Monday 4 May 2020

11 Ramadan - 1441

2 Riyals

www.thepeninsula.qa

Volume 25 | Number 8247

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BUSINESS | 01 PENMAG | 06 SPORT | 12

Kohli, Rohit, Sania

among stars in

online concert to

raise funds

Classifieds

and Services

section

included

Qatar ideal

investment

destination, says

Sheikh Khalifa

Qatar Airways keeps flying people homeSACHIN KUMAR THE PENINSULA

Qatar Airways has helped thousands of British and Canadian nationals return home safely, who were away from their family members due to COVID-19 outbreak.

Canadian citizens were flown from India while British nationals were flown from Pakistan.

“The 18th flight from India departed Amritsar earlier taking more Canadians home. More flights arranged over next several days,” said a statement on official page of the High Commission of Canada in India, which was retweeted by Qatar Airways.

Qatar Airways has received praise from Canada for helping stranded nationals. According to a statement posted on Qatar Embassy in Ottawa, Canada. Qatar’s Ambassador to Canada,

H E Saoud bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud, received a phone call on April 30 from H E Rob Oliphant, Parliamentary Sec-retary for Foreign Affairs, who communicated the Canadian Government’s gratitude to the Qatari Government for the role Qatar Airways played in facil-itating the repatriation of Canadians from all around the world.

Oliphant also praised the strong friendly relations between Canada and Qatar, and the mutual desire to strengthening it further.

Similarly, the award-winning airline has also received praise from British officials for helping British nationals return home.

“Today’s #UKPkRepat-Flights has departed Lahore for @HeathrowAirport. We wish all on board a safe flight home. We’ve now helped nearly 3,000 British nationals to get

back to the United Kingdom on charter flights - with thanks to the pilots & aircrew of Qatar Airways,” said British High Commission in Pakistan on its official Twitter account, yesterday.

The airline is still operating flights to 35 cities around the world including London, Paris, Frankfurt, and Sydney, helping thousands of passengers get home safely.

“We are still operating flights to 35 destinations around the world while upholding the safety and security of our pas-sengers and employees at all times,” said Qatar Airways on its official twitter account.

The demand to help get stranded travellers home has also seen Qatar Airways operate flights to new destina-tions. The Airline has now announced to start repatriation flights from tomorrow.

�P2

MoPH reports 679 new COVID-19 cases as 130 more recoverTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) yesterday announced the registration of 679 new confirmed cases of the corona-virus (COVID-19). Another 130 people have recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of cases of recovery in Qatar to 1,664 cases.

The total number of positive COVID-19 cases recorded in Qatar so far is 15,551. There are 13,875 active cases currently under treatment. The Ministry conducted 2,707 tests yesterday taking the total tests done so far to 104,435.

The Ministry explained that most of the new cases are due to expatriate workers who have been infected with the virus as a result of contact with indi-viduals who have been previ-ously infected — theses cases have been identified as a result of investigations carried out by the Ministry.

The remainder of new cases infected with the virus have come from citizens and resi-dents who have contracted the virus from members of their families, who in turn had con-tracted the virus through their

workplaces or other places where they had been exposed to infected people.

All the new infected cases have been quarantined where they are receiving the necessary medical care.

The Ministry has stated that during the current period it expects to see a fluctuation in the number of cases of infection. This is for several reasons including that the out-break of the virus is considered to be at the peak stage before

the number of infections starts to descend gradually.

The Ministry has also recently stepped up efforts to track the transitional chains of the virus and expand the search for people infected by con-ducting extensive and proactive investigations of large numbers of contacts of the people who have recently been confirmed with the disease.

The Ministry has called on all members of society to follow the safety guidelines. �P2

Doha Municipality intensifies food inspection driveTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Food Monitoring Section of Doha Municipality has intensified food outlets inspection campaigns to ensure compliance with health rules especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

The intensified inspection campaign was launched following a month-long action plan which was prepared by the Health Monitoring Section of Doha Municipality led by Najla Abdurrahman Al Hail.

The plan aimed at ensuring that all food outlets are adhering to the health rules especially during the spiritual month, said the Ministry of Municipality and Environment in a release.

The municipal inspectors check expiry dates of food items, proper storage facility, transportation process and food preparation to ensure the health and safety of the consumers.

The inspectors of the monitoring section of Doha Municipality also par-ticipated in joint inspection campaigns for food outlets across Doha in coordi-nation with the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Doha Municipality closed 33 food outlets for a period ranging from five to 30 days for violating the health rules during April 2020.

The inspectors of Health Monitoring Section of Doha Municipality recorded 80 violations during the campaign to inspect food outlets operating across the municipality last month.

The inspectors made 2,363 inspection visits to the outlets. Veter-inary doctors at the central automated slaughterhouse inspected 112,844 slaughtered animals. As many as 1,330 slaughtered animals and 3,065 kg meat was destroyed for being unfit for human consumption.

The veterinary doctors inspected 37,500 kg of fish at Jetty of Corniche and destroyed 81kg after it was found unfit for human consumption.

The municipal officials also inspected 15,000 vehicles used for car-rying food items at Industrial Area.

Only two vehicles were found not complying with the health rules required while transporting food items. The seized food items were destroyed immediately.

Public Prosecution collecting bails of temporary suspension of imprisonmentQNA — DOHA

The Public Prosecutor has started undertaking the collection of bails of temporary suspension of imprisonment, in cooperation and coordi-nation with the Supreme Judicial Council.

Accordingly, the convicts or their representatives will be able to pay the bail value to temporarily suspend the imple-mentation of the initial sen-tences issued for imprisonment and covered by a bail to tem-porarily halt their implemen-tation as per the Criminal Pro-cedure Law.

The aforementioned bails will be collected through the self-service machines of the Public Prosecution, as well as through the cashier in the Public Prosecution building.

The Public Prosecution will also collect the amounts of release bail issued by the court while considering the contin-uation of the pretrial detention of the accused or considering their appeal pursuant to the provisions of Articles 117 and 120 of the Criminal Procedure Law, through self-service machines or through the cashier.

The self-service machines (kiosks) of Public Prosecution are available at the head-quarters of the Public Prose-cution, the headquarters of the Residence Affairs Prosecution, the Capital Police Department, the headquarters for the enforcement of judgements, the government services complex in Al Hilal, HIA, and the head-quarters of the Court of First Instance of Al Saad.

Qatar Committee

disbursing cash

to 100,000 Gaza

families

QNA — GAZA

Chairman of the Qatar Committee for the Recon-struction of Gaza, H E Ambas-sador Mohammed Al Emadi, said that the Committee began from Saturday morning the process of disbursing cash assistance to the families in need in the Gaza Strip.

Ambassador Al Emadi said that the distribution process is implemented through the post offices in the governorates of the Gaza Strip for 100,000 families — $100 per family.

He pointed out that the process of distributing cash assistance is carried out in cooperation with the relevant government agencies to meet safety standards for benefi-ciaries and to preserve suffi-cient distances between them, as part of preventive measures to address the out-break of COVID-19. Al Emadi said that the distribution process is under full super-vision of the Qatari com-mittee and its teams deployed in the distribution centres. �P23,498,283 246,736 1,119,817

TOTAL POSITIVE TOTAL DEATHS TOTAL RECOVERED

COVID-19 GLOBALLY

679130 13,875 1,664

0

NEW CASES

ANNOUNCED

NEW

RECOVERIES

ACTIVE

CASES

TOTAL

RECOVERIES

NEW

DEATHS

COVID-19 QATAR UPDATES ON 03 MAY 2020

Ramadan Timing

Today's Iftar:6:09pm

Tomorrow's Imsak:03:23am

Qatar Airways has flown Canadians home from India while hundreds of Brits flew from Pakistan on Qatar Airways.

The airline is still operating flights to 35 cities around the world including London, Paris, Frankfurt and Sydney.

Qatar Airways announces 3 weekly flights to Johannesburg, South Africa starting from May 5.

Amir directs to

send medical

aid to Somalia

QNA — DOHA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has directed sending medical aid to the sisterly Federal Republic of Somalia, in support of the efforts of the brothers in Somalia to combat the pandemic of the new coronavirus (COVID-19).

A Doha Municipality official checking the quality of foodstuff at an outlet.

Stringent safety checks in place at food outlets, processing facilities SANAULLAH ATAULLAH THE PENINSULA

Food Safety and Environmental Health department of the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) in coordination with other ministries concerned has implemented strict measures under its nationwide campaign to curb the spread of COVID-19 at food outlets and factories for processing foods.

“The campaign is successful as it helped the food outlets and factories to avoid violation of health rules and preventive and precautionary measures which are inevitable to curb the infection,” said Wasan Abdullah Al Baker, Director of Food Safety and Environmental Health at MoPH while talking to Qatar TV yesterday.

She said Food Safety and Environmental Health department covered over 120 major foot outlets and about 50 food processing factories under its inspection campaign.

“The campaign focused on preventive and precautionary measures to curb the spread of

coronavirus by enforcing a slew of health rules based on the recommendations of World Health Organization,” said Al Baker.

“The Ministry is carrying out inspection of food outlets and food processing factories in coordination with the Min-istry of Municipality and Envi-ronment and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to ensure the compliance of health rules and safety measures,” said Al Baker.

She said hypermarkets are required to make special focus on proper storage of food items, applying health rules on food handlers related to wearing face masks and gloves and availability of disinfected materials.

“The hypermarkets and major food outlets should also keep sterilizing surfaces and floors which could carry the virus and educating the workers and food handlers about the preventive and pro-tection measures to curb the spread of COVID-19,” said Al Baker. �P2

02 MONDAY 4 MAY 2020HOME

Lulu Hypermarket supports QC's Ramadan campaignTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

For the third year in a row, Lulu Hyper-market Qatar has announced its support for Qatar Charity’s (QC) Ramadan campaign titled “Calm Your Heart by Giving”, as part of its community initiative “Shop and Donate”.

This support comes as per the pre-vious cooperation and partnership agreement signed between Qatar Charity and Lulu hypermarket, which allows two sides to exchange experiences and coop-erate and coordinate the programmes and projects that will be of common interest for the benefit of society.

This year, Lulu Hypermarket has more than 700 items in the shopping list to support Qatar Charity’s Ramadan cam-paign by donating a specific portion of the profits gained by selling these items.

Ali Al Ghareeb, Director of the Resource Development Department at Qatar Charity, has expressed his delight at this support announced by Lulu, espe-cially in the holy month of Ramadan, and at a time when the whole world is facing

a serious threat to humanity due to the coronavirus outbreak, noting that such support would enable Qatar Charity to help the vulnerable.

Qatar Charity is always keen to coop-erate with various public and private sector institutions to reach out to the largest number of beneficiaries in Qatar and across the world, urging other com-panies and institutions to support Qatar Charity’s Ramadan campaign “Calm Your

Heart by Giving”. “This support from Lulu Hypermarket

comes within the framework of our Cor-porate Social Responsibility (CSR), as we look forward to being an important role player in the social responsibility pro-grammes in collaboration with Qatar Charity, based on the values and tradi-tions of society in the solidarity and coop-eration between the various segments,” said Mohamed Althaf, Director of Lulu

Hypermarket Qatar. He added that such support would also continue in the future in such different seasons like Ramadan to benefit the weaker section of the society and improve their standard of living.

It is worth mentioning that last year, Qatar Charity received a donation of QR250,000 from Lulu Hypermarket Qatar as part of its ‘Shop & Donate’ drive during the last Ramadan. The donation came in support of Qatar Charity’s Ramadan Cam-paign: “the Gift of Giving” Campaign for the last year.

Qatar Charity has previously signed a number of co-operation agreements with Lulu Hypermarket Qatar. The first agreement allows customers to donate riyal and dirham fractions when paying purchase bills at various Lulu Hyper-market outlets, in order to support char-itable projects within and outside Qatar.

The second agreement promotes Qatar Charity’s Khair Cards through Lulu outlets to promote charity among shoppers, while the third agreement involves a co-operation for the ‘Shop & Donate’ campaign.

Ashghal announces closure of 1.5km stretch in Rawdat Al Naisar StreetTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has announced the closure of a 1.5km stretch in Rawdat Al Naisar Street, in both directions, between Street 1 next to Woqod Petrol Station and Street 70, starting tomorrow.

In coordination with the General Directorate of Traffic,

this closure will be imple-mented for a period of three months. It is for the com-pletion of infrastructure and road improvement works as part of the road improvement works in Umm Al Dome and Muaither Area which aims at enhancing the traffic flow and alleviating the congestion in the area.

During this time, users of

Rawdat Al Naisar Street coming from Jassim bin Ali Street, will be required to turn right towards Street 1 then left towards Al Farsha Street to reach their destinations. Sim-ilarly, road users coming in opposite direction will be required to turn left towards Street 70 then right to get on Al Farsha Street, as shown in the attached map.

Al Sheehaniya Municipality finds supermarket violating rules THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Municipal Monitoring Department at Al Sheehaniya Municipality caught a super-market for running without license inside Abu Nakhla animal farms’ complex on Saturday.

Food items were also seized for storing in unhealthy condi-tions by violating the law for regulating foods, said the Min-

istry of Municipality and Envi-ronment in a statement.

Legal action was taken against the violators and the food items were destroyed after finding them unfit for human consumption. This effort came under the framework of ongoing inspection campaigns by Al Sheehaniya Municipality on animal farms’ complex to ensure the compliance of rules and regulations.

Gang arrested for threatening people by posing as policemen THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Interior (MoI), represented by the North

Security Department, arrested a gang of four who posed as policemen and threatened people for money.

The four Asian nationals were arrested after the department received infor-mation about the gang in Al Najma and Old Airport area. They went to residential apart-ments wearing Qatari dress (thobe) masquerading them-selves as policemen and threaten people to part their money, the Ministry tweeted.

The defendants were remanded for investigation and will be referred to prosecution to complete the legal proce-dures. The Ministry recently arrested three persons in Al Wakrah with expired food-stuffs. The house was raided and seized different quantities of food in two stores. Some of which were expired and some did not have an expiry date. Many empty new bags were also seized.

The members of the gang, who were arrested for cheating people by posing as policemen.

QU’s move to admit more male pharmacy students lauded QNA — DOHA

Qatar University’s College of P h a r m a c y ( Q U - C P H ) announced official opening of its current BSc pharmacy programme from next fall 2020. The online application process is now open and the college is ready to receive 15 male students alongside the usual number of female students.

Furthermore, current QU male students will have the opportunity to apply to transfer to general pharmacy this May. This major milestone in the college history is in line with the country in increasing demand for recruiting male pharmacists especially with the expansion projects in HMC that includes; three hospitals in the Medical

City, followed by 400 bedded Emergency Department, Indus-trial Areas Hospital, Primary Health Centers and pharmaceu-tical industry.

The Managing Director at Primary Health Care Corpo-ration (PHCC), Dr. Mariam Abdulmalik, said: “We at PHCC support the initiative to have more male pharmacist grad-uates in Qatar and in the local job market. This programme will intensively meet the growing needs for pharmaceu-tical service expansion in Qatar to align with the national health strategy and PHCC mission to deliver comprehensive, inte-grated and coordinated person-centered health care services in the community through focusing on disease prevention,

health lifestyles and wellness.The Executive Director of

Pharmacy at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Dr. Moza Al Hail, said: “Over the last few years we have seen a noticeable gap in the absence of Qatari and non-Qatari male pharmacists

in hospital practice, anticipated, due to absence of pharmacy degree programme for males in the State of Qatar. This initiative will be a great leap to attract male Qatari and non-Qatari stu-dents to join the pharmacy degree”.

The Director of Department of Pharmacy and Drug Control Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Aisha Ibrahim Al Ansari, said: “It is an achievement to com-mence the male admission in the College of Pharmacy. Like other professions in the country, the pharmacy should encompass both male and female candidates to equilibrate the normal services in the healthcare setting. Currently, Qatar depends on male phar-macists from different countries

around the world to fill this gap; this can be minimized by grad-uating more in-country phar-macists. The college of pharmacy with female students is doing great and graduating highly qualified pharmacists who are responsible enough to lead the development of pharma profession in the State of Qatar. We would like to see the same progress to be achieved with our male pharmacists.”

Dr Mohammad Diab, Dean of QU-CPH Dean said: “Since the opening of the College of Pharmacy in 2007, the College has been progressing and have been taking huge steps in climbing the ladder of success. Male admission is a huge mile-stone and a turning point for the

College of Pharmacy. The College has been working hard on this initiative in alignment with Qatar National Health Strategy to provide efficient healthcare for everyone and to build significant expansion of the country’s health services.”

“Our initiative also aligns with Qatar University National Strategy for education and max-imizing impact. This is deter-mined also to cover the need for male pharmacists in Qatar being graduated as well from the only national College of Pharmacy in Qatar offering high quality Canadian accredited curriculum. This will, without a doubt, take the future of pharmacy and providing effi-cient healthcare to another level,” he added.

This major milestone in the college history is in line with the country in increasing demand for recruiting male pharmacists especially with the expansion projects in HMC.

Qatar Committee disbursing cash to 100,000 Gaza families

FROM PAGE 1 He expressed his gratitude

and thanks to the citizens ben-efiting from the cash assistance, who expressed their full cooperation and

understanding of the safety procedures followed by the rel-evant authorities and their commitment to the plan adopted to confront the coro-navirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Eta Aquarid meteor shower to illuminate Qatar sky tomorrowTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The residents of northern hemisphere, including the resident of Qatar, will have a good chance to seeing and observing Eta Aquarid meteor shower, which will illuminate northern hemi-sphere sky from the evening of tomorrow till the dawn of Wednesday, Qatar Calendar House (QCH) has announced.

According to astronomer experts on meteors shower observations, Eta Aquarid meteor shower is one of an important meteors showers seen from earth, where the average rate of Eta Aquarid showers flow will be 50 Eta Aquarid meteors per hour.

Moreover, it is usually active every year from April

19 till May 28, while its peak occurs from evening of May 5, till dawn of May 6, astronomer expert at (QCH) Dr. Beshir Marzouk said.

Generally, observing meteor shower does not need astronomical instru-mentation therefore Qatar residents and the resident of countries in northern hem-isphere can see Eta Aquarid meteor showers with naked eye from places without light and environment pollution (pure sky), and darker places, he said, adding the people need to look to south-east horizon of the sky from midnight till the dawn of Wednesday to catch Eta Aquarid meteor showers.

People can also take a nice photo for Eta Aquarid

meteor shower by using recent digital cameras, but they have to increase an exposure time of camera when taking photo to get best photos OF meteor shower, Dr. Beshir Marzouk added.

The Eta Aquarid meteor shower is created by debris from “Halley Comet” where the earth passes through the dust and debris it leaves behind during end of April till the last week of May every year.

Halley Comet needs to around 76 years to make a complete revolution around Sun so it can be seen from earth every 76th year where the last time seen from earth was in 1986, while the next time to be seen in 2062.

MoPH reports 679 new COVID-19

cases as 130 more recoverFROM PAGE 1

The Ministry called upon the public to stay at home and not go out except in cases of necessity and to implement preventive measures and maintain physical distancing,

including in the workplace and public places. The Ministry has also reminded people to use a face mask as recommended and avoid social visits to reduce their risk of contracting the virus.

Qatar Airways keeps flying people home

FROM PAGE 1

At a time when you want to be with family Mzansi South Africa, you can count on us to take you home – Qatar Airways will be flying 3 flights weekly to Johannesburg starting 5 May. Taking You Home it’s what we do,” said the airline in a tweet yes-terday. “Qatar Airways to provide six repatriation flights from South Africa over a period of two weeks starting 5 May out of Johannesburg - if you need to get back home we can get you there via HIA,” it said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented challenge for Qatar Airways and the aviation industry as a whole. While the airline con-tinues to maintain operations where possible to take people home and to transport essential supplies, overall demand for air transport has declined significantly.

Stringent safety

checks in place

at food outletsFROM PAGE 1

She said that the outlets are also asked to inform immediately about the sus-pected cases of coronavirus if any worker showed the symptoms. “The trolleys for shopping should be disinfected with proper sanitising mate-rials. The companies which provide food delivery services are also required to comply certain rules and regulations,” said Al Baker.

She said that in factories the focus of monitoring is also on workers and transporting vehicles which should be dis-infected and sterilised in a proper manner. “The workers should wear proper uniforms, masks and gloves and undergo proper disinfection process before entering in the fac-tories. The factories are being monitored on daily basis to check especially the risk points with the chances of infection,” said Al Baker.

03MONDAY 4 MAY 2020 HOME

'Catalyzing the Future' event at QF wins gold in global creativity awardsTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

A global creative media accolade has been awarded to Catalyzing the Future – the event that marked the 10th anniversary of Qatar Science & Technology Park, and opened a new chapter for research, development, and innovation in Qatar.

An international jury for the Golden Award of Montreux named the event, which took place in October 2019, as the gold medal winner in the ‘Cele-bration/Anniversary’ category, recognizing the impact that the innovative and interactive showcase made on a local, regional, and international audience.

Catalyzing The Future, at Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), celebrated Qatar

Foundation’s (QF) efforts and achievements in the field of research, development, and innovation (RDI), while looking ahead to the next stage of Qatar’s RDI journey and how this will create a legacy for the nation. The event also cele-brated how QSTP – part of Qatar Foundation Research, Devel-opment and Innovation – has become a national and regional hub of technology innovation and entrepreneurship since its establishment by QF in 2009; and its future role in developing Qatar’s business RDI sector and drawing leading technology companies and talent to the country.

“The Catalyzing The Future celebration, and the campaign that preceded it, marked a pivotal moment in the story of

research, development, and innovation in Qatar,” said Yosouf Abdulrahman Al-Salehi, Executive Director, QSTP.

“It showcased how QF and RDI-focused organizations across Qatar have built a platform from which we can generate solutions that make our nation more sustainable and have the potential to create international benefit, while making Qatar a global desti-nation for technology com-panies, innovators, and entre-preneurs. “The strength and importance of this message was amplified through Catalyzing The Future, an event that r e f l e c t e d i n n o v a t i o n , achievement, and aspiration, and which we believe has enhanced public and stake-holder engagement with the

vital role that RDI has to play in Qatar’s development and nar-rative. We are delighted that the effectiveness and the excellence of this event has been recog-nized at such a prestigious industry level.”Produced by the Qatar office of leading event and

marketing agency fischerAppelt, the Catalyzing The Future concept featured both a cer-emony, and an exhibition show-casing successful technology ventures which have been incu-bated at QSTP, with one of its centerpieces being an

interactive 4D show. The Golden Award of Montreux honors companies and indi-viduals responsible for the world’s best advertising and multimedia campaigns and events, with its jurors being from 16 countries.

A global creative media accolade has been awarded to Catalyzing the Future, the event that marked the 10th anniversary of Qatar Science & Technology Park.

QF’s ABP focuses on emotional wellbeing of studentsFAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

The Pre-University Education (PUE) Division of Qatar Foun-dation provides support for the emotional wellbeing of students across its schools and learning centres including the Academic Bridge Program (ABP).

As schools across the country are closed due to worries about the spread of COVID-19, QF students also have shifted to online learning to continue their studies.

“One of the lessons we learned early on was that we needed to take into account the emotional impact of this extraordinary situation on both students and employees. PUE has been especially com-mendable in providing wellness

support to both students and staff and encouraging us to modify expectations,” Dr. Mark Newmark (pictured), Assistant Director, Academic Affairs, ABP told The Peninsula.

In usual circumstances, the ABP is a face-to-face foun-dation programme. The pro-gramme expands students’ understanding of English, Math, Computers, and Science and sharpens their skills in these areas. The ABP helps students to become more competitive applicants for university and more successful students at uni-versity. But ABP has been making use of online teaching for several years.

“For many years, students at the ABP have been able to obtain their assignments and receive their grades online. ABP

instructors have long made extensive use of technology both in their classrooms and in the work that students do outside of class. This provided a strong set of experiences to draw on when moving to remote learning,” said Dr. Newmark.

PUE Division of QF has pro-vided the ABP with guidance about how remote learning should be facilitated. The ABP arranged some peer-led training on platforms that could assist with remote learning and PUE provided additional training. PUE, sister institutions, the ABP administration, ABP departments, and instructors looked into best practices and shared ideas, experiences, and resources. As is so often the case, the most valuable design

elements emerged from the creativity, knowledge, dedi-cation, and skill of the ABP faculty.

“Online learning at the ABP has gone through several iter-ations and the ABP continues to adapt to provide robust and effective remote learning. We are in the process of planning for the next academic year in case remote learning con-tinues,” said Dr Newmark.

The ABP has developed a user-friendly tracking system to flag concerns about student engagement and performance. The system calls for instructors, advisors, and administrators to follow up with students. The follow-up is also tracked and monitored. Credit at the ABP is determined by successful per-formance in individual courses

and successful competition of the program as a whole.

Ali Al Shahabi, a student in Foundation Class of ABP, said, “Virtual learning is a new expe-rience, that is really exciting and new to us. I really enjoy virtual learning because it’s more interactive and you are more focused than actually being in a classroom. I really find it effective, students will start depending on themselves more, they will start getting their own sources of learning. The down side with Virtual learning is that not all students attend the morning classes due to different sleeping schedules.”

Ahmad Jaber Mohammed Alshehabi, another student, said that virtual learning is really exciting.

“I saved my time for

learning and discuss the lessons with my colleagues and to do my assignments in time. Virtual learning have many beneficial effect such as I had learned many computer skills. But I had faced some challenges like I didn’t have any communication face to face , and if teachers post many assignments I had been little confused about what I should to do first ,” he added.

Indonesian envoy lauds Qatar’s efforts to beat COVID-19

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Qatar, Muhammad Basri Sidehabi, has praised Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for directing to support other countries with medical aid and tremendous efforts made by Qatar to curb the spread of COVID-19.

M u h a m m a d B a s r i Sidehabi in a statement con-veyed his utmost appreci-ation to remarkable efforts

made by the State of Qatar in handling the pandemic issue of the coronavirus.

“Under the direction of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the State of Qatar has been implementing very effective policies with inclusive measures to curb the disease in Qatar, as well as handling all the patients very well by providing their need so they can be fully recovered,” said Sidehabi.

He said that the daily updated report on the

numbers of the recovered patients has shown a

significant increase. “The increasing number of

recovered COVID-19 patients is a positive sign that the Government of the State of Qatar has managed to overcome the issue, so that flattening the curve is just a matter of t ime,” said Sidehabi.

The Ambassador also praised the directives of H H the Amir to supports other countries by providing humanitarian aid initiatives. “In this difficult time of the pandemic, not a single country could handle the disease by itself,” said Sidehabi.

He said that the cooper-ation between countries by supporting medical aid is essential to those in need. “Qatar has been a role model to other countries as a helping hand in this time of the crises,” said Sidehabi.

He said that during the difficult phase of air trans-portation, Qatar Airways has

been also successfully pro-viding solutions for those who wished to return their way home. “In the last couple of months, Qatar Airways has been one of a very few air-lines that still provides services for Indonesian cit-izens, not only from Qatar, but also from America, Africa and Europe countries,” said Sidehabi.

The Ambassador said that he was looking forward for a better future of cooperation between the two countries, and wished to convey greetings to H H the Amir and all the Qatari brothers on occasion of the holy month of Ramadan. “Let’s make use of this holy month of Ramadan. Happy fasting to all my Muslim brothers. Hopefully this time we get something valuable from Allah, the most gracious and most merciful. Ramadan Kareem,” said Sidehabi.

The Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Qatar, Muhammad Basri Sidehabi.

“Under the direction of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the State of Qatar has been implementing very effective policies with inclusive measures to curb the disease in Qatar, as well as handling all the patients very well by providing their need so they can be fully recovered,” said Sidehabi.

QU’s CBE holds panel discussion on economic, legal implications of pandemicTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar University’s College of Business and Economics (CBE), in cooperation with the Faculty of Law at Qatar University, organised a tele-discussion seminar entitled: “The economic, financial and legal implications of the Corona pandemic: short and long-term perspectives.”

With the participation of Dr. Ibrahim Al Ibrahim, Economic Adviser at the Emiri Diwan; Dr. Belkassem Al Abbas, Senior Expert at the Arab Planning Institute in the State of Kuwait and Dr. Mona Al Marzouqi, Assistant Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at the Faculty of Law at Qatar University, the session was moderated by Professor Dr. Saif Al Suwaidi, Pro-fessor of Economics at Qatar University.

The session focused on the reper-cussions of the global health crisis caused by the spread of the corona pandemic in addition to its economic and legal repercussions at the local and global levels.

Prof. Al Suwaidi started his speech stating, “This pandemic affected people, production, consumption, investment and government decisions, as government have become confused. Do you provide assistance to con-sumers and individuals? Families, or

to investors, producers, and health institutions, so where do the priorities lie?

Discussing about the economic effects and dependencies of this pan-demic on the world level, Dr. Al-Ibrahim said, “The repercussions of this pandemic on the global economy will be very harsh - although this picture is not complete yet - but we can say that these effects are distinguished by their severity and comprehensiveness, we are talking about a loss of $5.5 trillion in global production, as the

pandemic included most of the world’s countries other than their economic progress and economic systems”.

He added that the impact will be greater on countries that depend on one economic activity, countries that depend on the flow of capital and developing countries that depend on foreign direct investment and for the least developed aid dependent, in addition to oil-exporting countries such as the Gulf Cooperation Council countries due to the collapse in oil prices and thus a significant drop in

their oil revenues.Speaking of the repercussions on

the Arab countries, Dr. Al Abbas said, “The first and largest of these reper-cussions is the collapse of revenues in the oil countries, where they will find themselves obliged to withdraw their financial reserves in order to face this crisis until the end of this year. As for the non-oil countries, their fragile situation is due to the high budget and debt crisis. Secondly, with the collapse of growth, unem-ployment rates in Arab countries in general will rise by a total of approx-imately 4 percent.” He said that the third consequence is linked to supply chains, import of necessary goods and stock depletion.

As for the legal issues arising as a result of the coronavirus spread, Dr. Muna Al Marzouqi said, “The rapid spread of the Corona virus has produced many legal effects on con-tractual obligations and caused a disturbance in the contractual balance between the parties to the contractual relationship.”

“We mention some examples of legal problems that may occur in various types of contracts: In labor contracts, the question was

raised as to the extent to which a worker is entitled to receive his salary while in quarantine, and can workers in the affected sectors be laid off due to a lack of revenues?”

It is stated that “the solution of legal problems that may arise in some types of contracts lies in looking at each con-tract and each incident separately, so there is no single answer to solve all these problems.”

It is worth noting that this seminar is the first of several seminars that the Faculty of Business and Economics has recently announced to hold during the period from May 2 to 16, with a weekly episode every Saturday, with the partic-ipation of a number of local and inter-national experts in the economy, finance, business and law and public health.

Experts during a panel discussion on the economic and legal implications of the pandemic.

04 MONDAY 4 MAY 2020HOME

QCRI webinars examine data exploration, meta-data for COVID-19THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI), part of Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), commenced its COVID-19 webinar series with two online lectures addressing the topics of Data Exploration and Visu-alization of COVID-19 Data and Meta-Research of COVID-19 Literature. The lectures form part of an ongoing and immersive series of webinars that are freely available to the public.

Data Exploration and Visu-alization of COVID-19 Data introduced tools and techniques through which data can be better understood and modeled. The lecture touched upon the notions of “good” versus “bad” data visualization, techniques that enable good visualization, and associated challenges. Offered in two parts, Data Exploration and Visualization of COVID-19 Data delved into a study of several aspects of

COVID-19 by reviewing various visualization methods. Data preparation techniques and their challenges (including inconsistent formats, data errors, missing values, uncer-tainties in exponential growth) were reviewed. The second half of the lecture offered an explor-atory data analysis (EDA) and a comparative view of the advan-tages and disadvantages of each visualization model. For example, it is crucial to visualize data in a proper scale in order to understand the growth of the

pandemic. Speaking after the webinar,

Dr. Sanjay Chawla, Research Director of the Qatar Center for Artificial Intelligence, QCRI, said: “This webinar focused on the benefits and pitfalls of data visualization design and addressed each facet of data modeling for COVID-19 data. Data and data analytics have

assumed a central role in the first wave of the global response to COVID-19, and will continue to be key tools as the pandemic unfolds.”

The institute’s second webinar on Meta-Research of

COVID-19 Literature showcased QCRI’s in-house technologies, which were specifically built to enable rapid literature screening. Rayyan, QCRI’s sys-tematic review application, pro-vides a review of the COVID-19

Open Research Dataset. Users also enjoy a nearly 50 percent reduction in time utilized to scan relevant publications.

Dr. Mourad Ouzzani, Prin-cipal Scientist at QCRI, said: “Researchers around the world are investing a substantial amount of time in reviewing thousands of COVID-19 publi-cations – a process that can be daunting and laborious. A high-quality systematic review can be one of the most critical pieces of evidence to guide clinical practices. Rayyan aims to deliver a detailed summary of readily-available primary research in response to i m p o r t a n t C O V I D - 1 9 questions.”

QCRI’s upcoming webinars - to be held on May 4 and 7 – are Managing Health Services During a Pandemic and COVID-19 Epidemiological Modeling. All webinars are freely accessible at https://www.h b k u . e d u . q a / e n /data-science-covid-19.

Qatar Computing Research Institute Senior Software Engineer, Hossam Hammady, and Principal Scientist, Dr. Mourad Ouzzani.

Dr. Sanjay Chawla, Research Director of the Qatar Center for Artificial Intelligence, QCRI

Malabar Gold & Diamonds distributes food kits for needy THE PENINSULA — DOHA

As millions of people across the globe endure one of the biggest crises the world has ever seen, Malabar Gold & Diamonds, one among the largest jewellery retailers with over 250 stores globally, strengthens its CSR initiatives across GCC & Far East.

In response to the rising severity and impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, Malabar Gold & Diamonds has initiated distribution of 15,000 food kits to stranded labourers and fam-ilies affected by the crisis. The unprecedented scenario brought about by COVID-19 has led to the redirection of CSR efforts usually undertaken by Malabar Gold & Diamonds during normal times towards distributing food kits to those affected by the crisis. Although the implications of COVID-19

are yet to be known, it is sure to be disrupting normal lives for at least some time, in response to which Malabar Gold & Dia-monds has implemented this initiative, which is expected to benefit a large section of the society across all countries in which it operates.

‘CSR initiatives remains a core value at Malabar Gold & Diamonds. Considering the dif-ficulties caused by the unprec-edented crisis, this year, we decided to focus on distributing food kits to affected families and individuals to ease their current circumstances. It’s times like this that remind us that each one of us – individuals and companies have something to contribute and the importance of coming together as a com-munity,” said Shamlal Ahamed, MD – International Operations of Malabar Gold & Diamonds.

“I sincerely urge other

companies and individuals to lend a helping hand to the affected in their own local

communities. I am extremely pleased that even in the middle of this crisis, we continue to do

what we do best: supporting each other, our partners, the authorities and offering a helping hand to communities around us,” he said.

The food kits contain essential supplies, including staple, lentils, oil, and spices, for which the group has set aside an amount of AED1.6m. These food kits should help a family or group of individuals sustain for 30 days. The entire activity is being spearheaded by the team members of Malabar Gold & Diamonds with the support of external organizations and associations to identify the needy in the local communities. Those in real need of the food kits, across GCC and Far East, are identified through respective embassies, regional associations, and like-minded organizations like KMCC, Red Crescent, Community Devel-opment Authority, etc. as well

as through the reference by cus-tomers of Malabar Gold & Diamonds.

Corporate Social Responsi-bility has always been a key element of the culture at Malabar Gold & Diamonds. The group supports many philan-thropic activities and is always ready to take initiatives to help the deprived section in the society, setting aside 5 percent of its profit for CSR activities across all regions that they operate.

The key focus areas of the CSR initiatives of Malabar Group are in the areas of Health, Education, Women Empow-erment, Housing, and Envi-ronment. The group, which cur-rently has showrooms across GCC, India, Far East, and USA undertakes several welfare activities with the association of like-minded organisations in the respective regions.

In response to the rising severity and impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, Malabar Gold & Diamonds has initiated the distribution of 15,000 food kits to stranded labourers and families affected by the crisis.

Qatar Charity distributes health bags to workers at Al Furjan and Al Mazroua marketsTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar Charity continues to distribute protective supplies and awareness mate-rials to workers in cooperation with many concerned authorities of the country.

This falls within Qatar Charity’s con-tinued efforts to fight the spread of coro-navirus (COVID-19)

Qatar Charity has distributed health supplies and awareness leaflets to workers in Al Furjan Markets, in the partnership with the Ministry of Administrative Devel-opment, Labor, Social Affairs and the Min-istry of Public Health, and in cooperation with the Qatar Development Bank.

It distributed to workers in the vege-table markets in cooperation with the Min-istry of Municipal and Environment, ben-efiting 3,000 workers, with the partici-pation of volunteers from Qatar Charity and Asian communities.

The distribution took place in 50 com-plexes of Al Furjan markets in various regions of the country such as Al Wakrah, Umm Salal, Al Khor and Qatifiyah, Hazm

Al Markhiya, Al Rayyan, Al Mazrua, Umm Al Naseem and other areas, to educate workers on maintaining personal hygiene and taking preventive and precautionary measures against the coronavirus.

Besides, Qatar Charity distributed health bags and awareness leaflets to workers in five vegetable markets in Al Wakrah, Al Shahaniya, Al Shamal, Al Khor and Al Mazroua.

A Qatar Charity official giving health bag to worker in line with QC's continued efforts to fight the spread of COVID-19.

The lecture touched upon the notions of “good” versus “bad” data visualization, techniques that enable good visualization, and associated challenges.

QAC launches Mitsubishi virtual showroom in QatarTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Keeping up with the ever-changing demands of consumers, Qatar Automobiles Company (QAC), the authorised general distributor of Mitsubishi Motors in Qatar, presents cutting-edge tech-nology in the automotive world, by launching a virtual showroom for Mitsubishi vehicles in Qatar.

A replica of the actual showroom on Salwa Road, the virtual showroom is part of QAC’s effort to provide an inno-vative experience allowing cus-tomers to peruse a wide range of Mitsubishi vehicles while they are at home. The move also indicates the company’s endeavor to implement social distancing and support the gov-ernment’s efforts to limit any potent ia l spread of coronavirus.

Customers can access the virtual showroom on the QAC website https://www.mit-subishi-motors.qa/en/buy/360-Viewer to experience the 360-degree technology, and explore the showroom to view the cars in an experience that exactly simulates the real one. the showroom highlights the full range of vehicle specs, where customers can view the interior or exterior details by clicking on the icon associated with it, to get more information, and even book a test drive.

Speaking about the virtual showroom, Sheikh Faleh bin

Nawaf Al Thani, operations director of automotive sector at NBK Group said: “The virtual showroom is a clear indication of QAC’s strategy to bring con-venient and cutting-edge tech-nology to the forefront and create practical solutions for our customers to tackle the dif-ficulties associated with the current global situation. The virtual showroom comes in line with our plan to support the government’s effort in pro-moting social distancing and finding practical alternatives that support our business”.

Hesham Al-Sahn, General Manager of Qatar Automobiles Company said: “Fully com-mitted to offering the utmost to our valued customers, we are pleased to launch this unique experience to our cus-tomers in Qatar to explore our new vehicles without the need to leave their homes. Customer service and health remain our priority, and we will continue enhancing technology to add more offerings to the virtual experience”.

Through the virtual showroom, customers can explore three Mitsubishi vehicles including Eclipse Cross, ASX, and Montero Sport, and more vehicles to be added soon. The website is enhanced to accommodate test drive requests, even to customer’s homes. Customer service call center at QAC is available to answer enquiries and provide more information.

Hilton The Pearl launches Ramadan ‘stay-in-dine-in’ packagesTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Hilton Doha The Pearl Resi-dences has launched a range of ‘ s tay- in-&-dine- in ’ packages for guests this Ramadan which include in-room Iftar and Suhoor service.

The accommodation

packages offer a range of choices from rooms with Suhoor service, rooms with Iftar, or rooms where guests celebrate both Ramadan meals in the privacy of their own apartment.

The packages have been designed to enable people to take a much-needed break

away from their own home during Ramadan, to celebrate traditional Holy Month meals with their family but still have the safety of social-distancing during these exceptional times.

The advantage is that the Iftar and Suhoor menus have been masterfully created by Malaysian-cuisine-inspired French Chef Thibaut Pouplard and Lebanese celebrity chef Joe Barza.

The hotel is offering 7 great Iftar and 3 Suhoor menus choices which feature tradi-tional Ramadan favourites and some with a creative twist. Guests can expect the ever-popular seasonal juices, light soups, and cold & hot mezze, and salads to ease into Iftar. Main course choices feature a range of meat and fish dishes, including traditional roasted lamb, Malay oriental pies, satays, and flavoursome and health-generating curries. A tempting selection of Holy Month desserts, including

Umm Ali, and fruits round off the evening feast.

Suhoor menus have a choice of hot & cold mezzes and classic and egg special-ities all served with juices and water.

The rates are offered across the residences’ com-fortable and homely studios, and one and two-bedroomed suites which all have bal-conies, dining tables and lounge areas, and are based on double occupancy.

The room with Iftar rate ranges from QR655 to QR1,505 while the room with Suhoor rate starts from QR575 – QR1,425. Rates for room with both Iftar and Suhoor range from QR775 – QR1,625.

These packages offer guests the chance to take a Ramadan break, with high quality food service and in a setting where they benefit from the international standards that define a Hilton hotel with everything that they need in a home.

The packages have been designed to enable people to take a much-needed break away from their own home during Ramadan, to celebrate traditional Holy Month meals with their family.

Exam preparations

Inspecting IS attack site

05MONDAY 4 MAY 2020 MIDDLE EAST

Lebanon protests continueProtesters from across Lebanon holding national flags chant slogans as they gather for a demonstration against dwindling economic conditions in the country, at Al Nour Square in the centre of the northern port city of Tripoli, yesterday.

Iran to reopen many mosques today as 47 more die of virusREUTERS & AFP — TEHRAN

Iran plans to reopen mosques today in areas that have been consistently free of the corona-virus as President Hassan Rouhani’s government starts to ease restrictions that were aimed at containing the outbreak.

With mosques closed and religious gatherings banned since mid-March as the out-break spread in the Middle East’s worst-hit country, ordinary Iranians have turned to drive-ins for ceremonies during the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

State TV and videos on social media showed people in their cars watching a religious ceremony on a big screen in a Tehran car park.

“Mosques will reopen in 132 low-risk or ‘white cities’ and towns from today. Friday prayer sermons will resume in those areas as well... However, all these steps will be taken by respecting the health pro-tocols,” Rouhani said in a tele-vised meeting.

Iran’s health ministry has divided the country into white, yellow and red areas based on the number of infections and deaths. The ministry said on Saturday that the trajectory of infections has started a “gradual” downward trend in Iran. Iran has already lifted a

ban on inter-city trips and malls, with large shopping centres resuming activities despite warnings by some health officials of a new wave of infections.

School and university clo-sures were maintained and cul-tural and sports gatherings are also still banned, though Rouhani said the plan is for some schools to reopen soon.

“The schools in the white and low-risk areas will reopen from May 16... However, we will continue to review the situ-ation,” he said.

Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said 47 people died of the virus over the past 24 hours, the lowest daily count in 55 days.

He said the country’s coro-navirus death toll had risen to 6,203 and the total number of diagnosed cases had reached 97,424. He told a news con-ference he hoped “the trend will continue in the upcoming days”.

The President argued that Islam considers safety oblig-atory, while praying in mosques

is only “recommended”. Rouhani did not give the names of the counties affected by the measure or the number of mosques due to reopen today.

The measure is not expected to be implemented in the capital, Tehran, or in the main Shia holy cities of Mashhad which are among those most affected by the outbreak.

Mosques and some key Shia shrines in Iran were closed in March amid the Middle East’s deadliest COVID-19 outbreak.

The targeted counties are “low-risk”, Rouhani said.

The virus taskforce was also mulling reopening schools by May 16 to allow for a month of classes before the summer break. According to Jahanpour, the 47 new deaths brought to 6,203 the total number offi-cially recorded in Iran since it reported its first cases in mid-February.

He added that 976 fresh infection cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 97,424.

Kuwait registers 364 new virus casesQNA — KUWAIT

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Health announced yesterday the regis-tration of 364 new coronavirus cases in the country during the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases registered to 4,983.

Kuwait’s Health Ministry Spokesperson Dr. Abdullah Al-Sanad said in a press con-ference on Sunday that 5 deaths were recorded for residents

after they contracted the disease, bringing the total number of deaths to 38.

Kuwaiti health authorities had announced earlier Sunday the recovery of 73 coronavirus cases, bringing the number of recovered cases in the country to 1,776. Laboratory and radi-ological tests proved that these cases are cured of the corona-virus and that they will be transferred to the rehabilitation wing of the hospital designated

to receive those infected with the virus in preparation for their discharge from the hos-pital within the next two days.

The Omani Ministry of Health reported on Sunday 85 new cases of coronavirus, including 21 cases to Omanis, and 64 to non-Omanis, bringing the total number of cases recorded in the Sultanate to 2,568 with 12 deaths.

The ministry confirmed that 750 cases had recovered.

Palestinian high school students receiving exam seating card information amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus disease, in a school in the southern Gaza Strip, yesterday.

Israel’s Supreme Court discusses Netanyahu’s fate as prime ministerREUTERS — OCCUPIED JERUSALEM

Israel’s Supreme Court began a two-day hearing yesterday to determine whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s indictment on criminal charges disqualifies him from forming a new government.

A ruling against Netanyahu would likely trigger a snap election, the fourth since April 2019, as the country grapples with the coronavirus crisis and its economic fallout.

Netanyahu and his main rival Benny Gantz signed an agreement last month to form a unity government under which they would take turns leading Israel after three elec-tions that neither of them won.

In power for more than a decade and currently head of a caretaker government, right-wing Netanyahu will serve as prime minister of a new admin-istration for 18 months before handing the reins to centrist Gantz, according to the unity deal.

The pact has support from a majority in parliament. But several groups, including oppo-sition parties and democracy watchdogs, have petitioned Israel’s highest court to nullify the deal and bar Netanyahu from leading the government, citing the criminal proceedings against him.

Responding to the petition, Israel’s Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit wrote to the court saying that there was no sufficient legal ground to dis-qualify Netanyahu.

He described the case as a “head-on collision” between “on one side the most basic democratic principle of hon-ouring the will of the majority... (and) on the other integrity in public service, specifically among elected officials.”

Eleven justices, wearing face masks and separated by screens as coronavirus precau-tions, presided over the dis-cussion. A small group outside the court, also following social distancing guidelines, carried signs and Israeli flags to protest a g a i n s t g o v e r n m e n t corruption.

Some Israeli analysts have said the court, cast by Netanyahu loyalists as liberal and interventionist, was unlikely to bar the premier from heading a new gov-ernment. A ruling is expected to be announced by Thursday.

Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, was indicted in January on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. He denies any wrong-doing in all three cases against him and says he is a victim of a political witch-hunt. Netan-yahu’s trial is due to start on May 24.

Lebanon detains 5

Sudanese along the

border with IsraelAP — BEIRUT

The Lebanese military said it detained five Sudanese citizens yesterday near the border with Israel and was questioning them.

The announcement came hours after the Israeli military said it detained the five on sus-picion they were trying to infil-trate the heavily-guarded border. Israeli media said the five were job seekers who were returned to Lebanon in coordination with the United Nations.

A spokesman for the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon said they are looking into the case with the parties without elaborating.

The incident comes as the Lebanon-Israel border has witnessed tensions in recent weeks between Israel and the militant Hezbollah group.

Last month, an Israeli drone fired two missiles near an SUV carrying Hezbollah members in Syria, close to the border with Lebanon. No one was hurt in the attack.

Two days after the drone attack, Israel accused Hez-bollah of “provocative” activity, including multiple attempts to breach the border along the Lebanese-Israeli frontier, and said it would complain to the UN Security Council. Israel and Hezbollah fought a bruising, 34-day war in 2006 that ended in a stalemate.

Jordan lifts all curbs on economic activity in latest easing of lockdownREUTERS — AMMAN

Jordan said yesterday it had lifted all restrictions on economic activity in the latest easing of coronavirus lockdown rules to help jump-start the cash-strapped economy.

Jordan has in the last two weeks been lifting restrictions to allow businesses back to work, but with lower levels of staff and strict social distancing

and hygiene guidelines. Minister of Industry and

Trade Tariq Hammouri said businesses and industries would now be able to resume production.

Public transport will be allowed to return to full normal service with safety guidelines following the outbreak, but uni-versities and schools will remain closed and a night curfew will continue.

Jordan has reported 460 confirmed coronavirus cases and nine deaths but says it has now contained the outbreak.

The government of Prime Minister Omar al Razzaz won widespread praise for quick moves to curb the spread of the coronavirus. But as the eco-nomic impact deepened, the government faced criticism from business groups and there were fears of social unrest.

Turkey extends travel restrictions for 31 provinces; virus toll at 3,397ANATOLIA — ANKARA

Turkey extended restrictions on entry and exit for 31 provinces till today.A statement by the Interior Ministry said all travels by land, sea and air are restricted till midnight.

It said that the restrictions applied in 31 provinces as part of coronavirus measures will be evaluated at the Cabinet meeting to be chaired by Pres-ident Recep Tayyip Erdogan today and a decision will be taken regarding the measures.

The number of people who have died from COVID-19 in Turkey has risen by 61 in the last 24 hours to 3,397, Health Ministry data showed yesterday.

The overall number of cases rose by 1,670 to 126,045, the data showed, the highest total outside Western Europe, the

United States and Russia. A total of 63,151 people have

so far recovered from the new coronavirus, which causes the respiratory disease COVID-19.

The number of tests con-ducted in Turkey in the past 24 hours stood at 24,001, raising the total number of tests during the outbreak to more than 1.135 million. At least two other federal lawmakers have added their voices to a chorus thanking Turkey for sending badly-needed medical supplies to the US amid the coronavirus pandemic.

South Carolina Con-gressman Joe Wilson, who is a co-chair of the Congressional Turkey Caucus, and Alcee Hastings of Florida, joined Alex Mooney and Steve Chabot in expressing gratitude for the shipments.

“As Co-Chair of the Caucus

on US-Turkish Relations and Turkish Americans, I am grateful to our NATO ally Turkey for their generosity,” Wilson said in a statement. “Working together, we will protect citizens of Turkey and America from the devastation of the Wuhan virus.”

Hastings, who also sits on the Turkey Caucus, lauded Tur-key’s generosity on Twitter, saying: “We’re all in this together and appreciate this kind gesture.”

Turkey has sent two ship-ments of medical equipment to the US as the country finds itself in the midst of the worst out-break globally. The first shipment on Wednesday brought 500,000 surgical masks, 4,000 overalls, 2,000 liters of disinfectant, 1,500 goggles, 400 N-95 masks, and 500 face shields.

An Iraqi fighter with the Hashed Al Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation Forces) inspecting the site of the Islamic State (IS) attack, a day earlier, on a unit of the paramilitary force in Mukaishefah, about 180km north of the capital Baghdad, yesterday. The attack killed 10 Iraqi fighters.

“Mosques will reopen in 132 low-risk or ‘white cities’ and towns from today. Friday prayer sermons will resume in those areas as well... However, all these steps will be taken by respecting the health protocols,” President Rouhani said in a televised meeting.

06 MONDAY 4 MAY 2020MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Ivory Coast PM flies to France for medical checksREUTERS — ABIDJAN

Ivory Coast Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, the ruling party’s candidate in October’s presidential election, has flown to France for medical checks, the presidency said yesterday.

The brief statement said Gon Coulibaly left on Saturday but gave no details about his state of health.

A source close to Gon Coulibaly, who had heart surgery in 2012, said the prime minister had missed a scheduled check-up in France in April because he was busy coordinating Ivory Coast’s coro-

navirus response.“His intense activity these

last weeks had an impact on his health, but it is nothing very serious. He is doing well,” the source said, adding that Gon Coulibaly would return to Ivory Coast in a few days.

Defence Minister Hamed Bakayoko, who recovered from the coronavirus last month, will serve as interim prime minister in Gon Coulibaly’s absence, the presidency’s statement said.

Gon Coulibaly self-isolated

in late March because of pos-sible exposure to the corona-virus but did not test positive.

President Alassane Ouattara designated Gon Coulibaly in March as the ruling RHDP party’s candidate for the pres-idential election after saying he would not himself seek a third term.

Ivory Coast has recorded more than 1,300 cases of the coronavirus, one of the highest totals in West Africa, with 15 deaths. A file photo of Ivory Coast Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly.

Sudan police disperse rally demanding Bashir’s releaseANATOLIA — KHARTOUM

Sudanese police broke up a protest staged by supporters of former President Omar Al Bashir in the capital Khartoum yesterday, according to a local police source.

Several protesters were arrested by security forces for violating a lockdown imposed by the authorities to stem the spread of coronavirus, the source said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Yesterday’s rally was called by Al Bashir’s sup-porters to demand his release amid reports that Ahmed Haroun, the chairman of the dissolved ruling party, has been infected with corona-virus in prison.

Sudanese authorities have warned protesters against gathering or violating the lockdown, with security forces deployed in several streets in the capital ahead of the protests.

“The national army has

been deployed in some areas in the downtown of Khartoum, closing the main roads that lead to the army headquarters,” Ali Alnimairy, a local resident, said.

According to eyewitnesses, hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets in Khartoum and other states to demand the former president’s release.

A source with the United Popular Movement, which is widely believed to be sup-ported by Al Bashir’s former ruling party, said demonstra-tions have also been staged in the states of Kassala, West Kordofan and South Darfur.

Al Bashir, who ruled Sudan since 1989, was ousted by the military in April 2019 after mass protests against his rule.

The former president has been sentenced to two years in prison for corruption. He is also facing charges of under-mining the constitution over the 1989 military coup he led.

Sudanese authorities have so far confirmed 41 deaths and 593 infect ions f rom coronavirus.

Residents carry their belongings through flood water as they evacuate from their home after River Nzoia burst its banks in Nyadorera, Siaya County, Kenya, on Saturday.

Kenya waterbus with 20 passengers capsizesANATOLIA — NAIROBI, KENYA

A waterbus carrying 20 people capsized on Saturday in the Usenge region in western Kenya, authorities said on Saturday.

The boat capsized because of strong winds presumed to have been caused by storms and rains which have been pounding the East African

nation for the past two months as it experiences its long rains season.

Bondo Deputy County Com-missioner Tom Macheneri told reporters that two speed boats responded to a distress call from the lake region and managed to save all of the pas-sengers who were on board.

“They were all wearing life vests,” he said.

“According to information reaching is right now all 20 people were rescued.” Kenya is currently in its long rains season which lasts from March to May.

More than 30 people have been killed by flash floods and landslides in the past month.

Five police officers were killed Friday in flash floods in the Rift Valley.

Revered Algerian singer Idir dies at 70 in ParisAFP — ALGIERS

Algerian singer Idir, a leading cultural ambassador of his native Kabylie and its Berber language, died in Paris on Saturday, aged 70, his family announced.

Idir, who suffered from pulmonary fibrosis, was hospitalised on Friday.

“We regret to announce the death of our father (of us all), Idir,” a message posted on his official Facebook account said. Con-tacted by AFP, his family declined to comment further.

Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Teb-boune called him “an icon of Algerian art”.

“With his passing, Algeria has lost one of its monuments,” Tebboune said on Twitter.

France’s former president Francois Hol-lande also paid homage to Idir, saying he “entranced entire generations with the rhythms of his dulcet, rich and moving melodies”.

UNESCO praised Idir as an “eminent ambassador of the Kabylie and Berber cultures”.

Idir, whose real name was Hamid Cheriet, was born on October 25, 1949, in Ait Lahcene, near the Kabylie capital of Tizi Ouzou in northern Algeria.

He studied to be a geologist, but in 1973 was tapped as a surprise last-minute replacement for the Kabylie diva Nouara

on Radio Algiers to sing “A Vava Inouva”, a lullaby set to acoustic guitar that is an ode to the rich oral traditions of Berber mountain villages.

The song became hugely popular in Algeria and beyond, but Idir was unaware of its success, having been drafted for man-datory military service soon after the recording.

In a 2013 interview, Idir told AFP he “came at the right time, with the right songs” that evoked the rhythms of daily life he had heard since a baby.

He travelled to Paris to record his first

album, also titled “A Vava Inouva”, in 1975.But after a series of tours and another

album, he decided to abandon the music industry, until 1991, when the release of a compilation album relaunched his career.

Installed in France, he became an impassioned advocate of his native Kabylie, while also defending multiculturalism and immigration as they became key issues in his adopted country’s 2007 presidential race.

French football legend Zinedine Zidane, whose family hails from Kabylie, wrote of Idir on Instagram: “You marked my childhood... I will never forget our meeting”.

Algerian writer Kamel Daoud joined the praise, tweeting, “He knew how to turn our roots into such a beautiful harvest, soothing and generous.” After a 38-year absence, Idir returned to Algeria in January 2018 for a Berber new year concert in the capital.

The following year, he defended the popular uprisings that led to the resignation of longtime leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

“I loved everything about these protests: the intelligence of these youths, their humour, their determination to remain peaceful,” Idir said in April 2019.

“I admit that these moments were like a breath of fresh air. And since I have pul-monary fibrosis, I know what I’m talking about.”

A file photo of Algerian Kabyle singer, Idir, performing at the 10th edition of the Mawazine international music festival “World Rythms” in Rabat.

Libya Martyrs' Square People are seen at Martyrs’ Square following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease, during the holy month of Ramadan in Tripoli, Libya, on Wednesday.

Egypt reports

15 military

casualties in

Sinai operations

REUTERS/AFP — CAIRO

Egypt’s military said yesterday that 15 of its men had died or been wounded in operations in the Sinai Peninsula recently, and that 126 suspected mili-tants had been killed.

The military publishes updates on its operations in Sinai every few months, without giving a specific time frame.

The statement came three days after the military said 10 personnel were killed or wounded in an attack near Bir Al Abd in North Sinai. Islamic State claimed the attack.

The Interior Ministry later said 18 suspected militants had been killed in a shootout near Bir Al Abd. Militants loyal to Islamic State are active in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, where Egypt has been battling an insurgency for years. Human rights organi-sations accuse Egypt of car-rying out extrajudicial execu-tions, forced evictions and col-lective punishment as part of the crackdown.

The military has denied such accusations, saying it takes the lives of civilians into consideration during opera-tions. Security forces have been battling a long-running insurgency in the area, spear-headed by a local IS affiliate.

In February 2018, security forces launched a nationwide operation against militants, focused on North Sinai.

More than 925 suspected militants have been killed in the region along with dozens of security personnel, according to official figures.

TanzaniaPresident sees‘sabotage’ invirus numbersAFP – DAR ES SALAAM

Tanzanian President John Magufuli yesterday questioned his country’s coronavirus numbers, and called on the authorities to investigate “sabotage” at the national laboratory.

The East African country had recorded 480 cases of the virus and 16 deaths at its last update on Wednesday.

The government has come under fire from the opposition for allegedly hiding infor-mation and failing to take the disease seriously.

Magufuli said that people who tested positive for the virus may not be sick, and cast doubt on the credibility of lab-oratory equipment and technicians.

“The equipment or people may be compromised and sometimes it can be sab-otage...,” Magufuli said in a Swahili speech broadcast live through state-run TBC.

He said he had secretly had a variety of animals, fruits and vehicle oil tested at the laboratory.

According to Magufuli, a papaya, a quail and a goat tested positive and he suspects a “dirty game” in the laboratory.

“That means there is pos-sibility for technical errors or these imported reagents have issues. Probably, the techni-cians are also bought to mislead.” Magufuli was swearing in the new Minister for Constitution and Legal Affairs Mwigulu Nchemba, and urged him to “go and inves-tigate if there is criminal pos-sibility at the national labo-ratory and take action”.

Nchemba is taking over after the death of Augustine Mahiga — one of three MPs who died in the space of 11 days. No reasons were given for the lawmakers’ deaths.

One MP tested positive for the coronavirus in April.

Libyan army targets militia in air strikes

ANATOLIA — ANKARA

The Libyan Army yesterday targeted the transport of Janjaweed militia affiliated to warlord Khalifa Haftar as they were preparing an attack south of the capital Tripoli.

The air strikes hit a bus carrying Sudanese merce-naries to Libya that would fight for Haftar in the Al Qaryah region 400 kilometres (248 miles) south of Tripoli, said a statement by the press center of the Libyan Army-led Oper-ation Rage of Volcano.

Janjaweed militia is accused of genocide in the civil war in Darfur, Sudan.

The Libyan Army recently made gains against Haftar’s militias.

Following the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya’s government was founded in 2015 under a UN-led political deal.

Since April 2019, the gov-ernment has been under attack by Haftar’s forces, based in eastern Libya.

More than 1,000 people have been killed in the violence.

Virus efforts jeopardise vaccines for millions of MENA children: UN

AFP — AMMAN

The coronavirus pandemic could jeopardise vaccination campaigns in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Unicef warned yesterday, saying millions of children could miss out on polio and measles immunisations.

The UN agency said most countries in the region were continuing with routine cam-paigns, under strict controls to prevent the spread of the virus.

But it warned that some vaccination campaigns had been suspended as health workers were diverted to fighting the COVID-19 illness.

“As a result, one in five children or 10 million children under the age of five risk missing their polio vacci-nation,” it said in a statement.

“Nearly 4.5 million children under the age of 15 risk missing their measles vaccination.” Ted Chaiban, Unicef’s regional director, said it was “absolutely critical that every child gets immunised against deadly dis-eases including polio, measles, diphtheria and hepatitis”.

He said measures including disinfection, protective clothing and social distancing meant that “immunisation for children is possible even in the time of COVID”.

Unicef and the World Health Organization warned in mid-April that around 117 million children worldwide risked contracting measles.

The head of the global organisation fighting polio said in early April COVID-19 had dealt an unprecedented blow to mass immunisation drives.

Defence Minister Hamed Bakayoko will serve as interim prime minister in Gon Coulibaly’s absence.

07MONDAY 4 MAY 2020 ASIA

India records highestdaily spike with over2,600 virus casesAGENCIES — NEW DELHI

The tally of coronavirus cases in India crossed the 40,000 mark, with a record 2,644 new cases registered in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry data revealed yesterday.

The death toll in the country have also touched 1,306, with 83 deaths over the past day, which is the highest single day figure.

Some 25 personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF) tested positive for the virus on Sunday, taking the tally in the force to 42, said an official. These cases were reported from personnel posted in Delhi.

Meanwhile, V K Paul, a member of NITI Aayog, a policy think tank of the government, said that the continuous rise in the number of people testing positive for coronavirus is expected to stabilize anytime soon.

In an interview to the news

agency Press Trust of India (PTI), Paul said: “The rationale behind the government’s decision to extend the lockdown by two more weeks after May 3 is to consolidate the gains of the first and second phase of restrictions.” COVID-19 cases have been reported in 187 countries and regions since it emerged in China last December, with the US and Europe now the hardest-hit areas.

The lockdown was extended for another two weeks by the government on Friday, although some restric-tions were lifted in regions that have lower numbers of virus cases.

Meanwhile, helicopters

showered masked health workers with rose petals and jets roared across the skies yes-terday as India’s military paid tribute to frontline workers bat-tling the pandemic.

In one of the first of several gestures yesterday, petals fell on to the upturned faces of medical personnel clad in protective gear as an army band played patriotic tunes including “Jai Ho” (May victory prevail) from the popular Slumdog Millionaire film.

In several states and ter-ritories across the vast nation of 1.3 billion people, fighter jets and transport aircraft in formations took part in low-flying aerial salutes to thank

the country’s so-called “corona warriors”.

“The entire nation stands united in these challenging times,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted yes-terday as he praised the “commendable work” of the “frontline warriors”, including police which have been enforcing the nationwide

virus lockdown in place since late March. The navy will light up its ships off the sub-con-tinent’s shores when night falls as part of the tributes.

The performances were the third public show of grat-itude to health and other frontline workers, after Indians took part in nationwide clapping and lamp

lighting efforts led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on previous Sundays.

The pandemic has killed more than 244,000 people, with total infections over 3.45 million, while just over 1.1 million people have recovered from the disease, according to figures compiled by the US’ Johns Hopkins University.

Passengers scuttle to board buses to return to their hometowns as Karnataka government opened inter-state transport buses for people stranded during the government-imposed nationwide lockdown against the spread of coronavirus, in Bengaluru, yesterday.

Shah Rukh Khan, Will Smith perform in star-studded online concertAFP — NEW DELHI

India's "King of Bollywood" superstar Shah Rukh Khan told jokes and sang for his adoring fans yesterday during an almost five-hour online benefit to raise funds for those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Tens of thousands of viewers watched more than 70 of the country's biggest celebrities — including cricket captain Virat

Kohli and actor Khan — as well as international names such as actor Will Smith and rock legend Mick Jagger in the "I for India" show broadcast on Facebook.

"I can, I will, and I must help," Khan told fans after singing a cheerful, humourous ditty about how "everything will be alright" following the deadly crisis.

Jagger and Smith spoke about the struggles of rural migrant workers, many of

whom have lost their jobs and gone hungry during an ongoing nationwide lockdown imposed from late March.

"They may have lost their jobs, they may have lost their homes. They and their families may be going hungry. So I would like to ask you to donate. Please give what you can," Jagger said.

Bollywood's biggest names — including actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas and hearthrob

Hrithik Roshan — along with local choirs and children sang or spoke passionately in English and Hindi about raising money for those in need. Other celebrities interviewed doctors and experts about the virus.

Organised by Bollywood directors Karan Johar and Zoya Akhtar, the event has so far raised Rs37.5m ($499,326) out of a target of Rs60m. The donations would be matched rupee-for-rupee by

major philanthropic groups including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the organisers said yesterday.

The funds will be donated to more than 100 groups pro-viding food and other essential services during the crisis.

Concert organisers said the money was needed "for those who have no work and no home and do not know where their next meal is coming from".

Foiled prison break leaves inmate dead in Sri LankaAP — COLOMBO

Prison guards in Sri Lanka foiled an attempt by inmates to escape yesterday after they used ropes and bed sheets to scale down the wall, leaving at least one dead, police said.

Seven prisoners tried to flee the penitentiary in Mahara on the outskirts of the capital Colombo, the police spokes-man’s office said.

They were confronted by guards after scaling down the prison walls, leading to a scuffle during which the guards fired in the air, police said. One inmate and two guards were injured and the inmate later died in a hospital, police said.

Sri Lankan prisons are highly congested with more than 26,000 inmates crowded in facilities with the capacity of 10,000.

In March, two inmates were killed and six others wounded when they fought with guards during a protest against new strict measures to control the spread of the coronavirus in prisons.

Last month, the gov-ernment temporarily released on bail about 3,000 prisoners.

Bangladesh starts releasing prisonersANATOLIA — DHAKA

Bangladesh has started releasing prisoners convicted of minor offences as a precautionary action to control infection among the overcrowded prisons in the country, said an official yesterday.

Inspector General of Prisons Brigadier General Mustafa Kamal Pasha said: “The jail authority will release 2,884 prisoners across the country in line with the government’s decision on it. And, the releasing started on Saturday and we are hoping that the process would have been com-pleted by this week.”

“Considering the contra-diction between number of prisoners and accommodation availability in jails, we have decided to free some prisoners convicted [in courts] of minor offences,” he added.

The South Asian country yesterday released as many as 385 prisoners from the Dhaka Central Jail and some outside Dhaka jails while the initiative started on Saturday releasing few of them who were serving jail terms from three months to one year.

Australia fights virus clusters as parts of country ease curbsREUTERS — MELBOURNE

Australia’s state of Victoria saw its highest increase in new coronavirus cases in weeks yesterday and New South Wales state struggled with a cluster of infections at an aged care facility, as parts of the country began easing distancing rules.

Thirteen new cases were recorded in Victoria yesterday, health officials said, with six of the cases related to an infec-tions cluster at a meat processing facility in Melbourne.

“What I’m worried about is the unknown unknowns,” Vic-toria’s Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said at a televised briefing, urging more people to get tested.

“We want to make sure that if we have cases that are pos-itive in the community we can identify those individuals... this is how we are going to defeat the virus.”

In New South Wales there were four new cases, two of which were recorded at the Newmarch aged care facility in Sydney, where more than 60 people have been infected and 14 have died.

Australia and neighbouring New Zealand, which have closed borders and imposed lockdowns and tight social restrictions, have been hailed for containing COVID-19 out-breaks, but the measures are set to push both economies into recession.

Australia’s success in sup-pressing the virus has led to some states and territories allowing for more outdoor activities and public gatherings earlier than planned.

Many national parks have reopened in the state of Queensland and people were allowed to go on small picnics, while the Northern Territory has started lifting restrictions with the aim of ending them by June.

New South Wales has allowed visiting the homes of friends or neighbours, but in groups no larger than two, and form next weekend, for the first time in six weeks, real estate agents will be allowed to hold traditional property inspections and on-site auctions.

The easing, however, has been gradual and varied across Australia, a country of a loose federal system.

Victoria, the second most populous state, was set to keep its strict rules at least until a state of emergency expires on May 11. Mikakos said that pos-sible relaxation of rules after that date will depend on the number of daily infections.

Over the past week Aus-tralia recorded an average of only 13 new cases a day, according to the health min-istry, with the daily rate of infections well below 1%, a fraction of what has been seen in many other countries.

There were 6,783 confirmed cases and 94 deaths in Australia

as of late Saturday, according to health officials. Neighbouring New Zealand saw two new cases yesterday, bringing the total to 1,136. Twenty people have died so far.

The Australian government, which is to meet on Friday to discuss relaxing social dis-tancing rules on federal level, has hoped that its voluntary coronavirus tracing app, intro-duced last week, would help guide it when making the decisions.

As of Saturday, four million Australians downloaded the COVIDSafe app, the health

ministry said. This is about 16% of the country’s population of 25 million and well below the government’s initial target of 40 percent. Despite the govern-ment’s assurances that the app would not trace location and that the collected data will be accessed only by health officials with the users’ consent, people remained worried about the app’s security.

“As we all know, it is very important that as many people as possible download the app,” Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Kidd said on Saturday at a televised briefing.

Medical staff performs a test on a driver at a drive-through testing site, at a Melbourne carpark, Australia.

Rohingya refugees relocated to Bangladesh island after weeks at seaAFP — DHAKA

Dozens of Rohingya refugees stranded at sea for weeks have been relocated to a controversial flood-prone island in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh officials said yesterday.

Bangladesh last year con-structed facilities for 100,000 people on Bhashan Char, a muddy silt islet in the cyclone-prone coastal belt, saying they needed to take pressure off crowded border camps that are home to almost one million Rohingya.

The 28 Rohingya were taken to the island late Saturday instead of the camps as authorities were afraid they might be infected with

the coronavirus, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said.

“Most likely they will stay there until they return to Myanmar.” They are the first group of Rohingya to be sent to the island, local government administrator Tanmoy Das said, adding they were being looked after by navy personnel who had built the facilities.

Officials said the group — including 15 women and five children — were detained after coming ashore on Saturday from one of two boats suck at sea while trying to reach Malaysia.

Some 250 other refugees who also left the boat in six or seven dinghies have not been found, he added.

Bangladesh had refused to let the two trawlers carrying about 500 people land on its territory despite UN calls to allow them in as a powerful storm bears down on the region. So far, no corona-virus cases have been confirmed in the sprawling camps in Bang-ladesh’s Cox’s Bazar that house Rohingya who fled a 2017 mil-itary crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar.

The plan to move the

refugees to Bhashan Char has been staunchly opposed by the Rohingya community.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR said yesterday that com-prehensive assessments were needed before anyone is moved to the island, spokeswoman Louise Donovan said.

“UNHCR has all preparations in place to ensure the safe quar-antine of any refugees arriving by boat to Cox’s Bazar, as a

precautionary measure related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” she added. Human Rights Watch South Asia chief Meenakshi Ganguly said the relocation would place the refugees “at further risk after the suffering that they have already endured”.

In mid-April, 396 starving refugees were rescued from a trawler stranded in the Bay of Bengal for more than two months. At least 60 people died on the boat. The survivors were moved to transit centres near the border camps where they were quarantined.

Thousands of Rohingya try every year to reach other coun-tries, making the perilous journey on crowded, rickety boats.

Helicopters showered masked health workers with rose petals and jets roared across the skies yesterday as India’s military paid tribute to frontline workers battling the pandemic.

The 28 Rohingya were taken to the island late on Saturday instead of the camps as authorities were afraid they might be infected with the coronavirus, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said.

The industry can survive a 5% drop in long-term demand, but it will find it much harder to thrive.

08 MONDAY 4 MAY 2020VIEWS

CHAIRMANDR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI

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

editorinchief@pen.com.qa

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMED

m.salim@pen.com.qa

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

EDITORIAL

THE world has realised by now that finding a new vaccine is the one and only effective solution to halt coronavirus and the disease (COVID-19) it causes. The global race for vaccine has gained momentum and Qatar spares no effort in its COVID-19 battle to find a vaccine and also in providing the best treatment that proves its medical and health efficiency.

It is with sheer determination and absolute will power Qatar engages in the global goal to find vaccine and the whole healthcare team works tooth and nail to make the dream “COVID-19-free world” a reality.

Qatar is highly confident of getting a vaccine soon and is evident in the words of the Spokesperson of the Supreme Committee for Crisis Management, H E Lolwah bint Rashid bin Mohammed Al Khater, recently. Her Excellency stated that Qatar will be among the first countries to acquire any drug that proves to be effective in treating the illness.

Qatar also offered its willingness to support global efforts to find vaccine and also expressed its hap-piness to participate in the mission. The nation also called for international collaboration in vaccine devel-opment as it will help in future endeavours to develop vaccines during possible emergence of similar diseases.

In fact, Qatar eyes a new medicine which can produce effective results in the treatment of COVID-19 patients during trials. Qatar follows all the global devel-opments in vaccine researches and stays updated. Simultaneously, the nation urges public not to be deceived by false promises and fake news on social media.

By not just waiting for a vaccine, Qatar took all possible measures to curb the menace. By building field hospitals and raising the total number of available beds to 18,000, Qatar was gearing up in advance to face any worse situation. The willingness to provide free treatment to all is noteworthy and the nation has not shown any discrimination in providing treatment to anyone during this crisis. The number of COVID-19 tests Qatar held so far is an ideal example to showcase how effectively the nation moves ahead in its fight. The percentage of recovery among patients is also very high as the quality of care the nation provides is excellent.

The recent experiments in the US on using a new medicine called ‘Remdesivir’ for coronavirus patients were found effective. Qatar is awaiting more results of the experiments and once it shows promising results, Qatar will make it available for the patients here too.

There is no loophole in Qatar’s fight against COVID-19 and is certain that it will bear fruit.

In race for vaccine

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Quote of the day

The United Nations remains firm in its position that

media freedom must be protected as part of any

peace process. All parties in any peace negotiations

must uphold all fundamental human rights,

including the right to freedom of expression.

Deborah Lyons, Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan

Who knows what the new normal for oil demand will be once COVID-19 is firmly in the rear view mirror? Not me, that’s for sure. But it is likely to be lower than it was in 2019, and it could be that way for many years. That’s going to create overcapacity throughout the oil supply chain and weigh on prices.

While signs are emerging that we might have passed the worst of this historic oil demand rout, they’re very tentative. No one is pre-dicting a swift recovery to where we were before the pandemic struck. Some, including Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s chief executive officer, Ben van Beurden, suggest that oil demand may never recover fully.

Citigroup analysts don’t see jet fuel consumption back at last year’s level until well into 2022, and they’re at the optimistic end of the spectrum. Boeing’s CEO sug-gests passenger traffic might not get back to 2019 levels for three years, and even when the flying public does return, airlines will use their newest and most efficient planes to carry them, as my colleagues Liam Denning and Brooke Sutherland note here.

So let’s make a guess about the loss in future demand, and let’s make a fairly small one. Let’s assume it’s about 5m barrels a day. That doesn’t sound like too much; it’s about 5% of last year’s global oil demand. The drop in worldwide oil con-sumption in April has been put as high as 35m barrels a day, and forecasts estimate 2020 oil use will be about 10m barrels a day (or 10%) lower than in 2019.

Sure, many of us will return to our pre-COVID-19 ways of life just as quickly as we can, but others will gladly give up the daily commute in favor of working from home more often - and employers may be happy to accom-modate their wishes. After months of successful telecon-ferencing, those business trips that helped keep planes full of high-paying travellers may also come under more scrutiny. These changes may push up electricity use while they dampen fuel demand, but that will do little to help the oil industry, which is increasingly struggling to hold onto its fragments of the power-generation sector.

Of course, we could

collectively shrug off this latest crisis, just as we did the financial crash of 2008-09, which was consigned to history with barely a backward glance. But the global pandemic feels very different from the financial crisis. It hits at our physical well-being as well as our financial health, and it has forced us all, to one degree or another, to adopt new ways of living and working, whether we like them or not.

The industry can survive a 5% drop in long-term demand, but it will find it much harder to thrive.

A loss like that will cause structural overcapacity, right through the oil supply chain. There will be too many wells to get oil out of the ground, too many ships to move it, too many refineries to process it.

Even before the pan-demic, we were looking at a world where oil demand growth was increasingly con-centrated in plastics, rather than fuels. That was already darkening the outlook for refiners in Europe and North America, which were also facing growing competition from newer plants in the Middle East and Asia that were more efficient and had beneficial long-term oil supply deals. A prolonged drop in demand will only make that competition stiffer, as more plants seek markets for their excess products.

The upstream part of the business - the bit that’s con-cerned with finding the crude and getting it out of the ground - may face fewer problems. Oil fields naturally go into decline once they’re brought into operation,

requiring producers to create new capacity elsewhere. Nowhere is that more obvious than in the US shale patch.

But the second US shale boom was driven by, among other things, several years of robust growth in global oil demand. This led to most of the world’s oil producers, including almost all of the OPEC countries, pumping as hard as they could, and helped to keep oil prices at around $50 a barrel.

But those OPEC producers are now cutting production by more than 20%, and non-OPEC countries are seeing their output fall by similar percentages. True, some of the wells that get shut will never be reopened, but most will sit waiting for their owners to see an opportunity to get them back to work. That overhang of spare pro-duction capacity will put an effective cap on oil prices, just as it did throughout the 1990s.

No amount of Saudi-led supply management, or US presidential bullying of foreign oil producers, will be able to remove that spare capacity. And once the current crisis is past, Riyadh may be less willing to play the role of swing producer, restraining its output while everybody else reopens the taps.

Every time oil prices rise, producers will rush to use their idled capacity, undermining the recovery. After the oil-price slump of the mid-1980s, it took two decades for prices to return to their previous levels - longer if you build in the effects of inflation. This time the wait could be even more protracted.

Julian Lee is an oil strat-egist for Bloomberg.

AFP —BEIJING

Robots delivering meals, ghostly figures in hazmat suits and cameras pointed at front doors: China’s methods to enforce coronavirus quaran-tines have looked like a sci-fi dystopia for legions of people.

Authorities have taken drastic steps to ensure that people do not break isolation rules after China largely tamed the virus that had paralysed the country for months.

With cases imported from abroad threatening to unravel China’s progress, travellers arriving from overseas have been required to stay home or in designated hotels for 14 days.

Beijing loosened the rule in the capital this week

— except for those arriving from abroad and Hubei, the province where the virus first surfaced late last year.

At one quarantine hotel in central Beijing, a guard sits at a desk on each floor to monitor all movements.

The solitude is broken by one of the few visitors allowed near the rooms: A three-foot-tall cylindrical robot that delivers water bottles, meals and packages to hotel guests.

The robot rides the ele-vator and navigates hallways on its own to minimise contact between guests and human staff.

When the robot arrives at its destination, it dials the landline phone in the room

and informs the occupant in an eerie, childlike voice: “Hello, this is your service robot. Your order has arrived outside your room.” Its belly opens and the guest takes the delivery items before the robot turns and rolls away.

Doctors in hazmat suits go from room to room daily reminding occupants, including an AFP journalist who had been in Hubei, to take their temperatures with the mercury thermometer provided at check-in, and to ask if any are experiencing symptoms.

People under home quar-antine elsewhere in the city have had silent electronic alarms installed on their doors.

Officials put up a notice on each quarantined household’s door asking neighbours to keep an eye on the confined inhabitants.

In one Beijing residential compound, officials told AFP that people under home quar-antine must inform com-munity volunteers whenever they open their doors.

Friederike Boege, a German journalist, began her second quarantine in Beijing this year on Sunday after returning from Hubei’s capital Wuhan. Her building’s man-agement installed a camera in front of her door to monitor her movements.

“It’s quite scary how you get used to such things,” she said.

Oil’s recovery could take decades, not years

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Robots and cameras: China’s sci-fi quarantine watch

Established in 1996

JULIAN LEE BLOOMBERG

09MONDAY 4 MAY 2020 OPINION

Every parent is familiar with the day-to-day perils of the COVID-19 outbreak, with playgrounds closed, social interaction limited and screen time all too tempting. But the most consequential effects of this crisis are likely to come from two areas: Health and education.

The current pandemic won’t be the last the world faces. And while it is functionally too late for the United States to do anything but fight its way through the coronavirus crisis, it can start to look for examples of better ways to deal with the next one.

Those ways can be found in East Africa.

It’s easy to look toward South Korea and Taiwan for such examples. High-tech societies - with a cultural bias toward transmission-blocking behaviours such as wearing masks, a history of strong direction by central govern-ments, and the resources to deploy testing and contact tracking on a massive scale - have been highly successful at containing COVID-19. Less noticed is how well other countries are also doing rel-ative to the United States, including many in East Africa.

This may seem surprising to those raising the alarm about what to expect when the virus sweeps the developing world. The World Health Organiza-tion’s regional director recently warned of “social and eco-nomic devastation” in Africa, as confirmed cases and deaths began to climb. Even some stable African countries have high poverty rates and minimal

access to health care, which create a tinderbox for pandemics.

In addition, many coun-tries in Africa, like elsewhere, suffer from conflict and civil war - conditions that exac-erbate the potential for deadly disease beyond what is already seen in stable, wealthy coun-tries. Conditions in refugee camps can make social dis-tancing impossible. Health and humanitarian services may already be overstretched; donor money may wane as wealthy countries turn inward. And warring parties may take advantage of the situation.

These factors make it all the more remarkable that emerging economies of East Africa are far better prepared for this crisis than the United States was even two weeks ago. These countries include both some of the more stable African nations (Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Eritrea) and some of the most unstable (Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan). What they share is a relatively low incidence of COVID-19 and a strong, proactive and coordinated response to the crisis.

Three things stand out in East Africa’s preparedness.

First, their governments took early preventive measures. In March, while President Donald Trump was saying that COVID-19 was “something that we have tre-mendous control of,” the presidents of South Sudan, Kenya and Uganda issued detailed proclamations and decreed strong measures to delay the arrival of the virus and suppress its spread - in

most cases before any cases had been detected.

Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni was particularly eloquent and detail-oriented, explaining what the disease was, how it was transmitted and who was at risk, before laying out a plan to systematically close schools, churches and borders, to begin social distancing and put a hold on weddings and funerals. South Sudan, Kenya and Uganda all shut down cross-border air and ground travel for passengers, while main-taining the regional cargo links that are especially important for landlocked South Sudan.

Notably, all of these measures were rolled out in a controlled manner without political posturing, and with reasonable time built in to set the guidelines in motion. Kenya gave 48 hours for foreign vis-itors to leave the country or enter quarantine; Uganda sys-tematically shut first primary schools, then universities over the course of a week. While economic costs were noted, the governments put public health over profits.

Second, experience seeded these states’ ability to respond quickly and effec-tively; this is not their first time dealing with a deadly pandemic. Cholera, influenza, HIV-AIDS and Ebola all pre-ceded COVID-19. The United States also has had its share of pandemics - yellow fever, the 1918 flu, HIV-AIDS and SARS. The difference may be a will-ingness to put lessons learned into action. As Museveni put it, “By confronting this disease with enlightened, scientifi-cally based actions, we shall

defeat it as we did with Ebola three times, with Marburg and with AIDS.” As a result, case counts and fatalities have so far been extremely low in Africa generally (not quite 40,000 cases and 1640 deaths so far across a continent with a population of over a billion, according to Africa Centres for Disease Control and Pre-vention) and particularly low in East Africa. Most countries in this region have fewer than 500 recorded cases.

And a third reason for the

region’s preparedness, rel-ative to that of the United States, is an emphasis on international cooperation. These countries make up the membership of the Intergov-ernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). The organization, practicing social distancing, met March 30 by video-teleconference and resolved to jointly formulate a regional response, establish an emergency fund and mobilize support from the global community and from IGAD medical professionals in the diaspora.

The crisis has even caused some prominent local leaders to double down on a global approach to economic policy, with Uganda’s president saying: “I have warned our people to stop talking like the selfish foreigners by trying to stop the little we have being exported to other African countries. We can keep a bit for ourselves, but we shall share with the others whatever we have.”

The arrival of the virus on the continent has also given rise to local innovation. Researchers at Uganda’s Makekere University are devel-oping a faster, cheaper COVID test, while in Kenya, college students and local manufac-turers are piloting ways to assemble ventilators from locally sourced components.

The region has willingly benefited from international beneficence - the Chinese bil-lionaire Jack Ma has donated millions of test kits and face masks and tens of thousands of sets of protective equipment to African states; the United States, Canada, Germany and China have given millions of dollars in COVID-related aid to South Sudan alone, and there is already an extensive network of humanitarian organisations operating in the region.

None of this means that the IGAD states will remain largely immune to the impact of the global pandemic. As in most of the world, testing has remained limited, and in Africa, communicable diseases (lower respiratory tract infec-tions, HIV, diarrhea, malaria and tuberculosis) already account for 35 percent of all deaths. Respiratory illness and malaria both have symptoms similar to COVID, so the actual infection and death rates may be grossly underestimated, with both those who die and those who recover being written off as just having had a case of malaria. Conversely, absent testing, those showing

symptoms like fever, chills, headaches and stomach pain may be assumed by local pop-ulations to be suffering from COVID, as opposed to malaria. This could drive panic and even persecution of the victims and their families.

What is notable about these East African states, however, is their proactive and symbiotic approach to the overall crisis, and their apo-litical information man-agement. For example, while most IGAD member states halted their international and regional passenger flights, Ethiopia kept a single air con-nection into the region open to the rest of the world, thus minimizing the regional risk of contagion while keeping a pipeline open for critical cargo like the donations from MA and for aid workers and medical personnel to enter under strict guidelines.

The East African situation has implications for the United States. First, there is a high probability that the difference between the American and Chinese approaches to helping the countries deal with the pandemic will further tilt the region toward China’s sphere of influence. This could be exacerbated if the American military and diplomatic planners choose to pull their people out, as has already happened with the Peace Corps, whose forced evacu-ation of all volunteers resulted in over 1,000 “ambassadors of goodwill” leaving East African countries at a time when they are needed most. Such a move, even done in the name of risk avoidance, would most likely cause irreparable reputational harm to the United States in a region that may be one of the great emerging markets.

The United States and powerful developed countries can benefit from the example of Africa, where humility about the capacity to treat diseases makes societies favour measures to prevent them; where there’s a will-ingness to learn from expe-rience, rather than disregard science and rewrite history; and where reaching out to neighbours in a spirit of mutual assistance and coop-eration helps stave off tran-snational threats.

Edward H Carpenter, a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Marine Corps, is serving as a United Nations peacekeeper in Africa. Charli Carpenter is a professor of political science at the University of Massa-chusetts-Amherst, special-izing in humanitarian crises.

East Africa has weathered pandemics — and has a few things to teach the US

Many parents felt a profound sense of relief when analyses of the coronavirus found that kids rarely show symptoms and usually aren’t at much risk. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean they’re safe from the global pandemic.

Every parent is familiar with the day-to-day perils of the COVID-19 outbreak, with playgrounds closed, social interaction limited and screen time all too tempting. But the most consequential effects of this crisis are likely to come from two areas: Health and education.

Natural disasters tend to be especially harmful for chil-dren’s health. They disrupt the basic medical services that mothers and young kids rely on, and usually divert crucial resources to more immediate needs. Measures meant to protect health-care workers and the broader population

may also mean that clinicians are unable or unwilling to have contact with patients, whether to give a physical exam or administer a shot.For kids, that can have long-lasting consequences. At the height of the West African Ebola epidemic, in 2014, insti-tutional deliveries of children - a crucial means of reducing maternal mortality - decreased by 37% compared to the previous year. Prenatal consultations, which have been shown to improve chil-dren’s long-term physical and mental health, decreased by 40%.

Worse, vaccination rates declined sharply. In 2013, before the outbreak, a still-too-low 73% of Liberian children under age one were fully vaccinated. From July to September of 2014 that number dropped to 36%. Measles vaccination rates alone declined by 45%. This drop-off created a large “immunity gap” that allowed the disease to spread more easily. The consequences lin-gered: From 2016 to 2017, 49% of Liberia’s 2,954 sus-pected measles cases were detected in children under the age of five.

In all likelihood, the

current outbreak will have similar effects. In late March, the World Health Organi-zation called for preventive mass-vaccination programs to be suspended worldwide to allow for social-distancing measures. Although this was probably the right call, even public-health experts who supported the decision acknowledged that it will contribute to a surge of dis-eases that might last for years.

Another serious worry - for parents and for the world - is that some 1.4 billion children live in areas where schools have been fully or partially closed, from Southern California to rural India. Most of those kids have no idea when they’ll be able to return. When schools in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone were closed to curtail the spread of Ebola, students lost as many as 1,848 hours of education.

A significant body of research suggests that such a prolonged absence from school can be detrimental educationally and develop-mentally, and especially harmful for low-income stu-dents. As plenty of frustrated parents are now finding,

distance-learning programs can be ineffective even under ideal circumstances. In poorer households, where parents are less likely to be able to work from home, the challenges can be severe. Especially in developing regions, girls are at particular risk of not resuming their education due to increased poverty, domestic responsi-bilities and pregnancy rates during the pandemic. Even when schools do reopen, the virus may pose a threat for months or years into the future.

Mitigating all of these harmful effects will be an immense challenge. After the Ebola epidemic, agencies and governments around the world contributed to a new vaccination program as soon as it was safe to do so. That won’t be cheap or easy on a global basis.

Nevertheless, the World Health Organization, despite its recent problems, remains the appropriate organization to coordinate such a cam-paign, and planning and funding should get underway immediately. Governments should also prioritize maternal and prenatal services during the pandemic,

and look to carefully reo-pened schools as places where child health can be monitored and basic care delivered.

For their part, schools should strive to maintain as much continuity with stu-dents as possible. Step one should be a concerted effort to pay and retain teachers during the crisis. They’ll be key to reopening schools quickly, and could provide some much-needed stability for students who have lost their sense of routine or even safety.

Finally, planning needs to start now on assessments and accelerated curriculums designed to help students catch up and review what they were learning before the pandemic. Modest steps like these won’t lead to cures or treatments for the corona-virus. But they might help ensure that its effect on future generations isn’t needlessly destructive.

Minter is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is the author of “Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade” and the forth-coming “Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale.”

Children may be the silent victims of coronavirus

EDWARD H CARPENTER & CHARLI CARPENTER THE WASHINGTON POST

ADAM MINTER BLOOMBERG

The United States and powerful developed countries can benefit from the example of Africa, where humility about the capacity to treat diseases makes societies favour measures to prevent them; where there’s a willingness to learn from experience, rather than disregard science and rewrite history; and where reaching out to neighbours in a spirit of mutual assistance and cooperation helps stave off transnational threats.

Somalian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Isse Awad; Somalian Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Hamza Said Hamza, and Somalian Health Minister, Fawziya Abikar Nur, welcome the Turkish cargo plane carrying medical supplies, including masks, overalls, test kits and domestic respiratory equipment for Somalia at Aden Abdulle International Airport in Mogadishu, yesterday.

10 MONDAY 4 MAY 2020ASIA

Parks reopen in Bangkok as curbs easedAP — BANGKOK

Residents of Thailand’s capital enjoyed the city’s parks and booked haircuts yesterday as they enjoyed their first day of eased restrictions that were imposed weeks ago to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

The top perk in Bangkok, a city famous for its eateries, may have been the reopening of restaurants. But it was not clear how many were actually serving seated customers again, since strict guidelines will make it hard for many of them to turn a profit.

Restaurants have to keep their customers at least 1.5 meters apart and practice a wide range of sanitary measures, beginning with taking the temperature of cus-tomers and staff, and circu-lating fresh air.

Small restaurants that could fit 20 people before might be able to seat eight to 10 under the rules.

Restaurants had been limited to takeout and delivery services since mid-March.

A nationwide ban had taken effect on April 10 and expired at the end of April, but provinces including Bangkok can reinstate a ban anytime.

When the ban was origi-nally announced with just a few hours of notice, there was a rush to shops. .

City dwellers seeking some fresh air and a chance to stretch their legs flocked to Lumpini Park in central Bangkok, where they lined up to be checked for face masks and have their temperatures taken before being allowed to enter.

Runners and walkers, singly and in pairs, filled the park’s pathways but kept their distance from each other.

Team sports and use of the park’s exercise equipment is still not allowed.

Park guards blew whistles to break up any gatherings of more than a handful of people, whether they were running or picnicking.

Barbers and hairdressers around the city were also back in action, and also under rules to ensure social distancing. They appeared to be doing good business as they advised would-be customers to book appointments for the following day.

Thai health authorities reported three new confirmed cases of the coronavirus yes-terday, bringing the total to 2,969, including 54 deaths.

There have been single-digit increases in new cases for

more than a week, leading to optimism that the country has

the rate of transmission under control.

A vendor wearing protective mask sells food after the government started opening some restaurants outside shopping malls and parks amid the coronavirus outbreak, in Bangkok, yesterday.

Japan to extend emergency, relax some curbsREUTERS — TOKYO

Japan could ease some of the current coronavirus-related curbs on economic activity by allowing places such as parks and museums to reopen, provided proper preventive measures were in place, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said yesterday.

The remarks come a day before the government is set to announce the extension of its state of emergency after struggling to suppress the spread of the novel corona-virus that has infected 15,589 people and killed 530 in the country.

“As long as the proper pre-ventive measures are in place, it could be possible to ease some of the current restric-tions on economic activities,” Nishimura said at a news con-ference held yesterday morning. Places like parks, museums, art galleries, and libraries could reopen even in

the 13 prefectures where the coronavirus has spread rapidly, if they take steps to disinfect their premises and

ensure visitors maintain their distance, he added.

Further details on how restrictions might be eased

would be discussed at an expert’s meeting today, Nishimura said.

Japanese prime minister,

Shinzo Abe, will consult with experts at a meeting today to extend the national state of emergency until May 31, broad-caster NHK reported yesterday.

The government will also discuss further action on how to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus epidemic.

Japan is expected to declare the extension of the state of emergency after the meeting, and Abe will hold a news con-ference in the evening to address the nation about the pandemic. The government-issued state of emergency in Japan is set to expire on Wednesday, the last day of a week-long national holiday.

The government is pre-paring to extend the state of emergency for another month.

Under the state of emer-gency, the government has asked people to stay at home, avoid unnecessary outings, and refrain from going to crowded areas.

A woman rides a train during Japan’s 'Golden Week' holidays, in Tokyo, yesterday.

More people hit China roads in first major holiday since easing of curbsREUTERS — BEIJING

China’s most populous cities saw a spike in outbound trav-ellers, tourists and day-trippers on May 1, first day of a long holiday weekend, led by Wuhan, epicentre of the coro-navirus epidemic that first struck the country late last year.

The number of people trav-elling outside their home cities jumped nearly 50 percent at the start of the Labour Day weekend, compared with the first day of the Tomb Sweeping holiday on April 4, according to calculations on data from China’s internet giant Baidu Inc.

The increase in outbound travel during the five-day holiday, one of China’s peak tourism periods each year, would help lift the travel and hospitality sectors that have been hit hard by disruption from the coronavirus pandemic.

The spike in tourism was led by increases in travellers from Wuhan, Beijing, Dalian, Tianjin and Jinan, with China having eased curbs on travel and relaxed rules on quar-antine amid dwindling cases

of the coronavirus.Hundreds of sightseeing

spots have also been reopened, including the Forbidden City in Beijing, as authorities sought to revive and repair local economies.

The country recorded more than 23 million domestic tourists on May 1, according to China’s culture and tourism ministry.

The Ministry of Transpor-tation expects 23.36 million travellers a day during the period, up from 19.9 million per day during the April 4-6 Tomb Sweeping holiday.

But that estimation would still be far below the 67.13 million travellers per day during the 2019 Labour Day holiday.

The expected drop is partly because China has capped vis-itors to tourist spots at 30 percent of capacity to adhere to social distancing rules.

At the West Lake in the eastern city of Hangzhou, the most popular sightseeing spot during the holiday according to Baidu, 183,700 visitors were recorded on May 1, less than a third of the numbers last year.

Some tourists also stayed closer to home, and others avoided areas such as Hei-longjiang province that are still battling local virus clusters.

Hubei province, where the epidemic first emerged, was

also not a favourite.H u b e i ’ s t o u r i s m

department said its 22 reo-pened tourist sites saw 109,664 visitors on May 1, down 87 percent from a year ago, while tourism revenue

plunged 95 percent to $961,729. China reported one new coronavirus case for May 1, down from 12 a day earlier, and no new deaths, data from the country’s health authority showed on Saturday.

People wearing face masks as a preventive measure against the coronavirus as they walk between shopping mall buildings, in Beijing.

South Korea to allow gatherings, events after cases dropAFP — SEOUL

South Korea said yesterday it will loosen social distancing rules this week to allow gath-erings and events to take place after the number of new coro-navirus cases dropped signifi-cantly in recent days.

The country endured one of the worst early outbreaks of the disease outside China and strict

social distancing has been widely observed since March.

Scores of events — from K-pop concerts to sports seasons — had been delayed or cancelled, while museums and galleries were closed and reli-gious services suspended.

But the South appears to have brought its outbreak under control thanks to an extensive “trace, test and treat” pro-

gramme that has drawn wide-spread praise.

Its reported death toll is around 250 — vastly lower than that of Italy, Britain, Spain and France, which have each recorded at least 24,000 fatalities.

“South Korea will implement the everyday life quarantine scheme starting Wednesday,” Prime Minister

Chung Sye-kyun said during a government meeting.

“Gatherings and events will be permitted under the con-dition that they follow disin-fection measures,” he added.

The South reported 13 new infections on Sunday, taking the total to 10,793, the Korea Centers for Disease Control said. Some professional sports, including baseball and soccer,

are due to start their new seasons this week after being postponed over virus fears, although the matches will be played behind closed doors.

The government is also set to announce this week the dates for students to return to school, which is expected to be some time around mid-May, according to Yonhap news agency.

Singapore

reports 657 new

virus casesREUTERS — SINGAPORE

Singapore confirmed 657 new coronavirus infections yesterday, the vast majority of them foreign workers living in dormitories, taking the city-state’s total to 18,205.

The health ministry reported one death, an 86-year-old Singaporean woman, bringing the virus-related death toll in the country to 18.

Among the new cases, ten were Singaporeans or per-manent residents, while 626 cases were foreign workers living in dormitories, the min-istry said.

Singapore has among the highest number of coronavirus infections in Asia, mainly due to outbreaks in cramped migrant-worker dormitories. It has managed to curb the spread of the disease among l o c a l s o u t s i d e t h e dormitories.

Singapore will start easing coronavirus restrictions over the next few weeks, author-ities said on Saturday.

Nepal plans to

ease lockdown,

restart economyIANS — KATHMANDU

Nepal’s Ministry of Health and Population is charting out plans to ease the nationwide lockdown imposed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, in a bid to gradually restart the stalled economy, according to a media report.

If the recommendations of the ministry are adopted, 77 districts of the country would be divided into three clusters of red, yellow and green, depending on population— density, geography, linkage to international border and the number of coronavirus cases, The Himalayan Times said in the report.

Districts that fall under yellow and green zones will see relaxation in restrictions, whereas areas categorised as red zones will continue to remain shut, it added.

The ministry has started preparing modalities to ease the lockdown based on the instruction given by the High-Level Coordination Committee for the Prevention and Control of COVID-19 led by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Ishwar Pokhrel.

“We are still working on these modalities. Nothing has been finalised yet,” said Roshan Pokharel, chief con-sultant at the ministry.

The federal government enforced nationwide lockdown in Nepal on March 24 to prevent the spread of COVID-19 which has so far infected 59 people with no deaths.

Thai health authorities reported three new confirmed cases of the coronavirus yesterday, bringing the total to 2,969, including 54 deaths. There have been single-digit increases in new cases for more than a week, leading to optimism that the country has the rate of transmission under control.

11MONDAY 4 MAY 2020 ASIA

Random testing suggests hundredsof Kabul residents may be infectedAP — KABUL

One-third of 500 random coro-navirus tests in Afghanistan’s capital came back positive, health officials said yesterday, raising fears of widespread unde-tected infections in one of the world’s most fragile states.

The results of the random tests in the Afghan capital of Kabul are “concerning,” said Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Mayar. Afghanistan has performed only limited testing so far — close to 12,000, with more than 2,700 confirmed infections, in a nation of 36.6 million.

As more testing becomes available, the country’s con-firmed infection numbers will likely rise sharply, said Mayar. He urged residents to stay home. Kabul and most other cities are in lockdown, but compliance has not been widespread.

The death toll — officially at 85 — could also be much higher.

More than 250,000 Afghans returned home from Iran since the beginning of the year, fanning out across their country without being tested or quarantined. Anecdotal reports have emerged of dozens of returnees dying of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

At a recent briefing, a senior government official said 40 people died of the virus in Sarobi district, barely 50km east of Kabul. The Health Ministry said it could not confirm the claim.

The country’s health care system, devastated by four decades of war, is woefully unprepared for a major outbreak. It has only 400 ventilators.

The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for

most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.

Testing in Afghanistan has been sporadic and some of those

infected have been hiding their symptoms, in part because of local stigma. In parts of the country, there have been reports of COVID-19 patients being shunned by their neighbours and even refused food from the local markets.

The government, embroiled in political turmoil, has also faced criticism for responding too slowly to the crisis.

Only recently, the gov-ernment started testing in western Herat province where the hundreds of thousands of returnees from Iran have transited.

Security personnel wearing face masks stop motorists at a checkpoint during a government-imposed lockdown, in Kabul.

Pakistan sees 1,297 coronavirus cases, 32 deaths in a dayINTERNEWS — ISLAMABAD

Pakistan witnessed record number of deaths from the coronavirus with nearly half of them being reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) alone as the tally of countrywide confirmed cases surged past 18,700 yesterday.

Almost half of the 1,297 new cases were reported from Sindh, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza announced during an afternoon press briefing amid the controversy over fewer number of daily tests being con-ducted in Punjab for the past several days.

According to the Ministry of National Health Services website, Punjab conducted 16,156 tests while Sindh con-ducted 22,179 tests in the last one week.

After a gap of few days, Punjab finally increased the number of tests, taking the countrywide tally of daily tests to 9,164.

The PM’s aide told the media that a record number of con-firmed coronavirus cases and deaths, i.e. 1,297 and 32, respec-tively, were reported during the past 24 hours (till 12 midnight on May 1, 2020).

“Nearly 50 percent of these patients were reported from the province of Sindh,” Dr Mirza said.

About the casualties, he said 47 percent of the deaths were reported from KP, 28 percent from Punjab, 19 percent from Sindh and 6 percent from Balochistan.

He said it must be noted that out of those 32 deaths, 31 occurred at hospitals and one at a home.

“Fourteen patients were on ventilators and 17 were in intensive care units of hos-pitals,” he explained.

Moreover, 4,715 patients had fully recovered from the disease, he said, adding that the COVID-19 situation with the blessing of God was still better than the estimated figures.

Meanwhile, more than 100,000 overseas Pakistanis in 88 countries have registered themselves with the embassies seeking early arrangements for their return.

Special Assistant to PM on

National Security Division Dr Moeed Yusuf told the media that there were over 100,000 stranded Pakistanis in 88 coun-tries and efforts were being made to bring them back at the earliest.

“However, 90 percent of the stranded Pakistanis are in Gulf states such as 69,695 in the United Arab Emirates, 15,594 in Saudi Arabia, 5,500 in Qatar and others are in different countries.

“Those who have not regis-tered themselves with Pakistani embassies, I suggest them to get themselves registered as embassies have been preparing priority list of those who should be sent at the earliest,” he said.

Dr Yusuf reiterated that once the overseas Pakistanis were brought back, they would have to stay in quarantine for 48 hours after which they would be tested for COVID-19.

“As result of the test can take up to 30 hours, it will be decided only after that if they [pas-sengers] have to stay at quar-antine centre more or can join their families. Everyone will have to stay in the quarantine as we cannot afford to let the disease spread.

“Another concern is that the positive cases, in flight arrived during last over one week, were more than our expectations so passengers are being kept at quarantine centres for more time.

Currently, it is not possible to bring more than 7,500 pas-sengers per week but in coming weeks we may increase their number up to 15,000 a week,” he said.

The PM’s aide made it clear that the government could not guarantee the departure of flights on time, as flight opera-tions were suspended across the world. However, he added, the government wanted to bring passengers through Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), because other airlines were demanding up to six times higher fares.

“As we have received com-plaints that a number of airlines have been issuing tickets for arrival in Pakistan, we suggest that overseas Pakistanis should visit the government website www.covid.gov.pk for the flight information.

Afghanistan searches for bodies of migrants drowned in riverREUTERS — HERAT

Afghan officials yesterday launched a hunt to retrieve bodies of Afghan migrants from a river in a western province after reports that Iranian border guards tortured and threw Afghans into the river to prevent their entry into Iran.

Afghanistan’s foreign min-istry in a statement on Saturday said an inquiry had been launched and a senior official in the presidential palace in Kabul said initial assessments suggested at least 70 Afghans who were trying to enter Iran from bor-dering Herat province were beaten and pushed into the Harirud river. The Harirud river basin is shared by Afghanistan, Iran and Turkmenistan. Doctors

at Herat District Hospital said they had received the bodies of Afghan migrants, some of whom had drowned.

“So far, five bodies have been transferred to the hospital, of these bodies, its clear that four died due to drowning,” said Aref Jalali, head of Herat District Hos-pital. The Iranian consulate in Herat denied the allegations of torture and subsequent drowning of dozens of Afghan migrant workers by border police.

“Iranian border guards have not arrested any Afghan citizens,” the consulate said in a statement on Saturday. Iranian embassy officials in the Afghan capital Kabul were not immediately available for a comment.

Noor Mohammad said he was one of 57 Afghan citizens

who were caught by Iranian border guards on Saturday when they were trying to cross into Iran in search of work from Gulran District of Herat.

“After being tortured, the Iranian soldiers threw all of us in the Harirud river,” Mohammad said.

Shir Agha, who said he also survived the violence, said at least 23 of the 57 people thrown by Iranian soldiers into the river were dead.

“Iranian soldiers warned us that if we do not throw ourselves into the water, we will be shot,” said Agha. Local Afghan officials that it was not the first time that Afghans had been tortured and killed by Iranian police guarding the 920km long border.

Herat’s governor Sayed

Wahid Qatali in a tweet to Iranian officials said, “Our people are not just some names you threw into the river. One day we will settle accounts.”

The incident could trigger a diplomatic crisis between Iran and Afghanistan at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has seen a mass exodus of Afghan migrants from Iran with many testing positive for COVID-19.

Up to 2,000 Afghans daily cross the border from Iran, a global coronavirus hotspot, into Herat. As of yesterday, at least 541 infected people are from Herat province, which recorded 13 deaths, with the majority of positive cases found among Afghan returnees from Iran, said Rafiq Shirzad, a health ministry spokesman in Herat.

Nearly 100,000 evacuated after Uzbekistan dam burstsAFP — TASHKENT

Nearly 100,000 people have been displaced in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan after an Uzbek dam burst, flooding thousands of homes and destroying agri-cultural fields.

The wall of the Sardoba res-ervoir dam in eastern Uzbekistan burst early on Friday triggering a government operation that saw 70,000 people evacuated.

More than 50 people were hospitalised during the flooding in Uzbekistan.

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev tweeted yesterday that 10 Kazakh villages close to the Uzbek border had suffered “strong flooding” forcing authorities to evacuate 22,000 people. Tokayev also said the two governments were in talks after Kazakh officials complained of significant damages and not receiving timely information from Uzbekistan about flooding.

Uzbekistan said earlier

yesterday that a criminal probe had been opened into “official negligence” and construction violations.

Construction of the Sardoba dam began in 2010 under the supervision of current President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who was prime minister at the time.

It was completed in 2017.Mirziyoyev on Friday flew to

the region, which saw strong winds and rains prior to the col-lapse of the dam, in order to oversee the evacuation and cleanup operation. Officials in Kazakhstan’s southern Turkestan region criticised Uzbekistan for not providing timely information on the status of flood control on Saturday.

“We have a copy of our cor-respondence with the Uzbek side, that as of (8pm on Friday) the sit-uation was stable and there were no problems,” said Saken Kalka-manov, deputy governor of the Turkestan region.

“They said that not a drop of

water would reach Maktaraal district,” he said, referring to the area where the flood hit.

“Nevertheless, what hap-

pened has happened.” The administration of the

Turkestan region estimated the floods caused crop damage

worth more than $400,000 — mostly to cotton, which is grown throughout the Central Asian region.

A view of the damaged dam site after its wall collapsed following heavy rain in Sirdarya Region, Uzbekistan.

Philippines halts

flights to lessen

pressure on

quarantine centres

AFP — MANILA

The Philippines halted all inbound passenger flights for a week starting yesterday to free up space in quarantine centres filled with thousands of migrant workers who have come home during the coro-navirus pandemic.

Millions of Filipinos work abroad, with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Singapore and Qatar among the most popular destinations.

Some 24,000 have already returned home, many after losing their jobs as the global economy screeches to a halt because of the virus.

Those returning are required to complete a 14-day quarantine at centres built or re-purposed by the gov-ernment that are now filled to capacity.

“ T h e n e w f l i g h t restriction... will be imple-mented for one week to give the government the oppor-tunity to decongest the quar-antine facilities in Metro Manila,” government official Carlito Galvez said in a statement.

The announcement effec-tively suspends the repatri-ation programme for workers affected by the pandemic, and the government has told them to stay in their host countries for now.

However, outbound flights will be allowed to con-tinue, including those flying stranded foreigners out of the country.

North Korea’s Kim ‘did not have surgery’; shots fired in DMZREUTERS — SEOUL

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not undergo surgery during almost three weeks of absence from public life, a South Korean official said yesterday, as the two Koreas exchanged gunfire at the Demil-itarised Zone (DMZ) separating the two sides.

The government official declined to provide reasons, but said speculative reports that Kim had had an operation, citing some differences in his leg move-ments, were untrue.

“Our assessment is that (Kim) did not undergo surgery,” the official, who declined to be iden-tified, told reporters.

Asked if media reports of Kim having undergone a simple medical treatment were also untrue, the official simply said: “Yes.”

North and South Korea exchanged gunfire around a rural guard post, raising tension a day after North Korean state media showed Kim visiting a factory, the first report of him making a public appearance since April 11.

Multiple gunshots were fired

from North Korea towards a guard post in South Korea, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staffs (JCS) said in a statement.

South Korea responded by firing two shots towards North Korea, the JCS said. No casualties were reported.

After weeks of intense spec-ulation about Kim’s health and whereabouts, which included one report he had undergone cardiovascular surgery, North Korea’s official media published photographs and a report on Sat-urday that Kim had attended the completion of a fertiliser plant.

Kim was seen in photographs smiling and talking to aides at the ribbon-cutting ceremony and touring the plant. State TV footage showed Kim’s leg move-ments appearing stiff and jerky.

The authenticity of the photos, published on the website of the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper, could not be verified. Reclusive North Korea for years pursued nuclear and missile pro-grammes in defiance of UN Security Council sanctions. Talks between North Korea and the United States, highlighted by three meetings between Kim and

US President Donald Trump, are at a standstill.

The exchange of gunshots yesterday was the latest confron-tation between the rival Koreas that technically remain still at war after their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a treaty.

In a lengthy briefing held later yesterday, an official at South Korea’s JCS said the gun-shots did not seem a planned provocation. The US-led UN Command, which oversees affairs in the heavily fortified DMZ, said it was working with the JCS to assess the situation.

The results of the random tests in the Afghan capital of Kabul are ‘concerning’, said Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahid Mayar. Afghanistan has performed only limited testing so far — close to 12,000, with more than 2,700 confirmed infections, in a nation of 36.6 million.

12 MONDAY 4 MAY 2020EUROPE

UK says virus lockdown to be lifted graduallyAFP — LONDON

The British government yesterday said the easing of coronavirus lockdown measures was likely to be gradual, as it announced a further rise in the overall death toll.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was expected to unveil the government’s plans in coming days, after announcing the country had passed the peak of the virus.

According to the latest figures, 28,446 people have now died after testing positive for COVID-19, up 315 on Saturday, keeping it just below Europe’s worst-affected country, Italy. The number of positive cases rose by 4,339 to 186,599.

Johnson himself contracted COVID-19 and spent three nights in intensive care. He revealed in a newspaper interview that plans were even put in place in case he died.

“It was a tough old moment, I won’t deny it,” he told The Sun on Sunday. “They had a strategy to deal with a ‘death of Stalin’-type scenario,” he added. Senior minister Michael Gove said there would likely be “some degree of con-straint” once restrictions were eased until a vaccine was found. And he told a daily briefing of the government’s response to the global pan-demic there would be no immediate return to the “old normal”.

Weekend newspaper reports said primary schools could reopen in early June while commuters taking public transport could face temper-ature checks.

A quarantine period for people travelling to Britain has also been suggested. Transport minister Grant Shapps said it was a “serious point under

consideration”. Britain is banking on an

enhanced testing regime and contact tracing, including via a smartphone app, to monitor transmission rates and prevent a second wave of infection.

The app, developed by the digital arm of the state-run National Health Service (NHS), is to be trialled from next week on the Isle of Wight, off Eng-land’s south coast.

Gove said he hoped as many of the 80,000 house-holds on the island as possible would download the app, which he said was “one arrow in the quiver” of measures to keep infection down.

On lifting the lockdown, he added: “A phased approach is one which allows us to monitor the impact that those changes are having on public health and if nec-essary in a specific and localised way. “That means we can pause or even reintroduce those restric-tions that might be required in order to deal with localised out-breaks of the disease.”

Britain ordered all non-essential shops and services to close on March 23, telling people to stay at home except to shop for groceries and med-icines, and to exercise once a day.

Spain counts 164 more deaths, lowest number in weeksANATOLIA — OVIEDO, SPAIN

The number of daily COVID-19 deaths and infections in Spain dropped substantially again yesterday, according to Spanish Health Ministry data.

Official data confirmed 164 more deaths in the last 24 hours — the lowest daily death toll since March 18.

The number of new con-firmed infections also dropped to pre-lockdown levels. With 838 more confirmed infections, it is the lowest number of new contagions since March 11.

In total, at least 25,264 people in Spain have died from COVID-19 and 217,466 people have been infected. Of those confirmed cases, 118,902 people have recovered - up 1,654 from Saturday. As Spain sees the acute phase of the disease fading, Today it will officially embark on the first of four phases of de-escalation. Tomorrow, some businesses like hairdressers, dentists, or hardware shops will begin to operate, but clients will only be allowed in by appointment.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he plans to continue extending Spain’s state of emergency until the de-esca-lation is complete, which could

be in late June.However, as political ten-

sions grow, several parties that previously backed the gov-ernment are now threatening to block the extension of emer-gency measures. “We have no plan B, the only plan is the state of alarm,” Sanchez told a tele-vised press conference on Sat-urday, remarks that got a cold shoulder from several oppo-

sition politicians.“Sanchez doesn’t have a

plan B or A. He can’t take the country hostage to cover up his incompetence,” tweeted Pablo Casado, leader of the conserv-ative Popular Party. “We have to reactivate the economy with massive testing to stop conta-gions and the bankruptcy of our welfare state.” In Spain, a state of emergency can normally

only last for a maximum of 15 days. This week, politicians in Spain’s divided Parliament will vote on whether or not to back another extension of the e m e r g e n c y g o v e r n i n g measures, which expire next weekend.

Sanchez also announced that starting today, the wearing of masks on public transpor-tation will be mandatory.

People keep their social distance as they travel in the metro in Madrid, Spain, yesterday amid a national lockdown to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 disease.

Confusion as Italy prepares to ease lockdownAFP — ROME

Italy was spending its last day in total lockdown yesterday, but the partial easing of strict coro-navirus measures after a two-month shutdown was causing anxiety and confusion rather than elation.

Across the country, attempts to make plans for the first day of freedom were hampered by uncertainty over the rules. The government has a list of per-mitted activities, but regions are also making up their own regulations.

“I’m hoping this morning’s paper will clear it up. I want to take my old mum to the sea-side, can I?” asked 53-year old cleaner Pietro Garlanti as he queued patiently in the sun at a kiosk in the capital’s historic centre. In this first stage, Italy’s 60 million inhabitants will be able to move more freely within their own regions, visiting rel-atives, going to the re-opened parks with their children and going cycling or running further from home.

None of that can be done in

groups, however, so big family lunches are forbidden. Going to holiday homes is not allowed. And people cannot leave their own regions, except for emer-

gencies or for health reasons.Italy’s 20 regions, however,

have put their own spin on the rules. Two of them, Veneto and Calabria, even lifted their

lockdowns early, opening to bars and restaurants with outdoor tables this week.

Liguria is thinking about letting people go sailing in small

groups, and is reopening its beaches. So is the Marghe region, but for walks not sun-bathing. Emilia-Romagna is keeping them closed, even to those who live by the sea.

“We’ve been waiting with longing for May 4, but now it’s finally arrived it’s a letdown. Until they tell me I’m really free, I’ll feel paranoid, like I’m breaking the rules in some way,” 37-year old Michele Magna said.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte further puzzled many by telling Italians visits with “con-giunti” were allowed.

The Italian word can mean either relatives or kinsmen. He then attempted to clarify by saying that extended to people who had “relationships of steady affection”. Many asked did that mean lovers, friends and fiances were included? The government was forced Saturday to publish a Q&A that specified people could see extended relatives —including, for example, the children of their cousins — but friends, however dear, were out of bounds.

People applaud from their window during a flash-mob to greet the beginning of Phase 2 of the lockdown held to stop the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, in Rome yesterday. Italians today will be free to stroll and visit relatives for the first time in nine weeks as Europe’s hardest-hit country eases back the world’s longest coronavirus lockdown.

REUTERS — PARIS

France’s state-supported “StopCOVID” contact-tracing app should enter its testing phase next week when the country starts to unwind its lockdown, a government minister said.

Minister for Digital Affairs Cedric O, a member of President Emmanuel Macron’s inner circle, presented the app as a key element of France’s strategy to stave off the coronavirus as authorities grapple with the prospect of mass testing.

“There’s nothing magical about this app, but it’s not technological coquetry either,” O wrote on online publishing platform Medium. “It’s only useful if it’s integrated into a global health system.”

Countries are rushing to develop apps

to assess the risk of one person infecting another, helping to isolate those who could spread the disease.

Like others in Europe, France has chosen the short-range Bluetooth “hand-shakes” between devices as the best approach, dismissing the alternative of using location data pursued by some coun-tries in Asia as intrusive.

But debate has raged about whether to log such contacts on individual devices or on a central server - which would be more directly useful to existing contact tracing teams that work phones and knock on doors to warn those who may be at risk.

France has so far opted for a “cen-tralised” approach, which would need Apple in particular to change the settings on its iPhones. The smartphone maker has

refused to budge, although discussions with the US. company were ongoing, O said.

France’s ‘StopCOVID’ contact-tracingapp to enter testing phase next week

REUTERS — PARIS

The number of people who have died in France after contracting the new coronavirus rose yesterday by 135 to 24,895, the health ministry said.

The number of people treated in hospital for the coronavirus and the number of people in intensive care units continued to decline, it said.

The number of people in hospital with the COVID-19 respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus fell yesterday to 25,815 from 25,827 on Saturday.

France reports 135

more deaths taking

toll to 24,895

Germany’s TUI to test 3,000 cruise ship workers for virusAFP — BERLIN

Nearly 3,000 cruise ship workers quarantined aboard a liner will undergo tests for the novel coronavirus, German travel group TUI said.

“Mein Schiff 3” was being used to ferry 2,899 TUI employees and crew home with both cruises and the usual means of transport in much of Europe shut down by the pandemic.

Problems began when the huge vessel docked at in the German North Sea port of Cuxhaven on April 28 with more than a dozen crew members showing flu-like symptoms. One of them then tested positive for the virus on Friday leading the company to quarantine everyone on board. A first wave of 229 tests on personnel who had been in contact with the infected crew member came back negative, TUI said. “All crew members will be tested during the day,” TUI spokesman Friedericke Groenemeyer said. But what happens next remains unclear even if all the tests are returned negative.

The TUI staff on the ship had been expected to travel on from Cuxhaven to their various countries under their own steam.

“That poses a certain number of challenges with the general international situation and the travel restrictions,” the spokesman admitted.

Britain rejects EU demand for permanent office in Northern IrelandANATOLIA — LONDON

The UK has rejected the EU demand to set up a permanent office in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland.

The Republic of Ireland’s national broadcaster, RTE, reported on Saturday that Helga Schmid, secretary general of the EU’s external action service, told the UK in February that the EU wanted a permanent presence in Belfast in order to oversee the implantation of the Brexit deal’s Irish protocol.

The protocol allows EU offi-cials to oversee checks and con-trols carried out by British offi-cials on goods moving between

Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland) and Northern Ireland.

Schmid said the EU needed “very particular capabilities and competences on the ground, distinctive from the more tradi-tional competences of any other EU delegation.” She wanted the new office set up by June, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted there would be no new paperwork between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

UK Paymaster General Penny Mordaunt wrote back to the EU on April 27 saying: “The UK cannot agree to the per-manent EU presence based in Belfast.” Mordaunt said the EU

presence would be “divisive in political and community terms.” The British government added in a statement on Saturday: “There is no reason why the commission should require a permanent presence in Belfast to monitor the implementation of the protocol.” An EU official told RTE: “The UK cannot have been taken by surprise by this. The possibility of opening an office in Belfast has been dis-cussed for a long time at this stage. The EU has been con-sistent on this point.” The fear for the EU is that the UK will backtrack on commitments made under the Brexit deal agreed last year.

Greens enter Irish

coalition talks

with climate on

agendaREUTERS — DUBLIN

Ireland’s Green Party agreed to enter talks about forming a government with the centre-right Fianna Fail and Fine Gael parties yesterday, but said it would withdraw if it could not agree a policy programme with climate action at its core.

Ireland has been in political deadlock since an inconclusive election in Feb-ruary, with the caretaker gov-ernment of Prime Minister Leo Varadkar forced to implement costly and extensive fiscal and political policies by the coro-navirus crisis.

Varadkar’s Fine Gael and traditional rival Fianna Fail reached an initial broad agreement last month to govern together for the first time, but need more support to control parliament and cannot pass any laws until a new prime minister is elected.

If they can get the backing of the Green’s 12 lawmakers they would have a majority, which would allow the them to pass laws including those needed to uphold a 6.5 billion euro package to support busi-nesses shuttered by Ireland’s lockdown.

Measures to allow affected firms to defer tax liabilities for 12 months and to use $2.2bn credit guarantee scheme will require legislation to be passed by June or early July, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said. “We are conscious of the huge challenges facing any gov-ernment in the Covid-19 crisis,” the Green Party said in a statement, after days of talks among its lawmakers.

“Any proposal must be transformative on climate action and commit to strong progress towards a more sus-tainable and fairer society. If this is not the case Green Party representatives will withdraw from negotiations,” it added.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will unveil the government’s plans in coming days, after announcing the country had passed the peak of the virus. According to the latest figures, 28,446 people have now died after testing positive for COVID-19.

Deserted bazaar in Sarajevo

13MONDAY 4 MAY 2020 EUROPE

Young street doctor defies virus to help Belarus homelessAFP — MINSK

For the past year-and-a-half medical student Karina Radchenko has provided free health care to the homeless in the Belarussian capital Minsk.

Since the onset of the coro-navirus outbreak she has seen a spike in the number of people needing her help.

Many people who were eking out a living in the ex-Soviet country before the epi-demic can no longer afford to purchase medicines or go to a doctor, said Radchenko.

Together with those sleeping rough on the streets some of them come to see her.

“They are now forced to ask for help together with the homeless because there’s nowhere else they can get it,” Radchenko said during one of her street rounds.

The 28-year-old is the founder of “Street Medicine,” the country’s first volunteer project to treat the homeless and needy.

Pensioner Tatyana, who declined to give her last name, said she comes to see the vol-unteers “sometimes” — when she runs out of money. On a recent afternoon Radchenko

distributed nonprescription medicines to her patients with the help of several fellow vol-unteers in a small park.

She and her assistants wore visors and gloves to protect themselves against the infections. An elderly woman turned up to have her blood pressure checked. Another elderly woman received a surgical mask. A 30-year-old ex-convict had his temperature taken.

Yury praised the volunteers for giving out medicines and masks. “There are many fatal-ities. People should not be dying,” he said, declining to give his last name.

Radchenko’s team does not have testing kits to screen people for the coronavirus so all they can do is to watch out for the disease’s telltale symptoms.

“We pay special attention to people with signs of a respi-ratory infection,” she said.

Belarus, which has a pop-ulation of more than nine million people, has reported more than 16,700 coronavirus cases overtaking neighboring EU member Poland and ex-Soviet Ukraine. Ninety-nine people have died so far.

The ex-Soviet country

remains one of the few nations that did not impose lockdown measures. Its authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko has dismissed the contagion as a “psychosis” and plans to stage a military parade to mark victory over Nazi Germany next week.

Radchenko, who is a fifth year medical student, said the country’s most vulnerable people— who face a higher risk of being infected and then infecting others — were not getting enough help. Organisa-tions providing care for the homeless were either closing doors or reducing working hours over coronavirus fears. Rad-chenko, who was inspired by projects like the US-based Street Medicine Institute, started out on her own in late 2018.

The one-woman mission gradually grew, and now the team includes 25 volunteers including around seven doctors, all of them practising physicians except her. Since the start of the project, they have cared for more than 200 patients.

Twice a week they hit the streets to seek out the homeless. But Radchenko does not know how long they will be able to continue. The state does not help, and donations are small.

Germany’s SPD seeks scrapping of US nuclear arms shieldAFP — BERLIN

Left-leaning allies of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling conservatives launched an offensive yesterday calling for the withdrawal of US nuclear arms in Germany.

Two senior figures in the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the junior partner in the government coalition, voiced strong opposition to the weapons.

“Nuclear arms on German soil do not strengthen our security, quite the contrary,” the SPD’s parliamentary leader Rolf Muetzenich told Tagesspiegel daily. “It is time Germany

ruled out them being stationed here in future.”

His view was echoed by the party’s co-president Norbert Walter-Borjans.

“My position is clear against their being stationed (in Germany), being made available and of course the use of nuclear arms,” he told Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper.

After a series of electoral disasters, the SPD has swung further to the left and a new leadership, including Walter-Borjans and Muetzenich, has taken over but the party is still lan-guishing at 16 percent in opinion polls.

The SPD campaign against the weapons comes as Berlin is seeking to

replace an ageing fleet of Tornado fighter-bombers that can carry the US nuclear arms as part of a Nato deter-rence force.

The United States has an estimated 150 nuclear weapons deployed in Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy as well as at the Buechel air base in Germany.

Walter-Borjans said he was against “buying replacement fighters to transport nuclear bombs” -- which would tear up Germany’s post-war security policy built round the US nuclear umbrella.

To replace the Tornados, Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer last month recommended the purchase

of 90 Eurofighters and 45 Boeing F-18s. The Boeings can carry US nuclear

arms that the Airbus-made jets are not designed for.

But members of Merkel’s conserv-ative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) poured scorn on the SDP stance.

“The SPD is in total nirvana about security policy,” CDU member of par-liament Patrick Sensburg told Handelsblatt.

It needs to remember “that the American nuclear weapons serve above all to protect us”.

“Our international partners will doubt Germany’s ability to fulfil its future role within the transatlantic

security apparatus.” Hundreds of thousands of Germans

demonstrated against the deployment of US Pershing intermediate range bal-listic missiles in Europe at the height of the Cold War during the 1980s when Moscow had SS20 IRBMs.

The SPD looks to be readying to go into opposition after elections due in late 2021 and is building a pacifist, anti-nuclear platform.

As a result, “the conservatives have pushed back any final decision to replace the Tornados to the next par-liament because they know their hands will no longer be tied by the social-democrats,” one diplomat said.

Virus infections surgepast 130,000 in RussiaAFP — MOSCOW

Russia yesterday reported a new record daily rise in coro-navirus infections as the number of confirmed cases surged past 130,000.

As some European coun-tries were looking to gradually lift restrictions, officials in Moscow — the epicentre of the contagion in Russia —urged residents to stay home despite glorious weather.

With the number of cases rising by several thousand each day, Russia is now the European country registering the most new infections.

Despite the increases, the government has indicated it could gradually lift con-finement measures from May 12, depending on the region.

According to the govern-ment’s daily coronavirus update, 10,633 confirmed infec-tions were reported in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 134,687.

President Vladimir Putin has said the situation remains “very difficult” and warned that the country was not yet past the peak of the outbreak.

Russia’s official fatality rate has remained low in com-parison to countries like Italy,

Spain and the United States. Fifty-eight people died

over the past 24 hours, bringing the total toll to 1,280.

The authorities are pre-paring to set up temporary field hospitals around Moscow including at the VDNKh, the famed Soviet-era outdoor exhi-bition centre, in case infections continue to surge.

Muscovites have been under lockdown since March 30 and in mid-April, the authorities introduced a system of digital permits to reduce violations of the restrictions.

They have warned that the rules may be tightened further.

Residents of the Russian

capital are only allowed to leave their homes to walk their dogs, take out trash and visit their nearest shop although private car journeys have not been restricted up to now.

Many complained that it was increasingly difficult to observe the quarantine as the weather was getting warmer.

In a sprawling park in southwest Moscow yesterday, a two-person police patrol asked parents with small children to respect the con-finement rules and return home.

Moscow mayor Sergei Sob-yanin on Saturday urged resi-dents to continue to respect stay-at-home rules and other measures over the long May holidays. “The threat is appar-ently on the rise,” Sobyanin said on his blog.

Earlier this week Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Construction Minister Vladimir Yakushev tested positive for the coronavirus and were hospi-talised. Mishustin’s first deputy Andrei Belousov is now serving as acting prime minister.

Mishustin’s spokesman Boris Belyakov told reporters on Sunday that the prime min-ister was feeling fine and was in touch with his colleagues.

Belarus’ servicemen wearing protective gear disinfect a school in the village of Mikhanavichy outside Minsk, yesterday, amid the coronavirus pandemic. Life has continued as normal in Belarus, whose leader Alexander Lukashenko has dismissed World Health Organisation recommendations to impose a virus lockdown.

Bascarsija, Sarajevo’s old bazaar and the historical center of the city remains deserted due to the coronavirus pandemic measures during Ramadan in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, yesterday.

France says won’t quarantine EU, Schengen area citizensAFP — PARIS

France said yesterday that it would not quarantine anyone arriving from the EU, the Schengen area or Britain due to the coronavirus, as it prepares to start easing confinement measures after two months of lockdown.

On Saturday, the gov-ernment had said it would extend the state of emergency to contain the crisis until at least July 24, and anyone entering France would have to remain in isolation for two weeks.

But the quaratine rules would not apply to “anyone arriving from the European Union, the Schengen zone or Britain, regardless of their nationality”, the presidency said on Sunday.

And for French and EU cit-izens arriving in France from other regions outside the EU, the Schengen area and Britain, “the rules will be announced in the coming days”, the presi-dency said.

The number of new deaths from COVID-19 in France has been declining in recent days, with 135 fatalities reported over the past 24 hours on Sunday.

The national health service said the increase brought France’s total death toll to 24,895, the world’s fifth highest figure after the United States, Italy, Britain and Spain.

The last time the number of daily reported deaths was below 135 was on March 22, when it represented only those reported by hospitals.

The current figure also includes deaths reported by elderly care homes and other medicalised care facilities.

France plans to start lifting the coronavirus lockdown from May 11, when children are to return to school in stages, some businesses will reopen and people will be able to travel within 100km of their homes without a signed justification for their movement.

But Health Minister Olivier Veran warned Sunday that this would depend on further

declines in COVID-19 infec-tions, especially in hard-hit areas like the Paris region and northeast France.

The government has said the number of new coronavirus cases must stabilise at fewer than 3,000 per day as it expands testing, otherwise doctors and nurses could face another wave of patients that have tested hospitals since March.

“If the number of new cases proves too high, we’ll have to reconsider the date for lifting the lockdown, and decide according to the situation in each department,” Veran told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper.

He also cautioned against planning summer holidays for now, saying “it’s unlikely that this virus is going to go on vacation”.

Officials are scrambling to ramp up testing capacities to 700,000 people each week by May 11, which health experts say is essential for containing the outbreak.

REUTERS — LISBON

Portugal downgraded its state of emergency to a category of “calamity” yesterday, as spring sunshine drew people outdoors and the rate of new coronavirus cases reached its lowest since the beginning of the outbreak.

“It’s like being freed from prison,” enthused Rodrigo Garcia, 40, on a walk to Lisbon’s River Tagus with his wife, two sons and dog. “We’ve gone out here and there, but with the end of the state of emergency we feel much freer.”

After a six-week state of emergency when people were urged to stay indoors except for brief exercise, and most non-essential services were shut, a three-phase reopening plan begins from today. But the temptation of 30 degree Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) temperatures and

Mother’s Day had some taking to beaches and parks before then with newfound confidence. On Lisbon’s waterfront, runners and cyclists hopped out of each other’s way on Sunday morning. Beaches remain closed other than for water sports and exercise, but under the lesser state of calamity spending time in parks is no longer strictly forbidden. Still, police officers were out in force on Sunday urging people not to linger and to maintain social distancing.

“A state of calamity still means you should stay home as much as you can,” officer Sofia Gordinho said, between speaking to groups pic-nicking in Lisbon’s Campo Martires da Patria park about the new measures. “If people want to sit in the sun for a bit, that’s okay, but we are asking them to move on so others can come without it getting crowded.”

Portuguese enjoy easing lockdown

As some European countries were looking to gradually lift restrictions, officials in Moscow — the epicentre of the contagion in Russia — urged residents to stay home despite glorious weather.

UK royal Kate calls midwives and parents to highlight mental health issues

REUTERS — LONDON

British royal Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, has video-called a number of new parents, midwives and other maternity service profes-sionals to promote her message of mental health awareness during the corona-virus pandemic.

In a video posted on Twitter by Kensington Palace, the residence and office of Kate and her husband Prince William, the mother-of-three could be seen chatting via video-link with a woman who had given birth the night before, a midwife, and various others.

“As organisations you’re playing such a vital role, giving key information, you’re hugely trusted by the public in general, and therefore the information that you provide is a lifeline to many people at this time,” Kate told profes-sionals from not-for-profit mental health organisations on a group call.

14 MONDAY 4 MAY 2020AMERICAS

Sunny days draw crowds to beaches, parks as US reopens from lockdownsREUTERS — WASHINGTON

Sunny days and warm weather are proving to be as challenging to manage as restaurants, hair salons and other businesses as about half of US states partially reopen their economies after the coronavirus lockdown.

On Saturday, thousands of people gathered on the National Mall in Washington to view a US Navy flyover to honor healthcare workers and others battling the pandemic.

In New York City, the warmest weather yet this spring caused picnickers and sun-bathers to flock to green spaces in Manhattan, including crowded conditions at Chris-topher Street Pier in Greenwich Village, according to photos on social media.

Last week, California ordered beaches in Orange County to close, after crowds defied public health guidelines to throng the popular shoreline. That prompted protests by demonstrators who accused the state’s Democratic governor of overreach.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has there “some real issues” near the pier and police

would increase patrols.Dr. Deborah Birx, response

coordinator for the White House coronavirus task force, said on “Fox News Sunday” that massing on beaches was not safe unless people kept at least 6 feet apart. She also weighed in against allowing such busi-nesses as beauty salons and spas to reopen in the first phase.

“We’ve made it clear that that is not a good phase one activity,” she said, as the number of US cases topped 1.1 million and the death toll rose to more than 67,000 yesterday.

Protesters gathering, as they did last week in Michigan and other parts of the country to demonstrate against stay-at-home restrictions, poses a huge risk, she said.

“If they go home and infect their grandmother or their grandfather who has a comorbid condition and they have a serious or a very — or an unfortunate outcome, they will feel guilty for the rest of our lives,” Birx said.

Scott Gottlieb, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner, said on Sunday the country was seeing a “mixed bag” of results from coronavirus mitigation efforts. He said there were about 20 states that are seeing a rising number of new cases including Illinois, Texas, Maryland, Indiana, Virginia, North Carol ina and Tennessee.

“We expected that we would start seeing more signif-icant declines in new cases and

deaths around the nation at this point. And we’re just not seeing that,” he said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

“If we don’t snuff this out more and you have this slow burn of infection, it can ignite at any time.” Even in the face of rising cases, some Americans are eager to return to socializing and large gatherings — including sports.

The National Football League said it will announce its schedule for the upcoming season this week including its season opening game on Sept. 10 and the Super Bowl, which is scheduled to be played in Tampa, Florida on February 7.

“We are planning on playing

the 2020 NFL season as scheduled,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in an email, noting they will adjust to gov-ernment regulations.

On the other side of the spectrum is Boston Mayor Marty Walsh in Massachusetts, which has not begun reopening and is seeing coronavirus cases still climbing. Massachusetts also has issued a statewide order telling people to wear masks in public.

He said the rallies against coronavirus mitigation efforts were causing confusion and making his job harder.

“I don’t understand it. That makes messaging really con-fusing.... It’s the wrong message,

because we’re still very much in the beginning days of coro-navirus. Even if you’re a state that is seeing numbers go down,” Walsh said.

“If we’re not smart about the way we do things, those numbers could turn around and go right back up again.” As Texas becomes one of the leading states pushing for its businesses to reopen, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said people appear to be obeying the new rules.

“People have not been rushing back into these restau-rants and they have not been rushing back into the areas of the economy that the governor reopened on Friday,” he told CNN.

People wearing protective masks take selfies as they spend time on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

Man trying to quarantine on private Disney island arrested

AP — ORLANDO

Florida deputies arrested a man who had been living out his quarantine on a shuttered Disney World island, telling authorities it felt like a “tropical paradise.” Orange County Sher-iff’s deputies found Richard McGuire on Disney’s Discovery Island on Thursday. He said he’d been there since Monday or Tuesday and had planned to camp there for a week, according to an arrest report.

The 42-year-old said he didn’t hear numerous deputies searching the private island for him on foot, by boat and by air because he was asleep in a building. He told the deputy he didn’t know it was a restricted area, despite there being numerous “no trespassing” signs. “Richard stated that he was unaware of that and that it looked like a tropical paradise,” according to the arrest report.

Orange County Marine dep-uties on Bay Lake used a public address system to tell McGuire he was not allowed to be on the property, but he remained on the island, anyway, according to the arrest report.

A security representative for Disney said she saw McGuire using a company boat Thursday, noting that the area had several “no trespassing” signs and two closed gates. She asked the agency to press charges.

McGuire was arrested on a trespassing charge and taken to jail without incident. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could comment.

Pompeo steps up pressure on China over virus handlingAFP — WASHINGTON

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo yesterday stepped up a US campaign to hold China accountable for the spread of the deadly coronavirus, asserting there is “enormous evidence” the virus originated in a labo-ratory in the city of Wuhan.

The high-security bio-con-tainment facility, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, has called such claims “impossible”.

Pompeo, speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” did not elaborate on what he also described as “significant amounts of evidence”.

But Pompeo’s words clearly sought to buttress repeated crit-icism from Donald Trump about

China’s role in the agreed with a US intelligence community statement on Thursday that backed “the wide scientific con-sensus that the COVID-19 virus was not man-made or geneti-cally modified.”

But he went further than Trump, in citing “significant” and “enormous” evidence that the virus originated in the Wuhan lab.

“Remember, China has a history of infecting the world and running substandard lab-oratories,” Pompeo said, adding early Chinese efforts to downplay the coronavirus amounted to “a classic Com-munist disinformation effort. That created enormous risk.”

In its Thursday statement,

the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said that the intelligence community will continue to study “whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan.”

The Saturday Telegraph report said the Australian gov-ernment believed the virus probably originated in a so-called wet market, but that there was a five percent chance it accidentally leaked from the Wuhan lab.

Some Democrats have said Trump is trying to shift blame to avoid responsibility for a slow response to the pandemic that has resulted in the US having by far the largest

numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths.

“Not wanting to take responsibility as the deaths con-tinue to mount, he blames others,” Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont said in a statement.

Trump has also been sharply critical of the World Health Organization’s response to the pandemic and is sus-pending US financial support, saying it moved too slowly to alert the world to the gravity of the disease and was insuffi-ciently skeptical of China’s involvement.

The WHO has said it wants to be invited to take part in Chinese investigations into the animal origins of the pandemic.

Several countries, including Australia, Britain, Germany and France, have joined in US calls for China to be more trans-parent about the coronavirus outbreak.

The United States now has more than 1,134,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 66,000 deaths, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.

China now has nearly 84,000 cases and more than 4,600 deaths.

After moving aggressively to lock down the region and contain the virus, Wuhan and the surrounding province of Hubei lifted restrictions on movements in late March and early April.

Clap reward for New York caregivers

Medical staff from Lenox Hill Hospital come outside while people show gratitude as part of the nightly #ClapBecauseWeCare during the coronavirus pandemic on Saturday in New York City.

Bush’s virus video has critics nostalgicBLOOMBERG — WASHINGTON

Former President George W Bush says Americans should come together as one to confront the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed the lives of over 66,000 in the country so far.

In a video released on Sat-urday, the 43rd US president said: “We are not partisan combatants. We’re human beings, equally vulnerable and equally wonderful in the sight of God.”

Bush’s presidential center posted the message on Twitter, tagging @TheCallToUnite, a livestream for celebrities and public figures to post encour-aging videos during the pandemic.

It got the Republican, who

left office in January 2009 and typically keeps a low profile, trending on the social media site, where the video had been viewed five million times by midday yesterday.

One person unimpressed by the message was President Donald Trump, who tweeted early yesterday that Bush “was nowhere to be found in speaking up against the greatest Hoax in American history,” referring to his impeachment.

In the roughly three-minute video, Bush speaks over images of Americans in a variety of settings, starting in black-and-white and then switching to color. “We cannot allow physical separation to become emotional isolation,” he says.

Probe of company that failed to deliver masks soughtAP — BALTIMORE

Maryland officials are seeking an investigation into a politi-cally connected company that contracted to provide the state with $12.5m worth of personal protective equipment that never arrived.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the state signed a deal on April 1 with Blue Flame Medical LLC for 1.5 million N95 masks and 110 ven-tilators. But the equipment never showed up and Maryland canceled the contract.

Blue Flame Medical was founded in late March by Mike Gula, a former Republican

Party fundraiser, with John Thomas, also a GOP consultant, according to multiple news reports.

“We have determined that since it has been one month since the order was placed with no confirmation of shipment, we are in the process of can-celling the order and have referred this matter to the Attorney General,” Nick Cavey, a spokesman for the state Department of General Services, said in a statement to The Bal-timore Sun on Saturday.

A spokeswoman for Dem-ocratic Attorney-General Brian Frosh confirmed receiving a referral about the contract.

Trump to take pandemic victory lap in TV ‘town hall’AFP — WASHINGTON

Donald Trump was to wrap himself in the mantle of Amer-ica’s arguably greatest president with a television extravaganza yesterday at the Lincoln Memorial meant to leave the coronavirus crisis behind and relaunch his election campaign.

The businessman Repub-lican is doing poorly in most polls ahead of the November presidential contest with his Democratic challenger Joe Biden, who remains shuttered in his Delaware home.

Trump faces criticism for his bruising, divisive style during a time of national calamity, and is accused by some of having botched the early response to

the COVID-19 virus. Worse, the previously booming US economy, which was seen as a golden ticket to his second term, is now in dire straits due to the nationwide lockdown.

But with officials saying the viral spread has begun to taper, Trump is itching to declare victory and get back on the campaign trail.

That audacious shift was to begin yesterday at possibly the most hallowed monument in the country — the statue of Abraham Lincoln, who led the country through civil war, urged reconciliation, and was assassinated in his moment of triumph.

Trump, who calls himself a “wartime president” and the

coronavirus an “invisible enemy,” will appear there for a two-hour Fox News “town hall,” taking questions from the usually friendly network’s hosts and from voters appearing by video.

The memorial is only just beyond the White House fences, but in the next few days, Trump will break months of self-quar-antine with long-distance trips to the key electoral states of Arizona and Ohio.

It’s a play that will emphasize Trump’s massive visibility advantage over Biden and, the White House hopes, rewrite the public relations script after gaffes including the president’s suggestion that coronavirus patients ingest disinfectant.

Lincoln took the gamble in 1861 that only war could pre-serve the United States by ending slavery and restoring the nation’s ideals of freedom -- and he won.

Trump often compares himself favorably to the 19th century national hero.

Retweeting a fan’s gushing endorsement yesterday of Trump as a great friend of African Americans, the pres-ident replied: “So true, although Honest Abe wasn’t bad. Thank you!” Now Trump wants to extend that claim to great lead-ership by asking voters to put behind them the tragic events of the last months and to focus on his promise of “spectacular” economic recovery.

Dr. Deborah Birx, response coordinator for the White House coronavirus task force, said on “Fox News Sunday” that massing on beaches was not safe unless people kept at least 6 feet apart. She also weighed in against allowing such businesses as beauty salons and spas to reopen in the first phase.

15MONDAY 4 MAY 2020 AMERICAS

Venezuela foils attack by boat on main port cityAP — CARACAS

Venezuelan officials said they foiled an early morning attempt by a group of armed men to invade the country by boat yesterday, killing eight attackers and arresting two more.

Socialist party chief Diosdado Cabello said that two of the attackers were being interrogated by authorities. Cabello said it was carried out by neighboring Colombia with United States backing in a plot to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro.

Both countries have repeatedly denied earlier Ven-ezuelan allegations of backing for military plots against the socialist government.

“Those who assume they

can attack the institutional framework in Venezuela will have to assume the conse-quences of their action,” said Cabello, adding that one of the detained claimed to be an agent of the US Drug Enforcement Administration.

Authorities said they found Peruvian documents, high-caliber weapons, satellite

phones, uniforms and helmets adorned with the US flag.

Interior Minister Nestor Reverol described the attackers as “mercenary terrorists” bent on destabilizing Venezuela’s institutions and creating “chaos.”

Officials said the attack took place on a beach in La Guaira, about 20 miles from Caracas

and home to the nation’s largest airport.

Authorities say the attackers had vehicles and heavy arms waiting for them in the port city.

Venezuela has been in a deepening political and eco-nomic crisis in recent years under Maduro’s rule. Crumbling public services such as running water, electricity and medical care has driven nearly 5 million to migrate.

A coalition of nearly 60 nations back opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate leader, saying Maduro’s 2018 election was a sham because the most popular opposition candidates were banned from running.

The United States has led a campaign to oust Maduro,

increasing pressure in recent weeks by indicting the socialist leader as a narcotrafficker and offering a $15m reward for his arrest.

The US also has increased stiff sanctions, cutting off Ven-ezuela’s oil sector to choke Maduro from a key source of hard cash.

In addition to that pressure, Maduro’s government has faced several small-scale military threats, including an attempt to assassinate Maduro with a drone and Guaidó’s call for a military uprising, which was joined by few soldiers.

Maduro and his allies say the Trump administration is determined to end Venezuela’s socialist government to exploit the South American nation’s

vast underground oil reserves.There was a report on

Friday that an apparently ill-funded attempt to amass an invasion force of 300 men in Colombia involving a former Venezuelan military officer and an ex-Green Beret, suffered set-backs in March when a main organizer was arrested, an arms cache was seized and some par-ticipants abandoned its camps.

Cabello linked Sunday’s attack to key players in that alleged plot.

Meanwhile, Cesar Omana, a businessman who participated in an unsuccessful plot against Maduro a year ago, said some 30 armed commandos from the Sebin intelligence police raided his Caracas home early Sunday. Omana is not in the country.

Beating the coronavirus away in BoliviaA military brass band plays music as they march through the streets of La Paz yesterday to lift the spirits of people during the quarantine ordered by the Bolivian government as a preventive measure against the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Brazil’s top court blocks Bolsonaro move to expel Venezuelan diplomatsREUTERS — BRASILIA

A Supreme Court judge issued an injunction on Saturday suspending for 10 days a decision by Brazil’s right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro to expel Venezuela’s 30 diplomats and consular staff.

Bolsonaro and Brazil’s Foreign Ministry had given Venezuela until Saturday to remove its diplomats in the latest chapter of worsening relations between the ideolog-ically opposed neighbours.

Justice Luis Roberto Barroso took up an injunction request from a Workers Party lawmaker that argued the expulsion could violate Brazil’s Constitution, international agreements on human rights and the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.

Bolsonaro said in a Twitter post that he had decided on the “compulsory withdrawal of Ven-ezuelan diplomatic corps” and he criticized the injunction sought by lawmaker Paulo Pimenta.

“This lawmaker is a staunch defender of the Chavez/Maduro regime,” he tweeted, in reference to Venezuela’s late leftist leader Hugo Chavez and his successor President Nicolas Maduro.

Barroso said the immediate ejection of the diplomats in the midst of the coronavirus pan-demic countered humanitarian principles. The consular per-sonnel are based in the cities

of Brasilia, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Manaus, Belem and Boa Vista.

Brazil withdrew the remainder of its diplomats from Caracas on April 17 and the Bol-sonaro government had expected Venezuela to do the same by May 2, citing a verbal agreement on a reciprocal move to close each countries’ mis-sions, Brazilian officials said.

But Venezuela’s leftist gov-ernment said in a statement on Thursday that there had been no such negotiation and that its diplomats would stay put. Ven-ezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza accused Brazil in a Twitter post of violating inter-national law by forcing its dip-lomatic personnel to leave.

Along with more than 50 other countries, Brazil does not recognize the legitimacy of Maduro and has called for dem-ocratic elections in Venezuela.

The Bolsonaro government sees opposition leader Juan Guaido as the rightful leader of a democratic transition in Ven-ezuela and has formally recog-nized his envoy, Maria Tereza Belandria, as Venezuela’s ambassador in Brasilia.

Belandria, however, lives and works out of a Brasilia hotel because the Venezuelan Embassy is still controlled by Maduro representatives. The embassy has not had an ambas-sador since 2016.

Bolivia Air Force plane crashes killingtwo crew and four SpaniardsAP — LA PAZ, BOLIVIA

A Bolivian Air Force plane flying a humanitarian mission crashed minutes after takeoff in the Amazonian region, killing all six occupants, including four Span-iards who were being ferried to catch a flight to their homeland, the Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

The Beechcraft Baron, a

twin-engine propeller plane, went down in a marshy area on the outskirts of Trinidad, a city in the northeast of the country, the announcement said.

The statement identified the Spaniards as Francisco José Gallegos Gonzáles, Yandira Olivera Velarde, Delis Salvatierra Velarde and Alba Aparicio Formas. It said

the plane was crewed by an Air Force captain and lieutenant.

The plane was carrying the Spaniards to the city of Santa Cruz, where they were to board a flight bound for their country.

The ministry said investi-gators were working to determine the cause of the accident.

False bomb threat

temporarily closes

Anchorage

airport to arrivals

REUTERS — ANCHORAGE

The Anchorage airport, Alaska’s largest, temporarily shut on Saturday to inbound traffic because of a bomb threat against a China Airlines cargo flight bound for Taiwan.

The cargo plane diverted to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport early in the morning after leaving Seattle, airport officials said. No bomb was found and the airport was reopened shortly before noon, officials said.

The plane was searched in a secure, remote section of the airport, the airport said in a statement, with the Federal Bureau of Investigations and Anchorage Police Department.

“After extensive investi-gation, no explosive device was located,” the airport’s police and fire department said in a statement. “Investi-gation at the airport has been completed, however, the investigation into the source of the threat continues.

The FBI does not believe there is any continuing threat to our community as a result of this incident.” Thae Anchorage Daily News said the plane was headed to Taipei, Taiwan and the threat had been called into the Port of Seattle, quoting an FBI spokesman who said inves-tigators were still trying to determine the source of the threat.

China Airlines, Taiwan’s largest carrier, said in a statement the flight had already taken off for Taipei when it was informed of the threat by Seattle airport. The plane was then diverted to Anchorage.

The crew were taken to a hotel to rest while police searched the aircraft and determined nothing unusual, it added.

The aircraft was expected to land in Taipei late yesterday evening, China Airlines said.

Anchorage Airport is one of the world’s top five air-cargo hubs. It ranks second in the nation for weight of landed cargo. It ranks 58th in passenger travel among US airports.

While passenger flights have been sharply curtailed during the coronavirus pan-demic, air cargo operations are considered by the state to be essential and have continued.

Flights that could not land in Anchorage on Saturday morning were advised to con-sider diverting to the airport in Fairbanks.

Mexican families protest at hospital hit by coronavirusREUTERS — ECATEPEC

Families in a poor satellite city of Mexico’s capital with one of the country’s most number of coronavirus cases have protested to demand news of sick relatives and return of bodies of the dead after videos surfaced showing cadavers at a hospital.

One video of the Las Americas general hospital in Ecatepec that was posted to social media showed several bagged bodies on stretchers, some in a small room and others outside lined against a courtyard wall.

“The only thing I demand is that they give me the full body of my son,” Maria Dolores Carrillo told television program Imagen on Friday evening after her son died at the hospital.

Another video from Friday showed upset family members who had apparently forced their

way into the hospital. They shouted in a crowded hallway in a

confrontation with police, demanding news of their

relatives.Fernanda Garcia, 48, said she

saw the group become upset after hospital staff said they would not be releasing patient information. “The family members became angry because many had been here for days without news of their relatives.” Her husband died at the hospital on Friday evening after being admitted with respi-ratory problems, and his body has since been delivered to the family, she said.

Ecatepec, a working class city of more than 1.7 million inhabitants outside Mexico City, has registered 407 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 28 deaths, according to data from Mexico’s health ministry.

It is among the Mexican municipalities worst affected by the virus, which initially hit the more affluent parts of Latin America but is now spreading in poor neighborhoods.

A member of Mexico’s National Guard wearing a protective mask keeps watch at Hospital General las Americas in Mexico City, on Saturday.

How one of Brazil’s largest favelas confronts coronavirusBLOOMBERG — BRASILIA

The onset of the coronavirus pandemic in Brazil’s favelas, shantytowns that sprawl around the country’s largest cities, has left the 11.4 million Brazilians living in these densely-popu-lated neighborhoods in a partic-ularly vulnerable position. In addition to their usual problems — violent shoot outs, open sewage, military-style police operations against drug traf-fickers — they now struggle to embrace social distancing

guidelines while living side-by-side in haphazard constructions and crowded homes. Yet resi-dents of Paraisopolis, Sao Paulo’s second-largest favela, have come up with a plan to combat the coronavirus with little government help.

Their campaign involves a number of actions made possible by donations and volunteer work, from 10,000 free meals to private ambulances to a grid system of volunteer “street pres-idents,” who check to make sure everyone on their street is OK.

They have dedicated one building as a quarantine house, and they are turning closed schools into centers where res-idents who are unable to self-isolate can come to sleep.

Those who lost their jobs as housekeepers for rich Sao Paulo residents can apply for an “ A d o p t - a - H o u s e k e e p e r ” program, through which they can receive 300 reais ($55) paid by a crowd-funding project.Gilson Rodrigues, who leads the residents’ union in Paraisopolis, hopes other favelas can follow

their lead. “The idea is to rep-licate these activities in other communities,” he said, “and to serve as a model that can be applied in other places.”

With the peak of the pan-demic still to come in Brazil, it’s not clear how successful their strategy will be to slow the spread of the virus in their com-munity. The state of Sao Paulo is the hardest hit by Covid-19, with over 30,000 cases and 2,511 deaths as of Friday, most of them in its capital city. Yet President Jair Bolsonaro

continues to urge Brazilians to resume work and businesses to reopen, harshly criticizing the restrictive policies of Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria.

What makes social dis-tancing nearly impossible in favelas is the combination of crowded spaces, poverty, and little government support. Over 100,000 Brazilians live in approximately 21,000 homes in the 800,000sqm neigh-borhood of Paraisopolis. Mul-tiple generations of a family often share the same small

living space, and research has found that someone living in favela-like conditions spends 50% more time per day in contact with others than those living in richer areas.

A 2018 study published in the peer-reviewed academic journal BMJ Open on the spread of influenza in slums in India found that they “sustain greater infection rates than non-slums under all intervention scenarios, sometimes by as much as 44.0 percent” due to the greater household sizes.

“Those who assume they can attack the institutional framework in Venezuela will have to assume the consequences of their action,” said Socialist party chief Diosdado Cabello, adding that one of the detained claimed to be an agent of the US Drug Enforcement Administration.

16 MONDAY 4 MAY 2020MORNING BREAK

FAJR SUNRISE 03.33 am 04.56 am

W A L R U WA I S : 24o↗ 29o W A L K H O R : 26o↗ 35o W D U K H A N : 24o↗ 34o W WA K R A H : 28o↗ 37o W M E S A I E E D 28o↗ 37o W A B U S A M R A 25o↗ 34o

PRAYER TIMINGS WEATHER TODAY

HIGH TIDE 01:29–14:42 LOW TIDE 09:21 – 20:28

Relatively hot daytime with some clouds, and mild by night.

Minimum Maximum27oC 36oC

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11.31 am06.09 pm

ASR ISHA

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Filmmakers draw inspiration from Russia lockdownAFP — MOSCOW

The coronavirus pandemic might have brought the film industry to a halt but Andrei Konchalovsky, one of Russia’s most renowned film and theatre directors, is as busy as ever.

He wants to make a docu-mentary about daily life under quarantine, exploring the poetic side of the mundane, and he has invited ordinary Russians to work with him on the project.

“All of us have ended up on a desert island and that’s the most interesting thing,” the 82-year-old said in a video interview.

n late March, Konchalovsky issued a call on social media to his fans to make short videos for a project he has called “Quarantine Russian Style”.

“Take your smartphones, film your new routines, your favourite spot at home, or even your work web conference. And we’ll make movies!” he said.

Every week the celebrated filmmaker, who is followed by more than 400,000 people on Facebook, asks his co-creators a number of questions.

He wants them to speak about their fears or new rituals or even tell him about the “cra-ziest” thing they have pur-

chased during the lockdown. Konchalovsky, who has

earned multiple international awards and worked with renowned filmmaker Andrey Tarkovsky, has already received thousands of video clips and photos to choose from.

“They shoot them from their room, a decrepit window sill or a favourite old sofa,” he said.

Sometimes contributors read out a text or wax philo-sophical about Russians’ coping mechanisms.

Scenes have included Rus-sians sharing a vodka bottle at a makeshift table connecting two nearby balconies or riding a bike to a neighbour’s door.

Konchalovsky, who lived in the United States for many years and whose Hollywood movies include “Tango and Cash”, also asked aspiring film-makers to reflect on the nature of the quarantine in Russia and how it may be different from lockdowns in China or Europe.

The film director said his countrymen might adapt better to crises than people in the West.

“Specifics of life in Russia have fostered in man an enormous ability to resist sanc-tions,” he said. “That is why we will be able to tough it out.”

Konchalovsky is not the only filmmaker to have found new inspiration during the lockdown.

Director and producer Timur Bekmambetov, who is regarded as one of the inventors of the “Screenlife” format, in which movies take place entirely on computer screens, wants to produce a film about the lockdown in the new genre.

Like Konchalovsky, he has invited Russians to contribute short videos and script pitches for a project he has called “Tales From The Quarantine”.

The crowd-sourced stories could be real or fictional.

“Today we live more and more on our screens rather than in real life: it’s where we fall in love, get angry, where we find and lose work and understand who we are,” Bekmambetov said in a video interview from the city of Kazan more than 800 km east of Moscow.

The first episode is called “Telecommuting” and features professional actors in a web conference.

“Confinement speeds up usage of a new audiovisual lan-guage,” said Bekmambetov, 58, who shot to fame in the 2000s when he directed Russian fantasy thrillers “Day Watch”

and “Night Watch”.“Traditional cinema, which

has come to a standstill during the crisis, is outdated,” he said.

“We no longer want movies about bank heists in the era of electronic payments or balcony serenades in time of social networks.”

Due to the epidemic the Russian film industry is likely to lose around 60 percent of revenue this year, according to preliminary estimates from the culture ministry.

But online platforms still offer an opportunity to earn an income. This is what Galiya Fatkhutdinova, who makes short films, hopes to do.

The 35-year-old was giving acting classes in China when the coronavirus epidemic struck.

Stuck in quarantine, she decided to launch a series of short films to document the experience upon her return to Russia.

She invited dozens of her actor friends — who had all lost

their jobs due to the contagion – to participate in a project dubbed “The Isolated”.

“’The Isolated’ talks about everything that goes on in iso-lation: love, betrayal, politics,” Fatkhutdinova said.

She is now looking to sell her film to an online platform — one of the few distribution possibilities left during the lockdown — to be able to pay her actors.

“We must survive these strange times,” she said.

Pianist Bella Kartasheva performs on her balcony during a partial lockdown imposed by the authorities to slow down the spread of the coronavirus disease in Moscow, yesterday.

Swiss soldiers fight coronavirus armed with Bluetooth appAFP — CHAMBLON

Swiss army conscripts are taking the fight to the corona-virus pandemic by field-testing a Bluetooth-based smartphone app aimed at stopping a resur-gence of COVID-19.

The rapidly-created app traces people who have inad-vertently crossed paths with someone infected with the virus.

It uses wireless technology with each phone registering the others it has come into close proximity with for a sustained period of time.

For the field test, the infantry recruits went through a normal day: physical training, theoretical study and shooting at targets 300 metres away.

“What we did before was lab tests. Now we’re gathering data on how this app performs in real life,” Simon Rosch, a software engineer with smart-phone app developers Ubique, said.

The military base makes a good testing ground because, unlike civilians, soldiers are still allowed to congregate in

numbers in close proximity.Furthermore, they are iso-

lated from the rest of the pop-ulation inside their barracks at Chamblon, overlooking Lake Neuchatel in western Switzerland.

If an app user tests positive for the virus, a coded message is sent to others who might have been exposed to that person, with information as to what they should do next.

The aim is to break the chains of transmission and thereby suppress any spread of the virus as lockdown restric-tions are gradually lifted.

Ubique, which developed Switzerland’s main weather app, started working on the new tool only a few weeks ago.

They then joined forces with experts from the Ecole Poly-technique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) university, which had produced similar ideas.

EPFL does the security, research and Bluetooth tests while Ubique builds that knowledge into the app and comes up with the design and user experience.

“I’m pretty positive about this becoming operational —and it will help,” Rosch said during the test.

“It’s not a magic solution that can make the problem dis-appear but it’s a good thing that can support us.”

Sitting in a military briefing room armed with a laptop,

Alfredo Sanchez went through the first data sets from the field test.

A soldier was designated as if he had tested positive for the virus, and his contacts were then traced.

“It’s in the evaluation phase. The results will mean we will make some adjustments,” said

Sanchez, a project manager in the EPFL IT department.

“It’s an idea that started in Asia using GPS, which is a bit more invasive because it tracks exactly where people were,” he said. “This was created to find a solution that is much more respectful of privacy.”

Because Bluetooth signal cannot travel far, app users must be close to pick up the digital handshake between devices.

It does not matter wherea-bouts that connection takes place, so no location data is gathered, and the process is anonymous.

“We don’t have the name of the person or the phone number. The app sends a message saying you were in contact on a certain date with a person who tested positive,” said Sanchez.

Switzerland believes it now has the virus under manageable control after more than 1,400 people died in the Alpine nation and 30,000 tested positive.

Matthias Egger, the govern-ment’s COVID-19 scientific task force head, told a press

conference in Bern on Friday that two surveys now showed around 60 percent of the pop-ulation would use the app —a high level of reach that would make it very effective.

Rosch said: “The chances that you detect something get higher the more people have it installed.”

A May 11 roll-out date has been floated, to coincide with Switzerland reopening its schools and restaurants.

But it is dependent on a government green light -- plus tech giants Apple and Google releasing a new software building block that will facilitate such apps.

Sanchez said any software compatibility adjustments could then be finished by late May or early June.

For now, the as-yet unnamed app is referred to as the Decentralised Privacy-Pre-serving Proximity Tracing project — or the more “Star Wars” robot-sounding DP3T for short.

The Bluetooth contacts are stored for 14 days on users’ phones, rather than on a central server.

A Swiss soldier holds his smartphone showing an app that could help trace those who have been in close contact with someone who tested positive for the COVID-19 at the Swiss army barracks of Chamblon.

Italian museums turning to online optionsIANS — ROME

Most of Italy’s nearly 4,000 museums are set to reopen this month, several weeks after they closed at the start of the national coronavirus lockdown on March 10. But for most tourists, seeing some of the world’s greatest cultural treasures will require a virtual tour.

Last week, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced a stage-by-stage easing of national lockdown rules. The first part of the so-called “Phase Two” starts on Monday, allowing parks, factories, and building sites to reopen, reports Xinhua news agency.

Two weeks later, museums will be allowed to reopen on May 18.

Initially, the number of visits is expected to be small.

Last week, Minister of Tourism Dario Franceschini said he did not expect foreign tourists, who represent the bulk of the country’s tourist industry, to return to Italy in large numbers until 2021.

At the start, movement within the country will be limited even for

Italians looking to travel outside their region. Additionally, social distancing rules will also reduce the number of visitors.

Florence’s sprawling Uffizi Museum, for example, will only allow 450 visitors into the museum at a time, half its normal number.

In Rome, the full exhibit to mark the 500th anniversary of the death of Renaissance master Raphael, will most likely end up shortened to just 15 days, since most of the works loaned to it must be returned.

The exhibit, the largest collection of Raphael’s work ever gathered in one place, had been scheduled to run from March 5 to June 2, was forced to close its doors just days after it opened.

Other museums say they’ll only allow tourists in by reservation or through the use of shifts.

But many of the country’s greatest museums are already open 24 hours a day for increasingly sophisticated virtual tours.

The Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan had a well-developed virtual presence even before the lockdown. But the museum’s director, James Bradburne, said in an interview that after the museum closed he had staffers working from home focused on further improving the museum’s high-defi-nition digital presence.

Dozens of other Italian museums and cultural sites — ranging from the Uffizi in Florence and the Museum of Modern Art in Bologna to the Palazzo Ducale in Venice and the Colosseum in Rome — have taken similar steps.

Even the Scuderie del Quirinale has set up a virtual tour for the Raphael exhibit aimed at those unable to visit.

Italy is one of the European coun-tries worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

It currently accounts for the third highest coronavirus cases in the world with 209,328 infections, with 28,710 deaths.

Kids’ Choice Awards: ‘Avengers: Endgame’, ‘Stranger Things’ win bigIANS — LOS ANGELES

Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Endgame” and Millie Bobby Brown’s “Stranger Things” emerged as the big winners at the Kids’ Choice Awards 2020, which was produced virtually after it was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Victorious” star Victoria Justice hosted the show yesterday, about six weeks after the original date. Along with the award ceremony, the show made a $1m donation to ‘No Kid Hungry’ to help people affected by the COVID-19 crisis, reports variety.com.

The “Avengers” stars, including Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner made a special appearance during the broadcast.

Their mega-hit superhero film “Avengers: Endgame” won favourite movie, with “Spider-Man” star Tom Holland becoming the favourite superhero.

Netflix’s “Stranger Things” won favourite TV show and star Millie Bobby Brown took home the favourite TV actress award for her role as Eleven. BTS, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Shawn Mendes, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X all won music awards.

The award for favourite reality show went to “America’s Got Talent”, while Ellen DeGeneres became favourite TV host.

In film categories, Dove Cameron was named as the favourite actress, with Dwayne Johnson becoming favourite actor.

“Frozen 2” was named as the favourite animated movie, with Beyonce named as the favourite female voice from an animated movie. Josh Gad won an honour for being the favourite male voice from an ani-mated movie.

Singer Ariana Grande was named as the favourite female artiste, Shawn Mendes became the favourite male artiste. The accolade for favourite music group went to BTS.

For most tourists, seeing some of the world’s greatest cultural treasures will require a virtual tour.