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Cargo handling at Hamad Port continues rising

IRFAN BUKHARI THE PENINSULA

Despite challenging situations created by COVID-19 outbreak, Hamad Port – Qatar’s gateway to world trade – has wrapped up a successful year. The Port has registered an increase in vessels’ arrival and cargo handling in 2020 which indi-cates port’s growing importance in regional trade.

Hamad Port, in 2020, handled over 1.4 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) containers and received 1,600 vessels.

According to figures released by QTerminals, ter-minal operating company pro-viding services at Hamad Port, on its Twitter handle, the Port handled 1.4 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units con-tainers; 304, 481 tonnes of bulk

cargo; 1,196,559 tonnes of general cargo; 59,443 vehicles; and 264,164 heads of livestock last year.

In 2019, Hamad Port had received 1,545 vessels while it had handled over 1.3 million TEUs containers; 182,669 tonnes of bulk cargo; 625,532 tonnes of general cargo; 76,501 vehicles; and 374,395 heads of livestock. Hamad Port handled around seven percent more TEU containers in 2020 when compared to the previous year (2019).

In another tweet, QTer-minals also released figures of cargo handling at Hamad Port in December 2020.

According to data, the port received 147 vessels last month. Hamad Port, in December 2020, handled 146,429 TEUs containers; 52,500 tonnes of bulk cargo; 172,690 tonnes of general cargo; 3,493 vehicles; and 23,059 heads of livestock.

With every passing month and year, Hamad Port’s han-dling of movement of vessels and cargo is increasing and the port is expanding its container terminal base.

Recently on December 22 last year, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani made a visit to Hamad Port, during which

he inaugurated the initial oper-ation of Hamad Port’s Container Terminal 2, which is equipped with the latest environment-fr iendly technological equipment to meet the needs and requirements of shipping

line operators and would increase the port’s capacity by about three million containers per year.

CT2 development project consists of four phases. Full oper-ation of Phases 1 & 2 will start

before the end of 2022. Phases 3 & 4 will be developed later to raise the port’s operational capacity according to local market’s needs, said an earlier statement of the Ministry of Transport and Com-munications. �P2

Amir condoles with Ghani on death of AfghanAmbassadorto QatarQNA — DOHA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani offered, during a phone call yesterday, his condolences to President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan H E Dr. Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and to the friendly Afghan people on the death of Afghanistan’s Ambassador to the State of Qatar Abdul Hakim Dalili.

Weekly Mahaseel Market to begin on January 7THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The fifth edition of the Mahaseel Festival yesterday concluded its activities in the southern part of Katara allowing Mahaseel Market to start operation from January 7 for three days in a week (Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays).

Mahaseel Market will open from 9am to 9pm on Thursday and Saturday and from 1pm to 9pm on Friday until March end 2021, said Katara in a statement.

The Mahaseel Festival, in its fifth edition achieved great success by attracting Qatari farms and national companies specialised in agricultural production. The festival

opened new horizons to encourage agricultural investment and support food production projects with the a i m o f a c h i e v i n g self-sufficiency.

The fifth edition of the fes-tival witnessed increased par-ticipation by farmers, apiaries and specialised local companies with agricultural production and livestock.

A total of 28 Qatari farms participated in the festival that displayed many varieties of fresh vegetables and honey, in addition to the pavilions of nine specialized national companies that highlighted national products of fresh agricultural and food crops.

The Festival also received participation of eight nurseries which offered flowers, roses and ornamental plants.

The fifth edition of the Mahaseel Festival was also dis-tinguished by the diversity of its exhibitors, products and the multiplicity of its wings, in addition to its good prepa-ration, organisation and services.

On the other hand, Mahaseel Market will held its activity on the southern part of Katara, starting from January 7, (Thursday to Saturday from 9am to 9pm and from 1pm to 9pm on Friday. The Mahaseel Market will continue until the end of March. �P2

The fifth edition of the Mahaseel Festival witnessed increased participation by farmers, apiaries and specialised local companies

QNL opens more services, booking slotsFAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

Qatar National Library (QNL) has extended the timings and increased limit of number of people allowed within the building since yesterday, as part of reopening procedure under gradual lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.

“Starting January 2, 2021, we’ll open more services and booking slots for you, including welcoming you on Saturdays, which is available now for booking. The Library will be closed on Fridays,” the Library said in the website.

The visits to the Library will continue to be allowed by appointment only.

Only 300 people will be allowed in the building during each time slot (8 to 10am, 10.30am to 2.30pm, and 3.30 to 8pm) from Saturday to Thursday.

“For their safety, pregnant

women are not allowed into the Library during this phase of reopening,” said the Library.

Earlier only 200 people were allowed inside the Library during each in two slots and the Library was closed on Saturdays.

To borrow books, Library members need to request them in advance at least two working days before the time slot they booked for Library visit. They

will need the Library ID to self-checkout these books.

Visitors will be allowed into the building only if they have a confirmation of their slot booking, are between ages 13 and 60 year, have a green status on the Ehteraz app, have a temperature of not more than 37.8 degrees Celsius and wear a face mask or shield.

The Children’s Library and the Young Adults’ Area will

remain closed until further notice.

The Heritage Library has reo-pened and Heritage Reading Room is also available to users for selected heritage and reference materials (requests are processed on a case by case basis). Heritage Library materials are accessible primarily by requesting a digital copy via this email (heritageli-brary@qnl.qa). �P3

UK logs more than 57,000 new casesAP — LONDON

The United Kingdom yesterday hit a daily record for new coro-navirus infections — 57,725 — and according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University has overtaken Italy once again to be the worst hit country in Europe with nearly 75,000 virus-related deaths.

The fear is that the number of deaths will grow over the coming weeks. The UK has recorded its five highest daily new infection numbers over the past five days.

TOTAL VESSELS

B/BULK F/T

CONTAINERSTEUs

LIVESTOCK HEADS

RORO UNITS

BULK F/T

1,600

1,196,559

1,412,689

264,16459,443

304,481

Containers, Bulk, Break-Bulk, RoRo and Livestock handled during the year 2020

With every passing month and year, Hamad Port’s handling of movement of vessels and cargo is increasing and the port is expanding its container terminal base.

Only 300 people will be allowed in the building during each time slot

Time slots to be available from 8 to 10am, 10.30am to 2.30pm, and 3.30 to 8pm from Saturday to Thursday.

To borrow books, Library members need to request them in advance at least two working days before the time slot they booked for Library visit.

Overwhelming response to COVID-19 vaccine in QatarSANAULLAH ATAULLAH THE PENINSULA

Head of Vaccination at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), Dr. Soha Al Bayat, has said that COVID-19 vaccine being provided by Qatar has received high response from people.

Speaking to a Qatar Radio programme yesterday, Dr. Soha said that 10 days completed since the Ministry rolled out the vaccine in the country and no complaint or any severe type of complication recorded.

“We received calls from people seeking vaccines against COVID-19. There is overwhelming response for the vaccine. I would like to assure people that no com-plaints of serious complications, so far, have been recorded among those who received the vaccine,” she said.

She said that the vaccines are being provided in phases.

“Now we are in phase 1 (A) which covers three sections of the society: senior citizens aged 70 and above, people with chronic diseases with risks and complications such as renal failure and frontline healthcare workers,” said Dr. Soha.

She said that completion of phase 1 (A) vaccine programme will be announced next week and people will be kept updated about the coming phases.

Speaking about the possible side effects of COVID-19 vaccine, Dr. Soha said: “There are mild side effects of the vaccine like any other types of vaccine. It could cause light fever and slight soreness at the place of injection.”

She said that the most common side effect is slight pain in the arm where the vaccine is administered for few hours for some people or for maximum 24 hours for others. �P2

02 SUNDAY 3 JANUARY 2021HOME

MoPH: 124 morerecover fromCOVID-19THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) yesterday announced the registration of 198 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. Among them 24 were trav-ellers returning from abroad.

Also 124 people have recovered from the virus, bringing the total number of recovered cases in Qatar to 141,680. All new cases have been introduced to isolation and are receiving necessary healthcare according to their health status.

The total number of pos-itive COVID-19 cases recorded in Qatar is 144,240 and there are 2,315 active cases under treatment.

QRCS launches 2nd surgical mission for poor patients in SomaliaTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has launched the 2nd surgical mission at the De Martini General Hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia.

At a total cost of QR 336,150, a local team of surgeons will perform 200 surgeries for poor patients, who will also receive initial examinations, pre- and post-procedure care, and medical prescriptions free of charge.

Another aspect of the mission is to build the capacity of the hospital’s medical staff, by engaging them in the oper-ating room.

Dr. Abdul Razak Yousef, Director of the De Martini General Hospital, said, “This is the second surgical mission to be launched by QRCS’s repre-sentation mission. It will cover more critical cases at the hospital.

"The first episode was totally successful. I would like to thank the State of Qatar and QRCS for their efforts to support the health sector of Somalia”.

The ongoing mission focuses on the newly displaced and conflict-affected local com-munity of Mogadishu, Benaadir Region. So far, 80 major sur-geries have been performed (thyroidectomy, laparotomy,

cholecystectomy, amputation, abdominal hernia repair, removal of abdominal tumours, hemorrhoidectomy, urinary fistula surgery, breast cancer surgery, reconstructive burn surgery, removal of benign tumours, varicocelectomy, and C-section).

Since 2006, QRCS has been carrying out health projects in Somalia. It operates the Afgooye General Hospital and the TB and Multidrug-Resistant TB Center.

Other projects include the provision of healthcare services in Bay and Sool Regions, as well as many other medical pro-grammes across the country.

Doctors perform a surgery under the project supported by Qatar Red Crescent Society at the De Martini General Hospital in Mogadishu.

Aspire Academy endurance development camp a successTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Aspire Academy held an Endurance Development camp recently in the Sealine area. With the regular sports training camp season severely disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, the Aspire Endurance team came up with a home-made solution and decided to hold its camp at the Sealine Beach Resort.

The camp was for the student-athletes, most of whom were on their first training camp. The camp’s goal was to help build on the momentum gained since the start of the year and help plans for more training camp opportunities to come in 2021.

Aspire Academy Endurance lead coach, David McCarthy, and fellow Aspire coaching staff Mathew Cullen (Team Culture Support) and Ahmad Jaad (Aspire Resident Educator and graduate) said the camp was successful.

“The venue and envi-ronment turned out to be ideal

and fit for purpose for the goals we had in mind as a coaching staff. We managed to get important background infor-mation on this training camp that helps develop student-ath-letes from a holistic perspective. In this time of the coronavirus, it has been difficult to travel abroad for training camp, and we thought why not go local, and it has turned out to be one of the best decisions we ever made because this has been a wonderful training camp,” McCarthy said.

Aspire student-athlete Faris Ayman Salih Ali, who was on his first-ever training camp, said, “We came here to this training camp to get out of the daily routine and relax. The training camp here in the desert has been a nice camp; we swim and train in the morning. I like running as a sport, and l expect to take benefits from the expe-rience. The coach worked with us to improve, we started from a low level, and now we are improving and getting better each time. This year we are

expecting new records and new medals.

“As a student-athlete at Aspire Academy, this is some-thing I am proud of and I thank Aspire Academy for how they provide us with such support for us to be the best we can be.”

Meanwhile, the Qatar national swim team is on a training camp in preparation for the forthcoming international competitions. The camp is the second training camp this year

since the pandemic. Qatar Swimming Association (QSA) first had a camp in August for 18 days to prepare the swimmers for the forthcoming swimming season. It’s all hands to the deck as the swimmers crisscross between Aspire Academy pool and Hamad Aquatic Centre for intensive training, including fitness ses-sions in the Aspire gym.

The Qatar national swim team counts Aspire

student-athletes and graduates among its number. They hope to make the final squad for the annual GCC competition in swimming scheduled for March 2021 and the AASF Asian Age Groups Championships 2021. This year is also expected to pack in other swimming com-petitions that were postponed due to the coronavirus pan-demic, such as FINA Swimming World Cup.

Qatar Swimming Associ-ation coach Omar Kheddache said the swimmers had reacted well to the training camp. Due to the fruitful partnership and relationship between the Qatar Swimming Association and Aspire Academy, their opera-tions have been running smoothly. “Everyone associated with swimming is pleased and grateful for the cooperation between the two key players in our sport, Qatar Swimming Association, and Aspire Academy. They work together so well that we can hold this training camp without any issue at all."

Student athletes during the endurance camp held at Sealine.

People visiting the flowers section at Mahaseel Festival, at Katara, yesterday.

12th International Falconry & Hunting Festival under way QNA/THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The 12th Qatar International Falconry & Hunting Festival (Marmi), held under the patronage of H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, opened on Friday. It will go on until January 30, 2021.

Organised by Qatar Al Gannas Society, the Festival is being held at Sabkat Marmi in Sealine.

The Festival’s competitions began with Talaa championship for groups 1 to 6. Three participants qualified for the next rounds, namely: Mohammed Ghaleb Al Dossary and Barzan Team with two falcons.

Mohammed Mubarak Al Ali said the first day witnessed the participation of 6 groups, adding that the start of the competitions was somewhat delayed to ensure clear visibility so that the chances are equal for all.

Al Ali praised the participants’ response, respect and application of health conditions and precautions, by wearing masks and showing the Ehteraz app, which must be green.

Head of the Hadad Challenge Committee Ali Sultan Nasser Al Hamidi pointed out that the event saw a record

number of participants, with the crowded schedule of competitions throughout the month, adding the qualifiers will be held on many days during the morning and evening periods.

The Marmi Festival is aimed at pre-serving and promoting the sport of fal-conry. It sheds light on Qatari heritage through various shows and competitions.

The 12th Qatar International Fal-conry & Hunting Festival (Marmi) wit-nessed tough competition on second day yesterday.

Four falcons qualified for forth-coming round Al Tala Championship. Three falcons also qualified for Hudad Al Tahadi Championship. Under Al Tala Championship competitions of the

groups of contestants from seven to 12 were held where the bird of Turkey bin Abdullah Al Dosari of Group 8 qualified.

Barazan Team of Group 9 and 12 with two falcons qualified. The bird of Jaber Ubaid Al Ghithan of Group 10 also

qualified.Head of Al Talah Committee,

Mohamad Mubarak Al Ali said that the second day witnessed participation of six groups from Group 7 to 12. Hudad Al Tahadi Championship witnessed

tough competitions among Shahin falcons and Al Zajil of Abdullah Fakhro.

The falcons succeeded in over-coming the pigeons after a strong adventure in the sky of Sabkhat Marmi at Sealine.

Participants during the 12th Qatar International Falconry & Hunting Festival (Marmi).

The Marmi Festival is aimed at preserving and promoting the sport of falconry. It sheds light on Qatari heritage through various shows and competitions.

Cargo handling at Hamad Port continues rising

FROM PAGE 1

Phase 1 of CT2 has been equipped with 3 STS quay cranes with advanced tech-nology, including semi-auto-mation and remote-control operations.

STS cranes are known for being so fast and highly effi-cient in handling containers and capable of handling latest types of vessels. Each crane can handle four 20’ containers or two 40’ containers at the same time. Four more cranes will be added during 2021, taking the total number of cranes to seven.

CT2 has been also equipped with 12 RTGs and 14 more will be added during 2021, taking the total to 26. RTGs are used for handling containers on the landside. RTGs are of battery hybrid type.

This technology reduces the environmental impact of RTG operations by reducing fuel consumption. Further, when a container/load is lowered, there is a spike of generated power which results in a rapid charge event of the batteries.

In November last year, QTerminals achieved a mile-stone by reaching three million man-hours without any Lost Time Injury (LTI) during the construction of Hamad Port’s Container Terminal 2.

Weekly Mahaseel Market to begin on January 7FROM PAGE 1

The market will exhibit various types of fresh local products such as vegetables, agricultural produce, flowers, ornamental plants, and food products related to livestock, in addition to the finest natural honey produced by

Qatari farms and the best varieties of local dates, with the participation of major farms and national com-panies specialised in pro-duction and sale of sheep and poultry meat, eggs, milk and its derivatives, and natural juices.

The market’s resumption of its activities comes within the framework of the efforts of the Cultural Village Foun-dation Katara to support the agricultural and livestock sector and encourage Qatari farm owners and its interest in marketing local products.

Overwhelming response to COVID-19 vaccine in Qatar

FROM PAGE 1

“Most of the people who took vaccine of COVID-19 need not to take medicines, few people who need are pre-scribed minor medicines like any painkiller or those for reducing fever,” said Dr. Soha.

She urged people to keep adhering to the preventive and precautionary measures at this stage to curb the spread of COVID-19.

“The provision of vaccine against COVID-19 does not mean the pandemic is over. The vaccines are provided in phases. At least 75 percent people should be vaccinated in Qatar and the same per-centage in all over the world but we could not reach at this level,” said Head of Vacci-nation at Ministry of Public Health (MoPH).

“We are expected to reach this level in summer 2021. During current phase, measures like social dis-tancing, wearing face masks, not shaking hands and using sanit isers should be

continued.”She asked people to have

patience and do not be in hurry in demanding for lifting the restrictions.

“We should follow up closely the scientific infor-mation about COVID-19 vac-cines. Clinical experiments and studies on the vaccine con-tinue to obtain more infor-mation in this regard,” said Dr. Soha.

Now, she said, for example, when the vaccine came first it was suggested for people aged 18 and above but now the clinical experiments include aged 16 and above.

“A vaccine manufacturing company is experimenting on those aged 12 and above by the time more sections could be added,” said Dr. Soha.

She said that adequate number of people will be administered vaccines against COVID-19 during coming months and more accurate information will be available which will help to overcome the pandemic.

Six arrested for violating home quarantineQNA — DOHA

The designated authorities arrested yesterday six persons who violated the requirements of the home quarantine rules.

The violators currently being referred to prosecution are Karim Hussam Ibrahim Abde-latti, Fakhruddin Hanoun, Ahmed Afif Al Amour, Mahmoud Mohamed Attia, Ismail Karsia and Iyad Samir Reda Alwa.

03SUNDAY 3 JANUARY 2021 HOME

HMC advises quad bike use by trained adults only THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Hamad Injury Prevention Program (HIPP) of the Hamad Trauma Center has issued a series of recommendations that can help residents of Qatar to stay safe on their quad bikes or all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) during this year’s outdoor and camping season.

HIPP team has analysed data from 1,188 ATV-related trauma cases from the Qatar National Trauma Registry, Al Wakra Hospital and the HMC Ambulance Service. These victims were all injured at Sealine or Mesaieed area while using off-road vehicles from the months of November to March for three seasons, 2017 to 2018, 2018 to 2019 and 2019 to 2020.

“There is much to be learned from this collabo-rative effort that serves as the basis for our safety recom-mendations that every person in Qatar, who engages in activities using off-road vehicles, must know and implement to make their camping season safe and injury-free,” said Dr. Rafael Consunji, Director of the HIPP, which is the community outreach arm of the Hamad Trauma Center.

“Quad bikes are designed for one single operator, their weight and power must be managed by the driver. He/she must have enough strength, counterweight, training and experience to drive one safely.

"Some ATV rental outlets in Qatar do not rent out to children, younger than 18 years. This is the globally accepted safest and recom-mended practice. Families

must see to it that young children do not drive or ride ATVs” he said.

Permanent paralysis or brain damage can happen at the moment of impact of an ATV crash.

Following recommenda-tions have been advised to follow to reduce the chance of both injuries, in the event of a crash.

Parents and ATV rental agencies should not allow young children, to operate quad bikes. Almost one third of all victims were between the ages of 11 to 15 years. Quad bikes are not toys; their size, power and weight require complex decision-making, impulse control and strength, which are not present in young children.

Quad bikes are designed for responsible use by fully-trained and mature adults. For these reasons, the American Academy of Ortho-pedic Surgeons does not rec-ommend that children younger than 12 years old operate quad bikes and that those with more than 90cc in (engine) size should never be operated by persons under 16 years of age.

Its also advised that no passengers should be allowed

on a quad bike, unless it is specially designed for pas-sengers. About a quarter of all victims were injured as pas-sengers. Quad bikes are designed for only one user, the driver or operator.

To drive a quad bike safely, one must be able to adjust one’s position and shift weight in response to sudden changes in direction, speed and terrain. Riding with or as a passenger increases the chance of weight imbalance and instability. These result in rollovers and crashes; another reason that small children, with low body weights, should not be riding or driving quad bikes.

HIPP has also advised to avoid peak periods of activity to reduce the risk of injury. Half of victims were injured on Fridays, between 2pm and 10pm. The congestion and density of different kinds of off-road vehicles added to the mix of experience levels and driving expertise makes this period the most-risky for all.

It is best to go at a time when there are less enthu-siasts using the course and to only use areas that are under the direct supervision of the responsible authorities, like the Traffic Department,

Mawater or the Ministry of Culture and Sports.

Its highly recommended not to operate quad bikes without protective gear such as a helmet. The majority of injuries affected body parts that can easily be protected by the proper PPE; the head, arms, legs, feet, eyes and face were most commonly affected.

Helmets, gloves, ankle boots and protective eyewear are needed to protect the quad bike driver in the event of a crash.

Long sleeved shirts and long pants are also recom-mended to protect the vul-nerable knees and elbows from cuts and scratches.

Leave the stunt driving to professionals — the most common injury mechanisms are collisions and rollovers. Collisions may be with fixed objects [suddenly appearing walls, posts etc], with another quad bike or with other vehicles.

Children are more likely to be injured in collisions or in lateral rollovers while adults were most commonly injured in backward rollovers, a common mechanism when ascending hills or dunes or doing “wheelies’’ or stunts.

Ooredoo’s Shahry Me plan a hit with customersTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Ooredoo has announced its new customisable app-managed postpaid plan, Shahry Me, is proving to be a great success with customers.

The new digital plan fea-tures a completely custom-isable allocation of data and calling across family members and households. It can be designed based on the cus-tomer’s individual needs and family and household members, ensuring allowances do not go to waste. Customers can make the most of all ele-ments of their plan.

Shahry Me allows users easily to share data and minutes with the whole family and household members via the app at any time. The main account owner can manage up to 5 SIM cards of the family while controlling services and allowances via the specially designed app. Unused allow-ances can be passed on to other family and household members, and children can be rewarded with extra data for more screen time.

Customers will also be pro-tected against bill shocks as dependent users will have to request extra allowances from the main account holder, who will approve or reject such requests.

After installing the new Shahry Me app, customers will be able to order their Shahry Me SIM online or migrate any of their existing Hala or Shahry services to Shahry Me.

Thanks to a customised plan within a fully digital service, they will be charged only for the confirmed services. This works in real-time,

meaning all changes, charges, and subscriptions can be exe-cuted in seconds and allows the main SIM owner to use the unique ‘Build Your Own Plan’ feature integral to the inno-vative new system.

Shahry Me comes loaded with fantastic entertainment, including Hollywood and Bol-lywood movies with STARZ PLAY and ErosNow, and thou-sands of buy-one-get-one-free offers at a wide range of leading leisure, lifestyle, and dining options with the Urban Point app in Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman.

Director PR at Ooredoo Sabah Rabiah Al Kuwari said: “We’re delighted to see the market reacting so well to our new Shahry Me digital cus-tomer experience. A tre-mendous amount of research went into the design of the plan and its app; to ensure complete customer satisfaction, which is at the heart of our corporate strategy.

"It’s great to see our cus-tomers so enthusiastic about everything it offers. Moving towards complete digitalisation is also a key focus at Ooredoo, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030, and this com-pletely digital, app-managed plan fits perfectly with our future plans.”

QSC honours winners of robot wrestling contest for studentsTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar Scientific Club (QSC) has honoured winners of a robot wrestling competition.

The event was organised by QSC in partnership with Min-istry of Education and Higher Education with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, as part of the scientific activities of the spring camp.

The competition was included in the camp’s activities for the first time, which helped school students to participate during the holiday period.

The competition involved male and female students in the age group of 12 to 16.

The teams used remote-controlled robots.

The Qatar Scientific Club provided the Qatari Committee and the Organising Committee for Robot Competitions all the necessary support and assistance for each team, with the provision of a table for the initial experiments.

The competition had two levels, beginner and advanced.

In the first week of the compe-tition, 25 teams participated, of which 15 teams qualified for the second phase, which began on December 29, 2020.

There was a jury specialised in the competition and applied the criteria for the compatibility of the participating robots in terms of dimensions and weight. There were prizes for the first three teams in the advanced category competition and two entry level awards in addition to three prizes for each category for the best pro-gramming design. Multiple teams from the schools partic-ipated in the competition.

The first place, in advanced

level, was secured by Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib School team. Omar bin Al Khattab Prepar-atory School team came second. The third place went to the Qatar School of Science and Technology team.

In the beginner category, the first place was secured by Omar bin Al Khattab Prepar-atory School Team 1, while second place went to Omar bin Al Khattab Preparatory Team 2. Hamzah bin Abdul Muttalib Preparatory School for Boys won the third position.

In the Advanced Design Competition, Qatar Technical School Team 2 secured the first place. Qatar School of Science and Technology Team 2 won the design competition in the beginner category.

For the programming com-petition beginner level, the ranking was as follows: Qatar Science and Technology Team 1 and Qatar Science and Tech-nology Team 2. As for advanced programming, the first place went to Qatar Technical School Team 1 while the second place

went to Qatar School of Science and Technology.

At the end of the compe-tition, Qatar Scientific Club hon-oured the judges and the par-ticipants in the competition.

Maryam Al Awadhi, Chairman of the Organising Committee for National Robot Competitions and in charge of

the Robot Competitions at the Qatar Scientific Club, met with the competition committee, jury and contestants to provide rec-ommendations and directions before the start of the competition.

Sheikh Ali bin Salman Al Thani, Head of the Scientific Activities and Events

Department at Qatar Scientific Club, said that the competition is a qualitative leap in the course of seasonal activities camps such as the spring camp and the summer camp, espe-cially in light of the current con-ditions related to the excep-tional measures regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

One of the winning teams at the awards ceremony for the robot wrestling competition organised by the Qatar Scientific Club.

The competition, held as part of the spring camp, involved school students aged 12 to 16. A total of 25 teams took part in the competition.

Shahry Me allows users easily to share data and minutes with the whole family and household members via the app at any time.

Quad bikes are designed for one single operator, their weight and power must be managed by the driver. He/she must have enough strength, counterweight, training and experience to drive one safely. Families must see to it that young children do not drive or ride quad bikes or all-terrain vehicles.

Dr. Rafael ConsunjiDirector, Hamad Injury Prevention Program

QNL opens more services, booking slots

FROM PAGE 1

Visitors are required to follow the social dis-tancing rules every-where in the Library and stand only on designated stickers whenever queuing. Social gath-erings of more than 10 people are strictly restricted in the Library and will be monitored by security.

Reading carrels may be used on a first-come, first-use basis, with only one user inside each carrel.

The Library’s events and workshops will con-tinue to be offered online until further notice, despite re-opening doors to the public.

Qatar National Library has scheduled a packed series of learning events to start 2021.

THE PENINSULA – DOHA

Children have a unique, pure vision of the world around them. When they express their perspectives using their rich, untapped artistic talents, a glowing imagination emerges, expressing fresh insight and brimming with creativity and innovation.

Those who have recently visited Qatar National Library would have seen more than 30 canvases painted in acrylic colors, created by the fingertips of children who participated in several art workshops organized by the Library. An elite group of Qatari artists ran these as mentors, including Fatima Al-Nesf, Dana Safar, and many others.

Last October, Qatar National Library launched the Children’s Art Display’ Reesha’, which highlights the artistic talents inherent in this promising gen-eration of students. Organizing this student art display is part of the Library’s role as a cultural institution that devotes its utmost effort to promoting imagination, nurturing crea-tivity, unlocking talents, and developing skills to encourage children to showcase their artistic talents to patrons and visitors.

About this exhibition, Hind Al Khulaifi, Manager of Chil-dren’s and Young Adults’ Library, said: “We firmly believe that the Library’s role is not limited to giving access to books and spreading the culture of reading among the young, but also includes developing a bal-anced personality for children, enhancing their talents and

encouraging them to express their ideas and visions in a variety of ways, whether in writing, public speaking, or artistic creativity.”

“These art workshops were an ideal opportunity for partic-ipating students to hone their artistic skills under the guidance of an elite group of Qatari artists. The result was a unique collection of paintings rich in meanings and connotations about Qatar’s character, fea-tures, and most beautiful aspects. We now have a new promising generation of artists, and we are looking forward to more artistic expressions in the near future,” Hind Al Khulaifi added.

“The aim of the art display is to connect children with their cultural identity, boost their sense of belonging, and unleash their artistic and creative imag-ination,” said Nour Mohamed,

a Children’s librarian, and the exhibition curator. “Young peo-ple’s contributions were varied and reflected their diverse cre-ativity through paintings which combined the past and the present. Children’s talents have been unleashed and manifested themselves on canvas paintings with their spontaneous drawings. Perhaps the most beautiful description of this display is ‘Qatar in the eyes of its children’.”

“Each student became immersed in their imagination

and creativity. Some of them imagined Qatar as a mother with jewelry and gold in the hands of her daughters. Others painted the falcon, a symbol of Arab and Qatari identity. Qatar’s glorious past and heritage was depicted as a modern lighthouse on Doha’s towering buildings. Each drawing expressed a focused and deep perspective that forms a bigger image of Qatar in the eyes of our children and their creative pens. The guided art workshops were very successful in enhancing chil-dren’s abilities of expression through drawing,” Muhammad added:

Dana Al Safar, one of the mentoring artists participating in the exhibition’s workshops, said: “Art is a mirror of nations that reflects our progress, development, culture, and ambition for all the world to see. This is what our government

has aspired to achieve in the past and the present through their efforts that sponsored and supported arts as in all its forms. Pablo Picasso once said, ‘Eve-rything you can imagine is real’ - the seed of creativity begins with an imagination which has no limits. No one has a rich and fertile imagination similar to children.”

Khalifa Musa, a student at Omar Ibn Al-Khattab School, said: “I grew up and saw my mother drawing, painting and doing handicrafts, which unleashed my passion and love for the art of drawing. Cooper-ating with my classmates, I participated in the art display and spent my time in my favorite place, drawing on weekdays. It was a unique experience, and it had a pos-itive impact on my personality. I hope to take part once again in this exchange of ideas and

to learn something new.”Hassan Ahmad Al-Ansari,

a student at Omar bin Al-Khattab School, said: “I was particularly excited for being chosen as a participant in Reesha art workshops because I love drawing. My friends and I discovered a landmark from our beloved country, and I learned to paint the houses and ancient monuments. I drew the interior of an old house. I also drew some household pots and containers and enjoyed this artistic journey which was beautiful and fruitful.”

The exhibition also included paintings by male and female students from several other schools, namely Khawla Bint Al-Azwar Primary School for Girls, Al-Bayan Al-Oula School for Girls, Taiba Model Independent School, and Abdullah bin Zaid School.

04 SUNDAY 3 JANUARY 2021HOME

Last October, Qatar National Library launched the Children’s Art Display’ Reesha’, which highlights the artistic talents inherent in this promising generation of students.

Reesha Student Art Display highlights children's artistry

School students paint their creative visions of the most beautiful things in Qatar.

Bazm-e-Urdu Qatar holds online international poetry symposium

THE PENINSULA – DOHA

Bazm-e-Urdu Qatar (BUQ), the oldest Urdu literary organisation in Qatar, recently organised an online global symposium from Doha.

Bazm, founded in 1959, has been holding monthly poetic symposiums for the last five decades. It also organises quarterly and annual Urdu seminars and i n t e r n a t i o n a l p o e t i c symposiums.

The recent session gave poets couplet lines from noted classical poet Mirza Khan Dagh Dehlvi to write their poetry in line with Daagh’s lines using, ‘This news will fly for a long time,’ and ‘I have fallen after reaching the sky.’

Poet Iqbal Khilash from India presided over the programme, while Dr. Ahmad Ali Barqi Azmi from Delhi was the chief guest for the evening and popular poet Dr. Ahmad Nadeem Rafi (USA) and Sarfraz Bazmi (India) were the guests of honour.

The programme started with the recitation of the Quran by Dr. Saad Rafiq Shad. Dr. Faisal Hanif, Chairman Bazm-e-Urdu Qatar gave the welcome speech offering an account of Bazm’s activities for many decades and a brief introduction of classical poet Daagh Dehvli.

Meanwhile, the General-Secretary Iftekhar Raghib intermittently invited Qazi Abdul Malik and Abul Khair Khan to recite poems of Daagh in rhythm.

Amongst those who recited the Urdu Ghazal in the programe were, Iqbal Khalish (India), Dr. Ahmad Ali Berqi Azmi (India), Dr. Ahmad

Nadeem Rafi (USA), Sarfraz Bazmi (India), Jaleel Nizami, Alok Kumar Shreevastiv Shaz Jahani (India), Mohammad Rafiq Shad Akolvi, Iftikhar Raghb, Rashid Sheikh (USA), Zamir Ahmed Zamir (India), Farid Anwar Siddiqui (UAE), Zeenat Kausar Lakhani (Pakistan), Fayyaz Bukhari Kamal, Farooq Raza (India), Ajit Singh Badal (India), Mansoor Azmi, Dr. Wasi Bastavi, Mansoor Qasmi (KSA), Shahbaz Shamsi (UAE), Dr. Tariq Faiz (India), Izhar Rashid (India), Vaijnath Shah Manto, Razia Kazmi (USA), Alia Taqvi (India), Sufyan Ahmed (India) and Nazhat Nausheen (India).

The guests of honour delivered a short speech about the online experience of the symposium. They thanked BUQ for bestowing upon them the guests of honor title for the evening, saying such programmes were a dire need of the society to promote Urdu language and literature.

The chief guest poet, Dr. Ahmad Ali Barqi Azmi, hailed BUQ for its activities. He recounted BUQ’s efforts to promote the Urdu language and literature in the country during this pandemic.

Iqbal Khalish appreciated the poets in attendance. He thanked BUQ’s team for continuing to serve the cause of Urdu in a foreign country.

The programme was considered another fine addition to the efforts of BUQ in organising seminars to attract and enlighten Doha Urdu lovers about poets and writers who have significantly contributed to the growth of Urdu literature.

Participants during the online global symposium organised by Bazm-e-Urdu Qatar.

IEI Qatar marks 53rd Engineers' DayTHE PENINSULA – DOHA

Institute of Engineers India (IEI) of Qatar chapter has marked 53rd Engineers’ Day to commem-orate the birth anniversary of the legendary engineer Bharat Ratna Sir Mokshagundam Visves-varaya, at Liverpool John Moores University Qatar.

Due to the COVID-19 pan-demic, the event was conducted in hybrid mode for the first time. Dignitaries and executive com-mittee members joined in person at the venue, with over 500 members and engineers from Qatar, India, and other parts of the world joining in via zoom online.

Chairman of IEI Qatar chapter, Eng. Abdul Sathar wel-comed the delegates and opened the 53rd Engineers Day 2020 with an inspiring address, calling upon all members of the engi-neering profession and the wider community to utilize their skills, knowledge, and efforts for the welfare of society and humankind.

The Chief Guest was Ambas-sador of India to Qatar, H E Dr. Deepak Mittal, also the Patron of IEI Qatar chapter. In his inaugural speech, Dr. Mittal lauded the Indian community resident’s contribution to Qatar, including its engineers, towards strengthening and fur-thering Qatar and India’s friendly

relations through their work. He highlighted the impor-

tance of engineers as builders and the engineering profession as the backbone of any country and the innovations they bring about for society’s benefit. Dr. Mittal reiterated the significance of blending quality and frugality that Indian engineers are well known for and must continue to strive for in every future engi-neering projects they undertake, across all engineering areas.

He commended the IEI Qatar chapter’s dedicated efforts in bringing together the engineering community through excellent

events and meaningful themes despite the challenges posed by COVID-19 throughout this chal-lenging year.

Prof KK Aggarwal, Chairman of National Board of Accredi-tation, India, highlighted the IEI Qatar chapter’s efforts as a high performing arm of the organi-sation and complimented the Government of Qatar for sup-porting the cause of the engi-neering profession in a big way. He highlighted the importance for engineers to be aware of and prepared for the ever-changing engineering paradigms.

Padma Shri Mylswamy

Annadurai, fondly known as Moon Man of India for having led various prestigious Indian space explo-ration missions like Chandrayaan 1, Mangalyaan, and Chandrayaan 2, graced the occasion.

During his speech, he described how India was suc-cessful in its maiden Moon and Mars exploration programs at a fraction of the cost of other inter-national undertakings. Ingenuity, Innovation, and Adaptability were the three keywords of wisdom he shared with attendees to ponder upon and consider.

President of Arab Engineers Forum, Eng. Jassim Ahmed Al Jolo recognised and applauded the contribution of Indian engi-neers towards Qatar’s national vision and the part they have played in building the nation.

Sunitha Shyam, CEO and Founding Partner of Veritadyne Strategic Consulting, delivered the keynote address on the 53rd Engineers’ day themed ‘Engi-neers for a Self-Resilient India’. She highlighted the significance of the coming together of potential and ambition to achieve India’s national development agenda through self-reliance while ensuring that it is not inter-preted as enforced isolation, robbing the country of necessary and meaningful global engage-ments and partnerships.

Ambassador of India to Qatar, Dr. Deepak Mittal, and President of Arab Engineers Forum, Eng. Jassim Ahmed Al Jolo, with other officials during souvenir release at the event.

MOCI announcesrecall of selectmodels of HondaTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in cooperation with DOMASCO - Doha Marketing Services, dealer of Honda in Qatar, has announced the recall of Honda Odyssey, Accord, CR-V, Legend, Civic, and City models of 1998-2000, Number of vehicles: 729 over the driver’s airbag inflator may not function properly due to excessive or insufficient pressure during deployment.

The campaign comes within the framework of the Ministry’s continuous efforts to protect consumers and ensure that car dealers follow up on vehicle defects and repairs. The Ministry said that it will coordinate with the dealer to follow up on the maintenance and repair works and will communicate with cus-tomers to ensure that they carried out the necessary repairs.

05SUNDAY 3 JANUARY 2021 HOME

Inspectors have access to Iran nuclear facility: IAEAAP — DUBAI

Iran said yesterday it plans to enrich uranium up to 20 percent at its underground Fordo nuclear facility “as soon as possible,” pushing its programme a tech-nical step away from weapons-grade levels as it increases pressure on the West over the tattered atomic deal.

The move comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US in the waning days of the administration of President Donald Trump, who unilaterally withdrew America from Tehran’s nuclear deal in 2018.

That set in motion an esca-lating series of incidents capped by a US drone strike that killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad a year ago, an anni-versary coming Sunday that has American officials now worried about possible retaliation by Iran.

Iran’s decision to begin enriching to 20 perccent a decade ago nearly brought an Israeli strike targeting its nuclear facilities, tensions that only abated with the 2015 atomic deal. A resumption of 20 percent enrichment could see that brinksmanship return.

Even Ali Akbar Salehi, the US-educated head of the civilian Atomic Energy Organ-isation of Iran, offered a mil-itary analogy to describe his agency’s readiness to take the next step.

“We are like soldiers and our fingers are on the triggers,” Salehi told Iranian state tele-vision. “The commander should command and we shoot. We are ready for this and will produce (20 percent enriched uranium) as soon as possible.”

Iran’s decision comes after its parliament passed a bill, later approved by a constitu-tional watchdog, aimed at hiking enrichment to pressure Europe into providing sanc-tions relief.

It also serves as pressure ahead of the inauguration of

US President-elect Joe Biden, who has said he is willing to re-enter the nuclear deal.

The International Atomic Energy Agency acknowledged Iran had informed its inspectors of the decision by a letter after news leaked overnight on Friday.

“Iran has informed the agency that in order to comply with a legal act recently passed by the country’s parliament, the Atomic Energy Organi-sation of Iran intends to produce low-enriched uranium... up to 20 percent at the Fordo Fuel Enrichment Plant,” the IAEA said in a statement.

The IAEA added Iran did not say when it planned to boost enrichment, though the agency “has inspectors present

in Iran on a 24/7 basis and they have regular access to Fordo.” The parliamentary bill also called on Iran to expel those inspectors, though it appears Tehran still hasn’t decided to take that step.

Salehi said Iran would need to switch out natural uranium in centrifuges at Fordo for material already enriched to four percent to begin the process of going to 20 percent.

“It should be done under IAEA supervision,” Salehi added.

Since the deal’s collapse, Iran has resumed enrichment at Fordo, near the Shiite holy city of Qom, some 90 km southwest of Tehran.

Shielded by the mountains, Fordo is ringed by anti-aircraft guns and other fortifications. It is about the size of a football field, large enough to house 3,000 centrifuges, but small and hardened enough to lead US officials to suspect it had a mil-itary purpose when they exposed the site publicly in 2009.

The 2015 deal saw Iran agree to limit its enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief. The accord also called for Fordo to be turned into a research-

and-development facility.Under Iran’s former hard-

line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Tehran began 20 percent enrichment. Israel, which has its own undeclared nuclear weapons program, feared Tehran was building a bomb.

After the discovery of Fordo, the US worked on so-called “bunker buster” bombs designed to strike such facilities. As Israel threatened at one point to bomb Iranian nuclear sites like Fordo, US officials reportedly showed them a video of a bunker-buster bomb destroying a mock-up of Fordo in America’s southwestern desert.

Israel, which under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has continued to criticize Iran’s nuclear program, offered no i m m e d i a t e c o m m e n t Saturday.

As of now, Iran is enriching uranium up to 4.5 percent, in violation of the accord’s limit of 3.67%. Experts say Iran now has enough low-enriched uranium stockpiled for at least two nuclear weapons, if it chose to pursue them. Iran long has maintained its nuclear program is peaceful.

Iran separately has begun construction on a new site at Fordo, according to satellite photos obtained in December.

Iran’s announcement coin-cides with the anniversary of the US drone striking Revolu-tionary Guard General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad last year. That attack later saw Iran retaliate by launching a ballistic missile strike injuring dozens of US troops in Iraq. Tehran also accidentally shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet that night, killing all 176 people on board.

As the anniversary approached, the US has sent B-52 bombers flying over the region and sent a nuclear-powered submarine into the Persian Gulf.

On Thursday, sailors dis-covered a limpet mine on a tanker in the Persian Gulf off Iraq near the Iranian border as it prepared to transfer fuel to another tanker owned by a company traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

No one has claimed respon-sibility for the mining, though it comes after a series of similar attacks in 2019 that the US Navy blamed on Iran. Tehran denied being involved.

Syria slams US for sanctions after UN remarksAP — BEIRUT

Syria yesterday lambasted the US government for sanctions it has imposed on Damascus, following a UN special rappor-teur’s statement that called on Washington to remove unilateral sanctions against the war-torn country.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry described US sanctions against the country as equal to “crimes against humanity” that impact the life of normal citizens as the country looks to rebuild after 10 years of civil war.

The US has imposed sanc-tions for years on Syrian Pres-ident Bashar Assad and a number of his top officials. Measures that went into effect in June will also allow US authorities to target foreign companies that do business with some Syrian state institutions.

On Tuesday, UN human rights expert Alena Douhan called on the United States to lift its unilateral sanctions “which may inhibit rebuilding of Syria’s civilian infrastructure” destroyed by the conflict that has killed about half a million people.

Douhan, who is the U.N. special rapporteur on the neg-ative impact of unilateral coercive measures on human rights, said American sanctions “violate the human rights of the

Syrian people.”Speaking on Wednesday,

the US Special Envoy for Syria Joel Rayburn rejected Douhan’s statement as “misguided and false.”

He said that the blame for Syria’s economic situation and humanitarian crisis falls on “Assad’s brutal war against the Syrian people, not on US sanctions.”

People attend a vigil marking the one year anniversary of the killing of Iranian military commander General Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis in a US drone attack, in Sana'a, Yemen yesterday.

Iran Foreign Minister urges Trumpto avoid Israel ‘trap’ to provoke warREUTERS — DUBAI

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif urged US President Donald Trump yesterday not to be “trapped” by an alleged Israeli plan to provoke a war through attacks on US forces in Iraq.

He issued the warning on the anniversary of the US killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani by a drone strike in Iraq. There was no immediate comment by Israel.

Washington blames Iran-backed militia for regular rocket attacks on US facilities in Iraq, including near the US embassy. No known Iran-backed groups have claimed responsibility.

“New intelligence from Iraq indicate(s) that Israeli agent-provocateurs are plotting attacks against Americans - putting an outgoing Trump in a bind with a fake casus belli (act justifying war),” Zarif said in a tweet.

“Be careful of a trap, @real-DonaldTrump. Any fireworks will backfire badly,” Zarif wrote.

Esmail Ghaani, who suc-ceeded Soleimani as head the elite Quds force, said on Friday Iran was still ready to respond.

The US military flew two nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to the Middle East in a message of deterrence to Iran on Wednesday, but the bombers have since left the region.

Yemen airport attack aimed to ‘eliminate’ Cabinet: PMAP — CAIRO

Yemen’s Prime Minister yesterday said that a missile attack on the airport in Aden was meant “to eliminate” the country’s new government as it arrived in the key southern city — a daring assault which he blamed on Iran-backed rebels.

Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed was speaking in an interview con-ducted at his office in the Mashiq Palace in Aden. It was the leader’s first interview with international media after he survived Wednesday’s attack that killed at least 25 people and wounded 110 others.

“It’s a major terrorist attack that was meant to eliminate the government,” the premier said. “It was a message against peace and stability in Yemen.” Saeed repeated his government’s accusations that Yemen’s Houthi rebels were responsible for the missile attack on the airport and a drone assault on the palace, shortly after the premier and his Cabinet were transferred there.

The new Yemeni gov-ernment was formed in December to end a dangerous political rift with southern sep-aratists who are backed by the United Arab Emirates. The internal rift threatened the UAE’s partnership with Saudi Arabia that is fighting the Houthis in Yemen.

He said that the “tech-niques” used in the airport

missile attack were hallmarks of the Houthis’ strategy.

The attack took place moments after a plane carrying Saeed and his Cabinet members landed at the airport. Footage from the scene at Aden’s airport showed members of the gov-ernment delegation disem-barking as the blast shook the tarmac, with many ministers rushing back inside the plane or running down the stairs, seeking shelter.

Saeed said three precision-guided missiles had struck the facility, targeting his plane, the arrival hall and the VIP lounge of the airport. “The guidance accuracy was great. The oper-ation was huge,” he said.

The prime minister said Yemeni investigators have col-lected the remains of the mis-siles and that experts from the Saudi-led coalition and the US would help determine the type and origins of the missiles.

Saeed and his newly formed Cabinet were returning to Yemen a week after they were sworn in before Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, where the embattled leader resides.

The Cabinet reshuffle was part of a power-sharing deal between the Saudi-backed Hadi and the secessionist Southern Transitional Council, an umbrella group of militias seeking to restore an inde-pendent southern Yemen, which existed from 1967 until unification in 1990.

Iraq says it hasdismantled mineon tanker inArabian GulfAP — BAGHDAD

Iraq’s military yesterday said explosives experts with its naval forces successfully dismantled a mine that was discovered stuck to an oil tanker in the Arabian Gulf.

The statement said Iraqi authorities have opened an investigation into the incident. No group has claimed respon-sibility for placing the mine.

The announcement came a day after Iraq confirmed reports by private security firms that a mine had been dis-covered attached to the side of a tanker rented from Iraq’s Oil Marketing Company, known as SOMO, as it was refueling another vessel.

It said that Iraqi teams were working to dismantle the mine.

Iraq has not provided further details, but the two private security firms said the discovery was likely a limpet mine on the MT Pola, a Liberian-flagged tanker.

A limpet mine is a type of naval mine that attaches to the side of a ship, usually by a diver-member of special forces. It later explodes, and can significantly damage a vessel.

The discovery came amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US in the final days of President Donald Trump’s administration.

Asma Al Assad, her son and daughter during an afforestation drive of Harsh Al Tufaha (Apple Forest) area in Al Drekish countryside in western Syria.

Israeli forces shootPalestinian in neckAP — RAMALLAH

The Palestinian Health Ministry said yesterday a youth is suffering from paralysis a day after he was shot in the neck by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank.

The man, Haron Abu Aram, 24, was left quadriplegic, the ministry said.

Witnesses said the incident was triggered when Israeli forces tried to stop Palestinians building a house in a village in southern Hebron and seized an electricity generator belonging to Abu Aram.

Israel prevents Palestinians from building houses on areas under its control in the West Bank without hard-to-obtain building permits.

The Israeli military said “a violent riot” was instigated when the troops were evacu-ating “an illegal building” in the At-Tuwani village.

The military said: “We are aware of a report regarding a Palestinian who was injured by live fire during the incident. The

incident is being investigated,” the Israeli military said yesterday.

Video showed a group of Palest inians trying to recover the generators from the hands of the soldiers before a gunshot is heard and Abu Aram appears on the ground.

In 2020, Israeli has demol-ished the homes of more than 900 Palestinians in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, according to the Israeli rights group B’Tselem.

The Palestinians claim the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with a capital in east Jerusalem, for a future state.

Witnesses said the incident was triggered when Israeli forces tried to stop Palestinians building a house in a village in southern Hebron.

Iran’s decision comes after its parliament passed a bill, later approved by a constitutional watchdog, aimed at hiking enrichment to pressure Europe into providing sanctions relief. The International Atomic Energy Agency acknowledged Iran had informed its inspectors of the decision by a letter after news leaked overnight on Friday.

06 SUNDAY 3 JANUARY 2021MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Niger presidential election heads to February runoffAL JAZEERA — NIAMEY

Niger’s ruling party candidate Mohamed Bazoum will face former President Mahamane Ousmane in a presidential election runoff in February, according to provisional results announced by the electoral commission.

Bazoum, 60, led the first round with 39.33 percent of the vote, falling short of the 50 percent plus one needed to win the first round.

Ousmane received 17 percent of the votes cast, the commission said yesterday.

Former prime ministers Seini Oumarou and Albade Abouba respectively came third and fourth with 8.95 percent and 7.07 percent of the ballots.

The second round is expected to be held on February 21 after the results of the first round have been validated by the constitutional court, which will hear any appeals.

Bazoum, who has been both interior and foreign minister,

campaigned on promises of improved security and edu-cation and had hoped to clinch victory in the first round.

Bazoum’s Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS) is also leading in the leg-islative vote held at the same time with 80 of the 165 seats and five diaspora seats

remaining to be decided.Niger’s President Maha-

madou Issoufou is stepping down after two five-year terms, which is expected to lead to the West African country’s first transfer of power between two democratically elected presidents.

Almost 7.5 million people cast their votes on Sunday to choose a successor to Iss-oufou, who in a New Year radio address hailed the election as “a new, successful page in our country’s demo-cratic history”.

Insecurity overshadowed the campaigning, with Niger battered by armed groups on its southwestern border with Mali as well as its southeastern frontier with Nigeria.

Five years of violence in the former French colony have cost hundreds of lives with many more displaced. Earlier this month, 27 people died in an attack claimed by Boko Haram.

But security is not the only concern for the people in Niger,

a country of 23 million people.The country’s economy has

been hit hard by the corona-virus pandemic with a fall in the price of its top export uranium.

It has also suffered due to the closure of the border with Nigeria, a key gateway for the import of essential goods.

Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris said that discussions are now

ongoing between the parties over possible coalitions.

“Most of the democratically elected governments [in Niger] have been coalitions,” he said.

Idris said the two presi-dential candidates are also courting support in the final round.

“The question is, will the voters come out? Already we’ve

seen more than 30 percent of voters not turning out for this election,” Idris said.

“Will there be voter fatigue when the run-off [takes place] in February? That is what most political analysts think, but the political parties are hopeful they will pull out more voters to the voting booths … [since] the most votes will win the election”.

Niger’s Independent National Electoral Commission officials compile the results of the presidential and legislative election at the Palais des Congres in Niamey on December 29, 2020.

Suicide attack inMogadishuleaves 5 dead,14 woundedAP — ISTANBUL

A suicide bombing near the Somali capital, Mogadishu, yesterday killed five people including two Turks, Turkish and Somali officials said.

The Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabab extremist group claimed responsibility for the attack in a post by its Shahada News Agency. The Somalia-based group often targets Mogadishu with suicide bombings and other attacks, and it has exploded bombs against the Turkish military and other targets there in the past.

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted that 14 people, including three Turks, were wounded and are being treated in a Mogadishu hospital named after Turkey’s president.

“We strongly condemn this heinous attack targeting the employees of a Turkish company that undertook the Mogadishu-Afgoye road construction and con-tributes to the development and prosperity of Somalia,” a foreign ministry statement said.

The three others killed were Somali policemen, police Capt. Ahmed Mohamed said.

Turkish security sources said the suicide attacker used a motorcycle. They said the attack took place 15km from a Turkish military base, which was not affected. The base is Turkey’s largest military installation abroad.

This is the second time the road project has been attacked by Al Shabab. In January last year, a vehicle filled with explosives exploded at the entrance, killing and wounding dozens of people, including several Turkish citizens.

The attack led to a pause in the project, which recom-menced a few months ago after security was improved.

Nighttime curfew in JohannesburgPolice officers gesture during a patrol as a nighttime curfew is reimposed amid a nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Friday.

Algeria frees top officials jailed during mass protestsAL JAZEERA — ALGIERS

An Algerian military appeals court yesterday acquitted three top officials who were jailed in 2019 during mass protests, sources close to the officials said.

The three — two former security chiefs and the younger brother of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika — were given 15-year prison sentences in September 2019 on charges of conspiracy against the state.

The presidential aide, Said Bouteflika, was long seen as the

real power running the North African country after his brother suffered a debilitating stroke in 2013.

But he was arrested in May 2019, a month after the former president quit office following mass protests against his bid for a fifth term.

Said was sentenced along with two former intelligence chiefs to 15 years in prison for “plotting” against the army and the state, and in February, a military court upheld that ruling.

But in November, the

Supreme Court said they would be retried after appeals. “After deliberations, the court … rescinded the original ruling and acquitted all the defendants,” lawyer Khaled Berghel told state news agency APS.

Despite being cleared, Bouteflika remains in custody and will be transferred to another prison as he awaits a separate trial over alleged cor-ruption during his brother’s rule, a court official said.

The jailing of the officials marked an apparent success for the “Hirak” mass protest

movement that took to the streets in early 2019, pushing the army to remove Bouteflika in April that year after 20 years in office.

But many in Hirak said their uprising had not yet achieved its goals of removing the old ruling elite, forcing the army from politics and ending cor-ruption when the coronavirus pandemic stopped their weekly protests last March.

President Abdelmadjid Teb-boune, elected in December 2019 in a vote the protesters decried as a sham, has sought to placate Hirak by praising the movement

as a moment of national renewal and introducing some constitu-tional changes.

But many supporters of the leaderless Hirak movement rejected those moves as merely cosmetic change despite the senior status of some of those imprisoned. “We still want a radical change of the whole regime,” said Rachid Hamani, a Hirak figure.

Mohamed Mediene, who enjoyed vast power as a secretive security chief known to his compatriots by the nickname Tewfic, was freed by yesterday’s acquittal.

Sudan Prime Minister announces mechanism for civilians’ protectionIANS — KHARTOUM

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has announced formation of the National Mechanism for Protection of Civilians.

“The formation of the national mechanism for the protection of civilians has com-pleted,” Xinhua news agency quoted Hamdok as saying in a speecg on Friday marking the country’s 65th Independence Day.

“The mechanism includes a joint force from the regular forces and the peace parties, which will achieve security and stability for our citizens,” he noted.

Hamdok vowed to provide protection for all the civilians, saying that the establishment of the national mechanism tends to impose security in all parts of the country, stop extra-judicial killing, and prevent impunity.

The Prime Minister also announced the Council of Min-isters’ ratification of the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Pun-ishment, and the International

Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

He said the ratified conven-tions are to be approved by the joint meeting of the Sovereign Council and the cabinet to become effective.

The announcement of the formation of the national mechanism for the protection of civilians came days after the end of the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) mandate in Sudan.

On December 22, 2020, the UN Security Council unani-mously adopted a resolution which ended UNAMID’s mandate on December 31, 2020.

However, the withdrawal of all the personnel from Sudan is set to complete by June 30, 2021, except for a team that will finalize any residual issues and complete the administrative closure of UNAMID.

The UN has decided to deploy the UN Integrated Tran-sition Assistance Mission in Sudan to assist the political transition in the country at a request by Hamdok.

The mission is set to assume its work this month.

Congo army recaptures eastern villageREUTERS — GOMA

Congo said yesterday that 14 suspected Islamist militants and two soldiers were killed in fighting on New Year’s Day as the Congolese army backed by UN peacekeepers regained control of Loselose village in the east of the country.

The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan Islamist group that has emerged as the most lethal of the militias in Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern bor-derlands, has carried out several attacks in recent weeks.

“Yesterday Jan. 1, an army reg-iment overpowered the terrorists of the ADF in the village Loselose

and dislodged them from the area located in the chiefdom of Ruwenzori,” army spokesman Antony Mualushayi said.

A local official said on Friday that the ADF was responsible for the killing of 17 people who were found hacked to death in Beni Territory in North Kivu.

Virus surveillance tool tests democratic norms in IsraelAP — TEL AVIV

In the early days of the pandemic, a panicked Israel began using a mass surveillance tool on its civilians, tracking people’s cellphones in hopes of stopping the spread of the coro-navirus.

The government touted the technology, normally used to catch wanted Palestinian mili-tants, as a breakthrough against the virus. But months later, the tool’s effectiveness is being called into question and critics say its use has come at an immeasurable cost to the coun-try’s democratic principles.

“The idea of a government

watching its own citizens this closely should ring the alarm,” said Maya Fried, a spokes-woman for the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, which has repeatedly challenged the use of the tool in court. “This is against the foundations of democracy. You can’t just give up on democracy during a crisis.”

Little is known about the technology. According to the Yediot Ahronot daily, the Shin Bet internal security service has used the tool for two decades, sweeping up metadata from anyone who uses telecom services in Israel. Information collected includes the cellular

device’s location, web browsing history and calls and texts received and made, but not their content. That has reportedly helped the agency track militants and halt attacks, although it’s unclear what happens to all of the data.

Israel first brought the Shin Bet into its virus outbreak battle in March. By tracking the move-ments of people infected with the coronavirus, it could determine who had come into contact with them and was at risk of infection, and order them into quarantine.

With the contact tracing capabilities of Israel’s Health Ministry limited, the Shin Bet

was seen as the best option to pick up the slack, even though its own leaders were reluctant to deploy the tool. The Shin Bet declined to comment.

Officials say the technology has been a critical tool in keeping track of the outbreak and insist they have struck a balance between protecting individual rights and public health.

“We believe that the cost is certainly reasonable,” Deputy Health Minister Yoav Kisch told a parliamentary committee last month. “We haven’t seen this tool be used exploitatively. This tool saves lives.” Initially, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

used emergency regulations to approve the use of the tool. After the hasty deployment was challenged in court, the gov-ernment was forced to legislate limits on its use in July, sub-mitting it to some parliamentary oversight.

Critics say there is no proper oversight on how the Shin Bet data is gathered, stored, used or deleted.

Michal Cotler-Wunsh, a leg-islator on the parliamentary committee overseeing the tool, said Israel’s reliance on the Shin Bet prevented it from moving toward more transparent civilian technology that could have done the job. “We really

should have resisted the temp-tation,” she said.

Under their partnership, the Health Ministry sends the Shin Bet the names, ID numbers and contact details of those diag-nosed with COVID-19. The security agency can then go back through two weeks of data to determine what cellphones were within a two-meter (six-foot) radius of the sick person for more than 15 minutes. They are then alerted and ordered to self-quarantine.

At the time, there was little outcry against the inclusion of the Shin Bet from ordinary Israelis, who have great faith in their security services.

Ruling party candidate Mohamed BazoumBazoum led the first round with 39.33 percent of the vote, falling short of the 50 percent plus one needed to win the first round. Former president Mahamane Ousmane received 17 percent of the votes cast, the commission said yesterday.

07SUNDAY 3 JANUARY 2021 ASIA

India tests vaccine delivery system with nationwide trialAP — NEW DELHI

India tested its COVID-19 vaccine delivery system with a nationwide trial yesterday as it prepares to roll out an inocu-lation programme to stem the coronavirus pandemic.

The trial included data entry into an online platform for monitoring vaccine delivery, along with testing of cold storage and transportation arrangements for the vaccine, the health ministry said in a statement.

The massive exercise came a day after a government-appointed panel of experts held a meeting to review the appli-cations of potential vaccine candidates, including front-runner Covishield, developed by Oxford University and U.K.-b a s e d d r u g m a k e r AstraZeneca.

India’s vaccination drive is expected to start in a few days once the country’s regulator approves a vaccine.

The government plans to inoculate 300 million people in

the first phase of the vacci-nation programme, which will include healthcare and front-line workers, police and mil-itary troops, and those with comorbidities who are above the age of 50.

The government is expected to initially lean on the vaccine produced by Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturing company.

The company has been

contracted by AstraZeneca to make 1 billion doses for developing nations, including India. It has applied to India’s drug regulator for early approval for emergency use in the country. Applications for vaccines made by Pfizer Inc. and Indian manufacturer Bharat Biotech are also being reviewed.

Serum Institute of India’s vaccine doesn’t require the ultra-cold storage facilities that some others do.

Instead, it can be stored in refrigerators. This makes it a feasible candidate, not just for India but also for other devel-oping nations.

Indian Health Minister Harsh Vardhan reviewed the preparedness for the vacci-nation drive at a government hospital in New Delhi yes-terday and urged the public not to pay heed to anti-vaccine rumors.

“We will not compromise on any protocol before approving a vaccine,” he told reporters.

Pooja Moriya, a health

worker in the capital who will be one of the first to be inocu-lated, said hospital staff has had several meetings about the

vaccine and how it works. “Our seniors have told us to not be scared at all,” Moriya said.

India has confirmed over

10.3 million coronavirus cases, second in the world to the U.S. More than 149,000 people have died from the virus in India.

Recovered COVID-19 patients after 100 days of treatment prepare to go home at a government hospital in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Farmer impasse likely to be resolved tomorrowIANS — NEW DELHI

After the last meeting of the government and farmers led to positivity and breaking of bread together, it appears that the over month-long deadlock may be resolved tomorrow. Sources on both sides have indicated a thaw with a meeting ground on some of the most contentious issues emerging.

The government may well be ready to offer amendments to the MSP and APMC issues in writing.

As per the government and farmer sources, tomorrow will see a big breakthrough after more than six rounds of talks

between the two parties have been held. The sticking points of MSP being retained and APMC may well see a resolution.

In addition, at the ‘mandis’, the private players who are pro-curing will not be able to procure below the MSP. The dispute redressal system between the private players and the farmers will not be done by the SDM anymore.

These have been some of the major demands of the farmers. Farmers do not want to be dragged out of their workplaces to run around needlessly to sort out issues. Moreover, clause 6 which has stirred up heaps of

controversy - over no market fee or cess or levy, by whatever name called, under any State APMC Act or any other state law, to be levied on any farmer or trader or electronic trading and transaction platform for trade and commerce in scheduled farmers’ produce in a trade area — could well see some resolution.

The two sides have not been able to reach a compromise for over a month as some of the farmer groups have been demanding a repeal of the three farm laws passed by Parliament. Last week, there were signs of some forward movement as the

government accepted two demands of the farmers related to environment and electricity laws. After the sixth round of talks held earlier this week, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar assured the farmer union leaders that the government is committed to resolving farmers’ problems and both sides need to take steps forward to arrive at an amicable solution.

Tomar assured the farmer unions that MSP and mandi system will continue like before. The demand of the unions for an MSP law and the difference between MSP and market rates for agricultural produce would

be referred to a committee when it is constituted.

On the demand for repeal of the farm laws, the minister said that this too can be referred to a committee which will study the constitutional validity and pro-priety keeping in mind the welfare of farmers.

Regarding the Air Quality Management Ordinance and the Electricity Amendment Bill, Tomar said that suggestions of the farmer unions have been agreed to in principle. Tomar assured the farmers that the gov-ernment has an open mind and is willing to resolve all issues with clear intentions.

South Korea to expand ban on small gatheringsREUTERS — SEOUL

South Korea will expand a ban on private gatherings larger than four people to include the whole country, and extend unprecedented social distancing rules in Seoul and neighbouring areas until Jan. 17, the health minister said yesterday.

Kwon Deok-cheol told a briefing that the measures were necessary to reduce a prolonged surge in infections that has led to a spike in deaths. The country reported 824 new cases as of midnight on Friday, down from 1,029 a day before, a drop that officials said was likely due to less testing over the New Year holiday.

As much as 40% of recent cases have been linked to small gatherings, Kwon said. The ban on such gatherings had been imposed in Seoul and neigh-bouring areas before the Christmas holiday and had been due to expire on Sunday.

The country also has restrictions on churches, res-taurants, cafes, ski resorts, and other venues.

Kwon apologised to cit-izens for having to maintain the rules, but thanked them for their “solidarity and cooperation.”

Given plans to begin vac-cinations in February, the next few months will be the “last hurdle”, he said.

After initial success in sub-duing earlier waves of infec-tions, South Korea has struggled to reduce this latest and largest surge, with daily cases hovering around 1,000 for weeks.

Japan to consider new COVID-19 emergencyREUTERS — TOKYO

Japan will consider issuing a new emergency declaration after governors in the capital region urged action to tackle a record surge in COVID-19 cases, the head of the nation’s pandemic response said yesterday.

The government needs to consult with health experts before deciding on a new decla-ration, Economy Minister Yasu-toshi Nishimura told reporters after a meeting with Tokyo Gov-ernor Yuriko Koike and leaders from three neighbouring prefectures.

“The national government and the three governors shared the view that the situation in the Tokyo area is getting more severe such that an emergency decla-ration may be necessary,” Nishimura said.

As an interim measure,

restaurants and karaoke parlors in the Tokyo area would be asked to close at 8 p.m., while busi-nesses that serve alcohol should close at 7pm, he said.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has resisted calls to reinstate a national state of emergency, which the government had intro-duced in April during an earlier wave of the pandemic. Suga is next scheduled to speak publicly on January 4.

It relied on voluntary business closures and travel restrictions rather than the sort of rigid lockdown measures seen in parts of Europe and the United States. Tokyo raised its COVID-19 alert level to its highest measure on December 17. New infections in the capital hit a record 1,337 on December 31, and yesterday numbered 814. A nationwide record was also set on December 31 with 4,520 new cases. The rise in COVID-19 cases is

compounding a seasonal increase in hospitalisations, said Fumie Sakamoto, infection control manager at St Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo.

“The Japanese government has not done a great deal to control the infection,” Sakamoto said. “I would expect the (infection) numbers will get

bigger in the coming days, and the emergency declaration should have come earlier, probably during December or November.”

Japan’s Saitama Governor Motohiro Ono, Chiba Governor Kensaku Morita, Economy Minister and minister in charge of coronavirus response Yasutoshi Nishimura, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and Kanagawa Governor Yuji Kuroiwa attend a joint news conference after their meeting in Tokyo, yesterday.

Thailand weighs new curbs to contain biggest virus waveBLOOMBERG — BANGKOK

Thailand will impose more restrictions on businesses and gatherings in regions that are at greater risk from the latest flareup in coronavirus cases including the capital Bangkok.

Authorities identified 28 provinces as high-risk areas, and set new limitations such as suspension of some business operations and meetings that could potentially fan infections, health ministry officials said in Bangkok yesterday. The new measures will be effective from Monday once approved by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha, they said.

Thailand is battling a resur-gence in the virus outbreak with the country reporting more than 2,000 new cases in the past two weeks alone, prompting authorities to close schools in Bangkok and tem-porarily shut some businesses including gyms and spas. Pray-uth’s government has refrained from imposing a national lockdown but allowed pro-vincial authorities to set their own measures based on risks of infections.

The new wave threatens to delay Thailand’s plan to grad-ually reopen its tourism industry and revive Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy. The government plans to extend its domestic travel subsidy program beyond April to help the tourism industry cope with the hit from the latest outbreak, Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said earlier this week.

Under the stricter social dis-tancing rules recommended by

the COVID-19 response center, travel will be discouraged between provinces with more than 50 active cases and people will be recommended to work from home, officials said. The new curbs may be in place until the end of this month and will be reviewed later, they said.

The education ministry also ordered all the schools in these areas to be closed from Jan. 4 through the end of the month, Rachada Dhnadirek, a gov-ernment spokeswoman, said on

Twitter.T h a i l a n d

reported 216 new virus cases and one death yesterday, with the majority of infections locally transmitted. While many of the new cases in recent weeks were tied to a seafood market in Samut Sakhon province near Bangkok, local trans-missions have been reported from more than 58 provinces now, health ministry data showed.

New cases in Thailand, which was relatively successful in containing the pathogen after becoming the first country outside China to report the deadly virus, may spike to as high as 18,000 a day if no control measures are imple-mented, according to Taweesilp Witsanuyotin, a spokesperson for the Center for Covid-19 Sit-uation Administration. The country can limit new infections to about 1,000 cases a day with strict control measures, he said.

Women wear face masks inside a department store after the Thai government ordered a temporary closure of various public facilities amid the spread of coronavirus disease, in Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday.

Kerala logs 5,328 new virus cases, 21 more deathsIANS �