heart-warming documentary paying tribute to heroes of the nation who were awarded the highest

gal lantry award, the Nishan-e-Haider.

In his address, the Ambas-sador highlighted the impor-tance of the Defence Day in the history of Pakistan.

He mentioned the sacrifices of the members of Pakistan Armed forces in the line of duty, adding that the day not only is a remembrance of the martyrs and Ghazis, but also refreshes

the enthusiasm and rejuvenates the resolve to work for the progress and prosperity of the motherland.

The Ambassador said that the day inspires all Pakistanis to serve the country with greater dedication and to keep the green and white flag, which symbolises the nation’s hopes and aspirations, flying even higher.

The Pakistani envoy said that Islamabad strives for peace in the region and around the globe, and supports resolution of all disputes through peaceful means.

However, the Pakistani nation and its armed forces are always fully geared up to con-front any challenge threatening the national security, he added.

He also referred to the

sacrifices of Pakistan in the global war against terror and mentioned the significant con-tribution of the Pakistan Armed Forces in UN peace keeping operations and in providing humanitarian assistance glo-bally in cases of natural disasters.

The Ambassador high-lighted that bilateral relations between Pakistan and Qatar

are based on historical bonds of a shared fate, heritage and culture. Ambassador expressed pride in the contribution of the Pakistani community, which is a living bridge between the two countries, in the remarkable progress and prosperity of the State of Qatar. The ceremony concluded with prayers for progress, prosperity and soli-darity of Pakistan.

Ambassador of Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the State of Qatar, H E Syed Ahsan Raza Shah, cutting a cake along with Pakistan Armed Forces officers and children to mark Pakistan Defence Day at the Pakistan Embassy in Doha, yesterday. RIGHT: H E the Ambassador hoisting Pakistan's national flag. PICS: ABDUL BASIT / THE PENINSULA

The Ambassador said ties between Pakistan and Qatar are based on historical bonds of a shared fate, heritage and culture. He also expressed pride in the contribution of Pakistani community in Qatar’s progress and prosperity.

Texas A&M at Qatar adds Qatari industry leader Khalifa Al Sowidi to faculty

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Khalifa Abdulla Al Sowidi has joined the chemical engineering faculty at Texas A&M University at Qatar, a Qatar Foundation partner university, bringing his more than 30 years of industry experience to the classroom to benefit engineering students at the university.

Al Sowidi has been appointed a Professor of Practice, who at Texas A&M are professional engineers and industry leaders whose years of real-world experience add tremendous value to the edu-cation of Texas A&M’s engi-neering students, said Dr. César Octavio Malavé, Dean of Texas A&M at Qatar.

“Al Sowidi is a true engineering leader in Qatar,” Malavé said, “and we are honoured that he is joining our faculty. One thing that is hard to convey to stu-dents through classroom learning is real-world industry experience and what engineering is like outside the university. Having a leader of Al Sowidi’s calibre as a faculty member will enhance the already out-standing engineering education students receive here at Texas A&M at Qatar to make our graduates even more sought after and effective when they join the workplace.”

Professors of practice bridge the gap between industry and academia and bring the industry perspective to the

classroom directly to students. At Texas A&M’s main campus in College Station, Texas (USA), pro-fessors of practice teach under-graduate and graduate courses, and help develop new curriculum that reflects cutting-edge industry technology and practices. Pro-fessors of practice participate in research as advisors and principal investigators for research grants, and act as industry liaisons to identify research topics and research support. They also serve as student mentors, curriculum advisors and faculty advisors to s t u d e n t p r o f e s s i o n a l organizations.

Al Sowidi joins the Chemical Engineering Program as Pro-fessor of the Practice effective September 1. He will support the teaching of courses in the Chemical Engineering Program, conduct research and partic-ipate in R&D projects with industry involvement. He earned a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering in 1984 from Arizona State University (USA) and by 1997 he was the Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Fertilizer Company (QAFCO), a position he held until 2015. In his role as CEO, he managed the construction and commis-sioning of large-scale ammonia and urea plants with a com-bined project value of more than $3bn.

He was a member of the Board of Qatar Petroleum, Industry of Qatar and Qatar Manufacturing Company. He also served as the head of the Technical Committee of Inter-national Fertilizer Association and was Chairman of GPCA Fer-tilizer for 12 years, in addition to many other international asso-ciations and boards.

Khalifa Abdulla Al Sowidi

GU-Q announces first Qatari postdoctoral fellow at QFTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Setting yet another historical milestone for Qatar’s higher education landscape, Dr. Haya Al Noaimi, who was a member of QF partner Georgetown University in Qatar’s (GU-Q) first graduating class in 2009, has just been appointed GU-Q’s first Postdoctoral Fellow, a programme aimed at supporting advanced research by Qatari nationals.

As a Fellow, Dr. Al Noaimi will be in residence for one aca-demic year, fully integrating into the vibrant teaching and research environment at GU-Q. She will have the opportunity to produce academic publica-tions, refine her research agenda, and gain valuable expe-rience working on research projects with students, while building an academic and pro-fessional network in Qatar and beyond.

The dean of GU-Q, Dr. Ahmad Dallal, said: “We are honored that Dr. Al Noaimi has returned to her alma mater to further her aca-demic career in her new capacity as a postdoctoral fellow.” He went on to explain that through this program, GU-Q hopes “to support emerging Qatari scholars who are launching their academic careers, and who will go on to play crucial roles in ensuring that higher edu-cation investments in Qatar are sustainable, and drive further academic growth and development.”

Dr. Al Noaimi joins GU-Q from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Uni-versity of London where she recently defended her Ph.D. dis-sertation in Gender Studies. She also holds an MA in Interna-tional Law and Legal Studies

from Sorbonne University. Noting the significant role

fellowships play in helping Ph.D. holders bridge the gap between student and working profes-sional, Dr. Al Noaimi said: “I am very excited to be affiliated with GU-Q through this fellowship. With institutional time and support, I hope to begin the process of publishing my disser-tation, engaging students in research and seeing my work from their fresh perspectives, and to explore other research strands within my own thesis.”

When she was just beginning her higher education journey an info session intro-duced her to GU-Q in 2005, a new addition to Qatar’s ambi-tious Education City project that promised to change the course of the nation’s devel-opment, and would eventually lead to Qatar’s position as a major hub of research and education.

Dr. Al Noaimi’s research falls at the intersection of pol-itics, gender, and security, and for the past four years, she has focused on developing a theo-retical and conceptual framework that helps explain the gendered phenomenon of militarisation in the Arab Gulf.

Dr. Haya Al Noaimi

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Malabar Gold & Diamonds has launched ‘Double Your Savings’ campaign in Qatar offering best making charges for customers.

The campaign will showcase an exclusive display of gold jewellery locally made at the manufacturing facilities of Malabar Gold & Diamonds in Qatar. The products will have the added assurance of Qatar Quality Mark, an initi-ative by the Qatar Government to enhance competitiveness of national goods in local, regional and global markets.

It is an evidence of the effi-ciency and quality of the

product, further supporting the company’s efforts to upgrade their products in accordance with the standards and spec-ifications set in the country. They will also have the

opportunity to avail Zero Deduction on the exchange of 22K (GCC) Gold Jewellery.

‘The campaign is aimed at supporting the initiatives of the Government and encouraging

usage of jewellery made at our local manufacturing facilities. This is in line with the efforts to improve the competency of national products, both in terms of quality and price. This campaign will ensure that our customers get to own their favourite jewellery for the best making charges’, said Santosh K, Regional Head - Qatar of Malabar Gold & Diamonds.

This exclusive campaign from the brand will showcase attractive jewellery, bound to captivate customers and suit their diverse tastes and pref-erences. The offer will be valid until October 3, 2020, across all outlets of Malabar Gold & Diamonds in Qatar.

Double Your Savings with Malabar Gold & Diamonds

DOHA TODAY06 MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2020

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Safer schools welcome students after long breakSANAULLAH ATAULLAH THE PENINSULA

The government and private schools have started oper-ating smoothly by strictly following the precautionary

measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The additional safety measures adopted by schools and kindergartens have helped in reducing the worry of parents regarding their children’s safety in schools.

The officials of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and the Ministry of Public Health are fre-quently visiting schools to take stock of the safety measures. The health officials have assured that adequate measures have been implemented by schools to prevent spreading ofthe infection.

Director of Health and Safety Department at the Ministry of Edu-cation and Higher Education, Mohamad Al Muraghi said that the Department coordinated with the Ministry of Public Health to ensure a healthy environment in schools.

Speaking to Al Rayan TV recently, Al Muraghi said that the Department held a number of workshops for directors of government and private schools on preventive and precau-tionary measures and protocol to deal with suspected cases in schools.

He said that the protocol includes setting up isolated room for suspected cases until the authority concerned take the necessary procedures. In such cases, he said, all people who would have come in contact with the suspected person will be tested. Al Muraghi said that the Ministry of Public Health has trained all nurses in schools on this protocol and the members of health and safety com-mittees of schools as well.

School administrators said that they received a high number of stu-dents during the first week and expect more students in the coming weeks with the beginning of classroom teaching. There are 283 public schools and preschools and 334 private schools and kindergartens with over 340,000 students enrolled for the academic year 2020-21.

The decision of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to adopt blended learning – combining classroom teaching with distance learning – requires only 30 percent attendance of the total capacity of schools and has helped greatly in maintaining social distancing for stu-dents during transportation and at

Children attending a class on the opening day of the Pre-Primary wing of the Stafford Sri Lankan School Doha. PICS: SALIM MATRAMKOT/THE PENINSULA

A view of the Medina Centrale precinct of The Pearl Qatar, a town square inspired by the charming ambience of the Mediterranean. With a mixture of public plazas, gardens, terraces, canopies and piazza. It is a residential destination that brings together the unique qualities and charm of the island. It provides its residents with a wide variety of lifestyle activities, all within walking distance. PICS: ABDUL BASIT/THE PENINSULA

Medina Centrale, a town square inspired by the charming Mediterranean ambience

THROUGH THE LENS

schools.Principal of Pakistan International

School Qatar (PISQ), Nargis Raza Otho said that following the decision of the Ministry of Education and Higher Edu-cation to adopt blended learning system, the school has started its aca-demic program from September 6, keeping in view the demands of on-campus teaching and the needs of those pursuing their studies through distance learning.

She said that apart from classroom

teaching, PISQ is providing around 4,000 students the facility of distance learning programme through video lessons and zoom lectures. “We, at PISQ, never compromise on quality, and will make full use of all the available resources in order to facil-itate our students studying through remote learning,” Nargis added.

She said that school attendance on the first day of blended learning pro-gramme was very high. “We received over 85 percent students of the total required attendance of 30 percent as per the instructions received by the Ministry of Education and Higher Edu-cation. Since the students had been studying from home for quite some time, they were really excited to meet their fellows and teachers, and expe-rience the academic milieu on-campus once again,” said Nargis.

She explained that in previous

years, the students took about two weeks to get back into the school routine, and student attendance hardly reached this level.

Speaking about the safety measures, Otho said: “Last week, we conducted orientation classes to educate the students about the pre-ventive and precautionary measures to be followed while at campus with a purpose to curb the spread of corona-virus. All the teachers and other members of the staff have been given adequate training to deal with any emergency and to implement safety protocol including the observance of social distancing and performing thermal screening.”

Edward S Fernando, Administrator at Stafford Sri Lankan School-Doha said that the school started classroom teaching following the decision of the Ministry of Education and Higher Edu-cation. “The school received pretty good number of students which is increasing by the time. Since the attendance is required only 30 percent of the school capacity, remaining stu-dents are being taught online through Zoom application,” said Fernando.

Founder Director at The Next Gen-eration School (TNG), Riyaz Amed Bakali said that students love the concept of hybrid learning system. “The hybrid learning is challenging but it is innovative. The students will get more freedom for learning,” said Bakali.

He said that the success of blended

learning depends on proper training to staffs and provision of education tools which were provided by TNG. Bakali said that the students were very excited to see their teachers and classmates after about six-month-long break caused by COVID-19 epidemic and summer vacations.

“The Next Generation School operates seven campuses accommo-dating over 2,000 students imple-menting adequate measures to prevent students from infection,” said Bakali.

Principal of Bangladesh MHM School, Mohammad Jashim Uddin said that the school reopened after imple-menting all preventive and precau-tionary measures like disinfecting school campus, installing thermal screening and keeping sanitisers at several points. He said that all school staffs have undergone corovirus tests and they have tested negative.

“Bangladesh MHM School, which has over 1,200 students, is functioning smoothly following the blended learning system adopted by the Min-istry of Education and Higher Edu-cation,” said Jashim Uddin.

Parents said that blended learning is the best in current scenario because it would help increasing education quality curbing COVID-19 infection. Parents confirmed that they received usernames and passwords from schools to access online platforms. However, some parents said that they are

communicating to schools to activate the system.

The health and safety protocol for schools includes setting up isolated room for suspected cases until the authority concerned take the necessary procedures.Director of Health and Safety Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Mohamad Al Muraghi.

Nargis Raza Otho

We, at PISQ, never compromise on quality, and will make full use of all the available resources in order to facilitate our students studying through remote learning.

Riyaz Amed Bakali

The success of blended learning depends on proper training to staffs and provision of education tools which were provided by TNG.

Mohammad Jashim Uddin

Bangladesh MHM School, reopened after implementing all preventive and precautionary measures like disinfecting school campus, installing thermal screening and keeping sanitisers at several points.

While a century ago Americans seemed to accept such short-term mandates, today public health officials and American society are moving into new and difficult terrain as we anticipate a long-term effort to contain the COVID-19 epidemic.

During the 1918-1919 influenza epidemic Americans also debated mask-wearing guidelines. Then, as now, state and local governments frequently took different approaches to wearing masks, and citizens often resisted mandates to wear them. Yet, politics weren’t the driving factor behind these debates.

08 MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2020VIEWS

CHAIRMANDR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFDR. KHALID BIN MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

editorinchief@pen.com.qa

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMED

m.salim@pen.com.qa

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

EDITORIAL

YET another great achievement for Qatar University (QU). A beacon of academic excellence and scientific research, Qatar University jumped 90 places and entered the club of the best 350 International Universities according to Times Higher Education (THE) World Uni-versity Rankings 2021. The THE World University Rankings 2021 includes 1,527 universities across 93 countries and regions, standing as the largest and most diverse university rankings ever to date. The results showed that QU has jumped up to the 301-350 band.

The achievement consolidates QU’s recent results in rankings as the institution moved from 276 in the QS World University Ranking in 2020 to 245 in the 2021 ranking, effectively jumping 31 places, and becoming one of the most improved universities.

QU President Dr. Hassan Al Derham said: “This is a prestigious moment for QU to be ranked among top 350 Universities globally. This jump signifies the commitment of QU towards its five-year strategy (2018-2022) which maps out the routes to achieving continuing performance excellence. For QU, international ranking is a result and not a goal. Our main goal is to prepare national leaders and develop the national human capital towards building a knowledge-based economy.”

Commending the achievement, Phil Baty, Chief Knowledge Officer at THE, said: “Qatar University has always been one of the most internationally connected universities in the world with strong international con-nections and a diverse campus community. So it is great to see the university rise significantly up the rankings for 2021. This is driven by an excellent score for research impact – a sign of how influential the university’s research is among scholars globally, based on our analysis of more than 80 million citations across more than 13 million research publications.”

Qatar University, since its inception in 1977, focuses on excellence and the highest standards of quality and professionalism and is committed to integrity and the highest ethical standards of honesty, justice, trans-parency, responsibility and accountability.

As a leading national institution, QU continues its efforts to invest and contribute to research projects and studies that serve the community, especially given the university’s independent research units seeking to bring about global change, making it a pioneer in the use of modern tech-nology and fully aware of environmental issues.

The University is committed to provide high-quality education in various national scientific fields. The Uni-versity embraces a student body of around 20,000 female and male students enrolled in its various academic pro-grams. The performance in the THE World University Rankings 2021 is a great achievement for QU and is a testament to the efforts QU has undertaken to gain international recognition.

QU among world’s best

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Quote of the day

Turkey will continue to stand in solidarity with

Libya's UN-recognised legitimate government,

and reiterated that Turkey's priority is to restore

Libya's stability, without further delay.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish President

Democratic US presidential nominee and former Vice-President Joe Biden takes off his protective face mask to discuss President Trump’s reported comments about members of the US military during an appearance in Wilmington, Delaware, US, on Friday.

At a campaign stop last week, President Donald Trump asked a rhetorical question about his Democratic opponent, former vice pres-ident Joe Biden: “Did you ever see a man who likes a mask as much as him?” His mockery of masks - like the photograph of Biden and vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris wearing masks featured on their campaign website - reflects how disputes about mask-wearing have become part of the political terrain in 2020.

During the 1918-1919 influenza epidemic Amer-icans also debated mask-wearing guidelines. Then, as now, state and local govern-ments frequently took dif-ferent approaches to wearing masks, and citizens often resisted mandates to wear them. Yet, politics weren’t the driving factor behind these debates.

In 1918, most public health officials agreed that masks should be worn by nurses, physicians, family members and anyone else caring for influenza patients or entering their homes. The rationale was clear: “to guard against breathing in dan-gerous germs,” explained a bulletin by the United States Public Health Service. This consensus on the value of medical masks

was confirmed by widely published photographs of masked nurses and doctors, often under dramatic head-lines, such as “St. Louis ‘Flu’ Fighters Wearing Masks.”

But the government urged people who weren’t caretakers to wear masks as well to contain influenza. The most enthusiastic advo-cates implemented ordi-nances requiring masks be worn by everybody in all public spaces. In Indiana-polis, where the Board of Health required “persons to wear gauze masks when in public assemblies or any other crowded places indoors,” leaders empha-sized the positive impact on public health: “While (mask-wearing) is not comfortable nor a convenient thing to do, nevertheless it is the method adopted by the best medical skill as a preventive against the spread of the disease.” San Francisco Health Officer William Hassler told citizens: “Wear your gauze masks at all times and ridicule the person who refuses to wear one.” Hassler predicted that if everyone wore masks, including while at home, this measure could cut the number of cases and deaths in half.

When San Francisco later recorded one of the highest death rates in the country, other public health officials cited this failure as evidence that masks shouldn’t be required, even though corre-lation wasn’t necessarily causation.

Yet, throughout the epi-demic, city health officers disagreed about masks. The Detroit Department of Health issued a bulletin advising the use of masks by those attending patients, but explicitly rejected their broader use because “unless it is used intelligently it may be made a source of infection to the wearer.” In South Bend, Ind., Dr. E. G. Freyermuth, secretary of the Board of Health, rejected the policy adopted in Indiana-polis and other cities because masks were “inju-rious to the health of the wearer,” since they pre-vented the inhalation of pure air: “Of my own accord I would never order the wearing of these masks here, only when persons are with influenza patients.”

Most health officials tried to find the right balance between these two extreme positions by advocating for

masks in certain occupations, for a limited period of time and mostly on a voluntary basis. For example, the Los Angeles City Council debated mask policies several times in October 1918, but ulti-mately decided to rec-ommend masks in public without any mandate requiring universal use. Although masks were not legally mandated in Bir-mingham, Ala., a mask rec-ommendation was enforced at a general meeting held at City Hall where “no one was allowed to attend without wearing a gauze mask,” and “those who refused to wear them were turned away and refused entrance to the session.” In Ogden, Utah, a requirement that clerks wear masks in stores was repealed in part because the fines imposed by courts placed an unfair burden on “poor people.”

In 1918, an avowed purpose of mask recommen-dations and mandates was to allow for more normal behaviors, such as shopping, going to school or partici-pating in public assemblies. Public health officials pro-vided detailed and accessible explanations of how a gauze mask trapped influenza germs (viruses had not yet been discovered) as they traveled in larger droplets.

But when health depart-ments allowed people in masks to crowd together with the idea that the mask alone would protect them, it didn’t work, influenza spread and the focus on masks actually defeated the purpose of social distancing behind the mandates.

These lessons are important today.

As we have learned in

2020, mask-wearing works only as part of an overall public health policy that includes guidelines to stay at home when possible, practice social distancing, avoid groups and crowds and use good personal hygiene.

Of course, we also need to recognize key differences in making these historical anal-ogies. We know much more about disease transmission in 2020, including the dangers of spread by asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic indi-viduals as well as the potential for airborne transmission.

In 1918, evasion, denial and outright rejection of masks were motivated by many factors, including doubts about their medical efficacy and affirmations of individual rights. By contrast, today’s polarized responses to health policies based on scientific research is a product of our own divided political situation.

Perhaps the most important difference, however, was the fact that mask mandates in 1918 did not last long: just two days in Des Moines, less than a week in Indianapolis and several weeks in San Fran-cisco and other California cities. Only one city, Stockton, Calif., enforced a mask mandate for more than two months (in three segments) - which is already less time than the mandates imposed by many states in 2020.

While a century ago Americans seemed to accept such short-term mandates, today public health officials and American society are moving into new and difficult terrain as we anticipate a long-term effort to contain the COVID-19 epidemic. Given the expert knowledge demonstrated by our leading health officials of the his-torical experience of epi-demics, and particularly the 1918 influenza, we should expect that policies will con-tinue to evolve in response to the changing context. Right now, that context demands masks for all and ridicule for none who comply.

Jessica Brabble is a graduate student at Virginia Tech, with research interests in disability history. E. Thomas Ewing is professor of history at Virginia Tech. Ariel Ludwig specializes in the study of criminal justice system and public health and holds a Ph.D.

Debates over mask-wearing are nothing new

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Iran, India discuss regional security

Hezbollah and Hamas chiefs discuss Palestine developmentsAFP/ANATOLIA — BEIRUT

Leaders of Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Palestinian Hamas movement, both enemies of Israel, have met to discuss diplomatic normalisation between the Jewish state and Arab countries, a report said yesterday.

They stressed the “sta-bility” of the “axis of resistance” against Israel, the Hezbollah-run Al Manar TV channel reported, without saying where or when the meeting took place.

Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, head of the Iran-backed Shia Hezbollah movement, was pic-tured meeting Ismail Haniyah, who heads the political bureau of Hamas, the Islamist movement that control the Gaza Strip.

They discussed “political and military developments in Palestine, Lebanon and the region” and “the dangers to the Palestinian cause” including “Arab plans for normalisation” with Israel, Al Manar said.

The meeting comes after an August 13 announcement that the Jewish state and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to normalise ties.

While the US-backed dip-lomatic drive aims to boost a regional alliance against Iran, Palestinians have condemned it as a “stab in the back” as they remain under occupation and don’t have their own state.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country is in talks with other Arab and Muslim leaders now about normalising rela-tions, following the deals with UAE and, decades ago, Egypt and Jordan.

Haniyah has been in Lebanon since Wednesday, on his first visit to the country in nearly 30 years, for direct and video-conference talks with other Palestinian groups that

oppose Israel’s diplomatic initiative.

Israel’s military has in recent weeks targeted Hamas in the Gaza Strip and what it says have been Hezbollah gunmen along its northern border with Lebanon.

It also regularly launches air strikes in war-torn Syria against what it says are Hezbollah and other pro-Iranian militants fighting on the side of President Bashar Al Assad’s regime.

Nasrallah has been living in a secret location for years and makes very few public appear-ances. He said in 2014 that he often changes his place of residence.

Meanwhile, Palestinian

resistance group Hamas has denied any link to the far-right extremist movement Boogaloo Bois in the United States.

American and Israeli media reported that two members from Boogaloo Bois group were arrested by US authorities and charged with conspiring to support Hamas.

Media reports said that the US Justice Department accused both Michael Robert Solomon, 30, and Benjamin Ryan Teeter,

22, of providing material support to a “foreign terrorist organisation”.

“We decry the US adminis-tration attempt to link Hamas to any member of this group,” the Palestinian movement said in a statement.

“This is a desperate attempt to discredit the movement at the request of Israel or its extremist leadership,” it added.

Hamas said that it is a “Pal-estinian national liberation

movement whose struggle is only directed against the Israeli occupation of Palestine and does not interfere in the internal affairs of any state around the world”.

The Boogaloo Bois is a far-right US group that is hostile to the US public institutions. The group members appeared car-rying arms in the protests in Minneapolis after the death of George Floyd under the knees of a US police officer.

Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyah greets supporters during a visit to the Ain Al Helweh camp, Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp, near the southern coastal city of Sidon, Lebanon, yesterday.

Iran airs televised confession of wrestler after Trump tweetAP — DUBAI

Iran has broadcast the televised confession of a wrestler facing the death penalty after a tweet from President Donald Trump criticising the case, a segment that resembled hundreds of other suspected coerced confessions aired over the last decade in the Islamic Republic.

The case of 27-year-old Navid Afkari has drawn the attention of a social media cam-paign that portrays him and his brothers as victims targeted over participating in protests against Iran’s government in 2018. The television segment and author-ities accuse Afkari of stabbing a water supply company employee in the southern city of Shiraz amid the unrest.

Afkari’s case has drawn international attention and revived a demand inside the country that Iran, one of the world’s top executioners, stop carrying out the death penalty. Even imprisoned Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin

Sotoudeh, herself nearly a month into a hunger strike over conditions at Tehran’s Evin prison amid the coronavirus pandemic, has passed word that she supports Afkari.

Afkari and his brothers were employed as construction workers in Shiraz, a city some 680km south of the capital, Tehran. All three took part in demonstrations in 2018 that began in anger over Iran’s cra-tering economy and spiraled into direct calls for the over-throw Iranian regime. Such unrest has continued sporadi-cally in Iran in the time since, with authorities arresting thou-sands of people.

Afkari had local fame as a wrestler, a popular sport in Iran. A provincial court in Shiraz sen-tenced Afkari to death and his brothers Vahid Afkari and Habib Afkari to 54 and 27 years in prison, respectively, over the slaying.

Afkari’s case has drawn the attention of an online campaign that’s included a video

statement from Dana White, the president of the mixed martial arts competition called the Ultimate Fighting Champi-onship. “He went to a peaceful protest in Iran and he’s going to be executed for that,” White said in a video on Friday. “He’s one of us. He could be any of my fighters.”

White said he spoke to Trump, who had earlier tweeted out his own concern about Afkari’s case. “To the leaders of Iran, I would greatly appreciate if you would spare this young man’s life, and not execute him,” Trump wrote Friday. “Thank you!”

Trump has imposed crushing sanctions on Iran after unilaterally withdrawing the United States from the nuclear deal that Tehran struck with world powers. That decision led to Iran breaking all the limits of the deal, as well as a series of attacks across the Mideast that America has blamed on Tehran.

Later on Saturday night, Iran responded to Trump’s tweet with a nearly 11-minute

state TV package on Afkari. It included the weeping parents of the slain water company employee, Hassan Torkaman. The package also showed footage of Afkari on the back of a motorbike, saying he had stabbed Torkaman in the back, without explaining why he allegedly carried out the assault.

The state TV segment showed blurred police docu-ments and described the killing as a “personal dispute,” without elaborating. It said Afkari’s cell-phone had been in the area. It showed surveillance footage of him walking down a street, talking on his phone.

Those supporting Afkari also have accused police of tor-turing a confession out of him after finding the surveillance footage. That comes after a United Nations special rap-porteur in a recent report wrote about a “widespread pattern of officials using torture to extract false confes-sions” from those protesting Iran’s government.

“Three separate detainees from the cities of Tehran, Tabriz and Ahvaz all made similar alle-gations that interrogators phys-ically assaulted them, including by hand, with batons and with electric shocks, and that inter-rogators tried to force them to confess that entities outside the Islamic Republic of Iran had incited the protests,” special rapporteur Javaid Rehman wrote. That report noted Iran’s government told him the “Iranian constitution and penal code forbids and criminalizes torture.” Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment over Afkari’s case.

However, Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency dismissed Trump’s tweet in a feature story Friday, saying that American sanctions have hurt Iranian hos-pitals amid the pandemic. “Trump is worried about the life of a murderer while he puts many Iranian patients’ lives in danger by imposing severe sanctions,” the agency said.

Iran’s Defence Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami (left), welcoming his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh in Tehran, yesterday. The Iranian government said in a statement that talks between the two sides covered bilateral, regional and international issues. The Indian Defence Ministry said the talks tackled “ways to take forward bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional security issues, including peace and stability in Afghanistan”.Saudi sentences

three to death over Jeddah attack

REUTERS — DUBAI

A Saudi court has sentenced three people to death for their involvement in an attack in Jeddah when two men blew themselves up after a shootout with police, state-run Al Ekhbariya television said yesterday.

In 2017, Saudi security forces surrounded a house in Jeddah and exchanged fire with two men with ties to Islamic State (IS), who blew themselves up. The court convicted the three on terrorism-related charges including possessing explosives, Ekhbariya said.

Beirut stops search operations, no survivor foundAP — BEIRUT

A search operation of a building that collapsed during last month’s deadly blast in Beirut stopped yesterday after rescue workers said they did not find any survivors.

The operation in the historic Mar Mikhail district had gripped Lebanon since Thursday, sparking hope that a survivor might be found under the rubble a month after the blast on August 4 that killed 191 people and wounded nearly 6,500. Seven people remain missing.

The devastating explosion of nearly 3,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate at the port of Beirut caused widespread damage to several neighbour-hoods. The Lebanese capital is still reeling from the blast, with a quarter of a million people made homeless by the impact of the explosion on apartment buildings.

The latest rescue operation began on Thursday when a dog used by a Chilean search-and-rescue team signaled the detection of a possible human pulse under the rubble of a

collapsed building during a tour of streets in the area. Rescue workers used cranes, shovels and their bare hands in a metic-ulous search after a pulsing signal was then detected by a device.

The black-and-white 5-year-old dog named Flash inspected the building several times a day as aid workers removed debris. Photos of Flash, in red shoes to protect its paws, circulated on social media and the dog became a hero to many Lebanese.

The head of the Chilean

team, Francisco Lermanda, told journalists at the scene late on Saturday they had not found any bodies amid the rubble. Lermanda said the pulsing signals heard might have come from of a member of the rescue team.

In past days, the Chilean team had urged people on the streets, including journalists, to turn off their mobile phones and remain quiet for several minutes at a time to avoid inter-fering with their instruments.

Lermanda said they will search a sidewalk after which

they will declare the operation over. It was not clear if a search for bodies would continue.

Two days after the explosion, a French rescue team and Lebanese civil defense vol-unteers had searched the same building, which had a bar on the ground floor. At the time, they had no reason to believe anyone was still at the site.

Lebanon lacks the tools and expertise to handle advanced search and rescue operations, so they have been supported by experts from Chile, France and the United States.

Israel heads for partial lockdown as virus deaths surpass 1,000

AP — OCCUPIED JERUSALEM

Once a role model in the fight against Covid-19, Israel is set to lock down several cities to slow the fast-spreading contagion as the government faces harsh criticism over the crisis.

Israel passed the mile-stone of 1,000 novel corona-virus deaths this weekend after the toll tripled over the summer, fuelling regular pro-tests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s man-agement of the health crisis and associated economic downturn.

The dead were commem-orated by Yediot Aharonot, Israel’s top-selling daily news-paper, which covered its front page with the names of the pan-demic victims and called out the “shameful failure of the man-agement of the crisis since May”.

According to data col-lected by AFP, the Jewish state has risen to be ranked fifth in the world for number of infec-tions per capita over the past two weeks, ahead of hard-hit countries Brazil and the United States.

Kuwait reports 619 new COVID-19 cases, 4 deathsQNA — KUWAIT/MUSCAT

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Health announced yesterday that it registered 619 new cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the last 24 hours, bringing the total of confirmed cases in the country to 89,582.

Four deaths of COVID-19 were also reported, Ministry Spokesperson Dr. Abdullah Al Sanad told Kuna, adding that total deaths reached 544.

He pointed out that the new cases included contacts with previously confirmed cases, while others are under inves-tigation for the source of infection.

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Health announced earlier yes-terday that there have been 618 new recoveries in the last

twenty-four hours, bringing the total to 80,521 recoveries.

Meanwhile, the Omani M i n i s t r y o f H e a l t h announced yesterday that the total of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the country reached 87,072.

The total of deaths due to the infection reached 728, while recoveries reached 82,406, brining the total recov-eries up by 94.6 percent, said the Ministry in a statement reported by the Omani News Agency.

The Ministry pointed out that the patients who have been isolated in hospitals in the last twenty-four hours reached 58, brining the total to 447, in addition to 155 others in intensive care units.

Iraqi forces arrest 21 persons wanted for terrorism

QNA — BAGHDAD

The Iraqi security forces announced the arrest of 21 wanted persons accused of “terrorism”, in separate areas of the capital, Baghdad.

The Federal Police carried out a security operation that resulted in the arrest of 21 sus-pects in separate areas of Baghdad in accordance with various criminal provisions and articles issued by the judi-ciary, noting that among the arrested there are three ISIS members.

Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, head of the Iran-backed Shia Hezbollah movement, met Ismail Haniyah, who heads the political bureau of Hamas, the Islamist movement that control the Gaza Strip, in Beirut. They discussed “political and military developments in Palestine, Lebanon and the region” and “the dangers to the Palestinian cause”. Meanwhile, Hamas has denied any link to the far-right extremist movement Boogaloo Bois in the United States.

09MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2020 GULF / MIDDLE EAST

10 MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2020MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Erdogan meets with head of Libya’s UN-recognised govtAFP — ISTANBUL

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held closed-door talks with the head of Libya’s UN-recognised government yesterday, ahead of a meeting between delegates from the war-struck country’s rival administrations in Morocco.

Erdogan’s meeting with the head of the Tripoli-based Gov-ernment of National Accord (GNA), Fayez Al Sarraj, took place in Istanbul, the Turkish presidency said, without giving details.

A picture from the meeting posted on the presidency’s website showed Erdogan and Sarraj standing side-by-side, posing for the camera with neutral expressions.

No statement was made to the media.

Since the 2011 toppling and killing of longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi in a Nato-backed uprising, Libya has been torn by violence, with its rival administrations vying for control and international forces militarily backing each.

Turkey backs the GNA against military strongman Khalifa Haftar, who is supported by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russia.

Ankara signed security and maritime deals with the GNA last year and sent drones which turned the tide in the increas-ingly complex war and helped Sarraj’s government make gains against Haftar’s forces.

Last month, the two warring sides announced separately that they would cease all hostilities and hold nationwide elections, drawing praise from world powers after a series of fruitless initiatives in recent years to stop the conflict. Meanwhile, delegates from Libya’s rival administrations met for talks yesterday in Morocco, more than two weeks after the two sides announced a surprise ceasefire.

The meeting, held at the ini-tiative of Morocco, which had hosted peace talks in 2015 that led to the creation of a United Nations-recognised government

for Libya, kicked off in the coastal town of Bouznika, south of Rabat.

Dubbed “Libyan Dialogue”, the talks brought together five members of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) and five from a par-liament headquartered in the eastern Libyan city of Tobruk.

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, in remarks before the meeting got underway, said his country was offering the Libyans “space” to discuss points of contention dividing them.

“The kingdom is ready to provide Libyans with a space to discuss (issues), according to their will, and will applaud them regardless of the outcome,” Bourita said. “Morocco has no agenda or initiative to submit” to the two sides, Bourita added.

A solution to Libya’s crisis must be decided by the Libyans themselves under the auspices of the UN, he said, before dele-gates met behind closed doors.

Libya has endured almost a decade of violent chaos since the 2011 Nato-backed uprising that toppled and killed veteran dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

The crisis worsened last year when military strongman Khalifa Haftar, who backs the

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with the Prime Minister of Libya’s internationally recognised government, Fayez Al Sarraj, in Istanbul yesterday.

Tunisian officer, 3 assailants killed in resort attackAFP — SOUSSE, TUNISIA

Attackers with knives killed a Tunisian National Guard officer and wounded another yesterday before three assailants were later shot dead in a firefight, the military force said, labelling it a “terrorist” act.

The stabbing attack took place in the tourist district of Sousse, the coastal city hit by the worst of Tunisia’s jihadist attacks of recent years, when 38 people, most of them Britons, were killed in a 2015 beachside shooting rampage.

A patrol of two National Guard officers was targeted in the knife attack in Sousse, 140km south of the capital Tunis, said National Guard spokesman Houcem Eddine Jebabli.

“One died as a martyr and the other was wounded and is hospitalised,” he said, adding that “this was a terrorist attack”.

The attackers had first rammed the gendarmes with a vehicle at about 6:40 am (0540 GMT).

After the knife attack, security forces pursued the assailants, who had taken the officers’ guns and vehicle, through the Akouda district of the city’s tourist area of El Kan-taoui, said Jebabli.

“In a firefight three terrorists were killed,” he said, adding that security forces “managed to recover” the car and two pistols the assailants had stolen.

President Kais Saied, on a visit hours later to the sealed-off scene of the knife attack, said police were investigating whether the attack was planned “by individuals or an organisation”.

British ambassador to Tunisia Louise de Sousa tweeted she was “appalled to hear of the attack on a National Guard patrol in #Sousse this morning.

“My sincere condolences to the family of the murdered officer & I wish a swift recovery t o t h e i n j u r e d . #UKsupportTunisia”

Tunisia, since its 2011 popular revolution, has been hit by a string of militant attacks that have killed dozens of security personnel, civilians and foreign tourists.

A suicide attack against security forces protecting the US

Embassy in Tunis killed a Tunisian police officer and left several others wounded in March. 2015 was a particularly bloody year, with three major deadly attacks claimed by the Islamic State group.

An attack at the capital’s Bardo museum in March killed 21 foreign tourists and a security guard.

Just three months later, the 38 tourists were killed in the

shooting rampage at Sousse. And in November of that

year, a bomb blast on a bus in central Tunis killed 12 presi-dential guards. While the situ-ation has significantly improved since then, Tunisia has main-tained a state of emergency.

Assaults on security forces have persisted, mainly in remote areas along the border with Algeria.

Tunisia has been praised as a rare success story among the 2011 Arab Spring revolts that swept the region and brought down many autocrats, among them Tunisia’s long-time pres-ident Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

But the small Mediterranean country of about 11 million people is mired in an economic crisis, with the official unem-ployment rate at 18 percent, and in need of new assistance from the International Monetary Fund.

Last week Tunisia’s par-liament approved a new tech-nocratic government led by Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, which faces the task of tackling deep social and eco-nomic woes in the North African country.

The 46-year-old premier pledged to revitalise the economy, including the crucial tourism sector, which had rebounded after the jihadist attacks but has been hit hard this year by the coronavirus pandemic.

Forensic police investigate the site of an attack on Tunisian National Guard officers, in Sousse, south of the capital Tunis, yesterday.

Flooding is seen in Lycee de Yoff Village in Dakar, Senegal, yesterday, in this still image obtained from a social media video.

Senegal activates emergencyaid plan after downpourREUTERS — DAKAR

Senegalese President Macky Sall has activated an emergency aid plan after a seven-hour downpour caused widespread floods. Water Minister Serigne Mbaye Thiam told national tele-vision that more rain fell on a single day on Saturday than the country would usually see during three months of the rainy season.

“This is an exceptional rainfall. We registered 124 mil-limetres of rain. This is the cumulative rain we get during the whole rainy season from July to September,” Thiam said.

At least one person was reported missing due to the floods in the central region of Kaolack, said Aissatou Ndiaye, mayor of Ndiafatte.

According to forecasts by Senegal’s meteorological agency ANACIM, more thunderstorms and rains were expected across most of the country.

Heavy rains have been recorded in the Sahel regions of West and Central Africa in the past week including in Niger, Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon, leading to devastating floods that have killed dozens and dis-placed thousands of people.

ANC delegationheads to Hararefor talks

BLOOMBERG — JOHANNESBURG

A delegation from South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party is expected in Zimbabwe tomorrow for talks, less than a month after Harare rebuffed Johannesburg’s offer to help end its neighbour’s economic and political crisis.

The delegation will meet with officials from the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic-Front party and the government, Nick Mangwana, a Zimbabwean government spokesman, said by text message on Sunday.

Tafadzwa Mugwadi, the Zanu-PF director for infor-mation and publicity declined to say what was on the agenda of the talks when contacted for comment. Calls to ANC spokesman Pule Mabe’s mobile phone weren’t immediately answered.

Zimbabwe’s state-owned Sunday Mail newspaper reported that Ace Magashule, the ANC’s Secretary-General would lead the 10-member South African delegation.

‘Hotel Rwanda’hero muststand trial,says Kagame

AP — KIGALI

Rwanda’s president says that the man portrayed as a hero in the film “Hotel Rwanda” will stand trial for allegedly supporting rebel violence.

President Paul Kagame, appearing on national tele-vision yesterday, did not explain how Paul Rusesa-bagina was brought to Rwanda where he has been held in custody for more than a week.

Rusesabagina is credited with saving 1,200 lives during Rwanda’s 1994 genocide by letting people shelter in the hotel he was managing during the mass killings. Now he is accused of supporting rebel violence in Rwanda and his family complain that they have not been able to speak to him and that he has not had access to a lawyer.

“Rusesabagina heads a group of terrorists that have killed Rwandans. He will have to pay for these crimes.,” said Kagame on a broadcast in which he was asked questions by some local and foreign jour-nalists and viewers. “Rusesa-bagina has the blood of Rwandans on his hands.”

He said Rusesabagina’s trial will be held openly and conducted fairly.

Sudan to ink ‘final’ peace deal with rebels on October 2AFP — KHARTOUM

The “final signing” of a peace agreement between Sudan’s government and rebel groups is set for October 2 in the South Sudanese capital Juba, the talks’ chief mediator announced yesterday.

“The second of October is the date for the final signing of

the peace agreement between the government and the ‘parties to the peace process’,” Tut Gatluak, head of the mediation team and South Sudan’s presi-dential adviser on security affairs wrote on Twitter.

Gatluak did not elaborate and further details were not immediately available.

Sudanese authorities and

leaders from the Sudan Rev-olutionary Front (SRF), a coa-lition of rebel groups, initialled a historic peace agreement on August 31 in Juba aimed at ending nearly two decades of conflict that has killed hun-dreds of thousands of people, particularly in western Darfur.

Established in 2011, the SRF brings together rebels from the

war-ravaged western Darfur region, as well as the southern states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok signed a separate agreement in Ethiopia with a faction of the rebel Sudan Peo-ple’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), which had refused to agree to the deal

struck in Juba, officials on both sides said on Friday.

Reaching a peace accord with rebel groups has been a priority of Sudan’s transitional government, which came to power after the April 2019 ouster of long-time autocrat Omar Hassan Al Bashir fol-lowing months of mass protests.

Tobruk parliament and is sup-ported by Egypt, the UAE and Russia, launched an offensive to seize the capital Tripoli from the GNA.

Haftar was beaten back earlier this year by Turkish-backed GNA forces and fighting has now stalled around the Mediterranean city of Sirte, the gateway to Libya’s eastern oil field and export terminals.

On August 22, the rival administrations announced separately that they would

cease all hostilities and hold nationwide elections, drawing praise from world powers.

At a January summit in Berlin, the main countries involved in the Libyan conflict agreed to respect an arms embargo and to stop interfering in Libya’s domestic affairs.

But on Wednesday, the interim UN envoy for Libya, Stephanie Williams, denounced what she called “blatant” ongoing violations of the arms embargo in the North African

country. According to an interim report from UN experts, “the arms embargo remains totally ineffective” and viola-tions are “extensive, blatant and with complete disregard for the sanctions”.

Williams said the UN mission UNSMIL was also receiving reports of the “large-scale presence of foreign mer-cenaries and operatives” in Libya, adding that this compli-cates chances of a future settlement.

Delegates from Libya’s rival administrations met for talks yesterday in Morocco, more than two weeks after the two sides announced a surprise ceasefire.

Victoria extends hardlockdown in Melbourneuntil September 28REUTERS — MELBOURNE

Australia’s coronavirus hot spot state of Victoria yesterday extended a hard lockdown in its capital Melbourne until September 28, as the infection rate has declined more slowly than hoped. “We cannot open up at this time. If we were to we would lose control very quickly,” State Premier Daniel Andrews told a televised media conference yesterday.

The hard lockdown was ordered on August 2 in response to a second wave of infections, that erupted in Melbourne.

Australia’s second most populous state has been the epi-centre of a second wave of the novel coronavirus, now accounting for about 75 percent of the country’s 26,282 cases and 90 percent of its 753 deaths.

Victoria yesterday reported 63 new COVID-19 infections and five deaths, down from a peak of 725 new cases on August 5. By contrast, Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, has had no more than 13 cases a day since early August.

Melbourne’s stage 4

restrictions, which had been due to end on September 13, shut most of the economy, limited people’s movements to a tight zone around their homes for one hour a day and imposed a night time curfew.

From September 14, the rules won’t be quite as tough, as the curfew will begin an hour later at 9pm and people can go

outdoors for two hours instead of one, while those living alone will be allowed to have a visitor.

If the infection rate subsides as hoped by the end of Sep-tember, Andrews said restric-tions would be relaxed grad-ually over the subsequent two months, though some busi-nesses would have to remain shut through late November.

Andrews said modelling showed cases would continue to average around 60 a day by next weekend, and if the state opened up too quickly it would be on track for a third wave by mid-November.

“You’ve got to defeat the second wave and do it properly. Otherwise you just begin a third wave. A third wave will mean we can’t do the economic repair that people desperately want us to do,” Andrews said.

The federal government has blamed the lockdown in Victoria for dragging Australia deeper into its first recession in nearly 30 years, while other states have largely reo-pened their economies.

“Today’s announcement from the Victorian government to extend lockdown arrangements

will be hard and crushing news for the people of Victoria and a further reminder of the impact and costs that result from not being able to contain outbreaks of COVID-19,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a statement.

The pandemic has resulted in the loss of around 500,000 jobs in Victoria, including 250,000 under the stage 4 restrictions.

Business groups were dis-appointed with the slow reo-pening outlined by Andrews.

“We can’t continue to let business and jobs be decimated on the way to controlling the spread

of the virus,” Victoria Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief Paul Guerra told reporters.

After Sept. 28, if daily infection rates have dropped to between 30 and 50 for 14 days, child care, construction sites, manufacturing plants, and warehouses, will go back to normal, allowing 101,000 workers to return to their jobs.

Schools will also partially reopen and outdoor gatherings of up to five people would be allowed.

After October 26, if daily cases have dropped below five, cafes and

restaurants could reopen, mostly for outdoor service, and shops and hairdressers would reopen.

At the same time, the curfew would be lifted, with no limits on leaving home, outdoor gatherings could increase to 10 and homes would be able to have five visitors.

After November 23, cafes, and restaurants could have more people indoors, schools could reopen more fully, museums and other enter-tainment venues could reopen, and larger gatherings would be allowed.

Police patrol a street in Melbourne yesterday as the state announced an extension to its strict lockdown law while it battles fresh outbreak of the coronavirus disease.

India reports global daily record of new virus cases

REUTERS — NEW DELHI

India added more than 90,000 cases of the novel coronavirus yesterday, a global daily record, according to data from the federal health ministry.

There were 90,632 new cases in the 24 hours to Sunday, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Famlily Welfare, while the number of deaths rose by 1,065 to 70,626.

The country is set to pass Brazil today as the second most affected country by total infections and will be behind only the United States, which has 6.4 million cases and nearly 193,000 deaths.

Coronavirus cases in India have reached 4.1 million and about 3.2 million affected people have been treated so far, the government data showed.

Medical experts said the country was seeing a second wave of the pandemic in some parts of the country, and that case numbers have surged because of increased testing and the easing of restrictions on public movement.

The government will par-tially restore metro train services in the national capital of New Delhi from Monday.

The pandemic will not finish this year as the virus has spread from big cities to other parts of the country, Randeep Guleria, the director of the All India Institute of Medical Sci-ences in New Delhi, said in an interview with India Today TV.

The number of cases could continue to rise before the curve flattens out, he said.

India has logged the world’s largest daily corona-virus case load for almost a month even as its government pushes to open businesses to revive a contracting economy.

Experts warn China-India standoff risks unintentional warAP — SRINAGAR

As a months-long military standoff between India and China along their disputed mountain border protracts, experts warn that the nuclear-armed countries — which already have engaged in their bloodiest clash in decades — could unintentionally slide into war.

For 45 years, a series of agreements, written and unwritten, maintained an uneasy truce along the border on the eastern edge of the Himalayan region of Kashmir. But moves and clashes over the past few months have made the situation unpredictable, raising the risk that a miscalculation from either side could have serious consequences that res-onate beyond the cold-desert region.

“The situation is very dan-gerous on the ground and can spiral out of control,” said Lieu-tenant General D S Hooda, who was head of the Indian mili-tary’s Northern Command from 2014 to 2016. “A lot will depend on whether the two sides are able to control the volatile sit-uation and make sure it doesn’t spread to other areas.”

The two Asian giants have held several rounds of talks, mainly involving military com-manders, without success. In a sign that the talks are now shifting to the political level, their defence ministers met in the Russian capital on Friday to try end the impasse. It was the first high-level direct contact between the sides since the standoff erupted in the Ladakh region four months ago.

Last week, the world’s two

most populous nations, which share thousands of kilometres of disputed border, accused each another of fresh provoca-tions, including allegations of soldiers crossing into each other’s territory.

India said its soldiers thwarted “provocative” move-ments by China’s military twice last week. In turn, China’s Defence Ministry accused Indian troops of crossing estab-lished lines of control and cre-ating provocations along the border.

Tensions first erupted in early May with a brawl between soldiers from the two sides. The situation escalated dramatically in June when they fought with clubs, stones and fists, leaving 20 Indian soldiers dead and dozens wounded. China did not report any casualties.

The standoff is over dis-puted portions of a pristine landscape in a region that boasts the world’s highest landing strip and a glacier that feeds one of the largest irrigation systems in the world.

Hooda said that while he doesn’t think either side is looking for full-scale war, the “real calamity” is the breakdown of existing agree-ments and protocols.

Wang Lian, a professor of international relations at Peking University in Beijing, said the possibility of open warfare is unlikely because both sides have shown restraint in recent encounters. But he also said that New Delhi is under pressure from domestic anti-China sen-timent and has been emboldened by tougher US

measures against Beijing.“I don’t think (India) would

go so far as to escalate military conflict of a larger scale, but I believe both sides are making some preparations,” Wang said.

India and China share a dis-puted and undemarcated 3,500km border, known as the Line of Actual Control, that stretches from the Ladakh region in the north to the Indian state of Sikkim.

The two nations fought a border war in 1962 that also spilled into Ladakh and ended in a fragile truce. Since then, troops from both sides have patrolled and guarded the undefined border area, according to protocols worked out by the two countries that included not using firearms against each other.

Nepal ceremonial army takes part in chariot festivalNepal’s ceremonial army wearing face masks takes part in the Rato (Red) Machindranath Chariot festival after the government imposed ban on public gatherings as preventive measure against the coronavirus pandemic, in Lalitpur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu, yesterday.

Death toll in Bangladeshmosque gas explosionrises to 24: OfficialsAFP — NARAYANGANJ

The death toll from a gas explosion that tore through a Bangladesh mosque has risen to 24, officials said yesterday, as rescuers described how survivors jumped into a nearby open sewer to escape the flames.

Worshippers were at Friday evening prayers when the blast sent a ball of fire through the mosque in the central district of Narayanganj near the capital Dhaka, emergency services said.

Eight more people —including the mosque’s imam and muezzin, who led prayers — died overnight taking the toll to 24, said Samanta Lal Sen, a spokesman for a specialist burns hospital in Dhaka.

“The conditions of 13 injured people were critical. Bodies of some of the injured were 70-80 percent burnt,” he said, adding there were fears the toll could climb higher.

“It is tough to survive if anyone has more than 30 percent of his body burnt.” Forty-five people in total were injured, police said.

Mohammad Salim said he rushed to the mosque after the explosion, adding the blast’s shock waves shook the neighbourhood. He said burnt worshippers threw themselves into an open sewer next to the mosque.

“They wailed ‘save, save us’ as they rolled in the sewer water to cool their burnt bodies. Their faces were charred and were beyond recognition,” Salim, who lost two cousins and

a brother-in-law in the explosion, said.

“I lifted three of them out of water. As I touched them, their skin peeled out from their bodies. We took them to a hos-pital on rickshaws.” There has been growing anger over the incident after the committee running the mosque alleged the state-run gas transmission firm had earlier demanded a bribe to fix the leaks quickly.

“A probe body is looking into how the explosion occurred and whether there was any neg-ligence on our part,” the com-pany’s managing director Ali Mohammad Al Mamun said.

Investigators suspected a spark from an air conditioner — which came on after a power cut — started the blaze.

The committee’s president Abdul Gafur said the mosque started experiencing problems with the gas pipes a few days earlier.

Local fire chief Abdullah al Arefin, who is part of the team investigating the explosion, said the committee said they had smelt gas for the past seven days. “But they did not have any idea that this could lead to such a big fire,” he said.

Bangladesh’s energy min-ister Nasrul Hamid, who has visited the site, has ordered a probe into the committee’s allegations, a spokesman for his ministry, Mir Aslam, said.

In Bangladesh, safety reg-ulations are often flouted. Hun-dreds are killed each year in fires in the nation of 168 million people.

Blaze extinguished on stricken oil tanker off Sri LankaAFP — COLOMBO

A massive fire on a stricken oil tanker off Sri Lanka’s coast has been extinguished, the island nation’s navy said yesterday, as international salvage experts began to assess the damage over fears of an environmental disaster if there is a leak.

The Panamanian-registered New Diamond, carrying over 270,000 tonnes of crude and diesel, was en-route from Kuwait to the Indian port of Paradip when it issued a dis-tress call on Thursday after an

engine room explosion that killed a Filipino crew member.

Sri Lanka’s navy chief Nis-hantha Ulugetenna said the fire on the tanker, which the navy chief and the Indian coastguard got under control on Friday —had finally been put out.

“The fire has been com-pletely doused,” the vice admiral told reporters in Colombo.

“The tanker’s (steel) plates are still very hot so there is a risk of reigniting new fires.” The Indian coastguard tweeted that “no flame & smoke” was visible from the vessel.

The announcement came as Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Centre said foreign salvage experts and insurance assessors had started examining the ship some 75km from the coast.

Ten British and Netherlands professionals with expertise in rescue operations, disaster evaluation and legal consul-tation arrived earlier yesterday, the navy said.

Dutch firm Smit Salvage had commissioned the experts and was also sending two tug boats from Singapore and Mauritius, the navy added.

The Indian coastguard, which deployed six ships, an aircraft and a helicopter, added on Sunday that its pollution control vessel had arrived at the site in the Indian Ocean.

The rescue vessels are still dousing the tanker with water to prevent fresh fires being ignited in heavy winds lashing the hot steel plates near the burnt engine room.

The tanker had suffered a crack of its hull some 10 metres (33 feet) above the waterline as a result of intense heat from the fire, officials said.

“Today’s announcement from the Victorian government to extend lockdown arrangements will be hard and crushing news for the people of Victoria and a further reminder of the impact and costs that result from not being able to contain outbreaks of COVID-19,” Prime Minister said.

11MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2020 ASIA

Typhoon slams Japan with violent winds, heavy rainAFP — KAGOSHIMA

A powerful typhoon that offi-cials warned could bring record rains and gusts strong enough to flip cars slammed into southern Japan yesterday, prompting authorities to urge millions to seek shelter.

Typhoon Haishen has weakened somewhat as it neared Japan’s mainland, and shifted further west out to sea, but it remained a “large” and “extremely strong” storm.

After lashing a string of exposed, remote southern islands, it neared Japan’s Kyushu region yesterday evening, with authorities issues evacuation advisories for more than seven million residents.

The weather agency urged peoples to exercise “most serious caution” for possible record rain, violent winds, high waves and surging tides.

“Record-level rainfall is expected. It may cause land-slides or it could cause even large rivers to flood,” said Yoshihisa Nakamoto, director of the forecast division at the Japan Meteorological Agency, during a televised briefing.

He added that surging tides could cause widespread flooding in low-lying areas, particularly around river mouths.

As the storm passed over several remote islands earlier

Sunday, strong winds bent palm trees and sheets of rain lashed the area.

At an emergency cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned that flooding and landslides were a possibility.

“Maximum caution is needed as record rain, violent winds, high waves and high tides are possible,” he said.

“I ask the Japanese people, including those who live in high-risk areas for flooding rivers or high tides, to stay informed and take action immediately to ensure their safety.” At 7pm, Haishen was located about 100km south-southwest of Makurazaki city, packing gusts up to 216kmh — strong enough to overturn vehicles and snap wooden power poles.

The storm was forecast to move north and travel off the western coast of Kyushu before reaching South Korea today morning, according to the

weather agency.Authorities issued evacu-

ation orders for 1.8 million people in the affected area, with 5.6 million people issued lower-level advisories, national broadcaster NHK said.

Evacuation orders in Japan are not compulsory, though authorities strongly urge people to follow them.

Local officials asked people to avoid crowded shelters where possible, to reduce the risk of coronavirus infections, and some shelters were forced to turn people away in order to have enough space to maintain social distancing.

In some places, residents were checking into local hotels to comply with evacuations advisories.

Hotel Polaris in Shibushi city, Kagoshima, said all 73 of its rooms were sold out for the weekend.

“This is a large building for our area. I think our guests have

chosen to stay with us to feel safe,” front desk employee Takayuki Shinmura said, adding that it was unusual for all of the hotel’s rooms to be occupied during typhoons.

Those who sought hotel rooms said the pandemic and discomfort of public shelters were weighing on them.

“I am worried about coro-navirus infections. We’re with small children too, so we did not want other people to see us as

big trouble,” an elderly man in Shibushi city told NHK after checking in at a local hotel with seven relatives.

The storm has forced the cancellation of nearly 550 flights and disrupted train services, NHK said.

Many factories also sus-pended operations, including three plants operated by Toyota.

A total of 79,000 homes in Kagoshima and neighbouring Miyazaki lost power Sunday

evening as the storm approached the region.

Haishen forced the Japanese coast guard to suspend its search for dozens of missing sailors from the Gulf Livestock 1 cargo ship that sank in an earlier storm.

Two survivors and the body of a third crew member were found before the search was suspended, and the coast guard said it will resume the operation when Haishen clears the region.

Women walk in heavy rain as Typhoon Haishen hits Kagoshima prefecture, in Japan, yesterday.

Pakistan province plans to open educational institutions in phasesAGENCIES — KARACHI

Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani said that the sub-committee of the steering committee for education had recommended to him that all educational institutions in the province should not be opened simultaneously on September 15.

Presiding over the meeting of the steering committee, he explained that the sub-com-mittee proposed that children

of higher classes should be sent to schools while children of lower classes should be sent to schools in stages.

A meeting of all provincial education ministers, to be chaired by the federal education minister, will be held on Sep-tember 7 following which an announcement regarding the opening of educational institu-tions across the country will be made.

The regular results of the students who have been

promoted to the next level without examinations from class IX to class XII this time will be announced on September 15 and 30. While the meeting dis-cussed the reopening of educa-tional institutions in the province, it also looked at and approved the standard oper-ating procedures (SOPs) issued by the departments of edu-cation and health for the purpose.

Meanwhile, Pakistan recorded just two deaths from

the coronavirus yesterday, the lowest single-day fatality number since the surge of the pandemic in May, according to health officials.

The number of deaths stand at 6,342, with the additional fatalities. Another 484 infec-tions were reported, bringing that tally to 298,513.

More than 90 percent of all patients, or 285,898, have recovered, but 535 are in critical condition. Pakistan’s infection rate has significantly dropped

in recent weeks, compared to an average of 5,000 daily cases in May and June. The highest number of single-day cases was nearly 7,000 last month.

The government is currently following a “mini smart lockdown” strategy. Instead of closing entire streets or shopping centers, only houses or workplaces where infections are reported will be sealed.

The country has conducted more than 2.7 million tests, according to statistics.

China’s first

reusable

spacecraft lands

after 2-day flight

AP — BEIJING

China’s first reusable space-craft landed yesterday after two days in orbit, a possible step toward lower-cost space flight, the government announced.

The secretive, military-run space program has released few details of the craft, which was launched Friday aboard a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China’s desert northwest. The craft landed as planned at Jiuquan, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

State media have yet to publish any photos. The craft’s size and shape are unclear.

The flight “marks an important breakthrough in our country’s research on reusable spacecraft” that promise a “more convenient and inex-pensive way” to reach space, Xinhua said.

Hong Kong police

swoop on

pro-democracy

protesters

AFP — HONG KONG

Nearly 300 people were arrested by Hong Kong police yesterday as riot officers swooped on democracy protesters opposed to the post-ponement of local elections.

Yesterday was meant to be voting day for the city’s partially elected legislature, one of the few instances where Hong Kongers get to cast ballots.

But the city’s pro-Beijing leader Carrie Lam suspended the polls for a year — citing the coronavirus — angering the pro-democracy opposition who had been hoping to capitalise on seething anti-government sen-timent. Hundreds of riot police flooded the district of Kowloon in a bid to thwart online calls for flash mob protests to mark the suspended vote.

Throughout the afternoon officers were heckled by people shouting slogans such as “Give me back my vote!” and “Corrupt cops!” as officers conducted multiple stop and searches and ordered crowds to disperse.

In a Facebook statement, police said at least 289 people were arrested, mostly for unlawful assembly. One woman was detained under a new security law Beijing imposed on the city for chanting inde-pendence slogans.

Virus cases in SouthKorea at 3-week lowREUTERS — SEOUL

South Korea yesterday reported the smallest rise in coronavirus infections in three weeks, remaining under 200 for a fourth consecutive day as tighter restrictions cap a second wave.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 167 cases of the new coronavirus for the 24 hours through midnight on Sat-urday, down from 168 the pre-vious day.

That brings the country’s total infections to 21,177 with 334 COVID-19 deaths. Success in crushing early outbreaks was partially reversed after a wave infections among members of a church spread when they attended a political rally in mid-August.

Daily infections have hovered below 200 for four days after peaking at 441 in late August, as tougher social dis-tancing curbs have taken effect.

The measures have included

unprecedented restrictions on eateries in the Seoul area, where the spread is concen-trated, banning onsite dining after 9pm and limiting coffee and bakery franchises to takeout and delivery all day.

The government on Friday extended the curbs until Sep-tember 13, saying more time is needed to induce sharper drops in new infections.

“With stricter social dis-tancing rules, new coronavirus cases have continued to drift down and we expect to see drops in new cases,” Sohn Young-rae, a spokesman for the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare, said in a briefing.

Sohn urged people to con-tinue to follow social distancing guidelines for another week by refraining from going outside and having meetings to further curb the outbreak.

Health authorities recom-mended that people should not return to their hometowns or visit relatives for the Chuseok holiday, Korea’s Thanksgiving

holiday and one of the coun-try’s largest, which starts at the end of September and lasts until early October.

Health authorities said they are not planning on restricting people from going to their hometowns during the holiday.

South Korea’s efforts to fight

the coronavirus have been complicated by a strike of 16,000 interns and resident doctors who oppose the gov-ernment’s plans to reform the medical sector to better handle future epidemics.

The country’s top medical body agreed on Friday with the

government to end the walkout, only to face an immediate backlash from trainee doctors who rejected the deal and con-tinued the strike.

The trainee physicians were likely to return to work today, Yonhap news agency reported yesterday.

A man walks past a banner advocating mandatory mask wearing in front of Seoul City Hall, in Seoul, South Korea.

North Korea leader tours typhoon-hit area, directs recovery effortREUTERS — SEOUL

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un toured coastal areas hit by a typhoon, and ordered 12,000 core party members to join the recovery effort on Saturday, while dismissing a provincial party chief, state media reported yesterday.

North Korea’s state-run tel-evision KRT carried footage of Kim convening a meeting with North Korean officials and walking in the typhoon-hit area.

While Kim surveyed the damage caused by a typhoon that battered coastal areas last week, a tenth typhoon of the season was swirling in the East China Sea.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said more than 1,000 houses were destroyed

in coastal areas of South and North Hamgyong provinces and reported that farmland and some public buildings had been

inundated.Kim led an enlarged exec-

utive policy committee meeting on recovery efforts in the

typhoon-hit areas, focusing on detailed measures such as organ-isation of building crews to be dispatched to the areas, designs and material transport, KCNA said.

At the meeting, he also dis-missed the chairman of the South Hamyong provincial party com-mittee and appointed a new chairman. North Korea’s ruling party had called for punishment of officials whose failure to follow orders results in “dozens of cas-ualties” during typhoons, the country’s official party news-paper reported on Saturday.

Separately, Kim sent an open letter to party members in the capital noting that this year has witnessed “uncommon diffi-culties due to the protracted worldwide public health crisis”

and natural disasters. It added that the Party Central Committee decided to dispatch 12,000 party members from Pyongyang to the typhoon-hit areas to help com-munities recover.

North Korea has been putting “practical measures” to minimize damage from the tenth typhoon of the season by informing people of locations of shelters and typhoon paths as well as how to respond and behave, KCNA reported.

The isolated country has been grappling with torrential rains, floods and typhoons in one of the wettest rainy seasons on record.

Typhoon Maysak smashed into the Korean peninsula on Thursday. In South Korea, it left at least two dead and thousands temporarily without power.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (centre) speaking with party central committee for the disaster recovery about the damages made by Typhoon Maysak, on Saturday.

The storm was forecast to move north and travel off the western coast of Kyushu before reaching South Korea today morning, according to the weather agency. Authorities issued evacuation orders for 1.8 million people in the affected area, with 5.6 million people issued lower-level advisories, national broadcaster NHK said.

12 MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2020ASIA

Belarus protesters keep pressureon Lukashenko with new marchAP — KIEV

Tens of thousands of demon-strators marched yesterday to the outskirts of the presidential residence in the capital of Belarus, calling for the country’s authoritarian leader to resign as protests against President Alexander Lukashenko entered their fifth week.

Protests also took place in major cities throughout Belarus, said Interior Ministry spokes-woman Olga Chemodanova. Crowd sizes for those protests were not immediately reported, but Ales Bialiatski, head of the Viasna human rights organi-sation, said the demonstration in Minsk attracted more than 100,000 people.

The protests, unprece-dented in Belarus for their size and duration, began after the August 9 presidential vote that election officials said gave Lukashenko a sixth term in office with 80% support. Pro-testers say the results were rigged.

Lukashenko has ruled the country with an iron fist since

1994, regularly repressing dissent and press freedom.

Police violently cracked down on demonstrators in the first days of the protests, arresting some 7,000 people and beating hundreds. Although they have scaled back, deten-tions continue; Viasna reported scores of people were arrested in Minsk and in the city of Grodno yesterday.

Police and army troops blocked off the centre of Minsk yesterday, but demonstrators marched to the outskirts of the Palace of Independence, the President’s working residence 3 km outside the city centre.

The palace grounds were blocked off by phalanxes of shield-bearing riot police and water cannon.

“This sea of people cannot

be stopped by military equipment, water cannons, propaganda and arrests. Most Belarusians want a peaceful change of power and we will not get tired of demanding this,”said Maria Kolesnikova, a leader of the Coordination Council set up by the opposition to try to arrange a dialogue with the 66-year-old Lukashenko about a transition of power.

She spoke with The Asso-ciated Press by telephone.

Lukashenko has rejected any discussion with the council and some of its top members have been jailed. One of them, Olga Kovalova, was expelled from the country over the weekend, driven to Poland by police.

Despite the stalemate between Lukashenko and the

opposition, protesters say they are determined not to tire. Some of the placards they carried yes-terday showed a lively sense of humour.

“Lukashenka, start building a house near Yanukovych,” read one, referring to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych who fled to Russia

in 2014 after months of anti-government protests.

“The collective farm went bankrupt,”said another, evoking Lukashenko’s former position as a collective farm director and his retention of largely state-controlled Soviet-style economy for Belarus, an Eastern European nation of 9.5 million.

Authorities also have revoked the accreditation of many Belarusian journalists and deported some foreign jour-nalists, including two Moscow-based AP journalists.

AP’s Belarusian journalists were among those told their press credentials had been revoked.

Belarus opposition supporters attend a rally to protest against the disputed August 9 presidential elections results in Minsk, yesterday.

1 killed, 7 hurt in late-night stabbings in BirminghamAP — LONDON

A man was killed and seven people injured in late-night stabbings in a busy area of the central England city of Birmingham, police said yesterday.

Police said they were searching for a lone male suspect in what appeared to be random attacks.

Chief Superintendent Steve Graham of West Midlands Police said detectives were still investigating the motive but “there is absolutely no sug-gestion at all that this is terror-related”.

West Midlands Police said officers were called to reports of a stabbing shortly after mid-night on Sunday. That was soon followed by reports of other

stabbings across the city centre over two hours.

Police said they believed the stabbings were linked and have launched a murder investi-gation. Graham said two of the seven injured people, a man and a woman, were in critical con-dition in hospitals. Five others received “relatively minor” injuries.

Birmingham is England’s second-largest city, 193km northwest of London.

Graham said there was no suggestion the crime was “moti-vated by hate”. He also said it did not appear to be gang-related.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted that it was a “terrible incident” and thanked the emergency services.

West Midlands Mayor Andy

Street urged people “to not speculate about the incident” and to “remain calm but vig-ilant”. Police set up cordons at

several sites around the city centre.

Life has been gradually resuming in the city as the UK

emerges from its coronavirus lockdown. Cara Curran, a local, said she saw multiple people fighting in the street, though it was unclear whether that was connected to the stabbings.

“It was one group of boys against another group of boys,” she told the BBC, adding that “racial slurs” were being thrown.

Official statistics show knife crime is on the rise in the UK, where most guns are outlawed, though the number of homi-cides with blades fell in 2019 from the year before.

Britain has seen several recent extremist knife attacks, including a stabbing rampage in a city park in Reading, near London, in June that killed three people. A Libyan man has been charged.

Forensic officers working at the scene of reported stabbings in Birmingham, Britain, yesterday.

13MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2020 EUROPE

France puts more departments on high virus alertAFP — PARIS

French authorities have placed seven more departments covering major cities such as Lille, Strasbourg and Dijon on high alert as increases in COVID-19 infections accelerate, the government said yesterday.

Of France’s 101 mainland and overseas departments, 28 are now considered “red zones” where authorities will be able to impose exceptional measures to slow the number of new coronavirus cases.

The move comes as France reported a record of nearly

9,000 daily cases on Friday, and a further 8,550 cases in the past 24 hours on Saturday, when the nationwide test pos-itivity rate increased to 4.7 percent. Paris and the Bouches-du-Rhone department encom-passing the southeastern city of Lyon were the first to be placed on high alert by the government on August 14 after infection rates began to climb.

That prompted local offi-cials to require face masks in all public spaces to slow the virus’s spread, in hope of avoiding a spike in cases that could again overwhelm hos-

pitals as autumn approaches.The Sante Publique France

health agency, which has warned of “exponential” caseload increases, said on Sat-urday that 53 new outbreak clusters had been discovered in the previous 24 hours, bringing the total number under inves-tigation to 484.

Twelve more COVID-19 deaths were reported, for an overall toll of 30,698 since the pandemic flared last March.

Concerns over infection risks have already prompted officials to close 22 schools after cases were detected just days

after students returned from the summer break last week, and dozens of individual classes have also been suspended.

Yesterday, the government said pre-school teachers as well as those with deaf students would soon be given trans-parent masks to facilitate com-prehension at a crucial edu-cation stage for young children.

“More than 100,000 of these masks will be produced by the end of this month,” the state secretary in charge of people with disabilities, Sophie Cluzel, told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper.

Activists from the climate change group Extinction Rebellion lead a procession across Westminster Bridge in central London yesterday on the sixth day of their new series of ‘mass rebellions’.

UK charges 26 over printing works climate protestAFP — LONDON

Twenty-six people have been charged with aggravated trespass after a climate protest at a printing works in northwest England disrupted the delivery of several newspapers, police said yesterday.

Merseyside Police said the men and women, aged between 19 and 60, were released on bail and ordered to appear in court in Liverpool and St Helens between January 8 and 13 next year.

Fifty other people were in custody after a similar protest at another print site at Waltham Cross, north of London, Hert-fordshire Police said.

The protests were part of 10 days of action by the group Extinction Rebellion and caused delays to deliveries of news-papers including The Times and its tabloid stablemate The Sun.

Activists blocked roads outside the sites using vehicles and attached themselves to obstacles to expose what they said was the “failure of these corporations to accurately

report on the climate and eco-logical emergency”.

The Times and The Sun are owned by News Corp, which is controlled by media magnate Rupert Murdoch, who has been accused of denying climate change. Extinction Rebellion accused News Corp and right-wing publications such as the Daily Mail and the London Evening Standard of pushing “personal and political agendas”.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is a former news-paper reporter and columnist, led condemnation of the action, calling it an attempt to stifle

freedom of speech.“A free press is vital in

holding the government and other powerful institutions to account on issues critical for the future of our country, including the fight against climate change,” he said.

Britain’s domestic Press Association news agency quoted unnamed government sources as saying interior min-ister Priti Patel wanted to review how Extinction Rebellion was classified.

The review could see it treated as an organised crime group given the disruption caused by its activities.

3 desperate migrants jump into sea from stranded Med tankerAP — ROME

Three migrants stranded aboard a tanker for over a month awaiting a port to disembark jumped into the Mediterranean Sea yesterday in a sign of increasing despair on deck, the ship reported.

Maersk Tankers A/S said the captain and crew of its chemical tanker Etienne quickly rescued the three migrants and brought them back aboard. But the company repeated its demand for a port and urgent humanitarian assistance to ensure that the passengers “are immediately given the attention and care that they need.”

The Etienne rescued a group of 27 would-be refugees on August 4 at the request of Maltese authorities as the migrants’ fishing boat sank. Malta, however, has refused to let the migrants disembark and the Etienne has been stuck in international waters 17 miles off the small European Union island nation as food and water supplies are running low.

The Maersk has reported that tensions aboard the ship were growing, culminating in

desperate jumps yesterday.Malta, like Italy, often balks

at taking in rescued migrants, insisting that other EU nations should share the burden of caring for people rescued in the central Mediterranean. While such standoffs have become increasingly common, the Etienne’s plight is the longest in recent times and suggests that other mercantile ships might be less willing to respond to distress calls from migrants in the future.

Not helping those in need on the sea, however, goes against maritime standards, placing ship captains in an untenable position.

On Saturday, the GNV Rhapsody ferry moored off Lampedusa to take migrants off the small Italian island.

Italian officials have been hastily chartering ferries and putting other measures into place to fight severe over-crowding at migrant centres on Lampedusa.

In Britain, anti-migrant protesters demonstrated on Saturday in the English city of Dover against immigration and the journeys made by refugees crossing the Channel.

UK sees biggest

jump in COVID-19

cases since May

AP — LONDON

Britain has recorded its highest daily number of new corona-virus cases since May, with 2,988 new infections announced yesterday.

Like other European coun-tries, the UK is seeing the number of infections rise as society reopens after lockdown.

Some of the increase can be accounted for by expanded testing, which is identifying people who have mild or no symptoms. The number of hospital admissions and deaths has so far not shown a corresponding rise. Two new deaths were reported Sunday.

The increased number of cases comes as British school-children return to class, a milestone in the resumption of normal life.

Britain’s confirmed coro-navirus death toll stands at 41,551, the highest in Europe.

Meanwhile, Greek health authorities announced 144 new cases of the coronavirus yesterday, 24 from interna-tional arrivals, and four deaths.

The total number of cases is 11,544, with 284 deaths. While the median age of those who got sick is 39, that of those who died is 78.

Although the latest numbers are well off the recent highs, authorities are stepping up fines for people not wearing masks.

Silvio Berlusconi‘responding well’to treatmentAFP — MILAN

Italy’s former prime minister Si lvio Berlusconi is responding well to treatment after he was taken to hospital with coronavirus, his doctor said yesterday, but warned his condition was “delicate”.

The 83-year-old media tycoon is being treated for a lung infection at San Raffaele hospital in Milan where he was admitted on Thursday night.

“The patient is calm and is responding optimally to treatments,” his doctor Alberto Zangrillo said.

“I am cautiously opti-mistic, which I reiterate, we must not claim victory since (Berlusconi) belongs in the category defined as the most fragile.” Berlusconi tested positive for coronavirus earlier this week after returning from a holiday at his luxury villa in Sardinia.

Two of his children — daughter Barbara, 36, and son Luigi, 31 — have also con-tracted the virus, as has his companion Marta Fascina.

Following a check-up on Thursday evening at his home, Zangrillo insisted that Berlusconi go to the hospital the same night.

On Friday, the doctor said that the billionaire was “a patient at risk because of his age and previous illnesses”, including open-heart surgery.

Zangrillo said Berlusconi had a lung infection that had been diagnosed early but was not on a ventilator.

Berlusconi had insisted on Wednesday that he would continue his political activities despite the positive test.

Regional elections are due to take place in Italy in two weeks as well as a refer-endum on reducing the n u m b e r o f I t a l i a n parliamentarians.

Police violently cracked down on demonstrators in the first days of the protests, arresting some 7,000 people and beating hundreds. Although they have scaled back, detentions continue.

14 MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2020EUROPE / AMERICAS

Germany threatens sanctions over alleged Navalny poisoningAFP — BERLIN

Tensions deepened between Germany and Russia over the alleged poisoning of opposition figure Alexei Navalny yesterday, with Germany threatening sanctions and Russia accusing Berlin of delaying the investigation it demanded.

Russian opposition leader and anti-corruption cam-paigner Navalny fell ill on a flight last month and was treated in a Siberian hospital before being evacuated to Berlin.

Germany said last week there was “unequivocal evi-dence” that Navalny had been poisoned using the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok.

Germany, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, will discuss possible sanctions against Russia if the Kremlin does not provide an explanation soon, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said yesterday.

“We have high expectations of the Russian government to solve this serious crime,” Maas told German daily Bild. “If the government has nothing to do with the attack, then it is in its own interest to back this up with facts.” If Russia does not help clarify what happened “in the coming days”, Germany will be compelled to “discuss a

response with our allies,” Maas said. Any sanctions decided should be “targeted”, he added.

Western leaders and many Russians have expressed horror at what Navalny’s allies say is the first known use of chemical weapons against a high-profile opposition leader on Russian soil.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell last week called on Moscow to cooperate with an international probe into the poisoning and said the 27-nation bloc would not rule out sanctions.

Britain said yesterday that Russia had “a very serious set of questions to answer” and it was “clear” the Kremlin critic was poisoned with Novichok.

The Kremlin has denied responsibility for the attack and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that Germany is yet to share any findings with Mos-

cow’s prosecutors.Foreign ministry spokes-

woman Maria Zakharova yes-terday accused Germany of stalling efforts to probe the case.

German authorities had failed to respond to a request by Russian prosecutors sent on August 27, she said in a Facebook post.

“Dear Mr Maas, if the German government is sincere in its statements then it should be interested in preparing a response to a request of the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office as soon as possible,” Zakharova said.

“So far we are not certain that Germany is not playing a double game,” she added. “Where is the ‘urgency’ you are insisting upon? “By not sending its answer, Berlin is stalling the process of investigation for which it’s calling. On purpose?”

Maas said yesterday there were “several indications” that Russia was behind the poi-soning, in the strongest accu-sations yet from Germany.

“The deadly substance with which Navalny was poisoned has in the past been found in the hands of Russian author-ities. “Only a small number of people have access to Novichok and this poison was used by Russian secret services in the attack against former agent Sergei Skripal,” he said.

Historical re-enactment Enthusiasts participate in the historical re-enactment of the Sevastopol Fortress assault, which took place during the Crimean War of 1853-1856, at a historical military festival in Sevastopol, Crimea, on Saturday.

Ukraine accuses separatists of violating ceasefireREUTERS — KIEV

Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine yesterday violated a ceasefire with government forces, killing one soldier and wounding another soldier, the Ukrainian military said.

The rebel forces opened fire with a grenade launcher on troops in the Krasnohorivka

area in Donetsk region and with small arms near Prychepylivka village in Luhansk area, the military said in a statement.

Rebel officials were una-vailable for comments.

The Ukrainian military said the attack indicated the pro-Russian forces wanted to disrupt an agreement reached by the two sides and OSCE negotiators for a full ceasefire

from July 27.The simmering conflict

between Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed rebels has killed more than 13,000 people since 2014.

Major combat ended with a truce agreed in the Belarus capital Minsk in 2015, but spo-radic clashes still regularly kill civilians, Ukrainian soldiers and separatists.

Rare spat between Serbia and Russia after US-brokered dealAP — BELGRADE

A social media post by Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman apparently ridiculing Serbia’s President after he signed a US-sponsored agreement between Serbia and Kosovo has triggered a rare spat between traditional allies Moscow and Belgrade.

Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova posted a photo showing Serbian President Ale-ksandar Vucic sitting across from US President Donald Trump at his Oval Office in Washington. She posted that

along with another photo, the iconic scene from thriller “Basic Instinct” showing Sharon Stone being questioned by police as she sits cross-legged in a chair.

Zakkharova mocked Vucic in a comment on the Facebook post, saying he was invited to the White House to be interrogated.

Vucic and other Serbian officials reacted furiously.

“The primitivism and vul-garity she showed speaks about herself, but also about those who have given her the job,” Vucic told the pro-government Pink TV.

Later yesterday, Zakharova apologised on Twitter, saying her post had been misinter-preted. Her boss, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, spoke yesterday with Vucic, stressing the “sincerely close ties” between the two states, the Serbian President’s office said.

Vucic said while he was in Washington he defended Ser-bia’s close ties with Russia, including an arms purchase, and his refusal to impose Western sanctions against Moscow over its policies in Ukraine.

Marko Djuric, an official

with Vucic’s ruling party, defended him on Twitter.

“This President did not say a single bad word against Russia, not even in that place (the White House.)... I will not allow you to attack proud Serbia. Shame on you!” Djuric wrote.

Although formally seeking membership in the European Union, Serbia under Vucic has been forging close political, economic and military ties with Russia and China.

Trump announced on Friday that former wartime foes Serbia and Kosovo have agreed

to normalise economic ties as part of US-brokered talks that include Belgrade moving its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem, and mutual recognition between Israel and Kosovo.

The announcement pro-vided Trump with a diplomatic win ahead of the November presidential election and fur-thers his administration’s push to improve Israel’s international standing. The agreement also calls on Serbia to diversify its energy supplies, which are now fully in Russia’s hands — some-thing unlikely to be approved by Moscow.

Drive-in concertPeople enjoy a drive-in concert by local pop band Coti y Los Brillantes, amid the coronavirus disease outbreak in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Saturday.

Northern Chile shaken by powerful quake for second timeAP — SANTIAGO, CHILE

An earthquake with a prelim-inary magnitude of 6.3 shook northern Chile on Saturday night, the second powerful tremor to hit the country this week, though there were no reports of casualties or property damage.

The US Geological Survey

said the quake’s epicenter was 45 km (29 miles) northwest of Ovalle in the northwest of the country, and about 400 km (249 miles) north of Chile’s capital, Santiago. The quake struck at a depth of 30.7 km (19 miles), it said.

Chile’s National Emergency Office said there had been no reports of injuries or damage.

The Hydrographic and Oce-anographic Service of the Chilean navy said the charac-teristics of the earthquake did pose a tsunami threat for the coast.

A magnitude 6.8 quake struck in the Pacific off the coast of northern Chile early Tuesday. No injuries or damage were reported.

Chile lies along the Pacific basin’s “Ring of Fire,” and is fre-quently hit by tremors with magnitudes exceeding 6.0.

The last major earthquake was in the early morning of February 27, 2010, a magnitude 8.8 jolt that affected several Chilean regions and caused a tsunami, killing 526 people and leaving dozens missing.

Protests over rising rents turn violent in Germany’s LeipzigAFP — BERLIN

Violent protests erupted in the east German city of Leipzig for a third consecutive night over evictions from an occupied building that has become a symbol of anger over rising rents.

Around 500 people took part in the rally on Saturday evening, police said early yesterday.

Protesters in the city’s Connewitz district threw stones and fireworks, they said, with two officers suf-fering injuries.

The rally was broken up after less than an hour but spontaneous demonstrations followed during the night, with protesters setting fire to bins and a police car.

Police are investigating 15 suspects for breach of the peace, damage to property and resistance to law enforcement officers.

The protests began on Wednesday.

The rallies aim to denounce what the far-left in particular perceives as the “gentrification” of Leipzig, with the purchase of many apartment buildings by groups of financial investors.

Demonstrations on Friday evening also turned violent, with protesters throwing bottles, fireworks and stones. Eight police officers were slightly injured, six police vehicles damaged and a police station pelted with paint bags and stones.

Leipzig mayor Burkhard Jung described the riots on Saturday as a “serious setback” for the debate around affordable housing.

“You don’t create living space by attacking police officers and setting fire to bar-ricades,” he said.

WikiLeaks’ Assange to fight US extradition bid in UK courtAP — LONDON

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is set to fight for his freedom in a British court after a decade of legal drama, as he challenges American author-ities’ attempt to extradite him on spying charges over the site’s publication of secret US military documents.

Lawyers for Assange and the US government are scheduled to face off in London today at an extradition hearing that was delayed by the coro-navirus pandemic.

American prosecutors have

indicted the 49-year-old Aus-tralian on 18 espionage and computer misuse charges adding up to a maximum sen-tence of 175 years. His lawyers say the prosecution is a politi-cally motivated abuse of power that will stifle press freedom and put journalists at risk.

Assange attorney Jennifer Robinson said the case “is fun-damentally about basic human rights and freedom of speech.” “Journalists and whistle-blowers who reveal illegal activity by companies or gov-ernments and war crimes — such as the publications Julian

has been charged for — should be protected from prosecution,” she said.

American prosecutors say Assange is a criminal, not a free-speech hero.

They allege that Assange conspired with US army intel-ligence analyst Chelsea Manning to hack into a Pen-tagon computer and release hundreds of thousands of secret diplomatic cables and military files on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They also say he conspired with members of hacking organisations and sought to recruit hackers to

provide WikiLeaks with clas-sified information.

“By disseminating the mate-rials in an unredacted form, he likely put people — human rights activists, journalists, advocates, religious leaders, dissidents and their families —at risk of serious harm, torture or even death,” James Lewis, a British lawyer acting for the US government, told a hearing in February.

Assange argues he is a jour-nalist entitled to First Amendment protection, and says the leaked documents exposed US mil i tary

wrongdoing. Among the files released by WikiLeaks was video of a 2007 Apache heli-copter attack by American forces in Baghdad that killed 11 people, including two Reuters journalists.

His lawyers argue the pros-ecution is an abuse of process by a Trump administration that wants to make an example of Assange. They say he would be held in inhuman conditions and would not get a fair trial in the United States. Journalism organ-isations and human rights groups have called on Britain to refuse the extradition request.

Venezuela health workers get first payment from funds frozen in US: GuaidoREUTERS — CARACAS

Venezuelan health workers have started receiving $100 monthly payments financed by funds that the United States seized from the government of President Nicolas Maduro, opposition leader Juan Guaido said on Saturday.

The US Treasury Department in August approved the use of the funds to help Venezuela’s health per-sonnel on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 amid a hyperinflationary economic crisis.

“Men and women who earned between $6 and $8 per month now have an account,” Guaido said in a social media broadcast, adding that some 3,000 workers doctors and nurses have received the money.

Venezuela’s information ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The Kremlin has denied responsibility for the attack and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that Germany is yet to share any findings with Moscow’s prosecutors.

Mexico says 122,765 morepeople died during pandemicREUTERS — MEXICO CITY

Mexico has recorded 122,765 deaths more than would be expected during the pandemic up to August, the health ministry said on Saturday in a report on excess mortality rates, suggesting Mexico’s true coronavirus toll could be much higher.

Mexico has recorded 67,326 confirmed coronavirus deaths and 629,409 cases, the world’s fourth highest death toll from the virus. Mexico’s government has often said the real number

of infected people is likely to be significantly higher than the confirmed cases due to the low levels of testing.

In its latest nationwide study about excess mortality rates, a globally recognised means of determining the impact of a pandemic, Mexico’s ministry said 122,765 more people had died than expected between mid-March and August 1.

On Saturday, the ministry reported 6,319 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infections and 475 additional fatalities.

The 2020 election will be held under challenging circumstances. It will be the first US election in over a century to be conducted during a pandemic, which is expected to lead to a massive surge in mail voting.

15MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2020 AMERICAS

Harris warns voter suppression, foreign interference could alter November poll

AP & AFP — WASHINGTON

Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris says foreign interference, doubt cast about the election by President Donald Trump and voter sup-pression could potentially cost her and Joe Biden the White House in November.

“I am a realist about it. Joe is a realist about it,” the California senator said during an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union” that aired yesterday.

The 2020 election will be held under challenging circum-stances. It will be the first US election in over a century to be conducted during a pandemic, which is expected to lead to a massive surge in mail voting.

Trump has repeatedly railed against mail balloting, which he says without offering proof will lead to widespread voter fraud. And for the first time in decades, Republicans will be able to closely scrutinize who casts ballots due to a recent court ruling that wiped out tighter restrictions on poll monitoring.

Meanwhile, US intelligence agencies have concluded Russia is once again attempting to interfere in the election by amplifying discord in the country. That all adds up to a volatile environment that Harris says could alter the outcome.

“We have classic voter sup-pression, we have what hap-pened in 2016, which is foreign interference. We have a president who is trying to convince the

American people not to believe in the integrity of our election system and compromise their belief that their vote might actually count,” Harris said. “These things are all at play.”

When asked directly if foreign interference could cost her and Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, the White House, she said: “Theoretically, of course, yes. I do believe that there will be foreign inter-ference in the 2020 election and that Russia will be at the front of the line.”

Harris also singled out a 2013 Supreme Court ruling that invalidated parts of the Voting Rights Act. She said that’s led some states to pass laws that are intended to limit access to the ballot for racial minorities.

She said if she and Biden win, they will make it a priority to try and restore those provisions. “There will be many obstacles that people are intentionally placing in front of Americans’ ability to vote,” Harris said.

Harris was also asked about whether it was a mistake to call for charges in the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot in the back seven times by a white police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which led to days of protest and property destruction.

Harris initially called for the officer to be charged, while making clear she wasn’t aware of all the facts in the case. In the interview, she reiterated her call for charges against the officer.

But Harris, a former San Fran-cisco district attorney and Cali-fornia attorney general, also sof-tened her remarks and empha-sized that the decision was up to the local prosecutor.

“Everyone is entitled to due process, everyone, including police officers. And I encourage that. I support that,” Harris said. “I’m clearly not the prosecutor in the case. And the prosecutor in the case must make a decision based on all of the evidence and all of the laws that include giving everyone, and in particular those who might be charged, due process in the process.”

Harris said that President Trump is living in a “different reality” when he denies there is systemic racism in America. “The reality of America today

is what we have seen over gen-erations and, frankly, since our inception, which is we do have two systems of justice in America,” Harris told CNN. “I think that Donald Trump and Bill Barr are spending full time in a different reality,” said Harris taking aim at the President and his Attorney-General.

Harris insisted that peaceful protest is an American right and that racism is indeed embedded in the country. “I don’t think that most reasonable people who are paying attention to the facts would dispute that there are racial disparities and a system that has engaged in racism in terms of how the laws have been enforced,” said Harris.

She blasted Trump as having bungled the nation’s

handling of the coronavirus pandemic. “There is no question that Donald Trump has been an abject failure and incompetent when it comes to addressing the severe job loss that has hap-pened as a result of the pan-demic, because he has failed to address the pandemic itself,” she said.

Harris also said that if a coronavirus vaccine is available before November’s election, she would not take President Donald Trump’s word on its safety and efficacy. “I would not trust Donald Trump and it would have to be a credible source of information that talks about the efficacy and the reli-ability of (a vaccine),” Harris told CNN. “I will not take his word for it.”

This photo taken on August 27, 2020 shows Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris speaking on the administration of US President Donald Trump failures to contain COVID-19, in Washington, DC. Harris said that if a coronavirus vaccine is available before November’s election, she would not take President Donald Trump’s word on its safety and efficacy.

Biden holds10-point lead over TrumpBLOOMBERG — WASHINGTON

Democrat Joe Biden holds a 10-point lead over President Donald Trump two months before the November 3 election, with support for each candidate getting more solid as voting day approaches, a new CBS News poll shows.

Among the survey’s findings were that four in 10 Democrats say Biden isn’t campaigning enough; half of independents agree. The top issue for voters was the economy, followed by health care, the coronavirus out-break, and recent protests.

Biden had the backing of 52% of likely voters nationwide to Trump’s 42%, according to the Sept. 2-4 poll conducted for CBS by YouGov. Some 87% of likely Biden voters said their support was “very strong,” com-pared with 82% in early August. For Trump, 84% said their support was “very strong,” up from 82%. That suggests the number of persuadable voters has diminished.

In Wisconsin, Biden held a 6 percentage-point lead over Trump, 50% to 44%. Biden has a 9-point lead in the state among white women, far wider than the 2-point margin Hillary Clinton had in the state in 2016 among that segment of voters.

White voters nationwide are dividing by education, with college graduates backing Biden while those without a degree lean toward Trump — although by a smaller margin than four years ago.

The survey was based on samples of 2,493 registered voters nationwide and 1,006 in Wisconsin. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.4 points nationally, and 3.7 points in Wisconsin.

A boat is engulfed in waves from the large wakes of a flotilla of supporters of US President Donald Trump, during a boat parade on Lake Travis near Lakeway, Texas, US, on Saturday.

Several boats sink at Trump parade on Texas lakeREUTERS — TEXAS

A boat parade in support of US President Donald Trump crowded Lake Travis in Texas on Saturday, generating waves and choppy waters that led at least four boats to sink and others to crash into rocks, local officials said, adding that no one was hurt.

“That was truly an excep-tional number of boats,” said Kristen Dark, public information officer for the Travis County

Sheriff’s Office, whose deputies patrol the lake. “Several of the boats did sink.” Lake Travis is a reservoir on the Colorado river that is a popular spot for boating, fishing, swimming and other rec-reational activities.

Dark said additional officers had been deployed given expec-tations that the “Lake Travis Trump Boat Parade” would increase the number of vessels on the water, but that they still received a large number of dis-tress calls. “When they all

started moving at once it gen-erated wakes,” Dark said.

The event had been adver-tised on Facebook, calling for boats of “all shapes and sizes” to participate and for owners to decorate their vessels in “patriotic colours and fly as many Trump flags as she can handle.” Despite the incidents, no injuries or medical emergencies were reported, said Christa Stedman, a spokeswoman for Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services.

Jacob Blake urges unity in video from hospital bedBLOOMBERG — KENOSHA

Jacob Blake, the Black man whose shooting by police set off protests and prompted visits to Kenosha, Wisconsin, by both presidential can-didates, released a video from his hospital bed on Saturday night. Paralyzed from the waist down, he described his physical pain and urged people to “change y’all lives out there”.

“Your life, and not only just your life, your legs — something that you need to move around and move forward in life - can be taken from you like this,” Blake said. “We can stick together, make some money, make everything easier for our people because there’s so much time that’s been wasted.”

A police officer shot him multiple times in the back during an incident in Kenosha on August 23. Protests escalated into looting and riots, and two days later, a 17-year-old from Illinois, Kyle Ritten-house, shot two protesters to death, the police allege.

Kenosha quickly emerged as one other point of protest since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25. Protests continued on Saturday night in Portland, the site of often violent demonstrations and counter-demonstra-tions for three months. The police again declared a riot after protesters hurled Molotov cocktails, and officers disbursed them with what was described on social media as tear gas.

Earlier, just north of Portland, a memorial was held for the man fatally shot a week ago after a caravan of Trump supporters went through downtown, AP reported. Hundreds gathered in a park in Vancouver, Washington, in memory of Aaron “Jay” Danielson, a supporter of a right-wing group Patriot Prayer. The suspect was shot and killed by police on Thursday.

New York Attorney-General Letitia James said her office will empanel a grand jury as part

of its investigation into the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man hooded by Rochester police and asphyxiated in custody earlier this year.

Rochester erupted last week in protest fol-lowing the release of police body-cam footage leading to Prude’s death. The day after Mayor Lovely Warren suspended the officers involved in death of Prude, the head of the police union said the officers had followed training.

Multiple demonstrations also emerged in Lou-isville, where two groups of armed activists faced off in the city’s downtown on Saturday, sending protesters running for cover. The groups, one in support of police and the other for racial justice, met near a city square where demonstrations were taking place for Breonna Taylor, an unarmed 26-year-old Black woman who was fatally shot at home by police in March. The crowds later thinned out as police in riot gear gathered.

In this social network video released by his lawyer Ben Crump, Jacob Blake delivers a message from a hospital bed in Kenosha on Saturday.

Wildfires, heat waves and blackouts are back to haunt CaliforniaBLOOMBERG — CALIFORNIA

Extreme heat across California is once again shattering records. Hundreds of thousands of people are facing the prospect of more blackouts. And making matters worse: New wildfires are spreading uncontrollably, knocking out power plants, triggering evacua-tions and threatening to take out the lights no matter how much the state conserves.

Those who thought the August heat wave that triggered California’s first rotating blackouts since the 2001 energy crisis and helped set the state ablaze with hundreds of fires was a one-off were gravely mistaken. As climate change contributes to ever

extreme weather, the region’s heat, wildfire and blackout woes are only getting worse.

Climate scientist Daniel Swain shared one “sobering thought” on Twitter on Saturday: The only thing stopping some parts of California from seeing record high temperatures may the “dense pall of smoke from explosively growing wildfires” blocking the sun.

The heat forecast to suffocate Cal-ifornia through Tuesday is expected to grow even worse than the August one. Los Angeles is set to peak at 43 degrees Celsius. Temperatures have already broken daily records in places including Napa and Paso Robles.

“More than 100 high-temperature records are at stake across the West,”

said Jim Rouiller, lead meteorologist at the Energy Weather Group.

California’s power-grid manager had been warning of rotating outages and pleading for conservation for days, but it wasn’t until early Saturday evening — when temperatures climbed above 100 degrees Fahrenheit in some parts — that it declared a grid emer-gency and said another round of blackouts were expected.

In a tweet that has since been deleted, the system operator said a wildfire had taken down a power plant and a solar farm, wiping out 1,600 megawatts of electricity generation — enough to power 1.2 million homes.

At around 8:30pm local time, as temperatures crept lower

and electricity demand came off, the California Independent System Operator sounded the all-clear and lifted its warning of outages.

“Temperatures during this heat wave are expected to peak tomorrow, pushing demand for energy beyond levels of available supply,” the Cali-fornia ISO said. “The ISO is planning for the potential for rotating power outages throughout the state.”

Utility giant PG&E Corp which powers much of Northern California, warned on Saturday that it may decide to cut power to about 103,000 cus-tomers in parts of the San Francisco Bay area and Sierra Nevada foothills starting today to keep its power lines from igniting fires. Hot, dry winds are

forecast to blow across the region, threatening to knock tree limbs into power lines.

This is the first time PG&E has warned of shutoffs during this year’s fire season. Last year, when Califor-nia’s utilities first began carrying out widespread blackouts like this, some homes and businesses were left in the dark for days. That drew outrage from state and local officials, triggered investigations and prompted PG&E to reassess the scope of future shutoffs.

The utility’s weather models show that warm, offshore winds will develop today evening on the heels of the heat wave. The soaring temperatures will further dry out grass, bushes and other vegetation, PG&E said.

16 MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2020MORNING BREAK

Chinese group plans to recover WWII American plane from lakeAP — BEIJING

A Chinese group plans to try to recover a fighter plane from the legendary Flying Tigers group of American pilots that crashed in a lake during World War II.

The Flying Tigers, who were sent to China in 1941 by Pres-ident Franklin D. Roosevelt before Washington joined the war, have long been one of the most potent symbols of US-Chinese cooperation. The Tigers fought Japanese invaders from December 1941 until they were absorbed into the US military the following July.

The Curtiss P-40 crashed in 1942 in Dianchi Lake near Kunming, the southwestern city that was the Tigers’ base.

“We hope the project of

salvaging the P-40 can be a warm current in the cold wave and ease people’s worries about Chines-US ties,” said Han Bo, chairman of the China Adventure Association, a non-government group that pro-motes outdoor activities and historical monuments.

The Tigers were credited with shooting down almost 300 Japanese aircraft while losing 14 of their own pilots. Their battles were some of the ear-liest American aerial victories in the war.

“Before the P-40 planes were deployed, the Japanese

planes had the advantages in China,” said Han.

The body of the P-40’s pilot, John Blackburn, was recovered after the crash and returned to the United States. The plane sank into the lakebed.

Han said his group found the wreckage using magnetic sur-veying equipment in 2005 but couldn’t safely lift it out of the silt. He said divers recovered a shoe insole and a wire used to control the plane’s rudder. The group plans to build a barrier around the aircraft, remove the silt and then lift it by crane to the surface, Han said. “Now the technology is ready,” he said.

The group is trying to raise 30 to 40 million yuan ($5 to $7m) in public donations to pay for salvaging the plane.

Dance performance An artist performs along a business street during the Zhongguancun Dance Festival in Beijing, China, yesterday. The festival opened on Saturday and will run through September 26.

Russia’s former Gulag town onChina’s doorstep eyes rebirthAFP — SVOBODNY, RUSSIA

The remote Russian town of Svobodny has languished in misery for decades but the launch of new mega-projects with their sights set on nearby China is expected to give it a new lease on life.

In the centre of a town that once served as headquarters of one of the largest Soviet-era Gulag camps, children huddle around a small skate park, the sole attraction of the drab Lenin Square.

Svobodny’s roads are riddled with potholes, and many buildings are dilapi-dated and crumbling.

Few streets have modern pavements, and just over 15 percent of public spaces are illuminated. Heavy rainfall frequently leaves streets flooded, and tap water some-times turns reddish brown.

But the recent emergence of new sports facilities and streets being dug up signal the beginning of an ambitious project to transform Svobodny by 2030.

“We have prepared a roadmap for the city’s devel-opment,” said mayor Vladimir Konstantinov.

Konstantinov hopes that Svobodny — whose name means “free” in Russian — can eventually become one of the “Far East’s most beautiful cities” and offer its residents a new quality of life.

Over the past decade Vladimir Putin’s government has spent billions of dollars to renovate Soviet-era towns and cities, and in 2017 authorities approved a 50 billion ruble ($663m) plan to transform Svobodny.

Authorities want Svobodny to become one of Russia’s fastest-growing cities and a top industrial hub that will benefit from its proximity to China.

Russia’s tensions with the West and Moscow’s pivot to Beijing give those plans new urgency.

Outside the town of 54,000 people, construction of two huge plants is under way.

Energy giant Gazprom is building what it says will be one of the largest gas processing plants in the world, part of its Power of Siberia project with China.

In August, petrochemicals company Sibur began early work on a huge gas polymer

plant that will also serve Asian markets. Svobodny’s popu-lation has dropped by a third since before the fall of the Soviet Union, but the master plan foresees the arrival of a new workforce.

Tens of thousands of people will work on-site at the peak of construction and Svo-bodny’s population may double in several years, according to Strelka KB, the country’s top urban consulting firm working on the project.

Founded as a gold-mining settlement, Svobodny earned notoriety as headquarters of the Baikal Amur Collective Labour Camp (BamLag).

Set up in 1932, the gulag housed hundreds of thousands of prisoners who built the Baikal-Amur mainline railway.

In later years Svobodny was a busy industrial centre but most of the manufacturing plants closed in the early 1990s.

Some locals like Ilya Kutyryov note that Svobodny — which suffers from power cuts and offers limited leisure opportunities — has begun to change.

“In the morning, I can now find takeaway coffee here,”

said the 34-year-old who has lived in the town for the past two years. A website has been set up to crowdsource devel-opment ideas from locals, and older residents say they want to see more public spaces for young people to keep them in Svobodny, said Semyon Moskalik, project director at Strelka.

He said that in its work on Svobodny, Strelka used some modern American and C a n a d i a n c i t i e s “ a s inspiration”.

But many online critics have accused authorities of being “dreamers” or seeking to “line their pockets”.

Mayor Konstantinov

acknowledged that some res-idents were against the massive overhaul but most recognise that the town needs the huge industrial plants to develop.

“Out of 54,000 people around 85 percent understand everything perfectly well and say that if not for these two plants Svobodny would find itself in a very difficult situ-ation,” he said.

Strelka’s Moskalik said the resistance of some locals did not surprise him.

“It’s hard to believe that all these plans one day will come true,” he said. “The contrast seems too big between reality and the pictures we show.”

From window to jug: Lebanese recycle glass from Beirut blastAFP — TRIPOLI, LEBANON

Standing in a pile of broken glass in northern Lebanon, a man heaved shovel-loads of shards — retrieved from Beirut after the massive explosion at its port — into a red-hot furnace.

Melted down at a factory in the second city Tripoli, they re-emerged as molten glass ready to be recycled into traditional slim-necked water jugs.

The August 4 port explosion ripped through countless glass doors and windows when it laid waste to whole Beirut neighbourhoods, killing at least 190 people and wounding thousands more.

Volunteers, non-governmental groups and entrepreneurs have tried to salvage at least part of the tonnes of glass that littered the streets, some of it through recycling at Wissam Hammoud’s family’s glass factory.

“Here we have glass from the Beirut explosion,” said Hammoud, deputy head at the United Glass Production Company (Uniglass), as several men sorted through a mound of shards outside the building.

“Organisations are bringing it to us so that we can remanufacture it,” said the 24-year-old.

As workers washed and stacked jars behind him, Hammoud said between 20 and 22 tonnes of glass had been brought to the factory, a hive of rhythmic activity centred around the furnace that burns at 900-1,200 degrees Celsius (1,650-2,190 Fahrenheit).

Nearby, three men produced jars

stamped out of a mold in a carefully cho-reographed sequence, while another two handled the more delicate process of blowing and forming the traditional Leb-anese pitchers.

“We work 24 hours a day,” Hammoud said. “We can’t stop because stopping costs too much money.”

Ziad Abichaker, CEO of environ-mental engineering company Cedar Environmental, has spearheaded mul-tiple glass recycling initiatives in Lebanon.

In the first days after the blast, he teamed up with civil-society organisa-tions and a host of volunteers to come up with a plan to keep as much glass as possible out of landfills already

overburdened by a decades-old solid waste crisis.

“We decided that at least part of the shattered glass... our local industries should benefit from as a raw material,” Abichaker said.

“We’re diverting glass from ending up in the landfill, we’re supplying our local industries with free raw material,” he added. According to him, more than 5,000 tonnes of glass was shattered by the explosion.

From mid-August to September 2, almost 58 tonnes were sent for reuse at Uniglass and Koub/Golden Glass in Tripoli. Abichaker said he hoped, with funding, to bring the total to 250 tonnes.

At the volunteer hub dubbed the Base

Camp in Beirut’s hard-hit Mar Mikhael district, young men and women kitted out with sturdy shoes, masks and heavy gloves sort the glass, pulling bits of detritus out of the piled shards under a scorching sun.

Anthony Abdel Karim, who months before the blast had launched an upcy-cling glass project called Annine Fadye or “Empty Bottle” in Arabic, coordinates the operations. We have “mountains of waste that are piling up in Beirut, they’re mixed with everything. Glass and rubble and metal are mixed with organic waste... and this is not healthy,” he said.

“We don’t have proper recycling in Lebanon.” Abdel Karim was drawn to recycling glass after seeing huge numbers of bottles being thrown out while working in events management in Beirut’s nightlife, one of the city’s calling cards first quieted by the pan-demic and economic crisis, and now bat-tered by the blast.

Glass from the explosion poses dif-ferent challenges from bottles, as much of it is dirty, so the initiative focuses on gathering glass from inside homes and other buildings, setting up a hotline where people can request pickup.

Abdel Karim said they aim to find other ways of recycling the glass that is not suitable to send to Tripoli, possibly by crushing it to be used in cement or other materials.

“This is the tip of the iceberg,” he said, noting just a fraction of the glass so far had been collected and repurposed. “It needs a lot of time, we know that.”

A truck empties shards of glass in a plot of land, reserved by the Beirut municipality to serve as a location to gather all the debris ahead of recycling, on August 24.

Workers repair a street in the town of Svobodny in Russia's far east, on August 18, 2020.

The plane had gone down while fighting the Japanese in China.

NY Philharmonicplays outdoors,gets creativeamid pandemicAFP — NEW YORK

Its fall season has been cancelled and its concert hall closed indefinitely, so New York’s Philharmonic is taking it to the streets.

One of America’s oldest musical institutions, the famed symphony orchestra is playing outdoor pop-up shows, getting creative during the corona-virus pandemic that has kept concert halls closed and New Yorkers starved for live music.

Each weekend, small ensembles play at surprise locations throughout the city, wearing T-shirts and masks in front of a pickup truck dubbed the “bandwagon.” Sometimes musicians get rained on or people just walk on by — but sometimes a nearby delivery truck honks along in exactly the right key.

In those moments, says opera singer and series pro-ducer Anthony Roth Costanzo, “it feels like the city is our orchestra and we’re the soloists.” “In this moment of pandemic, in this moment of social change, we’re exploring new ways together... to connect to people and to realize that we have to reinvent the concert-going ritual,” the countertenor told AFP after performing a set in Brooklyn’s Betty Carter Park, a small leafy urban oasis above a subway track.

“It’s not just about bringing people into our house. It’s about getting our house out in the world, and sharing what music can do.” On a balmy Friday evening, Roth Costanzo and a string duet — Quan Ge on violin and Cong Wu on viola — drew a socially dis-tanced crowd to their show that began with Mozart’s Allegro in G Major and wrapped with the classic New York ballad “Somewhere” from “West Side Story.” Unlike at its traditional classical music concerts, the Philharmonic encourages its pop-up audi-ences to dance, applaud and interact between songs.

Roth Costanzo played the role of MC, speaking to the crowd between each song from the bed of the pickup, at one point giving a shoutout to the vendor selling sheets and towels next to the makeshift stage.

Drivers slowed to roll down their windows and pedestrians took cell phone videos, as dozens of audience members stopped to take in the tunes that featured a string arrangement of Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind.”

FAJR SUNRISE 03.58 am 05.17 am

W A L R U WA I S : 30o↗ 38o W A L K H O R : 27o↗ 41o W D U K H A N : 28o↗ 38o W WA K R A H : 33o↗ 39o W M E S A I E E D 33o↗ 39o W A B U S A M R A 33o↗ 38o

PRAYER TIMINGS WEATHER TODAY

HIGH TIDE 07:37 – 18:41 LOW TIDE 02:20 – 14:12

Hazy at some places at first becomes hot daytime with some

clouds and slight dust at times. Relatively humid by night.

Minimum Maximum31oC 40oC

ZUHRMAGHRIB

11.32 am05.47 pm

ASR ISHA

03.01 pm07.17 pm