QNA — DOHA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani held via telephone a conversation with Pres-ident of the Kyrgyz Republic, H E Sooronbay Jeenbekov (pictured right).

During the call, they discussed the bilateral relations and ways of supporting and devel-oping them. They agreed to continue to enhance

joint action between the two countries in all fields, as well as at the international level.

H E the Kyrgyz President expressed during the call his congratulations to H H the Amir on the success of the efforts made by the State of Qatar that culminated in the signing of the peace agreement between the United States of America and the Afghan Taliban in Doha on February 29.

SPORT | 20BUSINESS | 15

Airline crisis worsens as US puts Europeans

in quarantine for a month

Al Sadd seek revenge against Al Wakrah in quarter-final

Friday 13 March 2020

18 Rajab - 1441

2 Riyals

www.thepeninsula.qa

Volume 25 | Number 8195

OoredooONE *Terms & Conditions Apply

FREE Wi-Fi device!FREE installation! Full fun!

First tranche of Amir grant to Gaza’s Nusseirat fire victims distributedQNA — GAZA

The first tranche of the grant of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was distributed yesterday to assist those affected by the fire that broke out in Nusseirat camp

market in central Gaza Strip last week.

Qatar Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza has started the process of distrib-uting the grant to its benefici-aries through the post offices in Gaza under the supervision of

the committee’s staff, and will continue until all those affected receive the grant.

The first tranche includes 161 of the affected people of the relatives of martyrs as well as the wounded and affected shops and vehicles owners.

Amir hailed by Kyrgyz President for Afghan mediation efforts

First batch of quarantined individuals dischargedTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) discharged the first batch of 121 individuals who were evacuated from Iran and subjected to quarantine in a hotel in Doha yesterday after testing negative for Coronavirus (COVID–19). The Ministry also said that they are expecting to discharge the first patients of COVID-19 in Qatar soon.

The individuals released from the quarantine have been receiving care throughout the quarantine period. They were released after ensuring that they were free from COVID-19, said Sheikh Dr. Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani, Director of Public Health at MoPH.

“This is the first batch of

people to be released from quar-antine. These 121 people were evacuated from Iran by a gov-ernment plane, and then quar-antined and tested. They have undergone three tests all of which proved that they are free of COVID-19. We have also pro-vided them with the necessary health advice,” he added.

The MoPH has advised the 121 individuals to further isolate themselves for a week as a pre-

cautionary measure. Many who were released

from the quarantine thanked the government and health officials for the efforts taken to bring them back to the country and for the facilities provided during the quarantine period.

Nine cases of confirmed COVID-19 were found among the group of people repatriated from Iran. The patients at present are receiving treatment and are in stable condition. They are expected to be dis-charged soon, the MoPH said.

Separately, the health authorities said that the country has all the capabilities available to prevent the spread of the virus from various detection devices, laboratories. �P3

Quarantined people leaving the facility after ensuring they are free from COVID-19.

The Ministry of Public Health said that they are expecting to discharge the first patients of COVID-19 in Qatar soon.

No need for panic buying, enough stock available: OfficialSIDI MOHAMED

THE PENINSULA

Allaying the concerns of some residents who are rushing to stores for panic buying, Assistant Undersecretary for Consumer Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Sheikh Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani, said that the

Ministry maintains a strategic reserve of food items that are sufficient to meet the needs of residents for longer periods.

Speaking from one of the storage facilities of the Min-istry about the state’s strategic reserve for food items, he said that the Ministry in cooper-ation with the competent authorities in the country,

works within a compre-hensive strategic plan to ensure the smooth flow of imports of food items to the local market in sufficient quantities, at reasonable prices, and with high quality.

Assistant Undersecretary pointed out that the food items are present at retail outlets in abundance and there is no

shortage. The supply of food items is regular and there is a strong follow-up by the Min-istry of this process on a daily basis.

About the national products, he said that such products are present in the market and have high quality with competitive prices.

He further said that in case

of any emergency, we have contracts with alternative sources from many countries.

“Our advice to the con-sumers is to buy as per the need and the rush we saw in the last two days is unjustified and unnecessary. Goods are available and anyone can visit the market to see the

availability of products,” Assistant Undersecretary said in a video posted on a twitter account.

About the prices, he clar-ified that there is also a price control that cannot be breached and there is no need to rush to purchase and store because in the end it is a loss for the consumers.

Doha Metro, public transit services suspended for weekendSACHIN KUMAR

THE PENINSULA

Taking precautionary measures to limit the spread of Corona-virus, the Ministry of Transport and Communications yesterday announced suspension of Doha Metro, Metrolink and public transit bus service on weekend. These services will resume from Sunday, said the Ministry.

“In view of Coronavirus

COVID-19 prevention precau-tionary measures taken in the country, we would like to inform you that Doha Metro preview service, public transit bus service and Metrolink service have been temporarily suspended starting this evening Thursday, March 12, 2020 at 22.00. The service will resume on Sunday, March 15, 2020 at 06.00,” said the Ministry of Transport and Communications

on its official twitter account. These measures follows

similar announcement by other ministries and departments to limit movement of public in public places. Museums, play areas in parks, workshops and other such public events and activities have either been closed or cancelled to discourage people to gather in public places.

Qatar Rail also informed its users about suspension of

services on this weekend.“In view of precautionary

measures taken in the country, it has been determined that the Doha Metro preview service will be suspended from Thursday 12 March 2020 at 22:00,” said Qatar Rail on its official twitter account, yesterday.

In a short period of time, Doha Metro has become very popular among the residents. One of the main factors which have made Doha Metro popular among residents is the conven-ience and affordability. Doha Metro has started Metrolink service which connects different locations to metro stations.

Metrolink is a feeder bus network providing first and last mile connectivity to Qatar Rail customers within 2 to 5km radius of the Doha Metro stations.

Over 185,000 passengers chose Doha Metro to reach dif-ferent destinations on this year’s Qatar National Sport Day. Similarly, over 333,000 pas-sengers had used Doha Metro network on December 18 last year to reach different destina-tions holding Qatar National Day celebrations.Passengers boarding a Doha Metro train. PIC: ABRAHAM AUGUSTHY/THE PENINSULA

Cinemas, wedding halls and gyms to be closed from today, says GCOTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Government Communications Office (GCO) said yesterday that cinemas, theatres, children’s play areas, gyms and wedding venues will be closed from today.

“In continuation of the pre-cautionary measures taken by the State of Qatar to prevent and contain the spread of Coro-navirus (COVID-19), new pre-cautionary measures have been announced to safeguard the health and wellbeing of the public. These measures include closing: cinemas, theatres, chil-dren’s play areas, gyms and wedding venues, including those in hotels. These measures are effective Friday 13 March, until further notice,” said GCO in a statement yesterday.

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) called upon all citizens and residents to avoid crowded places and postpone holding social gatherings for the time being, for their own

wellbeing and that of the community.

The MoPH also advises that elderly people, and people with chronic health conditions, avoid going out unless absolutely nec-essary, as they are more suscep-tible to infections.

MoPH continues to take all necessary measures to limit the spread of the virus and calls upon all members of society to take care and apply simple, preventive measures to protect against infection.

This includes, washing your hands often or using hand san-itisers and keeping a distance of at least one metre from people who have symptoms of illness. You are also advised to use your sleeve to cover your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing or use tissue paper and dispose of it appropriately.

The COVID-19 contact centre at MoPH is accessible around the clock for any reports or inquiries.

OFFICIAL NEWS

Doha: The H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sent condolences to the family of H E Sheikh Isa bin Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, pray-ing to the Almighty Allah to have mercy on his soul and to rest it in paradise, and to grant patience and solace to his family and the family of Al Khalifa. -QNA

Amir condoles with family of Sheikh Isa bin Rashid Al Khalifa

02 FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2020HOME

FAJR SUNRISE 04.30 am 05.46 am

W A L R U WA I S : 15o↗ 26o W A L K H O R : 16o↗ 25o W D U K H A N : 14o↗ 29o W D O H A : 17o↗ 26o W M E S A I E E D 15o↗ 25o W A B U S A M R A 12o↗ 29o

PRAYER TIMINGS WEATHER TODAY

HIGH TIDE 06:39 – 19:38 LOW TIDE 01:50 – 14:24

Misty at some places at first becomes moderate temperature daytime with some clouds and relatively cold by night.

Minimum Maximum17oC 26oC

ZUHRMAGHRIB

11.43 am05.44 pm

ASR ISHA

03.08 pm07.14 pm

COVID-19: Qatar Museums cancels initiatives, limits entry to museumsRAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULA

As various sectors join hands in the country’s fights against the coronavirus, Qatar Museums (QM) has announced it would cancel some of its initi-atives and limit the number of visitors to the museums.

In an e-mail sent to its Culture Pass members yes-terday, QM said the move was part of the action it was taking “to safeguard the health of our visitors, Culture Pass members, partners and staff.”

“The measures taken in accordance with directions from the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) include the can-cellation of the following initi-atives until further notice: MIA Bazaar and NMoQ Baraha Bazaar, school visits, work-shops, lectures, tours, educa-tional programming, and public events,” it said.

While the museums con-tinue to operate, the libraries have been closed and the number of visitors allowed at

any one time has been limited, it added.

“Due to the evolving nature of situation, we will continue to review and revise our plans and processes, and follow guidance from the MoPH. We will keep you updated on further developments,” it said.

Meanwhile, the Cultural Village Foundation (Katara) has announced that the Katara Beach Volleyball Cup 2020, which began on Monday and concludes today, “will continue its competitions without spec-tators,” for people’s health and safety and following gov-ernment procedures.

Volleyball fans, however, can still watch livestream of the games as well as get updated via Katara’s social media platforms.

Organized by the Qatar Volleyball Association (QVA) in cooperation with Katara, the sports event has seen the par-ticipation of some of the best volleyball teams from 28 coun-tries which also include Qatar’s very own team.

Ministries take measures against coronavirus spreadSIDI MOHAMED

THE PENINSULA

Within the framework of preventive measures taken by the government to limit the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), several ministries and entities have announced of many measures.

The steps include closure of children’s play area in the parks, postponing the training sessions and workshops, carrying out cleaning and sterilisation cam-paigns in many markets.

The Ministry of Municipality and Environment has decided to close the children’s play area in the parks, in order to ensure the safety and health of visitors. The

Ministry said that this came in the framework of preventive measures taken by the State of Qatar to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

Al Shamal Municipality has intensified inspection cam-paigns on the abattoirs and markets. The relevant department at Municipality has carried out a number of measures to ensure the health and safety of all workers in stores and to keep them free

from any diseases. Al Daayen Municipality has

implemented a joint cleaning campaign for three days that include cleaning and washing containers, spraying pesticides, and cleaning and washing public facilities in parks. The campaign will continue to cover all areas.

The Ministry of Endowment and Islamic Affairs has sus-pended the study in the Quran teaching centres until further notice. The Ministry of Public

Cleaning campaign being carried out at a public place.

Health has urged all citizens and residents to take preventive measures to protect against infection and to contact the min-istry’s Coronavirus call centre for the latest information regarding the virus using the toll-free phone number (16000).

Al Jazeera Media Institute

also announced the post-ponement of all courses and training workshops at the Insti-tute’s headquarters, due to the current situation and for the safety of the trainees and employees. In a tweet yesterday, the Institute added that the new dates will be announced as soon as possible.

Qatar Airways’ Privilege Club offers members tier status extension of up to six monthsTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar Airways’ loyalty programme, Privilege Club, is offering its members the opportunity to extend or reclaim their tier status for memberships due to end before January 31, 2021.

Members will be able to retain their current tier benefits such as upgrades, Shop & Pay with Qmiles, extra baggage, lounge access, and more, for up to six months, with personalised offers.

This is one of the many steps that Qatar Airways is taking to ensure its customers can travel with confidence.

Qatar Airways’ Privilege Club has introduced the offers in recognition that some of its members will be impacted by travel restric-tions and flight reductions resulting from COVID-19 (coronavirus).

Members can view their

personalised offer at qmiles.com and must login and reg-ister to claim it by March 24, 2020.

Qatar Airways Chief Com-mercial Officer Simon Talling-Smith said: “As a result of the current situation regarding coronavirus, which has led to travel restrictions and f l ight reduct ions worldwide, many of our Priv-ilege Club members have not travelled as frequently as they usually would.

“Such restrictions are outside of our control as an airline, but we do not want our members to lose their hard-earned membership tier status as a result. That is why we are honouring the loyalty our members have shown us by offering to extend their tier membership and retain their current benefits. Offers will be personalised to each member to ensure that they receive the benefit options most relevant

to them,” he said.“While we understand that

some members may need or wish to change their travel plans, we want to assure them that when they do travel with Qatar Airways, they can travel with confidence. Our fleet is one of the cleanest in the skies, and we have introduced new policies to provide all customers with maximum flexibility to suit their travel plans,” he said.

Qatar Airways recently launched a new commercial policy to allow all passengers that have booked or will book flights to travel up to June 30, 2020 the flexibility to change their travel plans free of charge by altering the dates of their booking or exchanging their ticket for a travel voucher valid for one year, up to three days prior to departure. This policy includes award flights. For full details of all the steps that Qatar Airways is taking in response

to coronavirus, customers can visit its dedicated new microsite: qatarairways.com/travelwithconfidence.

Qatar Airways’ Privilege Club recently announced even more benefits for Silver, Gold and Platinum members, with preferred seating guar-anteed for free for Gold or Platinum members or at a 25 percent discount for Silver members.

Privilege Club launched in 2000 as a form of appreciation to Qatar Airways’ loyal pas-sengers, offering them the opportunity to earn Qmiles when travelling on Qatar Airways, oneworld airlines, or any of the airlines’ partners. Qmiles has since served as another convenient means of payment at the award-winning Qatar Duty Free outlets, located in both the departure and arrival halls of Hamad Interna-tional Airport, and at Oryx Gal-leria in Doha.

QF announces temporary closures of public spacesTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar Foundation (QF) has curtailed certain activities and closed many of its public places and facilities at Education City until further notice, to help slow infection and transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Qatar and contribute to safeguarding public health.

The measures QF has taken include closing of Multaqa (Education City Student Center) and shops and food and beverage facilities within the center and the Minaretein building is fully closed to the public, including the Education City Mosque.

Also the Oxygen Park is closed to the public and services on the Education City Tram are suspended until further notice.

All sports and community activities and programs at Education City, including those run in cooperation with external third parties such as F45, are suspended and the Al Shaqab is closed to the public.

QF recreation facilities, including the QF Recreation Centre and Education City Club House, are closed.

Education City Golf Club is not cur-rently offering group sessions. Individual sessions can be scheduled as normal.

Public are strongly encouraged to check for updates at http://statements.qf.org.qa before traveling to Education City to participate in activities or visit its public facilities and spaces.

QF will continue to operate its core business functions, with many being per-formed remotely. The investments that we have made in innovative work prac-tices and digital infrastructure have enabled us to be prepared for a situation like this. The steps we are taking ensure QF will continue to operate while also reflecting the fact that protecting the health of our community and the wider public is our top priority.

Students will be continuing classes at QF schools using online learning plat-forms. All QF business travel arrange-ments, and QF events, have been cancelled until further notice.

Qatar National Library closed to the public until further noticeTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

To reduce the chance of infection and transmission of coronavirus (COVID -19) Qatar National Library is closed to the public until further notice.

However, the Library’s Online Resources remain available 24/7 for members everywhere. They offer free access to ebooks, journals, magazines and newspapers, streaming video and music, and books and online activities for children and young adults. The Qatar Digital Library and Digital Repos-itory are also accessible to all users.

Research, study or general ques-tions can be asked through the “Ask Our Librarians” service.

“The decision to close Qatar National Library has been made with

your safety and health as our top pri-ority, and we appreciate your under-standing during this challenging

time,” the Library said in a notification to the members.

“We are also working on

providing online alternatives to our events and programs via digital plat-forms, so please continue to visit our website and follow us on social media for updates,” the Library further said.

While the Library is closed, all borrowed items will be automatically renewed until further notice, and no fines or penalties will apply during this time. While those with a Library membership are not obligated to return items. But they can still use the drive-thru book drop on the road outside the Library 24/7 and the auto-matic return station inside the Library’s main entrance. Thin books, DVDs and CDs can be returned at an additional dedicated returns bin at the Library’s main entrance.

Migrant community leaders participate in Women’s Day celebrationRAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULA

Women leaders of migrant communities from seven countries took part in the first-ever International Women’s Day celebration organized recently by the Women Committee of Bayanihan ng Manggagawa sa Konstruksyon ng Qatar (BMKQ) and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) in Doha.

BMKQ is an association of Filipino migrant workers in the construction sector of Qatar, while BWI is global union federation in the building, building materials, wood, forestry and allied sectors.

Dubbed as “Women (Only) Night Out”, the event witnessed the participation o f w o m e n

leaders representing mainly the construction sector, domestic work and hospi-tality sector. They were from African, Southeast Asian and South Asian countries.

The participants shared experiences on the issue of women participation and leadership in building com-munities of migrants.

“Today, women members in our organization continue to increase. But I must tell you sisters; this is a result of res-olute action. Women will never be a part of the table unless we organize ourselves. In most cases, as some would tell, women must create our own table. We are mainly on the side-line, not having the power to be a part of decision-making,” said Mags Laja, Chairperson of BMKQ Women Committee.

Laja urged the participants to continue conversations on Convention 190 to deepen understanding of this interna-tional instrument as a tool to eliminate harassment and vio-lence in the workplace. “Let us continue cooperating with the government of Qatar with the end in view of getting this convention translated into concrete policies and pro-grams,” she added.

She also urged them to help in the development and implementation of training programs for women leaders.

“We are envisioning a training program that will result to more active partici-pation of women in migrant community organizations, more women leaders getting elected into office and the institution of internal policies within our own organizations

against gender discrimination and violence,” she said.

Through a phone patch, Jin Sook Lee, the Global Cam-paigns Director of BWI, con-veyed her message of solidarity to the women leaders in attendance. She shared a few points on the work of BWI in Qatar and the initiative to gal-vanize the solidarity of women migrant workers in the con-struction and other sectors.

Women leaders of migrant communities at the first-ever International Women’s Day celebration organised recently by the Women Committee of BMKQ and BWI in Doha.

The preventive measures include closure of children’s play area in the parks, postponing the training sessions and workshops, carrying out cleaning and sterilisation campaigns in many markets.

Doha: The H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sent a cable of greetings to the President of the Republic of Mauritius, H E Roopun Prithvirajsing, on the occasion of his country’s National Day. -QNA

Amir greets President of Mauritius

03FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2020 HOME / MIDDLE EAST

KAWS launches groundbreaking AR artworks

RAYNALD C RIVERA

THE PENINSULA

Doha is one of the cities where celebrated American contem-porary artist Brian Donnelly, more famously known as KAWS, launched his ground-breaking augmented reality (AR) works yesterday.

Known in Doha for his colossal “Small Lie” sculpture unveiled at the Hamad Inter-national Airport two years ago, KAWS recently marked his first Middle East museum exhibition at the Fire Station.

In collaboration with Acute Art, KAWS has produced works called“Expanded Holiday,”which convey a sense of mischievous humour through the juxtapo-sition of physical and virtual worlds. These works launched yesterday demonstrate the

enormous potential of AR, cre-ating new ways to own, trade, and live with art via the Acute Art app.

“When I realised the quality that could be achieved and experienced in AR, I was imme-diately drawn to its potential. I have been creating objects and exhibiting works in public spaces throughout my career, and this allows me to expand on that in a whole new arena. The possibilities of locations and scale are endless, and I’m excited to start a new dialogue in this medium,” said KAWS.

Yesterday’s global launch included three components namely a public exhibition and two editions.

“Companion (Expanded)” is a global exhibition of 12 monu-mental AR sculptures available for audiences in major cities

and locations in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Middle East, North America, and South America. Using cutting-edge technology, this project repre-sents a new exhibition model that reduces transportation and travel for a global artworld. The exhibition runs for two weeks, from yesterday until March 26 in 11 key cities around the world including Doha, Hong Kong, London, Melbourne, New York,

Paris, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Taipei, Tanzania, and Tokyo.

For art enthusiasts in Doha, the AR sculptures can be viewed at the Museum of Islamic Art Park through the Acute Art app.

Also launched yesterday was an edition of 25 1.8m AR sculptures called “Companion (Expanded) available to acquire via the Acute Art website. Owners will be able to place,

capture, and document these AR works at different locations using the Acute Art app. Owners can keep the AR sculptures private or make them publicly available for anyone who has downloaded the app.

The open edition three 45cm AR sculptures called “At This Time (Expanded)” is available for time- based acqui-sition via the Acute Art app. Audiences can keep the works

for 24 hours or 10 days at a time and can share their experiences through social media.

Commenting on the launch, Jacob De Geer, CEO, Acute Art, said: “Acute Art will revolu-tionise the way AR art can be experienced. KAWS, an artist with an unparalleled global fan base, is the perfect artist to launch the Acute Art app. His editions will demonstrate that works of art in virtual space can be just as precious and sought-after as those in our physical surroundings. In fact, they are even more exciting when shared with audiences across the globe on social media. For collectors, this means their art can travel with them in their pocket wherever they go. These prized artworks can be enjoyed and traded globally with the push of a button.”

Daniel Birnbaum, Artistic Director, Acute Art, said:“With this project KAWS breaks new ground but also returns to his beginnings. With roots in public interventions as well as late emanations of Pop Art, KAWS has created new global audiences. There is no artist more talked about today than KAWS.”

KAWS’ augmented reality (AR) sculptures launched yesterday can be viewed at the Museum of Islamic Art Park via the Acute Art app.

QU continues educational system through virtual learningTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar University (QU) continues regular classes through virtual learning system, as the Government Communications Office announced, the suspension of classes in public and private schools and univer-sities for all students in the State of Qatar, to limit the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and to ensure the safety of students in all public and private educa-tional institutions.

QU administration has delivered many workshops on the techniques for distance edu-cation and directed all pro-fessors to start using them from March 15. A number of faculty members expressed the impor-tance of the efforts made by University on distance education.

Dr. Omar Al Ansari, Vice- President of Academic Affairs at QU, issued clear instructions which must be taken into con-sideration for the success of this educational system; by attend training workshops for distance education platforms held by Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning on regular basis; attending the lec-tures according to the academic schedule; providing the students with links to their lecture in advance; respect the privacy while using these interactive platforms and students will be informed that the lectures will be recorded and uploaded on the software being used.

Instructions issued by Vice -President, confirmed that the course professor is responsible for following up students’ attendance as well as for their academic performance. The faculty is also advised to us the electronic platforms in order to communicate to their fellow colleagues.

Commenting on the new virtual educational system, Dr. Khaled Kamal Naji, Dean of College of Engineering QU said: “The College is following the direction issued by Uni-versity administration, cur-rently we are conducting workshops for faculty to familiarize themselves to this system. We are focusing on the new system which can help students interact with pro-

fessors through this portal.”Prof. Ibrahim Alkaabi, Dean

of General Studies, QU, said that The College has started applying the virtual education in foun-dation programmes and general requirements according to the course.

As for the College of Arts and Sciences, the science department has already begun to study and communicate with university students through virtual educational system, while other departments will start the functioning from 15 March.

Dr. Adam Fadlallah, Dean of College of Business and Eco-nomics QU, emphasised that the College has started to function under this system which has given us the ability to continue working on regular basis.

Commenting on the launch of virtual education, Dr. Mohamed Diab, Dean of College of Pharmacy QU, said: “The activation of the distance learning system comes in response to the statement issued by the government in order to reduce the spread of Corona Virus, QU has planned a comprehensive plan, College has started to implement the new system which will help stu-dents in managing their course respectively.”

Dr. Ibrahim Al Ansari, Dean of the College of Sharia QU also held a meeting on the same day announcement was made by the government and issued several preparatory measures to all the staff and students.

Commenting on the

University’s development towards virtual education, Dr. Mona Al-Marzouqi, Assistant Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, confirmed that Law School has intensified its efforts to use the distance education system. The faculty members of the Faculty of Law have begun giving their lectures remotely to students at the same time and in order to continue education.

It has now become the alternative way of delivering the lectures at QU, this system will help students have interactive communication with professors. This technique allows students to ask questions by voice recording and writing. This system aims to enrich academic experience at Qatar University.

Dr. Omar Al Ansari, Vice-President of Academic Affairs at Qatar University. RIGHT: A professor recording a lecture for students.

Celebrated American contemporary artist Brian Donnelly, more famously known as KAWS, is familiar in Doha for his colossal “Small Lie” sculpture unveiled at the Hamad International Airport two years ago. KAWS recently marked his first Middle East museum exhibition at the Fire Station.

Doha: The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani held yesterday a telephone conversa-tion with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia, H E Hishammuddin Hus-sein. HE the Deputy Prime Minister congratulated the Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs on his assumption of the new position, wishing him success. During the call, they also reviewed bilat-eral cooperation relations, in addition to issues of common concern. -QNA

Deputy PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs congratulates Malaysian FM

First batch of quarantined individuals discharged

FROM PAGE 1

They added that field teams operating around the clock, emphasising that the spread of the virus is limited and has appeared among con-tacts of previous cases and in a specific place.

The health authorities also said that the increase in the number of reported cases was due to the early and distin-guished monitoring carried out by the MoPH. The Ministry continues to remind the public to follow preventive measures to ensure their safety and prevent the spread COVID-2019. The Ministry urged the public to visit the website www.moph.gov.qa for all the latest information and developments about COVID-19 available in several languages, or contact the free hotline 16000.

Moscow prepares inter-Palestinian conferenceANATOLIA & QNA — MOSCOW

Russia wants to organise an inter-Pales-tinian conference to address reconciliation issues between different Palestine political forces, Russian Foreign Ministry spokes-woman Maria Zakharova said yesterday.

“Since the end of February this year the Foreign Ministry’s leadership has been con-ducting very intensive contacts with rep-resentatives of various Palestinian move-ments,” towards that effort, she said at a news conference in Moscow.

“We expect a new all-Palestinian con-ference in Moscow as a result of these con-tacts. In our view it should help to reach agreements on the restoration of national unity on the political platform of the Pal-estine Liberation Organization,” she said.

Moscow sees overcoming the split between Ramallah and the Gaza Strip a key condition to establish sustainable, direct Palestinian-Israeli talks, reaching a com-prehensive settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of generally rec-ognized international legislation, including relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and General Assembly, and Arab peace initiative, added Zakharova.

The leaders of Fatah, Hamas, Pales-tinian National Initiative and Islamic Jihad have so far visited Moscow she said, and other Palestinian political forces are expected to arrive in the near future.

US President Donald Trump unveiled on January 28, his so-called “Deal of the Century” to end one of the longest-running

disputes in the Middle East where he pro-posed a patchwork Palestinian state boxed in by illegal Israeli settlements as well as recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank and Jerusalem as Israel’s “undi-vided capital.”

The so-called “peace plan” unilaterally annuls previous UN resolutions on the Pal-estinian issue and suggests giving Israel almost everything it demanded.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the Pales-tinian Islamic Jihad Movement arrived in Moscow on Wednesday to meet Russian officials.

The delegation is led by the group’s chief Ziyad Al Nakhalah and other leading members. The visit comes “in response to an official invitation by the Russian Foreign Ministry,” the movement said without dis-closing further details. A Hamas delegation arrived in Moscow on March 2 and held talks with Russian officials including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Meanwhile, Israeli army on Wednesday injured dozens of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank with live and rubber bullets and tear gas, according to eyewitnesses.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency that an Israeli military force raided Mount Arma, near Beta town in Nablus city, and fired live and rubber bullets as well as tear gas can-isters to disperse protesters gathered at the mountain to prevent settlers from con-trolling it. Dozens of Palestinians were injured, including people who were affected by tear gas, and a number of them were

transferred to hospitals for treatment while the majority of the wounded protesters were treated in the field.

On Tuesday, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)’s Anti-settlement Authority called for protesting at Mt. Arma on Wednesday to prevent settlers guarded by Israeli officials from controlling the mountain.

Dozens of Palestinians have staged a sit-in for almost a month on the mountain following calls by settler groups to demon-strate there and capture it to establish a Jewish settlement.

The Israeli occupation forces continued yesterday arresting Palestinian citizens from different areas in the West Bank, while the violations increased over their properties.

In Nablus, the Israeli occupation forces arrested three young men from Huwara town, south the city. The occupation forces also arrested a young man from Tubas city, after raiding his parents’ home.

Within the framework of their repressive practices, the Israeli occupation forces demolished a house in an area east of Bethlehem.

Head of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Committee Hassan Breijieh stated that the occupation forces demol-ished a one-story house with an area of 130 square meters. The house was belonged to a citizen from Fureidis town.

The occupation forces also stormed Jenin city and carried out wide search oper-ations, without reports of arrest.

Ministry of Endowment and Islamic Affairs announces several precautionary measures

QNA — DOHA

The Ministry of Endowment (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs announced on yesterday a number of precautionary and preventive measures to ensure the safety of prayer attendees of mosques.

The ministry said in a statement, in light of the official efforts to curb an outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19), it has issued a circular to all mosques, about taking extra measures regarding the hygiene of the mosques that suits with the nature of the disease.

It will be through stressing on the hygiene inside mosques, and removing all what could contribute in transmitting the infection, such as cups in refrig-erators, soap bars and waste-baskets, the statement added.

The statement said that mosques will be ventilated daily by opening the ventilation windows before and after each prayer.

Furthermore, the Ministry stressed on some of the

measures related to the prayer, as it is decided to decrease the waiting time between the call to prayer and its performing to five minutes for all prayer times, in addition to closing mosques afterwards each prayer within 15 minutes but to open with each prayer’s call.

On pursuant to the Islamic norm of (prevention of dete-rioration is preceded on attracting interests), the cir-cular included a guidance to prayer attendees who show symptoms of cold or flu to quit going to mosques during their illness period, the statement added.

The Ministry advised wor-shipers to make sure to do their Wudu at home and not to gather with other wor-shippers for talks after the prayer in the mosque. The Ministry also advised all cit-izens and residents to comply with the health guidance issued by the competent authorities and cooperate with them.

04 FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2020MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Iran asks for billions in loans as virus deaths climb to 429AP — TEHRAN

Iran said yesterday it had asked for an emergency $5bn loan from the International Monetary Fund to help fight the spread of a new virus that’s swept across the country, infecting more than 10,000 people and killing hundreds.

Iran’s Health Ministry s p o k e s m a n K i a n o u s h Jahanpour announced in a now-daily televised news con-ference that 75 people had died in the past 24 hours and more than 1,000 new cases of infection had been confirmed, pushing the death toll to 429 and confirmed cases to 10,075.

In a tweet yesterday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif urged the IMF to “stand on right side of history & act responsibly” by releasing the funds through the interna-tional lender’s Rapid Financial Instrument. Iran’s Central Bank chief Abdolnasser Hemmati said yesterday he made the request for $5bn last week in a letter to IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva. The IMF has said it stands ready to support coun-tries battling the virus.

Zarif has urged countries to assist Iran with N95 face masks, ventilators, surgical gowns, testing kits, portable digital X-ray machines and other needed medical supplies. The World Health Organisation recently sent a shipment full of medical gear to Iran, including 1,100 virus testing kits that can test more than 105,000 people.

Iran’s economy has been battered by US sanctions, which have choked Tehran’s ability to sell its oil. The recent outbreak of the virus there has com-pounded its economic woes, with all of Iran’s neighbours closing their borders to Iranians

and multiple nations cutting travel links with Iran, including shipping in some cases, which is affecting imports, as well.

Zarif tweeted that the fight against the virus had been “stymied by vast shortages caused by restrictions,” a ref-erence to the US sanctions.

Because the there is still no vaccine for the infectious disease, countries are imple-menting tough measures to restrict its spread, as well as the impact an outbreak could have on emergency rooms and intensive care units.

Multiple top officials in Iran — from its senior vice-president to Cabinet ministers, members of parliament, Revolutionary Guard members, health workers and health ministry officials - have contracted the virus. Some of those officials have died.

There are concerns that the number of infections across Iran is much higher than the confirmed cases reported by the government, which is strug-gling to contain or manage its spread. The rising casualty figures each day in Iran suggest the fight against the new coro-navirus is far from over.

Outside of Iran, only Iraq, Egypt and Lebanon have recorded deaths from the virus in the Middle East.

Nurses walk in front of a makeshift coronavirus testing centre in Kuwait city, Kuwait, yesterday.

Kuwait virus cases soar to 80ANATOLIA — KUWAIT CITY

Eight more cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in Kuwait on Wednesday, bringing the total number to 80, according to the country’s Health Ministry. Abdullah Al Sanad, a ministry spokesperson, said five of the 80 victims had recovered so far.

Earlier this week, the Kuwaiti government announced a series of measures to curb the outbreak. These included closing down academic institutions for two more weeks, and suspending all sports activities until further notice.

The Gulf nation has also stopped issuing visas to countries affected by the virus.

Coronavirus death toll in Iraq rises to 8ANATOLIA/AP — BAGHDAD

The local health directorate of Karbala city confirmed on Wednesday a new death from the novel coronavirus, taking the toll to eight across Iraq.

“The deceased patient was 68-year-old and passed away last night, hours after he was transferred to the hospital,” the directorate said in a statement.

“Lab analysis confirmed on Wednesday that he was infected with COVID-19,” according to the statement.

The local directorate stated that “the family of the deceased will be subject to quarantine.” Last week, Baghdad shut down schools and universities for 10 days and banned travel to virus-hit states as part of its

fight against the disease.In a related development,

the Iraqi government announced a decision to totally close land borders with Iran and Kuwait as of March 16 to l imit spread of the coronavirus.

The decision will block movement of people and goods.

“Iraqis will be given a chance to return until March 15, before the land border with Iran and Kuwait is completely closed,” the Border Ports Authority said in a statement without giving the reopening date of borders.

In late February, Iraq barred entry for Iranians via land crossings before sus-pending trade movement on March 8, however borders were

kept open for returning Iraqi citizens.

On Tuesday, the Kurdish Regional Government announced it will totally close the border with Iran for indi-viduals from March 16 until April. Trade movement will continue at terminals without the Iranian vehicles being allowed into the region.

Meanwhile, a third Leb-anese man died from the coro-navirus, state-run National News Agency said yesterday. It said the man’s immune system was impaired because he had cancer. Local media reported the man was 79 years old and that the virus was transmitted to him from the first man who had died in Lebanon earlier this week.

Workers disinfect an ATM to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, in Lebanon’s southern city of Saida, yesterday.

Putin, Erdogan hail ‘decrease in tensions’ in IdlibAFP — MOSCOW

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish coun-terpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed yesterday a “significant decrease in tensions” in Syria’s Idlib and pledged to continue working together, the Kremlin said.

The two leaders, who last week agreed a ceasefire in Syria’s north-western Idlib region, “are satisfied to note a significant decrease in ten-sions in the Idlib de-escalation zone,” the Kremlin said in a statement after Putin and Erdogan spoke by phone.

The two leaders “con-firmed the importance of con-tinuing close joint work... to ensure a sustainable ceasefire regime and further stabili-sation of the situation,” it said.

Moscow and Ankara agreed to a ceasefire that came into force in the Idlib on March 6. The agreement includes joint patrols by Russian and Turkish militaries in the area.

Three US, British personnel killed in Iraq rocket attackAFP — BAGHDAD

Iraqi and United Nations offi-cials scrambled yesterday to contain the fallout from an unprecedented rocket attack that killed three US-led coalition members and threatened yet another esca-lation of Iran-US tensions.

Within hours of the attack on Taji air base, north of Baghdad — the deadliest in years on a base used by US forces in Iraq — an air strike killed more than two dozen Iran-aligned fighters in neigh-bouring Syria.

It marked a dramatic uptick in violence less than three months after rockets killed a US contractor in northern Iraq, unleashing a round of tit-for-tat attacks between Washington and Tehran on Iraqi soil.

Fearing an even bloodier flare-up this time, Iraqi officials and the United Nations were quick to condemn the coalition deaths.

Iraq’s military command said it was “a serious security challenge” and pledged to open an investigation.

President Barham Saleh and parliament speaker Mohammed

Al Halbussi condemned a “ter-rorist attack” which targeted “Iraq and its security”.

The UN mission in Iraq called for “maximum restraint on all sides”.

“These ongoing attacks are a clear and substantial threat to the country, and the risk of rogue action by armed groups remains a constant concern,” it said. “The last thing Iraq needs is to serve as an arena for ven-dettas and external battles.”

Wednesday’s attack was the 22nd on US interests in Iraq since late October.

It saw a volley of 18 rockets slam into the Taji base, one of about a dozen facilities across Iraq where coalition forces are posted. The coalition confirmed three of its personnel were killed and around a dozen more wounded.

One of the dead was a member of the Royal Army Medical Corps, Britain con-firmed. A US military official said the other two were a US soldier and an American contractor.

There was no immediate word on Iraqi casualties and no group claimed responsibility.

Kataeb Hezbollah, a

hardline faction within Iraq’s Hashed Al Shaabi paramilitary alliance, hailed the attack and its perpetrators, without saying they were behind it.

Kataeb Hezbollah also crit-icised “those who were quick to denounce and express their sympathy”, in a hint at top Iraqi officials who had condemned the rocket attack.

In late December, the US accused Kataeb Hezbollah of killing an American contractor at a base in northern Iraq and

carried out air strikes on western Iraq that killed 25 of its fighters.

Days later, a US drone strike killed senior Iranian com-mander Qasem Soleimani and Hashed deputy chief Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis near Baghdad airport.

Iran then launched its own strikes on a western Iraqi base, leaving dozens of US troops suf-fering from brain trauma.

Hashed factions have repeatedly pledged to avenge

Muhandis’s death in their own way.

Within hours of Wednes-day’s attack, an air strike near the Syrian-Iraqi border town of Albu Kamal killed 26 Iran-aligned Iraqi fighters, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The US-led coalition denied carrying out any raids overnight on either Syria or Iraq. Post-Saddam Iraq counts years of close ties with both Iran and the United States, and Baghdad has been put in an increasingly dif-ficult position by the spiralling tensions between its allies.

In January, Iraqi lawmakers voted to oust all foreign troops from Iraq in reaction to the killing of Soleimani and Muhandis. Some 5,200 US troops are stationed in Iraq as part of the coalition formed in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group.

While IS has lost all of the territory it once held in Iraq and Syria, sleeper cells remain capable of carrying out attacks on both sides of the border.

On Sunday, two US soldiers were killed north of Baghdad while helping Iraqi forces battle IS remnants.

Fighter of the Hashed Al Shaabi paramilitary force personnel in Iraq's Anbar province, on November 12, 2018.

Iran to hand over downed jet’s black boxes to UkraineAFP — MONTREAL

Iran pledged on Wednesday at a meeting of UN civil aviation agency to hand over black boxes from downed Flight 752 to Ukraine or France for analysis — a move welcomed by Canada and Ukraine.

Iran’s representative at the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal, Farhad Parvaresh, said the devices would be sent to Kiev, sources confirmed.

They are expected to contain information about the last moments before the Ukraine International Airlines jetliner was struck by a missile and crashed shortly after taking off from the Tehran airport on January 8.

Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne “ w e l c o m e d ” I r a n ’ s

commitment to finally share the black boxes, saying this was “a step in the right direction by Iran.” “I take Iran at their word,” he said, “but I would rather judge their actions once the black boxes are in Europe and we have our own experts who have been able to analyse (them).”

Ukraine’s ambassador to Canada, Andriy Schevchenko, in a tweet said his country also “welcomes Iran’s decision” to hand them over, adding that “if additional expertise is needed,” the flight data recorders would be forwarded to France for analysis.

Iran has admitted that the two black boxes were damaged and that it lacked the technical ability to extract data from them, but for two months it has waffled about what to do with them.

Syria's war entering 10th year A Syrian man drives his vehicle past destruction in the once rebel-held Aghiour neighbourhood in Aleppo on March 10, 2017. Syria's war has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced millions at home and abroad since it started on March 15, 2011, with anti-government protests.

Troops staying put in Idlib, says Turkish MinisterANATOLIA — ANKARA

Turkey’s armed forces maintain their presence in the province of Idlib, Syria, just across Turkey’s southern border, said the Turkish defence minister yesterday.

Rebuffing any claim that Turkey has withdrawn from the region of northwestern Syria, Hulusi Akar told reporters in the capital Ankara that “our elements maintain their presence.”

On talks between Turkish and Russian military officials on starting joint patrols in Idlib, Akar said: “The Russian military delegation arrived and talks continue.

"We reached a great deal of agreement.” “Our forces have been ordered to act accordingly if the cease-fire is violated and attacks continue,” the minister added.

05FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2020 ISLAM

Coronavirus: An Islamic perspective

ADIL SALEEM

Allah has blessed us with a religion that is complete and perfect for all times and places. Allāh tells us in the Quran:

“This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as your religion”

We also have in the Prophet (peace be upon him), the best of examples, as Allāh says in the Quran:

“Surely there was a good example for you in the Messenger of Allāh”

Whatever problem or issue a Muslim is facing, he returns back to Allāh and his Messenger for guidance; there is nothing that happens in the life of a Muslim except that his religion has a solution to it.

We recently heard about the coro-navirus which is spreading to a number of countries, affecting the lives of many people, causing death to others.

There are a number of thoughts that should cross the mind of a Muslim when they hear something like this. Below are some points that a person must remember and internalise when they see or hear of such incidents:

Trials and tribulationsTrials and tribulations are part of

life, this is something that Allāh informs us of and warns us so that when we are afflicted, we remember that it is ultimately Allāh who controls of our affairs. It is He who will provide help and His knowledge of our affairs sur-passes our restricted intellect. As He says in the Quran:

“Do you think that you will enter Paradise without such trials as came to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, ‘When will the Help of Allāh come?’ Yes! Cer-tainly, the Help of Allāh is near!”

Allāh sends us tests to see how we will react and handle them. How are we going to respond? When you hear the news that your umrah trip is can-celled because of this virus, how will you respond? When you hear your flights have been cancelled, your loved ones have fallen ill, how will you respond?

Allah says in the Quran: “And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient” So how do we respond to a calamity? Allāh tells us immediately after the previous āyah:

“Who, when disaster strikes them, say, ‘Indeed we belong to Allāh, and indeed to Him we will return.’”

A Muslim is patient in trials; he knows Allah will never forsake him,

nor will Allah burden him with a trial that is more than what he can handle.

This is not something newIllnesses and viruses such as the

coronavirus are not something new, nor is the fact that people are afflicted with illnesses. The companions once asked the Prophet (PBUH):

“Oh Messenger of Allāh, who from amongst the people were tested the most? The Prophet (PBUH) responded and said, the Prophets, then the next best and then the next best.”

We see the great Prophet of Allāh, Ayyub (peace be upon him), was tested with a great illness. His story is synon-ymous with patience. He lost every-thing; his family, wealth, and health. Some narrations say he was bedridden for 18 years, tested with a great illness, yet we find he did not give up hope in Allah and turned to him in this great trial. Some scholars have said that his illness was so severe that his flesh dropped from his body and nothing remained on him except his bones and muscles.

Allāh tells us his story in the Quran:“And Ayyub, when he called to his

Lord, saying ‘Harm has inflicted me and You are the Most Merciful”

“So We answered him and removed his affliction and We gave him his family and the like of them with them, as a mercy from Us and a reminder to Worshippers.” The story of Prophet Ayyub (peace be upon him) is one filled with lessons for us to ponder over. The

virtue of patience is shown to us in the Prophet Ayyūb (peace be upon him) through some of the most dire situa-tions that one can come across in life.

QadrThe concept of pre-destination is

extremely important for a Muslim to understand. When incidents such as the coronavirus occur, a Muslim should know that this is what Allāh had decreed 50,000 years before the creation of the universe. The Prophet (PBUH) explained: “Allāh had written the ordained measures (and due proportions) of the creation, fifty thousand years before the creation of the heavens and the earth…” (Sahih Muslim)

All good and bad is from Allāh, as is mentioned in the Hadeeth of Jabir: ‘No slave of Allāh will truly believe until he believes in Al Qadr; its good and bad from Allāh, and until he knows that what has befallen him was not going to miss him and that what missed him was not going to befallen him.’ (Tirmidi)Allah will never harm us nor does he want evil to befall us. We may think something is bad for us due to our restricted view of life, but there is always good in a situation. Allāh tells us that perhaps you hate a thing but it is in fact good for you, and perhaps you love a thing when in reality and it is bad for you, yet Allāh knows while you know not!

A believer has two positions when it comes to pre-destination: One is before the situation occurs, and one is after. Before the situation he seeks help

from Allāh, makes dua to him, and relies upon him; he asks Allāh for good to come from it. After the situation, if the result was positive and good the person thanks Allāh. If the event had a negative outcome the person is patient because he knows that Allāh will never forsake him even if it seems the result is negative, because indeed Allāh is the best of planners.

Taking necessary precautionsA Muslim should not overreact; at

the same time he should not be oblivious about a situation and do nothing! Taking the necessary means and then relying upon Allāh is some-thing which is emphasised in Islam.

“One day Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), noticed a Bedouin leaving his camel without tying it. He asked the Bedouin, ‘Why don’t you tie down your camel?’ The Bedouin answered, ‘I put my trust in Allāh’ The Prophet then said, ‘Tie your camel first, then put your trust in Allāh’ (Tirmidi).

We also find in the incident of Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) taking necessary precautions is a must when you know of a harm or potential danger that could afflict you. Umar was traveling with a group of companions during his reign. They approached a town in which it was said had a contagious/infec-tious disease. Umar asked his group whether they should proceed or return to Madinah. The majority of the

companions said they should go back but some said they should proceed. Then one companion said he knew a hadith where the Prophet (PBUH) said, “If you hear that this disease exists in a country, do not travel to that country.” So Umar decided that they should go back. Another com-panion asked him whether he was running away from qadr. Umar replied that they were moving away from one qadr to another qadr.

The Prophet (PBUH) also taught us how to protect ourselves by main-taining our adhkar (rememberance of Allah) from the Sunnah. One such dua that he taught us was: “In the name of Allāh with Whose name nothing can harm on earth or in heaven, and He is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing”

Always have a positive outlook regardless of the situation you’re in, this is what our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) taught us, when he told us:

"Amazing is the affair of the believer, verily all of his affairs are good and this is not for no one except the believer. If something of good hap-piness him, he is grateful and that is good for him. If something of harm befalls him, he is patient and that is good for him.” He also said: “There are no omens, but the best of it is optimism”

When we look through the seerah we find many examples of the Prophet (PBUH) being optimistic event though he was in a dire situation.

The Muslims in the battle of Ahzāb were surrounded by the enemy from every direction, they were in a state of loss, the Prophet (PBUH) commanded them to build a trench around the city of Madinah to protect themselves, as they were digging the trench they came across a huge rock and struggled to break it.

The Prophet (PBUH) took the sledgehammer from Salman Al Farisi. He struck the rock saying, “Bismillah”. One third of the rock broke. He said, “Allahu Akbar! I was given the keys of Damascus”. He struck it again and more broke and he said “I was given the keys of Persia” and he did so the third time until he had broken it and said “I was given the keys of Yemen!”

At a time when morale was low, the Prophet (PBUH) remained opti-mistic. The companions were astounded thinking that they under siege with no way out, yet the Prophet (PBUH) was talking about conquering Damascus, Persia, and Yemen! How true was the Prophet (PBUH) when eventually these lands were conquered, optimism in the face of adversity, and optimism in the face of pessimism.

We should also not blame others or ridicule them because they are from a certain country or they have come from a part of the world that has been affected by the virus. Unfortunately, we have seen physical attacks on people, racist remarks made, and people making a joke and mocking the situation people are in.

The coronavirus is a reminder to us all of our weak state. Regardless of our social standing and our financial position, we are helpless. Allāh says:

“Mankind was created weak”Situations like this remind us to

turn back to Allāh. Allāh controls eve-rything and he is the one that can relieve us from our difficulties, we must return to Allāh and seek refuge in him and ask his protect ion. Source: Islam21c.com

Woman and her position in the light of the Holy QuranMANSOOR ALAM

Who can question the vital role played by the mother in a

family? From the moment of conception to birth and to rearing, it is the mother who spends most of her time with and carries most of the burden of the baby. The child’s early development is shaped pri-marily by the mother. To acknowledge the mothers’ fun-damental role in building the worldwide community of the faithful, the Quran uses the word Ummah, a derivative of word Umm meaning mother. And the Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have said that heaven lies under the feet of the mother. The women are honoured in the Quran by having chapter Al Nisa (The Women) after them. But mis-understandings and misconcep-tions about women are abound. Here are a few of them:

Did the product of a crooked rib cause man’s fall from paradise?

The Quran does not support the story that woman was created from man’s rib.

"O Mankind! Be conscious of your Sustainer, who has

created you out of one living entity, and out of it created its mate, and out of the two spread abroad a multitude of men and women." (Holy Quran 4:1)

Contrary to the popular belief woman was not respon-sible for man’s first act of diso-bedience and his subsequent expulsion from the paradise:

"But Satan caused them both to stumble therein, and thus brought about the loss of their erstwhile state." (Holy Quran 2:36)

Equality of man & womanAs a whole, the Quran treats

man and woman on an equal basis. But the roles assigned to each of them is not the same but rather complementary.

Allah has made one of them to excel the other. (4:34)

The reality and significance of the above verse has yet to sink in the minds of those men who habitually and traditionally assign an inferior status to women. Based on research we know that men surpass women in mechanical skill and women surpass men in linguistic ability.

How could this be clearer than the following verse of the Quran:

"Lo! men who surrender

unto Allah, and women who surrender, and men who believe and women who believe, and men who obey and women who obey, and men who speak the truth and women who speak the truth, and men who persevere (in right-eousness) and women who per-severe, and men who are humble and women who are humble, and men who give alms and women who give alms, and men who fast and women who fast, and men who guard their modesty and women who guard (their modesty), and men who remember Allah much and women who remember - Allah hath prepared for them for-giveness and a vast reward". (Holy Quran 33:35)

And according to the Quran, the opportunity for good deeds and their reward exists equally for both men and women: "If any do deeds of righteousness, - be they male or female - and have faith, they will enter Heaven, and not the least injustice will be done to them".(4:124)

And on the subject of own-ership rights:

"To men is allotted what they earn, and to women

what they earn". (4:32) The Quran also tells that

women are equal participants in enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong (Amr bil M‘aroof-and-Nahya ‘Anil Munkar). Obviously, this implies women’s right to participate in public life.

"As for the believers, both men and women they are close unto one another: they [all] enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong". (9:71)

PolygamyOnly one verse (4:3) in the

Quran allows polygamy, but that too, in special circumstance when there are a large number of widows and orphans left after war. The context of the verse is to address this situation. The verse is very explicit in that a man may marry more than one from among the orphans/widows (fil-yatama) only on the condition that justice is done among all (up to a total of four) wives. If not, then only one wife is allowed. Thus polygamy is permitted but only under very strict conditions and is more like a sacrifice on the part of both men and women to address a societal issue in a dig-nified manner. It is not a licence

for men to marry more women to satisfy their lust and/or to have more children. For this the fault lies with us as interpreters and not with the Quran.

Woman as a witnessAnother prevailing miscon-

ception is that, in Islam, two women’s witnesses are equal to one man’s witness. This is related to verse (2:282) of the Holy Quran which says that in matters of contracting a loan if one cannot find two men as wit-nesses then one can bring one man and two women. The Quran itself has given the reason for this that if the woman who is giving witness forgets or gets confused (tadilla) then the other woman may remind her. That is, only one woman gives witness. The other woman is just for moral support.

In light of all of the above, do we still need to believe that woman is inferior to man; that she cannot lead, govern, or decide critical matters in an Islamic government as the pro-ponents of man-made Shariah would have us believe?

During the early period of Islam, men and women enjoyed equal rights in all respects of

their lives. Caliph Umar ibn Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) proudly proclaimed that an old woman taught him the meaning of word Khilafah. But unfortunately the Khilafat was turned into a hereditary kingship by Umayyads and Abbasids who treated women more like objects of pleasure than human beings. As a con-sequence, women lost their position of dignity and self-respect. For the sorry state that continues to the present day, Muslims alone are responsible, not Islam.

The truth is men and women are like the two wheels of a cart. Each wheel is called Zauj of the other in Arabic. If one wheel dominates the other, the cart will not move properly. This cart of life will move smoothly along the straight path (Siratul mustaqim) only if the two wheels are equal and bal-anced and one wheel does not try to dominate the other, which means there can be no real Islam until women (con-stituting half of humanity) regain their God-given human rights of dignity, self-respect, and equality with men in all walks of life.

www.islamcity.org

We must return to Allah and seek refuge in him and ask his protection. A Muslim is patient in trials; he knows Allah will never forsake him, nor will Allah burden him with a trial that is more than what he can handle.

Whenever there is a problem, a challenge, or any hardship which we can remove, overcome, solve,

or minimise, we must do so. Many of the health guidelines are in fact normal practices for Muslims, some of which are as follows:

1. Washing hands: This is a part of ablution, a Muslim’s daily ritual of purity.

2. General cleanlinessThe Prophet (PBUH) said: “Cleanliness is part of faith”Keeping our surroundings tidy, cleaning up after our-

selves, and wiping surfaces down are all aspects of clean-liness which must be adhered to in these situations.

3. Covering your mouth when sneezing

The Prophet (PBUH) would cover his mouth when he sneezed. This basic etiquette can take big part in the stopping of the spread of viruses

“Whenever the Messenger of Allāh (PBUH) sneezed, he would cover his mouth with his hand or a piece of cloth.”

4. Quarantine in times of viruses which can spread.The Prophet (PBUH) gave instructions on what to do

if there is an outbreak. Abd Al Rahmān ibn Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

“I heard the Messenger of Allāh (PBUH) say: “If you hear that it (the plague) is in a land, do not go there, and if it breaks out in a land where you are, do not leave, fleeing from it.”

Many of health guidelines are normal practices for Muslims

06 FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2020AFRICA

UN Security Council slams increasing threat from terrorism in AfricaAP — UNITED NATIONS

The UN Security Council strongly condemned the increasing threat to peace and security in Africa from terrorism on Wednesday and urged all countries “to consider mobilising more predictable resources and expertise” to strengthen African efforts to counter terrorism and violent extremism.

A Chinese-sponsored pres-idential statement approved by all 15 council nations also urged the 193 UN member states and the United Nations system to take measures “to address all drivers of violent extremism conducive to terrorism.” The council encouraged countries to foster quality education and provide employment opportu-nities and vocational training for young people and include them in all levels of decision-making, saying “such efforts contribute to countering recruitment to terrorism.”

UN political chief Rosemary DiCarlo told the council that terrorism and violent extremism continue to grow in various part of the continent despite efforts to prevent and counter it.

She pointed to Al Shabab extremists threatening security in Somalia and East Africa and affiliates of the Islamic State and Al Qaida extremist groups collaborating to stage increas-ingly sophisticated attacks in West Africa, especially in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

DiCarlo also pointed to the

Islamic State group’s continuing operations in Libya despite recent setbacks, adding that “it is restructuring and empow-ering its affiliates in eastern, southern and central Africa.”

She said Islamic State affil-iates and splinter groups including Boko Haram “con-tinue to terrorize local popula-tions and attack security forces” in the Sahel and Lake Chad basin.

The African Union’s UN Ambassador, Fatima Kyari Mohammed, warned the council that “terrorism and violent extremism are assuming unprecedented scales of expansion and intensity within and beyond the African continent.”

“In addition to the situa-tions in the Sahel, Lake Chad basin and the Horn of Africa, terrorism is now spreading to other parts of the continent, previously spared by this

menace,” she said, without elaborating.

Mohammed said the tools used by terrorists are becoming increasingly sophisticated, citing as an example “drone ter-rorism.” She said that “terrorist groups have also perfected the art of recruitment, facilitated by the use of cyber platforms” and are attracting people vulnerable because of poverty and “ethnic and religious fissures.”

A statement from the coun-cil’’s three African members —Tunisia, Niger and South Africa — said foreigners who fought with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria “are increasingly relocating into the continent,” mainly to areas where gov-ernment presence is weak.

Such fighters exploit local grievances, poverty and lack of public services and security and they also “resort to the use of bar-baric force against populations and they engage in cross border criminal activities,” said the statement, which was also signed by the Caribbean nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The statement added that some al-Qaida and IS groups “appear to be working together and coordinating attacks to grab large swaths of territory.” DiCarlo said the U.N. “cannot overemphasize the importance of support” for the the G5 Sahel Force established by Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Chad and Mauritania to fight terrorism. She reiterated Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call for international funding and military support for the force.

French, Algerian foreign Ministers meetFrench Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (left) and Algerian Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum walk before a meeting in Algiers, yesterday.

Algerian ex-diplomat eyed as next UN Libya envoy: SourcesAFP — ALGIERS

Former Algerian foreign minister Ramtane Lamamra is being considered as UN envoy to Libya, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday, after Ghassan Salame resigned from the post earlier this month.

When asked if UN Sec-retary-General Antonio Guterres had put forward Lamamra, a diplomatic source said, “You’re right”.

Two other diplomats — one African and one European —likewise said Lamamra’s name had been proposed. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Lamamra, 67, served as Algeria’s foreign minister from 2013 to 2017 and as African

Union commissioner for peace and security from 2008 to 2013. He has been a mediator in several African conflicts, notably in Liberia.

Stephanie Turco Williams of the United States will be acting envoy “until the appointment of a successor for Ghassan Salame,” Guterres said in a statement on Wednesday evening.

Williams has been Deputy Special Representative for Political Affairs at the UN Mission in Libya since 2018 and has more than 24 years’ expe-rience in government and inter-national affairs.

Salame announced his res-ignation on March 2, citing health reasons.

He had worked for months to

bring about a ceasefire in Libya after eastern-based military com-mander Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive last April to seize the capital Tripoli, seat of the UN-rec-ognised Government of National Accord (GNA).

A January ceasefire bro-kered by Turkey and Russia has repeatedly been violated.

Salame, a Lebanese appointed in 2017, struggled to organise elections and bring rival parties together for talks on ending the conflict.

Libya has been mired in turmoil since the 2011 over-throw and death of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi. It has since become divided between the GNA and rival authorities based in the country’s east.

Supercomputer helps in tracking East Africa locust outbreakAP — KAMPALA

A supercomputer is boosting efforts in East Africa to control a locust outbreak that raises what the UN food agency calls “an unprecedented threat” to the region’s food security.

The computer, a donation from Britain, uses satellite data to track locust swarms and predict their next destination. Quickly sharing the information of the locusts’ movements with regional authorities is key to controlling the outbreak, as even a small swarm of locusts in a single day can move nearly 100 miles and consume the amount of crops that would otherwise feed 35,000 people.

Based in a regional climate centre in Kenya, where the

insects have been particularly destructive, the supercomputer system “produces extensive weather forecasts to predict the high winds, rainfall, and humidity that provide ideal breeding conditions for locusts so climate experts can predict their next destination,” the UK’s Department for International Development said in a statement.

“By improving early warning systems we are helping charities and African govern-ments to take rapid action to p r o t e c t v u l n e r a b l e communities.”

Kenya, Somalia and Uganda have been battling the worst locust outbreak that parts of East Africa have seen in 70 years. Swarms have also been

sighted in Djibouti, Eritrea, Tan-zania, Congo and South Sudan, a country where roughly half the population already faces hunger after years of civil war.

The threat from the locusts “remains extremely alarming” in the Horn of Africa, where “widespread breeding is in progress and new swarms are starting to form, representing an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods at the beginning of the upcoming cropping season,” according to a warning issued this month by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.

Locust swarms, sometimes as large as some cities, can destroy crops and devastate pasture for animals. Aerial spraying is generally considered

the only effective control method. In Uganda, where the locust infestation has recently spread to more than 20 districts in the country’s north and northeast, soldiers have been battling swarms using hand-held spray pumps because of difficulties in getting aircraft as well as the rec-ommended pesticide.

Officials in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, where the supercom-puter is based, said the tech-nology will boost their efforts in tracking locust swarms.

“The forecast is quite useful because it helps them to focus their efforts in the areas that are most likely to be affected by the desert locust in the coming say, 10 days,” said Abubakr Salih Babiker, a climate scientist at Nairobi’s regional climate centre.

“In this way they are more efficient in allocating their resources, allocating the financial capacity to control the desert locust. It is a very inno-vative and new way of using technology to solve a real-life problem like the desert locust.”

Kenneth Mwangi, a satellite information analyst at the center, said the team can run better prediction models in an outbreak where the spread of locusts “has been very rapid.”

The UN recently raised its aid appeal relating to locusts to $138m, up from $76m, saying the need for more help is urgent. Experts have warned that if the number of locusts is unchecked they could grow 500 times by June, when drier weather is expected in East Africa.

A vendor sorts garlic bulbs at a central market in Tunis, yesterday.

Virus remedy rumour sends Tunisia garlic price soaringAFP — TUNIS

The price of garlic has shot up in Tunisia amid a buying rush as consumers hope it will help protect against the new coro-navirus, despite caution from the World Health Organisation.

In Tunisia’s central market this week, and in supermarkets and other stores, the price of garlic has risen to around 20-25 dinars ($7-$8.85) a kilo, in a country where the average monthly salary

is around 600 dinars.“Before, I used to buy five kilos

(of garlic) for eight dinars a kilo and would sell it for 12, but now I can’t buy it anymore because the price has gone up so much”, said Khames Nabli, a shopkeeper in the south of the capital.

Tunisia has registered six cases of the novel coronavirus, most in people who had been in Italy. A seventh person infected with the virus has returned to France.

Garlic is often used to help ward off the flu, whose symptoms can be similar to those of COVID-19.

But some online websites and online posts have incor-rectly suggested the bulb can protect against the novel coro-navirus, which the WHO has declared a pandemic.

The WHO has sought to combat rumours about the virus, including the effect of garlic

African leaders seek to clear way for Libyan dialogue

AFP — OYO, CONGO

Three African heads of state, the African Union chief and a senior UN envoy met yesterday in Congo in the latest attempt to broker talks over Libya’s crisis.

The meeting is the second in the Congo since a summit in Berlin in January where world leaders agreed to halt foreign interference in Libya and impose an arms embargo.

Tripoli’s UN-recognised government is battling eastern commander Khalifa Haftar in the latest factional fighting since the 2011 fall of long-time dictator Muammar Gadhafi.

International efforts to end the conflict have stumbled and Libya’s African neighbours have been seeking a wider role in resolving the North African nation’s crisis.

At the talks in Oyo town, Republic of Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso urged an “unequivocal message” to prepare a conference on national reconciliation for Libya.

Nguesso was joined by South Africa’s Presidents Cyril Ramaphosa, Chadian leader Idriss Deby Itno, AU com-mission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat and Algerian Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad.

Algeria’s government has said it would be ready to host a comprehensive dialogue among Libyan parties and joined other African nations in urging an end to foreign interference in Libya. “It’s time to unite the Libyan people so that they can be rec-onciled,” Djerad said.

The meeting in Oyo comes in the wake of the resignation of the UN special represent-ative on Libya, Gassane Salame, whose efforts towards a settlement were commended by the African leaders.

His resignation came after months of work to bring a ceasefire since Haftar launched an offensive in April to seize the capital Tripoli.

The unity government in Tripoli is supported by Turkey, while Haftar is backed by Russia.

Coronavirus slow to spread in Africa, but cases creep upAP — JOHANNESBURG

The new coronavirus has been slow to spread in Africa but cases are increasing on the continent, with South Africa reporting 17 confirmed infec-tions yesterday, including its first transmitted locally.

Across Africa, 12 of the con-tinent’s 54 countries have reg-istered COVID-19 cases, the most recent being Ivory Coast announcing one case.

Algeria’s president ordered all schools closed immediately yesterday after the North African country saw its first death from the virus. Algeria has 25 cases so far.

South Africa reported its first case a week ago. Since then, the number of people there to test positive for the virus has crept up. The coun-try’s health minister announced four more yesterday, including a man who became ill after contact in South Africa with a Chinese businessman.

Previously, all the cases in the country involved people who returned to South Africa after travelling in Europe.

The new coronavirus

spreading locally worries South Africa, other African countries and health experts who say many of Africa’s national health systems are weak. With a rel-atively low number of cases across the continent — fewer than 140 and almost all of them imported — the current strategy is to try to contain the virus.

The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. The number of COVID-19 cases worldwide has surpassed 120,000, and 60,000 people have already recovered. According to the World Health Organisation, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

Africa’s hospitals may not be adequately prepared to care for large numbers of people who may need intensive care and ventilators, say health experts.

“It will have a huge impact on a number of things... travel... our economy. It is already showing signs of a negative impact on tourism,” South African President Cyril Ram-aphosa said after the first case was confirmed.

The African Union’s UN Ambassador, Fatima Kyari Mohammed, warned the council that “terrorism and violent extremism are assuming unprecedented scales of expansion and intensity within and beyond the African continent.”

07FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2020 ASIA

S Korea contains smaller virus outbreaks as new cases slowREUTERS — SEOUL

South Korea yesterday reported 114 new coronavirus cases and six more deaths, a relative decline in new cases that raised tentative hopes the epidemic was slowing despite the emer-gence of new clusters.

Health officials were trying to track down and contain a number of new clusters of infections, including at a call centre in the capital Seoul.

The coming days will be crucial, authorities said.

“It is too early to say we are overcoming the disease,” Yoon Tae-ho, director general for public health policy, said at a briefing.

“We are still witnessing spo-radic outbreaks so we cannot lower our guard.”

The new cases bring South Korea’s total to 7,869, with 67 deaths, the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said (KCDC).

The numbers are far lower than the peak of 909 cases reported on February 29, and

health officials said the trend does appear to be slowing in what has been the largest out-break in Asia outside of China.

Still, authorities said the

government will press its efforts to prevent new clusters from spreading.

Nineteen of the new cases reported yesterday were in

Seoul, where at least 102 people working at a call centre have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Nearly 800 people working

in the call centre and 200 resi-dents of the building have been tested, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said.

“Containing the spread from the call centre is decisive in blocking additional trans-mission of the coronavirus,” Park said.

“We will focus all necessary

personal and material support on the area.”

Seventy-three of the new cases were from the city of Daegu, the epicentre of the country’s outbreak.

Yoon urged South Koreans across the country to avoid public gatherings and to keep a distance from other people.

The government also said it would expand fever screening and other monitoring measures for people arriving from certain European countries.

South Korea is one of several countries affected by a new US Defence Department decision announced yesterday to restrict travel by its troops and their families for the next 60 days. About 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea, along with thousands of civilian employees and family members.

At least nine people con-nected to the US military in South Korea have tested positive for the virus, and bases have imposed some restrictions and additional screening at their gates.

Workers wearing protective gear spray disinfectant to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus at a subway station in Seoul, South Korea, yesterday.

India tightens measures as novel coronavirus cases rise to 73ANATOLIA — CHANDIGARH

The total number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 73 yesterday, as fresh cases were reported from different parts of the country, the Health Ministry said.

According to the ministry’s website, of total 73 confirmed cases, 56 are Indian nationals.

The ministry said the highest number of cases were reported from the southern state of Kerala (17), while more than 1 million passengers have been screened at airports.

Meanwhile, India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar informed the par-liament yesterday that “6,000 Indians are stranded in Iran.”

The initial focus of the Indian government is on “bringing back pilgrims, mostly stranded in Qom” he said, referring the badly affected Iranian city.

Coronavirus outbreak is a “matter of concern,” news broad-caster NDTV quoted the minister as saying in the parliament.

“Exceptional situations require exceptional response,” he said, adding that “travel at this time is not recommended as it only heightens risks”.

The northern Haryana state declared the coronavirus infection an “epidemic,” according to the state’s Health Minister Anil Vij. On Wednesday, the Indian government had announced that it will suspend most visas till April 15 to prevent

further spread of coronavirus. The order will come into force from 1200 GMT on March 13.

Soon after the government announcement, country’s Bureau of Immigration also issued a detailed advisory related to travel and visa restrictions related to the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19. It however said that

visas of foreign nationals already in India remain valid.

For the travellers who are presently abroad, the immi-gration office asked them to avoid non-essential travel.

“Indian nationals presently abroad are advised to avoid non-essential travel. They are hereby informed that they can be

quarantined for a minimum period of 14 days on their arrival in India,” the advisory said.

While several Indian states have closed the education insti-tutions and cinemas, the author-ities have also closed borders at few places as precautionary measures to prevent further spread of the disease.

Travellers wear face masks as a preventive measure against coronavirus at a railway station in Guwahati, Assam, yesterday.

Dutch tourists quarantined in Vietnam as virus spreadsAFP — HANOI

A group of 25 Dutch tourists are among dozens of foreigners quarantined in communist Vietnam as the Southeast Asian nation tightens measures to prevent the spread of corona-virus.

Hanoi says a total of 39 people, the majority of nationals and British visitors, have tested positive to the virus which has spread panic across a country of 96 million people. There have been no deaths reported so far.

Yestersday, authorities

confirmed 25 Dutch were among dozens of travellers quarantined in an education facility in the tourist town of Hoi An after taking a domestic flight with a COVID-19 patient.

“The condition there is not as good as in the hotels, but we will try to provide them with some essential things especially suitable food upon request,” said Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh, director of Hoi An city’s pre-vention healthcare centre.

“Several felt uncomfortable at the beginning, but later they complied with the situation,”

Anh said. State-run Voice of Vietnam radio earlier reported a total of 38 foreigners in quar-antine in Hoi An, including people from Belgium, Ireland, Switzerland and Finland.

The country’s ministry of health has said nearly 25,000 people have been put under quarantine at government con-trolled centres or at home, since the country raised its alert on the deadly virus early February.

No complete figure is available on the number of for-eigners currently under

quarantine in Vietnam, although state media has reported dozens were put under quarantine in state-managed facilities or hotels across the country.

Vietnam has granted limited access to visitors from China and South Korea — another major coronavirus hotspot — since the outbreak began at the start of 2020, imposing a 14-day quarantine at government-con-trolled centres.

Last weekend, a cluster of infections was discovered among 201 passengers on a

Vietnam Airlines flight from London to Hanoi.

Authorities are chasing down anyone linked to the infected patients, who include a rich Vietnamese woman, a state official and several British tourists.

Several major tourism spots in the country — such as Halong bay and islands — have been closed to visitors.

It is not yet clear if Viet-nam’s first-ever Formula One Grand Prix, a street race to be held in Hanoi, will proceed in on the first weekend in April.

Suspected remains of US WWII servicemenrepatriated

AP — MANDALAY

The US military yesterday repatriated what may be the remains of service personnel who were lost in action in Myanmar during World War II (WWII).

The remains from Myan-mar’s central Sagaing region were repatriated at a cer-emony at Mandalay Interna-tional Airport after being recovered in a mission carried out by the Defence POW/MIA Accounting Agency of the US Department of Defence, the US Embassy said.

“Over 75 years ago, brave Americans gave their lives on a river bank in Sagaing, fighting for peace, justice and freedom far from home,” the US Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission George Sibley said at the ceremony.

The remains will be flown to the agency’s laboratory in Hawaii for analysis and potential identification.

There are 505 US service members still unaccounted in Myanmar, which was known as Burma during World War II. The remains of 23 have been identified after three recovery missions carried out in 2003 and 2004 and nine since 2013.

The remains repatriated yesterday are thought to be related to a B-25G bomber with a crew of seven that was lost in February 1944. Myanmar was then a British colony occupied by Japan’s armed forces.

Ssecurity personnel wearing face masks stand guard as people pass by the entrance of Sri Lanka’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases, near Colombo, yesterday.

Caution over coronavirus

Indonesia busts virus-mask smuggling by MalaysiansAFP — MEDAN

Indonesia has detained two Malaysians for allegedly trying to smuggle some 12,000 virus face masks back to their home country, police said yesterday.

Officials at the international airport in Sumatra’s Medan city became suspicious and searched

the pair’s bags as they were about to board a flight to Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday evening, authorities said.

They were detained on sus-picion of hoarding, police said, and when questioned the 44-and 42-year-old suspects claimed they were planning to distribute the masks to children in

neighbouring Malaysia to guard against coronavirus infections.

The masks were confiscated and the suspects would be deported, they added.

“We didn’t find criminal conduct after questioning them so they will be sent back,” said police spokesman Tatan Dirsan Atmaja.

Indian father takes on govt after children adopted by US coupleREUTERS — MUMBAI

An Indian father is fighting for the return of his children as he said they were adopted without his consent, boosting calls for a ban on inter-country adoptions to stop child trafficking.

Jay Prakash Ahirwar said his mother took his three children in 2015 to the local Child Welfare Committee (CWC), which pro-tects vulnerable children, after his wife died — only to discover last month that a US couple had adopted them.

The CWC placed the children, then aged 3, 5 and 7, with the SOS Children’s Villages in Bhopal, capital of Madhya Pradesh state, where the charity runs a group foster home as part of its work to support 25,000 vulnerable children across India.

“I wanted to take my children home for Holi festival last year, but (SOS Children’s Villages offi-cials) said they were getting good education and I should not spoil their lives. I thought maybe they were right,” said Ahirwar.

“When I went last month, I was told they were adopted by a US family. They did not inform

me or ask me. Did they give them away or did they sell them? I don’t know,” the 35-year-old autorickshaw driver said by phone from Bhopal.

A spokesman for SOS Chil-dren’s Villages said the charity told the government’s child welfare department in 2016 not to put the children up for adoption as their father was alive.

Ahirwar never visited his children and efforts to contact the family at their address and via newspaper adverts failed, the spokesman said, so in 2017 they were included in a list the charity gave the CWC of all the children in their facility.

The CWC then declared the children as “legally free” for adoption as the newspaper adverts had elicited no response.

“The adoption process was carried out on the directive of CWC and the specialised adoption agency,” said Sudarshan Suchi, India director of SOS Children’s Villages, a global charity supporting children without parental care and families at risk.

About 80 percent of some 8 million children in orphanages

globally or other institutions are not orphans, according to the charity Lumos, but they can be lucrative for trafficking networks, leading many “origin” countries to ban international adoptions.

“These children were made ‘legally free’ in 2017. We are finding out if there was a criminal intent in doing so,” said Tarun Kumar Pithode, district head of Bhopal.

Some 2,500 children have been adopted overseas since 2015, according to the Central Adoption Resource Authority, which regulates adoptions.

“This is a big racket. It vali-dates our demand to stop inter-country adoptions,” said Arun Dohle, director of Against Child Trafficking, a charity which has reunited dozens of inter-country adoptees with their birth mothers.

India tightened up its adoption rules after cases emerged of parents being coerced or tricked to give up their children for inter-country adop-tions. But the slow pace of the tightly-regulated process has fuelled baby trafficking, activists say.

The new cases bring South Korea’s total to 7,869, with 67 deaths, the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said. The numbers are far lower than the peak of 909 cases reported on February 29, and health officials said the trend does appear to be slowing.

Recently, some of the university’s 40,000 students and professors have been exploring options to curb planet-warming emissions, in part through greater use of video-conferencing technology.

08 FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2020VIEWS

CHAIRMAN

SHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

DR. KHALID BIN MUBARAK AL-SHAFIeditorinchief@pen.com.qa

ACTING MANAGING EDITOR

MOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMEDm.salim@pen.com.qa

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

MOHAMMED OSMAN ALI osman@pen.com.qa

EDITORIAL

DISCHARGE of 121 individuals from quarantine yes-terday was a positive news everyone was waiting for after the unexpected increase in the number of positive COVID-19 cases reported a day before.

These 121 individuals, who were evacuated from Iran in a chartered plane, were shifted to quarantine immediately after they arrived in the country and closely monitored by the healthcare professionals for any symptoms and underwent three tests to confirm that they are virus-free.

A few persons from the group were found with the coronavirus and were shifted to the Communicable Disease Center at the Hamad Medical Corporation and is being treated in isolation. The officials, while briefing the media, had said that they are all recovering well and are in stable condition. They are expected to be dis-charged soon.

The recent report of 238 new cases was not on expected lines as before that Qatar had only a few cases and this sudden surge in numbers showed that this strain of virus spreads unlike earlier viruses. The country has put in many measures to control the spreading of the coronavirus such as stopping services of Doha Metro, public buses and closing children’s play area for a few day to name a few. The Ministry of Public Health has urged people to follow precautionary measure like washing hands often.

There is a lot we could be careful about such as avoiding crowded places and making sure to use a proper sanitiser or washing hands for at least 20 seconds before eating or after returning from a public place. More importantly avoid travel if not essential and report to a medical facility if you develop any of the symptoms.

World Health Organization said yesterday that the new coronavirus outbreak is a controllable pandemic if all countries step up measures to tackle it. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had said earlier that the global outbreak of the new corona-virus could now be considered a pandemic -- a disease actively spreading globally.

“To save lives we must reduce transmission. That means finding and isolating as many cases as possible and quarantining their closest contacts,” he said.

Qatar has set in motion procedures for treating pos-itive cases as they come and is also quarantining people who came in contact with those who were tested pos-itive to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the community.

As global community is fighting the outbreak with all their might, let us hope a treatment will be found soon to tackle the COVID-19.

Efficient control of COVID-19

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OFFICE: TEL: 4455 7741 / 767FAX: +974 4455 7758

MANAGING EDITOR: TEL: 4462 7505

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR: TEL: 4455 7769

LOCAL NEWS SECTION: TEL: 4455 7743

BUSINESS NEWS SECTION: TEL: 4462 7535

SPORT NEWS SECTION: TEL: 4455 7745

ONLINE SECTION: TEL: 4462 7501email: INFO@PEN.COM.QA

PUBLIC RELATIONS: TEL: 4455 7613email: PR@PEN.COM.QA

ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT: TEL: 4455 7837 / 780FAX: 4455 7870, email: adv@pen.com.qa

CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT: TEL: 4455 7857email: adv@pen.com.qa

SUBSCRIPTION & DISTRIBUTION: TEL: 4455 7809 / 839 FAX: 44557819, email: info@tawseelqatar.com

D-RING ROAD, POST BOX: 3488, DOHA - QATAR

EMAIL: editor@pen.com.qa

Quote of the day

All of us face a common threat, the coronavirus. Today's declaration of a pandemic is a call to action - for everyone, everywhere.

Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General

Foxton Harding and Adison Pucci, both 12, who both attend Northshore Middle School in the Northshore School District, which has moved to online only schooling for two weeks due to coronavirus concerns, work on school assignments at their home in Bothell, Washington.

As coronavirus sweeps the Seattle area, with more than 20 deaths so far in one of the worst outbreaks in the United States, the University of Washington this week shuttered its classrooms in a bid to contain the spread of the disease. But lecturer Ian Schnee’s philosophy class for 300 students took place as scheduled on Monday - just online. Eighty tuned in live, with more expected to watch the recording later.

Schnee’s other teaching also happened virtually, with 20 stu-dents joining a video-streaming chatroom to share answers to logic problems and ask questions before upcoming exams.

“I could share my desktop and other students could share theirs”, the same as with the office white-board, he said. “Doing it virtually was a pretty rich experiment.”

Recently, some of the univer-sity’s 40,000 students and pro-fessors have been exploring options to curb planet-warming emissions, in part through greater use of video-conferencing tech-nology. But restrictions triggered by coronavirus have swiftly turned ideas into a large-scale, real-time trial.

“It’s become de facto a massive experiment in education,” Schnee told Reuters by telephone. “It’s like a crash course in new technology.”

As a growing coronavirus pan-demic shuts down conferences,

transport, schools and sporting events worldwide, it is also nudging people toward new behaviours and technologies that may have lasting impacts on the emissions driving climate change.

Not all are positive. The threat of contracting the virus, for instance, is pushing some public transport users into taxis to avoid crowds - though others are taking to bicycles and other green means of getting around.

And a global slowdown in air travel, which has curbed emissions so far this year, could bounce back with a delayed surge in demand for flights if the virus tails off, climate experts warn. But as organisers of conferences, political negotiations and classes scramble to switch to digital events - and even doctors consult online to try to avoid spreading the virus - huge amounts of emissions from travel, in particular, are being avoided, creating a knock-on effect that could persist.

Japan is one example of a country getting its first real taste of working from home, in a culture that has never adopted that option.

“Japan doesn’t have a ‘working at home’ policy. People go to work whether they are sick or not,” said Niklas Höhne of the German-based NewClimate Institute, which supports action to address climate change.

“But now with coronavirus, they can’t do that, so they are learning to work at home - and they might continue doing it. It might lead to a consistent change in behavioural patterns and lower emissions,” said the emissions reductions expert.

In virus-hit Seattle, big employers such as Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook and Google

all have urged or allowed staff to work remotely.

“There’s definitely a tele-com-muting movement going on, not just at the university but all around Seattle,” Schnee said.

When classrooms shut for at least two weeks starting on Monday at the University of Wash-ington, “it was so sudden a lot of students felt at sea and a lot of faculty were scrambling”, he said.

But three days on, “there’s much less scepticism (among pro-fessors), and an acceptance that even though it’s not their normal experience they can pull it off”, the lecturer said.

They might even acquire the skills to be comfortable continuing with it, he predicted.

Kelly Levin, an emissions spe-cialist with the Washington-based World Resources Institute (WRI), said the coronavirus experience could spur a rethink about whether big international meetings are worth the huge envi-ronmental and financial costs.

“This is giving us some space to pause and re-evaluate,” she said, noting virtual meetings also can benefit some groups, from dis-abled participants to those who can’t travel for family or other reasons.

Colin Marshall, who organises seminars for the University of Washington’s philosophy department, said a pre-virus com-mitment to begin having 15% “virtual” speakers had allowed them to land an April guest they had otherwise failed for years to attract. Technology offers the pos-sibility “to make academia more equitable and just better”, he said. “More people will be in a position to be involved in things that weren’t before.”

AFP

Japan and Olympic organisers are at pains to insist this summer’s Games in Tokyo are on, despite the new corona-virus outbreak, but what would a cancellation cost the world’s third-biggest economic power-house?

With a dearth of reliable figures, opinions vary, yet experts all agree on one point: Games or no, the main risk to the Japanese economy this year is a prolonged global corona-virus epidemic.

What has the Games cost Japan? At the end of 2019, organisers estimated the total cost of the Games at around 1.35 trillion yen ($12.6 billion).

That is divided between the city of Tokyo, which is paying 597 billion yen, the Jap-anese organising committee, which contributes 603 billion yen and the central gov-ernment, which is paying 150 billion yen.

But the actual costs for the country have been hotly debated, with a widely publi-cised audit report estimating national government spending from the bid in 2013 until 2018 at 1.06 trillion yen, nearly 10 times the budget.

Japanese businesses have also poured money into the event in sponsorships, paying out a record 348 billion yen ($3.3 billion). And that figure doesn’t include the partner-ships signed between major companies and the Interna-tional Olympic Committee for rights to sponsor several Games. Among those are giants including Japan’s Toyota, Bridgestone and Panasonic.

Which sectors would be affected? According to ana-lysts at Capital Economics, one key factor to consider in terms of how a cancellation might hit Japan’s economy is that most of the spending has already happened.

That means the effects of

outlays, most notably on con-struction of new sporting venues, has already been fac-tored into GDP in recent years.

But a cancellation would be a drag on tourism, as well as general consumption in the country, already under pressure after a controversial sales tax hike last year.

Tourism in Japan was already hit before the virus, amid a diplomatic spat with South Korea that prompted boycott calls. Visitors from South Korea previously made up the second largest con-tingent of tourists to Japan, behind only China.

And with the virus out-break, Japan has seen a further fall in South Korean numbers, as well as a plunge in travellers from China, which together accounted for nearly half the 31.9 million foreign visitors to the country in 2019.

Japan has an industrialised and diversified economy not heavily reliant on tourism, with

foreign visitor expenditures making up just 0.9 percent of GDP in 2018, according to eco-nomic research organisation CEIC.

But with domestic spending already weak, the hit from a cancellation could ripple through and further depress local purchasing.

What would the impact on GDP be? Economists at research firm Nomura already predict a 0.7-percent con-traction in GDP for the 2020 calendar year, but warn that could be up to 1.5 percent if the Games are cancelled.

Takashi Miwa, an econ-omist at the firm, told AFP the main impact would be on domestic spending, because a cancellation of the Games “would badly affect Japanese consumer confidence”. It could also deprive the country of 240 billion yen ($2.28 billion) in spending from foreign spec-tators expected to attend the Games, he added.

Online classes, video meetings: Can coronavirus spur low-carbon habits?

/PeninsulaQatar

/ThePeninsulaQatar

/Peninsula_Qatar

/ThePeninsulaNewspaper

+974 6698 6188

www.thepeninsula.qa

What would an Olympics cancellation cost Japan?

Established in 1996

LAURIE GOERING REUTERS

09FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2020 ASIA

Virus pandemic ‘could be over by June’ if countries act, says Chinese adviserREUTERS — BEIJING

The global coronavirus pandemic could be over by June if countries mobilise to fight it, a senior Chinese medical adviser said yesterday, as China declared the peak had passed there and new cases in Hubei fell to single digits for the first time.

Around two-thirds of global cases of the coronavirus have been recorded in China’s central Hubei province, where the virus first emerged in December. But in recent weeks the vast majority of new cases have been outside China.

Chinese authorities credit strict measures they have taken, including placing Hubei under near total lockdown, with pre-venting big outbreaks in other cities, and say other countries should learn from their efforts.

“Broadly speaking, the peak of the epidemic has passed for China,” said Mi Feng, a spokesman for the National Health Commission.

“The increase of new cases is falling.” Zhong Nanshan, the gov-ernment’s senior medical adviser, told reporters that as long as countries take the outbreak seri-ously and are prepared to take

firm measures, it could be over worldwide in a matter of months.

“My advice is calling for all countries to follow WHO instruc-tions and intervene on a national scale,” he said.

“If all countries could get mobilised, it could be over by June.”

Speaking to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Pres-ident Xi Jinping similarly expressed confidence, state tel-evision reported.

“After hard work, China has shown a trend of continuous improvement in epidemic pre-vention and control,” the report cited Xi as saying.

“I am confident that the Chinese people will be able to overcome this epidemic and achieve their intended eco-nomic and social development goals.”

Zhong, an 83-year-old epi-demiologist renowned for helping combat the SARS out-break in 2003, said viruses in the same family typically became less active in warm months.

“My estimate of June is based on scenarios that all countries take positive measures.”

Later on yesterday, Zhong held a teleconference with a group of US medical experts, including from Harvard Uni-versity, state television reported. Zhong and his team shared their experiences of quickly testing and containing the virus, difficulties in treatment, and cooperation in clinical research, the report added. The United States is now facing its own virus crisis as the number of infected people rises.

With the marked slowdown of the spread of the virus in China, more businesses have reopened, with authorities cau-tiously easing strict con-tainment measures. Hubei

province announced a further loosening of travel restrictions and will also allow some indus-tries to resume production.

Hubei’s economy, driven by manufacturing and trade, including a sizable auto sector in the provincial capital, Wuhan, had been virtually shut down since January 23.

While the virus is spreading quickly globally, its progress in China has slowed markedly in the past seven days. In all, 15 new cases were recorded in mainland China on Wednesday, down from 24 the day before. Seven of the new cases were

outside Hubei, including six imported from abroad.

While only 85 of the cases in China have come from abroad, the rising number of such incidences has prompted authorities to shift their focus on containing the risk of imported cases.

The total number of cases recorded in mainland China was 80,793. As of Tuesday, 62,793 people had recovered and been discharged from hos-pital, or nearly 80 percent of the infections. In Wuhan, the epi-centre of the outbreak, 34,094 patients had been discharged

from hospitals, but over half were still under observation at so-called “recovery stops” — quarantine venues repurposed from hotels and student dormitories.

Hubei’s health authority said the post-discharge quar-antine was a precautionary measure, after a few discharged patients tested positive again.

As of the end of Wednesday, the death toll in mainland China had reached 3,169, up by 11 from the previous day. Hubei accounted for 10 of the new deaths, including seven in Wuhan.

Medical staff at an isolation ward for patients infected with novel coronavirus at a hospital in Wuhan, in China’s central Hubei province, yesterday.

Philippine capital on lockdown to contain spread of coronavirusREUTERS — MANILA

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday announced strict immigration curbs and a halt on domestic land, sea and air travel to and from Manila, in what he called a “lockdown” of the capital to arrest the spread of coronavirus.

Duterte approved a reso-lution allowing a raft of measures including bans on mass gath-erings, a month of school closures and community quarantining, and threatened to jail local offi-cials who defied government orders.

The firebrand leader, who underwent a test himself yes-terday due to possible exposure, said the measures would include banning foreigners travelling from countries with domestic transmissions from entering the

Philippines. It follows confir-mation on Saturday of the Phil-ippines’ first domestic trans-mission of the virus, and a sub-sequent rise in cases daily to 52, among those five deaths, resulting in the Manila lockdown.

“We do not want to use that (term). But it is a lockdown,” Duterte said in a televised announcement.

“There is no struggle of power here. It is a matter of defending and protecting you from COVID-19.”

The curbs on travel and scope for mass quarantining would be among the strictest domestic coronavirus restrictions outside China and Italy, which have com-bined more than 90,000 con-firmed cases.

Duterte last week attended the same event as an official who later tested positive for the

coronavirus, and would know his result tomorrow. Six cabinet min-isters, 16 lawmakers, six Manila mayors and the central bank gov-ernor were undergoing self-quarantine as a precaution.

Despite having relatively few confirmed infections, health authorities are keen to halt the spread of the virus, having last year dealt with major outbreaks of dengue and measles, and the first cases of polio in two decades.

The biggest concern is Manila, an urban sprawl of 16 cities fused together, known for its overcrowded slums, limited open spaces and horrendous traffic congestion.

Its population is officially nearly 13 million, but the real number is believed to be far greater due to unchecked migration and millions of informal settlers.

The resolution advises quarantining urban commu-nities where there are con-firmed cases in two separate households, and extending that to municipalities and cities

where there are outbreaks in different districts.Duterte said it was possible the measures “could create public distur-bances or disorder”, but hoped people would see sense.

“It is a serious one, it is true,” he said.

“Do not kill yourself with worry because government is doing everything possible to make it at least controllable.”

People wearing protective face masks following an outbreak of coronavirus rush to get into a bus in Manila, Philippines, yesterday.

Pakistani apex court seeks record of cases dealt by military courtsINTERNEWS — ISLAMABAD

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has sought from the Ministry of Defence complete record pertaining to the allegations against the persons convicted by the military court and the details of the evidences supporting the convictions, local media reported.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Mushir Alam heard an appeal filed by the Ministry of Defence against the verdict of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) acquitting some 70 individuals, convicted by the military courts.

During the course of hearing, counsels appearing for the accused persons submitted before the court that the mil-itary court had awarded pun-ishment to the accused after conducting one-sided proceedings.

They submitted that the accused were not given an opportunity of defence and deprived of getting a fair trial in a transparent manner. The counsels further submitted that after convicting the accused, their family members were not informed, but they came to know through media.

The lawyers further sub-mitted that the ministry of defence did not provide com-plete record of the matter with

its appeal which showed malafide on the part of the ministry. They contended that except confessional statement of the accused, no evidence was produced before the court.

“Hence punishment like death sentence cannot be awarded on mere confessional statement of an accused,” the lawyer contended, adding that neither there was any proof of eye witness of place of incident nor any type of testimony recorded against the accused.

Meanwhile, the court adjourned the hearing for yes-terday directing the defence ministry to submit complete record pertaining to the alle-gations levelled against the accused persons in military courts.

It is pertinent to mention here that on November 2, 2018 the apex court had restrained the jail authorities to release 70 terror suspects, convicted by military courts, involved in dif-ferent terrorist activities in the country.

A two-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed had heard appeals of the defence ministry against the verdict of Peshawar High Court, acquitting all the 68 terror sus-pects released by military courts due to lack of evidence.

Singapore to close mosques for cleaning to fight virusAFP — SINGAPORE

Singapore will temporarily close all the country’s mosques for deep cleaning from today after two men contracted the coronavirus while attending an Islamic gathering in neighbouring Malaysia, authorities said.

About 10,000 people from several countries took part in the February 28 to March 1 event at a mosque near the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.

After discovering two men who attended the event were infected, Singapore author-ities immediately closed four mosques which they had visited after returning.

The remaining 66 mosques in the city-state will be shuttered from today for at least five days to be disin-fected, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore said.

“These are temporary measures to proactively min-imise the possible spread of COVID-19 in our mosques,” the council said.

“(The council) seeks the support and the under-standing of the Muslim com-munity for such preemptive measures to safeguard public health and the well-being of a l l communit ies in Singapore.”

Kazakhstan suspends all public events over coronavirus outbreakREUTERS — ALMATY

Kazakhstan is suspending all public events and closing schools and colleges in response to the coronavirus outbreak, author-ities said yesterday.

The Central Asian country, which borders China, has so far reported no coronavirus cases, but Kazakh authorities have said the arrival of the disease appeared imminent.

In Kyrgyzstan, which borders both countries, the government said yesterday it was also sus-pending all mass gatherings, although it stopped short of closing schools and enter-tainment venues.

The Kazakh government will

ensure a steady supply of food and other necessities, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev wrote on Twitter, urging officials to minimise the impact of the pan-demic on small- and medium-sized businesses.

Kazakh officials told a briefing that the spring break at schools would start a week earlier and be extended to April 5, and colleges and universities would switch to distance learning. Cinemas and theatres will also close. Kazakhstan is reducing the frequency of flights to Western European nations, the United Arab Emirates and Belarus, officials said.

The Interfax news agency quoted deputy prime minister

Alikhan Smailov as saying the June World Trade Organisation ministerial conference in Kaza-khstan had been cancelled.

However, the trade and inte-gration ministry said no decision had been made so far with regards to the WTO conference. None of the Central Asian nations have reported coronavirus cases, but all have restricted travel to and from the most heavily hit countries.

A third, Tajikistan previously closed mosques and cancelled public festivities linked to the Nowruz holiday celebrated on March 21-25. Uzbekistan, the most populous nation in the region, has so far announced no such restrictions.

Customers wearing protective face masks visit a food market also known as bazaar, in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday.

Chinese authorities credit strict measures they have taken, including placing Hubei under near total lockdown, with preventing big outbreaks in other cities, and say other countries should learn from their efforts.

10 FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2020EUROPE

EU condemns Trump travel ban from Europe as virus spreadsAP — BRUSSELS

European Union leaders yesterday lashed out at President Donald Trump’s decision to restrict travel from Europe to the United States because of the new coronavirus, calling the the pandemic a global crisis that “requires cooperation rather than unilateral action.”

Trump, who had called COVID-19 a “foreign virus” and claimed that European travellers “seeded” infection clusters in the United States, said late

Wednesday that all European travel would be cut off.

US officials later said the entry ban only would apply to most foreign citizens who have been inside Europe’s passport-free travel zone during the 14 days prior to their arrival in the United States.

“The European Union disap-proves of the fact that the US decision to impose a travel ban was taken unilaterally and without consultation,” European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission

President Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement.

“The coronavirus is a global crisis, not limited to any con-tinent, and it requires cooper-ation rather than unilateral action,” the two said.

Europe’s passport and visa-free Schengen travel area com-prises 26 countries including EU members France, Italy, Germany, Greece, Austria and Belgium, where the bloc has its headquarters, but also others like Switzerland, Norway and Iceland.

The measures announced by Trump don’t apply to the United Kingdom, where the number of confirmed cases has reached almost 460, with eight deaths, or Ireland, which isn’t part of Schengen, and has 43 cases.

Trump is an ally of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and sup-ported Britain’s departure from the EU.

Around 400 flights cross the Atlantic from Europe to the United States each day, according to flight tracker FlightAware.

Trump defended his decision to not notify all European Union leaders before he announced the temporary travel restrictions.

“When they raise taxes on us, they don’t consult us,” Trump said.

“I think that’s probably one in the same.”

The ban on travellers from Europe was the latest action taken by Trump since he came to office that appears to target the EU, a major trading partner with several member countries that are also US allies in NATO.

Britain steps up battle against coronavirusREUTERS — LONDON

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson stepped up the response to the coronavirus outbreak yesterday, moving to the so called “delay phase” which includes the option of more stringent measures designed to slow down the spread of the virus.

Johnson warned that many more families would see their loved ones die from corona-virus, as the government’s chief scientific adviser said Britain likely has as many as 10,000 people infected.

At a meeting of the govern-ment’s emergency committee yesterday, Johnson moved Brit-ain’s response to the outbreak to the so-called “delay phase”, aimed at putting off the peak until the summer months, ending a phase of outright containment.

“It’s going to spread further,” Johnson said at a news conference, flanked by the gov-ernment’s top scientific and medical advisers.

“I must level with you, level

with the British public — more families, many more families are going to lose loved ones before their time.”

The British government has faced questions over why it is not taking the more far-reaching measures seen in many other countries. Johnson defended his approach, saying the government was following scientific advice and would “do the right thing at the right time”.

He said those showing even mild symptoms of having the virus should self-isolate for at

least seven days. In the next few weeks that advice would change to entire households being asked to stay at home if one person has symptoms.

“This is the worst public health crisis for a generation,” he said.

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus across the United Kingdom rose 29 percent percent to 590 over the past 24 hours. Ten people with coronavirus have died in the UK.

“There are currently about 590 cases identified in the UK and there are more than 20 patients on intensive care units,” chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance said.

“If you calculate what that really means in terms of the total number, it is much more likely that you have some-where between 5,000 and 10,000 people infected at the moment.”

Vallance said Britain was currently on a trajectory about four weeks behind Italy, which has reported more than 15,000 cases and 1,000 deaths. He

predicted the peak of corona-virus cases in Britain may be at least 10 to 14 weeks away.

England’s chief medical adviser Chris Whitty said not all suspected cases of the virus would be formally tested, with the government focusing on those in hospital.

The British plan for dealing with the outbreak has three main phases —containment,

delay and mitigation.The delay phase includes

consideration of so-called social distancing measures such as more home-working, reducing large scale gatherings and closing schools.

Johnson said Britain was not cancelling major public events and schools would stay open for now but that advice could change as the virus

spreads. Whitty said at some point social interaction for old and vulnerable people would need to be reduced, but not yet.

“People start off with the best of intentions but enthu-siasm at a certain point starts to flag,” Whitty said.

“So we do need to do it at the last point it is reasonable... to get through what will be quite difficult things to do.”

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (centre) attends a news conference addressing the government’s response to the novel coronavirus in London, yesterday.

Spain cabinet, royals tested as minister infected with virusAFP — MADRID

Spain’s cabinet and the royal family underwent coronavirus testing yesterday after a minister tested positive and was quaran-tined with her partner, the second deputy prime minister.

Equality Minister Irene Montero’s positive test coincided with infections nationwide jumping to 2,968 cases by 1200 GMT, from 2,140 yesterday evening, and deaths leaping to 84 from 48 within the same timeframe.

Writing on Twitter, Montero, 32, said she had tested positive on Wednesday, three days after appearing at a mass march of

some 120,000 people through Madrid for International Women’s Day.

She and her partner Pablo Iglesias went into quarantine, an official statement said. Gov-ernment ministers all underwent testing on yesterday, it added.

Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia were also tested for the virus after taking part in an event with the minister several days ago, the palace said.

A special cabinet meeting to discuss an emergency plan to respond to the crisis went ahead and was attended by Prime Min-ister Pedro Sanchez and 14 other ministers.

Later yesteray, Sanchez gave

a televised press conference without any journalists present, answering questions posed via WhatsApp.

Spain has seen the number of infections spiral since the start of the week, becoming one of the worst-hit countries in Europe.

Madrid has borne the brunt of the crisis, clocking up 1,388 infections and 38 deaths by yes-terday morning.

“To beat the virus as quickly as possible, responsibility and social discipline is essential. This requires big changes in our habits,” said Sanchez who will conduct all future meetings by video conference.

A traveller wearing a face mask as a precaution against virus at Barajas Airport, in Madrid, yesterday.

Germany designates radical wing of far-right AfD as ‘extremist entity’REUTERS — BERLIN

Germany will step up surveil-lance of a radical wing of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party after the domestic intelligence agency designated it as an extremist entity that threatens democracy.

Yesterday’s decision by the BfV intelligence agency to increase monitoring of “Der Fluegel” — The Wing — deals a blow to Germany’s biggest opposition party, undermining its efforts to fend off accusa-tions that it harbours racist views.

The AfD has ridden a wave of anger at Chancellor Angela Merkel’s 2015 decision to welcome almost 1 million asylum seekers, and the BfV decision follows fatal attacks on Jews, Muslims and a liberal politician in Germany.

“Today I inform you that The Wing has been upgraded to an extremist entity,” BfV chief Thomas Haldenwang told a news conference, calling its l e a d e r s “ r i g h t - w i n g extremists.” The Wing, which is headed by Bjoern Hoecke, the AfD’s leader in the eastern state of Thuringia, had already criticised the decision to conduct a 14-month review of its activities. Another of its leaders, Andreas Kalbitz, dis-missed the BfV’s conclusions yesterday as politically motivated.

“This is no surprise because the political decision was made

long ago even though it is groundless and motivated purely by political considera-tions,” Kalbitz said.

“We will exhaust all judicial means available to fix this mistake.”

Hoecke has condemned an attack at shisha bars in western Germany last month by a racist gunman who shot dead nine people before killing his mother and himself. He also condemned attacks in October by a gunmen in the city of Halle against a syn-agogue and a kebab restaurant that killed two. Hoecke issued a statement with other AfD offi-cials on Wednesday clarifying earlier comments about for-eigners and the Holocaust that had caused controversy, appar-ently in anticipation of the BfV findings.

The deadly attacks shat-tered Germans’ sense of security, renewed fears of far-right violence and prompted mainstream parties to accuse AfD politicians of contributing to an atmosphere of hatred that encourages violence.

An investigation against the AfD as a whole is still under way. Haldenwang said the BfV esti-mates 20 percent of the AfD’s 35,000 members belong to The Wing. The designation of The Wing as extremist enables the BfV to deploy additional espi-onage methods to monitor its activities.

Haldenwang said the agency estimates that some 20 percent of AfD’s 35,000 members belong to The Wing.

Ireland to shut schools and universities over coronavirusREUTERS — DUBLIN

Ireland will shut schools, universities and childcare facil-ities until March 29 and restrict mass gathering to slow the spread of the coronavirus, acting Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said yesterday.

Ireland’s chief medical officer said the government had turned to measures to try to delay the spread, rather than simply contain it, following fresh case information late on Wednesday.

Ireland confirmed its first death of a patient diagnosed with the coronavirus on Wednesday as the number of confirmed cases of the virus rose to 43 from 34 a day earlier. There are also 18 cases in Northern Ireland, the British region which shares an open border with the Irish republic.

“From 6 pm today, the fol-lowing measures are being put in place and they will stay in place until March 29: schools, colleges and childcare facilities will close from tomorrow, where possible teaching will be done online or remotely,” Var-adkar said in statement.

Within an hour, long queues formed at supermarkets in central Dublin despite repeated calls by ministers not to resort to panic buying.

“Our advice is that all indoor mass gatherings of more than 100 people and outdoor mass gatherings of more than 5,000 people should be cancelled. You need to continue to go to work if you can, but where possible you should work from home.” Varadkar encouraged people to limit social interactions and for offices to stagger break times and hold meetings remotely to limit contact. While restaurants can stay open, they should look at how to operate social dis-tancing, he added.

Public transport will con-tinue to operate and shops will remain open with plans in place to ensure supply chains will not be interrupted, he said.

On Monday, Ireland can-celled all St Patrick’s Day parades which draw hundreds of thousands of revellers, including tourists from around the world, each March.

Russia-Europe Mars mission delayed to 2022 over coronavirusAFP — MOSCOW

A joint Russian-European mission to Mars has been post-poned for two years, the Russian and European space agencies said yesterday, citing the novel coronavirus and technical issues.“We have made a difficult but well-weighed decision to

postpone the launch to 2022,” said Dmitry Rogozin, head of Russia’s Roscosmos agency.

The unmanned ExoMars mission aims to place a robot on the Red Planet to find out whether life is present.

It was scheduled to launch later this year after experiencing several delays.

Officials at the European and Russian spaces agencies said they agreed to delay the mission until August or September 2022 to carry out further tests.

Following recommendations by European and Russian inspectors, “ExoMars experts concluded that the tests nec-essary to make all the

components of the spacecraft for the Mars adventure need more time to complete,” the statement said.

European Space Agency director general Jan Wörner said both sides wanted to be “100 percent” sure of a successful mission.

“We cannot allow ourselves

any margin of error. More veri-fication activities will ensure a safe trip and the best scientific results on Mars,” he said in a statement that did not mention the virus.

Rogozin specifically pointed to the impact of the outbreak of the coronavirus in Europe saying the “exacerbation of the epide-

miological” situation had ham-pered the scheduled launch.

The Mars mission has been marred by a series of technical problems and delays.

In August last year, the ESA identified problems with the mis-sion’s parachute system, raising questions over whether the launch would go ahead in 2020.

Johnson warned that many more families would see their loved ones die from coronavirus, as the government’s chief scientific adviser said Britain likely has as many as 10,000 people infected.

11FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2020 EUROPE / AMERICAS

Romania’s PM designate withdraws just before voteAFP — BUCHAREST

Romania’s designated prime minister Florin Citu withdrew from his post yesterday just minutes before a parliament vote on his cabinet, prolonging a political crisis as the country faces the coronavirus outbreak.

The political gridlock worsened on February 5 when a government led by Ludovic Orban, chief of the National Liberal Party (PNL), was toppled following a no-confidence vote after just three months in office.

Under Romania’s consti-tution, the President can dis-solve parliament and call a snap election if he fails in two

attempts to name an executive within 60 days.

President Klaus Iohannis had picked Orban again for the role of prime minister but he withdrew before a vote in Romania’s highly fragmented parliament where no party has a majority and alliance building is key.

Iohannis’s next choice was Citu, 47, a PNL senator and finance minister, an option seen as another attempt by the Liberal party to trigger a new election because of opposition resistance to his nomination.

A snap poll has been a major political ambition of the Iohannis’ Liberals, who are

riding high in the polls, but their plan was scuppered by the courts.

Last month, the constitu-tional court questioned Orban’s reappointment saying any nom-ination had to be aimed at forming a parliamentary majority.

Opposition Social Demo-crats said the court ruling showed Iohannis had been trying to trigger an election

rather than actually forming a government.

While critics had seen Citu’s nomination largely as another political move to force an election, chances of reaching a deal over a new government now appear to have increased because of the coronavirus epidemic.

“A captain doesn’t leave the battlefront in the middle of a battle,” said Liberal senator

Florin Roman. Before Citu stepped down, Alfred Simonis, leader of the Social Democrats in parliament’s lower chamber, said the opposition could back the government.

“There’s a trend in our party to support this government until the crisis generated by the virus passes,” he said.

Citu said that his resignation “must be interpreted in the current context”, but gave no further explanation.

President Iohannis must now call for consultations with the political parties and make another nomination, who must win the support of a fragmented parliament.

Chile anti-government protestStudents clashing with riot police during a protest against Chile’s President Sebastian Pinera's government on the second anniversary of his term, in Santiago, on Wednesday.

EU to offer migrants money to go back from Greece AFP — ATHENS

The European Union and Greek officials yesterday said 5,000 asylum seekers on Greek islands would be given financial incentives to return home to relieve pressure on overwhelmed camps.

The plan, available for a month only and based on a ¤2,000 ($2,260) stipend, is only open to those who arrived in Greece before January 1.

“We have now agreed on a special temporary assisted vol-untary return scheme...for a period of one month,” EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson said after talks in Athens.

“We think it will be an open opportunity for 5,000 migrants,” she said.

The money is designed to help asylum-seekers start afresh in their countries of origin, she said.

“It’s clear that we are facing a national emergency and we need to protect our borders,” said Greek migration minister Notis Mitarachi.

Voluntary returns would be carried out with help from the International Organisation for Migration and EU border agency Frontex.

The offer does not apply to

refugees who arrived during a two-week surge after Turkey said on February 28 that it would no longer prevent people from trying to reach the European Union.

As a result of the surge, Greece has announced it will not accept new asylum appli-cations until April.

Hundreds of people have arrived by sea on Greek islands near Turkey where there are already more than 37,000 asylum seekers in camps orig-inally built to house around 6,000.

Lacking space, Greek authorities have put over 450 migrants on a navy ship docked at the Lesbos port of Mytilene, where conditions are already described as poor.

In May, Greece is to host a conference on the hundreds of unaccompanied minors who are most at risk among asylum seekers, Johansson said.

Seven EU states have already pledged to take at least 1,600 unaccompanied minors and children, she added.

“We are not well-prepared enough. We are still lacking a common policy for European migration and asylum,” Johansson said, adding that she would present proposals next month.

Russia sends virus test kits to, ex-USSR, Iran, N KoreaAFP — MOSCOW

Russia said yesterday it has sent test kits for the novel corona-virus to countries including Iran, North Korea and former Soviet states.

The state health watchdog said in a statement that Moscow had sent 800 test kits to ex-Soviet states including

Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, as well as to Iran, North Korea and Mongolia.

Iran received 500 kits which can be used to carry out 50,000 tests, the watchdog said, adding that these were supplied free of charge.

North Korea has not con-firmed a single case of COVID-19, although there is a

major outbreak in neighbouring South Korea.

Russia has already supplied 10 countries with test kits which have been used to identify cases in Belarus and Armenia, the watchdog said.

So far, Russia has confirmed 28 cases of coronavirus, most of them people who had recently visited Italy.

Caribbean tries to resolve vote dispute in GuyanaAP — GEORGETOWN, GUYANA

Several Caribbean prime ministers travelled to Guyana on Wednesday to try to help resolve an election crisis in the South American country, where rival factions are competing for control of massive oil revenues expected in years to come.

The 15-nation Caribbean Community was intervening in a dispute that erupted after March 2 elections in which both of the main political groups claimed victory, prompting street unrest in which at least one person was killed.

The political instability comes as the country of fewer than 1 million people faces the prospect that oil revenues in the next decade could make it one of the wealthiest in the hemisphere.

“The delegation will meet with the leadership of all

parties that contested the poll,” the Community said in a statement.

The regional bloc said its delegation includes current chair and Barbados Prime Min-ister Mia Mottley, Keith Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago, Keith Mitchell of Grenada, Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica and Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The governing coalition led by retired army General David Granger said it won the elec-tions by two seats in the 65-seat parliament, while the main opposition People’s Pro-gressive Party, or PPP, said it won by three seats.

The factions are mainly divided along ethnic lines, with Granger’s coalition supported by the Afro-Guyanese popu-lation and the PPP opposition backed by the Indo-Guyanese community.

There is also a smaller number of indigenous

Guyanese.A court was expected to

rule this week on the election, whose results have yet to be formally announced.

The dispute had led to street protests, mostly by opposition supporters, in the past week. Police shot and killed a coastal village teenager who they said had attacked officers with a machete.

Several others were injured by shotgun pellets. Other pro-testers burned tires, blocked highways and threw stones at school buses, injuring several students.

Both sides have appealed for calm. The protests have faded for now.

The United States and other Western nations have warned against the swearing-in of any president pending court chal-lenges and verification of ballots. Counting and verifi-cation of ballots have been stopped since March 5.

US and other observers saw “flawed tabulation” in the election and “any government sworn in on the basis of that result would not be legitimate,” according to Michael Kozak, the US State Department’s acting assistant secretary of state for Western hemisphere affairs.

This year’s elections have been widely viewed as the most crucial since inde-pendence from Britain in 1966, largely because the country is one of the world’s newest pro-ducers of oil and could earn billions in revenues.

Guyana recently sold its first million barrels to markets in the Far East and southern US states.

It will get four more similar sized shipments this year worth about $300m as part of pro-duction-sharing arrangements with a consortium led by Exx-onMobil, along with Hess Oil of the US and Nexen of China.

People coming from Venezuela wearing protective face mask as a precautionary measure to avoid contracting the new coronavirus, show their documents on the border at Simon Bolivar International Bridge, in Cucuta, Colombia, yesterday.

Polish court again defers verdict on legality of new judges

AP — WARSAW

Poland’s constitutional court yesterday deferred for the second time its ruling on whether recent appointments of judges under new regula-tions introduced by the right-wing government are legit-imate.

The Constitutional Tri-bunal debated the matter but then put off its verdict without setting a date for the next session.

The postponement comes amid moves in the country to fight the spread of the new virus by shutting down schools and cultural centres and banning mass events.

Poland had its first fatality from the virus Thursday, while 48 other patients are being treated for the COVID-19 illness it causes.

Amid widespread criticism of the changes that the ruling Law and Justice party has been making to the judiciary, the government asked the tribunal to decide if the recent appoint-ments were lawful. The tri-bunal largely recruits from judges backed by the ruling party.

Critics in Poland and European Union bodies say the government politicized the appointments, in violation of judicial independence and of the democratic system of checks and balances.

Coronavirus cases rise to 183 in Latin AmericaAGENCIES — ANKARA

The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus has risen to 183 in Latin America, according to data from the US-based Johns Hopkins University and media outlets.

In Argentina, where the first death from the virus occurred in the region, 19 people have been diagnosed. Chile has 23 confirmed cases, Ecuador has 17, Brazil 52, Mexico eight, Peru 13, Costa Rica 22, Colombia nine, Panama eight, Paraguay five, the Dominican Republic five and Honduras two.

Meanwhile in Guyana, a woman who tested positive for the coronavirus after arriving from the United States a week ago has died, health officials in

the South American country announced yesterday.

The 52-year-old Guyanese woman, who traveled from New York, died on Wednesday, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Karen Gordon-Boyle said.

The woman’s family has been quarantined and efforts were underway to trace pas-sengers who travelled on the same flight. “All of that is being done now, all the contact tracing,” Gordon-Boyle said.

Family members and others who had come into contact with the woman were being subjected to “house quar-antine,” the health official said.

President David Granger has advised against public gatherings and non-essential travel.

Putin may extend term over threats to Russia, virusAFP — MOSCOW

Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved legislation allowing him to stay in power beyond 2024 due to global instability and threats against Russia, including the new coronavirus, the Kremlin said yesterday.

During a rare and unscheduled appearance in parliament on Tuesday, Putin stunned both the general public and the establishment by agreeing to a last-minute proposal to reset his constitu-tional term-limit clock to zero.

This would allow him to run for president again after his fourth and last Kremlin term expires in 2024.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said yesterday that Putin had changed his mind due to a “totality” of factors, including the spread of the novel coronavirus, a possible global recession and regional conflicts.

“The situation around the world has become less stable,” Peskov told reporters.

He said the novel corona-virus “has quite serious con-sequences for the global economy already now and potentially may have more serious consequences for the global economy” in the future.

He also appeared to hit out at Western sanctions against Russia, saying they “run counter to international law”.

President Iohannis must now call for consultations with the political parties and make another nomination, who must win the support of a fragmented parliament.

Finland jails Sierra Leone man in Liberia war crimes caseAP — HELSINKI

A Finnish court has jailed in a custody hearing a 50-year-old Sierra Leone man suspected of committing serious war crimes and crimes against humanity from 1999 through 2003 during Liberia’s bloody second civil war.

The man is suspected of several murders, gross human rights abuses in exceptional circumstances, and aggravated war crimes, said the Pir-kanmaa District Court during yesterday’s hearing in the southern city of Tampere.

The man wasn’t publicly named but the Finnish news-paper Iltalehti, citing court documents, identified him as Gibril Ealoghima Massaquoi, a citizen of Liberia’s neighbour Sierra Leone who had lived in Finland for more than 10 years.

Official charges against Massaquol need to be filed by the end of January 2021, the Finnish court said.

Massaquoi was arrested on Tuesday by Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation, or NBI, in his hometown of Tampere, a key Finnish indus-trial and university town, where according to Iltalehti he has a regular job and a family with children.

Aamulehti, another Finnish newspaper, said Massaquoi had lived “a modest life” in a dire financial situation in Tampere over the past years but stressed the African “wasn’t hiding.” It wasn’t immediately clear how he ended up living in the Nordic nation of 5.5 million.

Finnish police first became aware of accusations against Massaquoi in 2018 through information provided by a Finnish NGO.

12 FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2020AMERICAS

Trump defends ban on travel from Europe as virus worsensAFP — WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump yesterday defended his decision to impose a 30-day ban on travel from mainland Europe over the coronavirus pandemic that sent markets into a tailspin and sparked panic among stranded travellers.

The US leader doubled down on his shock move as the number of cases and fatalities surged in Europe, prompting governments to roll out even tighter restrictions on travel and public gatherings.

The virus has quickly spread across the continent even as cases in Asia have lev-elled out in recent days.

China even claimed “the peak” of the epidemic had passed on its shores, as the number of infections and deaths jumped dramatically in Italy, Spain and Iran yesterday.

The virus has so far infected more than 130,000 people glo-bally and killed over 4,900, according to an AFP tally.

Trump’s sweeping travel ban — which notably excluded Britain and Ireland — drew an angry response from EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel who rebuked his “unilateral action” and called for cooperation to fight the pandemic.

But Trump defended the move, saying yesterday “we had

to move quickly”, while con-ceding the measures would have “a big impact” on the economy.

His remarks came as news emerged that he met at the weekend with the Brasilian president’s communications chief who has tested positive for the virus.

But the White House insisted there was no need for Trump to get tested for the virus.

Markets nosedived yes-terday, with London, Paris and Frankfurt recording their worst day in decades, even as the European Central Bank unveiled a host of measures to support the economy.

The downturn was a “horror show” sparked by the travel ban, which heightened “the likelihood of a global recession,” said Connor Campbell, an analyst at Spreadex.

The chaos extended to Europe’s airports, where con-fused travellers scrambled to redraw their plans.

Europe is struggling to keep a lid on the virus, with Italy and Spain emerging as hotspots in recent weeks.

Italy clocked a grim mile-stone yesterday as its death toll passed 1,000 — with more than 15,000 infections — while Spain’s infections neared 3,000, with more than 80 deaths.

Italy is in the grip of a lockdown never before seen in peacetime. It has ordered the closure of all stores except pharmacies and food shops in a move that has emptied world-famous tourist sites in Rome, Venice and Florence.

Italy is not the only country to take unprecedented measures. Slovakia and the Czech Republic banned travellers from a host of countries on Thursday, while Ireland closed all its schools after recording its first death this week.

Other countries in the region readied for the worst, including Britain which said the real number of cases on its soil could reach 10,000 — it has 590 confirmed cases.

Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson are in isolation in Australia after testing positive for the virus, joining the ranks of pol-iticians and sports stars that have come down with the infection.

The NBA on Wednesday suspended the season after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the virus, while Spain sus-pended top flight football matches for two weeks as Real Madrid went into quarantine.

Questions are also mounting about the fate of the Tokyo Olympics, though organisers have said they are confident that the Games will begin as scheduled in July.

US President Donald Trump meets with Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, yesterday.

Trump and Irish PM skip the handshakeAP — WASHINGTON

President Donald Trump and Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar found themselves in an awkward moment: How do you a greet a fellow world leader in the midst of a global viral pandemic? The two made the mutual decision upon Varadkar’s arrival yesterday for the Irish leader’s annual visit to the White House not to shake hands.

“We looked at each other and said, ‘What are we going to do?’” said Trump, acknowl-edging to reporters that he felt

a bit odd welcoming the Irish leader without a handshake.

“You know, it’s sort of a weird feeling.”

He joked during yesterday’s Oval Office meeting that India and Japan — both nations he has visited as President — are “ahead of the curve” because their cultures generally don’t involve handshakes. Trump even did a quick demonstration from his seat of the Japanese ojigi and the Indian namaste, both of which involve slight bows.

Varadkar, whose father was born in India, demonstrated

that he and the President opted for something similar to the Indian greeting, putting their hands together in prayer and slightly bowing.

“It almost feels impersonal. It feels like you’re being rude,” Varadkar said of forgoing the handshake. “But we just can’t afford to think like that for the next few weeks.”

Even as he avoided shaking hands with Varadkar, the Pres-ident continued to play down concerns that he may have already been exposed to indi-viduals infected by the coronavirus.

US in crisis mode as 38 dead from coronavirusREUTERS — WASHINGTON

The United States went into crisis mode yesterday to contain a coronavirus outbreak that has played havoc with businesses, shuttered schools and univer-sities and severely disrupted the sports and entertainment world.

The number of US corona-virus cases has risen steadily to 1,311, with 38 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins Uni-versity in Baltimore.

Fears of a recession grew as US cases of the virus that causes the sometimes fatal COVID-19 respiratory illness rose and the Trump administration prepared to roll out restrictions that threaten to cripple the travel industry.

US stock markets cratered again after trading opened, with major indexes entering bear-market territory.

Officials in the hardest-hit parts of the country, including New York and Washington

states, were trying to balance the need to protect the public while stopping short of actions that could freeze the daily lives of millions of people and stop economic activity.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told CNN that “more and more restrictions” were likely on the way, though he said there were no plans to shut down the city’s famous theater

district or its subway system, a vital transportation link.

He also announced the closure of two schools in the city due to a student’s “self-con-firmed” positive case of COVID-19. Hollywood has post-poned the release of several movies and movie theaters around the world have been closed over the health crisis.

US health officials have struggled to quickly expand testing capacity to make screening for the virus widely available, and have acknowl-edged that it is not easy for those possibly exposed to the virus to get tested.

“The system is not really geared to what we need right now,” Anthony Fauci, the top US official on infectious dis-eases, said at a congressional hearing. “The idea of anybody getting it (testing) easily the way people in other countries are doing it, we’re not set up for that.”

A member of a cleaning crew checks a coworker’s protective gear before entering the Life Care Center of Kirkland, a long-term care facility linked to several confirmed coronavirus cases, in Kirkland, Washington, US, yesterday.

Canada PM self-isolates as wife is tested for virus REUTERS — OTTAWA

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire are in self-isolation after she came down with flu-like symptoms and was tested for the new coronavirus, according to an official statement yesterday.

The 48-year-old Liberal leader is exhibiting no symptoms and will continue to work from home until the results of his wife’s test comes in, the statement said. However, face-to-face meetings with pro-vincial premiers scheduled for Thursday and Friday will instead be held by phone.

“Having recently returned from a speaking engagement in London, UK, the Prime Minis-ter’s wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau began exhibiting mild

flu-like symptoms including a low fever late last night,” the statement from the prime min-ister’s office read.

“She immediately sought medical advice, and is being tested for the COVID-19 virus. She is self-isolating at home awaiting test results, and her symptoms have since sub-sided.” The statement does not mention whether their three children are staying home as well.

Trudeau’s announcement comes as the spread of the new coronavirus appears to be gath-ering steam and as authorities cancelled major events to try to limit contagion.

Canada had just over 100 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus as of Wednesday, more than double the number from a week ago. With

Manitoba and New Brunswick reporting their first presumptive cases in the past 24 hours, six of Canada’s 10 provinces have recorded coronavirus cases.

Two other ministers with flu-like symptoms have gone into self-isolation in recent days as they awaited test results for

the virus. Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said that the rest of the cabinet had not been instructed to self-isolate.

Trudeau’s move is “a pre-cautionary measure, and should Canadians find themselves in a similar situation, that is the rec-ommendation,” Miller said.

A file photo of Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire in Ottawa, Canada, on September 11, 2019.

Up to 150 million Americans could get coronavirus: US projection

AFP — WASHINGTON

The physician for the United States Congress expects between 70 to 150 million people in the country to even-tually get infected with the novel coronavirus, a lawmaker said yesterday.

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib made the remarks during a hearing of the House of Rep-resentatives with members of the President’s coronavirus task force, confirming what was reported earlier by US media outlets including Axios and NBC News.

“Congress’s attending phy-sician told the Senate that he expects between 70 to 150 million people to eventually contract the coronavirus in the United States,” Tlaib said.

Citing two sources, Axios had reported that doctor Brian Monahan conveyed the pro-jection to Senate senior staff on Tuesday, telling them they should prepare for the worst and offering advice on how to remain healthy.

The upper end of the pro-jection is about 46 percent of the US population of 327 million people. By comparison German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned this week that up to 70 percent of her coun-try’s population could get the virus.

Asked by Tlaib whether he believed the projection was accurate, Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Dis-eases, said: “We really need to be careful with those kinds of predictions because that’s based on a model.” He added that “all models are as good as the assumptions that you put into the model” and that with containment and mitigation the upper end of the projection could be avoided.

Pentagon warns ‘all options on the table’ after Americans killed in IraqAFP — WASHINGTON

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper warned yesterday that “all options are on the table” a day after three US coalition members, including two US troops, were killed in a rocket attack in Iraq.

Esper told reporters Pres-ident Donald Trump had given him “the authority to do what we need to do,” when they

discussed the situation on Wednesday night.

Esper blamed the attack — a barrage of rockets that struck the Taji air base, killing two US soldiers and a member of the British Royal Army Medical Corps — on Iranian-backed Shia militia groups. “We have pretty good confidence we know who did this,” he said, insisting they were “clearly targeting coalition and partner forces on Camp

Taji.” General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said 30 rockets were fired, 18 of which hit the base. Besides the three killed, another 14 coa-lition members were injured, five of whom were in serious condition, he said.

Within hours of the attack, an air strike killed more than two dozen Iran-aligned fighters in neighboring Syria.

In late December, after an

American contractor was killed in a similar rocket attack, the US retaliated with an air strike that killed 25 fighters of the Iraqi group Kataeb Hezbollah.

Days later, a US drone strike killed senior Iranian com-mander Qasem Soleimani near Baghdad airport.

Iran then launched its own strikes on a western Iraqi base, leaving dozens of US troops suf-fering from brain trauma.

“Let me be clear, the United States will not tolerate attacks against our people, our interests or our allies,” Esper said.

“All options are on the table as we work with our partners to bring the perpetrators to justice and maintain deter-rence,” he said. “As we demon-strated in recent months, we will take any action necessary to protect our forces in Iraq and the region,” he added.

US Congress votes to restrain Trump on IranAFP — WASHINGTON

The US Congress on Wednesday gave its final approval to a bid to restrain President Donald Trump from attacking Iran, a sign of lawmakers’ alarm after soaring tensions.

A month after the reso-lution cleared the key hurdle of the Senate, which is con-trolled by Trump’s Republican Party, the Democratic-led House of Representatives voted 227-186 to approve the measure that bars any military action against Iran without an explicit vote from Congress.

But the resolution is vir-tually certain to be vetoed by Trump, and the coalition of most Democrats and a handful of war-skeptic Republicans lacks the votes to override him.

“If President Trump is serious about his promise to stop endless wars, he will sign this resolution into law,” said Senator Tim Kaine, the Dem-ocrat who spearheaded the move.

Supporters of the reso-lution said they wanted to ensure that Congress has the unique power to declare war, as outlined in the US Constitution.

“There are a lot of coun-tries in the world where one person makes the decision. They’re called dictators,” said Representative Steny Hoyer, the second highest-ranking Democrat in the House.

“Our Founding Fathers did not want dictators running America,” he said.

Representative Mike McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, denounced the resolution and said that it should instead state that the killing of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani made Americans safer.

“The enemies of our country are watching this debate right now. They need to know darn well that if you kill Americans, you will pay the price,” McCaul said in a floor speech met with loud cheers from Republicans.

Six Republicans and six Democrats crossed party lines in the House. In the Senate, eight Republicans had bucked their leadership.

Trump has vowed to pull troops around the world and recently sealed a deal with Afghanistan’s Taliban insur-gents for withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.

13FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2020 CLASSIFIEDS

ARTECHSage Accounting, Peachtree, QuickBooks, Dynacom, DacEasy, Tally, POS, Bar Code, Fixed Assets Software’s.Tel: +974 44375654 E-mail: artech@ar-technology.net

ACCOUNTING SOFTWARES

GEM ADVERTISING & PUBLICATIONS(Overseas Newspaper Advertisements) Tel: 44442001 - GSM: 55783303

ADVERTISING OVERSEAS NEWSPAPER

ATTESTATION

SERVICES

CALIBRATION SERVICES

WOKEER INDUSTRIAL AREAFrom 150 - 200 LaborsMobile: 660 02 704 E-mail: portacabins@iescoqatar.com

LABOUR CAMP FOR RENT

ARMSTRONG1000-4000 Gallon Tankers - Daily/Monthly/Yearly Contracts. Mobile: 660 41 449 (Neil)E-mail: portacabins6@iescoqatar.com www.iescoqatar.com.

SEWAGE & WASTE REMOVAL

SCAFFOLDING

APOLLO ENTERPRISES SCAFFOLDING DIVISIONContract/Hire/Sale - Salwa Road. Tel: 44693334 Fax: 44416274 GSM: 55521089/55560246/55536285 www.apollo-qatar.net - E-mail: apolloscaff@qatar.net.qa

REAL ESTATE

AL MUFTAH SERVICESTel: 44634444/44010700 Mob: 55542067/55823100

Website: www.rentacardoha.com

TRANSLATION

HELPLINE GROUPAuthorized Translation Centre.We speak more than 100 Languages. C Ring Road, Near by Toyota Signal Tel: (974)-44271100 Mob: 70114857 Email: info@helplinetranslation.com

ASIA TRANSLATION & SERVICES CENTRE

ARMSTRONG

Split & Central A/C. Annual Contracts. Mobile: 555 54 274 (Kumar)E-mail: @armstrongmachinery.com www.armstrongmachinery.com

A/C MAINTENANCE & SERVICES

ALWASEEM TRANSLATION & SERVICES CENTER

(Opp-Karwa Bus Stat. Doha, Al-Saeed Buil.2nd Floor.) -

translation@gmail.Com Web : www.alwaseemtranslation.com

BUSINESS SET-UP

HELPLINE GROUP

20 Years of experience and ISO Registered CompanyHELPLINE GROUP, C Ring Road Tel:(+974)-44271100Mob: 31550149 Email: info@Qatarhelplinegroup.com

HELPLINE GROUPCompany Registration, Local Sponsorship, Trademark, Feasibility Study,

HELPLINE GROUP, C Ring Road Tel: (+974)-44271100MOB: 77711129 Email: cf@qatarhelplinegroup.com

AL HAYIKI TRANSLATION & SERVICES EST.

E-mail: hayiki4u@gmail.com Web: www.alhayikitranslation.com

PARTY KINGDOM

Tel: 44353501/ 44366431 E-mail: partykingdom10doha@yahoo.com

PARTY ITEMS & BALLOON DECORATION

ARMSTRONGPorta Cabins/Pre-Fabricated Buildings/Toilets/Security Cabins. Fire Rated/Non Fire Rated. Mobile: 557 80 396 E-mail: portacabins2@iescoqatar.com www.iescoqatar.com.

PORTA CABINS (Sales & Rentals)

MASSAGE

KOTTAKKAL AYURVEDIC MASSAGE CENTRE

Near Badriya Signal, Bin Mehmood. Tel.: 44360061 GSM: 33453697

MEDIHERB MASSAGE

for back pain, body pain, arthritis etc shirodhara, steam, Moroccan Bathe, Body Scrub etc. E-Ring Road, Near ICC Signal, Nuaija. Tel: 66167700 - 50736611

AUTHENTIC THAI MASSAGE CENTERSFB: Royal Thai Men Spa, New Slata (Men Only)

FB: Royal Thai Lady Spa, Al Waab (Ladies Only)www.royalthailadyspa.com, Tel: 44142400

ARMSTRONG

Daily/Monthly/Yearly. Mobile: 557 80 396 E-mail: portacabins2@iescoqatar.com www.iescoqatar.com.

PORTABLE & CHEMICAL TOILETS (Sales & Rentals)

MEDIA SERVICES

RENT A CAR

AL MUFTAH RENT A CAR

OASIS RENT A CARYOU RENT MORE THAN A CAR WITH OASISAllen: 6641 7354 Tel: 4413 0011 - OasisCars.com Rental@OasisCars.Com - - Great deals on long term rentals

REGENCY FLEETS (A Regency Group Co.)

info@regencyfleets.com Tel: 44433822/44554046/44554048 Fax: 44554047 Airport Branch (24hrs): Tel.: 70482655

NATIONAL - ALAMO RENT A CAR

Call: 5547 8150, 5040 0624 Web: www.national-qatar.comE-mail: info@national-qatar.com

BUDGET RENT A CAR,

Free Road Side Assistance, Easy & Fast Booking Process

Email: info@budgetqatar.com Website: www.budgetqatar.com

WATER TANK CLEANING

AL MUTWASSIT CLEANING & PEST CONTROLKharaba st, Behind white Mosque. Fax: 443679 99 - GSM. 55875920/55860432

CAPITAL CLEANING COMPANYCleaning Water Tanks & Pest Control. GSM: 55565328/ 33189899 Tel: 44582257 E-mail: capitalcleaningwll@gmail.com

WOKEER INDUSTRIAL AREA

Mobile: 660 02 704 E-mail: portacabins@iescoqatar.com

WAREHOUSE FOR RENT

ARMSTRONG

Mobile: 557 80 396 E-mail: portacabins2@iescoqatar.com www.iescoqatar.com.

USED CONTAINERS (Sales & Rentals)

QUEENS LAND SERVICESBusiness Set-up and Sponsorship.

Mob: 77776917 E-mail: info@qlsqatar.com

INVEST IN QATAR

IMMIGRATION SERVICES

HELPLINE GROUPComplete Manpower SolutionsBusiness Structure and Business PlanningTel: (+974)-44271100 Mob: 77711129 Web: helplinehrconsulting.com

HR CONSULTATION

AL SALEH GROUP(HR)Tel: 44423838Send CV to Email: alsalehmanpower444@gmail.com

ARMSTRONGRepairs/Spare Parts & Rentals. Power from 5KVA to 2000KVA Sales/

Mobile: 555 54 274 (Kumar) E-mail: secretary@armstrongmachinery.com www.armstrongmachinery.com

GENERATORS SERVICING

ARMSTRONG

Chemical Toilets & Other Equipment Rental.Mobile : 557 80 396 portacabins2@iescoqatar.comwww.iescoqatar.com

EVENT RENTALS/ ABLUTIONTOILETS

CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE

AL MUTWASSIT CLEANING & PEST CONTROLComplete General Cleaning For Residential & Commercial. Supply

44367555 Mob: 30029977/55875920 E-mail: info@amcqatar.co

AL SALEH CLEANING & HOSPITALITY

Tel: 44423838 GSM: 55508393 - 55526943 - 50190005

CAPITAL CLEANING COMPANY W.L.L.

Tel: 44582257 Mobile: 33189899/ 55565328E-mail: capitalcleaningwll@gmail.com

AL SALEH REAL ESTATETel: 44423838. Mob: 33721133 E-mail: abnaasalehgroup@gmail.com

HOME CARE

14 FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2020CLASSIFIEDS

CHANGE OF NAME

I, Cheremie Marvic Miranda Dizon, holder of Philippines Passport

No. EC3748135(Qatar ID No. 29060815694) hereby change my name to

CHEREMIE MARVIC DIZON DAYRIT.

Any objection, please contact the Immigration and Passport Office within 15 days from the publication of this notice.

I, Pikkarra Joyce Lim Villa, holder of Philippines Passport

No. EC6285547(Qatar ID No. 29260803876) hereby change my name to

PIKKARRA JOYCE BRIGGIETTE LIM VILLA.

Any objection, please contact the Immigration and Passport Office within 15 days from the publication of this notice.

I, Ethyl Aquino Civico, holder of Philippines Passport

No. EC5968034(Qatar ID No. 28260813699) hereby change my name to

ETHYL CIVICO SARMIENTO.

Any objection, please contact the Immigration and Passport Office within 15 days from the publication of this notice.

I, Mara Salto Delostrico, holder of Philippines Passport

No. EC7549854(Qatar ID No. 29160802392) hereby change my name to

MARA DELOSTRICO SALTO.

Any objection, please contact the Immigration and Passport Office within 15 days from the publication of this notice.

I, Rina Marie Yunson Parba, holder of Philippines Passport

No. P8439845A(Qatar ID No. 27860809887) hereby change my name to

RINA MARIE PARBA SABALLA.

Any objection, please contact the Immigration and Passport Office within 15 days from the publication of this notice.

I, Rosita Clemente Costales, holder of Philippines Passport

No. EC6320268(Qatar ID No. 27360812269) hereby change my name to

ROSITA COSTALES SAURE.

Any objection, please contact the Immigration and Passport Office within 15 days from the publication of this notice.

I, Jacquline Makasakit Tagle, holder of Philippines Passport

No. P3219599B(Qatar ID No. 28260821419) hereby change my name to

JACQUELINE MAKASAKIT TAGLE.

Any objection, please contact the Immigration and Passport Office within 15 days from the publication of this notice.

I, Mohammed Sahvl Ahmeed, holder of India Passport

No. H7740931(Qatar ID No. 25235603543) hereby change my name to

MOHAMAD ALI SAHUL HAMEED.

Any objection, please contact the Immigration and Passport Office within 15 days from the publication of this notice.

I, Mohammad Nasir, holder of India Passport

No. H7349471(Qatar ID No. 27035611807) hereby change my name to

NASIR HUSAIN.

Any objection, please contact the Immigration and Passport Office within 15 days from the publication of this notice.

I, Thamima Sharaf, holder of India Passport

No. J1993850(Qatar ID No. 29535600225) hereby change my name to

THAMEEMA SHARAF.

Any objection, please contact the Immigration and Passport Office within 15 days from the publication of this notice.

I, Mehreen Inamdar Arshad Ibrahim, holder of India Passport

No. Z2841093(Qatar ID No. 29735600903) hereby change my name to

MEHREEN ARSHAD INAMDAR.

Any objection, please contact the Immigration and Passport Office within 15 days from the publication of this notice.

I, Zainab Bibi Khan Sahib Khan, holder of Pakistan Passport

No. LM3091393(Qatar ID No. 29658600607) hereby change my name to

ZAINAB AZIZ ABDUL AZIZ FAZAL.

Any objection, please contact the Immigration and Passport Office within 15 days from the publication of this notice.

I, Salamat Shah Shah Kiramat, holder of Pakistan Passport

No. NR5146514(Qatar ID No. 28058603325) hereby change my name to

SALAMAT SHAH KIRAMAT SHAH.

Any objection, please contact the Immigration and Passport Office within 15 days from the publication of this notice.

I, Minira Mohammed, holder of Pakistan Passport

No. BU0727032(Qatar ID No. 30158600192) hereby change my name to

MUNIRA MOHAMMAD AMIN.

Any objection, please contact the Immigration and Passport Office within 15 days from the publication of this notice.

I, Safia Mohamedazam, holder of Pakistan Passport

No. SW0154932(Qatar ID No. 28558600599) hereby change my name to

SAFIA MOHAMMAD AZAM.

Any objection, please contact the Immigration and Passport Office within 15 days from the publication of this notice.

I, Alix Rosie Kimber, holder of UK Passport

No. 575702519(Qatar ID No. 29482600369) hereby change my name to

ALIX ROSIE WALL.

Any objection, please contact the Immigration and Passport Office within 15 days from the publication of this notice.

I, Chloe Mandy Ellen Marie Romain, holder of UK Passport

No. 518280468(Qatar ID No. 29282600616) hereby change my name to

CHLOE MANDY ELLEN MARIE JEMAA.

Any objection, please contact the Immigration and Passport Office within 15 days from the publication of this notice.

I, Qasim Khan Farman Ullah, holder of Afghanistan Passport

No. 781278(Qatar ID No. 28558603195) hereby change my name to

MOHAMMAD QASIM SUBAT.

Any objection, please contact the Immigration and Passport Office within 15 days from the publication of this notice.

I, Kalite Adam Mahamat, holder of Chad Passport

No. R0437029(Qatar ID No. 28614800015) hereby change my name to

MAHAMAT KALITE ADAM.

Any objection, please contact the Immigration and Passport Office within 15 days from the publication of this notice.

I, Mohamad Atam, holder of Nepal Passport

No. 08334823(Qatar ID No. 27952407409) hereby change my name to

MOHAMAD AJAM.

Any objection, please contact the Immigration and Passport Office within 15 days from the publication of this notice.

CHANGE OF NAME

I, Sadman Sakib Md Ashek Ali, holder of Bangladesh Passport No. BR0119231

(Qatar ID No. 30305000254) hereby change my name to

SADMAN SAKIB.

Any objection, please contact the Immigration and Passport Office within 15 days from the publication of this notice.

BUSINESSEuropean Central

Bank deploys stimulus to ease

virus damage

Stocks, oil plunge as Trump travel ban fans recession fears

15FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2020

BUSINESS | 16BUSINESS | 16

Oil falls 6% after US surprises world with travel curbsREUTERS — LONDON

Oil prices fell more than 6 percent yesterday after US President Donald Trump unex-pectedly announced restric-tions on travel from Europe in an attempt to halt the spread of coronavirus after the World Health Organization described the outbreak as a pandemic.

The slump in oil is being compounded by the threat of a flood of cheap supply after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said they would raise output in a stand-off with Russia.

Brent crude was down $2.29, or 6.4 percent, at $33.50 a barrel by 1501 GMT. US crude was down $1.66, or 5 percent, at $31.32.

Global equities were also hit after President Trump said the United States would suspend all travel from Europe, except Britain and Ireland, as he unveiled measures to contain the coronavirus.

The oil market was taking the decision very negatively because of the expected impact on jet fuel demand, business activity and economic growth, said Bjoernar Tonhaugen, head of oil markets at energy con-sultant Rystad.

“It leads to further loss of confidence in governments’ handling of the fallout and increases uncertainty about the extent of the virus impact on the overall economy, reflected in sharp falls in risk assets across the board this morning.”

The two benchmarks are down about 50 percent from highs reached in January. They suffered their biggest one-day declines since the 1991 Gulf War on Monday after Saudi Arabia launched a price war.

The six-month Brent con-tango spread from May to November widened to as low as $6.40 a barrel, a level not seen since February 2015.

Contango is where the futures price of a commodity is higher than the spot price, prompting traders to fill tankers with oil to store for later delivery.

The cost to transport oil on supertankers soared as major producers scrambled to secure vessels to ship more crude in an effort to regain market share and buyers took advantage of plunging oil prices.

As many await to see who will break first in the Saudi-Russia price war, Ehsan Khoman, head of MENA research and strategy at MUFG, said: “We believe that both sides have enough financial capacity and sufficiently divergent goals to sustain the oil price war for many quarters, not months.”

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries have cut forecasts for oil demand because of the coronavirus out-break and now expect demand to contract this quarter.

UK earmarks fund to fight COVID-19Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak (centre) visits the pathology labs at Leeds General Infirmary, to show how yesterday’s budget is supporting those affected by coronavirus (COVID-19), in Leeds, Britain, yesterday. The chancellor has pledged £30bn of extra spending in a number of sweeping measures to protect the economy against the coronavirus in the budget.

IMF urges Lebanon to implement reformsAFP - WASHINGTON

Lebanon should move quickly to implement reforms to sta-bilise the country’s economy, the International Monetary Fund said yesterdayday.

Lebanon is facing its worst economic crisis since its 1975-1990 civil war, and Prime Minister Hassan Diab suspended payment of a $1.2bn Eurobond maturity due on Monday and is seeking debt restructuring because of dwindling foreign currency reserves.

“Given the severity of economic conditions in Lebanon, it’s important that the government designs and implements promptly a com-prehensive package of reforms to effectively address the economic challenges and improve Lebanon’s economic prospects,” IMF spokesman Gerry Rice told reporters.

While the country has not requested aid from the Wash-ington-based crisis lender, “We stand ready... to assist the authorities in those efforts.”

Lebanon’s debt burden, long among the largest in the world, is now equivalent to nearly 170 percent of its gross domestic product.

The value of the Leb-anese pound has plummeted by more than a third on the black market, prices have risen, and many businesses have been forced to close.

Diab also announced plans to slash state spending and downsize an inflated banking sector.

An IMF team has met with Lebanese officials, and is now waiting to see their plans “on how to tackle the economic challenges they face,” Rice said.

QSE index closes at 8,230.41 pointsTHE PENINSULA - DOHA

Qatar Stock Exchange’s (QSE) benchmark index lost 1,078.98 points, or 11.59 percent last week when the bourse closed yes-terday at 8,230.41 points. The sharp weekly decline in the main index, understandably due to apprehensions related to the global outbreak of the COVID-19, wiped-out about QR59bn from the market.

Trading value during last week increased by 39.75 percent to reach QR2.06bn compared to QR1.47bn at the end of previous week. Trading volume increased by 94.64 percent to reach 899.19 million shares, as against 461.96 million shares, while the number of transactions rose by 46.11 percent, to reach 47,335 trans-actions as compared to 32,397 transactions.

Market cap fell by 11.35 percent to reach QR461.25bn as compared to QR520.30bn at the end of previous week, reports

QNA. Banking and Financial Services sector led traded value last week with 46.97 percent of the total traded value. Consumer Goods and Services sector accounted for 16.10 percent. Industries sector accounted for 12.90 percent and Real Estate sector accounted 11.38 percent.

Real Estate sector led traded volume last week with 33.83 percent of the total traded volume. Banking and Financial Services sector accounted for 21.37 percent. Industries sector accounted 17.94 percent and Consumer Goods and Services sector accounted 14.63 percent.

Banking and Financial Services sector led traded number of transactions last week with 37.58 percent of the total number of transactions. Indus-tries sector accounted for 17.42 percent.

Consumer Goods and Services sector accounted 15.02 percent and Real Estate sector accounted for 13.82 percent.

From the 47 listed companies 5 ended last week higher, while 41 fell and one remained unchanged.

QNB led trading value during last week accounted for 19.6 percent of the total traded value. Masraf Al Rayan accounted for 10.87 percent and Qatar Fuel accounted 9.03 percent.

When compared on daily basis, the QSE index dropped 382.95 points, or 4.45 percent yesterday compared to Wednes-day’s closing.

The volume of shares traded increased to 196.82 million from 180.97 million on Wednesday and the value of shares increased to QR426.42m from QR359.18m on Wednesday.

Indices of all sector ended in red zone yesterday. QSE Total Return Index decreased 4.31 percent to 15,527.70 points and QSE Al Rayan Islamic Index down 3.25 percent to 3,130.84 points. QSE All Share Index lost 4.33 percent to 2,524.83 points.

Airline crisis worsens as US puts Europeans in coronavirus quarantine for a monthREUTERS — PARIS

Airlines bore the brunt of a dra-matic expansion of the corona-virus crisis yesterday, as US travel curbs on much of continental Europe deepened the sector’s misery and piled more pressure on governments to offer emer-gency support.

The 30-day restrictions will badly disrupt transatlantic traffic key to the earnings of major European carriers and their US airline partners, analysts warned, as the move hit travel stocks already battered by the virus out-break. Those routes account for 20-30 percent of large European operators’ revenue and a majority of profit, Credit Suisse analyst Neil Glynn warned, “highlighting the damage to revenue lines for the coming weeks and potentially well into the summer.”

Glynn added: “A ban on travel to the US will likely mean heavier cuts” than the drastic capacity reductions already ordered as airlines scrapped flights - first to China and then to other destinations including Italy as the virus spread. Shares in European and US airlines slumped in turn to new lows, with Delta and United Airlines down more than 13 percent and American Airlines 7.2 percent lower.

Air France-KLM was down

9.1 percent at 1506 GMT, with British Airways parent IAG down 10.7 percent and Lufthansa 11.5 percent lower. Troubled Nor-wegian Air and US-dependent Icelandair both plunged more than 20 percent.

The US curbs on travel from the 26-country Schengen Area - which excludes Britain and Ireland - are similar to restrictions on China that took effect on Feb. 1 and do not apply to US residents or their immediate family.

“The ban effectively stops travel from the Schengen Area to the USA,” said Bernstein analyst Daniel Roeska - predicting a “more substantial” earnings impact than European carriers had suffered from the earlier China flight suspensions.

US airlines had already cut flight schedules to Italy and will take another hit from lower demand for flights from major destinations such as France and

Germany. Among them, American Airlines could be rela-tively spared by its alliance with British Airways (BA) and higher share of UK traffic, while Air France-KLM partner Delta and Lufthansa ally United Airlines are likely to suffer more, analysts say.

US Vice-President Mike Pence defended the travel curbs yesterday, after the European Union complained they had been imposed “unilaterally and without consultation”.

The virus has taken root in the United States after spreading from China to Italy, South Korea, Iran and elsewhere.

Airlines had already been scrambling to respond to a global travel slump that looks increas-ingly likely to require government aid to avoid widespread insol-vencies. The EU will publish new state-aid guidelines today.

Germany may extend loans and other support to airlines, a government official said yes-terday. The French government also stands ready to help Air France-KLM, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire (pictured) said.

“There is a need for measures from many governments,” said Norwegian pilots’ union president Yngve Carlsen. “This could lead to a total meltdown.”

Scandinavian carrier SAS is in talks with the Swedish and Danish governments about

potential support measures, a company spokeswoman said.

EU airlines have seized on the crisis to push back on green taxes designed to help the bloc meet climate goals - including proposals to end current tax exemptions on jet fuel.

“New fiscal burdens should be postponed until the industry is back on a sound operational and financial footing,” lobby group Airlines for Europe said.

The latest travel clampdown could make coronavirus worse than previous aviation crises including the 9/11 attacks of 2001, UK-based consultant John Strickland said.

“It’s coming at the end of the northern hemisphere winter, which is a weak period for airline finances (when) they should be sowing seeds of a strong summer season by getting the bookings in,” he said.

Air France-KLM and Lufthansa said they were still studying the implications of the US move for flight schedules. IAG is potentially less impacted thanks to BA’s Heathrow base.

There were panicky European airport scenes as trav-ellers scrambled to fly to the United States before the restric-tions take effect late on March 13.

The fallout is also spreading fast from travel and tourism to aerospace and other industries.

Ministerial conference in June ‘not feasible’: WTOAGENCIES — GENEVA

The World Trade Organi-zation said yesterday that a planned ministerial con-ference in Kazakhstan in June would “not be feasible” due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“It is our considered view that holding MC12 (the 12th Ministerial Conference) as previously agreed from 8-11 June will not be feasible,” WTO chief Roberto Azevedo (pictured) said in a note cir-culated to member states and sent to the media.

WTO said it had reached the conclusion after consul-tations with the government of Kazakhstan, who had asked that members “revisit the decision” to hold the con-ference in its capital Nur-Sultan in June.

The final decision will meanwhile be up to member states, and the WTO said a special General Council meeting would be held “as soon as conditions permit” to discuss “how to proceed with revised arrangements for MC12.”

That could meanwhile take a while. Earlier this week, the global trade body said it would suspend all meetings until March 20 after

one of its staff members con-t r a c t e d t h e n e w coronavirus.

Given the worsening sit-uation in Switzerland, where more than 800 people have been infected and four have died, that suspension could easily be prolonged.

Kazakhstan authorities yesterday announced the sus-pension of all public events and closing schools and col-leges in response to the coro-navirus outbreak. The Interfax news agency quoted deputy prime minister Alikhan Smailov as saying the June World Trade Organisation ministerial conference in Kazakhstan had been can-celled. However, the trade and integration ministry said no decision had been made so far with regards to the WTO conference.

Brent crude was down $2.29, or 6.4 percent, at $33.50 a barrel by 1501 GMT. US crude was down $1.66, or 5 percent, at $31.32.

16 FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2020BUSINESS

CROSSWORD

Friendship and love between illegal immigrants struggling and facing challenges. Showing us that when it comes to the struggle of life, no border can divide human hearts and the love inside.

CHAL MERA PUTT 2

MALL ROYAL PLAZA

Kapella (2D/Malayalam) 5:15pmChal Mera Putt 2 (2D/Punjabi) 2:00pmAngrezi Medium (2D/Hindi) 2:30 & 6:30pmSonic: The Hedgehog (2D/Action) 3:00 & 5:00pmMisbehaviour (2D/Drama) 7:00pmI Still Believe (2D/Drama) 9:00pmForensic (2D/Malayalam) 4:15pmBloodshot (2D/Action) 7:30, 9:30 & 11:30pmBaaghi 3 (2D/Hindi) 9:00pm Walter (2D/Tamil) 11:30pm

Angrezi Medium (2D/Hindi) 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, 9:00pm & 12:00midnight; Bloodshot (2D) 11:15am, 1:45, 4:15, 6:45, 9:15 & 11:45pmForensic (2D/Malayalam) 10:30am, 3:30 & 8:45pmKapella (2D/Malayalam) 1:00, 6:15 & 11:30pm

LANDMARK

AL KHOR

Forensic (2D/Malayalam) 12:30, 5:30, 10:30PM & 01:00amTrance (2D/Malayalam) 3:00 & 8:45pmBaaghi 3 (2D/Hindi) 12:45, 6:00 & 11:15pmKannum Kannum (2D/Tamil) 5:30pm Angrezi Medium (2D/Hindi) 6:15pm; Dharala Prabu (Tamil) 3:30 & 11:45pm; Walter (Tamil) 12:45 & 9:00pm; Kapella (2D/Malayalam) 12:30, 3:30, 6:15, 8:45pm, 12:00midnight & 02:00am

ASIAN TOWN

ROXY

FLIK Mirqab Mall

Angrezi Medium (2D/Hindi) 4:45, 7:40 & 10:35Baaghi 3 (2D/Hindi) 7:00 & 10:00pmBloodshot (2D/Action) 12:50, 2:00, 3:00, 4:10, 5:10, 6:20, 7:20, 8:30, 9:30, 10:40, 11:40pm & 12 midnightBirds Of Prey (2D/Action) 12:20, 4:30 & 8:40pmI Still Believe (2D/Drama) 12:50 & 7:30pm; Misbehaviour (2D/Drama) 3:15 & 9:50pm; Sonic: The Hedgehog (2D/Action) 12:40, 2:45pm; The Call Of The Wild (2D/Drama) 12:55, 3:00, 2:30, 6:40 & 10:50pm The Way Back (2D/Drama) 3:50, 5:20, 8:00, 10:10pm, 0:20am

Angrezi Medium (2D/Hindi) 10:30, 12:30, 1;30, 4:30, 6:00, 7:30, 10:30pmBaaghi 3 (2D/Hindi) 7:00 & 10:00pmBloodshot (2D/Action) 11:00am, 12:30, 1;20, 2:40, 3:10, 3:40, 4:30, 5:00, 7;40, 8:10, 9:00, 9:30, 10;10, 10:30, 11:20 & 11:40pmDharala Prabu (Tamil) 8:40, 11:30 & 11:40pmForensic (2D/Malayalam) 7:00, 8:40, 10;00 & 11:30pmKapella (2D/Malayalam) 10:30am, 1:00, 3:30, 6:00, 8:30, 9:00 & 11:00pmSonic: The Hedgehog (2D/Action) 11:00am, 12;30, 6:00, 6:30 & 7:20pmStardog & Turbocat (2D/Animation) 11:00am, 12:30, 1:00, 3:00, 4:30, 5:00pmThe Way Back (2D/Drama) 1:00, 2:30, 5:30 & 6:50pmWalter (2D/Tamil) 12:30, 3:10 & 5:50pm

Angrezi Medium (2D/Hindi) 3:00 & 7:00pmBloodshot (2D/Action) 5:30, 7:30 & 9:30pmBaaghi 3 (2D/Hindi) 2:15 & 11:30pmForensic (2D/Malayalam) 2:15 & 11:30pmKapella (2D/Malayalam) 9:30pm

Angrezi Medium (2D/Hindi) 2:15, 9:00 & 11:30pmBaaghi 3 (2D/Hindi) 2:00, 6:30 & 11:30pmForensic (2D/Malayalam) 2:00 & 11:15pmSonic: The Hedgehog (2D/Action) 3:00 & 5:00pmWalter (2D/Tamil) 4:15pm Baaghi 3 (2D/Hindi) 6:30pmI Still Believe (2D/Drama) 7:00pmKapella (2D/Malayalam) 5:00pmBloodshot (2D/Action) 7:15, 9:15 & 11:15pmMisbehaviour (2D/Drama) 9:00pm

European Central Bank deploys stimulus to ease virus damageAP — FRANKFURT

The European Central Bank is deploying new stimulus measures to cushion the eco-nomic pain inflicted by the virus outbreak, but avoided cutting interest rates in a situation where economists say monetary policy can do little more than limit the damage.

The central bank for the 19 countries that use the euro decided yesterday to buy up to €120bn ($132bn) more in bonds this year.

The money is newly created and injected into the financial system. It comes on top of pur-chases worth 20 billion euros a month it is already carrying out, and would be aimed at corporate bonds, which should help keep credit available to companies.

ECB President Christine Lagarde (pictured) said the economy was facing a “major shock” and that the measures

unveiled Thursday were “almost surgically” targeted at areas where monetary policy tools could help.

The central bank, she said, was “determined to support households and firms in the face of the current economic disrup-tions and heightened uncertainty.”

But she added that a stronger response from eurozone govern-ments was needed to prevent the eurozone from falling into recession: “An ambitious and coordinated fiscal policy response is required to support businesses and workers at risk.”

She repeated the phrase at the start of her statement, and when asked if the eurozone faced a recession, said that depended “on the speed, the strength of the collective approach” by all players.

She said currently announced fiscal measures were only €27bn, or about a quarter of one percent

of GDP.Financial markets continued

to slide after the ECB’s announce-ments, with major indexes down almost 10 percent amid global concerns that authorities can do little to ease the damage wrought by the virus outbreak.

The European Central Bank said it was also providing more cheap, long-term loans to banks to make sure they have the liquidity they need. And the ECB will temporarily ease some capital requirements for banks to help them keep lending.

It’s all aimed at helping busi-nesses get the financing they need and stimulating activity to offset the downturn from all the closings and restrictions due to the virus outbreak.

The central bank did not cut interest rates as many analysts had expected. Rates are already low and economists have said deeper cuts might not help much.

Thursday’s steps “will do no

more than cushion the blow to the economy from the corona-virus,” said Andrew Kenningham, chief Europe economist at Capital Economics. “Monetary policy is powerless to prevent a deep downturn and, unlike in the US and China, it has little scope to support the recovery afterwards.”

The move comes as the eurozone is forecast to slide into recession and financial markets keep falling over concerns about the virus outbreak’s hit to the economy. Concerns deepened after the US decided to halt travel from 26 European countries.

Stocks plunge as Trump travel ban fans recession fearsAFP — LONDON

Stock markets tumbled across the globe and oil prices slumped yes-terday after President Donald Trump banned all travel from mainland Europe to the United States for a month to fight the coronavirus pandemic, ramping up fears of worldwide recession.

With the market panic having already wiped away more than $11 trillion in global value, the head of the World Health Organization said the COVID-19 outbreak “is a controllable pandemic” if coun-tries stepped up measures to tackle it.

“We are deeply concerned that some countries are not approaching this threat with the level of political commitment needed to control it,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told diplomats in Geneva, according to a statement.

Following an overnight slump, Sydney tumbled 7.4 percent yes-terday to suffer its worst session since the 2008 global financial

crisis.Tokyo closed down 4.4 percent, putting it in a bear market after slumping more than 20 percent from a recent high.

Hong Kong shed 3.7 percent, though Shanghai was off 1.5 percent as China continues to see infection rates slow.

Manila crashed nearly 10 percent -- sparking a brief trading halt -- after it emerged Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte would undergo a precautionary test for the virus. In the Gulf, Saudi dumped 3.0 percent in value, Dubai tumbled 8.0 percent and Qatar shed 4.5 percent.

“Taking the view that the president’s travel ban has only

further heightened the likelihood of a global recession... investors fled,” said Connor Campbell, market analyst at Spreadex trading group.

The carnage on stock markets spread to Europe, with losses accelerating in Paris and Frankfurt, which both fell more than 10 percent after the ECB unveiled a series of measures to shore up the eurozone economy, but it did not lower interest rates like central banks elsewhere.

The European Central Bank ramped up its super-cheap bank lending programme, vowing to “support bank lending to those affected most by the spread of the coronavirus, in particular small and medium-sized enterprises”, as well as spend an additional 120 billion euros ($135 billion euros) this year buying up government and corporate bonds.

On Wall Street, the stocks resumed their slide lower. The Dow tumbled 7.4 percent in the first minute of trading, having fallen 5.9 percent on Wednesday.

“The crux of the matter ... is that all of the efforts being made to curtail the spread of the coro-navirus are going to produce neg-ative economic outcomes that will weigh far and wide on earnings prospects since they are also cur-tailing consumer and business spending,” said market analyst Patrick J O’Hare at Briefing.com

“Travel restrictions equal slower global economic activity, so if you need any more coaxing to sell... after a massively negative signal from trading in US markets it just fell in your lap,” said Axi-Corp’s Stephen Innes (pictured).

The coronavirus outbreak has left virtually no sector untouched, though travel and tourism have been particularly hard-hit as countries institute travel bans and quarantine requirements, with Italy in a country-wide lockdown.

The coronavirus market crash has wiped off $11.3 trillion from global valuations as of the end of Wednesday, according to Howard Silverblatt, a senior analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices.

17FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2020 BUSINESS

18FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2020 SPORT

SPORTIt's so difficult to play a side like this. I don't understand with the quality they have the football they play: Jurgen Klopp hits out at Atletico Madrid's defensive approach after Liverpool were knocked out of the Champions League.

First ODI Australia vs New

Zealand in Sydney

Amir CupQuarter-finalAl Sadd vs Al Wakrah

CRICKET FOOTBALL

TO

DAY’S

A

CT

ION

TOO

DAY’S

Y’S

AA

Tokyo 2020 torch lit behind closed doors in ancient OlympiaATHENS — REUTERS

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics torch relay got under way yesterday when the flame was lit by the rays of the sun in ancient Olympia in a scaled-down ceremony over-shadowed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Actress Xanthi Georgiou, in the role of high priestess, used a parabolic mirror at the site of the ancient Greek Olympics to ignite the torch, before handing it to Greek Olympic shooting champion Anna Korakaki, the first woman to ever launch an Olympic relay.

Korakaki subsequently lit the torch of Japanese runner Mizuki Noguchi, the 2004 Olympic marathon champion. The torch will be handed over to Tokyo Games organisers in Athens on March 19 after a seven-day relay in Greece.

Tokyo Games organisers as

well as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have insisted the Games will go ahead as planned on July 24- Aug. 9,

amid mounting speculation that they could be cancelled or post-poned as the virus spreads rapidly across the globe.

“Nineteen weeks before the opening ceremony of the games we are strengthened in our commitment by many...

organisations around the world taking significant measures to contain the spread of the coro-navirus,” IOC President Thomas Bach said.

“The Tokyo Games are delivered by an all-star, all-Japan team with outstanding support and cooperation on all levels of government,” he told a small crowd of invited guest on a sun-drenched morning inside the ancient stadium, nestled in the western Peloponnese.

The ceremony was the first since 1984 to be held without spectators on the grassy slopes of the stadium, and only a few dozen accredited officials were allowed to watch the lighting at the nearby Temple of Hera.

The World Health Organi-zation (WHO) described the coronavirus outbreak as a pan-demic for the first time, prompting more countries to

announce drastic measures.US President Donald

Trump suspended travel from Europe, except for the UK, for 30 days starting Friday, and hard-hit Italy tightened its lockdown.

As of Wednesday, Japan had 620 cases and 15 deaths, excluding people on a cruise ship that was quarantined near Yokohama last month, according to the health min-istry. Experts say the tally may be deceptively low due to the limited number of tests in Japan compared with many other countries.

Tokyo Games chief Yoshiro Mori has called any talk of postponement “outrageous”, while yesterday Tokyo Gov-ernor Yuriko Koike said she believed cancellation was not an option, although she acknowledged that the pan-demic label would affect future discussions.

F1: Australian Grand Prix in chaos as McLaren pulls outAFP — MELBOURNE

McLaren pulled out of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix yesterday after a team member tested positive for coronavirus, throwing the race into chaos.

The employee was among at least five Formula One personnel -- four from Haas -- who went into isolation this week after showing flu-like symptoms typical of the virus.

“The team member was tested and self-isolated as soon as they started to show symptoms and will now be treated by local healthcare authorities,” McLaren said in a statement, adding that he would be quarantined.

“The decision (to withdraw) has been taken based on a duty of care not only to McLaren F1 employees and partners, but also to the team’s competitors, Formula 1 fans and wider F1 stakeholders.”

Results of the tests for the Haas staff have yet to be revealed.

McLaren’s decision to pull out casts doubt over whether the race will be run without a full complement of teams, and whether others will follow suit.

World champion Lewis Ham-ilton earlier yesterday said he was “very surprised” that it was going ahead as fears mount about the spread of the disease.

“I am really very, very sur-prised that we’re here. I don’t think it’s great that we have races but it really is shocking that we’re all sitting in this room,” he said at an official pre-race press con-

ference packed with media. “It seems that the rest of the

world is already reacting a little bit late, but you have seen this morning with (President Donald) Trump shutting down the border to Europe to the States, the NBA suspended, yet Formula One continues to go on.

“It’s a concern I think for the people here. It’s quite a big circus that’s come here, it’s definitely concerning for me.”

The Mercedes star, who is gunning to match Michael Schu-macher’s record seven world crowns this season, sat alongside Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo in the media session, but a large open space separated them from the press.

Asked why he felt the race was still on, Hamilton replied: “Cash is king.”

Four-time world champion Vettel said it was difficult to judge what to do as the virus continues its spread.

“Obviously we have to trust the FIA (International Auto-mobile Federation) to take pre-cautions as much as they can, but I think the answer that nobody can give you at the moment is how much you can control what is going on,” he said.

“As a matter of fact, we are here so you just try to take care as much as you can.”

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner said they had not yet dis-cussed what to do if any of their employees tested positive.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” he said.

Australia has reported 150 cases of coronavirus so far, including among fans who attended the women’s T20 Cricket World Cup final and a Super Rugby match, both in Mel-bourne last week.

European countries that are home to many of the F1 teams and journalists at the grand prix have had far more cases.

Despite concerns, fans flocked to Albert Park yesterday for a Supercars qualifying session.

“I’m not worried, I’m washing my hands and that’s the best thing to do,” said spectator Robert Clarke as he used a hand-sanitiser station.

Mechanics push the car of McLaren’s Carlos Sainz Jr. down the pitlane during practice in this file photo.

ATP suspends men’s tour for six weeksREUTERS — LONDON

The ATP suspended its profes-sional men’s tennis tour for six weeks yesterday, citing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, which has disrupted sports events across the globe.

The announcement came moments after Miami-Dade County said it would suspend the Miami Open and following Sunday’s last-minute cancel-lation of the Indian Wells tour-nament in Southern California.

The decision was not taken lightly, ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said in a statement, adding that the suspension rep-resents a great loss for players and fans.

“We believe this is the responsible action needed at

this time in order to protect the health and safety of our players, staff, the wider tennis com-munity and general public health in the face of this global pandemic,” he said.

Impacted events include the Clay Court Championships in Houston, the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech, the Monte Carlo Masters, the Barcelona Open and the Hungarian Open.

Players praised the ATP’s announcement and voiced concern over the coronavirus outbreak on social media.

“The wisest decision at times like these,” Argentine player Diego Schwartzman said on Twitter.

“Do not take it lightly,” Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas Tweeted.

“The coronavirus affects us

all and we must all do every-thing we can to reduce its spread.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) postponed all its events until April 20 fol-lowing the ATP’s announcement and will review the situation on a weekly basis.

“The ITF is taking the pre-cautionary measure to postpone all ITF-owned and sanctioned events, across the men’s and women’s ITF World Tennis Tour, the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors, the Wheelchair Tennis Tour, ITF Beach Tennis World Tour and ITF Seniors Tour,” it said in a statement.

The ITF on Wednesday post-poned the inaugural edition of the multi-nation Fed Cup finals scheduled to be held in Budapest next month.

Russian federation fined $10m for breaching anti-doping rules

REUTERS — MOSCOW

The Russian athletics feder-ation has been fined $10m for breaching anti-doping rules and a maximum of 10 Russian track and field athletes will be allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympics as neutrals, World Athletics said yesterday.

Russia’s athletics feder-ation was suspended in 2015 after a report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) found evi-dence of mass doping among track and field athletes in the country.

Yet some of its officials and senior coaches have since then been involved in doping scandals, under-mining the country’s efforts to have the ban lifted.

World Athletics, the sport’s global body gov-erning, said yesterday it was limiting to 10 the number of Russians who could be eli-gible to compete in track and field as neutrals at this year’s Tokyo Olympics.

It also reinstated the process by which Russian athletes can apply to compete internationally as neutrals after demonstrating that they train in a doping-free environment.

That vetting process will

be once again suspended if Russia fails to pay half of the $10m fine by July 1, World Athletics said.

That followed the pro-visional suspension of the federation’s president at the time, Dmitry Shlyakhtin, and six other people for having provided false explanations and forged documents to justify missed doping tests by high jumper Danil Lysenko.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said the body’s council had felt “severely let down” by the federation’s previous administration and that it had approved new cri-teria for its reinstatement, including additional over-sight by international experts based in Russia.

In recent months Russia has stepped up its efforts to have its athletes cleared to compete internationally, including with the appointment of a new fed-eration president and the resignation of its executive committee.

Russia is also in the process of appealing a four-year ban from competing under its flag in many sports at major international events as punishment for having provided WADA with doc-tored laboratory data.

World Athletics, the sport’s global body

governing, said yesterday it was limiting to 10

the number of Russians who could be eligible

to compete in track and field as neutrals at this

year’s Tokyo Olympics.

A “Tennis Event Cancelled” sign flashes outside the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California.

We believe this is the responsible action needed at this time in order to protect the health and safety of our players, staff, the wider tennis community and general public health in the face of this global pandemic: ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi

Greek actress Xanthi Georgiou, playing the role of High Priestess, lights the flame during the Olympic flame lighting ceremony for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, yesterday.

19FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2020 SPORT

Thrilling battles expected in last round of QSTK600, QTCCTHE PENINSULA – DOHA

The fifth and last round of Qatar Super-stock 600 (QSTK600) and Qatar Touring Car Championship (QTCC) will take place this weekend, on Match 13 and 14 at the Losail International Circuit.

The championship title for the QSTK600 will be decided this weekend between Saeed Al Sulaiti, Abdulla Al Qubaisi and Mishal Al Naimi.

Al Sulaiti is leading the champi-onship with 169 points, only six points ahead of Al Qubaisi, who has 163 points. Al Naimi has less chances to get the title as he has 142 points.

Al Sulaiti, the title holder and three times QSTK600 Champion is

looking forward for this weekend. "I am very excited for the last round,

for sure it is going to be full of action as always. Again, this season, the cham-pionship will be decided in the last round and I am sure that everybody will push and give a great show for eve-ryone. In the end of the day, everybody is a winner, this championship is great and we can see that all the riders are improving and pushing a lot," men-tioned Al Sulaiti.

"Last round was not as I expected and I lost valuable points for the cham-pionship. From the last round, I have trained hard to reach this last round well prepared and fight for the title," said Al Qubaisi.

In the Trophy category, although the title is also not decided, there is an important gap between Jeremy Parola and Rayad Al Emadi as the French rider is 30 points ahead of Al Emad, so Parola has high chances to clinch the championship.

For the Qatar Touring Car Champi-onship, in the QTCC 2K category, Ghanim Al Maadheed is leading with 108 points in front of Ibrahim Al Abdulghani who is second with 89 points. Nasser Al Ahbabi is third with 67 points.

"In the last two rounds, the car was very good and didn’t have any issue so hopefully, all remains the same and I can get good results in both races and

take the QTCC 2K championship title," said Al Maadheed.

For the QTCC M240 category, three drivers are fighting for the title, Hamad Al Sulaiti, Abdulla Al Khelaifi and Nasser Saadon Al Kuwari. Al Sulaiti is leading with 82 points, followed by Al Khelaifi with 74 points and Al Kuwari with 64 points.

The championship leader, Al Sulaiti knows that this weekend will be very tough. "This round will be the hardest one of the whole championships because three of us are very close with the points. I am leading the champi-onship only by 8 points and if I don’t get good results I can lose the championship but I will push very hard this weekend

and do my best," commented Al Sulaiti.Al Khelaifi is very excited to be back

racing after the break. "Technical issues and race retirements costed me a lot this season and to come back on top, a miracle has to happen since winning both races will not be enough if Hamad still finishes behind me. At the end this is racing and everything can happen. Important thing is to stay focused and to give it all. In general, very happy with the close competition and the increased cars on grid this season," said Al Khelaifi.

Qatar Superstock 600 and Qatar Touring Car Championship are organized by Losail Circuit Sports Club and Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation.

PSG sink Dortmund in empty stadium to reach quartersREUTERS – PARIS

Paris St Germain beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in an empty stadium due to coro-navirus fears on Wednesday to reach the Champions League quarter-finals 3-2 on aggregate.

Neymar and Juan Bernat scored before halftime to overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit and send the French cham-pions into the last eight for the first time since 2016 as Dortmund finished with 10 men after Emre Can was sent off in the dying minutes.

PSG made it past the last 16 after painful exits at the same stage in the last two years. They let slip a 4-0 advantage in a 6-5 aggregate defeat by Barcelona in 2017

and lost to Manchester United on away goals after beating the English side 2-0 at Old Trafford 12 months ago.

Over 3,000 ultra fans gathered near the Parc des Princes before kickoff after being granted authorisation by the police - demonstra-tions being considered an exemption to the ban of gath-erings of more than 1,000 as French authorities try to contain the coronavirus, which has infected 2,281 people and killed 48.

They lit firework and their chants could be overheard in the stadium. “Our only virus is Paris SG,” a banner in the empty arena read.

PSG were without captain Thiago Silva, who had not fully recovered from a

hamstring injury, while Kylian Mbappe started on the bench after suffering from a sore throat.

PSG dominated pos-session and had the first clear chance when Edinson Cav-ani’s cross shot from Di Maria’s through ball was deflected by keeper Roman Buerki.

Neymar put the hosts ahead in the 28th minute as he headed home Angel Di Maria’s free kick for his 35th goal in 57 matches, making his presence count after missing the return leg against United through injury last season.

Bernat doubled the lead on the stroke of halftime by flicking Sarabia’s attempt past Buerki.

PSG pressed high after the break while Erling Haaland, who scored a double in the first leg, never looked likely to add to his 10 Champions League goals this season.

Thorgan Hazard and Axel Witsel made way for Julian Brandt and Giovanni Reyna as Dortmund coach Lucien Favre looked to freshen up his attacking line and PSG were suddenly on the back foot.

A brawl erupted two minutes from time after Can fouled Neymar and pushed the Brazilian to the ground.

Can was sent off while Di Maria picked up a yellow card which means the Argentine will be suspended for the first leg of PSG’s quarter-final.

Atletico eliminate holders LiverpoolAP – LIVERPOOL

Atletico Madrid ended Liver-pool’s title defense in the Champions League with a 3-2 win at Anfield on Wednesday thanks to two goals by Marcos Llorente in extra time and another by fellow substitute Alvaro Morata.

Atletico advanced 4-2 on aggregate in the round of 16.

Roberto Firmino had just put Liverpool 2-0 ahead on the night - and 2-1 up on aggregate - with a

94th-minute goal when its backup goalkeeper, Adrian, made a poor clearance three minutes later that led to Llorente rolling in a finish.

That meant Atletico was leading on the away-goals rule but Llorente gave the Spanish team more breathing space with his second goal on the counterattack just before the end of the first extra-time period.

Liverpool couldn’t engineer another memorable Anfield turnaround and failed

in its bid to reach a third straight final, having beaten Tottenham for its sixth European Cup title last year after losing to Real Madrid the previous season.

Jurgen Klopp’s team will have to be content this season with winning the English league championship for the first time in 30 years. That could happen as early as next week, with the Reds holding a 25-point lead and needing just two more wins to clinch the title.

As for Atletico, another run in the Champions League is making up for a disap-pointing season in La Liga, where the team is in sixth place.

Llorente is in his first season at Atletico after a con-troversial move from fierce local rival Real Madrid in the offseason last year.

His father, Paco, and great uncle, Francisco Gento, are greats at Real.

Morata is also a former Real Madrid player.

Real Madrid in quarantine as La Liga haltedAFP – MADRID

Real Madrid went into quar-antine yesterday as La Liga announced Spain’s top two divisions will be suspended for at least two weeks over the coronavirus.

La Liga authorities made the decision after Real Madrid confirmed its senior football team is in quarantine after one of the club’s basketball players tested positive for the virus.

Real Madrid’s football and basketball players share facil-ities at Ciudad Real Madrid, the club’s training ground in Valdebebas.

A club statement read: “A player from our basketball first team has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Juventus' Rugani 'fine’ after being tested positiveREUTERS – MILAN

Juventus defender Daniele Rugani said he was fine yesterday, shortly after his club said he had tested positive for coronavirus, the first player in Serie A to do so.

The Turin side are one of Europe’s biggest clubs with a squad that includes five-times world player of the year Cris-tiano Ronaldo, who is currently in his native Madeira.

A source close to Juventus said the entire squad will have to spend two weeks in quar-antine, meaning they would not be able to face Olympique Lyonnais in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie on March 17.

EPL matches to be played in empty stadiums

REUTERS – LONDON

All Premier League and lower division matches in England are to be played without spec-tators amid the coronavirus outbreak, the Times reported on Wednesday.

The report said the season will not be postponed and that the games behind closed doors will not be shown in pubs “to avoid congregation of people”.

About 450 people in Britain have been infected by corona-virus and eight have died.

Euro 2020 warm-up event in Qatar called offAFP – PARIS

A four-team international tournament featuring European champions Portugal, World Cup finalists Croatia, Belgium and Switzerland in Qatar this month has been called off.

The Belgian FA said Wednesday it had “received the info from Qatar that due to the current situation worldwide the... tournament will have to be cancelled”.

The March 26-30 tour-nament was to be used as a warm-up event for Euro 2020.

Rain washesout first ODI between India and South AfricaREUTERS – DHARAMSALA

The first one-day international between India and South Africa in the northern Indian city of Dhar-amsala was called off without a ball being bowled due to incessant rain yesterday.

While several international sporting events have been cancelled or postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, the two cricket boards decided to go ahead with three one-day internationals despite concerns.

Yesterday, the Indian gov-ernment said it wanted the national cricket team’s upcoming matches to be played in empty stadiums - an unheard-of occurrence in a country where the sport is a national obsession.

But a sizeable crowd none-theless gathered in the Dharamsala ground, with local match organisers saying they had not received the government directive.

Paris St Germain’s Neymar celebrates with team-mates Marquinhos and Pablo Sarabia after scoring their first goal against Borussia Dortmund during the Champions League Round of 16 second leg match at the Parc des Princes in Paris, on Wednesday.

Atletico Madrid’s Marcos Llorente scores their second goal against Liverpool.

QGF postpones Doha Artistic Gymnastics World CupTHE PENINSULA – DOHA

The Qatar Gymnastics Federation (QGF) yesterday announced the postponement of the 13th FIG Artistic Gymnastics Individual Appa-ratus World Cup, citing concerns over the spread of coronavirus outbreak.

The event, which was scheduled to be held at Doha's Aspire Dome from March 18 to 21, will now take place from June 3 to 6 at the same venue, QGF said yesterday.

Over 250 gymnasts from 59 countries confirmed their partici-pation in the event, during which the QGF, headed by Ali Al Hitmi will celebrate its 20th anniversary.

According to the QGF, the decision to reschedule the event is in line with the recommendations of the Ministry of Public Health to avoid gatherings in public places and to implement the decisions issued by the National Pandemic Preparedness Committee.

Karachi beat Lahore; PSL matches to be played without fansAP – KARACHI

Karachi Kings delighted more than 25,000 supporters with a thumping 10-wicket victory over Lahore Qalandars yesterday in the last Pakistan Super League match in Karachi to be played in front of fans.

The Pakistan Cricket Board decided that the remaining games at the National Stadium will be played without spectators because of the coronavirus outbreak. That includes Karachi’s last two league matches on Saturday and Sunday. Peshawar Zalmi also play their last league game on Friday against Multan Sultans at the National Stadium.

On the field, the opening pair of Sharjeel Khan (74 not out) and Babar Azam (69 not out) hit brisk half centuries and carried Karachi to 151-0 with 17 balls to spare. Lahore were earlier restricted to 150-5 after Karachi skipper Imad Wasim won the toss and elected to field.

CHINTHANA WASALA THE PENINSULA

Al Sadd, with 15 Amir Cup titles under their belt, will be targeting a place in the semi-finals of this year’s tournament as they seek sweet revenge for their League loss against Al Wakrah at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium today.

Coach Xavi Hernandez and his Al Sadd team began the season by winning the Qatar Cup and later made it to the semi-finals of the AFC champions League. However, they are not having the same dream run which they had last season of the QNB Stars League and have lost to Al Wakrah 1-2 in their last meeting.

Despite that, the Barca legend yesterday said they are ready to give their best against Al Wakrah and move into the semis as they look for a place in the title clash.

“We are ready for the match against Al Wakrah. Our goal is to compete for title as our situ-ation in the league is bad. We have had intense training to prepare for this match. The Amir Cup Championship means a lot to us,” Xavi said during a press conference yesterday.

“Al Wakrah defeated us in the QNB Stars League and they

have an excellent coach and great players. We are trying to reach the final and to give our best performance,” Xavi said.

“We are performing well but we are not winning, and this is football. We give our everything in matches. This is how we play and we must now be effective. I only worry when we do not create opportunities, when we possess and dominate, but not score. We must improve our per-formance,” Xavi said.

Al Sadd’s preparations for

today’s match have been hit by several injury lay-offs, including national team captain Hassan Al Haydos, Pedro Miguel, Salem Al Hajri and Tareq Salman, but Xavi is confident that they can get past their opponents in today’s clash.

“The game against Al Wakrah is like a final. As for this season so far, we have been doing well, winning the Qatar Cup and reaching the AFC Champions League semi-final. We are only in a difficult spot in the League. The Amir Cup title is very

important to us and winning it will make this an excellent season for us,” Xavi said.

Al Sadd qualified for the quarter-finals by defeating Al Kharaitiyat in the round of 16 with a 3-1 margin while Al Wakrah qualified at the expense of Al Shahaniya by winning it on penalties 10-9 after the scores read 0-0 at the final whistle.

Al Wakrah’s coach Marquez Lopez yesterday said his team is determined to face the strong Al Sadd outfit.

“It will be very difficult, as Al Sadd is a strong team and we know what their capabil-ities are,” Lopez said yesterday.

Lopez said: “We know that there will be several players absent from the ranks of Al Sadd for injuries, but they still have good players who can fill that void. However, we believe we can challenge t h e m i n t o m o r r o w ’ s quarter-final.”

“Al Wakrah are also missing

two or three key players, but we depend on the team play style, and our plans depend on the team as a group and not as individuals. Therefore we will not be affected by absences,” the Spaniard added.

“It is a very important tour-nament for us, and we will do our utmost to continue the journey and reach the semi-finals, and we will strive to win and overcome the obstacle of the star-studded Al Sadd team even,” Lopez added.

SPORTFRIDAY 13 MARCH 2020

Al Markhiya make Amir Cup semis with stunning win over Al RayyanFAWAD HUSSAIN THE PENINSULA

Second division side Al Markhiya shocked six-time champions Al Rayyan 1-0 to reach the semi-finals of the prestigious Amir Cup at Al Sadd Stadium yesterday.

Al Markhiya’s Omani mid-fielder Ahmed Mubarak scored the all-important in a 82nd minute penalty, giving his side a memorable victory in the second quarter-final, which was played behind closed doors to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Al Markhiya, coached by Younes Ali, were paid for their solid defence throughout the match, which saw the ‘Lions’ dominating the proceedings with an aggressive display.

Al Rayyan, however, were unfortunate not to score yes-terday despite creating numerous chances with some of the referee’s decisions going against them.

The team, coached by Uru-guayan Diego Aguirre, seemed they will open the floodgates in the first half as they started attacking Al Markhiya’s goal right from the start.

But, Al Markhiya, who begun the match with a defensive approach did well to hold the former champions.

The first 15 minutes saw Al Rayyan taking control of the match completely making repeated attacks.

Al Rayyan captain Rodrigo Tabata’s free hit outside the box was on target but Al Markhiya goalkeeper Mohamed Said did well to block the attempt.

Besides doing well in defence, Al Markhiya also made a few attacks but Al Rayyan continued the dominating display.

In a 26th minute attack, Al Rayyan’s Yohan Alexander had a good opportunity to score but he struck a cross right in hands of Al Markhiya goalkeeper, when there was just one defender present.

Just a minute later, Al Markhiya got their first realistic chance to score a goal in an attack initiated by Nigerian

Anthony Bassey. Al Markhiya’s Hamad Saeed found himself in perfect position to score but his hit was well blocked by Al Rayyan’s South Korean star Lee Jaeik, who dived to deflect the ball off target.

As the match gathered more pace, Al Rayyan were unlucky not to get a goal when Tabata’s furious strike from outside the box struck the goal post.

Referee Meshari Al Shamari’s decision to award penalty in favour of Al Rayyan in the 38th minute was over-turned by VAR after replay showed Al Markhiya captain Aden Ali’s tackle against Alex-ander was clean.

The decision allowed Al Markhiya to go into the breather without any deficit as more Al Rayyan attacks went without a goal being scored.

In the second half, Al Rayyan again came as a dominant side pushing for a goal but Al Markhiya defenders continued to block their way, with Mubarak receiving a caution for one of those tackles.

Looking for a goal, Al Rayyan coach Aguirre sent Mohammed Juma Al Awai in play while

calling back Alexander in the 63rd minute.

Referee turned down Franck Kom’s appeal of a handball against Al Markhiya defender on his attempt in a 72nd minute corner, just handing one more corner to the ‘Lions’.

Star Sebastian Soria then came off the bench as Al Rayyan struggled for a goal but it was Al

Markhiya who found the winner. A decision by VAR adjudged

a handball by Abdelaziz Hatem inside the box during an attack by Al Markhiya, who were then handed a spot kick.

Mubarak was on target with a right-footed hit, though Al Rayyan goalkepeer Fahad Younis dived in the right direction but he was a little late

in his response. Al Rayyan created more chances to find the equaliser with Soria also making a couple of attempts. However, it was Al Markhiya’s day who went away victorious with a his-toric win.

Today, Al Sadd and Al Wakrah will clash in the third quarter-final at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium.

Al Sadd seek revenge against Al Wakrah in quarter-final

Al Sadd's players in action during a practice session yesterday.

Al Wakrah players in action during a practice session yesterday.

Al Wakrah’s coach Marquez Lopez

Al Sadd's coach Xavi Hernandez

UEFA to decide on fate of Euro 2020, Champions LeagueAFP – PARIS

UEFA will hold a crisis meeting next week, European football’s governing body announced yesterday, as the coronavirus pandemic threatens to force the postponement of Euro 2020 and wreaks havoc with the ongoing Champions League.

A videoconference will be held “to discuss European foot-ball’s response to the outbreak” next Tuesday “in the light of the ongoing developments in the spread of COVID-19 across Europe and the changing analysis of the World Health Organisation.” The meeting will involve representatives from all 55 national associations and club and player bodies.

One possible solution for the European Championship could be to delay the tour-nament by a year until 2021.

A source close to UEFA told AFP that everything is on the table, from postponing the tournament and changing the format to even changing the venues.

Similarly, according to the source, all possibilities are being considered for the ongoing European club com-petitions, including playing one-off ties instead of two legs.

UEFA have postponed next Tuesday’s Champions League last 16, second legs between Manchester City and Real Madrid, and between Juventus and Lyon.

Real, who lost the first leg 2-1 at home to City, announced yesterday that their squad has been placed in quarantine after one of the club’s basketball players tested positive for the virus. Euro 2020 is due to kick off in three months and the final four qualifying spots are due to be decided in play-off matches scheduled to be played at the end of this month.

UEFA has also cancelled upcoming matches in the men’s and women’s under-17 and under-19 European Champi-onships, due to take place between March 14 and April 14.

Al Markhiya’s Ahmed Mubarak (centre) celebrates

after scoring the only goal of the match against Al

Rayyan during yesterday's Amir Cup quarter-final at

the Al Sadd Stadium.

Players vie for the ball possession during yesterday's quarter-final.