SATURDAY 16 JANUARY 2021 www.thepeninsula.qa3 JUMADA II- 1442 VOLUME 25 NUMBER 8504

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Al Bayt Stadium Park

Every year we need to recruit large number of qualified teachers from Qatar and abroad to meet the demand as annually a number of new schools are being opened and many classrooms added to the existing schools.

Ahmad Juma Al JesaimaniDirector of Teachers Affairs Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education

Amir condoles with Amir of Kuwait, Indonesian PresidentQNA — DOHA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Deputy Amir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani, and Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani sent yesterday cables of condolences to the Amir of Kuwait, H H Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah on the death of Sheikha Fadhaa Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah.

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sent a message to Indonesian President H E Joko Widodo condoling the death of civilians in an earthquake that shook Sulawesi island, and wishing the injured a speedy recovery. The Deputy Amir, and the Prime Minister also sent similar cables of condolences.

Al Baker: Qatar Airways to expand partnerships with other airlines IRFAN BUKHARI THE PENINSULA

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive H E Akbar Al Baker has said that Qatar’s national flag carrier is set to expand its part-nerships with other carriers.

Speaking at CAPA Live, Akbar Al Baker said: “Today, we are very close with American Airlines, we are now going to expand our partnerships with other car-riers, Air Canada is an example. In our industry, we are not adversaries, we are part of a larger aviation family.”

Qatar Airways shared a number of videos on its official Twitter account yes-terday of Akbar Al Baker speaking at CAPA Live. In a video, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive talked about the future of avi-ation industry in post-pandemic era.

He said: “After this pandemic is over, there will be fewer airlines that will be operating for certain. By the grace of God we will be one of them because we have persevered and have carried the flag of Qatar internationally.”

He added: “We have established our-selves very strongly; made everybody aware of our brand, our product.”

In the interview, Al Baker said: “The A350s and B787s are very efficient air-craft when it comes to emissions, espe-cially the A350-1000, which exceeded our expectations with its efficiency that

it is producing today.”Al Baker further said: “Post-COVID, we

will look at which routes we will reintroduce earlier than the other, Qatar Airways will serve all the routes we had launched after the blockade and what we had launched before the COVID restric-tions happened.”

Meanwhile, Qatar Airways announced yesterday resuming its services to King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah with 4 weekly flights.

It is pertinent to mention here that Qatar Airways is already on the course to expand its partnerships with other airlines. Recently, it signed an expanded code-share agreement with Oman Air to boost

connectivity and provide more flexible travel options for both airlines’ customers.

Last month Qatar Airways announced that the first stage of codeshare cooper-ation with China Southern Airlines had begun with the Chinese carrier placing its code on Qatar Airways flights between Guangzhou and Doha.

In November 2020, Qatar Airways finalised a codeshare agreement with Air Canada for travel between Doha and Toronto. The agreement reinforced Qatar Airways’ long-term commitment to Canadian passengers, and to boosting Can-ada’s global connectivity to support the recovery of tourism and trade. �P2

Children enjoying at Al Bayt Stadium Park in Al Khor yesterday. PIC: ABDUL BASIT/ THE PENINSULA

Recruiting qualifiedteachers locally toppriority: OfficialSANAULLAH ATAULLAH THE PENINSULA

Director of Teachers Affairs Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Ahmad Juma Al Jesaimani, has said that the Ministry focused greatly to recruit qualified teachers locally.

“Every year we need to recruit large number of qual-ified teachers from Qatar and abroad to meet the demand as annually a number of new schools are being opened and many classrooms added to the existing schools,” said Ahmad Juma Al Jesaimani while speaking in a Qatar TV pro-gramme recently.

He said that the local recruitment mainly focused on Qatar University which is con-sidered the main source for providing teachers to the Ministry.

“We received big support from the College of Education of Qatar University in terms of providing specialised teachers to meet the annual demand,” said Ahmad Juma Al Jesaimani.

Speaking on Ministry’s policies about recruiting teachers locally, Al Jesaimani said that the Ministry of Edu-cation and Higher Education also recruits teachers in coor-dination with the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (MADLSA). To recall, MADLSA is running e-Recruitment Portal under its initiative to provide suitable job to Qatari job-seekers.

“MADLSA provides us some candidates holding spe-cialisations similar to the edu-cational specialisations. We receive such specialised can-didates, conduct interviews and put them in a year-long training programme. After receiving the necessary qual-ification, they are distributed in schools as per the need,” said Al Jesaimani.

Director of Teachers Affairs Department said that ‘Teach For Qatar’ has also emerged as one of the main sources for Ministry to provide qualified teachers of different specialities.

‘Teach For Qatar’ has been providing teachers to the Min-istry for many years of dif-ferent specialisations espe-cially those related to mathe-matics, sciences, Arabic and English languages,” said Al Jesaimani.

He said there is a great coordination between Min-istry and ‘Teach For Qatar’ which is providing specialised teachers for four subjects for specialised schools, for example, management, accountancy and business administration.

‘Teach For Qatar’ is a local non-governmental organi-sation (NGO) working as part of the solution to help solve some of the challenges Qatar’s students face, according to their website.

It reinvests exceptionally talented leaders — graduates and professionals — into the government school system through a two-year teaching and leadership development programme.

Exhibition shows rare vintage photos of QatarRAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULA

More than 60 photographs of Qatar from a bygone era take visitors on a nostalgic journey down memory lane in “Qatar A Lasting Inspiration” exhibition being presented by AlHosh Gallery at The Gate Mall.

To those who have worked and lived in Qatar for decades, the photos may look familiar, but to those new to the country the exhibition provides a glimpse into how Qatar has progressed in the past several decades.

The photos on show were some of the ear-liest images taken by photography enthusiast Abdul Salam Abu Issa who first set foot on Qatar in 1952. The photos shot in the 1950s and 1960s reveal Abu Issa’s keen interest in photographing the country and its people which he later turned into a lucrative business opening Salam Studio which was Doha’s first studio and fi lm processing laboratory.

Curated by Khalifa Al Obaidly, the exhi-bition showcases a series of fascinating photos which gives visitors an idea on how Qatar looked like over half a century ago when the Doha skyline was not yet dotted with skyscrapers, evident in several aerial shots of Dafna area which are exhibited at the show.

Photos of the old Doha International Airport, ceremonies at an international sports tournament hosted by Qatar in the past, and a police officer in Msheireb which used to be Doha’s old commercial

district are among the images on display.Also on show are photos of the first

pipeline in Qatar as well as those of oil and gas structures in Qatar back in the 1950s.

A special section which contains images of the old Salam Studio and the street where it was located back then is one of the inter-esting features of the exhibition.

The exhibition, which runs until January 28, has been organised by AlHosh Gallery with the support of Seashore Qatar. The gallery was founded in 2008 to highlight

Qatari and Middle Eastern artists through exhibitions and art projects.

AlHosh Gallery just successfully con-cluded “1991 Battle of Al Khafji” exhibition at Sikkat Wadi Msheireb in which contemporary Qatari artist Maetha Al Khayarin archived and documented Qatar’s recent political history with particular focus on the historic Battle of Khafji through photos and installations.

Old photos on show at “Qatar A Lasting Inspiration” exhibition at The Gate Mall. PIC: RAYNALD C RIVERA / THE PENINSULA

After this pandemic is over, there will be fewer airlines that will be operating for certain. By the grace of God we will be one of them because we have persevered and have carried the flag of Qatar internationally.

H E Akbar Al Baker Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive

US closing landmarks, to boosttroops ahead of Biden inaugurationREUTERS — WASHINGTON

The nation’s capital yesterday continued to boost security by shutting down access to iconic landmarks and erecting vehicle checkpoints at a security perimeter surrounding central Washington ahead of Pres-ident-elect Joe Biden’s inaugu-ration on January 20.

Presidential inaugurations are always tightly secure events with operations led by the US Secret Service, but this year’s measures have been amped up after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6 in a bid to prevent the final certification of Biden’s victory. Law enforcement officials have warned of threats and armed groups in all 50 states.

The National Park Service said it was immediately closing the National Mall and iconic US landmarks in Washington to visitors through at least Jan 21.

The Mall includes land-marks like the Lincoln Memorial and Washington

Monument. The area around the White House has also been closed, as has a key bridge over the Potomac River that con-nects Virginia to Washington, as well as East and West Potomac Parks, including Hains Point, which are near the Mall.

“We cannot allow a recur-rence of the chaos and illegal activity that the United States and the world witnessed last week,” Matthew Miller, the head of the Secret Service’s Washington field office, told reporters.

Ken Cuccinelli, the acting deputy secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, told CNN that Biden’s team had decided to delay the inauguration rehearsal by one day due to “some of the online chatter talks about Sunday the 17th.” Still, Biden’s chief of staff Ron Klain said in an interview with the Washington Post he was confident that law enforcement officials would be able to secure the inauguration.

02 SATURDAY 16 JANUARY 2021HOME

QFFD and QRCS deliver medical supplies to eye hospital in SudanTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

With funding from Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has delivered a batch of medical supplies to the Khartoum Teaching Eye Hospital in Sudan, as part of a medical convoy project to treat eye diseases under the Sudan Relief Campaign.

Sultan bin Ahmed Al Asiri, Country Program Management Director at QFFD, said, “We are proud of our continuing part-nership with our strategic partner QRCS. They made commendable efforts to execute the project up

to the highest standards.”“This and other similar

projects are crucial to go on with our development efforts in Sudan. Now, the country is par-ticularly in need of medical assistance in the aftermath of the flash floods of August 2020, which left behind severe damage and casualties,” added Al Asiri.

Dr. Awadullah Hamdan, QRCS’s Head of Mission in Sudan, revealed, “The medical supplies include 18 categories of assorted consumables, med-ications, and other items to ensure that the hospital’s patients have access to medical treatment. We will continue to

deploy medical convoys in diverse specialities.”

Dr. Somaya Ali Daboura, General Manager of the Khartoum Teaching Eye Hos-pital, praised the enormous con-tributions by QRCS. She thanked QRCS and QFFD for the gen-erous support at a time when the hospital is desperate for such medical supplies.

“The hospital needs more medical equipment and con-sumables to be able to serve the community. The humanitarian medical assistance given by Qatar represents a praiseworthy instance of solidarity,” Dr. Daboura said.

Katara hosts Tunisian Cultural EveningQNA/THE PENINSULA— DOHA

Katara Library of Arabic Novels hosted Tunisian Cultural Evening within the activities of Ibn Al Rayb Street at Katara.

The event was attended by a group of Tunisian intellectuals and writers and a number of Qatari and Arab intellectuals.

Tunisian journalist and writer Amer Bouazza, who mod-erated the event, stressed the important role that Katara plays in bringing attention to various cultures, including Tunisian culture on many occasions, as Katara previously held Tunisian Cultural Days, and as the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel had selected Tunisian writer and intellectual Mahmoud Messadi as the Person of the Year in its fifth edition.

Bouazza pointed to the

participation of a number of Tunisian writers in the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel, saying Tunisian writers win it almost every year, especially in the cat-

egory of young people’s novel.Katara Library of Arabic

Novels had hosted a number of Sudanese intellectuals and writers as part of the library’s

guest event, who discussed their writing experience during their stay Qatar.

In his intervention, Dr. Ahmed Al Qadidi discussed the historical developments in the Tunisian cultural scene, high-lighting the circumstances of the emergence of the Tunisian Writers Union and the role played by the intellectual elite in Tunisia, in addition to the mutual cultural influence between Tunisia and its Arab environment.

For his part, Dr. Noureddine El Milady touched on the role of the media in the social and cultural transformations that Tunisia has known through many stages and the impor-tance of supporting the Tunisian cultural product to be in line with the transformations that Tunisian society is experiencing

in several fields. Dr. Ezz El Din Abdel Mawla

spoke about current Tunisian culture, indicating that there is a need for real support to enhance development and ren-aissance. He said that culture should be one of the priorities of national strategies.

Dr. Mustafa Alstiti shed light on the depth of the cultural his-torical relations between Tunisia and the Arab countries, through the march of Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Thaalabi as a role model, which had a good impact during his tour in the countries of the Arab East.

He also indicated the importance of the Tunisian intellectual to benefit from social media and the wide and unlimited potential it offers to introduce ideas and creativity in various fields.

A view of Tunisian Cultural Evening hosted by Katara Library of Arabic Novels.

MME gets ISO certification for resolving complaints, customer satisfactionQNA — DOHA

Represented by the Customer Service Department and the Unified Call Center, the Ministry of Municipality and Envi-ronment (MME) received the ISO/10002/2018 certificate for resolving complaints and customer satisfaction. The Ministry met all the necessary requirements to obtain it, within the framework of the Ministry’s vigorous pursuit to provide services of high quality and efficiency.

On this occasion, Director of the Customer Service

Department and the Unified Call Center at the MME, Hamad bin Ahmed Al Mohannadi said that the certification reflects the commitment of the MME regarding its quality policy and ensuring the implementation of its mission, vision and strategy.

He also explained that the ISO/10002/2018 system pro-vides the required satisfaction for customers by resolving issues and enhancing the ability to plan, design, develop, maintain and improve the service as well as encourage employees to strengthen their behaviours and skills.

All-new Samsung Galaxy S21 Series 5G available for pre-order: OoredooTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Ooredoo yesterday announced that all-new Samsung Galaxy S21 Series 5G is now available for pre-order for customers across Qatar until February 4, 2021.

Every customer who places their pre-order for devices part of the latest next-generation product range will also receive 25 percent discount on Clear-Coat protection and a free one-year beIN Connect subscription exclusively to all who does pre-order from Ooredoo e-Shop (https://preorder.ooredoo.qa/order/index.html ) to further enhance their Galaxy experience.

Director of Public Relation at Ooredoo, Sabah Rabiah Al Kuwari said: “We know being able to access the latest and most covetable devices is a huge pri-ority for our customers, as is being able to rely on the very best networks available. The combi-nation of Samsung technology and our incredible 5G network is bound to be a huge draw, and we expect to see phenomenal demand for the new Samsung Galaxy S21 Series 5G among our customer base. Complete cus-tomer satisfaction is a key goal at Ooredoo, and we’re delighted

to be working with Samsung to launch this much-awaited smart-phone in Qatar.”

“The operators we work alongside have always been fun-damental partners during the pre-order and rollout phases of our newest flagships. Their support and invaluable contri-butions are very much appre-ciated, and we are excited once again to share our success with them in the countries where we operate,” said Senior Director – Mobile Division, Samsung Gulf Electronics, Osman Albora.

At Samsung, Albora said: “We are eager to begin 2021 by presenting Galaxy enthusiasts with brand new products and offers that they deserve and expect. As such, we are delighted that everyone can now place

their pre-orders for the Galaxy S21 Series 5G, which combines iconic design, pro-grade camera capabilities, premium viewing, and powerful connectivity to make everyday epic.

Specially made for the way we live today, the Galaxy S21 Series 5G empowers consumers to share their world and connect with the things and people that matter most. Comprising the Galaxy S21 5G, Galaxy S21+ 5G, and Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, these next-generation flagships bring together innovative technology and features from the Galaxy Ecosystem to make every moment epic and ensure life is easier for everybody.

Delivering intelligent dis-plays, all-new video innova-tions, design, and streamlined

experiences powered by Smart-Things, the Galaxy S21 5G and Galaxy S21+ 5G represent a new chapter in immersive smart-phone experiences. The very best viewing experience and super-smooth scrolling is offered throughout every single interaction with an edge-to-edge Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120Hz display, and the dynamic refresh rate adjusts automati-cally from 48-120Hz, optimising power consumption based on the content being viewed at any given time.

Boasting powerful AI and Samsung’s most advanced pro-grade camera system, brightest screen, and an adaptive display that supports a refresh rate from 10Hz to 120Hz at Quad HD+ res-olution, the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G promises to break barriers and deliver new meaning to every user. The Galaxy S21 Series 5G is available for pre-order until February 4, 2021 and those who pre-order the device will also receive free gifts from Samsung worth up to QR1,088.

For customers purchasing the Galaxy S21 Ultra, the S Pen is sold separately from the device and can be acquired through all Samsung retail stores and authorised online channels.

Director of Customer Service Department and Unified Call Center at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, Hamad bin Ahmed Al Mohannadi, is receiving ISO/10002/2018 certificate.

Qatar attends conference on Morocco self-governance planQNA — DOHA

The State of Qatar participated yesterday in the ministerial conference to support the self-governance plan under Moroccan sovereignty.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi repre-sented Qatar at the conference, which was held via videoconferencing.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates of the Kingdom of Morocco H E Nasser Bourita, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker, and several senior ministers and officials attended the conference.

In a speech during the conference, Al Muraikhi thanked the brotherly Kingdom of Morocco for inviting Qatar to participate in the conference. There is no doubt that Qatar’s participation in the conference comes from the fraternal relations and the close historical rela-tionship between the Qatar and the kingdom of Morocco, he added.

He affirmed that Qatar’s position is firm in standing with brotherly Morocco in its just causes in all international and regional forums, and this is considered

a reflection of the bonds of brotherhood and friendship, and the active solidarity that binds the two countries together.

In this context, Qatar reiterates its support for the step taken by the Kingdom of Morocco on November 13, 2020, by moving to put an end to the obstruction caused by the stopping of the movement at the Guerguerat crossing, he said.

He added that Qatar appreciates the efforts made by the United Nations to reach a political and lasting solution to this regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara, in a manner that serves the interest of all the countries of the Arab Maghreb, and guarantees regional security and stability, in full respect for Morocco’s territorial integrity and sov-ereignty over its territories.

Al Muraikhi affirmed that Qatar renews its firm position on the need to respect the provisions of international law, especially the principles of sover-eignty, political independence, and ter-ritorial integrity of states, and the need to respect the principle of the peaceful settlement of disputes and their resolution through dialogue. From this standpoint, Qatar values the proposal of the Kingdom of Morocco regarding self-governance under Moroccan sovereignty, which it has been defending since 2007, he said.

There is no doubt that this proposal deserves to be the optimal solution to the decades-old conflict, and constitutes a practical basis on which to base the political process that takes place under the UN auspices based on UN Security Council resolutions to reach a just, lasting, and compatible political solution to preserve peace and stability in the region, Al Muraikhi said.

He hoped that this conference would achieve the desired goals to achieve security, stability, and peace in the region.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi, taking part in a ministerial conference via videoconferencing.

Al Muraikhi affirmed that Qatar’s position is firm in standing with brotherly Morocco in its just causes in all international and regional forums.

FROM PAGE 1

Regarding state-of-the-art fleet of Qatar Airways, the national flag carrier had said in an earlier statement that Qatar Airways was able to continue flying throughout the pandemic thanks to its varied fleet of modern, fuel-efficient aircraft that allowed it to offer the right passenger and cargo capacity in each market as its operations were not dependent on any spe-cific aircraft type.

Instead, the airline’s fleet of 52 Airbus A350 and 30 Boeing 787 are the ideal choice for the most strategically important long-haul routes to Africa, the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific regions. In the last few months of 2020, Qatar Airways took delivery of three Airbus A350-1000s, reaffirming its position as the largest operator of Airbus A350 aircraft.

Al Baker: Qatar Airways to expand partnerships with other airlines

174 recoveries, 196 new COVID-19 cases: MoPHTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Public Health yesterday announced the regis-tration of 196 new confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Among them 164 are from community and 32 from trav-ellers returning from abroad.

Also, 174 people have recovered from the virus, bringing the total number of cases recovered in Qatar to 143,435.

All new cases have been introduced to isolation and are receiving necessary healthcare according to their health status.

The Ministry further said that

the measures to tackle COVID-19 in Qatar have succeeded in flat-tening the curve and limiting the spread of the virus and the number of new daily cases and hospital admissions is continuing to decline each week. Qatar’s proactive and extensive testing of suspected cases has enabled us to identify a high number of positive cases in the community.

“Unless we follow all precau-tionary measures, we may expe-rience a second wave of the virus. There are already signs of this happening in other countries,” the Ministry further said.

W ALRUWAIS : 14o → 23o W ALKHOR : 10o → 25o W DUKHAN : 12o → 21o W WAKRAH : 09o → 26o W MESAIEED : 09o → 26o W ABUSAMRA : 08o → 22o

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

Minimum Maximum16oC 27oC

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HIGH TIDE 06:47 – 17:54

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DHUHR 11.44 am

ISHA 06.38 pmMAGHRIBASR 02.46 pm

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03SATURDAY 16 JANUARY 2021 HOME

Board of Directors, Executive Management, and all the employees of Alternatif Bank (A subsidiary of Commercial Bank)

04 SATURDAY 16 JANUARY 2021HOME / GULF/ MIDDLE EAST

‘Synergy’ exhibition honours Qatar’s heritageTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Asma Derouiche smiles as she gestures at a 13-by-3-meter artwork hanging in front of her.

“This country was wrought by people who lived on the land, and by people who lived off the sea,” says the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts on Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) MFA in Design alumna, as she explains the concept behind ‘Synergy’ an exhibition organized and curated by Derouiche, and by Tariq Al Jaidah who founded the Eiwan gallery in Al Gassar Resort — where the display is on show until the January 23 – with the vision of developing the art production landscape in Qatar.

“For that reason, when we had the idea to conduct an exhi-bition for Qatar’s National Day, we wanted it to reflect that synergy; that deep-rooted cir-cular connection between people who lived in a bygone era, and those who live here now – their lives and liveli-hoods intertwined by the sea and the land.”

Indeed, the collection is a

revitalized interpretation of Qatar’s heritage. And one’s appreciation of the ideation and detail on display is amplified by the fact that Derouiche and Al Jaidah formed a collective with the aim of collaborating with local talent, and invited Qatar-based artists Ahmed Al Bahrani, Ahmed Al Maadheed, Azzam Al Mannai, and Fatima Al Shaiban, and local craft masters Umm Atiq AL Marri and Mohammed Al Balkoum to contribute bespoke artwork to the exhi-bition – all in under two months.

As Derouiche – Designer and Creative Director, House of Arts – describes the concept and creative processes behind Synergy, one thing becomes clear: the exhibition emerged from the singular desire of a group of young artists and designers to showcase their respect and admiration for the country they call home.

It is an emotion that is pal-pable to a visitor entering the gallery; almost immediately, one’s attention is drawn to two large hand-woven wall-hangings made using sadu, a weaving technique traditionally

associated with the region, and sofra, the craft of plaiting palm leaves.

Further down are deco-rative leather hangings depicting symbols. Aerial pho-tographs juxtaposing human activities against the stark emp-tiness of the desert, sculptures that portray Qatar’s increasing global presence, poetry cast in concrete, and canvases that harken back to a simpler life-style, make up the rest of the display.

“In order to respect and learn from another culture, you first must make the effort to understand it,” says the Tunisian-born designer. “I feel it’s exciting when people from abroad – expats like myself – explore the resources available locally, and use their individual interpretation to create some-thing beautiful from it. In a way, it’s our way of contributing to Qatar.

“On a personal level, I have spent the last three years exploring the art and design landscape here, working with local artists and craftsmen in souqs to first appreciate the rich artistic heritage of the country,

and then to collaborate with them, often giving traditional designs a contemporary twist.”

References to the country’s history can also be seen in the mustard-hued wall-hangings made of camel leather; laser-engraved patterns– inspired by the symbols used by Qatari tribes to brand their herds of sheep, camels or goats to prevent them from getting lost or stolen – start out at one end of the hide, and then blend into a single pattern on the other, signifying Qatar’s journey from a cluster of tribes to the unified country that it is today.

Derouiche has another piece of interesting information to share; when quizzed on the materials used to fashion the artwork, her eyes light up.

“Almost all the materials used in the exhibition are sourced from Qatar,” she says. “But if you really want to know the exact sources, the leaves used to fashion the haseer on one of the wall-hangings were taken from the date palm in front of my apartment in The Pearl. You can’t get more local – or sustainable – than that!”

Two pieces on show at “Synergy” exhibition at Eiwan gallery in Al Gassar Resort.

MoTC obtains Information Security Management System certificateTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Government Infrastructure Operation Department of the Information Technology Affairs at the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) has recently obtained the ISO/IEC 270001:2013 Information Security Management System certificate.

Information security is the protection of information to ensure confidentiality, integrity and availability. It is achieved by deploying a set of controls including in policies, processes, procedures, organizational struc-tures, and software and hardware functions. The department achieved that important interna-tional standard for all the Gov-ernment Shared Services that MoTC provides to government entities across Qatar.

The ISO/IEC 270001:2013 is the international standard that is concerned with information security, where it ensures the adherence to strict security con-trols in accessing, storing, processing and reading encrypted and unencrypted data in IT envi-ronments and electronic services. It also guarantees secured proce-dures for the exchange of data between parties; either systems or individuals.

In addition, the ISO/IEC 270001:2013 international standard focuses on disaster recovery and business conti-nuity of electronic services, confirming the adopted recovery procedures based on world best practices. It also examines the change man-agement in an IT environment to ensure well governance of applying changes securely on networks, applications, systems and even personnel. Moreover, the international

standard focuses on risk man-agement and how organiza-tions should identify all types of risks and put plans to avoid them and/or mitigate them once occurred.

“Obtaining this certificate is the culmination of the tireless work of the Gov-ernment Infrastructure Oper-ation Department’s team who didn’t stop at supporting all government entities to ensure their business continuity since COVID-19 began, but also pre-pared and completed all ISO/IEC 270001:2013 certificate requirements,” said MoTC’s Acting Assistant Undersec-retary of Government Infor-mation Technology, Mashael Ali Al Hammadi.

“The team have gone through four rounds of tech-nical and security-related assessment over the past few months, successfully passed them all and obtained the cer-tificate with no observations from the certified assessment firm. We are proud to be one of the very first government entities in Qatar to have achieved that important inter-national standard from the first time,” said Al Hammadi.

All Government Shared Services MoTC provides to several other government entities across Qatar have been found to conform to the Infor-mation Security Management System standard ISO/IEC 270001:2013. These services are Government Network, which currently links over 116 government websites, Gov-ernment Data Center, which hosts the IT infrastructure such as servers of more than 37 gov-ernment entities.

Traffic Dept holds awareness lecture for delivery boysTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The General Directorate of Traffic, represented by the Traffic Awareness Department, recently held a lecture for bikers working in the field of delivery orders.

Lieutenant Meshaal Ali Al Ghadhedh, the Traffic Awareness Officer, delivered the lecture in the presence of about 25 bikers from orders delivery companies.

The General Directorate of Traffic confirmed that the awareness lectures come within the framework of an annual plan presented every month for this category encouraging cyclists to adhere to traffic rules and regulations to protect their lives and the lives of other road users by avoiding wrong traffic behaviours.

The cooperation with com-panies is ongoing to cover as many delivery boys as possible.

The lecture dealt with several axes, the most prominent of which were the causes of acci-dents, distraction while driving, and the penalty for excessive speed.

The most common viola-tions committed by the riders, given that some of the delivery boys sometimes commit wrong behaviours that may cause inconvenience for road users, such as entering between cars

or driving on the roads in groups.

Sudden entry and changing lanes quickly and unpre-dictably, especially in internal streets, also create problems. Most of the riders working in delivering orders abide by traffic rules, for example, wearing a helmet and fol-l o w i n g o t h e r s a f e t y requirements.

The problem with the

behaviour of some of them is that they require the inter-vention of the owners of the companies in which the riders

work. At the end of the lecture,

questions were asked by the riders about the most common

violations and traffic infor-mation in an interactive atmos-phere between the officers and participants.

Traffic officials with delivery boys during the awareness programme.

Over 20,000 receive first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in KuwaitAGENCIES — KUWAIT CITY/RIYADH

More than 20,000 people have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Kuwait, the Kuwait News Agency (Kuna)has reported, citing the country’s health minister.

Kuwait rolled out its nationwide vac-cination campaign nearly a month ago, and around a quarter of a million people have registered online to get the vaccine.

An electronic vaccination certificate will be given to those who take the jab, and it will serve as an “immunity passport” to be checked at foreign airports, the report said. The Health Minister Dr. Basel Al Sabah urged the public to sign up for the inoculation, saying the pandemic “is not over yet.”

He said the country was prepared to conduct the vaccination drive smoothly, with well-trained health workers and centers that can accommodate up to 10,000 people.

But the minister said pre-pandemic normalcy is only likely to return in 2022, echoing the World Health Organization’s prognostics.

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Health reported yesterday 530 new cases of coro-navirus (COVID-19) in the past 24 hours, bringing the total of confirmed cases in the country to 156,964.

The Ministry’s spokesman Dr Abdullah Al Sanad said that one death have been recorded due to the virus, taking the number of deaths to 947 cases.

The number of people hospitalised with the virus currently stands at 5,688, with 48 of them in intensive care units, Dr. Al Sanad, adding that some 10,862 swab tests were conducted over the last day out of a total of 1,380,643.

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Health announced earlier yesterday the recovery of 268 people over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries to 150329.

Saudi Arabia announced three deaths from COVID-19 and 173 new infections yesterday. Of the new cases, 66 were recorded in Riyadh, 43 in Makkah, 32 in the Eastern Province, 9 in Madinah, 4 in Asir, 2 in Najran and 1 in Jazan.

The total number of recoveries in the Kingdom increased to 356,382 after 181 more patients recovered from the virus. A total of 6,313 people have succumbed to the virus in the Kingdom so far.

The UAE reported a record 3,407 new coronavirus cases on thursday, with seven further deaths raising the overall toll to 733. The country has launched a COVID-19 vaccine campaign in an attempt to vac-cinate over 50 percent of the population.

A view of empty road, as Lebanon tightened lockdown and introduced a 24-hour curfew to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease, in Beirut yesterday.

Lebanon approves law paving way for vaccine dealREUTERS — BEIRUT

Lebanon’s parliament yesterday approved a law that paves the way for the government to sign deals for coronavirus vaccinations as it battles a steep increase in infections.

Lebanon said in mid-December it was expecting to sign a deal for supplies of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine and hoped to receive the first batch eight weeks after that.

But the country, now struggling with a severe spike in infections that has overwhelmed hospitals, hit a legal stumbling block that has so far prevented it from finalising the agreement.

Yesterday's law would give Pfizer-BioNtech, and any other company that provides vaccines to Lebanon, protection from any future liability claims for two years.

The law includes a clause that points to the Lebanese health min-istry as the only entity responsible for compensation.

Lebanon is under a three-week lockdown that ends on February 1 and a strict 24-hour curfew until Janiary 25 after lax measures over the Christmas and New Year’s holiday period led to a spike in cases.

Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan has previously said

the ministry secured about 2 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine, to cover 20% of the country’s nationals, but the gov-ernment is yet to announce a starting date for a national vacci-nation programme.

Yesterday, Hassan tweeted thanks to parliament for approving the law. He has been hospitalised since Wednesday with coronavirus but is in stable condition and

working from his hospital bed.Lebanon recorded a total of

237,132 cases and 1,781 deaths since the start of the pandemic to Thursday.

The latest spike in infections has hit hard as the medical system was already battered by a severe financial crisis, which caused supply shortages, and August’s port explosion, which damaged major Beirut hospitals.

The awareness lecture, delivered by the Traffic Awareness Officer Lieutenant Meshaal Ali Al Ghadhedh, to about 25 bikers from orders delivery companies, was part of an annual plan presented every month for this category encouraging cyclists to adhere to traffic rules and regulations to protect their lives and the lives of other road users by avoiding wrong traffic behaviours.

05SATURDAY 16 JANUARY 2021 MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Erdogan remained defiant, saying the country was in continued dialogue with Russia about a “second package” of the S-400 surface-to-air missile system and would discuss details at the end of the month. Turkey received the first batch of the system in 2019 and tested it in the fall.

Erdogan defiant on Russian system but wants US jetsAP — ISTANBUL

Turkey’s president has criticised the United States for removing his country out of the F-35 stealth jet programme after Ankara purchased a Russian missile defense system, a move that also triggered US sanctions.

Speaking after Friday prayers in Istanbul, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey paid “very serious money” for the F-35 fighters but hasn’t received them.“This is a very serious mistake that America, as an allied country, has done to us,” Erdogan said.

“I hope with Mr. Biden assuming office and with dis-cussions, he will take more positive steps and we can straighten this out,” he added.

Turkey was removed from the F-35 programme even though it produced some parts for the jets. The US said the Russian system could jeop-ardise the safety of the F-35s.

The US halted the training of Turkish pilots and said Turkey would not be allowed to take final possession of the four aircraft it bought.

Erdogan remained defiant, saying the country was in

continued dialogue with Russia about a “second package” of the S-400 surface-to-air missile system and would discuss details at the end of the month. Turkey received the first batch of the system in 2019 and tested it in the fall.

Washington also sanc-tioned four Turkish defense officials last month under the Countering America’s Adver-saries Through Sanctions Act, a US law aimed at thwarting Russian influence. The sanc-tions, which included a ban on issuing export licenses to Tur-key’s Presidency of Defence Industries, were the first time the law was used to punish a Nato ally.

Members of the Israeli forces detain a Palestinian demonstrator during a protest against Israeli settlements in Masafer Yatta near Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, yesterday.

US imposes fresh sanctions on IranREUTERS — WASHINGTON

The United States yesterday sanctioned companies in Iran, China and the United Arab Emirates for doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines and on three Iranian entities over conventional arms proliferation. They are the latest in a series of measures aimed at stepping up pressure on Tehran in the waning days of President Donald Trump’s administration, which ends on January 20.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington had sanctioned seven companies, including Chinese-based Jiangyin Mascot Special Steel Co. and UAE-based Accenture Building Materials, and two people for shipping steel to or from Iran. He said Iran’s Marine Industries Organization, Aero-space Industries Organization and the Iran Aviation Industries Organization had also been blacklisted over conventional arms proliferation.

Bomb blast kills five in AlgeriaQNA — ALGIERS

Five people were killed and three others were wounded on Thursday when a homemade bomb exploded in Algeria.

“Five citizens died and three others were wounded when a homemade bomb exploded as their car drove in Oueid Khenig-Roum, near the district of Telidjane in Tebessa pre-fecture,” the Algerian Ministry of Defence said in a statement carried by Algeria’s APS.

Palestinian injured in clashes with Israeli forcesQNA — RAMALLAH

A Palestinian young man was injured yesterday during clashes with Israeli occupation forces in Al Mughayyir village, northeast of Ramallah in West Bank.

Palestinian Wafa news agency said that the young man was injured with a rubber-coated steel bullet, adding that the occu-pation forces opened fire towards the participants of the rally as they reached Al Qali’ area, causing a number of others to suffer from tear gas.

It added that the Israeli occu-pation forces violently dispersed the participants called for to defend Ras Al Tin area against being seized to make room for the construction of a new Israeli set-tlement outpost.

US rejects UN plea to reverse Houthi terror designationAP — UNITED NATIONS

The UN chief and top officials urged the United States to reverse its decision to declare Yemen’s Iran-backed rebels a terrorist group to prevent massive famine and death in the conflict-torn Arab nation - but the Trump administration in its final days stood by its action.

The US deputy ambassador, Richard Mills, told the Security Council the US has listened to warnings of the terrorist desig-nation’s humanitarian impact and will take measures to reduce the impact on aid deliv-eries and commercial imports.

“But we do believe that this step is the right move forward to send the right signal if we want the political process to move forward,” he said.

In 2014, the rebel Houthis overran the capital, Sanaa, and much of Yemen’s north, driving the government into exile. A US-backed, Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year to try and restore the interna-tionally recognized gov-ernment, but years of UN efforts

to get both sides to agree to a cease-fire and start peace negotiations have not suc-ceeded. The conflict has been disastrous for Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest country, killing more than 112,000 people, cre-ating the world’s worst human-itarian crisis, and wrecking infrastructure from roads and hospitals to water and elec-tricity networks.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared the Houthis a “foreign terrorist organization” late on Sunday. The designation takes effect from January 19, President Donald Trump’s last full day in office before Joe Biden is inaugurated president.

UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock warned the Security Council that the US designation will likely lead to a “famine on a scale that we have not seen for nearly 40 years.”

Data show that 16 million of Yemen’s 30 million people will go hungry this year, he said. “Already, about 50,000 people are essentially starving to death.... Another 5 million are just one step behind them.”

Lowcock said Yemen imports 90% of its food, nearly all purchased through com-mercial channels, so aid ship-ments cannot be enough to stave off hunger.

Stressing that the desig-nation is already seeing com-panies pull back from Yemen, Lowcock warned that famine will not be prevented by the measures the United States has promised to introduce so some humanitarian aid and imports can continue to reach Yemen.

World Food Program Exec-utive Director David Beasley told the council the Nobel Peace Prize-winning agency was forced to reduce the number of Yemenis receiving aid from 13 million to 9 million, and then to cut rations in half because of a lack of funding. Starting on Feb-ruary 1, “we will have to cut rations to 25%” because money is running out, he added. Beasley predicted that the US action, coupled with the funding crisis, will create “a catastrophe” and leave 24 million of the 30 million Yemenis “struggling to eat” and get fuel and medicine.

Syrian Air makes first Aleppo-Beirut flight since 2011AP — BEIRUT

Syrian Air conducted its first flight in a decade between the northern city of Aleppo and Lebanon’s capital Beirut early yesterday, resuming a round-trip route that’s been halted since Syria’s conflict began in 2011.

Precautionary measures against the coronavirus were in place, with passengers required to show PCR tests taken less than three days before the flight, according to Syria’s state news agency Sana. The head of Syrian Air in Lebanon, Rashed Attar, said the flight arrived in Beirut car-rying 36 passengers and returned to Aleppo with 44 passengers. Attar said a weekly flight between Aleppo and Beirut will continue.

REUTERS — KAMPALA

Long-time leader Yoweri Museveni took a commanding lead in Uganda’s presidential election with almost half the votes counted yesterday though his main rival Bobi Wine said there had been widespread fraud.

With 49.1% of votes from Thursday’s ballot counted, Museveni had won 3.9 million, or 62.7%, while main opposition candidate Wine had 1.4 million votes (29.3%), the electoral commission said just after 5 pm (1400 GMT).

The next batch of results was due to be released at 9 p.m. when a nationwide curfew in place since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic kicks in.

The election campaign was marred by deadly crackdowns by security forces on opposition candidates and their supporters.

The normally bustling capital Kampala was quiet yes-terday with many shops closed for a public holiday following Thursday’s poll. Soldiers patrolled on foot in the rain in a suburb visited by Reuters in the morning.

There was a heavy security presence around Wine’s sprawling compound. The singer-turned-lawmaker said

he was under siege and his life was in danger.

“We have simply boosted our deployment in the neigh-bourhood for his own security. We are not there to arrest him and he is not under arrest,” Luke Owoyesigyire, deputy spokesman for Kampala’s met-ropolitan police said.

The deputy spokesman for Uganda’s armed forces, Deo Akiiki, said security officers

intervened on Friday to arrest three intruders who had jumped over the fence into Wine’s compound.

Wine has galvanized young Ugandans with calls for political change and he told a news con-ference on Friday that he had video proof of voting fraud. “I am very confident that we defeated the dictator by far,” he said. “We are putting every legal, every constitutional and

every non-violent option on the table,” Wine told Reuters. “I will be happy to share the videos of all the fraud and irregularities as soon as the internet is restored.” Electoral Commission Chairman Simon Byabakama told a news conference that under Ugandan law, the burden of proof rested with Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi.

“The onus is upon

candidate Kyagulanyi to show or to prove in what context and how the results are rigged,” he said.

Wine’s claims have not been independently verified by Reuters. The United States and European Union did not deploy teams of observers for this election, though the African Union and East African Com-munity did. Neither the AU or EAC observer teams responded to requests for comment about possible irregularities.

Museveni, who has led the East African country with a population of nearly 46 million for 34 years, was expected to hold a news conference at 8 p.m., according to NTV Uganda.

More than a dozen East African non-governmental organisations called for the release of 26 Ugandan election observers arrested on Thursday over allegations they were cre-ating an illegal parallel tallying centre. They said those arrested were civil society members car-rying out the legitimate duty of collecting information at a time when the authorities had shut down many forms of communications.

On Wednesday, the gov-ernment ordered an internet blackout until further notice, a day after banning all social media and messaging apps.

Museveni takes commanding lead as rival alleges fraud

Ballot boxes and other electoral materials are seen at the Kampala tally centre after the presidential and parliamentary elections in Kampala, Uganda, yesterday.

Libya releases bodies found in mass graves for burialREUTERS — TARHOUNA, LIBYA

Libyan authorities yesterday released two bodies found in mass graves in the city of Tarhouna after the Tripoli government retook it in June from Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA).

They are among the first to be identified since the interna-tionally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) began exhuming scores of bodies from numerous sites in and around Tarhouna.

Last week Human Rights Watch said hundreds of Tarhouna residents were abducted or reported missing after the local Kaniyat militia took control there in 2015.

The Kaniyat, headed by members of the al-Kani family, was allied to the LNA and helped it mount a failed 14-month assault on Tripoli that began in April 2019.

The GNA has issued arrest warrants for leaders of the Kaniyat who are believed to be in LNA-held eastern territory.

“My son was abducted from his workplace... and taken to a rest house. He was killed the same night,” said Mohammed Ramadan Al Tuhami, taking possession of the body of his son Ali from the authorities in Tripoli.

The Tuhami and Al Saadi families took the bodies of their rel-atives back to Tarhouna for burial at a funeral attended by a large crowd of mourners.

Men crouched by the grave side and embraced as the two bodies, wrapped in white shrouds, lay ready for burial.

Tomorrow more families will try to identify their relatives using belongings found by the authorities’ forensic science department.

Mahmoud Saadi was abducted by the militia in December 2019, said his brother Ali Saadi, who was also held by them.

He said the militia commander questioned them both about people involved in political activism. “I told him I didn’t know them. Then he asked me to leave. He shot two bullets into my brother,” he said.

Palestinians announce first elections in 15 yearsREUTERS — RAMALLAH

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced parlia-mentary and presidential elec-tions yesterday, the first in 15 years, in an effort to heal long-standing internal divisions.

The move is widely seen as a response to criticism of the democratic legitimacy of Pal-estinian political institutions, including Abbas’s presidency.

It also comes days before the inauguration of US Pres-ident-elect Joe Biden, with whom the Palestinians want to reset relations after they reached a low under President Donald Trump.

According to a decree issued by Abbas’s office, the Palestinian Authority (PA), which has limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, will hold legislative elections on May 22 and a

presidential vote on July 31.“The President instructed the election committee and all state appara-tuses to launch a democratic election process in all cities of the homeland,” the decree said, referring to the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.

Palestinian factions have renewed reconciliation efforts to try and present a united front since Israel reached diplomatic agreements last year with four

Arab countries.Those accords, brokered by

the outgoing Trump adminis-tration, dismayed Palestinians and left them increasingly iso-lated in a region. Hamas, the Islamist group which is Abbas’s main domestic rival, welcomed the announcement. “We have worked in the past months to resolve all obstacles so that we can reach this day,” a Hamas statement said.

06 SATURDAY 16 JANUARY 2021ASIA

Divers find parts of crashed plane’s black boxAP — JAKARTA

Divers found parts of the cockpit voice recorder yesterday as more personnel joined the search for wreckage and victims from an Indonesian plane that crashed last weekend in the Java Sea with 62 people on board.

The aerial search for the crashed Sriwijaya Air jet was being expanded as well, said National Search and Rescue Agency mission coordinator Rasman, who uses one name.

More than 4,000 search and rescue personnel are supported by 14 airplanes, 62 ships and 21 inflatable boats. They are using an underwater metal detector and remotely operated vehicle to search for human remains, the cockpit voice recorder and more wreckage.

Divers narrowed the search for the cockpit voice recorder after finding some of its parts.

“We have found the casing, the beacon and the CVR batteries. We need to search for the memory unit,” the commander of the navy’s First Fleet Command,

Abdul Rasyid, said yesterday.“We hope it will be not far

from them,” he said.Investigators have down-

loaded information from the plane’s flight data recorder, which was recovered earlier this week.

“There are 330 parameters and everything is in good con-dition. We are learning about it now,” said Soerjanto Tjahjono, chairman of the National Trans-portation Safety Committee.

Families of those on board

have been providing DNA samples to help identify them. National Police spokesperson Rusdi Hartono said 12 of the 62 victims had been identified as of Thursday, including a flight attendant and an off-duty pilot.

The committee has said the crew did not declare an emer-gency or report any technical problems before the plane plunged into the sea minutes after taking off from Jakarta in heavy rain.

They said it broke apart upon impact with the water, ruling out a midair explosion, because the debris field is concentrated and engine parts indicate it was running until impact.

The 26-year-old Boeing 737-500 was out of service for almost nine months last year because of flight cutbacks caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The airline and Indonesian officials say it underwent inspec-tions, including for possible engine corrosion that could have developed during the layoff, before it resumed commercial flying in December.

Indonesia’s aviation industry grew quickly after the nation’s economy was opened following the fall of dictator

Suharto in the late 1990s. Safety concerns led the

United States and the European Union to ban Indonesian carriers

for years, but the bans have since been lifted due to better com-pliance with international avi-ation standards.

Search and Rescue Agency personnel observe the newly-recovered debris, during the search and rescue operation for Sriwijaya Air flight SJ182, at Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta, Indonesia, yesterday.

Nepal approves AstraZeneca vaccine for emergency useREUTERS — KATHMANDU

Nepal yesterday granted approval for AstraZeneca’s COVISHIELD vaccine against the coronavirus, the government said, following a meeting with neighbouring India, a major manufacturer of the shot.

“Conditional permission has been granted for emer-gency use authorisation of COVISHIELD vaccine against COVID-19 in Nepal,” the Department of Drug Adminis-tration said.

Nepal has reported 266,816 cases and 1,948 deaths from COVID-19, according to official data.

The announcement follows a meeting between India’s

foreign minister S. Jaishankar and his Nepali counterpart Pradeep Kumar Gyawali on Friday where “close cooper-ation” on the pandemic was discussed, according to a statement by India’s foreign ministry.

The statement added that Nepal requested that India supply the Himalayan nation with vaccines, without pro-viding further details.

India, one of the world’s leading drugmakers, has already begun the manufacture of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, as well as COVAXIN, developed by Bharat Biotech International with a state-run institute.

It begins its own vacci-nation drive today.

India: No headway in talks between govt, farmersREUTERS — NEW DELHI

A ninth round of talks between the Indian government and protesting farmers over three new contentious farm laws made no headway yesterday, but a government minister and union leaders said they would resume

discussions on Tuesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has said that the laws introduced in September will unshackle farmers from the obli-gation of selling produce only at regulated wholesale markets.

But the farmers say the bills are designed to benefit private

buyers. “Today’s talks with farmers unions were incon-clusive, and we will hold talks again on January 19,” Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said.

“We are sure that we’ll be able to come to an agreement through our talks.” Tomar said the

government was concerned about the health of farmers who have been camping on the outskirts of the capital New Delhi in protest for almost two months.

Farmers’ around-the-clock sit-ins in cold weather have already led to some deaths among them.

HK civil servants given 4 weeks to pledge loyalty to govtREUTERS — HONG KONG

Hong Kong’s 180,000 civil servants were told yesterday they had four weeks to sign a document pledging their loyalty to the Chinese-ruled city’s mini-constitution and dedication to the government.

More than 4,000 civil

servants in the global financial hub have already made the dec-laration since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law in June, which punishes anything China considers to be subversion, secessionism, terrorism or col-lusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison.

Civil servants taking the oath

will promise to uphold Hong Kong’s Basic Law and “bear alle-giance” to the city and its gov-ernment, as well as to be dedi-cated in their duties.

The Civil Service Bureau said in a statement that all civil servants should in “no uncertain terms acknowledge and accept these basic duties”.

Those who refuse to sign the pledge could lose their jobs.

“Negligence or refusal to take the oath or to duly sign and return the declaration by a civil servant casts serious doubts on his or her willingness to take up these basic duties and his or her suitability to remain in the civil service,” the statement said.

“We have found the casing, the beacon and the CVR batteries. We need to search for the memory unit,” the commander of the navy’s First Fleet Command, Abdul Rasyid, said yesterday. “We hope it will be not far from them,” he said.

07SATURDAY 16 JANUARY 2021 ASIA

42 dead as Indonesia quaketopples homes, buildingsREUTERS — JAKARTA

A powerful earthquake killed at least 42 people and injured hundreds on Indonesia’s island of Sulawesi yesterday, trapping several under rubble and unleashing dozens of after-shocks as authorities warned of more quakes that could trigger a tsunami.

Thousands of frightened residents fled their homes for higher ground when the mag-nitude 6.2-quake struck 6km northeast of the town of Majene, at a depth of just 10km, shortly before 1.30am.

The quake and aftershocks damaged more than 300 homes and two hotels, as well as flat-tening a hospital and the office of a regional governor, where authorities said several people have been trapped under the rubble.

“Praise be to God, for now OK, but we just felt another aftershock,” said Sukri Efendy, a 26-year-old resident of the area.

As many as 42 people have been killed, mostly in Mamuju and the rest in the neighbouring district of Majene, the country’s

national disaster mitigation agency said in a situation report yesterday evening. More than 820 people were injured, it said.

The heightened seismic activity set off three landslides, severed electricity supplies, and damaged bridges linking to regional hubs, such as the city of Makassar. Heavy rain was also worsening conditions for those seeking shelter.

No tsunami warning was issued but the head of

Indonesia’s Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Dwikorita Karnawati, told a news conference that after-shocks could follow, with a pos-sibility that another powerful quake could trigger a tsunami.

There had been at least 26 aftershocks, she said, with yes-terday’s quake preceded by a quake of 5.9 magnitude the pre-vious day.

M a m u j u r e s i d e n t Muhammad Ansari Iriyanto, 31, said that everyone panicked and sought refuge in the nearby hills and mountains.

“Mamuju is now empty, everyone went to the moun-tains,” he said. “Lots of buildings collapsed and people are afraid of a tsunami.”

Another resident Syahir Muhammad said: “It’s raining and we need help.” Videos shared on social media showed residents fleeing to higher ground on motorcycles, and a young girl trapped under rubble as people tried to shift debris with their hands. Rescue workers used cutting and lifting equipment to free survivors and find the dead.

President Joko Widodo

offered condolences to the victims, urging people to stay calm and authorities to step up search efforts.

Emerging workers are now trying to restoring telecoms and bridge links and ensure the delivery of tents, food and medical supplies, said West Sulawesi provincial government spokesman Safaruddin.

About 15,000 people have fled their homes since the quake, the disaster agency has

said, with the coronavirus pan-demic likely to complicate the distribution of aid.

“It is certainly one of the most challenging, this (disaster) was one of our fears and now we are putting all of that planning and protocols into place,” said Jan Gelfand, head of the International Federation of Red Cross in Indonesia.

Straddling the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia is regularly hit by

earthquakes.In 2018, a devastating

6.2-magnitude quake and sub-sequent tsunami struck the city of Palu, in Sulawesi, killing thousands.

A 9.1-magnitude quake off the north of Sumatra island trig-gered a tsunami on Boxing Day in 2004 that lashed coastal areas of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and nine other nations, killing more than 230,000 people.

Rescuers use an excavator to dig through a damaged hospital building to search for survivors following an earthquake in Mamuju, West Sulawesi province, Indonesia, yesterday.

Afghanistan: US army meets goal of reducing troops to 2,500AP — WASHINGTON

The US military met its goal of reducing the number of troops in Afghanistan to about 2,500 by yesterday, a drawdown that appears to violate a last-minute congressional prohibition.

President Donald Trump, who ordered the reduction in November, said Thursday that troop levels in Afghanistan had reached a 19-year low, although he did not mention a troop number. Last February his administration struck a deal with the Taliban to reduce American troop levels in phases and to go to zero by May 2021, although it is unclear how the incoming Biden administration will proceed.

President-elect Joe Biden, who has advocated keeping a small counterterrorism force in Afghanistan as a way to ensure that extremist groups like Al Qaeda are unable to launch attacks on the United States, faces a number of ques-tions on Afghanistan. One is how and whether to proceed with further troop cuts.

Trump in his brief statement alluded to his long-standing desire to get out of Afghanistan entirely.

“I will always be committed to stopping the endless wars,” he said, referring to US wars that have dragged on in Afghanistan since 2001 and in Iraq for much of the period since 2003.

Although senior military officials had cautioned against speedy troop reductions in Afghanistan, Acting Defence Secretary Christopher Miller announced on November 17 that he was implementing Trump’s order. As a result, mil-itary commanders scrambled to pull more than 1,500 troops out of the country in the last few weeks. At Trump’s order, commanders also cut US troop levels in Iraq to 2,500 from about 3,000 in the same period.

The Afghanistan decision was seen by some as unneces-sarily complicating the decision-making of the incoming administration. Trump at the time had refused to acknowledge that he had lost the election and would be ceding to Biden on January 20. Some in Congress, including fellow Republicans, opposed Trump’s decision.

Under the National Defence Authorization Act passed by Congress two weeks ago, the Pentagon was explicitly for-bidden to use money from this year’s or last year’s budget on reducing the number of troops below 4,000 — or below the number that was in the country the day the bill was finalised, which was January 1.

PIA passenger aircraft 'held back' in Malaysia as part of disputeREUTERS — ISLAMABAD

A Pakistan International Airlines plane has been held back by Malaysian authorities due to a British court case over the jet’s lease, the airline said yesterday, adding it would pursue the matter through diplomatic channels.

The Boeing 777 aircraft was seized after a court order, an airline spokesman said, and alternative arrangements were being made for passengers due to fly from Kuala Lumpur back to Pakistan.

The case involved a $14 million lease dispute, a PIA

official said.“A PIA aircraft has been held

back by a local court in Malaysia taking a one-sided decision per-taining to a legal dispute between PIA and another party pending in a UK court,” a PIA spokesman Abdullah H Khan said in a statement.

“We were told that the plane has been impounded on a court order,” Khan said later in a video statement. “PIA’s legal team will pursue it in the Malaysian court, and we hope that we will resolve this issue as soon as possible.” According to orders passed by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Thursday, the plaintiff of the case

is Peregrine Aviation Charlie Limited and the matter pertains to two jets leased to PIA by Dublin-based AerCap, the world’s largest aircraft lessor, in 2015.

They are part of a portfolio that AerCap sold to Peregrine Aviation Co Ltd, an investment unit of NCB Capital, the bro-kerage arm of National Com-mercial Bank SJSC, in 2018.

According to the interim injunction, PIA is restrained from moving two aircraft in its fleet - a Boeing 777- 200ER with serial number 32716 and a Boeing 777- 200ER with serial number 32717 - once they have landed or

parked at Kuala Lumpur Inter-national Airport until a further hearing on the matter later this month.

Tracking data from Flight-radar24 showed only one of the two Boeing 777s covered by the court order is currently in Kuala Lumpur. The other was last recorded in Karachi last month. AerCap, which continued as part of the agreement to provide lease management services to Per-egrine, declined to comment.

Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, the country’s airport operator, and its subsidiary were ordered to make sure the aircraft do not leave Kuala Lumpur Inter-

national Airport.Malaysia’s Ministry of

Transport said in a statement yesterday that the aircraft was being held pending legal pro-ceedings set for January 24.

Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd said the matter was not related to airport operations.

PIA in a statement described the situation as “unacceptable” adding that it had asked for support from Pakistan’s gov-ernment to raise the matter diplomatically.

The office of Malaysia’s prime minister and the foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

China builds new quarantine centre as virus cases riseAP — BEIJING

A city in northern China is building a 3,000-unit quarantine facility to deal with an antici-pated overflow of patients as COVID-19 cases rise ahead of the annual Lunar New Year travel rush.

State media yesterday showed crews levelling earth, pouring concrete and assembling prefabricated rooms in farmland in an outlying part of Shi-jiazhuang, the provincial capital of Hebei province, which has seen the bulk of the new cases.

That recalled scenes from early last year, when China rapidly built field hospitals and turned gymnasiums into iso-lation centres to cope with a then-spiraling outbreak in Wuhan, where the virus was first detected in late 2019.

The spike in northern China comes as a World Health Organ-ization team prepares to collect data on the origin of the pan-demic in Wuhan, which lies to the south. The international team, most of which arrived Thursday, must undergo two weeks of quarantine before it can begin field visits.

Two of the 15 members were held up in Singapore over their health status. One, a British national, was approved for travel yesterday after testing negative for the coronavirus, while the

second, a Sudanese citizen from Qatar, again tested positive, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

China has largely contained domestic spread of the virus, but the recent spike has raised concern due to the proximity to the capital, Beijing, and the impending rush of people planning to travel large distances to rejoin their families for the Lunar New Year, the country’s most important traditional festival.

The National Health Com-mission said yesterday that 1,001 patients were under care for the disease, 26 in serious condition. It said 144 new cases were recorded over the past 24 hours. Hebei accounted for 90 of the new cases, while Heilongjiang province farther north reported 43.

Local transmissions also occurred in the southern Guangxi region and the northern province of Shaanxi, illustrating the virus’s ability to move through the vast country of 1.4 billion people despite quaran-tines, travel restrictions and elec-tronic monitoring.

To date, China has reported 87,988 confirmed cases with 4,635 deaths. Shijiazhuang has been placed under virtual lockdown, along with the Hebei cities of Xingtai and Langfang, parts of Beijing and other cities in the northeast.

Women walk with children in a street following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, yesterday.

North Korea displays new submarine-launched missilesREUTERS — SEOUL

North Korea displayed what appeared to be a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) at a parade on Thursday night, state media reported, capping more than a week of political meetings with a show of military might.

Clad in a leather coat and fur hat, leader Kim Jong-Un smiled and waved as he oversaw the parade in Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Square, photos by state media showed. The parade featured rows of marching soldiers, as well as a range of military hardware including tanks and rocket launchers.

At the end, a number of what analysts said appeared to be new variants of short-range ballistic missiles and SLBMs rolled into the square on trucks.

“The world’s most powerful weapon, submarine-launch ballistic missiles, entered the square one after another,

powerfully demonstrating the might of the revolutionary armed forces,” news agency KCNA reported.

North Korea has test-fired several SLBMs from under water, and analysts say it is seeking to develop an opera-tional submarine to carry the missiles.

Photos released by state media showed the SLBM was labelled Pukguksong-5, poten-tially marking an upgrade over the Pukguksong-4 that was unveiled at a larger military parade in October.

“The new missile definitely looks longer,” Michael Duitsman, a researcher at the California-based James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, said on Twitter.

Unlike that October parade, Thursday’s event did not showcase North Korea’s largest intercontinental ballistic mis-siles (ICBMs), which are believed to be able to deliver a nuclear warhead to anywhere

in the United States.The US Department of

Defence declined to comment. South Korea’s government did not immediately comment on the parade, but the foreign min-istry said its top nuclear envoy had discussed North Korea’s recent moves with his coun-terpart in the United States.

The parade in itself was not intended to be a provocation but was a worrying sign of Pyongyang’s priorities, said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

“The economy is severely strained from pandemic border closures, policy misman-agement and international sanctions,” he said.

“Despite or perhaps because of this, Kim Jong Un feels the need to devote scarce resources to another political-military display.”

North Korean officials have been meeting in Pyongyang for the first party congress since 2016.

Military equipment are seen during a military parade to commemorate the 8th Congress of the Workers’ Party in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Thursday.

Thousands of frightened residents fled their homes for higher ground when the magnitude 6.2-quake struck 6km northeast of the town of Majene. The quake and aftershocks damaged more than 300 homes and two hotels, as well as flattening a hospital and the office of a regional governor.

08 SATURDAY 16 JANUARY 2021VIEWS

CHAIRMANDR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI

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

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

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

EDITORIAL

UNDER the plans as envisaged in Qatar National Vision 2030, Qatar is fully on track to promote country’s tourism sector and diversify its economy. In recent years, Qatar has emerged as a destination of choice for tourists from the region and beyond thanks to timely implementation of projects related to country’s fast booming tourism sector.

The growth of country’s tourism sector not only attracting tourists from all over the world but also pro-viding investors with an opportunity to invest in this lucrative sector.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) unveiled investment opportunities to develop three beach resorts in Qatar — Fuwairit, Ben Ghanem and Ras Abrouq — in the framework of a public private partnership. The Ministry organised, in cooperation with the Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC), a meeting for investors concerned with the tourism sector.

The initiative to offer investment opportunities to establish beach resorts falls within the public-private partnership framework, which is part of the State’s efforts to achieve the Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV 2030). The QNV 2030 aims at consolidating economic diversi-fication and supporting non-oil sectors, especially the tourism industry which plays an important role in strength-ening Qatar’s leading position as one of the most prom-inent tourist destinations regionally and globally.

QNTC Secretary-General and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, H E Akbar Al Baker stated: “As part of its mandate to diversify the economy by developing the tourism sector, QNTC works closely with partners across the public and private sectors to build products that showcase our country’s varied offerings and deliver service excellence.”

Last month, Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) also announced the upcoming events for 2021 through its online platform, Qatar Calendar. In 2021, Qatar will host major international sporting events such as FIFA Club World Cup, Qatar ExxonMobil Open, and FIFA Arab Cup 2021, in addition to local tournaments such as Algalayel Championship and Al Udeid Desert Chal-lenge. 2021 will also witness the return of exhibitions and festivals such as Doha Jewellery & Watches Exhi-bition, Heya Arabian Fashion Show, Milipol Qatar, Qatar Motor Show, Shop Qatar, Ajyal Film Festival, Qatar Inter-national Food Festival, Qatar Life and many more. Def-initely these and all other events of Qatar Calendar will attract visitors from across the world to Qatar.

Qatar’s tourism sector witnessed 11 percent growth during January to August 31, 2019 compared to the same period in 2018. In 2019, Qatar was also ranked on top in the Middle East and number eight globally in Business Environment by the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019.

Materialising QNV 2030

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Quote of the day

We are going into a second year of this pandemic. It could even be tougher given the transmission dynamics and some of the issues that we are seeing.

Mike Ryan, WHO Emergencies Executive Director

Christian Social Union (CSU) Bavarian State Prime Minister Markus Soeder is seen on a screen as he speaks to Christian Democratic Union (CDU) North Rhine Westphalia (NRW) State Prime Minister Armin Laschet during a virtual CDU reception in Cologne, Germany, recently.

ANDREAS RINKE AND PAUL CARREL — REUTERS

The conservative leader favoured by German voters isn’t even running in this week’s contest to head up Angela Merkel’s party, but he aims to play a pivotal role in determining its candidate to succeed her as chancellor, party sources say.

He may even take on that role himself if the eventual winner of the imminent party vote to replace her flops, according to the sources inside the governing conserv-ative alliance.

Merkel, who steps down after federal elections in Sep-tember, is heading into the last months of her tenure with her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) squabbling over how to position the party fol-lowing 15 years of rule marked by her instinct to compromise.

The CDU elects a new chairman on Saturday, but none of the three contenders impresses voters, leaving the party wondering how best to replace Merkel, a proven election winner who has become Europe’s predom-inant leader since taking office in 2005. Centrist Armin Laschet, arch-conservative Friedrich Merz and foreign policy expert Norbert Roettgen are battling it out.

Merkel said last year Laschet, 59, had “the tools” to lead Europe’s biggest economy and most populous country, but voters find him uninspiring. Enter Markus Soeder. The burly, confident leader of the CDU’s Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), is voters’ choice conservative. He senses a unique chance to assert himself as a unifier, or else as chancellor candidate.

“Soeder will either play the role of king, or of king-maker,” a CDU Executive Committee member said. The three declared CDU candi-dates all differ from Merkel.

Roettgen, 55, the eloquent chairman of parliament’s foreign affairs committee, wants Germany to take a firmer stance with Russia and China. Merz, 65, has targeted European Central Bank policy and is less diplomatic. Laschet, who has polished his international profile, com-plains Berlin has taken “too long to react” to French calls for European Union reform.

Soeder, 54, Bavaria’s premier, is a political

chameleon who has shifted from the right towards the moderate centre of late, though remains an unknown on foreign policy.

He plays coy about his ambitions - “My place is in Bavaria” has been his repeated refrain.

But the Bavarian’s lieu-tenants are already manoeu-vring for the CDU/CSU alliance, the “Union”, to pick the chancellor candidate most likely to win September’s election, rather than simply default to the CDU party leader, as is traditional.

“A personnel decision will have to be based on this (cri-teria), regardless of who becomes the new CDU leader on Jan. 16,” Alexander Dobrindt, the CSU’s leader in the Bundestag (lower house of parliament), told a CSU gath-ering last week.

Whether Soeder decides to run for chancellor, or simply plays a role in deter-mining who will, his swagger promises to embolden con-servatives tired of Merkel’s centrist compromises - even if he cannot match her ped-igree on foreign affairs.

After making his mark with a barnstorming speech at the CDU’s 2019 congress, Soeder has cosied up to the environ-mentalist Greens - the Union’s likely next coalition partner - and presented himself as a strong manager of the coro-naries pandemic at regular news conferences alongside Merkel at which he has repre-sented Germany’s states.

He also projects charm that appeals to Germans

beyond his native Bavaria.“Soeder is a very savvy

politician, but rather a novice when it comes to EU affairs and international politics,” said Naz Masraff, analyst at the Eurasia Group consultancy.

To be sure, no German chancellor has ever come from the CSU, although Franz Josef Strauss and Edmund Stoiber of the CSU were the Union candidates in the 1980 and 2002 federal elections, respectively, which were both won by the Social Democrats.

This time though, Soeder’s hand is strengthened by deep divisions between the three CDU men - all from the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia - coveting the votes of 1,001 party delegates who will pick a winner at Sat-urday’s digital meeting.

Laschet and Roettgen’s supporters aim to stop Merz, who wants to shift the CDU to the right. Last year, Merz stoked party divisions by saying elements of the CDU establishment didn’t want him to get the job.

A survey by pollster Civey for newsmagazine Der Spiegel late last month showed that if all Germans could vote, Roettgen, who is pitching himself as a mod-erniser, would be the CDU chairman and Soeder chan-cellor. Roettgen has hinted at such a possibility. Last Sep-tember, he said a CDU leader must “be humble enough to do what is best for the party”.

The Spiegel poll showed voters favoured Roettgen for the CDU leadership, with 31.7% support, followed by

Merz on 28.8% and Laschet on 11.8%. However, Laschet con-trols the CDU in North Rhine-Westphalia, which provides 298 of the 1,001 delegates.

Ahead of the CDU con-gress, senior conservatives Ralph Brinkhaus and Wolfgang Schaeuble have both said the chancellor can-didate does not have to be the new CDU chief - potentially opening the way for popular Health Minister Jens Spahn.

Asked on Wednesday whether he would run as a candidate for chancellor, Spahn, who is backing Laschet for party chairman, told Deutschlandfunk radio: “As of today, I rule that out.” Soeder has also signalled his support for Laschet, praising his experience and coalition-building abilities.

Serap Gueler, a CDU del-egate and Laschet ally who plans to vote for him, called him “a man of conviction” but added: “I think his weakness is maybe ... that he tries to explain certain things to the last comma, and that can make them complicated.” Soeder wants to give the new CDU leader time to win over voters and, with his help, unite the party - or else unravel. He has called for the Union to decide on its chan-cellor candidate only after state elections in mid-March.

“If he feels that the CDU leader has a real chance, he will tend to play the king-maker,” said senior CSU law-maker Hans Michelbach. “But if he concludes the CDU leader doesn’t cut it, then things are different.”

JENNIFER RUBIN THE WASHINGTON POST

Nearly as disturbing as the seditious attack on the Capitol has been the ongoing support for President Donald Trump from most Republicans. But there is good news from a Pew Research Center survey that suggests Trump is losing ground with his own party.

We should certainly view polling with a grain of salt, at least when it involves Trump. But the shift in attitudes about Trump over time in the same poll suggests something is going on. “Donald Trump is leaving the White House with the lowest job approval of his presidency (29 percent) and increasingly negative ratings for his post-election conduct,” Pew reports. “The share of voters who rate Trump’s conduct since the election as only fair or poor has risen

from 68 percent in November to 76 percent, with virtually all of the increase coming in his ‘poor’ ratings (62 percent now, 54 percent then).”

If you are rooting for Republicans to come to their senses, the news gets even better: “The share of his sup-porters who describe his conduct as poor has doubled over the past two months, from 10