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Thursday 5 March 2020

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Volume 24 | Number 8187

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Prime Minister meets Moroccan AmbassadorPrime Minister and Minister of Interior, H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, met yesterday with Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to the State of Qatar, H E Mohamed Setri. During the meeting, they reviewed the fraternal relations between the two countries and ways of enhancing them.

Arab League praises Qatar’s efforts in Afghan peace dealQNA — CAIRO

The Arab League expressed yesterday its appreciation for the efforts of the State of Qatar to reach an agreement for bringing peace to Afghanistan, which was signed by the United States of America and the Taliban on Saturday in Doha.

In a statement read by Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs in the Sul-tanate of Oman H E Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah (pictured), during a press con-ference held after the ministerial-level meeting in the regular session 153, the Arab League affirmed that the signing of the agreement is an important first step towards completing the comprehensive and sustainable peace process in

Afghanistan through the mediation and efforts of the State of Qatar.

The Arab League appreciated the efforts made by the State of Qatar to reach this agreement and its sponsorship of all its stages, looking forward to com-pleting the peace process in Afghanistan during the next stage, as it brings together all the spectrums, regions and compo-nents of Afghan society to ensure a secure future for the Afghan people.

The Arab League also appreciated the efforts of US President H E Donald Trump and the American adminis-tration, the United States’ keenness on the success of the negotiations, and the Taliban’s keenness to reach the peace agreement.

Cabinet praises Qatar’s position on US-Taliban peace agreementQNA — DOHA

The Cabinet, in a meeting yesterday, praised Qatar’s position on the signing of agreement between the United States and the Afghan Taliban.

Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, chaired the Cabinet regular meeting that was held at the Amiri Diwan.

Following the meeting, Min-ister of Justice and Acting Min-ister of State for Cabinet Affairs, H E Dr. Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi said that at the beginning of the meeting, the Cabinet praised Qatar’s position

on the signing of the agreement between the United States of America and the Afghan Taliban on Saturday in Doha for bringing peace to Afghanistan. This came after rounds of nego-tiations mediated by Qatar, and affirmed the role of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, which had a great impact on the success of the negotia-tions and overcoming the obstacles and contributed to signing this historic agreement to establish security, peace and stability in Afghanistan.

The Cabinet affirmed that this agreement, which paves the way for a lasting and compre-hensive peace in Afghanistan,

is proof that dialogue is the most successful way to resolve crises and settle disputes.

The Cabinet also stressed that Qatar, and based on its con-sistent policy of working for peace and renouncing violence, will continue its efforts to com-plete the peace process in Afghanistan and achieve national unity among all Afghan parties.

The Cabinet took the nec-essary measures to issue a draft law on the protection of indus-trial designs, after it reviewed the recommendation of the Shura Council on the draft law.

Under the draft law, a special registry will be

established at the Property Rights Protection Department of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to register indus-trial designs and data, owners’ information, notices of assignment or transfer of own-ership and licenses issued in respect thereof, data of benefi-ciaries of licenses, renewal of records and their cancellation and the rulings issued thereon, and all other matters related to industrial designs, in accordance with the rules and procedures determined by the regulations.

The department issues a periodic magazine called The Industrial Property Magazine

in which the data to be pub-lished in accordance with the provisions of this law.

The owner of the registered industrial design or model has an exclusive right to prevent others from making, selling, importing and distributing the products of industrial design or including the form of the indus-trial design or model, unless he has marketed these products in any country or licensed them to others.

The Cabinet approved the draft decision of the Minister of Municipality and Environment to determine what is considered a gathering of workers, housing areas for families, and the

exceptions contained therein.The draft has been prepared

to replace the Minister of Municipality and Urban Planning Decision No. (83) for 2011 regarding delineating fam-ilies’ housing areas.

The Cabinet approved a draft agreement to provide training services between the International Civil Aviation Organization and Qatar Civil Aviation Authority.

The Cabinet approved a draft memorandum of understanding on conducting political consul-tations on issues of common concern between the government of the State of Qatar and the gov-ernment of Belize.�P3

Authorities reaffirm measures taken to curb spread of COVID-19FAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

The health authorities have reaffirmed the preventive measures taken to protect the public from novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

A joint social media cam-paign by the Ministry of Public Health, Hamad Medical Corpo-ration (HMC) and Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) emphasised on the steps Qatar has taken so far to curb the spread of COVID-19.

A post shared by HMC on its social media pages shows the steps taken by the authorities to protect the population from

COVID-19 such as robust thermal screening procedures and special clinic at Hamad International Airport, estab-lishing a quarantine facility, training for healthcare workers among others.

It says that robust thermal screening procedures are in place at Hamad International Airport and sea ports for pas-sengers entering Doha from all countries.

The screening helps to identify passengers with fever, one of the common symptoms of COVID-19.

Also a special clinic at Hamad International Airport has been set up to conduct

interviews and examinations of all suspected travellers at the airport. The Ministry of Public Health has also established res-idential accommodation for those people who meet the quarantine criteria.

Additional training is being provided for healthcare workers, measures for infection prevention and control and lab-oratory procedures have been strengthened.

A community awareness campaign is ongoing through a dedicated national website, TV and radio interviews with medical experts, regular social media messaging, and news-paper coverage. �P2

Amir holds phone call with US PresidentQNA — DOHA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani held yesterday evening a telephone conver-sation with the President of the United States of America, H E Donald Trump, during which they reviewed the strategic rela-tions between the two countries and ways to support and enhance them in various fields.

They discussed the devel-opments of the situation in Afghanistan following the signing of the peace agreement between the United States of America and the Afghan Taliban, which was mediated by the State of Qatar. The call also touched on several regional and international issues of common concern.

Online registration opens for final phase of 2020 Census

QNA — DOHA

The Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA) has launched the online registration service for individuals and families for Qatar 2020 Census, as part of the final phase of the census process that begins on March 22.

The Authority is imple-menting the final phase of the census fieldwork in the imple-mentation of the Decision of the Council of Ministers No. (4) of 2018 regarding conducting the general census of popu-lation, housing, and establish-ments for 2020.

The Authority said in a statement yesterday that fam-ilies can make their data either by receiving field researchers and filling in the statistical form manually or by entering their data online through https://www.psa.gov.qa/en/Pages/default.aspx, to make it easier for fam-ilies wishing to use technology to fill out statistical forms.

The Authority stated this service is currently available until March 15, noting that fam-ilies and individuals who reg-ister in this service during the specified period will have the opportunity to fill in their

census data electronically from March 22 to April 10, and without the need for a field visit.

This method is considered one of the latest technological methods applied in field cen-suses and surveys in collecting data for individuals through an online form available to all Qataris, whether inside or outside the country, in addition to non-Qataris residing within the country.

The Authority pointed out that it will communicate with the people who registered in this service by sending text messages over the phone to each subscriber to inform him of the date specified for com-pleting the electronic form of the census, in addition to how to enter it to ensure accuracy in the process of providing data and ensure its complete confi-dentiality, and this according to the Official Statistics Law of 2011.

The Planning and Statistics Authority allocated the toll-free number 8000800 to respond to public inquiries about this electronic form and how to fill it with the required data, as well as the website of the 2020 Census www.psa.gov.qa.

The Planning and Statistics Authority allocated the toll-free number 8000800 to respond to public inquiries about the electronic form and how to fill it with the required data, as well as the website of the 2020 Census www.psa.gov.qa.

Foreign Minister holds talks with German counterpartDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, met yesterday with Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany H E Heiko Maas, during a visit to Germany. They reviewed the bilateral cooperation, the agreement for bringing peace to Afghanistan, the situation in Libya and issues of common concern.

02 THURSDAY 5 MARCH 2020HOME

‘Impregnable Guard 2020’ drill from SundayQNA — DOHA

The activities of the ‘Impreg-nable Guard 2020’ drill, which is organised by the Joint Special Forces in partnership with the Ministry of Interior, the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya), and the Amiri Guard, will start on Sunday.

The drill will also include a number of forces from friendly countries, such as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Republic of Turkey, the Kingdom of Morocco, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Sultanate of Oman, the United States of America, the French Republic, the Republic of Rwanda and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato).

The majority of the

‘Impregnable Guard 2020’ drill will take place in the interior regions throughout the country, including the Al Janoub Stadium, Hamad Inter-national Airport, and Qatar Railways (Rail). The exercise will continue until March 27.

The drill comes within the framework of strengthening military and security relations between the participating countries, as well as devel-oping the capabilities of their forces and enhancing

cooperation and joint coordi-nation between them.

The drill is organised peri-odically between the Joint Special Forces and various security agencies, and friendly countries, as it consists of sce-narios and training that con-tribute to preparing and training the participating forces to respond to any cross-border security threat. Also, it comes in the context of pre-paring for the 2022 World Cup.

A-G meets US House of Representatives members

The Attorney-General, H E Dr. Ali bin Fetais Al Marri, met yesterday with the members of the US House of Representatives, who are currently visiting the country. They were briefed on the independence of the judicial authorities in the State of Qatar, the procedures for the work of the Public Prosecution, the way it works, and the progress of cases in it. This visit comes within the framework of the memorandum of understanding signed by the Attorney-General last year with a number of public representatives in a number of US states for cooperation, exchange of visits and training.

SC conferenceshares in-depthinsight into 2022 preparations QNA — DOHA

The knowledge gained from Qatar’s preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2022 was shared by experts from the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) during a special event this week.

A host of SC employees took part in the inaugural Annual Knowledge Sharing Conference, which was attended by more than 200 guests from both the public and private sectors.

The exclusive event offered an opportunity for attendees to gain in-depth insights into preparations for the first World Cup in the Middle East and the Arab world. A vast range of topics was covered, including infrastructure projects, sustain-ability, workers’ welfare, event integration and planning, cybersecurity, and several ini-tiatives run by the corporate functions to support human capital legacy.

Also, details were shared about the Josoor Institute one of the flagship Qatar 2022 legacy programmes.

H E Secretary-General of the SC Hassan Al Thawadi said, “We are all committed to

ensuring the World Cup is a driver for progress across our country and region. By working closely with both the public and private sectors, we will lev-erage the World Cup to strengthen our economy and build viable sporting and events industries that continue to grow long after 2022.”

Al Thawadi continued: “Sharing knowledge can be very powerful. I encourage everyone to learn from our suc-cesses, shape our ideas for your own aims and then share the knowledge with others. Let’s work together and use the power of Qatar 2022 to inspire people across our country and region.”

The Chairman of the Oper-ations Office and Vice-Chairman of the Technical Delivery Office at the SC, Yasir Al Jamal, said, “We are com-mitted to sharing the knowledge we have gained with the wider community. It is a responsibility we at the SC take very seriously and this conference forms part of our commitment to sharing the extensive knowledge we have gathered since being afforded the honor of hosting the World Cup way back in 2010.”

Authorities reaffirm measures taken to curb spread of COVID-19FROM PAGE 1

The campaign is held in dif-ferent languages including Arabic, English, Hindi, Malayalam, French and Chinese.

The Health Protection and Communicable Disease Control teams have been engaged in regular active surveillance visits to hospitals and intensive care

units to ensure that no suspected cases of respiratory infections are missed in accordance with the WHO guidelines.

The MoPH has announced so far a diagnosis of eight cases of COVID-19, and they were among those were evacuated from Iran on a government-chartered plane on February 27

and have been under full quar-antine since they arrived in the country.

Also, the MoPH has set up a dedicated call centre to answer all questions and enquiries related to COVID-19. Public and health professionals can call 24x7 on 16000 toll free hotline for enquiries. For information on

novel coronavirus, one can visit www.moph.gov.qa or call the 24 hrs hotline 16000, said the PHCC statement.

Meanwhile, the MoPH in a social media campaign together with the Hamad Medical Corpo-ration (HMC) and Primary Health Care Corporation recently clar-ified the use of a medical mask

to prevent the disease and said that it should only be worn if a healthcare professional recom-mends it.

Separately, Dr Jassim Fakhro, Consultant Surgeon at HMC, in a video recently clar-ified that the risk of COVID-19 spreading is very low in the country. “The precautions taken

by MoPH are up to international standards,” he said. In pre-caution, he said, “Keep washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after sneezing and before eating. Try to avoid contact with sick people, cover your nose and mouth if you sneeze or cough with tissue and throw the tissue.”

Qatar attends Arab League session QNA — CAIRO

The 153rd Ordinary Session of the Arab League began yesterday at the General Secretariat of the Arab League headquarters at the level of foreign ministers, headed by the Sultanate of Oman.

The delegation of Qatar was led by H E the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the Arab League Ambassador Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al Sahlawi.

The agenda of the session includes a number of items related to the Palestinian issue and the Arab-Israeli conflict, developments in Syria, Libya and Yemen, the security of navigation and energy supplies in the Arab Gulf region, support for peace and devel-opment in Sudan, Somalia, and United Republic of Comoros.

The agenda also includes topics on the dangers of Israeli armaments on Arab national security and international peace, the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East and topics related to Arab rela-tions with international and regional groupings.

The Council will also con-sider the draft resolutions and topics that have been agreed upon to be submitted by the permanent delegates during their meetings over the past two days to the Foreign Min-isters for decision.

The drill will also include a number of forces from friendly countries. The drill comes within the framework of strengthening military and security relations between the participating countries.

03THURSDAY 5 MARCH 2020 HOME

Cabinet praises

Qatar’s position

on Afghan deal

FROM PAGE 1

The Cabinet reviewed the seventh report on the results of the work of the National Civil Aviation Security com-mittee during the period from 1/7 to 31/12/2019, and took the appropriate decision.

This committee estab-lished by the General Authority of Civil Aviation has several specializations, including:

Develop public policies related to civil aviation security, define procedures and issue necessary instruc-tions to protect civil aviation operations from acts of unlawful interference and monitor their implementation, evaluate applicable standards and procedures in line with technological developments related to civil aviation security and other related technologies. Also, H E the Minister of Education and Higher Education delivered a presentation to the Cabinet on the educational system, which will be included in the Minis-try’s strategy to be presented to the Cabinet.

MoCI inspects commercial activitiesQNA — DOHA

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) conducted intensive inspection campaigns on a number of shops at different areas in the country, to monitor their compliance with laws and regulations governing for commercial activities.

The inspection campaigns, done by the Ministry’s regis-tration and licensing inspectors, resulted in seizing and issuing 21 violations records, which varied between performing

activities not mentioned in the license, not to meet the general and special requirements of shops, in addition to opening and managing a shop without a license and a presence of a residence inside the shop.

A number of 41 violations records were as well issued for violating shops to amend its status in the licenses and com-mercial records.

In a statement, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry urged all business and shops owners on the necessity to abide by the applicable laws

and regulations for practicing commercial activities.

The ministry also called for checking the regulations and laws governing for commercial activities practice by visiting its website www.moci.gov.qa to avoid being subject to legal accountability and violations.

Furthermore, the ministry urged all citizens and residents to report any violations or irregularities, related to regis-tration and commercial licenses by calling the number 16001 or through its website and accounts on social media.

Zakat Fund

provides QR24.5m

assistance in Feb

QNA — DOHA

The Zakat Fund of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has extended assistance worth QR24.5m in February 2020 to the beneficiaries of the regis-tered families, included cut aids to cases with emergency conditions.

The fund of February 2020 included periodic assistance which is provided monthly to eligible families, included cut aids provided once to cases with emergency conditions, and tuition fees and treatment for registered family benefici-aries and others.

Meetings of small group of National Human Rights Action Plan Committee begin

QNA — DOHA

The consultative meetings of the small group of the National Human Rights Action Plan Committee kicked off yesterday to consult with the various stakeholders in the country regarding the proposed stra-tegic goals of the national human rights action plan, and will continue until next Wednesday.

The Assistant Director of the

Human Rights Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Youssef Jassim Al Thani, chaired the meeting.

H E Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani said that the first consult-ative meeting aims to discuss the first strategic goal of the national plan of action related to establishing a legislative environment consistent with international human rights standards. He explained that

the Cabinet decision at its ninth ordinary meeting of 2017 to form a committee concerned with preparing the national action plan under the chair-manship of the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H E Dr. Ahmed Hassan Al Hammadi, and the membership of several govern-mental and non-governmental bodies comes within the framework of the increasing interest the state attaches to the

issue of the promotion and pro-tection of human rights, which represents a strategic choice for the State and forms the backbone of the comprehensive reform policy pursued by the State.

Human development and the protection and promotion of human rights are at the top of the priorities of the State of Qatar, HE Assistant Director of the Human Rights Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

affirmed. He pointed to the affirmation of this in Qatar National Vision 2030, the first National Development Strategy 2011-2016 and the second National Development Strategy 2018-2022, which included important axes that touch on the main human rights issues in the fields of education, health, the environment, migrant labour rights, women’s empowerment and children’s rights.

QFBA and Northumbria University announce new undergraduate top up degree programme

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar Finance and Business Academy (QFBA) in collabo-ration with Northumbria University announced a new top up undergraduate degree programme in accounting and finance, in addition to its existing finance related majors for the 2020 academic year.

The new top up programme launch emerged as a result of QFBA’s effort to analyze the current financial services labor market and assessing future needs and trends. It provides a unique opportunity for high school graduates to pursue an undergraduate education from an internationally recognized prestigious university, and sup-ports Qatar’s effort towards transforming to a true knowledge based economy in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030.

QFBA-Northumbria offers students an opportunity to benefit from high quality pro-grams accredited and recog-nized by international bodies in finance related fields such as accounting, finance and investment management and international banking and finance among others.

QFBA’s partnership with Northumbria University ensures the highest standard

practices are incorporated within the undergraduate degree programs and offers accessible and flexible schedules and timings of the courses offered. Students enrolled have the privilege to choose between morning and evening classes, and access to continue their undergraduate education at Northumbria’s UK based campus in the UK.

The newly launched accounting and finance top up degree is an ideal oppor-tunity for students at the Aca-demic Bridge Program (ABP), Community College Qatar (CCQ), and University College

Foundation as well as other stu-dents who have completed their foundation year to continue t h e i r s t u d i e s a t QFBA-Northumbria.

Khalifa Al Yafei, Director of Student Affairs, said: “At QFBA-Northumbria we strive to tailor our undergraduate degree pro-grams in alignment with the future needs of the financial market, to keep with the rapidly developing technologies in the education and financial services sector. It is imperative to provide our students with a holistic educational experience that enables them to develop and grow further."

Qatar Finance and Business Academy in collaboration with Northumbria University announced a new top up undergraduate degree programme in accounting and finance.

Ministry of Education to launch upgraded registration policy for private schools

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education has announced to provide upgraded registration policy for private schools.

“We faced some chal-lenges related to student reg-istration, transfer of students from class to class and some other things such as identi-fying successful students and those who failed in the elec-tronic system of some schools and the issue of IGSC certifi-cation,” said Rawda Al Zaidan, Director of Private Schools Affairs Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, in a statement. Al Zaidan was

speaking at a meeting, which was organised by the Department of Private Schools Affairs, with representatives of private schools and kindergartens.

A two-day meeting was attended by a large number of representatives from private schools and kinder-garten. A total of 211 private schools and 111 kindergartens are in the country.

“Some challenges arise because the schools do not operate in a unified system, so schools must familiarise themselves with the schedules prepared by the Ministry for this purpose,” said Al Zaidan.

“Private schools are

running with about 25 inter-national educational curricula in the Qatar including American, British, Australian and New Zealand, and therefore we have to keep updating our system to accommodate each expatriate student.”

“We have listed educa-tional curricula in different countries, and we have pre-pared an educational schedule according to these data, and based on the student’s age and the approved educational grade, so that all schools adhere to it,” said Al Zaidan

The meeting also dis-cussed the students’ transfer from one curriculum to another curriculum, as some

confusion arises in some schools in this regard.

IGSC certificate was also discussed during the meeting, where schools were directed to the necessity of announcing the results in the month of August each year, as soon as the results come from the British secondary certificate, and specify the class of the student whether they will move to the twelfth grade or remain in same class for repetition.

The Information Tech-nology Department reviewed the new system for early enrolment of private school students which ensures the reduction of waiting lists in schools, and reduces the

phenomenon of schools accepting more than their ability of students.

It ensures that the school responds to parents within two weeks after the placement test, so that the parents have the opportunity to enrol their children to another school.

The Department called on private schools and kinder-gartens to communicate with it for further information. The process of early enrolment in private schools started from the beginning of March this year and it will continue until the end of October. The parents can visit schools if they want to enrol their children.

Rawda Al Zaidan, Director of Private Schools Affairs Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, speaking at a meeting with representatives of private schools and kindergartens organised by the Department of Private Schools Affairs.

“Some challenges arise because the schools do not operate in a unified system, so schools must familiarise themselves with the schedules prepared by the Ministry for this purpose,” said Rawda Al Zaidan, Director of Private Schools Affairs Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.

04 THURSDAY 5 MARCH 2020HOME

7th edition ofDIMDEX 2020cancelled

QNA — DOHA

Qatar Armed Forces have decided to cancel the 7th edition of Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX 2020), which was scheduled to be held from March 16 to 18.

The Directorate of Moral Guidance at the Qatar Armed Forces explained in a statement yesterday that according to the global risks related to the spread of the new coronavirus known as COVID-19, and following the cancellation of a number of global events, as well as within the precautionary measures and procedures taken at the present time to reduce the spread of the virus, it was decided to cancel this edition of the exhibition.

The decision to cancel the exhibition came after extensive consultations with officials in the Ministry of Health and all relevant government sectors, a thorough study of all options, and a review of all the data during the current period, the statement added.

The statement said that during the past 12 years, DIMDEX has evolved to become one of the most important events on the agenda of international defense and maritime security.

Although this event is very important, the main priority is to preserve the health and safety of all residents and visitors in the State of Qatar, the statement said, adding that for this reason this edition of the exhibition has been cancelled.

The Armed Forces expressed great gratitude for the support provided by all entities in the State, and for the fruitful cooperation of all par-ticipants, including govern-ments, companies, and repre-sentatives of the military and security industries, as well as for the great confidence they placed in the State of Qatar, looking forward to welcoming everyone to the next edition of the exhibition in 2022.

Doha Film Institute cancels the 2020 edition of QumraQNA — DOHA

Assuming responsibility for the management of the health and safety of its residents and international visitors, the Doha Film Institute (DFI) has made the decision to cancel the 2020 edition of Qumra and its related activities.

Due to the current global alert regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, the decision comes as part of the Institute's contri-bution to manage and reduce the risk of further spread of the virus.

CEO of the Doha Film Institute Fatma Hassan Al Remaihi said: “This was a very

difficult decision, and although Qumra is an important event for our com-munity and industry dele-gates, their safety and well-being remains our first pri-ority. In order to reduce the risks to our guests in light of increasing global concerns over COVID-19, we are taking

precautionary measures to proactively manage potential risks.

“DFI will continue to generate opportunities for this year’s 46 selected projects and

strive to support them through this period of new challenges,” she said.

“We thank our Qumra Masters, filmmakers and industry participants for their ongoing passion and contri-bution to our commitment to reshape the global story-telling landscape and empower emerging voices to create cinema, to exercise creative expression, and to transform inspired stories into acclaimed masterpieces, and look forward to future successful editions,” she

added. The Qumra 2020 industry event was set to com-mence on March 20 with a select programme of 46 projects from 20 countries as part of DFIs mission to accel-erate the success of film-makers from the region and beyond and prepare them to bring their projects to audi-ences around the world.

Over the past six years, Qumra has been a one-of-a-kind professional incubator crucial to the success of film-makers from the Arab world and beyond.

Ministry of Education's Student Evaluation Department meets school administratorsQNA — DOHA

The Student Evaluation Department of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education held the second meeting with the Adminis-trators of government and private schools for the academic year 2019-2020. It was a preparatory meeting for the final exams of the second semester.

During the meeting, sum-mative assessments — which are tests organised for the third, sixth and ninth grades that evaluate the students' achievement of knowledge and skills in the second semester curriculum only — were discussed.

The subject of high school exam committees was also dis-cussed, with all its details, as well as the National Students Information System (NSIS), and

the importance of constantly updating it, so that schools will not have to make many amendments and the system will remain constantly updated.

The Director of the Student Evaluation Department, Khalifa Al Dirham said that they used to hold the meeting with schools’ administrators at the end of every semester, in prep-aration for the final exams, as the meeting emphasised a number of points related to the exams.

Al Dirham explained that the summative assessments are routine and very similar to the tests that are arranged by the schools, expect that they are arranged by the Ministry, pointing out that the benefit of these assessments is to identify the academic levels of students in the classes.

Al Dirham also affirmed the Ministry’s keenness to achieve successful test results, which comes through good p r e p a r a t i o n a n d pre-positioning.

President of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies meets Ambassador of QatarPresident of the Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Argentina, H E Sergio Massa (right), met yesterday with Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Argentina, H E Battal Al Dossari. During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral cooperation and relations, in addition to issues of common concern.

MME launches 3 mobile veterinary clinics in first phaseTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Municipality and Environment, represented by the Animal Wealth Department, has launched the first phase of mobile veterinary clinics in selected areas of the country, including Nakhsh, Umm Bab and Al Kharrara areas. The number of these clinics will be gradually increased in the coming years.

The first phase includes three clinics serving areas that are far from veterinary centres or that have a high density of livestock, with the aim of strengthening veterinary services provided in those areas.

The mobile clinics aim mainly to raise the capacity of veterinary services in dealing with epidemic diseases, to address disease hotspots as they

occur, and to reduce the chances of infection spreading to other livestock.

This initiative comes within

the framework of developing the performance of the veter-inary centres through increasing their numbers, and

working to quickly respond to disease emergencies, especially those related to infectious and common diseases.

The three mobile veterinary clinics will serve areas which are either far from veterinary centres or have high density of livestock.

The meeting also discussed the subject of high school exam committees, with all its details, as well as the National Students Information System (NSIS), and the importance of constantly updating it, so that schools will not have to make many amendments.

70 govt, private entities attending Qatar University career fairQNA — DOHA

A total of 70 governmental and private entities from different sectors are participating in Qatar University’s (QU) career fair, which is being organised for the fourteenth year in a row, from March 8 to March 11.

QU’s career fair, which is taking place at the College of Business and Economics this year, is considered one of the most prominent events that the university’s Career Devel-opment Center organises, in order to provide an opportunity for the students and alumni to get acquainted with the profes-sional opportunities that the Qatari labour market is pre-senting through the partici-pating entities, and provide them with promising profes-sional opportunities such as

employment, internship or aca-demic sponsorship.

“The fair is an opportunity for high school students and freshmen to know what the labour market needs in terms of specialities, which is important as it helps them choose suitable career paths according to what the state’s career sectors need,” said the Director of the Career Devel-opment Center, Maha Al Marri.

She explained that the Center will be organising, on the sideline of the fair, a number of activities and training workshops, which will help the university’s students to be well prepared to achieve the career path they seek to accomplish, noting that these workshops include topics such as resume writing methods and job interview skills.

05THURSDAY 5 MARCH 2020 HOME

Doha Institute for Graduate Studies toorganise discussion session on empowerment of Qatari womenQNA — DOHA

The Doha Institute for Graduate Studies will organise a discussion session tomorrow about the empowerment of the Qatari women and challenges facing them, on the occasion of the Interna-tional Women’s Day which is celebrated on March 8, every year.

This session will shed light on many topics related to the Qatari women in economic, social and political aspects, and the challenges facing them.

The session will also focus on the transformations that the Qatari woman witnessed and those that the modern Qatar is witnessing by highlighting the role that they played in making and leading these transformations in various vital sectors in a way that reflects Qatar’s National Vision for 2030 that aims to build the future of the country by using

and investing in all its national capabil-ities and cadres.

The session will be held at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies and will be attended by the Assistant Foreign Minister and Spokesperson for the Min-istry of Foreign Affairs, H E Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater, the Vice President of Administration and Finance at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies and Member of the Shura Council Dr. Hend Al Muftah, the Former President of Qatar University Dr. Sheikha Al Misnad and the Board Member of the Qatar Social Work Foundation Noora Al Malki. The session will be moderated by the Journalist from Al Jazeera Network Wassila Oulmi.

The International Women’s Day is a day marked internationally to honor women and appreciate their economic, social and political accomplishments.

MoI launches electronic security training coursesTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Cyber Security Center at the Ministry of Interior (MoI) launched a series of training programme courses at Qatar Finance and Business Academy with the aim of cybercrimes prevention.

The training courses aim to raise awareness of all state employees in the field of infor-mation technology and systems and raise the efficiency of information systems and security personnel in particular.

The programme established by the Ministry of Interior in cooperation with the Qatar Finance and Business Academy.

The two-year programme attracts about 50,000 trainees from all government and semi-government agencies in the country, through which employees are developed through a number of training stages, so the trainee moves from a specialist level to an expert level.

F i r s t L i e u t e n a n t Mohammed Yousef Kafood, the supervisor of the training courses, said that these prac-tical courses come within the context of activating the practical side of the pre-vention of electronic crime training programme that the centre launched earlier, in cooperation with the Qatar Finance and Business Academy.

“The programme seeks to attract more than 50,000 trainees from three cate-gories of employees affiliated with the various government and semi-government agencies in the country, namely: the regular com-puter user, information systems employees and spe-cialists who are employees in information security”, he said.

First Lieutenant Kafood also pointed out that the total of these trainees will be trained over a period of two years, during which they pass through several training stages, beginning with the specialisation stage and reaching the level of the expert, in order to protect electronic systems in various s t a t e a g e n c i e s a n d institutions.

First Lieutenant Mohammed Yousef Kafood

MoFA workshop on international, regional human rights mechanisms ends todayQNA — DOHA

The Assistant Director of the Human Rights Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Youssef Al Thani, said that Qatar’s hosting of the training workshop on the role of national mechanisms in preparing reports, following up on recommendations and working with international and regional human rights mecha-nisms, which began on Tuesday will continue until today.

His Excellency added that the workshop includes the par-ticipation of representatives of various ministries, institutions and relevant civil society organ-izations, which comes at the appropriate time, as the State

is in the process of forming a permanent mechanism for pre-paring reports and following up on the implementation of recommendations.

He clarified, on the sidelines of the workshop, that it was customary of Qatar to work with the system of temporary committees linked to preparing one report for a specific agreement, in addition to the existence of a permanent

mechanism for preparing the universal periodic review reports and following up on the i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f recommendations.

He added that the State aspires to review the successful experiences of other countries in the field of forming per-manent committees, in addition to the challenges faced by such permanent mechanisms in ful-filling their obligations.

The workshop is organised by the Human Rights Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the United Nations Human Rights Training and Documen-tation Center for South-West Asia and the Arab Region in Doha and the Treaty Body Capacity Building Programme in OHCHR in Beirut.

The workshop aims to enhance the national expe-rience in Qatar by advancing the four main tasks and roles of the national mechanisms for preparing reports and follow-up, as well as the study of regional and international com-parative experiences in estab-lishing national mechanisms for implementation, reporting and follow-up.

24-hour urgent care services at Muaither health centerTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Primary Health Care Corpora-tion’s Muaither health center now provides urgent care service round the clock.

The health center, one of 27 across the country and ten in the region, will provide care for patients 24/7, for non-threat-ening medical needs, such as minor burns, sprains, severe headache or earache, dehy-dration and dizziness.

The urgent care center will be led by a team of specialist doctors and nurses, including paediatricians, supported by pharmacy and x-ray services.

At present, the Muaither health center offers a range of services including family med-icine services such as non-com-municable disease, antenatal and

postnatal care, well baby and periodic immunization, well women services and school health.

Urgent care is a

comprehensive service, delivered by a team specialised, designed to meet the need of the com-munity. The urgent care service will help connect more people in neighbouring areas to the health centre. The urgent care services will cater people in Al Rayyan, Abu Nakhla, Mesaimeer and Al Wajbah.

PHCC also provides 24-hour urgent care service at Rawdat Al Khail, Al Gharafa, Al Kaaban, Al Shahaniyah, Al Shamal Health Centers and Abu Baker Al Siddiq Health Center. Other urgent care health centers are expected to operate round the clock in the next 12 months.

The workshop includes the participation of representatives of various ministries, institutions and relevant civil society organisations, which comes at the appropriate time, as the State is in the process of forming a permanent mechanism for preparing reports and following up on the implementation of recommendations.

Biryab to hold eating competitions with exciting prizes

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Biryab festival, one of a kind event in Qatar for kebab and biriyani dishes, organised by Infinity Marketing Solutions and Event Management, is set to hold thrilling eating competitions today and tomorrow. The winners will get the chance to take home unique prizes including, house hold electronic machines, such as LED TVs and speakers.

The Festival taking place at Al

Bidda Park features a wide range of exciting offers and promotions, as well as varied entertainment activ-ities for all age groups, including face painting and video games. Biryab is also set to pamper women in celebration of the International Women’s Day (Sunday, March 8) with multiple offers, such as “buy one, get one free”.

For further excitement, the food festival features happy hours during the week days, from 6pm until 8pm, where visitors can get free meals for

every QR100 spent at Biryab’s outlets.

To delight all visitors’ senses, Biryab also features live musical per-formances in addition to the appe-tising dishes form over one thousand food items on display. The Festival which is open to the public daily from 12pm to midnight until March 9, gathers around 30 restaurants with multiple cuisine offerings. Food dishes on display range from Indian and Pakistani biriyani to Middle Eastern desserts and Turkish kebabs.

The festival, taking place at Al Bidda Park, features a wide range of exciting offers and promotions as well as varied entertainment activities for all age groups.

'Personal Dictionary' by Nedim Kufi opens at Fire StationRAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULA

Dutch-Iraqi multimedia visual artist Nedim Kufi explores the creation of new meanings amid changing times in his solo exhibition titled “Personal Dictionary” which opened yesterday at the Fire Station. The exhibition, which runs until March 14, presents Kufi’s identity as an artist and writer.

In this exhibition, the artist is influenced by chaos and the curi-osity it evokes; this concept is por-trayed through categorical and for-mulaic de-layering of time, while also showing the opposing elements of finding harmony through personal definitions.

“It is a new dictionary of my own. I am kind of rethinking about the original meaning and new meaning especially with the new century and new circumstances, that everything turns into another phase, another composition,” he told reporters about the exhibition during its launch yesterday at Fire Station Workshop 3.

The exhibited works include large multicultural and monochro-matic pieces representing the East and West, as well as famous figures from Arab literature and sculptural installations examining the refrac-tions of words.

Language is a key element in Kufi’s practice, where his work finds intersections and invisible messages. The presented works show Kufi’s experimentation with language and

the creation of meaning by manip-ulating words through non-repre-sentational playful forms. New terms created through his visual language offer alternative translations and new readings.

“We are very excited to display the art of a highly experienced artist such as Nedim Kufi. His work high-lights the way images can create a language and how art is always up to interpretation. We hope his exhi-bition will spark creativity and inspi-ration for local artists – which is at the heart of the Fire Station,” Dr. Bahaa Abudaya, Curator of

Contemporary Art at Qatar Museums, said in a statement.

Kufi has featured in more than 20 solo exhibitions across the Middle East, United States and Europe, in addition to group exhibitions. Bringing nature together is at the core of his art and explores the complex relationships between per-ceptions, imaginations and expressions.

The exhibition is open for public viewing during the gallery’s opening hours from Saturdays to Thursdays from 9am until 7pm and on Fridays from 1.30 pm until 7pm.

Dutch-Iraqi artist, Nedim Kufi, with one of his works on show at the opening of his solo exhibition titled “Personal Dictionary” at Fire station Workshop 3 yesterday. PIC: ABDUL BASIT/THE PENINSULA

The exhibited works include large multicultural and monochromatic pieces representing the East and West, as well as famous figures from Arab literature and sculptural installations examining the refractions of words.

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Sidra Medicine pathology labs go digitalTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, has adopted a digital platform for its anatomical pathology laboratory. The implementation marks it as the first digital anatomical pathology laboratory in the Middle East; designed to improve pathology and clinical workflows that will lead to better patient care outcomes.

Sidra Medicine’s Pathology department, which was accredited by the Accreditation Committee of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) in 2019, serves patients by pro-viding state-of-the-art diagnostic services dedicated to improving the diagnosis, treatment, management, and prevention of childhood and maternal diseases. It also plays a fun-damental role in precision diagnostics for its young patients suffering from diseases like cancer.

Dr Adrian Charles, Division Chief of Anatomical Pathology, Sidra Med-icine said: “We are witnessing a greater reliability on the practice of pathology due to a global rise in diagnostic related diseases such as cancer and an increasing demand to identify the exact sub-types cancer. Pathology also helps provide prognostic information related to the efficacy of a drug. There is also the added requirement for faster, efficient, uniform and error-free diagnoses. A digital pathology lab at Sidra Medicine is the way forward that will lead to better patient care out-comes and support the organization’s translational research efforts.”

The digital implementation, which took 18 months, involved close collaboration with the hospital’s IT

and imaging support services and was built using Royal Phillips digital and computational technology.

The digital lab has already enabled several efficiencies for pathologists and clinicians alike. The tele-pathology feature has helped cli-nicians to quickly get access to current clinical information; enabling them to respond, diagnose and treat their patients in a more efficient manner. The lab has also digitized its slides by scanning them into high-resolution digital images which when magnified are comparable to a microscope.

Dr Fouad Alchami, Attending Physician from the Anatomical Pathology Unit at Sidra Medicine, who oversaw the implementation said, “By digitizing the specimen slides, sharing them has become faster and signifi-cantly reduced scenarios of loss or contamination of the specimen. The digital workflow will help eliminate issues with handling materials and detect abnormalities as they occur.

Copies of the virtual slides are also available for researchers incorpo-rating tumour appearances while investigating the genetic causes of dis-eases. Digitisation will also improve analysis over microscopy, provide quicker access to prior cases, link to the patient’s electronic medical records and generate better predictive analysis over a period of time.”

“Our pathologists can evaluate and collaborate with requests received remotely with increased efficiency, accuracy and speed. In addition, thanks to the portability of scanned specimens and a collaborative consultation appli-cation, multiple pathologists can discuss a single case and offer opinions while navigating the same slide of tissue on different screens and in dif-ferent locations,” said Dr Alchami.

Sidra Medicine’s anatomical pathology lab becoming 100 per cent digital puts the hospital at the fore-front of implementing cutting-edge medical technology.

Dr Adrian Charles with Dr Fouad Alchami.

MME participates in discussion session with pioneers of environmental initiativesQNA — DOHA

The Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) partic-ipated in a discussion session with pioneers of environmental initiatives, organised by the Friends of the Environment Center of the Ministry of Culture and Sports.

The event was attended by Director of Waste Management Department at the Ministry of

Municipality and Environment Eng. Hamad Jassem Al Bahr, and Assistant Director of the Department Natural Reserves Salem Al Safran.

During the meeting, which was held on the occasion of the World Wildlife Day, Ministry officials reviewed the efforts made by the state to conserve biological diversity, develop natural resources, and preserve the environment of Qatar.

The Ministry officials wel-comed, during discussions with young people who are pioneers of environmental initiatives in the State of Qatar, all the ideas and proposals presented by the participants in the session, which are all aimed at achieving the goals of inte-gration and strengthening efforts and work together to preserve the environment of Qatar.

Director of Waste Management Department at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, Eng. Hamad Jassem Al Bahr, with other officials during the discussion.

QRCS humanitarian contributions to Iraq hailedTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Ali bin Hassan Al Hammadi, Secretary-General of Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS), has received Omer Berzinji, Ambas-sador of the Republic of Iraq to Doha.

The meeting was attended by Eng. Abdullah Hassan Al Mehshadi, General Director of Relief and International Devel-opment Division, and Dr. Fawzi Oussedik, Head of Inter-national Relations and Inter-national Humanitarian Law (IHL).

The guest was warmly greeted by QRCS officials, saying it was a brotherly visit to deepen relations with QRCS, a major contributor to those in need everywhere. He expressed a desire to offer every form of support to facilitate the ongoing cooperation, as the two coun-tries share firmly established and growing bonds of friendship.

“There is much in common between the historic Iraq and the promising Qatar, which is truly an icon of innovation,” said Berzinji.

Al Hammadi said QRCS was

keen on working together with the Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS) and other Iraqi and inter-national humanitarian pro-viders on many operations there. He wished to have more opportunities to serve the people of Iraq, in view of its

importance for the Gulf and Arab region.

An overview was given on QRCS’s work and divisions, including foreign relief, medical services, local devel-opment, and international relations. “QRCS operates

under the umbrella of the International Federation of Wthe Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), with strong relations with 190 countries,” Al Hammadi added.

According to him, QRCS

is part of the soft power of Qatar, in line with the political and economic con-vergence between the two governments and peoples towards common interests. Berzinji was invited to attend the opening and closing cer-emonies of the forthcoming Disaster Management Training Camp.

Officials during the meeting.

HBKU Press publishes proceedings from IMAT3ETHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press (HBKU Press) has recently published the proceedings from the first International Meeting on Advanced Technologies in Energy and Electrical Engi-neering (IMAT3E) on their Open Access platform, QScience.com. The conference, held from November 22–23, 2018 was hosted by Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah (SMBA) University, Fez, Morocco.

“The publication of the first International Meeting on Advanced Technologies in Energy and Electrical Engi-neering (IMAT3E) on QScience.com brings attention to how cutting-edge technologies are being used to solve everyday life problems,” said Dr. Rima Isaifan, Head of Academic and Journals Publishing at HBKU Press.

“Hosting conference pro-ceedings on QScience.com, such as this one, has given HBKU Press a competitive edge in the field of academic publishing. As we branch out to include conference pro-ceedings of the leading summits in the region, we are providing our users with access to the most innovative research available in the world today.”

The IMAT3E conference

proceedings cover a wide range of theoretical contributions (including new techniques, con-cepts, and analyses) and prac-tical contributions (including system experiments, prototypes, and new applications) seen at the conference.

The highlighted innova-tions in the field of renewable energy, electrical engineering, embedded systems, and arti-ficial/computational intelli-gence have been implemented into devices we utilise daily to improve our quality of life and h o w w e f u n c t i o n day-to-day.

In the article, Innovative Building Materials for Energy Performance in Buildings, authors Basma M’lahfi, Mostafa El Qandil and Driss Amegouz take a look at innovative building materials that can resolve the issue of high energy consumption from heating and cooling buildings.

As governments shift towards policies that encourage sustainability, energy-efficiency and sus-tainable construction, con-tracting companies are being encouraged to construct buildings that are capable of offering thermal comfort with a considerable reduction in energy expenditure and that induce a significant decrease in emissions.

The authors suggest that new materials, like corrugated cardboard panels recycled from packaging industries, hemp fibres, flax, rapeseed, and date palm wood can be used for insulation and are more environmentally-friendly than traditional building materials.

Essentially, the authors posit that solutions to ensure thermal comfort in buildings can be found through the devel-opment of innovative building materials based on natural fibres with focus on natural materials that are abundant in the region.

The first edition of the IMAT3E was chaired by Pro-fessor Abdelaziz El Gzizal, Education Director of École Supérieure de Technologie de Fès. Saad Motahhir, a pro-fessor from École Nationale des Sciences Appliquées Fès and member of the IMAT3E conference organizing com-mittee, acted as the guest editor for the proceedings.

“HBKU Press’s publication of the conference proceedings is essential to disseminate the ideas discussed and developed during the event to a wider audience without any barriers to access,” Motahhir said. “We seize this opportunity to address them all our sincere thanks and gratitude.”

Chevrolet Silverado

2019-2020 models

recalled

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in cooperation with Jaidah Automotive, dealer of Chevrolet in Qatar, announced the recall of Chevrolet Silverado models of 2019-2020, due to malfunction in the front seatbelt preten-sioners.

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

The Ministry said that it will coordinate with the dealer to follow up on the mainte-nance and repair works and will communicate with cus-tomers to ensure that they carried out the necessary repairs.

The Ministry urged all customers to report any violations to its Consumer Protection and Anti-Com-mercial Fraud Department, which processes com-plaints, inquires and suggestions.

Al Hammadi said QRCS was keen on working together with the Iraqi Red Crescent Society and other Iraqi and international humanitarian providers on many operations there. He wished to have more opportunities to serve the people of Iraq, in view of its importance for the Gulf and Arab region.

07THURSDAY 5 MARCH 2020 GULF / MIDDLE EAST

Iran says 92 dead as virus reaches all but one provinceAFP — TEHRAN

Coronavirus has killed 92 people in Iran, officials said yesterday, as the world’s deadliest outbreak outside China spread to all but one of the country’s provinces.

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani meanwhile dismissed a US offer to help it fight the novel coronavirus outbreak, charging that Washington hides behind a “mask of sympathy” while sanctions are depriving the country of medicine.

The Islamic republic reported 15 new deaths from COVID-19 and 586 additional cases, bringing the overall toll to 92 dead and 2,922 infected.

“This virus doesn’t have wings to fly. We’re the ones spreading it,” health ministry s p o k e s m a n K i a n o u s h Jahanpour, who gave the latest figures, told a televised news conference.

“We have to cut down on unnecessary interactions. We have to be extra careful in the coming weeks,” he added, calling on the public to refrain from travelling and gathering at events such as weddings.

The provinces of Tehran and Qom were the worst-hit with 253 and 101 new cases of COVID-19 respectively, according to the spokesman.

The Shia holy city of Qom, south of Tehran, is the epicentre of Iran’s coronavirus outbreak and where its first deaths were reported on February 19.

Authorities have since scrambled to halt its rapid spread. Schools have been shut, major cultural and sporting events suspended, and working hours reduced. Tehran’s streets

were considerably quieter than usual yesterday, with few shops open.

Many people wore masks as they walked along streets hung

with large posters on preventing infection. Despite the preventive measures, the novel coronavirus is now present in all but one of Iran’s 31 provinces, according to

An Iraqi volunteer distributing masks to protect against coronavirus to a poor family for free, following an outbreak of coronavirus, in Kirkuk yesterday.

ANATOLIA — ANKARA

Iran yesterday banned government officials from leaving the country until further notice as the novel coronavirus continues to spread across the country, local media reported.

Iran’s Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri instructed officials to remain within the country’s borders to prevent further the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak, according to the semi-official Isna news agency.

All government officials except Foreign Ministry personnel will be barred traveling abroad to attend international confer-ences and events until further notice, according to the report.

Officials will be able to leave the country only with Jahangiri’s permission and will go through the necessary health checks upon return. The death toll from the new coronavirus in Iran has climbed to 92, according to the latest Health Ministry figures.

Fifteen more people have died from the disease, with 586 new cases reported across the country in the last 24 hours, min-istry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said at a news conference in the capital Tehran.

REUTERS — SULAIMANIYA

Iraq’s Health Ministry said that it was not clear whether a death reported as Iraq’s first coronavirus death had in fact been from the new virus. A local health department said that an elderly man in the Kurdish province of Sulaimaniya had succumbed to the disease. The health authorities in Iraq announced the diag-nosis of three new infections with Coronavirus, raising the total number of infections across the country to 34. Spokesman Saif Al Badr confirmed the two new cases in Diyala Governorate, and the third in the city of Najaf.

Political limbo again as Gantz rules out unity govt with NetanyahuAP — OCCUPIED JERUSALEM

Israel looked set to slide back into political deadlock yesterday as the final votes were being tallied from the third election in less than a year, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party holding on to a solid lead but falling short of the outright parliamentary majority needed to form a government.

With nearly all the votes counted, Likud led the way with 36 seats followed by Benny Gantz’s centrist Blue and White party, with 33 seats. The Joint List, an umbrella group of Arab-led parties, finished third with

15 seats, an all-time high for them.

Along with its religious and nationalist allies, Likud had the backing of 58 of the 120 incoming members in par-liament — three votes short of the hoped-for majority. The final results were expected to be released later. These were delayed because of new verifi-cation procedures and compli-cations arising from tallying some 4,000 ballots cast by Israelis confined to home quar-antine after possible exposure to the coronavirus.

Election workers were counting those ballots while wearing surgical masks and

gloves. Israel has reported 15 cases of the new coronavirus, which has infected tens of thou-sands and killed at least 3,100 people worldwide.

Netanyahu, set to go on trial on corruption charges in two weeks, claimed victory after exit polls projected his Likud party as the largest faction in parliament in Monday’s election. But late fluctuations in the official returns signaled that Israel’s year of deadlock is far from over.

Although Netanyahu’s opponents together are pro-jected to hold a 62-seat majority, they are deeply divided and unlikely to coop-erate. They include the

predominantly Arab Joint List and the secular nationalist faction led by Avigdor Lie-berman, who has ruled out any alliance with Arab politicians.

Joint List chairman Ayman Odeh has announced a series of conditions for him to back Gantz as an alternative can-didate and made it clear that aligning with Lieberman was out of the question. “The Joint List won’t allow the racist Avigdor Lieberman to become a minister,” he told Israel’s Army Radio.

It’s unclear if Netanyahu can capitalize on the divisions among his rivals. Officials close to the prime minister have

already indicated they are seeking to poach defectors from the opposing camp in return for plum political postings. All of the potential defectors have denied they would make such a dramatic step.

The Blue and White lead-ership has meanwhile made it clear that a unity government with Netanyahu is out of the question because of the serious charges against him.

The party has signaled that if it can get Netanyahu’s other opponents to cooperate, it would consider promoting leg-islation that would prevent an indicted prime minister from forming a government. But

passing such legislation, partic-ularly in the two weeks before Israel’s president taps a can-didate to form a government, appeared unlikely, especially following an opinion against the idea by the Knesset’s legal adviser.

Netanyahu is eager to form a government before his trial begins March 17.

He has been charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes for his actions in a series of scandals that included accepting lavish gifts from wealthy friends, and allegedly offering favours to media moguls in exchange for positive press coverage.

the latest figures.The provinces of Chahar-

mahal and Bakhtiari, North Khorasan and Zanjan were added to the list yesterday, leaving only Bushehr in the south unaffected.

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday he was ready to aid Iran with the virus out-break. “If we can help the Ira-nians with this problem, we are certainly willing to do so... All they have to do is ask. We will have great professionals over there,” he said.

His counterpart in Tehran dismissed the offer, saying “our people know well that you are lying” with American sanctions still in place that block Iran’s access to medicine.

“Those who have deprived the people of even medicine and food through sanctions, who have done the most vicious things... they appear with a mask of sympathy and say that

we want to help the nation of Iran,” Rouhani said, in a clear reference to the United States.

Washington pulled out of a landmark nuclear deal and reimposed crippling sanctions on Tehran in 2018. Humani-tarian goods, especially med-icine and medical equipment, are technically exempt.

But international purchases of such supplies are forestalled by banks wary of conducting business with Iran for fear of falling foul of the US sanctions.

Rouhani said the US must lift sanctions blocking medicine purchases to prove its honest intent to help.

“This is the first step... to free banking relations for pur-chasing medicine, transferring medicine and shipping med-icine and food,” he said.

The novel coronavirus has so far infected some high-profile Iranian officials. The

national emergency services chief Pirhossein Kolivand was the latest such infection announced on Tuesday.

It came a day after the virus claimed the life of Mohammad Mirmohammadi, a member of the Expediency Council which advises Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

It also comes a week after the country’s deputy health minister, Iraj Harirchi, fell ill with COVID-19.

Football games were can-celled in Iran due to spread of new coronavirus across country, the state media reported yesterday.

All football matches have been called off in Iran’s Gulf Pro League, as well as first, second and third divisions until March 20 in accordance with the decision taken by the Iranian center working to prevent and combat coronavirus, Irna news agency said.

Tehran issues international travel ban on government officials

Baghdad not confirming Iraq’s

first coronavirus death

Two more Turkish soldiers martyred in Syria ahead of Erdogan-Putin meetREUTERS — ISTANBUL

Two more Turkish soldiers were martyred by government forces in northwest Syria, the defence ministry said yesterday, as fighting raged a day before Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russia’s Vladimir Putin are to meet to seek a ceasefire.

The conflict in the Idlib region, which has displaced nearly a million civilians, has intensified in recent days between Turkey and allied rebels on one side and Syrian gov-ernment forces backed by Moscow and Tehran on the other.

Since late last week, when 34 troops were martyred in an air strike, Turkey has sharply ramped up drone attacks through the region as an answer to relentless Russian air strikes that have helped the Syrian government take territory since December. Syrian opposition sources said Ankara is hitting Syrian forces and Iran-backed militia inside the strategic town of Saraqeb, which has changed hands three times in recent weeks, in what one called a “war of attrition.” Local sources said reinforcements are being sent to help Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.

The battle for Idlib, the last big rebel-controlled area in the northwest, has brought what the United Nations fears might be the worst humanitarian crisis of the nine-year-old Syrian civil war.

Erdogan is scheduled to meet

Putin in Moscow today to try to agree a deal to halt the fighting. At least three rounds of talks between Turkish and Russian delegations in recent weeks have so far failed to reach an agreement.

Earlier yesterday, Russia accused Turkey of violating inter-national law by building up forces in Idlib, and failing to meet its obli-gations under a pact to create a demilitarised zone there. The RIA news agency quoted a Russian defence ministry spokesman as saying “terrorist” fortifications had merged with Turkish outposts in Idlib, resulting in daily attacks on Russia’s Hmeimim air base in Syria.

Turkey, which hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees, fears another wave from Idlib. In an effort to force Western allies to more forcefully back its effort in Syria, Ankara has encouraged migrants already in the country to enter the European Union via Greece or Bulgaria.

NATO member Turkey has seen 59 troops killed in Idlib since the beginning of February. The latest casualties included six wounded, the defence ministry said, adding it retaliated and struck Syrian targets.

“After this attack, all targets in that region were hit and (Syrian) regime elements were seriously damaged,” a Turkish security official said. “Russia’s approach to ensure the regime makes as much headway as possible on the ground ahead of the meeting is causing issues.”

Syrian girl who laughed off shelling starts new life in TurkeyAFP — BEIRUT

A three-year-old girl taught to laugh off the sound of shelling in war-torn Syria has left with her family and started a new life in neigh-bouring Turkey, her father said yesterday.

Salwa crossed the border with her parents last week at the invitation of the Turkish state, her father Abdullah Al Mohammed said.

The little girl rose to fame last month after a video was circulated on social media of her and her father laughing at bombardment in embattled northwest Syria.

Her father said he was delighted Salwa would now be able to lead a quiet life in Turkey, away from the “dis-turbing sounds”.

“Her future here — after she starts kindergarten and then school — will definitely be better than if she had stayed somewhere at war,” the 32-year-old said.

In the video widely shared last month, he asks his only daughter if the whizzing sound they can hear outside is a plane or a mortar.

“A mortar,” the three-year-old answers.

“When it comes, we will laugh,” she says before — at the sound of a blast outside — breaking into a giggle that endeared her to millions.

Mohammed says he is happy he will no longer have to invent games to gloss over the horrors of Syria’s

nine-year civil war. “At least now I won’t have to lie to her,” he said by telephone from the border region of Hatay, where he is now looking for a job.

A Russia-backed military offensive on Syria’s last major opposition bastion of Idlib since December has forced almost a million people — more than 60 percent of them children — out of their homes and shelters.

Many have sought refuge in areas along the Turkish border, but Turkey — already hosting 3.6 million Syrian ref-ugees on its soil — has been

reluctant to allow any more through. Though he is one of the lucky ones, Salwa’s father said the departure was bitter-sweet.

“I’m happy we are in a safe place and that we managed to flee the bom-bardment, but I’m also annoyed and sad that I had to leave my country,” he said.

Mohammed escaped his hometown of Saraqeb late last year as regime forces approached.

He and his family then found refuge in the town of Sarmada further north, where a correspondent met

them in February. The most recent escalation of violence in Idlib has killed more than 470 civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group says.

A new report this week found that fighting in the area has rendered large parts of the region uninhabitable.

The charity group Save the Children has warned that, even in the case of an imme-diate ceasefire, it would take “months if not years” to rebuild destroyed civilian infrastructure and create the trust for communities to return.

Syrian father Abdullah Al Mohammed is seen walking behind his three-year-old daughter Salwa at their home in Sarmada, a town in Syria’s last rebel pocket in the Idlib province, in this February 19 file photo.

The latest move by Mahathir to advance his innovative political idea completes the story. After governing for almost two years, Mahathir came to the conclusion that politicking and party politics should be kept to the minimum when there is an urgent need to stay focussed on governing the country more than anything else.

08 THURSDAY 5 MARCH 2020VIEWS

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

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

editorinchief@pen.com.qa

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMED

m.salim@pen.com.qa

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

EDITORIAL

QATAR gives priority to the development of Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) which play an important role in economic growth and diversification of economy. The importance of SMEs and the role played by the government in encouraging private sector was highlighted the third SMEs Conference organised by the Qatar Chamber in partnership with the British Embassy in Qatar. It also showcased the developments in the SMEs sectors in Qatar and the UK.

Speaking during the event, Qatar Chamber Chairman, Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al Thani, said that Qatar Chamber is keen in stimulating investments in SMEs which support the state’s policies in achieving economic diversification and move away from oil dependence. He added that tireless efforts have been made by the Qatari government and the private sector to enhance the country’s SMEs sector and increase its contribution to Qatar’s GDP. The conference rep-resented an ideal opportunity for identifying means of developing and promoting SMEs by reviewing the leading British expertise in this field. According to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), around 95 percent of projects around the world come from SMEs.

Qatar Chamber, Qatar University and Qatar Devel-opment Bank have launched MAAN initiative to initi-ative to support entrepreneurs. The initiative was launched three years ago by Qatar Chamber, Qatar Development Bank, and Qatar University with the aim to offer support for entrepreneurs through specialised training courses, incubators, competitions, awards, and promotion. SMEs and entrepreneurs have played an important role in defeating the unjust siege imposed on Qatar by blockading countries.

The government has also launched national initi-atives and programmes that support entrepreneurs and SMEs. Efforts have also been made to make their products and services competitive in the local market, as well as initiatives to support their export capac-ities at the regional and global levels.

Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in co-oper-ation with Qatar Development Bank, has launched the ‘Land and Industrial Loan’ initiative to provide support for Qatari investors and encourage entrepreneurs and SMEs to easily invest in the industrial sector. To build an open economy, the country has issued and updated many laws, including one that allows foreign investors to own 100 percent in various sectors.

Several hypermarkets have launched initiatives for SMEs which give them opportunity to showcase their products to the supermarket chain and offer them the opportunity to compete with the market. The ini-tiatives by the government and private sector will play crucial role in boosting SMEs.

Encouraging entrepreneurs

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Quote of the day

Global growth in 2020 will dip below

last year's levels, but how far it will

fall and how long the impact will be is

still difficult to predict.

Kristalina Georgieva, IMF Managing Director

Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad speaks during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur on March 1, 2020.

Malaysia faces yet another political surprise only two years after the historic political tran-sition during the last 14th General Elections (GE14). This time the very same man who helped orchestrate the first surprise delivered a shocking move never anticipated by fellow politicians, political pundits, opponents and supporters. For the first time since independence a sitting Prime Minister voluntarily resigned from office during the tenure. Without triggering an immediate dissolution of Parliament, Mahathir success-fully convinced His Majesty to appoint him as the Interim Prime Minister.

Not only Mahathir resigned from office, he also resigned from his party’s post. Only three words succinctly describe this stupefying event – everyone is baffled! The big WHY emerged instantaneously across the nation, which then effectively prompted the question, what happened? Mahathir, only two days after handing in his resig-nation letter, addressed the nation. In such a short yet concise and precise address, he candidly explained the reasons for his sudden resignation. His party, Bersatu, had decided to withdraw from Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) which made up the government of the day. This decision came as a result of continuous pressure from ally parties which questioned Mahathir’s overstaying in power and not wanting to follow on his promise for a power transition. It was generally felt within Bersatu that it would be in the party’s best interest to form political alliance with other political parties.

It is on forming this alter-native alliance that had put Mahathir at odd with his own party. While the party was toying with the idea of allying with UMNO and PAS, Mahathir was of the strong view that losers should not be given spots in the government. He devoutly lives by his principle of not betraying the people’s mandate given to him. In contrast, Mahathir had some-thing grandeur in mind – forming a unity government where cabinet posts do not go by party’s affiliation but by indi-vidual merit (and professional reputation). In this context, a Prime Minister may conveniently choose among the sitting Members of Parliament (MP) based on their respective expertise and experience to fill portfolios in the cabinet.

As expected, the idea was met by severe criticisms. What is troubling though is not really the criticisms but the reasons behind them. Most political parties are

reeling with the fact that such an approach will be unfair to their respective parties and political constituents – the electorates. It is not difficult to follow this logic. The electorates voted them for their political affiliations with a political party. These electorates felt aligned with the political party’s ideology. While profes-sional acumen matters, it was not the determining factor that got these MPs elected. In other words, MPs got elected for repre-senting a popularly accepted political party rather than a highly reputable individual’s professional achievement.

Nonetheless, these critics clearly miss out on the larger picture of a representative democracy. When an MP is elected in a representative democracy, the MP gives his alle-giance to the House (Parliament). He or she is solely responsible to himself, his constituency and the country. Even the Federal Con-stitution says little about political parties, instead, emphasizes MPs as independent entities who may give their loyalty to any potential leader as the head of the gov-ernment. The independence of an MP is further guaranteed by the fact that even in the case of his withdrawal from his political party’s membership, his status as an MP remains legally valid and no reason whatsoever for him to relinquish his seat at the Lower House.

The customary belief that voters vote solely for political parties is somewhat synonymous with Malaysian politics. To an extent, such a belief has become a standard in Malaysian politics. However, the fact of the matter is this belief has no empirical ground. At least since the last few GEs, this belief has been what politicians rather than voters would want to believe in. It is a convenient political rhetoric created and perpetuated by poli-ticians themselves. Voters, on the other hand, have grown more sophisticated and wiser that they have begun justifying their votes on a plethora of factors that include personality, age, vision, professional reputation etc. Malaysian voters have been sig-nalling this numerous times before in both the GEs and by-elections but to no avail. It was only in the last GE14 this signal became so strong that it finally triggered the unthinkable change in the country’s political land-scape. Malaysian voters sent a clear message that they wanted real political transformations that are not only anchored upon material but equally on imma-terial performance.

As the oldest active politician in history, Mahathir is experi-menting with a truly innovative idea in Malaysian politics. It should become clearer now that his founding of the new BERSATU prior to GE14 was not merely to create another political entity. It was more of a symbolic move to innovate Malaysian pol-itics. He took the risk of putting his political image and principles

at risk i.e., being accused of betraying the Malays by forming coalition with the Democratic Action Party (DAP), swallowing his words by strategically allying with his political protégé turned enemy, Anwar Ibrahim, and abandoning his long-time political party he once adamantly defended for. Vying for power alone only tells part of the story. After all, Mahathir has been wielding political influence on Malaysian politics since he retired in 2003 – such a political influence has indeed been proven to be the other dimension of power that Mahathirism has been continuously felt across Malaysian political life.

The latest move by Mahathir to advance his innovative political idea completes the story. After governing for almost two years, Mahathir came to the con-clusion that politicking and party politics should be kept to the minimum when there is an urgent need to stay focussed on governing the country more than anything else. Cabinet reshuf-fling, a repeated call from many, will only work if Mahathir had a larger pool of political talents to choose from. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The only way out then is to innovate the system to allow for a unity government in which the Prime Minister would be able to choose MPs from any political party affiliations to take part in his cabinet.

Mahathir himself must have known better that such an inno-vative idea would be too risky to implement. Nonetheless, he took that risk once again not in the personal power interest but in the country’s interest. The power deadlock resulting from his res-ignation delivered the most daunting risk that saw divided political fractions in the country wrestled for power. In a way, such a power vacuum had been preempted – it was the way events unfolded that was least expected in which a supposedly peaceful power transition had turned into a chaotic power struggle. This only provides com-pelling evidence for the omni-presence of power politics in the so-called ‘Malaysia Baharu’ (the new Malaysia post-GE14). Such power politics occur at the expense of the electoral mandate where politicians put their per-sonal interest over pledges and promises made to their respective electorates. Mahathir himself was not spared and got dragged into the political fiasco.

Fortunately, at least for now, the power deadlock ended with the installation of Muhyiddin Yassin as the new Prime Min-ister. Nonetheless, judging from reactions by the different political fractions, and the quality of support the Muhyiddin camp commands, the road ahead is not going to be easy.

FARIZAL RAZALLI (Ph.D) currently teaches at the Center for History, Politics and Interna-tional Affairs, National Uni-versity of Malaysia.

Beyond Mahathir’s move

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09THURSDAY 5 MARCH 2020 AFRICA

Libya: US to put sanctions on those who threaten peaceANATOLIA — TRIPOLI

The US Embassy in Tripoli yesterday said it will put sanc-tions on individuals who threaten peace in Libya.

In a Facebook post, the embassy pledged to work with Libya’s UN-recognised Gov-ernment of National Accord (GNA), saying they held a meeting on Monday with Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha and National Security Advisor Taj Al-Din Al Rezagi.

At the meeting, Charge d’Affaires Joshua Harris stressed “the US embassy will work with Minister Bashagha to ensure implementation of US Executive Order 13726, which allows for sanctions against individuals that threaten the peace, security and stability of Libya”.

A day after the meeting, Bashagha said the GNA will shift from a defensive to an offensive stance against the militia of Khalifa Haftar.

Since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: Haftar in eastern Libya, supported mainly by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, and the

GNA in Tripoli, which enjoys UN and international recog-nition. The GNA has been under attack by Haftar’s forces since last April, with more than 1,000 lives lost in the violence.

The UN-recognised Gov-ernment of National Accord (GNA) denounced yesterday Syria’s decision to hand over the Libyan Embassy in Damascus to the “gov-ernment” of east Libya-based renegade commander Khalifa Haftar.

In a statement, the GNA’s Foreign Ministry said the handover “violates UN Security Council resolution prohibiting dealing with any parallel bodies to the GNA, which is the only legitimate government in the country”.

The Tripoli-seated min-istry stressed that the move

was “a violation of the sover-eignty of the Libyan state”.

On Tuesday, the Syrian regime of Bashar Al Assad reo-pened the Libyan Embassy in Damascus after an 8-year hiatus and handed it over to Haftar’s “government”.

The move was taken after the two sides signed a mem-orandum of understanding to reopen embassies, according to the official SANA news agency.

The Syrian regime has become the first to recognize Haftar’s government, which does not have international recognition.

Haftar launched an offensive to capture Tripoli from the internationally rec-ognized government last April, which led to chaos and bloodshed but stalled on the outskirts of the city.

Moroccan health workers scan passengers arriving from Italy for COVID-19 at Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport, yesterday.

Tunisia suspends ferry services tonorthern Italy over coronavirusREUTERS — TUNIS

Tunisia will suspend passenger ferry services to northern Italy and take other measures in response to the spreading coro-navirus, Health Minister Abde-latif el-Mekki said yesterday.

Tunisia confirmed its first case of the coronavirus on Monday, a Tunisian national

who had recently arrived from Italy by sea. In another pre-ventive measure, flights from northern Italy will use a separate terminal at Tunis airport to keep passengers apart before a screening process.

In addition, foreign football fans will be banned from attending games with local clubs, Makki told a news

conference. Two Tunisian teams are scheduled to play against clubs from Morocco and Egypt in the coming days.

Tunisia’s neighbour Algeria has registered several cases of the coronavirus, as have Morocco and Egypt. The only North African country so far without a registered case is Libya.

Sudan central bank says US sanctions lifted on 157 firms

African airlines face $40m hit from virus this yearREUTERS — ADDIS ABABA

Coronavirus disruption could cost African airlines $40 million in revenue this year, a global industry body said on Wednesday, a potentially devastating hit to often strug-gling airlines counting on lucrative Chinese routes to fund expansion.

Airlines around the world have suspended or modified flights after the outbreak of the

COVID-19 coronavirus, which began in mainland China late last year and has now spread to more than 60 countries around the world.

The global hit to the avi-ation industry is projected to be $29 billion this year - a 4.7% industry-wide drop in revenue per passenger kilometre, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said.

The blow to African airlines could be as much as $40

million, IATA’s special envoy to Africa, Raphael Kuuchi, said at an aviation conference in Addis Ababa. IATA forecast in December that African airlines would make a loss of around $200 million this year, similar to 2019.

Tewolde GebreMariam, chief executive officer of Ethi-opian Airlines, Africa’s largest carrier, said the virus had slashed passenger demand.

Ethiopian Airlines has faced

criticism online for not can-celling flights to China like neighbours Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda.

“The air travel demand for Ethiopian Airlines has declined by 20% due to the corona,” Tewolde said. “It is a big shock,” he told the conference.

On Tuesday, Kenya halted direct flights from Italy’s northern cities of Verona and Milan, which usually head to the Kenyan coast. Northern Italy

has seen Europe’s biggest cluster of coronavirus cases.

Last month, Kenya Airways and RwandAir suspended all flights to and from China until further notice.

The World Health Organi-zation has advised countries against banning flights.

Senegal confirmed a second case of the coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in sub-Saharan Africa to three.

Boko Haram kills14 in attack on Nigeria military base

AFP — KANO

Militants killed 14 security personnel and civilians in an attack on a military base in northeast Nigeria’s Borno state yesterday, security sources said.

Suspected Boko Haram fighters in trucks fitted with machine guns launched a dawn raid on the army base in the town of Damboa, sparking intense fighting. Sources said six soldiers, four police officers and two members of a gov-ernment-backed militia were killed along with two civilians.

“We lost six soldiers in the attack while six others were injured,” a military officer said. The officer claimed 13 insur-gents were killed by a fighter jet as they fled the area.

The leader of a militia said the civilians who died were among more than 50 local res-idents hit by shrapnel after rocket-propelled grenades fired by the jihadists hit nearby homes. Nigeria’s decade-long insurgency has killed 36,000 people and displaced two million others inside the country, and spilled into neigh-bouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

The United Nations has complained of a surge in vio-lence in the conflict zone in recent weeks. Anger has been growing among local residents about the army’s failure to stem the attacks despite repeated claims from officials that the insurgency has been defeated.

Kenya accuses Somalia of violating its territorial integrityREUTERS — NAIROBI

Kenya has accused Somalia of violating its territorial integrity and demanded it cease such breaches in an escalating feud that Washington says is undermining the fight against militant group Al Shabaab.

The alleged incursion took place on Monday, when clashes broke out in southern Somalia between the Somali army and fighters loyal to Ahmed Madobe, leader of Jubbaland, which is one of Somalia’s five semi-autonomous states and sited on the border. The Nairobi government, in a statement yesterday, said Somali army troops had destroyed the properties of Kenyans in the town of Mandera, which lies along the shared border.

The Somali information minister in Mogadishu did not imme-diately respond to a request for comment. The fighting has regional dimensions in East Africa.

Madobe is an ally of Kenya, which helped build his forces, but is detested by neighbouring Ethiopia, which has backed Soma-lia’s central government. Both Kenya and Ethiopia have troops in Somalia as part of an African Union-led peacekeeping force which, along with the Somali federal government and local states, are supposed to be fighting al Shabaab’s insurgency.

The United States warned last week that the rivalries were distracting from the war on the Al Qaeda-linked group, which has been battling the internationally recognised Somali gov-ernment since 2008.

AFP — KHARTOUM

Sudan’s central bank announced yesterday that the United States had informed Khartoum it was lifting sanc-tions on 157 Sudanese firms, in line with a policy shift by Wash-ington in late 2017.

Central bank governor Badreddine Abdelrahim said in a statement that “only a few Sudanese individuals and entities remain under US sanc-tions for their links to the con-flict in Darfur”, a region hit by a protracted conflict that began in 2003.

The US announced an end to its 20-year-old trade embargo against Sudan in October 2017, but retained the country on its state sponsors of terrorism list.

Abdelrahim did not indicate

why Washington’s latest move had come so long after it declared it was ending its sanc-tions regime.

The announcement comes as Sudan is working to revive its economy and re-enter the international arena following the ouster in April 2019 of longtime autocrat Omar Al Bashir. The ex-leader is wanted by the International Criminal Court for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the conflict in the western Darfur region, which left 300,000 people dead and dis-placed 2.5 million others, according to United Nations data.

Sudan’s transitional author-ities agreed last month to transfer him to stand trial before the Hague based court.

According to Abdelrahim, the lifting of the sanctions

means that the firms concerned — including banking institu-tions — can now undertake international transactions.

A central bank official recently announced that several Sudanese banks were close to reaching agreements to start issuing US credit cards.

Sudan’s economy was dealt a devastating blow by the two decades of US sanctions levied over human rights violations and alleged support for “ter-rorist” groups.

Relations deteriorated shortly after Bashir came to power through an Islamist-sup-ported coup in 1989.

Sudan has been on Wash-ington’s list of state sponsors of terrorism since 1993 -- a status the country’s transitional authorities are lobbying to overturn.

One year after cyclone, Mozambique survivors desperate for aidANATOLIA — BEIRA, MOZAMBIQUE

One year after the landfall of tropical Cyclone Idai, one of the worst storms to ever strike Africa, claiming over 1,300 lives, survivors in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi have started rebuilding, but remain desperate for help.

For the residents of the East African country of Mozambique, food is now the major concern, as the cyclone harmed food security and affected farm-based livelihoods for hundreds of thousands. The cyclone winds caused damage and destruction to trees and other vegetation, disrupting a serious number of livelihoods, especially those of farmers.

Faife Mufundisse is an amputee who had lost both legs in an accident. When disaster struck Mozambique, he says everything was like a nightmare: “People were running away for their lives, there I was without my legs,

with no wheelchair. People were trying to save their lives, but no one would notice me that I needed help with

evacuation”.“My greatest fear running

away like everybody else was doing, I was very afraid that the

walls of my house were going to crumble upon me, the other fear was if I go outside the house, the water would sweep

me away, so I was afraid of being inside and outside the house,” Faife added.

Faife lost all his crops growing in his farm, as well as poultry and livestock which were swept away when the cyclone struck.

He says he was one of the beneficiaries who received immediate assistance from vol-untary organizations such as Voluntary Service Overseas and the EU Aid Volunteers, which provided those hit by the cyclone, with food, shelter, and clothes, among other emer-gency relief services.

“We were taken to a school shelter by volunteers, for food relief. The help arrived after remaining hungry for so long. They gave us maize meal, rice soup, salt and cooking oil which everyone was desperate for.”

A year later, Faife had a makeshift house, previously made out of stone, of mud and twigs. He says: “But it is a home, what we want most is water and

food.” Food scarcity for Cyclone Idai survivors, like Faife who lost everything, is their greatest problem.

The competition for food, clean, and potable water is high, with little available, and sold at exorbitant prices due to high demand and scarce resources.

Susana Kapitao Oliva, a mother of five children from Macate in Chimoio, Mozam-bique, spent over four days in waist-deep water without food, having lost all her possessions and separated from her family.

“We had nothing to eat and our houses were destroyed, we had nowhere to sleep, it was a terrible situation.

“Right now, our main problem is with livelihoods projects. Our main source of income was destroyed. Most of us were just farmers, there is [now] no food and clean water, most water sources are still pol-luted, we just want any form of aid,” Susana said.

This photo released by the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) on February 26, 2020 shows a building damaged by cyclone Idai in the Praia Nova neighbourhood in Beira, Mozambique.

The UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) denounced Syria’s decision to hand over the Libyan Embassy in Damascus to the east Libya-based renegade commander Khalifa Haftar. The GNA’s Foreign Ministry said the handover “violates UN Security Council resolution prohibiting dealing with any parallel bodies to the GNA, which is the only legitimate government in the country”.

10 THURSDAY 5 MARCH 2020ASIA

COVID-19 cases in India rise to 29

REUTERS — NEW DELHI

The total number of known coronavirus cases in India rose sharply to 29 yesterday, including 16 Italian tourists who had tested positive for the disease as well as an employee of a digital payments company who had travelled to Italy.

On Monday, the world’s second-most populous country had only six reported cases of COVID-19, but it is one of the places US intelligence agencies are most closely monitoring due to fears over how it would cope with a widespread outbreak.

Authorities are increasing screenings at airports and border crossings, and urging citizens to avoid large crowds.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he would not attend celebrations for the Holi fes-tival, scheduled to be held across the country next week.

“Experts across the world

have advised to reduce mass gatherings to avoid the (virus) spread,” Modi said in a tweet yesterday.

“Hence, this year I have decided not to participate.”

An employee of Paytm — an Indian payments company whose parent firm is backed by Alibaba and SoftBank — who had vacationed in Italy and is based in Gurugram near New Delhi tested positive for the coronavirus, a spokesperson said yesterday.

“We have also advised all our colleagues to work from home for a couple of days while we get our offices sanitised,” the spokesperson said in a statement, adding that daily operations and services would

not be impacted.Paytm has six offices

around New Delhi, employing more than 3,000 people.

An Italian visiting the western desert state of Rajasthan was among those who had tested positive earlier.

And yesterday, Health Min-ister Harsh Vardhan said 15 of 21 tourists from Italy — Europe’s worst-affected country — who had been taken to a quarantine facility on the outskirts of New Delhi had tested positive for the virus. Their Indian driver was also placed in quarantine.

Vardhan said authorities were taking extra precautions against the spread of the virus after the sharp rise in cases.

“We will now screen all

international passengers. We will not limit our screenings to 12 countries as we did earlier,” Vardhan told a news conference.

More than 93,000 cases have been reported worldwide, and several thousand have died from the flu-like coronavirus, which emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year and has since spread to more than 80 countries.

India, the world’s largest supplier of generic drugs, has curbed the export of pharma-ceuticals due to fears of coro-navirus-related shortages and this has caused “panic” in Europe, the head of the coun-try’s top pharmaceuticals export group said yesterday.

People stand in queue at a coronavirus screening centre at hospital, in New Delhi yesterday.

Japan opens part of last town off-limits since nuclear leaksAP — TOKYO

Japan’s government yesterday opened part of the last town that had been off-limits due to radi-ation since the Fukushima nuclear disaster nine years ago, in a symbolic move to show the region’s recovery ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.

The entire population of 7,000 was forced to evacuate Futaba after three reactors melted down due to damage at the town’s nuclear plant caused by a magnitude 9. 0 quake and tsunami March 11, 2011.

The partial lifting of the entry ban comes weeks before the Olympic torch starts from another town in Fukushima. The torch could also arrive in Futaba, about 4km from the wrecked nuclear plant.

Unrestricted access, however, is only being allowed to a 2.4sq-km area near the main Futaba train station, which will reopen later this month to reconnect it with the rest of the region for the first time since the accident. The vast majority of Futaba is restricted to those who get permission for a day visit.

The three reactor melt-downs at the town’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant spewed massive amounts of radiation that contaminated the surrounding area and at its peak, forced more than 160,000 people to flee.

The gate at a checkpoint was opened at midnight on

Tuesday, and Futaba officials placed a signboard at their new town office.

“I’m overwhelmed with emotion as we finally bring part of our town operations back to our home town,” said Futaba Mayor Shiro Izawa.

“I pledge to steadily push forward our recovery and reconstruction.”

Town officials say they hope to see Futaba’s former residents return, but prospects are grim because of lingering concern about radiation. Many residents also found new jobs and ties to communities after evacuating, and only about 10% say they plan to return.

Futaba’s registered residents already has decreased by 1,000 from its pre-disaster population of 7,000. Many evacuees ended up in Kazo City, north of Tokyo, after long bus trips, various stopovers and stays in shelters at an athletic arena and an abandoned high school. The town’s government reopened in a makeshift office in another Fukushima town of Iwaki.

Even after radiation levels declined to safe levels, the region’s farming and fishing are hurt by lingering concerns among consumers and retailers.

The nuclear plant is being decommission in a process that will take decades and it is building temporary storage for massive amounts of debris and soil from ongoing decontami-nation efforts.

Indonesia seizes half a million face masks amid panic buyingAFP — JAKARTA

Indonesian police seized over half a million face masks from a Jakarta-area warehouse after the country’s first confirmed cases of coronavirus sparked panic buying and sent prices for prevention products skyrock-eting.

Authorities were ques-tioning two people after the Tuesday evening raid at a ware-house in satellite city Tan-gerang, where nearly 600,000 surgical masks were found.

The owners did not have permission to distribute the masks, police said.

“Mask prices have sky-rocketed everywhere and there are shortages, most likely because hoarders are trying to make money at the public’s expense,” Jakarta police spokesman Yusri Yunus said yesterday.

Those convicted of hoarding masks could face up to five years in jail and hefty fines, police said. The warehouse raid came after hundreds of boxes

of surgical masks were also seized on Tuesday at a Jakarta apartment.

And police said they busted a factory at the weekend allegedly making and distrib-uting counterfeit masks that did not meet health standards “Those masks are useless,” Yunus said. “They won’t protect people who use them.”

The crackdown was ordered by Indonesian president Joko Widodo who has called on cit-izens to avoid panic buying — even as store shelves are

cleared and prices soar for masks and hand sanitisers.

Major cities including Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sydney have also seen panic buying sparked by the virus.

Indonesians, meanwhile, are scooping up a traditional herbal tonic known as jamu and in one city sellers dressed as Batman and local superhero Gundala were handing out the drink to motorists.

“My sales have more than doubled since Monday,” said Nur Hidayati, 29, a jamu seller

in Bogor near Jakarta.“People tell me they want

jamu to stay healthy and immune from the virus.”

On Monday, Indonesia con-firmed its first coronavirus cases, saying a 64-year-old woman and her daughter, 31, tested positive. Globally, coro-navirus has infected more than 90,000 people and killed at least 3,100 people. But Indo-nesia — a Southeast Asian archipelago of more than 260 million — had yet to report a confirmed case until this week.

Nirbhaya case:

Notice to

convicts on fresh

death warrantIANS — NEW DELHI

A court here yesterday issued notice to four death-row convicts in the Nirbhaya case on an application moved by the Delhi government seeking issuance of fresh date for their execution.

The Delhi government moved the court seeking a fresh date for hanging of convicts a few hours after President Ram Nath Kovind rejected the plea for pardon moved by one of the death-row convicts, Pawan.

“In my opinion, principle of natural justice, which is implicit in Article 21 of Constitution of India and the scaroscant prin-ciple of Audi Alteram Partem (nobody can be condemned unheard) cannot be ignored by the court,” Additional Sessions Judge Dharmendra Rana stated.

The court has sought con-vict’s response and posted the matter to 2pm today.

The four convicts — Mukesh Singh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Kumar Sharma and Akshay Kumar — were scheduled to be executed on March 3 at 6am but the court deferred it till further orders on the grounds that Pawan’s mercy petition is pending.

The case pertains to the gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old girl, dubbed later as Nirbhaya, in the national capital in December 2012.

Australia developing satellite to predict bushfire danger zones

AFP — SYDNEY

Australian scientists are developing the country’s first satellite designed to predict where bushfires are likely to start, following months of devastating fires.

The Australian National University said yesterday a team is creating a “shoebox-sized” satellite that will measure forest ground cover and moisture levels using infrared detectors.

It is hoped the data will help determine where bushfires are likely to start and where they may be difficult to contain.

The technology would be “specifically tuned to detect changes in Australian plants and trees such as eucalypts, which are highly flammable”, the university said in a statement.

It plans to partner with the private sector to launch the new satellite into low-Earth orbit and, according to remote-sensing expert Marta Yebra, the data would be shared with firefighters.

The military-appointed members of parliament wearing face masks amid fears about the spread of novel coronavirus leave after a session in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, yesterday.

Virus precautions

‘Hotter climate upped risk of Australia’s record fires by 30 percent’AP — WASHINGTON

Climate change raised the chances of Australia’s extreme fire season by at least 30 percent, according to a study released yesterday by climate scientists at the World Weather Attribution group.

Scientists from Australia, Europe and North America cal-culated just how much human-caused global warming elevated the likelihood of Australia’s record-setting fire season by comparing high-resolution com-puter models of the continent facing varying levels of climate change.

The scientists took into account differences in climate conditions in about 1900 com-pared to current conditions

— tabulating both measured and observed changes in temper-ature, drought and fire intensity.

Last year was both the hottest and driest year on record in Australia since measurements began a century ago.

“There is evidence that Aus-tralian fire seasons have lengthened and become more intense — and extreme temper-atures have played a role in this,” said Sophie Lewis, a climate sci-entist at the University of New South Wales in Canberra, Aus-tralia, and a co-author of the study.

“Climate change is now part of Australia’s landscape — extreme heat is clearly influ-enced by human-caused climate change, which can influence fire conditions,” she said.

Australia’s 2019-2020 wildfire season burned a record 19m hectares, displacing thou-sands of people and killing at least 34.

The fires also razed rare habitats and killed more than a billion animals, say researchers.

A decade ago, while scien-tists often discussed how climate change increased the likelihood of extreme weather patterns, researchers were still reluctant to explicitly connect any specific weather event with climate change. Today, more precise computer models allow scien-tists to pinpoint the degree to which an altered climate influ-ences the chances of individual extreme wildfires, floods, droughts and heatwaves.

Technology Review

magazine — published by the Massachusetts Institute of Tech-nology — recently named climate change attribution models as one of the “Break-through Technologies” of 2020.

“It’s one thing to paint a broad statistical picture of how climate change is loading the dice for extreme weather events. But it’s quite another to really dig into the climate data and spe-cific numbers around an indi-vidual disaster, like the Aus-tralian wildfires,” said Kim Cobb, a climate scientist at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, who was not involved in the study.

“Reducing emissions remains the most important way to limit our climate risks,” she said.

Hong Kongers hit hiking trailsto escape illness, anxiety

AFP — HONG KONG

Hong Kongers are escaping the coronavirus anxiety that has gripped the crowded city by heading for the hills to find fresh air and space to exercise.

While the financial hub is known for soaring skyscrapers and cramped housing blocks, its steep mountains and remote hiking trails offer welcome relief from the COVID-19 fears which triggered the closure of public facilities.

On a narrow nature trail that winds up to High Junk Peak, overlooking the turquoise shoreline of Clear Water Bay, hikers form a queue on the steep and rocky path up to the summit.

“I’ve been staying at home

for too long. Going out hiking, I think everyone shares the same thought — that is to breathe some fresh air, make ourselves comfortable, enjoy the breeze and the view,” 26-year-old Sadie Lam said.

Over the past weekends, long, snaking lines of people have been seen on popular trails like Lion Rock and Dragon’s Back.

However, the sudden increase of walkers has left a trail of rubbish behind, including surgical masks and hand wipes, and environmental group Greenpeace is urging people to “hike without trace”.

Some 101 patients have tested positive for the virus in Hong Kong, two of whom have died.

Authorities are increasing screenings at airports and border crossings, and urging citizens to avoid large crowds. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he would not attend celebrations for the Holi festival as a precaution, scheduled to be held across the country next week.

11THURSDAY 5 MARCH 2020 ASIA

Thousands wait for hospital beds in South Korea as coronavirus cases surgeREUTERS — SEOUL

South Korea reported hundreds of new coronavirus cases yesterday as many sick people waited for hospital beds in Daegu, the city at the centre of the worst outbreak outside China.

The new cases bring South Korea’s total to 5,621, with at least 32 deaths, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said.

Most cases were in and around Daegu, the country’s fourth-largest city, where the flu-like virus has spread rapidly through members of a fringe Christian group.

Health officials expect the number of new cases to be high for the near future as they com-plete the testing of more than 200,000 members of the sect, as well as thousands of other suspected cases from smaller clusters.

“We need special measures in times of emergency,” South

Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun told a cabinet meeting, referring to extra medical resources for hotspots and eco-nomic measures including a $9.8bn stimulus.

COVID-19 is the illness caused by the new coronavirus which emerged from China late

last year to spread around the world. Hospitals in South Korea’s hardest hit areas were scram-bling to accommodate the surge in new patients.

In Daegu, 2,300 people were waiting to be admitted to hos-pitals and temporary medical facilities, Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip said.

A 100-bed military hospital that had been handling many of the most serious cases was due to have 200 additional beds available by today, he added.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday declared “war” on the virus, apologised for shortages of face masks and promised support for virus-hit small businesses in Asia’s fourth-biggest economy.

Moon’s office yesterday said he had cancelled a planned trip to the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Turkey in mid-March due to the crisis.

At least 92 countries have imposed some form of entry restrictions on arrivals from

South Korea, according to a tally by Yonhap news agency.

Vice Foreign Minister Cho Sei-young met the US ambas-sador yesterday as part of Seoul’s efforts to prevent the United States from imposing restrictions.

In the meeting, Cho outlined South Korea’s efforts to control the outbreak and urged the United States not to take steps that would affect exchanges

between the two countries, the foreign ministry said.

US President Donald Trump said this week his administration was watching Italy, South Korea and Japan — all with severe out-breaks — and would make a decision about travel restrictions “at the right time”.

“We remain confident in the South Korean government’s robust and comprehensive response efforts to limit the

spread of the virus,” US ambas-sador Harry Harris tweeted after meeting Cho.

Up to 10,000 people are being tested each day in South Korea, and daily totals have decreased slightly since a peak of 909 new cases on Saturday, the KCDC said. Experts caution that the results of those tests could take some time to be proc-essed, leading to future spikes in confirmed cases.

South Korean soldiers wearing protective gear spray disinfectant to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus at a shopping district, in Seoul, yesterday.

Malaysia’s new PM delays Parliament, and no-confidence voteAP — KUALA LUMPUR

Malaysia’s new leader has post-poned the next session of Parliament by more than two months, effectively delaying plans by Mahathir Mohamad’s former ruling alliance to seek a no-confidence vote against him.

Lower house speaker Mohamad Ariff Mohamad Yusof said in a statement yesterday that lawmakers will reconvene on May 18 instead of March 9 as originally scheduled. He said the decision was based on Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s (pic-tured) order, but no reason was given for the postponement.

Muhyiddin, 72, was sworn in on Sunday as Malaysia’s eighth prime minister after his surprise weekend appointment by the king capped a week of

political turmoil.Muhyiddin led his Bersatu

party out of the governing Alliance of Hope, depriving it of a majority and causing its col-lapse less than two years after its historic victory in 2018 ousted a corruption-tainted coalition that had ruled for 61 years.

Bersatu joined hands with the same coalition that it ousted, along with several smaller parties, to form a Malay-majority government.

Mahathir, 94, resigned to protest Bersatu’s plan to work with the former government.

Mahathir tried to make a comeback, but it was too late, as

the king appointed Muhyiddin, whom he deemed had the support of a majority of lawmakers.

But Mahathir said he had majority backing to serve as prime minister for a third time. He has called for an urgent vote in Parliament to test Muhyiddin’s claim of majority support, warning that any delay could see his supporters being inducted to support the government of the day.

There was no immediate response from Mahathir’s camp on the delayed resumption of Parliament. Many Malaysians are angered by what they see as a

betrayal of their vote for a change in 2018 elections, with small protest rallies held over the weekend to “reject the traitors.”

Muhyiddin, a nationalistic politician who once famously quipped he was Malay first and Malaysian second, appealed for support in an address to the nation on Monday.

He denied he was a traitor and promised to form a corrupt-free Cabinet despite bringing back to power the United Malays National Organisation.

Several UMNO leaders, including ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak, are on trial on cor-ruption charges.

Pakistan struggles to combat devastating locust plagueAFP — PIPLI PAHAR

Pakistan’s farmers are strug-gling to combat the worst locust plague in nearly three decades as insect swarms decimate entire harvests in the country’s agricultural heartlands and send food prices soaring.

Heavy rains and cyclones sparked “unprecedented” breeding and the explosive growth of locust populations on the Arabian peninsula early last year, according to the United Nations.

The insects have since fanned out and wreaked havoc on farms from East Africa to India before making their way into Pakistan from the desert

on the country’s southwestern border with Iran.

The crisis is so severe that the government has declared a nationwide emergency and urgently appealed for help from the international community.

Officials in southern Sindh province fear the infestation will devastate the supply of cotton, the local cash crop, ahead of its harvest in the coming months.

Local surveys of the damage are continuing, but the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture says nearly half of all crops have been destroyed near the port city of Karachi.

“I have not seen an infes-tation like this one in my

career,” said Shehbaz Akhtar, an agricultural official charged with locust eradication efforts in the village of Pipli Pahar in central Punjab province.

Local authorities had “launched a combat operation” to clear the area of infestation with pesticide sprays, he said.

Clouds of the noxious gas envelop the nearby fields each morning, where villagers gather the husks of dead insects for an official bounty of Rs20 per kg bag.

“We spray twice a day here,” says Fayyaz Azeem, clad in a face mask and thick indus-trial gloves on top of a tractor discharging pesticide into rows of crops.

A farmer is holding dead locusts in a village in Pakistan’s Punjab province.

Pakistan Cabinet

refuses to

declare health

emergency

INTERNEWS — ISLAMABAD

The federal cabinet of Pakistan has rejected the Ministry of Health’s proposal for declaring “health emergency” in the country to tackle the novel coronavirus.

The cabinet in its meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, emphasised on strengthening coordination between provinces to increase awareness about the virus among the people, said Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broad-casting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan while talking to the media after the meeting.

She said Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza briefed the cabinet about the coronavirus situation in the country and the steps taken by the government to tackle it. “The cabinet was informed that in all five cases of coro-navirus have been reported so far,” she added.

Mirza said that all-out arrangements were being made at all the entry points of the country to screen the people coming from abroad, said Fridous, adding that the cabinet approved the health ministry’s request for purchase of equipment to tackle the disease, with the directives to take the provinces on board.

The cabinet also called for better screening of travellers at entry points of the country and preparation of database.

Besides the coronavirus outbreak, the cabinet took serious notice of corporal pun-ishment to children in schools and decided to ensure imme-diate implementation of the required measures to stop the practice. Premier Imran observed that in a civilised society, no one could be allowed to mete out physical punishment to children, Firdous told the media.

Thai quarantine flip-flop throws holidays into doubtAFP — BANGKOK

Thailand threw possibly tens of thousands of holiday plans into confusion after the health minister ordered any new arrivals from eight countries to undergo quarantine for the coronavirus, before swiftly reversing the decision.

Health minister Anutin Charnvirakul posted an announcement on Tuesday saying travellers from affected countries would be subjected to a 14-day quarantine “without exceptions”.

The countries were China, South Korea, Japan, Germany, France, Singapore, Italy and Iran. Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan were also included on the list.

The post was removed hours later, and his official Facebook page was taken down.

Anutin is no stranger to gaffes. Last month he lashed out at “Western” tourists for not wearing face masks, suggesting they should be expelled for putting others at risk. He later apologised on his Facebook page.

Tourism is a lynchpin of Thailand’s economy, but the government has struggled to

balance health concerns and virus control with salvaging flagging growth as Chinese vis-itors have evaporated.

The beginning of 2020 was supposed to bring seven million tourists to Thailand, but numbers have tumbled in the wake of the epidemic.

Anutin’s apparent moment of indecision — which fanned waves of concern on Twitter among Thais and foreign trav-ellers — was played down yes-terday by a ministry spokesman.

“We have to wait which

country would designated as a risk country,” said spokesman Taweesin Visanuyothin during a daily press briefing, explaining that Anutin needed the list to be “reviewed”.

Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha said yesterday the workers who came from Korea’s two hardest-hit areas — Daegu and n e i g h b o u r i n g N o r t h Gyeongsang province — would be subjected to quarantine.

“This will make people feel more at ease,” he said.

The others will return to their hometown where

provincial health officers will monitor them daily, said an official from the Department of Disease Control.

South Korea has reported than 5,300 cases and 28 fatalities.

The Thai government’s lack of monitoring of the returnees has spurred growing public anger after various accounts showed haphazard screening at Bangkok’s airports.

Thailand has reported 43 confirmed infections and and one fatality linked to the virus.

People, wearing face masks amid fears about the spread of novel coronavirus, shop in a supermarket in Bangkok, yesterday.

New Zealand

teen arrested

after threat

to mosqueAFP — WELLINGTON

New Zealand police arrested a 19-year-old man over an “abhorrent” threat made this week against one of the Christchurch mosques targeted in a mass shooting last year.

As New Zealand prepares to mark the one-year anni-versary of the massacre by a self-avowed white supremacist that killed 51 Muslim wor-shippers, the police con-demned the threat and increased patrols at two mosques that were attacked.

The intimidating message made on an encrypted mes-saging app reportedly showed a man in a balaclava sitting in a car outside the Al Noor mosque accompanied by threatening text and a gun emoji.

“This type of imagery has no place in Aotearoa New Zealand — it is abhorrent and will not be tolerated,” Can-terbury police commander superintendent John Price said in a statement, referring to the country by both its Maori and English names.

He said the man, who has not been named, was arrested after police executed a search warrant at a Christchurch address and located several items, including a vehicle.

Price said the man had been charged on an unrelated matter, which was not dis-closed, and police were still gathering evidence over the mosque threat.

He said the police had also increased patrols around the Al Noor and Linwood mosques and would be maintaining “a visible presence” as the March 15 anniversary approaches.

“The safety of the com-munity is our utmost priority,” he said.

The new cases bring South Korea’s total to 5,621, with at least 32 deaths, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Most cases were in and around Daegu, the country’s fourth-largest city, where the flu-like virus has spread rapidly through members of a fringe Christian group.

12 THURSDAY 5 MARCH 2020EUROPE

Ukraine PM ousted; Zelenskiy seeks ‘new brains’

Italy considers nationwide school closuresCleaners wearing protective suits sanitise locker rooms at the San Paolo stadium, in Naples, yesterday.

Putin says Russia targeted from abroad by fake news on virusREUTERS — MOSCOW

Russia has been targeted from abroad by foes spreading fake news about the coronavirus to sow panic, President Vladimir Putin said yesterday.

Putin’s remarks came as Russia’s communications reg-ulator said it had shut down access to some social media posts containing falsehoods about the virus outbreak.

“The Federal Security Service reports that they (the fakes) are mainly being organised from abroad. But unfortunately this always happens to us,” Putin said on Wednesday, in televised remarks at a government meeting. “The purpose of such fakes is clear: to sow panic among the population.”

A Russian cyber security company, Group-IB, on Monday

identified what it said were thousands of fake news posts on messaging services and social networks such as Russia’s VK alleging that thousands of Mus-covites have caught the virus.

Russia has not reported any confirmed cases of people con-tracting coronavirus on its ter-ritory, although six people who picked up the virus elsewhere have received or are receiving treatment in Russia, according to authorities. The social media posts alleged that the gov-ernment was covering up cases.

Interfax news agency said Russian authorities had iden-tified people suspected of cir-culating false reports about the virus.

An earlier headline from the news agency said people had been detained for spreading false reports, but Interfax later said this was inaccurate.

French govt wins key victory for pensions overhaulAFP — PARIS The French government won its first parliamentary fight yesterday over an overhaul of the country’s byzantine pensions system, clearing a key hurdle despite fierce protests and weeks of chaos wrought by the largest transport strike in decades.

President Emmanuel Macron’s most ambitious reform to date passed in the National Assembly shortly after midnight, after his centrist majority survived two no-con-fidence votes.

The bids to topple the gov-ernment came after it employed a rare constitutional measure to cut short a debate that had become bogged down in a morass of opposition

amendments, effectively forcing the bill through.

Trade unions and oppo-sition parties slammed the move as anti-democratic, but their calls for fresh protests against a bill that triggered the crippling French transport strike this winter went largely unheeded.

The bill now moves to the Senate, where it again faces a barrage of amendments intended to slow its passage, before heading back for final approval by the National Assembly before the summer.

Critics say the introduction of a single, points-based system will force millions of people to work beyond the official retirement age of 62, or face lower pensions.

The government argues that abolishing the country’s 42 sep-arate pension regimes, which offer early retirement and other benefits mainly to public-sector workers, will be fairer and end years of deficits.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe hailed the text as a victory for “social justice”, saying that “those who defend the status quo... too often are just talking nonsense.”

But the opposition vowed to keep up the fight, urging voters to sanction Macron’s Republic on the Move party in the nationwide municipal elec-tions that begin on March 15.

“Punishment will come at the polls,” the far-left France Unbowed lawmaker Eric Coquerel said on Twitter. “This

ignoble law will not pass.”If passed, the reform will be

phased in over the coming years for people born since 1975 but will not affect the pensions of those already nearing retirement age.

Macron’s overhaul is the most extensive in a series of pension reforms enacted by successive governments on both the left and right, aiming to end chronic budget shortfalls as people live longer.

A government commission estimated last year that the deficit could reach as much as $19bn by 2025 if no changes are made.

Yet many details of the reform, including how much a point will be worth when people retire, have yet to be determined.

UK police charge another man over

deaths of 39 Vietnamese in truckREUTERS — LONDON

British police said yesterday that they had charged another man as part of their investi-gation into the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants found dead in the back of a truck near London last year.

Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga, 27, was charged with an immi-gration offence and was due to appear later at Basildon Mag-istrates’ Court, east of London.

Detectives also said they wanted to speak to any other Vietnamese nationals who had entered Britain illegally via a similar route through the port of Purfleet.

“We believe that a number of other people travelled into the

UK in a similar way to the 39 deceased throughout the month of October and we hope that these people would be able to help us,” Essex Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Tim Smith said.

“We understand that they may be concerned about coming forward and sharing their experiences, but we can assure you that your infor-mation and details will be treated in confidence.”

The victims were dis-covered in October in the truck container on an industrial estate in Grays in Essex.

Autopsies concluded that the provisional cause of death was a combination of oxygen deprivation and — overheating — in an enclosed space.

Serbia President calls for April 26 general electionREUTERS — BELGRADE

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic yesterday called a general election for April 26, a vote seen as important for his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) to cement its hold on power.

“I wish a lot of success to all participants and a demo-cratic atmosphere on election day,” Vucic said after signing the decree in his office in Belgrade.

Most opposition parties have decided to boycott the vote, accusing Vucic and his coalition of autocracy, stifling media freedom, attacks on opposition activists, corruption and ties to organised crime.

Vucic and his backers, who had an overwhelming majority in the outgo maintindihan malalaman ko ang pgkukulang ing 250-seat parliament, have vehemently denied the accusations.

Some of the opposition parties promote a nationalistic and pro-Russian agenda, The SNS sees Serbia as a future European Union member, but it also calls for close economic and military ties with Russia and China.

“Of course there will be passionate tones (during the campaign), there always have been and there will be, but it is important that everything goes in a democratic manner,” Vucic said.

The vote would also set the stage for Vucic, a former nationalist from the 1990s who has since adopted pro-Western policies, to proceed with an agreement on mending ties with Kosovo, Serbia’s former southern province, which is predomi-nantly ethnic Albanian.

No money for masterpieces: Louvre Museum bans cash over virus fearsAP — PARIS

The Louvre museum in Paris is temporarily no longer accepting cash as part of new measures that helped persuade employees worried about catching the coronavirus to return to work yesterday.

Staff members at the world’s most-visited museum walked off the job on Sunday. Fears that banknotes might be vectors of disease aren’t restricted to workers at the home of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” and other famous masterpieces.

Public health historian Patrick Zylberman says the fear of getting diseases from money are age-old. In the Middle Ages, banknotes were

cleansed with smoke because it was thought their use con-tributed to the spread of plague, Zylberman said. Egypt also smoked banknotes during a 1940s cholera epidemic, he said.

Zylberman laughed when told of the Louvre’s new refusal of cash payments from the museum’s tens of thousands of daily visitors. “It’s a bit risible to go backwards by several centuries and act as our pred-ecessors did in the 17th century,” he said. “That shows how nervous people are during an epidemic.”

The Louvre’s decision to only accept bank cards for pay-ments was among the anti-virus measures laid out in detail in a document sent to staff

REUTERS — KIEV

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy ditched Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk in a sweeping reshuffle yesterday after just six months in charge, saying “new brains and new hearts” were needed to revive the economy and tackle corruption.

At a special parliament session, lawmakers voted to accept the resignation of Hon-charuk, 35, who left as the country’s youngest and most short-lived prime minister since independence in 1991.

He was replaced by Denys Shymgal, who told parliament his immediate challenge was to stave off an economic and budget crisis. He wanted to revise the 2020 budget, cut the salaries of ministers and some officials, and also said the strong hryvnia currency had hurt exports.

The reshuffle threw Ukraine’s commitment to reforms into focus at a time when it is trying to finalise a new loan programme with the International Monetary Fund that is seen as crucial to eco-nomic stability and investor confidence.

Zelenskiy was set to bring other more experienced oper-ators into the cabinet, signalling a change of direction for the

president, who was elected last year pitching himself as an everyman outsider who would bring new faces into politics.

Finance Minister Oksana Markarova could be axed for Ihor Umansky, who was acting finance minister a decade ago under Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Speaking before the vote, Zelenskiy criticised the gov-ernment for failing to arrest an industrial slump and for being soft on tackling graft, while seeking to reassure Ukraine’s international partners of his commitment to reforms.

“Yes, indeed, this is the first government where there is no high-level corruption. But not stealing is not enough. This is a government of new faces, but faces are not enough,” Zelenskiy said. “New brains and new hearts are needed.”

Zelenskiy also took a swipe at foreigners being on the

supervisory board of state-run firms — many of which were appointed with the backing of international donors — saying Ukrainian citizens felt like a minority on them.

An actor with no political experience who played a fic-tional president in a comedy series, Zelenskiy swept to power in a landslide presi-dential election win last year.

But his administration’s popularity has sagged after patchy progress on a com-mitment to end the war against Russian-backed separatists in the eastern Donbass region and to fight high-level graft.

Shmygal used to work for DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy group, owned by the country’s richest man, Rinat Akhmetov.

The new government “is radically different because we took into account society’s demand for professionals. We took people who are authorities in their fields,” Oleksandr Kachura, a lawmaker in Zelen-skiy’s party, said.

“Previously, this was con-sidered a drawback, but now it is perceived differently.”

Honcharuk’s position had been under scrutiny since the leak in January of a recording that suggested he had made unflattering comments about

Zelenskiy.His government also tussled

with Ihor Kolomoisky, one of Ukraine’s wealthiest tycoons, who has been fighting to reverse the 2016 nationalisation of his former bank PrivatBank, the country’s largest lender.

Zelenskiy, whose TV show became a hit on a station owned by Kolomoisky, denies that his business ties with the tycoon influence policy decisions.

In order to secure new IMF loans, Honcharuk’s government had tried to pass a law on

banking insolvency through parliament that would bar Pri-vatBank from returning to Kolomoisky.

“It seems to me yes, this is a victory for Kolomoisky and his people,” a source in Zelenskiy’s party said about the reshuffle.

Ukraine’s outgoing prime minister, Oleksiy Honcharuk, bows after lawmakers voted to accept his resignation during a parliamentary session, in Kiev yesterday.

Oleksiy Honcharuk was replaced by Denys Shymgal, who told parliament his immediate challenge was to stave off an economic and budget crisis.

BLOOMBERG — ROME

Italy announced a nationwide closing of its schools until March 15 as it redoubles efforts to curb the worst outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic in Europe.

The decision came after Italian emergency chief Angelo Borrelli reported an additional 28 deaths, bringing the total to 107.

The number of coronavirus cases increased to 3,086 fro 2,502 on Tuesday in an out-break that has crippled activity in the rich northern regions.

“It is a prudent decision to contain the virus because we have a healthcare system at risk of being overloaded,” Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said in a statement yesterday. “We

have a problem with intensive and sub-intensive care.”

The government is also considering a ban of public con-ferences and cultural events that would be another blow for Italy’s economy, where travel and tourism generate more than 13 percent of economic activity, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

The measures will further hit a country already heading into recession before the virus outbreak.

The government is studying a stimulus package worth $4bn and, according to an official, is ready to push its deficit above 2.4 percent of gross domestic product.

As many as 8.7 million children and students will be affected from kindergarten to

high schools, as well as their families. Many in the afflicted regions, from Milan to Venice and Bologna, are already con-fined at home.

Schools in Northern Italy have been closed since Feb-ruary 24.

“The virus is severely testing our health facilities and we need to limit children getting together,” said Fabrizio Pregliasco, a virologist at Milan University. “Closing schools is a necessary measure because it will help limit the spread.”

In closing schools, Italy follows similar measures taken by Japan, which is enforcing a complete school shutdown due to last until April, and Hong Kong.

Italy is the European country most hit by the virus.

13THURSDAY 5 MARCH 2020 EUROPE / AMERICAS

EU unveils climate law, but Greta is unimpressedAFP — BRUSSELS

Europe unveiled a landmark green growth law yesterday but failed to impress teenage activist Greta Thunberg, who dubbed it a “surrender” to the threat of climate change.

The European Commis-sion’s draft of the law mandates EU members to achieve “climate neutrality” — net zero greenhouse emissions — by 2050.

It is seen in Brussels as the trigger to an economic revo-lution that will make Europe sustainable and meet the targets of the Paris climate accord.

The proposal “will be our compass for the next 30 years and it will guide us every step of the way as we build a sus-tainable new growth model,” European Commission Pres-ident Ursula von der Leyen told reporters.

It “will set in stone Europe’s position as a climate leader on the global stage and will inspire many of our partners.”

But 17-year-old Swedish eco-warrior Thunberg poured cold water on Von der Leyen’s enthusiasm and accused Europe of making false claims of lead-ership on the environment.

The European Union must

stop “pretending that you can be a climate leader and still go on building and subsidising new fossil fuel infrastructure,” the Swedish activist told a com-mittee hearing at the European Parliament.

Thunberg was in the Belgian capital ahead of a Friday climate action protest, but had also been a guest of Von der Leyen at a meeting of top EU officials that approved the proposal.

The proposed climate text aims to enshrine into law the EU’s grand ambition of zero net carbon emissions by mid-century.

It would also give the EU executive new powers to impose emission targets on member state governments, a measure welcomed by greens

and some activists. But handing more power to

the commission, the EU’s exec-utive arm, faces almost certain opposition from the national governments and the European Parliament which must ratify the proposal.

“Member states and par-liament will hate it,” said Quentin Genard of climate think tank E3G in a blog post.

The overall goal of climate neutrality was approved by EU leaders at a rocky summit in June with coal-dependent Poland the only holdout.

It binds the EU’s 27 member states to balance polluting emis-sions and the removal of green-house gases — such as by using carbon capture technology or reforestation — within the next 30 years.

The Green Deal also envisages a major investment drive to decarbonise the European economy, but EU leaders are squabbling over the budget.

Thunberg insisted that the time to drastically cut emissions was now.

“When your house is on fire, you don’t wait a few more years to start putting it out,” said Thunberg. “When the EU presents this climate law and

net zero by 2050 you indirectly admit surrender, that you are giving up.”

In addition, critics say the goal depends too deeply on technology that does not exist and creates a false hope that climate change can be fixed without making sacrifices like abandoning fuel-driven cars or curbing consumption.

“Europe is betting on unproven technologies and carbon sinks to suck up carbon we belched into the atmos-phere, when we should be

ending fossil fuels,” said Molly Welch of Friends of the Earth Europe.

Also angering activists, the proposal steps back from the commission’s ambition to order countries to cut emissions by 50 percent or even 55 percent from 1990 levels by the end of this decade.

Instead, the EU draft accepts that the existing goal to reduce pollution by at least 40 percent by 2030 will be revised by September.

Then, by 2023 and every

five years thereafter, the EU will assess progress and possibly demand deeper emission cuts from governments in order to reach the 2050 goal.

Thunberg said the announcement was not all bad.

“I mean the positive thing is that they say that they are lis-tening,” Thunberg said after addressing parliament. “And the negative thing is that they invite someone like me, a child, to tell them these things — I mean, they don’t need me to tell them these things.”

Teen Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg addressing the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee meeting held at European Parliament, in Brussels yesterday.

Central Europe PMs hail Greece’s effort to stop migrantsAFP — PRAGUE

The Prime Ministers of four central European EU members yesterday hailed the efforts of Greece to stem the flow of migrants into Europe following Turkey’s decision to open its western border.

Thousands of migrants have massed at the Greek frontier since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced last week that they would no longer be prevented from trying to enter Europe.

The mobilisation has

triggered comparisons to the 2015 migrant and refugee crisis that brought millions of people, many of them from war-torn Syria, to Europe.

“Greece is indeed active, it has stopped illegal migration and we appreciate its efforts to defend the (EU’s) external border,” Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis told reporters in Prague.

“The situation on the EU’s border is really serious and we want to do our best to prevent a return of the 2015 situation,” said the populist Babis, adding

that Visegrad four (V4) states are “ready to send help” to Greece.

The Czech Republic now holds the rotating presidency of the V4 group which also comprises Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia.

Mass migrant and refugee flows in 2015 led the EU to con-sider distributing migrants across the bloc, a move that failed after the Visegrad coun-tries opposed it.

Refusing to accept migrants, Hungary’s populist Prime Min-ister Viktor Orban claimed

yesterday that there were “already 130,000 migrants north and west of the Greek-Turkish border that are headed in the direction of Europe.”

“So in itself defending the Greek-Turkish border won’t be enough, we have to do some-thing about those 130,000 people who ... are heading north. The Greeks have already let those through,” said Orban, whose country built a fence along its southern border in 2015 to prevent migrant flows.

“This mass must be stopped as far south as possible, and if

that doesn’t work, then of course just like in 2015 as a last resort the Hungarians will be there to stop them on the Serbian-Hungarian border,” he added.

Outgoing Slovak Prime Min-ister Peter Pellegrini said Slo-vakia was ready to send “police officers and technology” to Hungary if needed.

The four premiers also agreed they would coordinate steps to stem the spread of the new coronavirus after the first cases were reported by the Czech Republic and Poland.

Romanians whoscammed $1m indiamonds jailedAFP — CASTRES

Three Romanians were sentenced to four years in prison for stealing diamonds worth $1.1m in an elaborate swindle of a French jeweller and his Indian business partner.

A fourth member of the gang — a Serbian who was living in Paris — was given five years in jail by the judge in Castres in southern France, but he is still on the run and subject to an international arrest warrant.

They were convicted of snatching three diamonds — which have never been recovered — in August 2017.

The operation was launched four months earlier at a diamond trade fair in Monaco, when two of the gang introduced themselves to the pair as a wealthy Armenian couple looking to invest in pre-cious gems.

The group met again in Milan and another time in Mazamet in southern France in August, when the supposed buyers asked to have an inde-pendent expert examine the stones.

After concluding the deal, the diamonds were placed in a sealed box brought by the alleged expert and which the Indian gem trader took away with him, awaiting a promised bank transfer of $1.1m. But the next day, no money arrived and the trader opened the box to discover it empty.

In Castres, the prosecutor said the scam had been carried out using “sleight of hand with a double-bottomed box”.

The European Union must stop “pretending that you can be a climate leader and still go on building and subsidising new fossil fuel infrastructure: Greta Thunberg

Melania Trump honours women from 12countries for courageAP — WASHINGTON

US First Lady Melania Trump drew parallels yesterday between her youth welfare initiative and a group of women from around the world whom the State Department has recognised for acts of courage in their countries.

Although the “Be Best” ini-tiative was designed for children, the first lady said the programme “ties nicely into the accomplishments of the women who share the stage with me.”

“Without positive support, guidance and well-being, which are just some of the attributes today’s children need, they will not enter adulthood with the empathy and strength needed to help others as selflessly as the women here today,” Mrs. Trump said at the annual State

Department ceremony.A dozen women from

Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, an autonomous pre-fecture in China, Malaysia, Nic-aragua, Pakistan, Syria, Yemen and Zimbabwe received the 2020 International Women of Courage Award yesterday from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

One recipient was imprisoned in Syria and now helps families of forcibly disap-peared Syrians. Another is the mayor of Maidan Shar, a town in Afghanistan’s conservative Wardak province, who has faced death threats and angry male mobs. Other recipients are journalists and human rights advocates.

Mrs. Trump noted that yes-terday was her fourth year

attending the ceremony. She said she is inspired by the per-sonal stories of each of the

women, noting that they often risk their safety to help others.

“These are the faces of true

heroism,” she said.International Women’s Day

is Sunday.

US First Lady Melania Trump during the annual International Women of Courage (IWOC) Awards at the State Department in Washington, DC, yesterday.

Maduro urges women to have ‘six children’ANATOLIA — BOGOTA

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro urged women to have a lot of children in a televised event promoting a national women’s health care plan.

“Start giving birth now, start giving birth. All women should have six children so the country grows,” Maduro said yesterday while he com-plimented a woman who has six children.

The National Plan for Humanized Childbirth and Breastfeeding would provide heath care to every pregnant and breastfeeding woman. “Every woman should have six children for the good of the country.”

Maduro’s words provoked con-troversy in Venezuela where pregnant women are often left unprotected without access to the public health system, forcing thousands to leave Venezuela for other countries every day seeking prenatal care and to

protect the lives of their unborn children.

In fact, more than 24,000 children have been born to Venezuelan parents in Colombia since 2015.

Between 2015 and 2016, maternal deaths grew 65 percent and child mortality, after six days of from birth, increased 53 percent, according to 2016 government data, the last year statistics are available.

Chronic malnutrition is on the rise as well. The UN children’s agency, Unicef, says between 2013 and 2018, 13 percent of Venezuelan children were malnourished.

“Hospitals are not functioning, vaccines are scarce, women cannot breastfeed because they are mal-nourished or buy baby formula because it is unaffordable, and the country faces forced migration due to the humanitarian emergency,” Manuela Bolivar, a member of the opposition-controlled National Assembly wrote on Twitter.

Maduro made another comment which caused controversy when he said: “Women were made to give birth.”

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro during a television programme at the Miraflores Presidential Palace, in Caracas.

US Defence linguist charged for transmitting classified intelligenceREUTERS — WASHINGTON

The US government said yesterday that it had charged a Defense Department linguist with transmitting classified intelligence to a foreign national linked to the Lebanese Islamist group Hezbollah, saying she revealed the names of key American assets.

Mariam Taha Thompson, 61, formerly of Rochester, Minnesota, was arrested by FBI agents at an overseas military base on February 27. She is due to make an initial appearance today at the US Dis-trict Court for the District of Columbia.

John Demers, the Justice Depart-ment’s assistant attorney-general for national security, called Thompson’s alleged conduct a “disgrace” to her country.

“While in a war zone, the defendant allegedly gave sensitive national defence information, including the names of individuals helping the United

States, to a Lebanese national located overseas,” Demers said in a statement. “If true, this conduct is a disgrace, espe-cially for someone serving as a con-tractor with the United States military. This betrayal of country and colleagues will be punished.”

The Justice Department said that during its investigation, it discovered audit logs showing a “notable shift” in Thompson’s network activity on the Defense Department’s classified systems.

The discovery came on December 30, 2019, a day after the US launched air strikes against Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and the same day that protesters there stormed the US embassy in response.

The information Thompson was looking up involved dozens of files on human intelligence sources she had no need to access, including their names, photographs and other personally-iden-tifiable information, the department said.

14 THURSDAY 5 MARCH 2020AMERICAS

Biden claims 9 Super Tuesday winsAP — WASHINGTON

A resurgent Joe Biden scored victories from Texas to Massachusetts on Super Tuesday, revitalizing a presi-dential bid that was teetering on the edge of disaster just days earlier. But his rival Bernie Sanders seized the biggest prize with a win in California that ensured he would drive the Democrats’ nomination fight for the foreseeable future.

With Mike Bloomberg's exit, the Democratic Party’s presidential field, which featured more than a half-dozen candidates a week ago, transformed into a two-man contest.

Biden and Sanders, lifelong politi-cians with starkly different visions for America’s future, were battling for del-egates as 14 states and one US territory held a series of high-stakes elections that marked the most significant day of voting in the party’s 2020 presi-dential nomination fight.

It could take weeks — or months — for the party to pick one of them to

take on President Donald Trump in the November general election.

But the new contours of the fight between Biden and Sanders crystal-lized as the former vice-president and the three-term Vermont senator spoke to each other from dueling victory speeches delivered from opposite ends of the country on Tuesday night.

“People are talking about a revo-lution. We started a movement,” Biden said in Los Angeles, knocking one of Sanders’ signature lines.

Without citing his surging rival by name, Sanders swiped at Biden from Burlington, Vermont.

“You cannot beat Trump with the same-old, same-old kind of politics,” Sanders declared, ticking down a list of past policy differences with Biden on Social Security, trade and military force. “This will become a contrast in ideas.”

The Sanders campaign announced yesterday it would begin airing three new campaign ads in Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Washington, states that hold primaries on March 10 and March 17.

One of the new ads features archived footage of former President Barack Obama praising Sanders. It’s a not-so-subtle attempt by the Vermont senator to undercut Biden’s frequently spotlighting his closeness to Obama.

Trump took to Twitter yesterday to call Biden’s strong Super Tuesday showing “a perfect storm” and amplify his long-running argument that the Democratic Party would move to stop Sanders from winning the nomination.

“The Democrat establishment came together and crushed Bernie Sanders, AGAIN!” Trump tweeted.

Biden’s victories were powered by Democratic voters who broke his way just days before casting their ballots — a wave of late momentum that scrambled the race in a matter of hours.

In some states, the late-deciders made up roughly half of all voters, according to AP VoteCast, surveys of voters in several state primaries.

He drew support from a broad coa-lition of moderates and conservatives, African Americans and voters older than 45.

Sanders’ success proved he could deliver in perhaps the greatest test of his decadeslong political career. His success was built on a base of

energized liberals, young people and Latinos. But he was unable to suffi-ciently widen his appeal to older voters and college graduates who make up a sizable share of Democratic voters, according to AP VoteCast.

The former vice-president showed strength in the Northeast with a victory in Massachusetts. He won delegate-rich Texas in the Southwest, Minnesota in the upper Midwest and finished on top across the South in Virginia, Alabama, North Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas, in addition to Oklahoma.

And while Sanders scored the night’s biggest delegate-prize in Cali-fornia, he scored just three other decisive victories, winning his home state of Vermont, along with Utah and Colorado.

Democratic US presidential candidate and former vice-president Joe Biden speaks at his Super Tuesday night rally in Los Angeles.

Bloomberg quits race, backs Biden

AP — NEW YORK

Billionaire Mike Bloomberg ended his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination yesterday and endorsed former vice-president Joe Biden. It was a stunning collapse for the former New York City mayor, who had his 2020 hopes on the Super Tuesday states and pumped more than $500m of his own fortune into the campaign.

Bloomberg announced his departure from the race after a dis-appointing finish on Super Tuesday

in the slate of states that account for almost one-third of the total dele-gates available in the Democratic nominating contest.

He won only the territory of American Samoa and picked up several dozen delegates elsewhere. Biden, meanwhile, won big in Southern states where Bloomberg had poured tens of millions of dollars and even cautiously hoped for a victory.

“I entered the race for President to defeat Donald Trump,” Bloomberg said in a statement. “Today, I am leaving the race for the same reason: to defeat Donald Trump — because it is clear to me that staying in would make achieving that goal more dif-ficult.” Bloomberg said he has known Biden for a long time and knows Biden’s commitment to issues including gun safety, health care, climate change and good jobs.

“Today I am glad to endorse him — and I will work to make him the next President of the United States.”

Nine dead from COVID-19 in US; New York has 6 casesREUTERS — NEW YORK

The number of people ill with the new coronavirus has risen to six in New York state, Governor Andrew Cuomo said yesterday, as officials confirmed total nine deaths from the virus in Seattle area in Washington.

New York’s Yeshiva Uni-versity said one of its students had tested positive for COVID-19, and it was canceling all classes yesterday at one of its four New York City cam-puses as a “precautionary step” while it worked with author-ities on how to best prepare and keep its students safe.

On Tuesday, officials said a man in his 50s who lives in a New York City suburb and works at a Manhattan law firm tested positive for the virus, the second identified case in the state. Health authorities said one of his children was a student at Yeshiva.

The man has severe pneu-monia and is hospitalized, offi-cials said. The patient had not traveled to countries hardest hit in the coronavirus outbreak, which began in China in December and is now present

in nearly 80 countries and ter-ritories, killing more than 3,000 people.

Of the six cases of people with coronavirus in New York, only one is hospitalized, Cuomo said at a news conference.

The four new cases include three family members of the hospitalized man, New York Mayor Bill De Blasio said in a statement. The fourth was a neighbor, according to media reports.

“There are going to be many, many people who test positive. By definition, the more you test, the more people you will find who test positive,” Cuomo said.

New York wants to get the state’s capacity for testing for the virus to up to 1,000 a day, he said.

“The people who we are most concerned about, who are most vulnerable are senior cit-izens, people with immune comprised situations. What we’re worried about: nursing home setting, senior care setting. That’s what we’ve seen in other places and that’s where the situation is most problematic.”

At least one school in the Bronx neighborhood of New York City closed on Tuesday. The SAR Academy and SAR High School remained closed yesterday, but online classes were taking place, according to a man with a child at the school.

The latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) listed 108 confirmed and presumed cases in the United States. That tally consists of 60 reported by

public health authorities in 12 states plus 48 among people repatriated from abroad, most of them from an outbreak aboard the Diamond Princess cruise liner in Japan.

Nine people have died in the Seattle area, health officials said. Washington state in the Pacific Northwest has the largest concentration of coro-navirus cases detected to date in the United States with 27 people infected as of Tuesday.

A worker cleans a passenger bus in Seattle, US, where the bus operator is ramping up efforts to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Damage to planes and properties is seen at the John C Tune Airport after a tornado hit Nashville, in US state of Tennessee, on Tuesday.

FBI needs to do more to fight domestic extremist threats: WatchdogREUTERS — WASHINGTON

The FBI has not done enough to fight homegrown extremist threats and has yet to figure out how to determine whether people it investigates who have mental health issues pose an actual threat to national security, the US Justice Depart-

ment’s internal watchdog said yesterday.

Just ice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz also found that the FBI did not follow up on some cases that had been flagged as potential threats. The report found shortcomings in the FBI’s efforts to prevent mass attacks

by US residents who have been inspired by international mil-itant groups like Islamic State and al Qaeda, which the agency says is its highest counterter-rorism priority. The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

So-called homegrown violent extremists have carried

out more than 20 attacks in the United States since September 11, 2001 — some perpetrated by people the FBI had already investigated.

Horowitz found that the FBI conducted reviews after those attacks to find out what it had missed, but didn’t make sure that agents followed through

w i t h i t s p r o p o s e d improvements.

The FBI concluded in 2017 that it should have conducted about 6 percent of its counter-terrorism assessments more thoroughly. But the agency did not re-examine nearly half of those cases for 18 months, Horowitz wrote.

Sessions heads to

runoff in Alabama

Senate raceMOBILE — ALABABAMA

President Donald Trump lashed out at his former attorney-general Jeff Sessions as the Alabama Republican advanced to a primary runoff for his old Senate seat in Alabama.

Sessions securely held the Alabama Senate seat for two decades, but was forced into a runoff with a political new-comer after being wounded by Trump’s prior criticisms of Sessions’ recusal in the Russia investigation.

The newest criticisms by Trump, who has previously been largely quiet on the race, could further damage Sessions’ hopes of a political resur-rection in the state where he had been a conservative icon.

Sessions fell short of winning the GOP nomination and will face former college football coach Tommy Tuber-ville in a Republican runoff. The winner of their March 31 runoff will face incumbent Democratic Senator Doug Jones as Republicans try to reclaim the Senate seat in the once reliably red state.

Sessions gave up the Senate seat when he was appointed Trump’s attorney general, a position he was forced to resign after his recusal from the Russia inquiry sparked blistering criticism from the president.

Trump, who had been largely silent on the race weighed in yesterday morning, just hours after the race had been called. “This is what happens to someone who loyally gets appointed Attorney General of the United States & then doesn’t have the wisdom or courage to stare down & end the phony Russia Witch Hunt. Recuses himself on FIRST DAY in office, and the Mueller Scam begins!” Trump wrote in a tweet.

Sessions, 73, had main-tained loyalty to Trump throughout the race and in his Tuesday night speech after making the runoff, noting that he was the first US senator to endorse Trump in 2016 and arguing he would be most effective in advancing Trump’s agenda.

“Anyone can say they are for the Trump agenda, but talk is cheap, but I have fought on the great issues of our day and won,” Sessions told a crowd in Mobile.

US offers help to

China, others on

coronavirusAGENCEIS — WASHINGTON

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper offered US help to China and the region for the prevention and control of coronavirus in a call with his Chinese counterpart, the Pentagon said yesterday.

“Secretary Esper conveyed the United States’ ongoing concern over the global impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) and reaffirmed the United States’ offer to continue to assist China and the region with support for COVID-19 prevention and control,” a Pentagon readout of the call said.

The call between Esper and Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe took place yes-terday. The readout did not say whether Beijing expressed any interest in Esper’s offer.

The novel coronavirus out-break, which began in China in December and is now present in nearly 80 countries and territories, has killed more than 3,000 people globally.

The Democratic Party's race to pick a candidate to face President Donald Trump in November is narrowing down to two-man contest between former vice-president Joe Biden, and Senator Bernie Sanders.

Tornadoes devastateTennessee, 24 deadAP — NASHVILLE, US

Rescuers searched through shat-tered Tennessee neighborhoods for bodies on Tuesday, less than a day after tornadoes ripped across Nashville and other parts of the state as families slept. At least 24 people were killed, some in their beds, authorities said.

The twisters that struck in the hours after midnight shredded more than 140 buildings and buried people in piles of rubble and wrecked basements. The storms moved so quickly that many people in their path could not flee to safer areas.

“It hit so fast, a lot of folks didn’t have time to take shelter,” Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter said. “Many of these folks were sleeping.”

The governor declared an emergency and sent the National Guard to help with search-and-rescue efforts. State emergency officials, who initially reported at least 25 dead, revised the toll to 24 fatalities on Tuesday evening. An unspecified number of people were missing.

More than a dozen polling stations were also damaged, forcing Super Tuesday voters to wait in long lines at alternative sites.

15THURSDAY 5 MARCH 2020 HOME

CROSSWORD MALL ROYAL PLAZA

CHLS hosts conference for advanced neurotechnologyTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) recently hosted the International Conference for Advanced Neuro-technology (ICAN 2020). The event attracted leading lights in neurotechnology and related fields to Doha, recently.

Each year, ICAN gathers neu-roscientists and neuro-engineers from around the world to review recent technological and philo-sophical advancements in neuro-technology, big data analytics and neuroscience. Proceedings typi-cally focus on the development and application of next-generation tools to advance neuroscience. Efforts to enhance the translation of technology to the science com-munity are also discussed.

The theme of ICAN 2020 was merging advancements in under-standing the computational skills of the brain. Issues and topics up for discussion included the development of mathematical algorithms that translate com-putational parameters into the language of machines. Consid-eration was also given to the availability of high density and

throughput data capture analysis schemes for the creation of human-like robotic learning and intelligence.

ICAN 2020 was hosted by Dr Edward Stuenkel, founding dean of CHLS. The institutional partners for this year’s con-ference included the University of Michigan and New York Uni-versity. A series of keynote speeches were delivered by experts and esteemed thought leaders from academia and the private sector. Subjects included nanodevices for bio-inspired

computing, building neuro-morphic computers, and neural mechanisms for planning, decision making, neural pros-thetics, and brain repair.

Dr Edward Stuenkel said, “The main theme of ICAN 2020 could not have been more relevant. Humanoid robotics have left the drawing table and history books and are part of everyday living. Human brain-inspired intelligent devices are driving the ascent of modern robotics. These rely on silicon-based electronics with cir-cuitry driven toward the creation

of fully cognitive silicon brains. They remain a work-in-progress requiring due care and attention.”

“To this end, it was an honor to host ICAN 2020. Doing so not only underlined Qatar’s ability to stage conferences and events with a global reach, but also the CHLS’ growing reputation in the fields of biomedical sciences, genomics, and precision medicine. Finally, I’d like to pay tribute to our insti-tutional partners. Their inputs, contributions and overall support in the buildup to the conference were invaluable.”

The event gathered neuroscientists and neuro-engineers from around the world.

Bedaya showcases 9 entrepreneurial projects on sidelines of H H the Amir Sword FestivalTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Bedaya Center for Entrepre-neurship and Career Development (Bedaya Center), a joint initiative by Qatar Development Bank and Silatech, in collaboration with Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club, successfully concluded its partic-ipation on the sidelines of H H the Amir Sword Festival.

Bedaya’s participation involved nine entrepreneurial projects which showcased their products and services during the event to motivate and support them morally and financially. The H H the Amir Sword Festival is one of the most prominent interna-tional horse racing tournaments in the region, attracting the most élite horses from stables around the world.

With this remarkable part-nership with Qatar Racing and

Equestrian Club, Bedaya Centre offered Qatari entrepreneurial projects a perfect platform to showcase their products, promote them and have access to wide spectrum of equestrian audience who attended the event. The entrepreneurs utilised the

opportunity to introduce the nature of their projects and raise awareness about their services.

During this year’s event, four entrepreneurial projects working in the F&B sector (coffee shops) had the opportunity to operate in the VIP area. Dukan Bedaya also provided

the opportunity for five entrepre-neurs at the garden area to showcase their products which focused on Qatar and its environment.

These projects included the plantation methods of desert roses, miswak royal as well as many other products that promoted Qatar, especially with the attendance of international guests who came from abroad to follow the championship event.

Commenting on the successful participation, Hanane Ibrahim, Business Development Manager at Bedaya Center said, "This step reflects the level of interest that entrepreneurs in Qatar receive by giving them an opportunity and the best platforms to showcase their products and services, which supports the development of their businesses and market them in the best way to reach the largest pos-sible segment of consumers.”

The entrepreneurs utilised the opportunity to introduce the nature of their projects and raise awareness about their services.

Forensic is a 2020 Malayalam movie directed by Akhil Paul and Anas Khan starring Tovino Thomas, Mamta Mohandas, Renji Panicker and Reba Monica John. The movie is produced by Navis Xavier and Siju Mathew.

FORENSIC

Trance (2D/Malayalam) 2:00 & 11:30pm

Sundooq Al Dunya (2D/Horror) 5:00pm

Baaghi 3 (2D/Hindi) 7:00, 9:00 & 11:00pm

Come To Daddy (2D/Comedy) 9:45pm

Onward (2D/Animation) 3:00, 5:00 & 7:00pm

Forensic (2D/Malayalam) 2:00, 4:30, 9:00 & 11:30pm

The Way Back (2D/Drama) 7:00pm

Trance (2D/Malayalam) 11:00am, 5:15, 8:30 & 111:45pm; Thappad (2D/Hindi) 11:00am, 5:15pmStardog & Turbocat (2D/Animation) 12:15, 2:15 & 4:15pm; Kannum Kannum (2D/Tamil) 11:30, 2:15 & 6:15pm; Ayyappanum Koshiyum (2D/Malayalam) 2:00 & 8:15pmThe Invisible Man (2D/Horror) 9:15 & 12:00pm

LANDMARK

AL KHOR

Baaghi 3 (2D/Hindi) 12:45, 6:00, 8:15, 11:15, 2:00am

Forensic (2D/Malayalam) 12:30, 3:00, 3:30, 5:30, 6:15, 8:00, 8:45,

10:30, 12:00 midnight, 1:00am, 2:15am

Trance (2D/Malayalam) 3:00 & 8:45pm

Pon Manickavel (2D/Tamil) 12:30 & 5:45pm

ASIAN TOWN

ROXY

FLIK Mirqab Mall

Baaghi 3 (2D/Hindi) 7:10 & 10:10pmEscape From Pretoria (2D/Thriller) 11:10am, 3:25 & 10:55pmForensic (2D/Malayalam) 4:35, 7:15, 9:55 & 0:35amBirds Of Prey (2D/Action) 12:15, 4:25 & 8:35pmOnward (2D/Animation) 10:00am, 11:00am, 12:05, 1:05, 2:10, 3:10, 4:15, 5:15, 6:20, 7:20, 8:25, 9:25, 10:30 & 11:30pmSonic: The Hedgehog (2D/Action) 10:35, 12:35 & 2:35pmThe Call Of The Wild (2D/Drama) 10:15, 1:20, 2:25, 6:35 & 10:45pmThe Invisible Man (2D/Horror) 11:15am, 1:40, 4:05, 5:40,6:30, 8:55 & 11:20pmThe Way Back (2D/Drama) 10:30am, 12:40, 2:50, 5:00 & 11:40pm

Baaghi 3 (2D/Hindi) 10:30am, 11:00am, 12:30, 1:00,

1:30, 4:00, 4:30, 5:20, 7:00, 7:30, 8;20, 10:00, 10:20,

10:40 & 11:00pm

Escape From Pretoria (2D/Thriller) 3:00, 10:10, 10:30,

11:30

Forensic (2D/Malayalam) 10:30am, 12:30, 1:00, 2:00,

3:40, 4:40, 6:20, 7:20, 9:00, 11:20 & 11:40pm

Onward (2D/Animation) 10:30am, 12:30, 1:00, 2:40,

3:50, 5:00, 6:00, 7:10 & 8:15pm

Pon Manickavel (2D/Tamil) 7:30 & 10:00pm

Sonic: The Hedgehog (2D/Action) 11:00am, 12:30,

1:00, 2:00 & 3:20pm; The Way Back (2D/Drama) 2:30,

4:50, 7:00, 8:20, 9:10, 9:30 & 11:50pm

Onward (2D/Animation) 2:15 & 4:15pm

Forensic (2D/Malayalam) 2:30, 6:15, 9:00 & 11:30pm

Baaghi 3 (2D/Hindi) 8:45 & 11:30pm

The Way Back (2D/Drama) 5:00pm

Escape From Pretoria (2D/Thriller) 7:00pm

Trance (2D/Malayalam) 2:00pm

Escape From Pretoria (2D/Thriller) 5:00 & 11:30pm

Baaghi 3 (2D/Hindi) 7:00, 8:45 & 11:30pm;

Come To Daddy (2D/Comedy) 9:45pm

Onward (2D/Animation) 2:30, 4:45 & 6:45pm

The Way Back (2D/Drama) 5:00 & 7:00pm

Forensic (2D/Malayalam) 2:30, 9:00 & 11:30pm

16 THURSDAY 5 MARCH 2020MORNING BREAK

FAJR SUNRISE 04.38 am 05.53 am

W A L R U WA I S : 18o↗ 22o W A L K H O R : 15o↗ 25o W D U K H A N : 17o↗ 22o W WA K R A H : 12o↗ 27o W M E S A I E E D 12o↗ 27o W A B U S A M R A 16o↗ 23o

PRAYER TIMINGS WEATHER TODAY

HIGH TIDE 04:49 – 00:00 LOW TIDE 18:21 – 00:00

Moderate temperature daytime with slight dust at times, relatively cold by night.

Minimum Maximum16oC 26oC

ZUHRMAGHRIB

11.45 am05.40 pm

ASR ISHA

03.07 pm07.10 pm

Streaming giants look to India for new growthAFP — SINGAPORE

Netflix and Amazon are battling a dizzying array of homegrown outfits, from Bollywood producers to broadcasters, for dominance of India’s streaming market, a key target as growth in Western countries slows.

As more Indians shift to viewing movies and shows online, industry revenues from streaming in the country are set to jump from $500m in 2018 to as much as $5bn in 2023, according to Boston Consulting Group.

With many Western markets saturated and Asia’s top economy China effectively closed off to foreign streamers, a nation of 1.3 billion where phone ownership is forecast to rocket makes for a tantalising prize.

“India is super important, for both Netflix and Amazon,” Tony Gunnarsson, a streaming analyst from consultancy Ovum, said at the recent Asia TV Forum in Singapore.

“Netflix... need to continue to generate new subscribers, and there is no better place than India.” But the US giants face tough competition in the vast, ethnically and religiously diverse country where the streaming scene is rapidly evolving.

There are dozens of sub-scription streaming services in India, according to Ovum, and some domestic outfits have more experience in producing content tailored for local audi-ences and in the country’s

myriad languages.A major player is Hotstar —

originally a homegrown outfit which later became part of the Disney empire — which has attracted an army of followers in part by streaming Indian Premier League cricket matches live.

Other Indian rivals include ZEE5, run by major broadcaster Zee Entertainment, and ALT-Balaji, the video-streaming service of Bollywood producers Balaji Telefilms.

As well as offering their services direct to consumers, streamers are bundling their content with mobile phone services in a bid to broaden their reach.

Netflix, the world’s biggest subscription streaming service, has made expanding in India a priority and aims to attract 100 million subscribers in the country — an ambitious goal given analysts estimate it will only reach about seven million this year. The company made a mark with its first Indian original “Sacred Games”, a hugely popular series about a troubled police officer starring top Bollywood actors, and has a slate of new productions in the works. They plan to invest Rs30bn ($420m) in Indian content in 2019 and 2020.

“This is India’s golden age of entertainment,” Srishti Arya, Netflix India’s director of inter-national original film, said.

“There are so many oppor-tunities in streaming, creators are not restricted by length, duration.” Fellow US titan

Amazon also has a strong foothold in India with its Prime Video service and, like Netflix, typically appeals to wealthier urbanites who want to see Western as well as Indian content.

It is planning to release around one Indian original pro-duction a month over the coming year, and is ramping up its production of shows in regional Indian languages.

Netflix has been lagging behind Amazon in terms of sub-scriber numbers but looks set to move ahead from 2021, according to Ovum.

Nevertheless both will likely struggle to catch up to Hotstar, which reached 300 million active monthly users last year, although the Indian streamer works on a different model, offering some content for free

and other shows only to subscribers.

To compete in a crowded market, the US titans are offering their services for less than in the West — Netflix intro-duced a package for India priced at only Rs199 ($2.80) a month, which allows con-sumers to watch only on a phone or tablet, and Amazon Prime is Rs999 ($14) for a year.

And the scene is about to get even more competitive with the launch of the Disney+ streaming service in India next month via Hotstar.

The streaming boom has also shaken up India’s massive entertainment industry, gener-at ing new business opportunities.

Reliance Entertainment — which produced “Sacred Games” for Netflix — has 40 to

45 series in development for streaming platforms, including Hotstar, Amazon, and Hong Kong-based Viu, said Group CEO Shibasish Sarkar.

Two years ago their business was about 90 percent making films but work for streamers “is the fastest-growing space right now”, he saud. The industry hopes that some of the new high-quality shows can find audiences overseas beyond the Indian diaspora — two thirds of the viewers for “Sacred Games” season one, which is in Hindi, were outside India.

“Indian story tellers are now going global,” said Sarkar.

Some observers are opti-mistic that streamers in India have much space for growth, but in the long term they believe only the fittest will survive.

Isaac Newton's

rare manuscript

discovered in

Corsican library

AFP — AJACCIO, FRANCE

A first-edition copy of Isaac Newton’s groundbreaking book laying out his three laws of motion, which became the foundation for modern physics, has been found at a library on the French island of Corsica.

Vannina Schirinsky-Schikhmatoff, director of con-servation at the Fesch public heritage library in Ajaccio, said she discovered the copy of the 17th-century work while studying an index from the library’s founder Lucien Bona-parte — one of Napoleon’s brothers. “I found the Holy Grail in the main room, hidden in the upper shelves,” she said.

“The cover has a little damage but inside it’s in excellent condition — this is the cornerstone of modern mathematics,” she said.

The Latin text, “Philos-ophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica” (Mathematical Principles of Natural Phi-losophy) was first published by Newton in 1687. The renowned physicist was famously inspired by seeing an apple fall from a tree in his garden in Grantham, England, which sparked his elaborations of the classical laws of gravity, motion and optics. English translations were published later, but the original editions remain prized by collectors.

Commuters drive along a road past a billboard advertising the Amazon Prime Video online series 'The Forgotten Army', in Mumbai, on February 7, 2020.