Sheikha Moza crowns winner of Grand Prix of Doha

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Sunday 8 March 2020

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Over 3,000 screened; spread of COVID-19 remains low in QatarFAZEENA SALEEMTHE PENINSULA

Qatar has screened more than 3,000 people coming from abroad and inside the county for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and has found 12 confirmed cases, health officials said during a press conference held at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), yesterday.

The officials also confirmed that the patients diagnosed with COVID-19 are in stable con-dition, they were not in contact with community members and the chance of an outbreak is still very low in the county.

“Qatar is still at the early stage of the COVID-19 epi-demic. We have implemented a high surveillance system, have infection control and quarantined those who are at the risk of spreading the disease as preventive measures. We screen every suspected case,” said Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal, Co-Chair of the National Pandemic Preparedness Committee and Head of Infectious Diseases at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).

He further emphasised that

there is no need for the public to panic or fear as none of the COVID-19 cases are from the community and all of them were among the people evac-uated from Iran on a special chartered plane and quaran-tined on February 27.

“They were all kept in quar-antine immediately after their arrival in Doha and none of them had any contact with community members,” Dr. Al Khal added.

He also highlighted that Qatar has enough stock of med-ication and other medical sup-plies to treat patients with COVID-19 and others.

Sheikh Dr. Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani, Director of Public Health at MoPH, and Dr. Hamad Eid Al Rumaihi, Director, Department of Health Protection and Prevention of Transitional Diseases, were also present at the press conference. �P2

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Schools are continuously being monitored by the Ministry of Public Health and there is no need to close them due to COVID-19, said a senior official yesterday.

“All cases tested positive are found among those who came in the same flight from Iran. Unlike other countries, in Qatar COVID-19 cases are not in the community, therefore there is no need to close schools in Qatar,” said Sheikh Dr. Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani, Director of Public Health, Ministry of Public Health, speaking on the sidelines of a press conference.

He also emphasised that chances of those under 22 years of age getting infected by COVID-19 are very rare and if it does occur, they will be cured quickly. �P2

No need to close schools

Ooredoo Group selects Huawei to provide 5G services in five countriesTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Ooredoo Group and Huawei, two of the world’s leading digital enablers, yesterday announced a strategic part-nership to make the Ooredoo Supernet fully 5G-enabled with

the goal of enhancing people’s digital lives across five coun-tries — Kuwait, Oman, Indo-nesia, Tunisia and Maldives – over the next five years.

Ooredoo will leverage Hua-wei’s world-leading 5G Sin-gleRAN radio solution with

advanced Massive MIMO tech-nology, and 5G Cloud Core solution with a convergent platform to achieve a full digital transformation and moderni-zation of its existing mobile networks.

�P3

H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, crowned German rider Daniel Deusser the winner of Grand Prix of Doha, at the final of the Longines Global Championship Tour 2020. PIC: AISHA AL-MUSALLAM �P2

Celebrating 20 years of excellence: QGF gears up to host FIG World Cup

OFFICIAL NEWS

DOHA: Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sent yesterday a cable of condolences to the Pres-ident of the Republic of Tunisia, H E Kais Saied, on the victims of ter-rorist bombing that took place near the US embassy in Tunisian capi-tal, Tunis, and led to martyrdom of a security serviceman and wounding several others, wishing the injured a speedy recovery. In the cable, His Highness also expressed his strong condemnation of this criminal act, stressing the State of Qatar’s con-sistent position rejecting extremism, violence and terrorism, regardless of the motives and reasons. The Deputy Amir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani also sent a cable of condolences to the President of the Republic of Tunisia on the victims of the terrorist bomb-ing, wishing the injured a speedy recovery. The Prime Minister and Minis-ter of Interior, H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, also sent a cable of condolences to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Tunisia, H E Elyes Fakhfakh, on the victims of the terrorist bomb-ing, wishing the injured a speedy recovery. QNA

Amir sends condolences to President of Tunisia

02 SUNDAY 8 MARCH 2020HOME

FAJR SUNRISE 04.35 am 05.51 am

W A L R U WA I S : 16o↗ 22o W A L K H O R : 15o↗ 27o W D U K H A N : 17o↗ 24o W WA K R A H : 15o↗ 30o W M E S A I E E D 15o↗ 30o W A B U S A M R A 15o↗ 27o

PRAYER TIMINGS WEATHER TODAY

HIGH TIDE 03:49 – 14:54 LOW TIDE 11:24 – 22:09

Misty at places at first and slight dust to dusty at times with some clouds, relatively cold by night.

Minimum Maximum16oC 29oC

ZUHRMAGHRIB

11.45 am05.41 pm

ASR ISHA

03.08 pm07.11 pm

Ooredoo continues ‘Title Sponsorship’ of Ride of ChampionsTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar’s leading telecommuni-cations operator yesterday announced its continued Title Sponsorship of the Ooredoo Ride of Champions, set to take place on March 13.

The Ooredoo Ride Of Champions — being held at Ceremonial Court, Education City, Qatar Foundation — is the official flagship community event of Qatar Cyclist Centre. 2020 will be the fourth edition of the event, with record numbers of participants and spectators expected to take part. The Ooredoo Ride of

Champions offers three dis-tances for cyclists aged 16+ on the open road; 137.5km, 78km and 48km, as well as a closed-to-traffic 5.8km circuit in Edu-cation City open to families and athletes of of abilities, aged 9+. There will also be handcycle and wheelchair

events, and a 1km ride for budding cyclists aged 3-8.

An RoC Fan Zone will be set up at Qatar Foundation, offering a range of activities for all the family as well as refreshments.

Speaking about the 2020 Ooredoo Ride of Champions,

Sabah Rabia Al Kuwari – Director of Public Relations at Ooredoo Qatar – said: “Ooredoo is committed to sup-porting sports and community events, and promoting the benefits of staying active and adopting a healthy, balanced lifestyle, as a key part of our corporate social responsibility strategy. We’re delighted the Ooredoo Ride of Champions is going from strength to strength each year, and we look forward to some awesome cycling perform-ances – and to seeing families and friends out enjoying them-selves together and getting

active - at the 2020 event.”Dr Abdulazziz Al Kuwari, Pres-ident of Qatar Cyclist Centre, said: “We’re delighted to have the support of Ooredoo as we organise another Ooredoo Ride of Champions. We’re proud to see our event attracting cyclists of all ages and abilities; we believe cycling is an awesome sport that everyone can enjoy, and we look forward to creating another memorable event for all.”

Spaces are still available for this year’s event, with reg-istration open at www.rocdoha.qa. The first 2000

participants to sign up will receive limited edition cycling jerseys (9+) and event bike bottles.

Official Partners and Sup-porters of the Ooredoo Ride of Champions include Ooredoo Qatar, Qatar National Tourism Council, Dolphin Energy, Qatar Stock Exchange (pre-senting partner of the QSE Corporate Challenge), Turkish Airlines, Qatar Foundation, Ministry of Culture and Sports of Qatar, Qatar Cycling Fed-eration, Aspetar, Rasen Sports, Garmin Lingawi, Rayyan Water, Best Buddies Qatar and Accessible Qatar.

3,000 screened; spread of COVID-19 remains low FROM PAGE 1

The officials urged public to cooperate with health author-ities and to present them to the clinic at the Hamad Interna-tional Airport upon arrival or to a Health Centre if they develop symptoms or have travelled from a country facing epidemic.

“What we are doing is healthy for the country. We request people to be responsible and come immediately if they have any symptoms of COVID-2019,” said Al Thani.

Upon answering a question regarding quarantine centers to The Peninsula on the sidelines of the press conference, Dr Al Thani said that several places had been assigned for quar-antine and had the capacity of accommodating hundreds of people. “We quarantine people coming from countries which have the high prevalence of COVID-2019. We have a hotel and different buildings in the country in different areas to quarantine people. These places can accommodate hundreds of

people. These places have all facilities,” he said.

“We have dedicated people serving those in quarantine. The service people follow a protocol; wear personnel protective gear and ready to be tested for COVID-2019 if needed,” he added. Dr Al Thani also said that people with symptoms of COVID-2019 will be tested and

isolated until the results are con-firmed. “If the test results are positive they will be transferred to the Communicable Disease Centre. We monitor the con-dition of patients in isolation and we can confirm that 80% of the cases do not deteriorate. We examine them three times before confirming that they have recovered,” he said.

Nayef Abboud Al Shammari, Assistant Executive Director Media at Hamad Medical Corporation; Sheikh Dr. Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani, Director of Public Health at MoPH; Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal, Co-Chair of the National Pandemic Preparedness Committee, and Head of Infectious Diseases at Hamad Medical Corporation; and Dr. Hamad Eid Al Rumaihi, Director, Department of Health Protection and Prevention of Transitional Diseases at MoPH, during a press conference at the Ministry premises, yesterday. PIC: QASSIM RAHMATULLAH/THE PENINSULA

No need to close schoolsFROM PAGE 1

Meanwhile, the Ministry has assured parents that it has taken necessary preventive measures to protect school stu-dents from coronavirus. “We assure parents that there is per-manent and continuous coordination with the Ministry of Public Health and Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) to take all preventive measures in terms of hygiene and health awareness to protect students, teachers, and administrators in schools from the disease,” the Ministry of Education and Higher Education tweeted yesterday.

In another tweet, the Ministry said: “The Ministry of Edu-cation and Higher Education has also intensified awareness campaigns for all schools. The Ministry, in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health and PHCC, organised several work-shops for public and private schools to enhance health con-cepts and methods of dealing with coronavirus.”

Nomination for sixth edition of Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation beginsMOHAMMED OSMAN THE PENINSULA

The board of trustees of Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding yesterday announced the launch of the sixth edition of the Award setting June 30, 2020 as the last date for accepting nominations for the edition.

It was announced in a press conference held yesterday at the Forum for Arab and Interna-tional Relations in Katara and addressed by Dr. Hanan Al Fayadh, the Award’s media consultant.

The Award, which is a global award supervised by a Board of Trustees, a Steering Committee and independent judging com-mittee, has positioned itself dis-tinctively since its launch in 2015, within the Arab and international cultural scene, trying to reach every year different languages and cultures from over the world, said Dr. Hanan Al Fayadh.

“There are no changes in the policy or categories of the award or its regulation,” said Al Fayadh, noting that the selection of the languages took into account many factors including experts’ reports, assessment of the spread of the language, geographical location and availability of trans-lated materials from Arabic vice versa and the target language.

“The award has strongly created awareness among youth and publishing houses and encouraging translation and quality of translation,” she added.

In regard to limiting the award on social sciences and not including pure sciences and technology, she told The Peninsula that this may need much works, preparations and very specialized and

sophisticated assessment system which may not be affordable currently but in the future it could be included when appro-priate environment is created.

Al Fayadh pointed out that the in order to continue enhancing communication between Arab and different cul-tures of the world, the award in season 2020, has selected Persian language as a second major language, and another five new languages in the achievement category.

The committee concerned selected for the sixth edition of the award this year Persian lan-guage as the second major lan-guage alongside English and Arabic, with new five languages in the achievement category including Pashto, Bengali, Swedish, Korean and Hausa.

There are also five categories this year which are: Translation from Arabic into English, Trans-lation from English into Arabic, Translation from Arabic into Persian, Translation from Persian into Arabic, and an Achievement Award.

The total amount of the

Award is $2m divided into two categories (translation awards from/to English and Arabic and from/to Arabic and Persian, plus achievement $1m). The second category which is $1m is allocated for the award of achievement which includes above mentioned five languages. The $200,000 of the achievement award is divided into two subcate-gories; translation from Arabic, and from one of

the five languages into Arabic. Each category can get a maximum of

$100,000.The Award was founded in

2015 with the aim of honoring translators and appreciating their role in building bridges of com-munication between nations and peoples.

The award has established an official website for interested people to get further information (www.hta.qa/en).

The conditions for taking part in the award contest also include that the translation works, for the first category, must have been published five years prior to the announcement date of the award while achievement category is not sub-jected to time limitation and can be awarded to a set of works/achievements of a lifetime.

Only after five years, any award winner can take part again in the nomination of the award according to the regula-tions. And, only one translated work is allowed for nominee who must be alive at the time of the nomination while institutions can nominate up to three trans-lated works by three different translators.

Dr Hanan Al Fayadh PIC: ABDUL BASIT/THE PENINSULA

Sheikha Moza opens Equine Veterinary Medical CenterTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foun-dation, has officially opened the Equine Veterinary Medical Center – a regionally unique facility designed to provide the highest calibre of healthcare for horses while also advancing veterinary science.

During a tour of the Edu-cation City-based centre — a member of Qatar Foundation — to mark its opening yes-terday, H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser was given an insight into its services, technologies, and equine healthcare prac-tices, while also meeting members of its team, said a statement.

H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser was accompanied on the tour of the Equine Veter-inary Medical Center (EVMC) by ministers and VIP guests.

“The Arabian horse breed is a respected, admired, and much-loved cornerstone of the cultural heritage of Qatar and the Arab world, and the world-class healthcare that the Equine Veterinary Medical Center pro-vides for this symbol of our nation and region reflects its enduring, central role in our society,” said Khalifa Al Attiya,

Executive Director of Al Shaqab, QF’s equine and equestrian center where the EVMC is based.

“As well as providing an exceptional standard of equine healthcare for horse-owners throughout Qatar and beyond, the center aims to be at the forefront of creating new knowledge in this field through groundbreaking research, provide opportunities for both postgraduate students and sci-entists, and raise awareness of the veterinary profession in Qatar. “From healthcare, edu-cation, and innovation to helping to preserve and

promote a vital aspect of Qatari and Arab culture, the Equine Veterinary Medical Center reflects the overarching mission of Qatar Foundation, and we are delighted to see the benefits it is already bringing to Qatar’s equine community and the positive response to the services it provides, the role it performs, and the message it sends.”

The EVMC houses an equine referral hospital, a vet-erinary diagnostic laboratory, and a clinical research labo-ratory, with its team of veter-inarians employing advanced treatments and techniques to care for horses. Its specialized services include surgery, internal medicine, rehabili-tation, dentistry, diagnostic i m a g i n g , a n d p a i n

management, with the center also offering a round-the-clock emergency service.

Meanwhile , EVMC’s research program is aiming to make scientific advances in the field of equine medicine through collaborations and clinical research projects, while the centre also offers educa-tional programs.

H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, touring Al Shaqab’s Equine Veterinary Medical Center after its official opening. PIC: AR AL BAKER

During a tour of the Education City-based center, H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser was given an insight into its services, technologies, and equine healthcare practices, while also meeting members of its team.

03SUNDAY 8 MARCH 2020 HOME

Qatari judges participate in London workshopQNA — LONDON

Nine Qatari judges are currently participating in the British capital, London, in a workshop on developing commercial liti-gation, within the framework of the Qatari-British judicial coop-eration program between the Supreme Judicial Council and the United Kingdom Embassy in Doha.

Hosted by the London

Circuit Commercial Court, the workshop comes within the project of the transition towards a specialised judiciary that is being undertaken by the Supreme Judicial Council, and preparations for the opening of the Commercial Court scheduled for this year.

The workshop covers many topics related to the develop-mental clauses of the procedural litigation process, especially the

emerging issues in commercial disputes and case management, and the completion of the pro-cedural process of judgments with the powers and tools of implementing rulings.

The workshop also includes a practical part, through which Qatari judges are acquainted with the most prominent solu-tions to the challenges facing commercial l i t igat ion proceedings.

QF’s QGBC honours 29 winners of Qatar Sustainability Awards 2020SANAULLAH ATAULLAH THE PENINSULA

Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC), a member of Qatar Foundation (QF), has honoured 29 winners of fourth Qatar Sustainability Awards 2020 in a ceremony held at City Center Rotana Hotel.

The award aimed at recog-nising the efforts, commitment, and contributions of indi-viduals, institutions and organ-isations in furthering sus-tainable development and envi-ronmental protection in Qatar and the region and share the experiences in this regard.

“There were eight main cat-egories of the award including green buildings, green hospi-tality, green events, green cor-porate, green service providers, sustainability initiatives, building products and technol-ogies and green research,” said Engineer Meshal Al Shamari, Director, QGBC while talking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of the ceremony.

He said that from about 100 entries submitted for Qatar Sus-tainability Awards 2020, a total of 29 winners were announced. “The Qatar Sustainability Awards was launched in 2016 where 50 entries were sub-mitted for 21 categories,” said Al Shamari.

Arab Engineering Bureau’s Marina 09 Building won the Green Residential Building award. Qatar University’s Early Childhood and Teacher Training Center won the Green Education Building award. Polypipe won the Green Building Product award. Jotun won the Green Building Product award.

Msheireb Properties Head-quarters won the Green Office

Building award. Hamad Bin Khalifa University won the Green Research award. Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel won the Green Hotel award. QF Hospi-tality Services won the Green Catering award. GEMS American Academy Qatar won the School Sustainability Initi-ative award.

Hamad Bin Khalifa Uni-versity, Maker Majlis, won the University Sustainability Ini-tiative award. ConocoPhillips Global Water Sustainability Center won the Oil & Gas Sus-tainability Initiative award. Alfardan Properties’ Burj Alfardan won the Green Com-mercial Building award. ECO | SOUK won the SME Sustain-ability Initiative award. SNC Lavalin won the Green Facility Management Pro-vider award.

The Ministry of Culture and Sports’ Duhail Sports Hall won the Green Sports Facility award. Consolidated Contractors Company won the Green Con-tractor award. Kahramaa/Shell/GASAL’s RLIC Power Synergy Project won the Corporate Sus-tainability Initiative award. Qatar Green Leaders won the Green Consultant award. Fashion Swap won the Green Community Event award.

The Big 5 Construct Qatar 2019 won the Green Corporate Event award. ConocoPhillips Global Water Sustainability Center won the Tadmur Special Award. Qatar Post won the Green Corporate award. Super Heroes Eat Plants won the Green Startup award. Qatar Museums & KEO Inter-national Consultants’ Fire Station - Artist in Residence won the Green Cultural Building award.

Ashghal won the Government Sustainability Initiative award. Doha Environmental Actions Project (DEAP) won the NGO Sus-tainability Initiative award. Greener Future won the NGO Sustainability Initiative award. The Ministry of Public Health won the QGBC Special Award. The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Sus-tainability Strategy won the QGBC Special Award.

Engineer Meshal Al Shamari said that the number of par-ticipants increased y e a r - b y - y e a r because of growing awareness about the award and the importance of sus-tainability. “Two new categories Green Event, Green Hospitality were added this year,” said Al Shamari.

He said that the awards is the cul-mination of the year-round efforts of a growing base of stakeholders and participants from both the public and private sectors, and r e f l e c t s t h e diversity of initia-tives and achieve-ments of an envi-ronmentally con-scious community.

The entries for the award were reviewed and scored by an expert jury, including senior sustaina-bility and green building experts, professional prac-titioners, and aca-demic researchers.

Eng. Meshal Al Shamari (left), Director of Qatar Green Building Council, and Issa bin Mohammed Al Mohannadi, QREC Chairman, during the Qatar Sustainability Awards 2020 ceremony at City Center Rotana Hotel. PIC: BAHER AMIN/THE PENINSULA

Waleed Al Sayed, Deputy Group CEO of Ooredoo, and Saif Wang, President of Key Account Ooredoo at Huawei, during the partnership signing ceremony.

Ooredoo Group selects Huawei to provide 5G servicesFROM PAGE 1

The network upgrade will provide customers with the latest 5G technologies and services. 5G services and devices have been launched earlier by Ooredoo in Kuwait in collaboration with Huawei. Currently, Ooredoo is speeding up the delivery of more network stations to be 5G-ready in Kuwait and Oman, which will offer about 100 times faster download speed than 4G net-works. In 2020, Ooredoo will launch 5G commercial services in additional countries across the Ooredoo footprint.

Waleed Al Sayed, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer and CEO of Ooredoo Qatar, said: “With Huawei’s leading 5G network solution, we will be able to improve our network’s

operation efficiency and provide limitless opportunities to our customers. Users will enjoy a more streamlined and personalised experience and businesses will be empowered to develop the smart, connected cities of the future.”

Using Huawei’s high-speed and low-latency 5G advanced technology, Ooredoo can meet growing data traffic demands, and deliver high-quality mobile broadband and fixed wireless experiences. Huawei will share global best practices in its multi-standard and single-architecture, which provides high 5G performance with the big capacity and the low energy consumption.

Ryan Ding, Executive Director of the Board and Pres-ident of Carrier BG, Huawei, said: “It is our pleasure to

cooperate with Ooredoo, the world’s leading operator of 5G services. Through this strategic partnership, we will support Ooredoo to achieve high 5G performance services for con-sumers, households and ver-tical industries in line with our commitment to build a fully connected and intelligent world.”

Saif Wang, President of Key Account Ooredoo at Huawei, said: “Our partnership with Ooredoo aims to enrich peo-ple’s digital life in these five countries through our latest 5G innovation. 5G promises rich innovative services for the cus-tomers and provides more business opportunities to accel-erate the digitization of indus-tries. Huawei will continue to support Ooredoo to build a world-class infrastructure.”

NMoQ wins two LCD Berlin AwardsTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) has won two LCD Berlin Awards. National Museum of Qatar is the only cultural destination in the world to have won two prestigious LCD Berlin Awards: the New Culture Destinations of the Year award in the ‘Middle East / and Africa’ category and the Leading Culture Destinations of the Year award for Best Museum Shop.

Now in their sixth edition, the LCD Awards highlight the world’s best established and emerging cultural destinations, recognising their exceptional contribution to cultural life, the Museum said in a press release yesterday.

The New Culture Destina-tions of the Year awards high-light the significant role of culture in changing the per-ception of towns and cities and influencing their future devel-opment, while the Leading Culture Destinations of the Year awards highlight the experi-ential shift of cultural destina-tions into social hubs where vis-itors can explore, dine, shop, work – and even sleep.

Ahmad Al Namla, CEO at Qatar Museums, said: “Since the National Museum of Qatar opened last year, it has been widely acclaimed as leading example of modern archi-tecture which, through its

exhibitions and offerings, has given citizens, residents and visitors a unique opportunity to engage in the country’s history and development. We are honoured that LCD Berlin has chosen the museum and its gift shop to be the recipient of the New Culture Destinations of the Year (Middle East/Africa) and Leading Culture Destina-tions of the Year – Best Museum Shop.”

In a joint statement, the jury noted: “The 2020 LCD Berlin Awards shine a light on culture, art and travel, showcasing unique cultural experiences around the world. From local to global perspectives, the winners of the 2020 awards offer new and exciting

opportunities to explore our relationship with public spaces, tradition, and identity. Over the years, the LCD Awards have offered a unique platform for the winners to showcase their cultural assets and reach global travellers wishing to immerse themselves in arts and culture. These winning destinations and institutions showcase just how deep the symbiosis between art, culture and travel is.”

The winners of the LCD Berlin Awards 2020 were selected by a distinguished international jury.

Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, the National Museum of Qatar tells the story of the country’s heritage and culture through commissioned films and art-works, storytelling, artefacts and music, combining wide-ranging scholarship with the voices of the people of Qatar. The National Museum is organised as a thematic and chronological sequence of gal-leries, which take the visitor on a 1.5-km (9-mile) journey through immersive, multi-sensory experiences. The new building is based on the form of the desert rose, composed of large interlocking disks of dif-ferent diameters and curva-tures. The winners of the LCD Berlin Awards were announced at an awards ceremony in Berlin on March 4 during LCD Berlin.

Now in their sixth edition, the LCD Awards highlight the world’s best established and emerging cultural destinations, recognising their exceptional contribution to cultural life, the Museum said.

04 SUNDAY 8 MARCH 2020HOME

Qatar Foundation empowers women to excel in the field of scientific innovation

Female participants in Stars of Science share their experiencesTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

International Women’s Day is marked today. The day offers an opportunity to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to cel-ebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraor-dinary role in the history of their countries and communities.

Around the world, views on female partici-pation in the fields of science, technology, engi-neering and mathematics can still differ. But with support and encouragement, more and more women are making their mark in these areas.

And in the Arab region, this support is coming from Qatar Foundation’s (QF) edutainment reality TV show ‘Stars of Science’, which, every year, inspires hundreds of ambitious young men and women across the Arab world to put their inno-vative technologies to the test.

Across its previous seasons, Stars of Science has seen 29 female innovators compete for the title of best Arab innovator. Among them is Dr. Nour Majbour, an associate researcher at Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), part of QF’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University. She claimed second place in Season 10 of Stars of Science, and said: “My experience in the programme was very impressive – it is more than just a competition, and it helped me build a strong network of con-nections with my peers in this field.”

“It is important for women to be present in this type of programme, to demonstrate the importance of their role in building the scientific community. Of course, being in scientific fields is not easy, and it may be more difficult for women compared to men because of the nature of their lives and the multiplicity of their roles in society.

“The absence of women may have negative

consequences, because women are half of society. We must recognise today that the way women think and deal with challenges is different from men, take advantage of this, and find ways of empowering women.”

The obstacles that can prevent women from pursuing careers in the fields of science, tech-nology, engineering, and mathematics were high-lighted in the Science Report: Towards 2030, pro-duced by the United Nations Educational, Scien-tific and Cultural Organization. It indicated that a lack of awareness about what such careers involve has led to a lack of women leaders in this area, while a scarcity of suitable jobs can also hinder women.

Anna Malek, a biological science engineer, participated in the 10th Season of Stars of Science, and said: “Women have sufficient capabilities to join scientific fields, but society’s acceptance of their involvement in these fields is still not clear yet in the Middle East region, and this may be due to the responsibilities and priorities that women adhere to, as well as some occupational bias in a mixed environment.

“The percentage of women who work in sci-ences in the Arab region is high, and therefore we have sufficient capacity to excel in this field. There are many Arab women working in scien-tific fields in Western countries, and they are suc-cessful. Women can excel in this field, as they

have the ability to see things from a different point of view. If we neglect their role, then we exclude 50 percent of human resources and the oppor-tunity to develop a variety of solutions all over the world.

“A woman should not limit her role as a pro-ductive and thoughtful individual. From my per-sonal experience, when I was pregnant, most of the people around me advised me to take leave to take care of my health, but when I knew that I would have a girl, I was excited to work more, to be a good role model for her.”

Walaa Aniba, from Tunisia, lost a friend in an accident that claimed her life several years ago. She decided to channel her pain into helping others and reducing accidents through her Smart and Safe Headphones, which automatically stop music playing in cars when a risk is detected.

She participated in Season 6 of Stars of Science, and said: “In recent years, we have noticed a significant increase in the percentage of women in various scientific fields.

“Today, the job market is no longer directed only at men, and Arab society’s view of women working in scientific fields has markedly changed in a way. Women are able to be a mother or a housewife and a successful entrepreneur at the same time, and can join various fields – there are no specialisations limited to men only.

“At first, I had concerns about being in what

is a competitive work environment, including for men, but I have continued encouragement and support from my father and brother. Today, I am a successful woman, I have a private company in which both women and men engineers and technologists work, and my message to women is that there is no barrier between them and her ambitions.”

Female innovator Jenan Al Shehab, who is from Kuwait and was one of the participants in the second season of Stars of Science, faced chal-lenges at the beginning of her career, but was able to overcome them. “We have a lot of female entrepreneurs and business owners in the Arab region, and I don’t believe any obstacle for women to enter the scientific fields exists,” she said.

“Although many challenges may face us as women, by adhering to our dreams and insisting on following them, we can achieve them. At the beginning of my business journey, I noticed that it was almost impossible, as it was very difficult to get a workshop for my own to develop my invention, as it contains many heavy equipment, and when I met a group of consultants they advised me to search for an easier job or home project.

“At the time, I didn’t listen to them, and I con-tinued working on my project and succeeded with the final product, but I felt a real success when the same consultants who had previously declined to work with me wanted to enter into a part-nership with me to work on my innovation.

“It is difficult to change the ideas of society in a short period, and it may not be that there is a complete acceptance by society of the presence of women in scientific fields, but today we are witnessing clear change, and this in itself is an encouraging and supportive trend.”

Around the world, views on female participation in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics can still differ. But with support and encouragement, more and more women are making their mark in these areas. And in the Arab region, this support is coming from Qatar Foundation’s edutainment reality TV show ‘Stars of Science’, which, every year, inspires hundreds of ambitious young men and women across the Arab world to put their innovative technologies to the test. Across its previous seasons, Stars of Science has seen 29 female innovators compete for the title of best Arab innovator.

‘An equal world is an enabled world’ Celebrate women’s achievement. Raise awareness

against bias. Take action for equality.IWD2020 Theme

My experience in the programme was very impressive – it is more than just a competition, and it helped me build a strong network of connections with my peers in this field. It is important for women to be present in this type of programme, to demonstrate the importance of their role in building the scientific community."

Dr. Nour Majbour Associate Researcher at QBRI, second place in Season 10 of Stars of Science

The percentage of women who work in sciences in the Arab region is high, and therefore we have sufficient capacity to excel in this field. There are many Arab women working in scientific fields in western countries, and they are successful. Women can excel in this field, as they have the ability to see things from a different point of view. If we neglect their role, then we exclude 50 percent of human resources and the opportunity to develop a variety of solutions all over the world."

Anna MalekBiological science engineer, participant in the Season 10 of Stars of Science

We have a lot of female entrepreneurs and business owners in the Arab region, and I don’t believe any obstacle for women to enter the scientific fields exists. Although many challenges may face us as women, by adhering to our dreams and insisting on following them, we can achieve them. It is difficult to change the ideas of society in a short period, and it may not be that there is a complete acceptance by society of the presence of women in scientific fields, but today we are witnessing clear change, and this in itself is an encouraging and supportive trend.”

Jenan Al Shehabfrom Kuwait, participant in the second season of Stars of Science

Walaa Aniba from Tunisia, participant in Season 6 of Stars of Science

Today, the job market is no longer directed only at men, and Arab society’s view of women working in scientific fields has markedly changed in a way. Women are able to be a mother or a housewife and a successful entrepreneur at the same time, and can join various fields – there are no specialisations limited to men only."

05SUNDAY 8 MARCH 2020 HOME

06 SUNDAY 8 MARCH 2020HOME

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CCQ holds orientation day on PublicAdministration program for govt entitiesTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Community College of Qatar (CCQ) held an orientation day on its Public Administration program for officials from various government entities at the Ritz-Carlton, Doha.

The event, held under the Patronage of the Ministry of Admin-istrative Development, Labour & Social Affairs, served as a framework to enhance ties between the College and the country’s various ministries and government institutions, by high-lighting the numerous ways that the program can benefit Qatari profes-sionals working or planning to work across these entities.

The event featured a discussion session led by CCQ faculty that explored contemporary issues in Public Administration, a segment where graduates of the program shared their experiences, as well as a specialized session entitled ‘Chal-lenges and Hopes’ with the partici-pation of students enrolled in the Public Administration Department.

CCQ’s Public Administration program, which is offered as an Asso-ciate or Bachelor’s degree, is among the College’s numerous academic offerings, which distinguish it among Qatar’s higher education institutions. To date, the program has graduated close to 1,000 female and male stu-dents of which over 90% are employed across diverse government ministries and institutions, including the Ministry of Administrative Devel-opment, Labour & Social Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, the Qatar Armed Forces, Hamad Medical Corporation,

the Primary Health Care Corporation and Kahramaa.

Addressing the event, Abdullah Musallam Al Dosari, Assistant Under-secretary for Administrative Devel-opment Affairs, Ministry of Adminis-trative Development, Labour and Social Affairs, emphasized the impor-tance of human resources to national development as the primary means to achieving development goals in the economic, industrial, environmental and other sectors as it is a prerequisite for overall development.

Dr. Mohamed Al Naemi, President, CCQ said: “At the forefront of our insti-tution is our commitment to providing highly-qualified national cadres capable of making valuable contribu-tions to the State of Qatar, future leaders who make ethical and trans-parent decisions that continuously raise the standards of administrative services provided by the State.”

Dr. Al-Naemi continued: “The purpose of the Public Administration program, which is the only program of its kind offered in Qatar, is to provide enrollees with the education and skillset necessary to improve the State’s efficiency and effectiveness, in support of the Human Devel-opment pillar of Qatar National Vision 2030, whether across the government sector, non-profit and civil society organizations, or volunteer entities.”

Among the courses offered as part of the program are, ‘Governmental Agencies’, ‘Public Relations in the Public Sector’, ‘Public Sector Man-agement’, ‘Ethics in the Public Sector’ and ‘Introduction to Emergency Man-agement’, as well as courses in human resources, politics, statistics and emergency management. The program will help prepare graduates for roles in administration, finance and human resources among others.

An official speaking at the orientation day event organised by the Community College of Qatar.

QBRI announces Summer Research ProgramTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

As part of its commitment to capacity building and developing future gener-ations of scientists and researchers, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) has announced the dates for the 6th cycle of its successful Summer Research Program (SRP).

Taking place each year, the SRP offers intensive research training opportunities in specific fields of bio-medical research including cancer, diabetes and neurological disorders for exceptional undergraduate stu-dents. This includes hands-on

laboratory research experience under the supervision of distinguished QBRI researchers in a supportive and knowledge-based environment. Par-ticipants will also take part in sem-inars, workshops and more informal activities organized by QBRI and other Qatar-based institutes.

QBRI’s SRP will run for eight weeks in two distinct batches, spe-cifically, May 3 to June 25 and May 17 to July 9. To be considered, applicants must be enrolled in a relevant under-graduate program and have a minimum graduate point average (GPA) of 3.0. Applications will be eval-uated by QBRI’s selection committee

based on specific criteria, including academic performance. The intensive nature of the program necessitates full-time participation.

The program is designed to develop students’ critical thinking, as well as enhance communication and team-building skills. In addition, participants will receive invaluable mentoring and career counseling throughout the program to support their educational goals and career development.

Speaking about the program, Dr Omar El-Agnaf, executive director at QBRI, said: “We are proud to build on the continuous success of our Summer Research Program for the sixth con-secutive year, and we always look forward to developing and delivering the program. It is exciting for our sci-entists to mentor and influence stu-dents who come with an open mind and a natural enthusiasm for bio-medical research, and will go on to become future scientists.” The appli-cation process for Qatar Biomedical Research Institute’s Summer Research Program can be found at https://www.hbku.edu.qa/en/srp2020.

In keeping with Qatar’s National Health Strategy and the Qatar National Research Strategy, QBRI aims to improve and transform healthcare through innovation in pre-vention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases affecting the Qatari popu-lation and the region.

The SRP offers intensive research training opportunities in specific fields of biomedical research including cancer, diabetes and neurological disorders.

Sidra Medicine hosts Maternal and Child Health SymposiumTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, hosted the first day of its Maternal and Child Health Symposium (MCH), yesterday.

The symposium will continue until tomorrow at the Qatar National Convention Center. It aims to highlight the latest devel-opments and innovations in maternal and child health, patient care and research.

In alignment with Qatar’s National Health Strategy 2018-2022 priority targets: Healthy women leading to healthy preg-nancies, the MCH Symposium 2020 is showcasing presenta-tions and panel sessions from more than 32 local and interna-tional experts in maternal and child health. Close to 400 dele-gates attended the first day of the MCH Symposium 2020.

The three-day symposium has been structured on the three biological transitions that a woman’s body goes through during pregnancy: pre-con-ception; pregnancy and fetal; and postnatal. Sessions cover topics related to understanding the role of lifestyle and women’s health in fertility; the role of infectious and chronic diseases in

reproductive health as well as the latest updates on the novel tools and protocols used in IVF and in management of pregnancy complications.

Dr Souhaila Al Khodor, Co Chair of the MCH Symposium and Director of Maternal and Child Health Program, Research Branch, Sidra Medicine said, “Our research theme is built around

the philosophy that health in the early years of childhood is the foundation of health throughout the life course. By bringing together both local and global experts, it is enlightening to see that we share a common goal – and that is, in order to build a healthier society, we must focus on improving maternal and child health.”

Day one of the MCH Sym-posium 2020 addressed issues such as the pre-conception period or reproductive health, advanced therapeutics, and pre-cision medicine. It also tackled recent updates on improving reproductive health; the role of lifestyle and women’s health in fertility; and how pregnancy can be a window to life. For a detailed

understanding of Sidra Medi-cine’s clinical and research pro-grams related to maternal and child health, please watch this video here.

Kent L. Thornburg, Professor of Medicine from Oregon Health and Science University, the keynote speaker on the first day, talked about ‘Healthy Women, Healthy Society’: “I am pleased

to be here in Qatar and to share the latest work to help us under-stand how early life nutrition can impact diseases for the rest of our lives. The nutrition a woman receives during her pregnancy will affect her baby for life. Pop-ulation health, depends on good nutrition and low stress in women – before and during pregnancy and during lactation - and if we cannot address these key areas, we will never be able to reverse chronic disease levels to the rates that we want to do.”

Sheikh Dr Mohammed Bin Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, the Director of Public Health from Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health was one of the opening ceremony speakers at the MCH Symposium 2020. He talked about the Qatar National Health Strategy’s pri-ority populations - Healthy women leading to healthy pregnancies.

The MCH Symposium 2020 is a result of Sidra Medicine’s partnership with the Ministry of Public Health, Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar University; Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar; Hamad Bin Khalifa University; the Qatar National Research Fund and the Royal College of O b s t e t r i c i a n s a n d Gynaecologists.

The delegates during the first day of Maternal and Child Health Symposium.

QRCS provides aid for 2,815 families in Palestine

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has completed a project to provide food and winterization aid for 2,815 poor Palestinian families (or over 14,000 persons), under its ‘Benevolence Is Mercy’ Warm Winter Campaign 2020.

At a total cost of $249,065 (or QR909,087), raised from the donations of the people of Qatar, the distributions were done by QRCS’s representation offices in the West Bank and Gaza.

In cooperation with Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), QRCS coordinated with the mayors of target towns in making field visits and assessments, in order to pri-oritize the beneficiaries.

Then, 1,030 families received food parcels, each containing 33 kg of basic food items such as vegetable oil, rice, legumes, flour, and canned food. Also, winterization

baskets were distributed to 105 families, each containing a blanket, mattress, gas heater, and carpet.

At the same time, food parcels and win-terization baskets were distributed to 1,360 families and 320 families, respectively, in the City of Gaza, Deir al Balah, Khan Yunis, and the northern districts of Gaza.

Dr. Akram Nassar, Head of QRCS Office in Gaza, said they were keen on selecting the right beneficiaries, in partnership with their Palestinian partner. Those included the most vulnerable families, victims of the recent storms in the Palestinian territories, patients with chronic diseases, and disabilities.

He described the food and winterization aid contributed by the people of Qatar as ‘vital’ for the vulnerable in Gaza. “It is a lifeline amid the too bad weather, prolonged blockade, and restrictions on the Palestinian people,” said Dr. Nassar.

QRCS officials distributing food parcels to families in West Bank.

07SUNDAY 8 MARCH 2020 GULF / MIDDLE EAST

COVID-19: Kuwait suspends all flights from 7 countries

AGENCIES — KUWAIT CITY

The Kuwaiti government decided to tighten controls on flights to and from countries hit by novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreaks.

The cabinet held an emer-gency meeting on Friday under the chairmanship of Prime Min-ister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al Hamad Al Sabah, during which it decided to suspend for one week all flights to and from Bangladesh, the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt.

The statement, carried by Kuwait News Agency, added that all arrivals in Kuwait from any other nationality or via air-ports other than those of the above-mentioned countries will be denied entry if they travelled to these countries in the last couple of weeks even if they have valid residency or visas.

Only Kuwaiti nationals living in those countries will be allowed in after undergoing the necessary quarant ine measures, the statement added.

The new measures are meant to protect the safety of

the health of the citizens and expatriate residents in Kuwait, the cabinet stressed, asking everybody to under-stand the urgency of these measures.

Kuwait recorded three new cases of the coronavirus, bringing its infection tally to 61, while Qatar reported its 12th case, the health ministries in the two nations said yesterday.

So far, Kuwait has evac-uated around 800 citizens from Iran — which has been hit hard by the virus with flu-like symptoms.

The number of coronavirus cases in the United Arab Emirates has risen to 45 from 30, the Health Ministry said yesterday, as other countries in the Gulf region also reported new infections.

The virus, which was first recorded in China in December, has spread across the Gulf and beyond. Most cases in the Gulf Arab states are among people who either travelled to Iran personally, or were infected by people who had visited the Islamic Republic.

Saudi Arabia has closed it

land borders with the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain, with an exception for commercial trucks, and is only permitting flights from those countries to three of its airports.

Iran’s death toll from coro-navirus reached 145 yesterday after another 21 people were confirmed to have died during the last day, among them a con-servative lawmaker from Tehran, officials and local news agencies said.

Announcing the latest deaths from the virus, a health ministry official said in a tele-vised briefing that the tally of confirmed infections had increased by more than 1,000 during the last 24 hours, totaling 5,823 by Saturday.

Meanwhile, Foreign Min-ister Mohammad Javad Zarif called for world opposition to US sanctions which he said were draining Iran’s resources needed in the fight against COVID-19, a disease caused by the new coronavirus.

“(President Donald Trump) @realDonaldTrump is mali-ciously tightening US’ illegal

Kuwait recorded three new cases of the coronavirus, bringing its infection tally to 61, while Iran has reported one of the highest death tolls outside China, with 145 deaths reported up until yesterday. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called for world opposition to US sanctions which he said were draining resources needed in the fight against COVID-19.

Civil defence workers disinfecting a market area in the Ashar district of Iraq’s southern city of Basra, yesterday, as part of efforts against COVID-19.

Yemen: UN envoy warns of fighting spreading to oil-rich MaribBLOOMBERG — ADEN

The United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, has warned of intensifying fighting in the oil and natural gas-rich province of Marib.

“Yemen is at a critical juncture: it will either silence the guns and resume the political process, or we will slip back into large-scale conflict and suffering,” Grif-fiths told reporters after a visit to Marib yesterday.

“Marib has been a haven for hundreds of thousands of displaced Yemenis,” he said after meeting with officials, civil-society activists and tribal leaders. “Just last week, thousands of families arrived here fleeing fighting in Al Jawf. The parties need to ensure that Marib will remain a haven not the next epicenter of the war.”

Griffiths urged parties to implement an immediate de-escalation process.

The UN envoy’s visit to Marib, located to the east of the capital Sana’a, comes days after Shia Houthi rebels seized control over parts of neighbouring region Al Jawf, including its provincial capital.

Fierce battles have resumed in Al Jawf province since last month and culminated with the Houthis taking control of its capital Al Hazem last week, as the Saudi-led coalition resumed air strikes against the region’s towns and villages.

The fighting in Al Jawf in northern Yemen has displaced around 70,000 people, or 10,000 families, to neighbouring Marib province, the International Com-mittee of the Red Cross said yesterday.

The recent escalation has shattered

more than three months of calm in the five-year-old conflict. This had raised peace prospects after Saudi Arabia signif-icantly reduced its air strikes on Yemen and the Houthis halted missile and drone attacks on the kingdom.

The flare-up in violence led this month to renewed Houthi missile attacks on Saudi Arabia and retaliatory air strikes by Saudi, illustrating the challenge Riyadh faces in trying to exit a costly and unpopular war.

The coalition, which intervened in the war in 2015 to try to restore the ousted Sana'a government, has carried out thou-sands of air strikes that have killed thou-sands of civilians at hospitals, schools and markets, drawing international criticism.

United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, speaking during news conference, in Marib, Yemen, yesterday.

Occupation boats attack Palestinian fishermen off Gaza SeaQNA & ANATOLIA — GAZA

Israeli occupation navy boats attacked yesterday the boats of the Palestinian fishermen, with water cannons off in Gaza territorial waters, near

Gaza city.The Israeli naval boats

attacked with gunfire and water cannons the boats of the Pales-tinian fishermen, about three nautical miles off Al Sudaniya shore, north west Gaza, which

caused damage to a fishing boat, and caused the fishermen to leave the seashore for fear of injury.

It is noteworthy that the Israeli naval forces intentionally attack Palestinian fishermen

and their boats in the Gaza Sea and prevent them from carrying out their work, by shooting and arresting them.

Meanwhile, the Twitter account of Israel’s defence min-ister suffered a hack, official

Hebrew channel Kan reported yesterday.

The anonymous hacker of Naftali Bennett’s account posted a tweet demanding “freedom for Palestine” with the Pales-tinian flag. Another tweet

showed the Turkish flag with the Turkish national anthem in English.

Although Bennet later recovered his account, he did not comment until 8.00 GMT on the incident.

sanctions with aim of draining Iran’s resources needed in the fight against #COVID19 - while our citizens are dying from it,” Zarif said in a tweet. “The world can no longer be silent as US #EconomicTerrorism is sup-planted by its #MedicalTer-rorism,” Zarif said, without referring to any new sanctions.

Trump has said he hopes the sanctions will limit Tehran’s ballistic missile programme and influence across the Middle East. Tehran says its nuclear pro-gramme is for peaceful pur-poses and its missiles are for deterrence and defensive purposes.

In Zurich, a senior Swiss

government official said that a Swiss channel to export food and medicine to Iran’s strug-gling population without running afoul of US sanctions is off to a good start, with dozens of companies keen to take part.

Iranian lawmaker Fatehmeh Rahbar was among those who died on Friday, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, in another sign that the disease is spreading within state institutions.

On March 2, Tasnim reported the death of Mohammad Mirmohammadi. He was a member of the Expe-diency Council, an entity that resolves disputes between

parliament and the Guardian Council - a hardline watchdog body. Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi and another member of parliament, Mahmoud Sadeghi, have said they have also contracted the virus. As authorities work to contain the outbreak, Iran’s Mosque Authority postponed all gatherings and celebrations until further notice, the Mehr news agency said.

Iran is the epicentre of the outbreak in the Middle East as most of the cases reported in the region are either people who were in Iran or who caught the virus from people who had visited the country.

Saudi Arabia detains King’s brother, nephew in crackdown: ReportsAGENCIES — RIYADH

Saudi Arabia has detained two senior members of the royal family—Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, the younger brother of King Salman, and Mohammed bin Nayef, the king’s nephew—Al Jazeera reported citing sources with knowledge of the matter.

The Wall Street Journal reported the detentions of the two royals on Friday and said they related to an alleged coup attempt.

Bloomberg also reported the detentions, quoting a source as saying that the pair were accused of “treason”. Mohammed bin Nayef’s younger brother, Prince Nawaf bin Nayef, had also been detained, according to the New York Times. There was no immediate comment by Saudi authorities.

Prince Ahmed has largely kept a low profile since returning to Riyadh in October 2018 after two

and a half months abroad. He was one of only three people on the Allegiance Council, made up of the ruling Al Saud family's senior members.

Named crown prince in April 2015 shortly after King Salman acceded to power, Mohammed bin Nayef served in the position until his dismissal in a major reshuffle two years later that also saw him lose the interior ministry portfolio, which he had held since 2012.

His simplicity, typical of great personalities, gave him a mission that he knew how to develop in the best way, vividly supporting the rights of people and nations.

08 SUNDAY 8 MARCH 2020VIEWS

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

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

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

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

EDITORIAL

THE epidemic of the Coronavisrus, known as COVID-19, has killed so far nearly 3,500 people and infected more than 100,000 across 92 nations and territories. The world now has begun to realise this virus is a grave threat not just for the Chinese or Ira-nians, but is a challenge for the entire humankind.

The latest update on Coronavirus showed the infected cases have spanned over nearly to hundred countries. Also, its financial impact can’t be ignored as the virus outbreak has significantly hit the global economy. Panic and fear caused by the methods of infection related to the virus have led to massive dis-ruptions of business operations, conferences, sport events, disruption of education in schools and uni-versities and economic activities in general.

Many countries are battling to contain outbreak of the Coronavirus and also trying to extend support to other countries, and we can mention Qatar’s role in this regard. It has so far checked more than 3, 000 people who entered the country from countries infected by the virus.

Since the confirmation of first case of Coronavirus in the region, Qatar has taken precautionary measures to protect its residents from COVID-19 disease. Official of the Ministry of Public Health yesterday explained that Qatar has conducted more than 3,000 tests on people coming from abroad and inside Qatar for coro-navirus and has so far found 12 confirmed cases.

There is no need to panic or fear as none of the cases are from the community and all of them are from the people evacuated from Iran on a special chartered plane, said the health officials during a press conference held yesterday at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH).

People evacuated from Iran were all kept in quar-antine immediately after their arrival in Doha and none of them had any contact with community members, the health authorities have confirmed.

For its part the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and the Ministry of Public Health has also underlined that there is no need to close schools as all schools are continuously being monitored by health ministry officials and also there are no Coronavirus cases in community.

Although the World Health Organization (WHO) has not announced global pandemic but it has called the spread of the virus “deeply concerning” as reports indicated emergence of more new cases of COVID-19 in some countries for the first time. Health author-ities globally need to heighten precautionary measures and global cooperation is highly required as the spread of COVID-19 has intensified around the world.

Collaborative steps for COVID-19

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Quote of the day

Yemen is, in my view, at a critical juncture: We will either silence the guns and resume the political process, or we will slip back into large-scale conflict.

Martin Griffiths, United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen

Former UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar

A person, who has given his life for world peace and the broth-erhood among the peoples, has been - without a doubt - the Peruvian diplomat and lawyer, Ambassador Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, who died at 100 years of age in Lima, on March 4, 2020.

With characteristics that led him to one of the highest posi-tions in universal diplomacy, he continued to remain, someone to whom fate gave him the excellent opportunity to lead an international organization such as the United Nations. He led the United Nations with modesty, a trait that always characterized him during his active and bright life, both as a Peruvian and a citizen of the world.

Peru’s diplomatic service maintains him as one of the par-adigms to follow because he was always an example of a good person, respectful and a pro-moter of dialogue, who searched for friendship between nations, justice, and democracy.

His simplicity, typical of great personalities, gave him a mission that he knew how to develop in the best way, vividly supporting the rights of people and nations.

As a diplomat, a career that seeks to solve everyone’s problems, he served in important international destinations and in periods when the world faced peculiar situations or divergent views on what should be a good relationship in the international arena. Ambassador Javier Pérez de Cuéllar was head of mission in several countries, including Swit-zerland, Poland, Venezuela, France, and the former Soviet

Union, and a United Nations special mission official in Cyprus in 1974. He was previously Peru’s representative to United Nations and participated in the first Assembly representing Peru in London. He began his profes-sional career in Paris as Third Secretary in 1949.

As Secretary-General of the United Nations, he was present in many countries, continuing his diplomatic work always to promote dialogue and support populations that required his presence, qualifying himself as a “pilgrim of peace.” He visited Ethiopia in 1984.

He was in the Middle East region and Qatar in 1984, in his eagerness to continue his work for peace and good under-standing, the essence of diplomacy.

Allow me to write a personal anecdote and as a sample of Ambassador Javier Pérez de Cuéllar’s support to all. In the past, I needed to have a cover letter to pursue and continue my postgraduate studies at American universities. At that time he was Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of my country. One day I went to talk with his secretary, to request a very brief meeting with him, without explaining the purpose of my request.

A few days after the secretary called me and told me that the illustrious Chancellor would receive me in his office. I arrived, and he asked me, “Pepe: do you want to study? My answer was, “Yes, Ambassador; it’s my aca-demic wish.” He replayed: “Well, prepare the letter, don’t worry, I will sign it”. To this day, I warmly keep to this day copies of these epistolary letters that carry such meaningful messages.

When he was in Lima and appeared as a possible candidate for the Secretary General of the United Nations, I was a Third Secretary of the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs, in a unique Com-munications Office, where we received confidential messages from abroad. On one occasion, I picked up the phone, and it was - surprise - Ambassador Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, and he was wondering about his candidacy negotiation in New York. I said, “Effectively, Ambassador, you appear as a possible candidate.” With his finesse, he thanked me and asked me if he could call me later. He was elected Secretary General in New York. Then we met professionally in that city.

Out of the eight Secretary General’s of the world organi-zation, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, for many international policy analysts, is considered a great professional who maintained as a first value; promoting peace.

In his capacity as Secretary General, he helped resolve complex world situations, including the most relevant ones:

-

best scenario for the negotiation

Subscription of the Peace Treaty

the process of eradicating

Solution and pacification of El -

Soviet troops from Afghanistan.During his long career, he

was distinguished with numerous awards from pres-tigious institutions from all conti-nents, receiving titles of Doctor Honoris Causa and several awards from many governments. The Blue Helmets of the United Nations received - during their management - the Nobel Peace Prize.

Generously, the Diplomatic Academy of Peru, which bears his name, received as a donation all his awards, which are exhibited at the academic headquarters.

JAPAN NEWS-YOMIURI

With financial markets still being shaken, major econ-omies are urged to make tenacious efforts to cope with the global economic downturn.

Board held a meeting Tuesday of the Federal Open Market Committee and decided to cut interest rates by a half per-centage point as an emer-gency move.

It is the first time for the Fed to decide on a rate cut outside of a regular policy meeting since October 2008, just after the collapse of Lehman Brothers. The cut is also twice the size of a typical

rate move by the central bank. The increasing like-lihood that the outbreak of the new coronavirus, which is spreading worldwide, will have a greater impact on the real economy than initially thought appears to have prompted the decision.

The Fed made a preemptive move without waiting for a regular policy meeting in mid-March. This step indicates the central bank's intention to demon-strate its strong commitment to preventing an economic slowdown by any means.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 785 points on Tuesday, but there is no need to react to every move in

stock prices. The Fed's latest rate cut is different from the one decided when the economy was hit by a financial crisis in which a series of major banks were falling into bankruptcy.

"In the weeks and months ahead, we will continue to closely monitor developments and their implications for the economic outlook," Chair Jerome Powell said at a news conference. "And we will use our tools and act as appro-priate to support the economy." It is important for the Fed to calmly assess the situation and take measures depending on developments.

Prior to the Fed move, finance ministers and central

bank governors of the Group of Seven major developed countries held an emergency telephone conference. Their joint statement said the G7 will "use all appropriate policy tools," including fiscal measures.

The G7 announcement shared a similar outline with the joint statement issued at a meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors of the Group of 20 major econ-omies in February. However, it is significant for the G7 members, which share values, to again demonstrate their solidarity.

It is hard to predict at this moment how far the impact of the outbreak will spread.

Javier Pérez de Cuéllar leaves a great legacy of peace to the world

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G7 should heighten cooperation to prevent crisis amid virus outbreak

Established in 1996

JOSE A. BENZAQUEN PEREA AMBASSADOR OF PERU TO QATAR

09SUNDAY 8 MARCH 2020 MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Turkey-Russia joint patrolsin Idlib to start on March 15ANATOLIA — HATAY, TURKEY

Turkey and Russia will start joint patrols in Idlib, north-western Syria, on March 15 under the ceasefire for the embattled province reached this week, Turkey’s defence minister said.

“As of March 15, we will start joints patrol along the M4 (highway). We started working on the principles of the security corridor to be estab-lished along the highway,” Hulusi Akar said in Turkey’s southern Hatay province, bor-dering Syria.

A Russian military com-mittee will visit Turkey early next week, he added.

“We expect a permanent cease-fire, and to provide the environment for the return of more than 1 million innocent displaced people, 81% of them women and children,” he said.

No violations of the cease-fire have been reported since Thursday, when Turkish and Russian officials reached the new deal in Moscow, Idlib, Akar said.

Warning against attacks on Turkish troops in the region, which have sown chaos since the beginning of the year, he stressed: “We would like eve-ryone to know that we will intensely retaliate for any attack on Turkish troops or observation posts in Idlib under our r ight to self-defence.”

On Thursday, Turkish Pres-ident Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed to a new cease-fire for Idlib which is effective since midnight Thursday.

Under the agreement, all military activities are to end in Idlib, with the establishment of a security corridor 6 kilo-metres (3.7 miles) to the north

and south of the key M4 highway.

Joint Turkish-Russian patrols will also begin on March 15 along the M4 highway from the settlement of Trumba — 2km to the west of Saraqib — to the settlement of Ain Al Havr, according to the deal.

Turkey launched Operation Spring Shield on February 27

after at least 34 Turkish sol-diers were martyred last month in an Assad regime air strike in Idlib province, and after repeated violations of previous cease-fires.

Under a 2018 deal with Russia, Turkish troops were in Idlib to protect civilians from attacks by the regime and its allies.

Report: Iraniancommandermartyred nearDamascusAP — BEIRUT

An official with Iran’s Revolu-tionary Guards who took part in battles around war-torn Syria was killed near the Syrian capital, an Iranian semiofficial news agency and an opposition war monitor reported yesterday.

Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency identified the commander as Farhad Dabirian and said he was killed in the south Damascus suburb of Sayyida Zeinab.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the killing and Fars reported no additional details on how Dabirian was killed.

Iran is an ally of Syria and has offered military advisers and sent militiamen and material support to help Pres-ident Bashar Al Assad’s gov-ernment forces in the nine-year civil war.

Fars said Dabirian was a commander of the battle to retake the historic town of Palmyra from the Islamic State group.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, also reported that Dabirian was killed on Friday night without saying how. It added that the late com-mander was close to Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

In recent years, Israel has repeatedly carried out air strikes in Syria against targets belonging to Iran and groups backed by Iran.

Turkey's National Defence Minister, Hulusi Akar, speaks during a meeting with Turkish armed forces commander at a tactical command centre in Hatay province near Turkish-Syria border, on Friday.

US blocks UN statement backing Syria ceasefire: DiplomatsAFP — UNITED NATIONS, US

The United States blocked the adoption of a UN Security Council statement on Friday supporting a Syrian ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey, diplomats said following a closed-door meeting.

“It’s premature,” the United States said, rejecting the joint statement which Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, had asked the other 14 member states to adopt, according to diplomats.

“Various countries took note and welcome the agreement,” said Nebenzia. “But due to a position from one delegation, it was not possible.” “There are a lot of questions about how it will work in practice, who will monitor it, what is happening west of Aleppo and critically has the Syrian government for-mally signed up?” said British Ambassador Karen Pierce.

Her German counterpart Christoph Heusgen echoed the sentiment, stating: “We have to see if this will work.” “We are concerned about the millions of people who are suffering there and we would (like to) see that this ceasefire leads to a kind of safe zones where people can go back to and they can survive,” he added.

South Africa reports second COVID-19 caseAFP — JOHANNESBURG

South Africa yesterday confirmed a second case of the novel coronavirus, a 39-year-old woman who had travelled to Italy as part of a group with the first confirmed case.

The African continent now has more than 30 confirmed cases, including in Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.

The South African author-ities said the woman had come into direct contact with the first case when they travelled back in a group of 10 from Italy on March 1.

On Thursday, the author-ities said a man who was part of that group was the first case in the country.

“The second patient who has now tested positive for COVID-19 will now be imme-diately admitted to a public health facility... that the gov-ernment has identified as one

of the hospitals that are ready to receive COVID-19 positive patients,” the health ministry said in a statement.

Health Minister Zweli Mkize told national broadcaster SABC that the patient was being iso-lated at Charlotte Maxeke Hos-pital in Johannesburg.

The ministry assured the public it had managed to secure information on the wherea-bouts of all the other people in the group that had travelled to Italy.

It also confirmed that a 39-year-old South African man working in Daegu, South Korea,

has also tested positive for COVID-19.

Authorities said the man, who was due to return to South Africa, would remain where he was until details of his treatment in South Korea were verified.

South Africa is meanwhile preparing to repatriate 184 of its citizens — comprising stu-dents, teachers and other pro-fessionals working in China’s Wuhan, the epicentre of the epidemic.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged South Africans not to panic but also cautioned about the potential impact of the out-break on the country’s strug-gling economy.

“The important thing here is to avoid fake news... We must be responsible because we are dealing with a matter that can cause a lot of panic in society and we don’t want to do that,” Ramaphosa told journalists yesterday.

Empty shelves for hand sanitisers are seen at a store in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Friday.

DR Congo’ssacked generaldied by hanging,says PresidentAFP — KINSHASA

DR Congo’s sacked former deputy chief of military intel-ligence, who was under European Union sanctions, died by hanging, President Felix Tshisekedi said yesterday.

Delphin Kahimbi, 50, a close associate of former pres-ident Joseph Kabila, had died of a heart attack on February 28 at home in Kinshasa, his wife and media reports said.

But rumours abounded that he was killed or com-mitted suicide.

Tshisekedi ordered a probe into the death, and the prelim-inary findings were made public yesterday after a cabinet meeting.

“According to the evi-dence... it turns out to be a hanging,” a statement quoted the President as saying.

Tshisekedi said he wanted the probe to be wrapped up quickly to “bring relief to the bereaved family”.

In recent days, Kahimbi was barred from foreign travel, stripped of his functions and questioned by the national security council, sources said earlier. Kahimbi was under EU sanctions for rights violations during the Kabila regime.

Two leaders of Guinea protest movement heldAFP — CONAKRY

Guinean security forces have arrested two prominent figures from the months-long protest movement against President Alpha Conde’s plans to seek a third term, their entourage said. Ibrahima Diallo and Sekou Koundouno had given a press conference earlier on Friday to condemn the arbitrary arrest of other activists, said Abdoulaye Oumou Sow, a spokesperson for the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution.

Masked men belonging to the BRI security service broke into Diallo’s house later Friday, Sow and Diallo’s wife said, ransacking the premises before taking the two away.

They have not been heard from since, according to Diallo’s wife. Diallo and Koundouno are close to Abdourahmane Sanoh, the leader of the FNDC. Guinea has been rocked by months of pro-tests over proposed constitu-tional reforms.

Algeria coronavirus cases rise to 19QNA — ALGIERS

Algerian health authorities yesterday reported two new coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, taking the toll to 19.

The Algerian health min-istry said one of the cases is related to the same family from Bleda Province infected during the last few days, while the other one is related to a man who recently came from a European country.

It said the epidemiological investigation team is still looking into the contacts of the two patients.

Ethiopia draft report blames Boeing for 737 MAX crash: Sources REUTERS — WASHINGTON

A draft interim report from Ethiopian crash investigators circulated to US government agencies concludes the March 2019 crash of a Boeing 737 MAX was caused by the plane’s design, two people briefed on the matter said on Friday.

Unlike most interim reports, this one includes a probable cause determination, conclusions and recommen-dations, which are typically not made until a final report is issued.

The US National Transpor-tation Safety Board has been

given a chance to lodge con-cerns or propose changes, the people said, declining to be identified because the report is not yet public.

NTSB spokesman Eric Weiss confirmed the agency had received the draft interim report, but declined to comment on whether the agency would suggest any changes. Boeing on Friday declined to comment about the report.

According to Bloomberg News, which first reported the contents of the interim draft, the conclusions say little or nothing about the performance

of Ethiopian Airlines or its flight crew and that has raised concern with some participants in the investigation.

The Ethiopian interim report contrasts with a final report into the Lion Air crash released last October by Indo-nesia which faulted Boeing’s design of cockpit software on the 737 MAX but also cited errors by the airline’s workers and crew.

Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 crashed in an open field six minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, killing 157 passengers and crew.

The Boeing 737 MAX has been grounded worldwide for nearly a year after the two fatal crashes. Under rules overseen by the United Nations’ Mon-treal-based aviation agency, ICAO, Ethiopia should publish a final report by the first anni-versary of the crash on March 10 but now looks set to release an interim report with ele-ments that would normally be included in the final report.

Ethiopian Airlines did not respond to a request for comment. Ethiopia’s Transport Ministry could not immediately be reached for comment.

A preliminary accident

report by the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority released in April last year said faulty sensor readings and multiple automatic commands to push down the nose of a Boeing plane contributed to the fatal crash and left the crew strug-gling to regain control.

The US House Transpor-tation Committee on Friday released preliminary investi-gative findings into the two crashes which faulted the Federal Aviation Administra-tion’s approval of the plane and Boeing’s design failures, saying the 737 MAX flights were “doomed”.

Soldiers from the French Army scan for improvised explosive devices during the Burkhane Operation in northern Burkina Faso, in this November 12, 2019 file picture.

US creates new envoy position to counter rising terrorism in SahelREUTERS — WASHINGTON

The United States has created a special envoy for Africa’s Sahel region, a State Department spokesman said on Friday, to counter rising violence from groups linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic State which are expanding their foothold.

Envoy Peter Pham, started his new role earlier this week, the spokesman said. He has been serving as US Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa since November 2018.

“Sahel is one of the places where the situation is getting worse in the continent,” the spokesman said.

Security has progressively worsened in the Sahel, an arid region of West Africa, just below the Sahara desert, with militants

linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic State strengthening their foothold across the region, making large swathes of territory ungovernable and stoking ethnic violence.

Former colonial power France intervened in 2013 to drive back militants who had seized northern Mali the previous year. Fighters have since regrouped and spread. Over the past year, militants have stepped up attacks in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

Particularly worrying for Europeans has been possible US troop cuts. The Pentagon is con-sidering withdrawing the per-sonnel as part of a global troop review meant to free up more resources to address challenges from China’s military, after nearly two decades of prioritising counter-terrorism operations around the world.

10 SUNDAY 8 MARCH 2020ASIA

South Korea’s virus cases climb above 7,000; mostcases traced to DaeguREUTERS — SEOUL

South Korea’s coronavirus cases jumped above 7,000 yesterday, up by 448 from the previous day, with more than half of the total number linked to a secretive church at the centre of the country’s outbreak, health authorities said.

The death toll rose by two to 46, according to the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

Since mid-February when a woman tested positive after attending services at a branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the southeastern city of Daegu, the number of infections has exploded in South Korea, giving it the most cases outside China.

There are 7,041 cases in

total including a new small cluster of cases reported yes-terday at an apartment complex in Daegu, where some members

of the church live, the KCDC said.

While 448 new cases remains a sizeable jump, it marked a third straight day of declines in the number of new cases for South Korea.

“There is a possibility that new cases increase as tests are still underway,” Kwon Jun-wook, deputy director at the KCDC told a briefing.

Lee Man-hee, the founder of the church, apologised on Monday calling the epidemic a “great calamity”.

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom has voiced concerns over members of the Shincheonji Church being blamed for the spread of the coronavirus.

“We urge the South Korean

government to condemn scape-goating and to respect religious freedom as it responds to the outbreak,” it said on Twitter on Friday.

The large amount of infec-tions in the country has prompted nearly 100 nations to impose curbs on travellers from South Korea.

On Friday, South Korea said

it would suspend visas and visa waivers for Japan in response to Tokyo’s travel restrictions on Koreans, as fears over the coro-navirus reignited a feud between the neighbours dating back to before World War Two.

Dr Mike Rya