Sunday 21 June 2020

29 Shawwal - 1441

2 Riyals

www.thepeninsula.qa

Volume 25 | Number 8295

BUSINESS | 01 PENMAG | 03 SPORT | 08

Cavani to leave

PSG before CL

last eight

stage: Reports

Classifieds

and Services

section

included

QNB

supports

Qatar Cancer

Society

Qatari-Italian cooperation to find viruscure using recovered patients’ plasma

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Plasma from patients in Qatar who have recovered from COVID-19 has been flown to Italy to help identify potentially life-saving treatments for the disease, through a partnership between Qatar Foundation (QF), Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), and the Embassy of Italy.

The longstanding ties between Qatar and Italy have led to a scientific collaboration that is supporting the global battle against the pandemic, resulting in an Italian military aircraft taking off from Doha yesterday to transport the

convalescent plasma (CP) samples.

The samples will be ana-lysed at the University Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Italy, with the Sardinia-based Mater Olbia Hospital then assessing the data, studying how the human immune system responds to CP, and determining different types of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus strain that causes COVID-19, antibodies.

CP from recovered COVID-19 patients is usually rich in antibodies that fight the virus, making it a promising treatment, but data on this is currently limited.

The aim of the Qatar-Italy scientific project is to find evi-dence that CP contains suffi-cient levels of neutralising anti-bodies to successfully treat COVID-19 patients.

The plasma from Qatar has been flown to Italy after donors were screened and plasma col-lected from patients by HMC,

with QF facilitating and super-vising the collaboration between HMC’s Infectious Dis-eases Research Department and Mater Olbia Hospital.

Ambassador of Italy to the State of Qatar, H E Alessandro Prunas, said: “We are very proud that top Italian and Qatari medical and research

centers are working together on a project that can make a real difference to people and save lives.

“This is a perfect example of how our countries can join their efforts to respond to global issues and share the out-comes with the international community. �P3

FROM LEFT: Dr. Muna Al Maslamani, Medical Director of HMC Communicable Disease Center; Dr. Azza Altawashi, Industry, Investment and Business Development Manager, Qatar Foundation, Research, Development and Innovation; Ambassador of Italy to the State of Qatar, H E Alessandro Prunas; and Italian Defence Attaché, Colonel Angelo Del Lungo stand beside an Italian military plane which carried the plasma samples from Qatar to Italy yesterday.

Amir, Erdogan discussbilateral ties and keyregional, global issues

QNA – DOHA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani held yesterday via telephone a conversation with President of the Republic of Turkey, H E Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The call focused on strategic bilateral relations and the means to enhance them, in addition to discussing a number of regional and international issues of joint interest.

Helped by a number of factors, the bilateral rela-tions between the State of Qatar and Turkey have grown stronger.

The bond between the people of two countries is also very strong. Turkey is one of the first and preferred tourist destinations for Qatari citizens.

National Alzheimer’s & Memory

Services Helpline launched

FAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

The National Alzheimer’s and Memory Services Helpline has been launched, in a new initi-ative to improve the care given to the elderly in the country.

The helpline service will provide information about Alzheimer’s and related dementias and memory loss while giving support to help people manage the impact of the condition at the same time.

The helpline has been launched under the guidance and leadership of Dr Hanadi Khamis Al Hamad, National Lead for the Healthy Aging and Focal Lead for Global Dementia Observatory of WHO.

This is an important mile-stone in the country since the launch of Qatar National Dementia Plan (QNDP) in 2018. QNDP is a national initiative under the guidance of the Min-istry of Public Health (MoPH) and is jointly led by multiple stakeholders including Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and

Primary Health Care Corpo-ration (PHCC).

The National Alzheimer’s and Memory Services helpline is named ‘Raha’ which means ‘comfort’ in Arabic. “This hel-pline provides confidential service to people above the age of 60 years, who have concerns about their memory and also to the families or carers who have concerns about their dear ones experiencing memory problems,” Dr Pravija Man-ikoth, Consultant, Geriatric Psychiatrist at HMC’s Rumailah Hospital, told The Peninsula. “Our main aim is to provide support to people with dementia and their families and carers. We want to reassure them that they are not alone in this journey. Dementia can affect all aspects of an individ-ual’s life, and having the support is the cornerstone in dementia care” she said.

Dr Manikoth said the hel-pline also has the objective of promoting public awareness of dementia and related issues. �P2

Education City Stadium to house 2 schools post 2022QNA — DOHA

President of Pre-University Education at Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (PUE, QF), Buthaina Ali Al Nuaimi, has noted the Education City Stadium, which will host the World Cup Qatar 2022 and is labelled as the 'Jewel of the Desert'; is planned to become a sports, recrea-tional, educational and social center for the Qatar Foundation community and the Qatari community as a whole after the World Cup.

The PUE, QF President added in statements to QNA, that the stadium, when its capacity is reduced by half by donating 20,000 of its seats to support the construction of sta-diums in developing countries, will become the headquarters of two progressive schools of the Qatar Foundation.

Al Nuaimi said that both “ Academyati “ and “Qatar Academy for Science and Tech-nology”, which are under the umbrella of pre-university edu-cation at Qatar Foundation, will

have the Education City Stadium, which has a capacity of 40,000 seats as their premises and that is as soon as the first edition of the FIFA World Cup in the Middle East and the Arab world is over, whereas, after organizing the matches until the quarter-finals

of the tournament, a part of the stadium will include buildings for each school, in addition to a third building that combines facilities for the two schools.

Al Nuaimi said both “Acad-emyati” and “Qatar Academy for Science and Technology” will have a vital role in this

place, which will make the Stadium a part of society after the World Cup. �P2

Joint Declaration

by Qatar, Monaco

adopted by 118

countriesQNA — NEW YORK

The State of Qatar and the Principality of Monaco, repre-sented by their permanent delegations to the United Nations in their capacity as co-Chairs of the Group of Friends of Sport for Sustainable Development, initiated a Joint Declaration that was adopted by 118 member states on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sport, physical activity and well-being and its effects on social development.

The declaration, a copy of which was delivered to UN Secretary-General, H E Antonio Guterres, expressed the conviction of the impor-tance of sport and physical activity in promoting edu-cation, sustainable devel-opment, peace, cooperation, solidarity, equity, social inclusion, and health.

The declaration stressed the strong support for the results of the policy brief of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs on the COVID-19 impact on the sport, physical activity, and well-being and its effects on social development. The joint decla-ration underscored the impor-tance of sport and activity at this difficult time, despite urgent priorities. �P2

Around 20,000 of the stadium’s seats will be donated to support the construction of stadiums in developing countries after the tournament.

Salat ul-Kusuf to be offered at homes todayQNA — DOHA

The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has called on all Muslims in Qatar to carry out Salat ul-Kusuf that Doha will witness at 7:13 am today.

The ministry noted in a statement that the prayer will not take place in mosques due to the current precautionary measures, adding that it was okay to carry out the prayers at home given the circumstances.

Under Qatar-Italy scientific collaboration, researchers to analyse convalescent plasma samples to help identify potentially life-saving treatments for COVID-19.

Ambassador says scientific research a fundamental aspect of long-lasting, bilateral cooperation between Qatar and Italy.

Qatar Foundation Research, Development and Innovation says it stands ready and willing to contribute to Qatar’s efforts to help local and global communities fight COVID-19.

Education City Stadium, which will host the World Cup Qatar 2022 and is labelled as the 'Jewel of the Desert'; is planned to become a sports, recreational, educa-tional and social center for the Qatar Foun-dation community and the Qatari community as a whole after the World Cup.

Buthaina Ali Al Nuaimi

02 SUNDAY 21 JUNE 2020HOME

UNHCR receives $2m donation from Qatar Charity for Yemen’s displaced families

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has received a significant and timely donation of $2m from Qatar Charity (QC) to support vulnerable internally displaced families in Yemen. As four out of five Yemenis are in need of humanitarian assistance, the money will go towards UNHCR’s cash assistance programmes that will help provide lifesaving aid such as water, shelter and healthcare to those most in need.

The funding could not have come at a more significant time. As a humanitarian catastrophe unfolds in Yemen and millions flee their homes to escape dev-astating conflict, a lack of funding amid the current COVID-19 out-break has threatened the sus-pension of vital humanitarian relief programmes run by UNHCR in the country. The sus-pension of UN programmes due to a lack of funding would mean that many families will be left unsupported and not able to provide for themselves or their

own family’s basic needs.Khaled Khalifa, Senior

Advisor and Representative to the Gulf Cooperation Council Coun-tries at UNHCR said: “At UNHCR, we are committed to making a difference in the lives of the dis-placed families in Yemen, to ensure they have access to the basic needs. This, however, has proven not only to be a daunting task but one that is near impos-sible to achieve, due to the poverty and malnutrition situation, COVID19 prevention measures in place, the ongoing conflict which has entered its 6th year, the dis-integration of Yemen’s economy and the fact that only half of the country’s health facilities are operational.”

“That said, we must act now to find solutions and collectively strive to save lives. With lack of funding threatening current relief programmes in Yemen, we are grateful for the donation received from Qatar Charity which we are confident will play a role in improving living con-ditions for thousands of Yemenis

at these difficult times,” he said.Over the past decade,

UNHCR has received almost $45m from Qatar Charity. The partnership is an example of the work that can be done in col-laboration with organizations that are driven to take action and cause valuable change.

Yousef Al Kuwari, CEO of Qatar Charity said: “We are honoured to provide UNHCR with this donation so they can

continue the vital work they are doing in Yemen. Witnessing the disruption that is happening there has encouraged us to get involved and do all we can to support the cause. The people of Yemen are currently at the grip of cholera, a flooding season and war, and have been faced with so many obstacles in the midst of unimaginable times. We must do all we can to provide much-needed

life-saving aid for them. We are pleased that this funding will go towards helping them and have an impact.”

With 22.2 million Yemenis affected and in need of aid, there is a lot more work to be done. Without an urgent surge of support, millions of Yemenis will be left without assistance and even more vulnerable to the terrifying threat of COVID-19.

Relief material provided by Qatar Charity.

A lack of funding amid the current COVID-19 outbreak has threatened the suspension of vital humanitarian relief programmes run by UNHCR in Yemen.

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar’s Government Communications Office (GCO) has said that Qatar has sent, so far, medical aid to more than 20 countries around the world after the coronavirus outbreak.

“Qatar stands in soli-darity with countries around the world, sup-porting international efforts to combat and contain the spread of COVID-19 through the provision of medical assistance and sup-plies,” said GCO.

In a video posted on its official twitter account, regarding Qatar’s global response to coronavirus, GCO said that “countries which have received aid inculde China, Lebanon, Iran, Italy, Rwanda, Pal-estine, Nepal, Tunisia, Algeria, and Somalia.”

This support to friendly governments came in order to confront and contain the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. These countries have received tonnes of medical aid, including, san-itising products, face-maskes, and multiple field hospitals, it added.

This aid has been delivered, said GCO, in coordination with Qatar Fund Development, the Ministry of Public Health, the Amiri Air Force, and Qatar Airways. “Together, they are ensuring relief reaches those in need as soon as possible,” it said.

Qatar sent aid to

more than 20

countries: GCO

MoPH reports 1,354 recoveriesand 1,026 new COVID-19 casesQNA — DOHA

Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) reported yesterday 1,026 new confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) with 1,354 recoveries in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of people having recovered in Qatar to 66,763 cases. The Ministry reported one new death, yesterday.

The Ministry said that in the last 24 hours, there were 14 new cases admitted to intensive care due to health complications resulting from infection with the virus, bringing the total number of critical cases that are currently in critical care to 224 cases.

The MoPH said in a statement that the new cases had the virus transmitted to them from people

who had been previously infected, as the Ministry of Public Health continues to conduct investigative and proactive testing, which contributes to early detection of cases.

The new confirmed cases of infection have been introduced to complete isolation in the various medical facilities in the country, where they receive the necessary healthcare according to the health status of each case.

The Ministry said that the death recorded yesterday was of a person aged 42 years. The Ministry of Public Health offered sincere condolences and great sympathy to the family of the deceased.

The Ministry confirmed that efforts to tackle the COVID-19 virus in the State of Qatar have

succeeded in flattening the curve and reducing the impact of the virus by a large per-centage thanks to the decisions of the ban, the preventive measures taken, and the awareness and cooperation of all members of society, and that there are relatively low average numbers in relation to the recorded cases of new hospital admissions.

MoPH said that the State of Qatar has now started to overcome the peak stage of the virus outbreak with the spread of the virus, thanks to the measures taken by the state to address it, in addition to the commitment of the community members to the recommenda-tions and preventive instructions.

Joint Declaration

by Qatar and

Monaco adopted

by 118 countries

FROM PAGE 1

It stressed usefulness of sport and activity for physical and mental health, and in relieving stress and anxiety.

It pointed to the role of tech-nology in facilitating partici-pation in physical activities through online lessons and training, acknowledging that a large part of humanity does not have access to the Internet and that many live in difficult con-ditions and overcrowded homes, as well as in conditions of armed conflict. The decla-ration welcomed UN General Assembly Resolution 16/74 on building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal.

The declaration com-mended the efforts made by all stakeholders, such as inter-national and national sports federations and entities, that have already begun work to reschedule sporting events.

Also, it welcomed the Mem-orandum of Understanding signed on May 17, 2020, between the International Olympic Committee and the World Health Organization.

The joint declaration expressed the belief that sport can help build more inclusive, equal, and resilient societies. it stressed that sport is a global language and can overcome barriers, change perceptions, build mutual understanding and trust, and bring people together.

It emphasized the impor-tance of providing sporting opportunities for everyone, especially children, women, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and people with weak conditions, without any kind of discrimination.

“We call on all States to include sport and physical activity in their recovery plans for after COVID-19 and to inte-grate sport and physical activity into their national sus-tainable development strat-egies,” the joint declaration concluded.

National Alzheimer’s & Memory Services Helpline launched

FROM PAGE 1

“A multidisciplinary team including geriatricians, geriatric psychi-atrists, psychologist and specialised nurses with multi-lingual skills are assigned to support callers of this helpline. They will listen to the caller and direct them to appropriate services or provide guidance to help them overcome any challenges they might face related to this condition,” she said.

This helpline (40262222) service is available between 8am and 3pm from Sunday to Thursday.

Alzheimer’s and related dementias are a set of symptoms that may include disturbance in memory, thinking, orientation, ability to comprehend information and can also affect a person’s lan-guage and judgement. Additionally, there can be changes seen in the behaviour of the individual. These symptoms become severe enough to reduce a person’s ability to perform everyday activities.

According to the UN, around 50 million people have dementia in the world. In Qatar, more than 4,400 people over 60 years of age may have dementia.

This figure is expected to rise tenfold to more than 41,000 people by 2050 if no cure or improved prevention takes place. Qatar is the first Arab country to have a National Dementia Plan and the implementation of this initiative reinforces Qatar’s com-mitment in Dementia Care.

Education City Stadium to

house 2 schools post 2022FROM PAGE 1

Young students will begin to acquire life skills that shape their lives and develop them inside the stadium, and they will be a vivid example of its value for Qatar, and an affirmation that it is more than just an amazing sports edifice.

She noted that “Academyati” was founded in 2019, an innovative school that follows a new curriculum based on the interests of students, focusing on experiential learning and designing individual learning models for each student.

She revealed that the school building will include 23 basic educational spaces, in addition to a space for teaching visual arts and music and a hall a multipurpose athlete, the Academy will strive to meet the needs of students between the ages of 3 and 18.

“The Qatar Academy for Science and Technology building will also include 12 educational studios, three science laboratories, an entrepreneurial labo-ratory, wood and technology business studios, electronics and metal stores, spaces for graphic design and video production, as well as a workspace,” she added.

She added that the educational process for students of two progressive schools in Qatar Foundation, which will be based on this edifice, will have more advantages thanks to the inspiring environment around them, as the stadium itself will transfer knowledge and information about the importance of inno-vation, sustainability, health and well-being, noting that the primary goal of Education City Stadium is to create a legacy, and this goal will become clear after the end of the FIFA World Cup, as it will be a center for learning, crea-tivity and exploration.

Al Nuaimi said that “ Academyati” works to provide an educational experience that suits the individual needs of students, especially that each child has unique characteristics, and has specific needs, interests and strengths, and therefore each student is developed a comprehensive devel-opment plan aimed at enhancing the development of his personal skills and creative capabilities in a stimulating and supportive learning environment.

While the Qatar Academy of Science and Technology is designed for stu-dents wishing to obtain a specialized education in the fields of science, tech-nology, engineering and mathematics to become creative students who master the knowledge and skills required to find solutions to the challenges facing Qatar and the countries of the world.

FAJR SUNRISE 03.14 am 04.44 am

W A L R U WA I S : 26o↗ 35o W A L K H O R : 25o↗ 40o W D U K H A N : 28o↗ 38o W WA K R A H : 26o↗ 39o W M E S A I E E D 26o↗ 39o W A B U S A M R A 38o↗ 37o

PRAYER TIMINGS WEATHER TODAY

HIGH TIDE 02:59 – 17:28 LOW TIDE 00:10– 10:34

Hot daytime with slight dust to blowing dust at some places at times, relatively hot by night.

Minimum Maximum30oC 40oC

ZUHRMAGHRIB

11.36 am06.29 pm

ASR ISHA

02.58 pm07.59 pm

03SUNDAY 21 JUNE 2020 HOME

Lifestyle changes can reverse Type 2 diabetes: Qatari studyQNA — DOHA

The findings of a new research will change how patients with Type 2 diabetes are cared for in Qatar, with a new diabetes reversal clinic set to open at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) in the coming months.

The study, led by teams at HMCs Qatar Metabolic Institute (QMI), Primary Health Care Cor-poration (PHCC), Qatar Diabetes Association (QDA), and Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q), was funded by the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) and found that Type 2 diabetes could be reversed in more than 60 percent of partic-ipants through dietary change, physical activity, and behaviour change, and without medication or weight loss surgery.

The study, which was recently published in the inter-nationally renowned medical journal, The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, is believed to be the first intensive lifestyle intervention trial in the Middle East and North Africa region

and is the country’s first clinical trial in primary care.

“The research targeted patients who developed Type 2 diabetes within the past two years. One group of study par-ticipants received optimal dia-betes care with diabetes med-ications, education, and dietary consultation.

The other group received meal replacement for three months targeting weight reduction, followed by a weight maintenance regular diet.

They received no diabetes medication at all. Diabetes was reversed, or cured in the

majority of patients in the second group — the group who received no medication,” said Professor Abdul Badi Abou Samra, Director, Qatar Metabolic Institute (QMI), and one of the study’s principal investigators.

“In the coming months we are planning to open a Diabetes Reversal Clinics for patients who are motivated to treat their dia-betes through lifestyle modifi-cation,” added Professor Abou Samra. Dr. Shahrad Taheri, Senior Consultant at HMC, Chair of the QMI Research Committee, and a Professor at WCM-Q said the findings of the study are exciting

and could revolutionise the way Type 2 diabetes is treated.

“This study proves that it is possible to reverse diabetes through lifestyle modification and that this course of treatment results in a better outcome than diabetes medications or bari-atric surgery.

The research study was a success because of a close part-nership between HMC-QMI, PHCC, QDA, and WCM-Q. We are now going to take the findings from the research into the clinic.

The planned clinics and future research will benefit from state-of-the-art facilities, including wellness centers in primary care,” said Dr. Taheri, who was the lead principal investigator of the study.

Dr. Samya Al Abdulla, Senior Consultant and Exec-utive Director of Operations at PHCC, and a principal investi-gator of the study said that many of the study's participants were recruited from the PHCCs Rawdat Al Khail Health Center. She called the initiative a very

productive collaboration between PHCC, QMI-HMC, QDA, and WCM-Q.

“The results of the study are important because they will have a significant, positive impact on the lives of people affected by Type 2 diabetes. As the majority of Type 2 diabetic patients are cared for in the primary care setting, PHCC fully supports this collaborative initiative which we know will help benefit our patients and reduce the health burden of diabetes in the com-munity,” said Dr. Al Abdulla.

Dr. Abdullah Al Hamaq, Executive Director of the Qatar Diabetes Association (QDA), a member of Qatar Foundation (QF), and a principal investi-gator of the study, said diabetes is one of the greatest health challenges facing Qatar and the world today and he noted that this research will pave the way for new treatment modalities. “As an integral part of the Qatar National Diabetes Strategy, dia-betic research such as this study enhance our understanding of not only the disease, but also

therapeutic interventions. Research that focuses on the local population is instrumental in developing effective and spe-cialized treatments for people with Type 2 diabetes, both in Qatar and region,” says Dr. Al Hamaq.

Professor Abou Samra added that the research is highly relevant to Qatar because Type 2 diabetes is prevalent in the country and the findings provide treating physicians with evidence that supports an effective, alternative method for disease management.

“These findings are evi-dence that Type 2 diabetes does not have to be a progressive and irreversible disease. It is a treatable disease when an effective lifestyle intervention is used, particularly in patients with recent diabetes devel-opment. Through lifestyle inter-vention, there can be no pro-gression of the disease and no progression of complications, and that is very significant for current and future generations,” said Professor Abou Samra.

Diabetes was reversed, or cured in the majority of patients in the second group — the group who received no medication,” said Professor Abdul Badi Abou Samra, adding: “In the coming months we are planning to open a Diabetes Reversal Clinics for patients who are motivated to treat their diabetes through lifestyle modification.”

VCUarts Qatar manufactures face-shields for infants

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

QF partner-university continues community-wide initiatives to combat COVID-19. Protecting vulnerable groups of people from contracting the corona-virus is a challenge facing healthcare professionals across the globe – especially when some of them barely weigh three kilograms.

During the last week of Ramadan 2020, Dr. Mai Al Qubaisi, a Senior Consultant in Neonatal Intensive Care, and Medical Director of the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), was wondering how she could prevent her tiny charges from contracting the disease.

She had read and heard reports of how countries such as China and Taiwan — who were amongst the first to report cases — had started using infant face-shields for new born babies. With the number of cases in Qatar on the rise, she knew she would have to act quickly.

“When I learned that some mothers — whose newly-born babies were in the NICU — had tested positive for the virus, my first response was to ensure the safety of their infants,” said Dr. Al Qubaisi. “For this, I would need to import wearable equipment to protect the infants as they were being held and bottle-fed by their mothers, and their caregivers. I searched online but couldn’t find any that

would serve the purpose. And as the number of cases in Qatar were increasing, I felt I was running out of time. That’s when my niece mentioned that she’d seen an Instagram post of face-shields being produced by VCUarts Qatar,” she added.

Dr. Al Qubaisi reached out to Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar (WCM-Q) who put her in touch with VCUarts Qatar, and the university’s Fabrication Coor-dinator Chris Buchakjian and the FabLabteam — the same team who helped design and manufacture adult face-shields for Qatar Foundation’s Public Health Care Centre in Education City, a few weeks back.

Sensing the urgency of the request, the VCUarts Qatar designers offered to meet with Dr. Al Qubaisi as soon as possible.

“It was the day before the start of the Eid break when I first met with Chris to discuss meas-urements and designs,” she added. “So I assumed that the masks would be ready only after the Eid break. But much to my amazement, Chris and his team not only said they would help design and deliver the masks, but that they would work over the Eid break and have them ready as soon as possible,” she said

“And they did; I had the first batch of infant face-shields, around two dozen of them,

delivered to me on the second day of the Eid holidays. The VCUarts Qatar team literally worked around the clock, and through

their holidays, for these babies; it’s a humanitarian gesture that I will never forget,” said Dr. Al Qubaisi.

Buchakjian and the FabLab

team used infant-sized dolls supplied by VCUarts Qatar’s Health and Safety department.

“We succeeded in manufac-turing and delivering 100 infant face-shields in just a few days because the people and resources were already in place,” he said. “And we’re preparing to produce more. Ultimately design is an aspirational practice; we create products that we want to see in the world, and we strive to do so in a way that our actions positively impact others.”

The equipment is currently being used by infants in the NICU’s at both HMC and the Cuban Hospital. Dr. Al Qubaisi sums up her experience, thus.

“When I first thought of buying infant face-shields, not for a moment did I think that I would be able to have them manufac-tured in my own country – it’s wonderful what can happen when people work together for a common purpose,” she said.

Dr. Mai Al Qubaisi, a Senior Consultant in Neonatal Intensive Care, and Medical Director of the NICU at the HMC.

PCCQ charters free flight to Kochi for needy Keralite expatriatesTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

P r a v a s i C o o r d i n a t i o n Committee Qatar (PCCQ), has said that it is chartering a free flight for around 180 needy Keralite expatriates. Pravasi Coordination Committee Qatar is a body of various community organizations in Qatar.

In the present situation, there are very limited flights to Kerala whereas the number of needy people who are waiting for their turn to travel is large, said PCCQ in a statement.

In this context, the PCCQ decided to charter a free flight to Kochi for needy people upholding the concept of ‘Humanity Above All’.

PCCQ requested the most deserving candidates to provide their details by today, June 21, before 19:00hrs by contacting at mobile number 55813105 (Adv. Dr. Nizar Kochery) or email ID: PCCQATAR20@gmail.com

This noble endeavour is spon-sored by member organisations like Incas Qatar, Cultural Forum, Samskrithi Qatar, Qatar Indian

Islahi Center, Center for Indian Community, Indian Fraternity Forum, Indian Social Forum, Focus Qatar, KMCC, Chaliyar Doha and CIGI Doha Chapter and some well-wishers.

This came in a meeting pre-sided by PCCQ Chairman Adv. Dr. Nizar Kochery in the presence of Vice-Chairmen K C Abdul Latheef; General Convener VC Mashood; Subcommittee Leader Sameer Eramala; Mohammed Faizal; Sadiq Chennadan; Zameel Abdul Wahid-Chaliyam and Ameen Asif AbdulRasheed .

Qatar, Italy to cooperate to find virus cure using plasma

FROM PAGE 1

“Scientific research has become a fundamental aspect of our bilateral, long-lasting cooper-ation, and I am confident that Italy and Qatar will soon further strengthen their commitment to develop new projects that unlock the untapped potential in this sector,” he said.

Dr. Richard O’Kennedy, QF Vice-President of Research, Development, and Innovation, said: “Science, research, and technology — and consequently humanity — benefit when local and international experts join forces to address common chal-lenges. The global scientific

community has perhaps never been as connected and united as it is in these unprecedentedly challenging times. The provision of convalescent plasma samples from COVID-19 patients in Qatar to expert biomedical researchers in Italy reflects the long-standing and valued research ties between our nations. Qatar Foundation is proud to be part of this bilateral project, working closely with Hamad Medical Corporation and the Embassy of Italy in Qatar, by facilitating inter-agency coordi-nation and knowledge transfer at a time when they are so urgently needed. Qatar Foun-dation Research, Development and Innovation stands ready and

willing to contribute to Qatar’s efforts to help local and global communities,” he added.

Dr. Muna Al Maslamani, Medical Director of the HMC Communicable Disease Centre and Medical Director for COVID-19, said: “We have been using plasma therapy on COVID-19 patients as a key part of our extensive treatment pro-tocol, and there are early prom-ising results from this work.” “Learning more about the impact of plasma therapy will help us to provide even more effective treatment to our patients in the future, which is why this is such an important international part-nership. ”

An infant with face shield.

04 SUNDAY 21 JUNE 2020HOME

Ooredoo offers Cloud Backup Service on 30-day free trial basisTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Ooredoo, the region’s leading enabler of digital business innovat ion, yesterday announced that its latest cloud-based data protection solution — the Ooredoo Cloud Backup Service for large, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and small offices — will be available for free on a 30-day trial basis to maintain business continuity during the COVID-19 situ-ation.

As enterprises in Qatar continue their operations remotely, having much of the workforce working from home could result in extra security challenges as part of business practices.

To help address some of these challenges — primarily, corporate data being stored on desktops and laptops, or servers being unprotected — Ooredoo is offering its cus-tomers access to its enter-prise-grade Cloud Backup service for a free 30-day trial.

The Ooredoo Cloud Backup Service provides a flexible, secure and always-on backup and disaster recovery solution, available at any time and from any location, delivered from Ooredoo’s Tier 3-certified Qatar Data Centre.

Yousuf Abdulla Al Kubaisi, Chief Operating Officer of Ooredoo Qatar, said: “At Ooredoo we are proud to be playing a part in upholding

business continuity amid the global pandemic. For the next month, businesses in Qatar can try backing up their data in the Cloud for free, pro-viding an extra protection for their business-critical data which can be easily recovered from the self-service portal.”

Using the Ooredoo Cloud Backup Service, enterprises can safeguard crucial data — files, databases and applica-tions — from any physical or virtual machine in their networks.

This means that in response to human error, server or disk failure, or natural disaster, organisations can promptly and securely recover data, through a smart and intuitive interface.

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HBKU Press book by Qatari author named finalist in international awardTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

A newly-released children’s book from the Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press (HBKU Press) The Firefly is a finalist in the Children’s Picture Book (illustrative 6 years and above) category of the 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. The book is written by first-time Qatari children’s author, Ameera H Al Naemi.

“We are extremely proud to be able to provide a publishing platform that recognises the literary value and important messages of our books and authors from around the world,” said Bachar Chebaro, Executive Director of HBKU Press. “This type of recognition is sure to increase a book’s visibility and readership internationally and helps HBKU Press participate in cross cul-tural communications in a global context.”

The Next Generation Indie Book Awards is the largest international awards program for indie authors and independent publishers. In its

fourteenth year of operation, the award was established to honour the most exceptional independently books pub-lished each year across 70 different cat-egories. The award is presented by Independent Book Publishing Profes-sionals Group in cooperation with Marilyn Allen of Allen O’Shea Literary Agency.

The Firefly was selected as a finalist because it successfully highlights the selflessness of charity to children, teaching them an important lesson on how to positively contribute, even in the smallest way, to the global community.

Al Naemi was inspired to write this book through her own experience working with many international humanitarian organisations to bring about invaluable change. Her involvement in multicultural environ-ments — whether at an office, orphanage, or a refugee camp — has served to widen her understanding of foreign cultures, and has enabled her

to recognise the many similarities that unite people from different back-grounds around the world.

“To me, fireflies have come to rep-resent a small but significant spring of light and hope,” explained Al Naemi when asked about her inspiration for the story. “In The Firefly, they help get Ibraheem’s mission back on track with little more than their own light. My hope is that we, too, can become sources of light in the sense that we can help energize, guide, and lead our communities. Ibraheem’s family values, which revolve around the concept of unity, are central to fos-tering a sense of community and would enable anyone to find joy in reaching out to others with even the smallest acts of kindness.”

Al Naemi recognises the success of her partnership with HBKU Press and credits the local Qatari publishing house for playing a key role in devel-oping the book.

“The foresight, experience, and

guidance that I received from the team at HBKU Press was instrumental in the literary journey of materializing my own appreciation of fireflies. I look forward to working alongside HBKU Press on my next children’s book project, whenever that may be, as the first partnership has proved to be fruitful.”

Nico Yanopulos, the Greek artist behind the book’s illustrations, was instrumental in depicting the powerful text through evocative illustrations.

“Illustrating The Firefly was my first cooperation with HBKU Press and

I feel so happy and blessed that it has been recognized for an award,” said Yanopulos upon hearing the news.

The illustrations complement the text in a way that depicts the emotional journey of the protagonist’s personal growth.

The Firefly is perfect for children aged 5-12 and can be purchased in bookstores across Qatar, or through the Snoonu and Rafeeq applications in Qatar and delivered to your door.

It is available as an eBook on Kindle, Overdrive, and the Streetlib platforms.

QatarDebate Center to hold panel discussion on Qatar’s economic strengthsTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

QatarDebate Center — a member of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development — will launch second panel discussion of the “Oasis of Dialogue” under the title of “Qatar’s Economy: Strengths and Weaknesses” on Tuesday at 7 pm online.

Oasis of Dialogue aims to provide a constructive envi-ronment for dialogue and the exchange of ideas and theses and seeks to build a positive interactive system based on exploring and respecting the other, through an active link of three main components. Also, it includes experts and specialists and authors of research and analytical writing, as well as young people with their views,

perceptions and interests in con-temporary issues.

Dr. Hayat Maarafi, Executive Director of QatarDebate Center, said Oasis of Dialogue is a Forum for the expert minds and capable youth skills, and a platform that features discussion of emerging talent. It hones dialogue compe-tencies of the elite, with intellec-tuals and academics, so dif-ference becomes the new mindset, and dialogue a means of coexistence.

He added: “The first dis-cussion episode of Oasis of Dia-logue was successful and fruitful. The center was able to discuss important issues in our time. It is a spacious platform designed to educate young people on spe-cialised topics of scientific fields and stimulate ideas, experiences, and community development.

Indicating that the choice of the title of the panel discussion “Qatar Economy: Strengths and weaknesses” coincides with the risks and challenges arising from the current crises and looking at them from several aspects and creating an academic envi-ronment to discuss these issues and try to reach sustainable eco-nomic development. She wel-comes experts’ and specialists’ participation in this panel discussion.

On behalf of the QatarDebate, she thanked Dr. Khaled Rashid Al Khater, Dr. Al Anoud Al Maadid, Nasser Al Emadi, and everyone who par-ticipated in the preparation and presentation.

Guests of the second dis-cussion panel from the Oasis of Dialogue included Dr. Khaled Al

Khater, who holds a PhD in Eco-nomics from the University of California (2009) and MA and BSc Honors degrees in Eco-nomics from University of Western Michigan, US. He spe-cialises in monetary policy, political science and economic growth.

He is a fellow researcher at the Center for Macroeconomics and the Institute for Emerging Markets at the University of Cambridge, UK, and previously worked as a resident researcher at Georgetown University in Qatar. He was also director of the Research and Monetary Policy Department at the Central Bank of Qatar, and represented the State of Qatar in the Tech-nical Committee of the Monetary Union of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

His research interests include monetary policy, exchange rate policy, macroeco-nomic policies, economic diver-sification in the GCC countries, and the political economy of rentier states.

He has several scientific papers published in a number of scientific periodicals, books and research centers and partici-pated in many international con-ferences as a lecturer and speaker.

Dr Alanoud Al Maadeed, Assistant Professor of Eco-nomics at Qatar University, holds a doctorate degree in eco-nomics and finance besides the award of Innovation and Influence from Brunel Uni-versity in London in 2016 and worked as a fellow at Qatar Center for International and

Regional Studies — Georgetown University.

She is a researcher inter-ested in the fields of chronologic economics, the stock market in the Gulf Cooperation Council states, and behavioral eco-nomics, and has taught the prin-ciples of macro- and microeco-nomics, energy economics and monetary policies.

She is involved in many research projects, including leading a research titled “Qatar Stock Markets Vision through a behavioral lens.” Dr. Al Maadeed received the Emir of Qatar Award for Educational Excellence 2017.

The discussion panel will be managed by Nasser Al Emadi, a graduate of Business Admin-istration from Qatar University.

Qatar Charity, Sudanese in Qatar send medical aid to Khartoum

QNA — DOHA

A seven-tonne shipment of medical aid, provided by the Qatar Charity and professional associations for Sudanese working in the State of Qatar, with a total value of QR2m, arrived in the Sudanese capital Khartoum.

The shipment was received by Sudan’s Minister of Health, H E Dr. Akram Ali Altom, Acting Charge d’Affairs to the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Sudan Talal Farhan Al Anzi, and several officials of the supreme committee for health emer-gencies. The assistance included protection tools for doctors and health personnel to tackle the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Sudan’s Minister of Health, H E Dr. Akram Ali Altom thanked the State of Qatar’s government, people, and organisation for their

permanent standing with Sudan, stressing that the rela-tionship between the two coun-tries is historic.

The State of Qatar has always provided technical and material assistance, relief, and support to Sudan, and it is still providing, he said.

Sudan Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Abbas Fadlallah

said that the State of Qatar has always stood by Sudan to con-front disasters, the last of which was standing by Sudan during the flood disaster where Qatar established an airlift to help those affected. He thanked the State of Qatar for the assistance.

Acting Charge d’Affairs at the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Sudan, Talal Farhan Al

Anzi, pointed out that this assistance comes within the framework of the distinguished relations between the two brotherly countries and fra-ternal ties between the State of Qatar and Sudan. He also affirmed the State of Qatar’s commitment to enhancing those relations in the interest of both countries.

Sudan’s Minister of Health, H E Dr. Akram Ali Altom; Acting Charge d’Affairs at the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Sudan, Talal Farhan Al Anzi; and other officials on the occasion of arrival of medical aid from Qatar, in Khartoum, Sudan.

Temporary traffic diversion on service road to Al Shamal Road

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) yesterday announced a temporary traffic diversion and one lane closure on the service road leading to Al Gharrafa Immigration Traffic Signal for those heading to Al Shamal Road.

The traffic diversion will be implemented tomorrow to allow the replacement and rehabili-tation works of foul sewer network.

The new road status will remain in place until September 15, 2020.

The proposed change is in coordination with the General Directorate of Traffic.

The Public Works Authority will install road signs advising motorists of the traffic shift.

The authority has requested all road users to abide by the speed limit at the site, which will be at 30 kph along the route, and to follow the road signs to ensure their safety.

Sudan’s Minister of Health, H E Dr. Akram Ali Altom thanked the State of Qatar’s government, people, and organisation for their permanent standing with Sudan, stressing that the relationship between the two countries is historic.

05SUNDAY 21 JUNE 2020 MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Arab League calls for aiding refugees, displaced peopleQNA — CAIRO

The Secretariat General of the Arab League has called for intensifying cooperation between all parties at the national, regional and interna-tional levels, to ensure the provision of the necessary care for refugees and displaced persons to provide the economic and social support to them, emphasizing the impor-tance of not redirecting financial resources to combat (COVID-19) epidemic impact the humanitarian response to displacement crises and refugee needs.

In a statement issued on the occasion of International Refugee Day, the Arab League renewed its call to the interna-tional community to continue to provide the necessary support to UNRWA enabling it to assume its full responsibil-ities towards the Palestinian refugees, reject any attempts to end or reduce its role and affirm the right of the Palestinian

refugees to return to their homeland according to Reso-lution issued by the United Nations General Assembly No. 194 of 1948.

The Secretariat General stressed the importance of refugee rights to be a central focus of efforts to tackle (COVID-19) pandemic, and the need to refrain from taking any measures that may have neg-ative effects on them.

The statement pointed out that the celebration of Interna-tional Refugee Day this year comes in exceptional circum-stances due to the outbreak of (COVID-19). There is a state of concern about this unprece-dented pandemic and its impact on refugees and their host

communities, especially since more than 80% of the refugees around the world live in low and middle income countries, many of which suffer from weak health systems, water and sanitation.

The Arab region alone hosts nearly half of all refugees worldwide, including 5.4 million Palestinian refugees in UNRWA’s work areas.

Given that refugees are among the groups most vul-nerable to this pandemic as they are more susceptible to diseases and as a result of their living conditions in the camps, the League of Arab States considers the International Day of Ref-ugees this year an important moment for the entire world to show support for this group and commitment to the principle of international solidarity and shared responsibility by various parties in the international community, by easing the burden on host countries and communities, the statement added.

Palestinian sand sculptor Rana Ramlawi finishes an artwork creation commemorating World Refugee Day, a day dedicated by the United Nations General Assembly to raising awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world, in Gaza City, yesterday. The artwork depicts a woman carrying a child and a sack of flour bearing the logo of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) with a child behind holding a jerry can of water, all standing before a map of the world. Some five million refugees registered with the UNRWA, of whom more than 1.5 million (nearly one-third) live in 58 recognised refugee camps in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank including East Jerusalem, in addition to Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. Palestine refugees are defined by the UNRWA as “persons whose normal place of residence was Palestine during the period 1 June 1946 to 15 May 1948, and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict”.

Iran’s currency plunges against dollar amid sanctions, virusREUTERS — DUBAI

The Iranian rial fell to its lowest ever rate against the US dollar on the unofficial market yesterday, a day after Tehran’s rebuke by the UN nuclear watchdog increased the pressure from US sanctions and the coronavirus outbreak.

The dollar was offered for as much as 193,300 rials, up from 188,200 rials on Friday, according to foreign exchange site Bonbast.com, which tracks the unofficial market. The eco-nomic daily Donya-e-Eqtesad gave the dollar rate as 190,800.

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-nation Board of Governors called on Iran on Friday to stop denying it access to two suspected former nuclear sites, raising diplomatic pressure on Tehran.

President Donald Trump

withdrew the US from a multi-lateral deal aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear programme in May 2018 and reimposed sanc-tions that have battered the economy.

A drop in oil prices and a slump in the global economy have deepened the economic crisis in the country, one of worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic in the Middle East.

Central Bank chief Abdol-naser Hemmati said the psy-chological impact of the IAEA resolution on the rial was exag-gerated and that Iran’s economy could cope with the added pressure.

“The circumstances created by corona, the temporary pressure on the foreign exchange market...and the psy-chological atmosphere caused by the resolution of the IAEA Board of Governors should not

give the wrong signal,” Hemmati said in an Instagram posting.

“Despite the limited oil rev-enues, the country’s foreign exchange balance is good and the central bank will continue to provide the needed cur-rency... despite continued US pressure,” he added.

The rial lost about 70 percent of its value over several months to fall to 190,000 in September 2018 amid heavy demand for US dollars among Iranians who feared Washing-ton’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal and sanctions could shrink vital oil exports and severely impact the economy.

Meanwhile, Iranian health a u t h o r i t i e s y e s t e r d a y announced more than 100 new deaths from coronavirus and another 2,000 cases of the

illness, as the country’s fight against the pandemic entered its fifth month.

Iran reported its first coro-navirus cases on February 19, and it has since struggled to contain the outbreak, the worst in the Middle East.

The country’s official figures have shown an upward tra-jectory in new cases of infection since early May.

Health ministry spokes-woman Sima Sadat Lari said there were 115 fatalities in the past 24 hours, bringing the country’s death toll to 9,507.

There were also 2,322 new cases of infection, with the total number of confirmed cases now at 202,584, she added.

There has been scepticism at home and abroad about Iran’s official figures, with con-cerns the real toll could be much higher.

President Hassan Rouhani yesterday warned that stress created by the disease could leave people “depressed”.

He called on experts and artists to prepare Iranians men-tally “to fight the virus for a long time”.

“Without perseverance and continuity, we risk losing all our gains,” he said during a meeting of a taskforce set up to fight the pandemic.

Rouhani also confirmed his government’s decision to allow provinces to make their own decisions on restrictive measures, implemented with “the President’s approval”.

Seven of Iran’s 31 provinces — Khuzestan, Khorasan Razavi, Kermanshah, West and East Azerbaijan, Golestan and Kurdistan — are currently “red”, the highest level on its colour-coded risk scale, Lari said.

Landmine removing drill Mines are being defused with remote-controlled vehicle by Special Demining Team (OMAT) of Turkish Armed Forces during their training at their units in Gaziantep, Turkey, yesterday.

Bomb kills 9 pro-regime fighters in Syria: MonitorAFP — BEIRUT

A roadside bomb killed at least nine pro-regime fighters yesterday on a bus in Daraa, the cradle of Syria’s nine-year-old uprising, a war monitor said.

The attack in the village of Kihel in the southern province of Daraa also wounded 19 others, some of them criti-cally, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The casualties were members of a group of former rebels who surrendered at the initiative of regime ally Russia to form part of the army, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

There was no immediate claim for the bombing, in a province that the Britain-based Observatory says is often rocked by attacks against loyalists and civilians working for the state.

In early May, unknown gunmen abducted and killed nine policemen in a rare attack on a government

building.Russia-backed regime

fighters recaptured Daraa from rebels in 2018, in a sym-bolic blow to the anti-gov-ernment uprising born there in 2011.

State institutions have since returned but the army is still not deployed in the whole province, the Observ-atory says.

Many former rebels stayed instead of evacuating under a Moscow-brokered deal, either joining the army or remaining in control of parts of the province. The Islamic State group has in the past claimed attacks in the area. Last July, IS said it killed six soldiers at a checkpoint.

The militants lost the last scrap of their territorial “caliphate” more than a year ago, but retain a presence in Syria’s vast Badia desert.

Syria’s war has killed more than 380,000 people and displace millions since it started with anti-government protests in 2011.

Yemen’s Southern separatists take control of Island

BLOOMBERG — SANA'A

Southern Yemeni separatists have gained control of Socotra, the strategically placed island off the Horn of Africa, and started implementing self-rule.

“The southern forces have stormed the special task forces camp, the last stronghold of the camps of Muslim brotherhood in Hadiboh,” the island’s largest town, Salem Thabet, a leading member of the separatist Southern Transitional Council, said in a statement yesterday. The Muslim brotherhood’s Islah party is the biggest in the Yemeni government.

Clashes between the sep-aratists and the Yemeni gov-ernment forces erupted on Friday on the island recog-nised by UNESCO as globally important for biodiversity. Yemen is strategically signif-icant because it lies on a waterway linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Jordan FM: We are able to protect borders ANATOLIA — AMMAN

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman al Safadi said on Friday that his country does not have land in the occupied West Bank where Israel plans to annex.

“Jordan is able to protect its borders and interests,” he said, while commenting on Israel’s annexation plan and

noting Jordan’s borders are internationally-recognised and not under any threat.

Safadi also warned of the danger of Israel’s annexation plan, and said it would certainly not remain unanswered.

Encouraged by US President Donald Trump’s so-called “Deal of the Century,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

last month announced his gov-ernment would formally annex the Jordan Valley and all set-tlement blocs in the West Bank.

The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is seen as occupied territory under inter-national law, thus making all Jewish settlements there — as well as the planned annexation - illegal.

African refugees and migrants trapped inside Yemen’s warREUTERS — ADEN/SANA'A

Despite six years of war and hardship in Yemen, Somali refugee Bader Hassan had stuck it out hoping for a better life than in his homeland.

But the coronavirus pan-demic has pushed his pre-carious existence to the edge, and now he wants out.

“Me, my wife and my son want to live in a good place, like other people,” the Somali-born 32-year-old said in the capital Sana'a.

As a refugee he has lived his life in Yemen with no state or charity support, he said. He dropped out of school early to

earn a living and now washes cars in the street.

“But how do we live now when corona is also shutting off car washing?” he said.

Divided between Houthi authorities in the north and the Yemeni government in the south, Yemen today is a land of displacement with 80% of the population reliant on humani-tarian aid.

One in every eight Yemenis has been internally displaced by the six-year conflict and 280,000 foreign refugees also live there. Yemen hosts the second-largest Somali refugee population.

After Houthi authorities in

May announced their first coro-navirus case in a Somali national found dead in a Sanaa hotel, African migrants and ref-ugees have been increasingly stigmatised, the United Nations and migrants said.

“They ask ‘what’s your nationality: Yemen, Somalia?’ I say Somali and they say ‘sorry, goodbye’,” Hassan said of potential customers.

Tensions between host and refugee and migrant commu-nities over Yemen’s scarce resources have historically been low, but the relationship is coming under strain as Yemen’s woes deepen, the UN refugee agency’s (UNHCR) Jean-Nicolas

Beuze said from Sana'a.Alongside refugees, around

100,000 migrants also arrive each year by sea from the Horn of Africa hoping to trek north into wealthy Saudi Arabia and beyond. Largely Ethiopian, they suffer the same traffickers, abuse, and theft as refugees, often living side-by-side in squatter camps in the main cities. “When [migrants and ref-ugees] reach the UNHCR office or our partners they are often without anything, not even identity documents most of the time,” said Beuze.

As coronavirus concerns mount, UN migration agency IOM says migrants are being

forcibly transferred out of urban areas to hard-to-access loca-tions, including more than 1,300 forcibly moved north to south since late April.

Ethiopian migrant Abdelaziz came by sea, but said his journey to Saudi was blocked by northern authorities.

“There were 250 of us on the sea journey we paid 1,500 Saudi riyals ($400) for. Around five died,” he said from the bare roadside garden where he and dozens of other African migrants sleep on cardboard.

He desperately wants to leave. “We have nothing to eat and drink,” he said. “The people are tired of helping us.”

COVID-19: Kuwait

reports six new

deaths; Oman sees

896 new cases

QNA — KUWAIT/MUSCAT

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Health yesterday reported 467 more infections with the novel coro-navirus (COVID-19), taking the country’s count of confirmed cases to 39,145.

Six more people also died from the infectious respiratory illness over the past 24 hours, raising death toll due to the virus to 319 so far, the Minis-try’s Spokesman Dr. Abdullah Al Sanad said in a statement carried by Kuwait news agency (KUNA).

The latest cases include 268 Kuwaiti citizens, while the remaining patients belong to several other nationalities, Al Sanad added. In addition, a total of 8,100 patients are still receiving medication at hos-pitals, while 180 others are languishing in intensive care units, the spokesman added.

Earlier yesterday, the Min-istry of Health confirmed the recovery of 536 additional Covid-19 patients, bringing the overall count of recoveries to 30, 726 so far.

Meanwhile, Omani Min-istry of Health reported yes-terday 896 new coronavirus (COVID-19) infections, of which 391 Omanis and 505 foreigners, bringing the tally to 28,566, 128 deaths and 14,780 recoveries.

The Ministry said in a statement carried by Oman news agency (ONA) that the total number of examinations conducted during the past 24 hours was 2448, and the number of cases in intensive care unit reached 99 cases.

The Arab region alone hosts nearly half of all refugees worldwide, including 5.4 million Palestinian refugees.

06 SUNDAY 21 JUNE 2020MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Turkey: Haftar forces must pull out from Sirte for ceasefireAFP — ISTANBUL

Turkey yesterday said Khalifa Haftar’s forces in Libya need to withdraw from the strategic city of Sirte for a ceasefire agreement to be reached and accused France of “jeopard-ising” Nato security by backing him.

Libya has been mired in fighting between rival groups since a 2011 uprising toppled longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Haftar, a former Gaddafi army commander, has been battling to take the capital Tripoli since last year.

Ibrahim Kalin, the Turkish presidential spokesman, said that Turkey supports the GNA position that Sirte and Al Jufra

should be evacuated by Haftar’s LNA forces for a “sustainable ceasefire”.

“It should be a sustainable ceasefire, meaning that the other side, the LNA (Libyan National Army), should not be in a position to launch another attack on the legitimate Libyan government any time it wants,” Kalin told AFP in an interview.

Kalin said a ceasefire in Libya would be possible if eve-rybody went back to their

positions in 2015, referring to a political agreement reached that year in Morocco. That would mean Haftar with-drawing from Sirte and Al Jufra.

“This is the position of the GNA and we support it because right now the Haftar forces are using these strategic locations as their launching pad,” he said.

GNA forces, which regained control of the whole of northwest Libya early this month, remain hampered in

their advance toward Sirte, a coastal city and a gateway to major oil fields in the east.

The hometown of Gaddafi, Sirte, located 450km east of Tripoli, was a stronghold of the Islamic State (IS) group, before being taken over in 2016 by the GNA. It fell last January into the hands of Haftar’s camp.

A high-level Turkish dele-gation including Kalin, the foreign minister and intelli-gence chief visited Tripoli on Wednesday.

Kalin also accused France of “jeopardising” Nato’s security by supporting Haftar.

“In Libya we are supporting the legitimate government and the French government is sup-porting an illegitimate warlord and jeopardising Nato security,

Mediterranean security, North African security and Libya’s political stability,” Kalin said.

“Given all this they still blame us, they still criticise us... We are working with the legit-imate actors here. It is France that is intervening in all of those areas, working with the wrong actors, supporting ille-gitimate players and then turning and accusing us.” Nato has launched an official inves-tigation into a naval incident in the Mediterranean between the alliance members after France denounced an “extremely aggressive” act by Turkish frigates against a French navy vessel.

Paris has complained that one of its ships was subjected to radar targeting by Turkish

frigates while trying to inspect a cargo vessel believed to be carrying arms to Libya.

But Ankara dismissed the allegations as “groundless”.

“France for us is an important Nato ally. It is an important country in Europe. We don’t want to have any ten-sions with France or any other country,” Kalin said. Turkey sees no role for Haftar in Libya’s future. “He has been unreliable from the very beginning. He has spoiled every single ceasefire agreement, every attempt at de-escalation and the GNA will not support any talks that will involve Haftar. This is what we are gathering from their analysis and we support that,” Kalin said.

West African blocurges Mali to re-rundisputed electionsREUTERS — BAMAKO

West African regional bloc ECOWAS yesterday called on Mali to re-run some of its contested local elections and convene a government of national unity after anti-government protests swept the capital Bamako.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets on Friday for the second time in a month to demand President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita step down.

Keita, who was re-elected in 2018 for a second five-year term, has struggled with an ongoing security crisis, a strike by teachers and the coronavirus outbreak.

Political tensions increased after disputed local elections in March in which turnout was low due in part to fears of attacks

by militant groups who roam the desert north.

The lead-up to the poll was marred by allegations of vote buying and intimidation and the kidnapping of opposition leader Soumaila Cisse.

ECOWAS “invites the Gov-ernment of the Republic of Mali to reconsider the results of all the districts which have been subject to review,” the group said in a statement after a two-day mission to the country. “New elections for the constit-uencies concerned should be organized as soon as possible.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged for calm and dialogue after some oppo-sition politicians called for civil disobedience during Friday’s protests.

“The Secretary-General

calls on all political leaders to send clear messages to their supporters to exercise utmost restraint and to refrain from any action likely to fuel tensions,” said Farhan Haq, a deputy spokesman for Guterres.

Mali, which produces gold and cotton, has struggled to establish stability since 2012 when militants hijacked an insurrection by Tuareg sepa-ratists, seizing the north.

French troops helped to

recapture the area but vio-lence persists despite the presence of thousands of UN troops, with groups linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic State stoking intercommunal tensions.

People protest demanding the resignation of Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita at Independence Square in Bamako, Mali, on Friday.

Zimbabwe health minister charged in COVID-19 graft caseAP — HARARE, ZIMBABWE

Zimbabwe’s health minister was charged yesterday with criminal abuse of duty as a public officer, accused of ille-gally awarding a multi-million-dollar contract for COVID-19 medical supplies to a shadowy company that sold the government $28 face masks and other materials at inflated prices.

The country’s anti-cor-ruption agency arrested Obadiah Moyo on Friday and the government cancelled the contracts following public uproar.

One of President

Emmerson Mnangagwa’s sons was forced to issue a statement denying a link to the company after pictures emerged of the Zimbabwean representative of the firm enjoying the company of the president and his wife and sons at several events.

The representative, Delish Nguwaya, and some top offi-cials of the national drugs pro-curement agency are already facing criminal charges related to the scandal.

Nguwaya is accused of lying in saying the company was a drugs manufacturing company based in Switzerland, “whereas it was merely a con-sulting company with no

experience in the manufacture of drug and medical products,” according to the charge sheet.

The health minister, a former hospital administrator, faces a fine or up to 15 years in prison if convicted. He was granted bail and will be back in court on July 31.

The prosecution originally opposed bail, arguing he could flee before the conclusion of the case, but did not request that in court.

According to the charge sheet, Moyo “exerted pressure” on his subordinates to award the contracts worth $60m last year and this year.

The scandal comes as

health professionals including nurses and doctors in Zim-babwe are on strike demanding to be paid their salaries in US dollars. They argue that inflation that is now above 750% and the erosion of the value of local currency have rendered incomes worthless.

Most traders charge for their goods in US dollars in the southern African country that has long faced economic col-lapse. The health professionals also have complained about lack of adequate protective gear as the number of corona-virus cases rises.

Zimbabwe has nearly 500 cases.

Congo President’s aide sentencedto 20 years in jail for corruptionBLOOMBERG — KINSHASA

Vital Kamerhe, the chief of staff of Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, was sentenced to 20 years forced labour and faces millions of dollars in fines after a court convicted him of embezzlement and corruption.

Kamerhe was convicted of participating in the theft of more than $50m from infra-structure projects linked to the first 100 days of Tshisekedi’s tenure last year.

The 61-year-old has said the trial was a political attack by enemies of the President. Tshisekedi himself has declined to comment on the case.

A tribunal based in the capital, Kinshasa, called the fact that Kamerhe intended to commit the crimes “une-quivocal” in a reading of the judgment that was broadcast on national television. As the judge read the verdict, Kamerhe laughed out loud.

The case, which has capti-vated the nation for months, caused a sensation on Tuesday when Congo’s Justice Minister announced that the original judge in the trial, Raphael Yanyi Ovungu, didn’t die of natural causes as announced last

month. An autopsy of the body found his death was caused by a brain hemorrhage after trauma to the head and a murder investigation is under way.

Kamerhe has been a pow-erful player in the country’s politics for more than 15 years. He helped lead former Pres-ident Joseph Kabila’s first election campaign in 2006, after which he became National Assembly head. Kamerhe broke with Kabila in 2009, then ran for president against his former boss in 2011, finishing third.

He became Tshisekedi’s chief of staff after the two men brokered an agreement in 2018 that was supposed to let Kamerhe run for president in 2023. He is no longer eligible to run due to the conviction. The judgment also prohibited him from voting or serving in gov-ernment for 10 years.

Kamerhe’s conviction removes a key political player from the scene, and boosts the young Tshisekedi administra-tion’s fight against endemic corruption. But it also sidelines one of the President’s key allies.

A file photo of Vital Kamerhe (left) and President Felix Tshisekedi (right) of Democratic Republic of Congo.

Researchers in Nigeria announce COVID-19 vaccineANATOLIA — ANKARA

A team of Nigerian scientists has announced the discovery of a preventive vaccine against the novel coronavirus, local media reported yesterday.

“It is our passion to be a solution provider to such a global pandemic, and we are ready to throw our weights behind the team and make the vaccine a reality,” news website Leadership quoted the leader of the COVID-19 Research Group, Dr. Oladipo Kolawole.

“The vaccine is real. We have validated it several times. It is targeted at Africans, but will also work for other races. It will work. It cannot be faked. This is a result of the determi-nation. It took a lot of scientific efforts,” Kolawole told reporters at Adeleke University in Nigeria’s Eda state Friday.

“The population of those that need vaccines is more than those that need drugs. That is why the research focused on a vaccine,” he noted.

The study that the vaccine was based on was initially funded by the Trinity Immun-odeficient Laboratory and Helix Biogen Consult, Ogbomosho, with roughly 7.8 million Nigerian nairas ($20,000), according to the report.

Kolawole went on to say that his team had worked extensively on the virus’s genome from samples across Africa to select the best potential vaccine candidates.

The researchers of the team had made the possible latent vaccine constructs, Kolawole revealed, without naming the vaccine.

He added that it would take a minimum of 18 months to release the vaccine for wide-spread use, due to a large amount of research, analysis and approvals required by medical authorities.

The highest death toll on the continent has been reported in Egypt with 2,017 fatalities, followed by South Africa with 1,831 deaths, Algeria with 825, Sudan with 506 and Nigeria with 475.

The countries with the highest number of cases were South Africa with 87,715, Egypt with 52,211, Nigeria with 18,480 and Algeria with 11,504.

After originating in Wuhan, China last December, COVID-19 has spread to at least 188 countries and regions.

The pandemic has killed more than 460,000 worldwide, with more than 8.6 million con-firmed cases, while recoveries have surpassed 4.2 million.

Virus cases in

Africa exceed

286,000; deaths

near 7,700ANATOLIA — ADDIS ABABA

Coronavirus cases in Africa have reached 286,141, the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said yesterday.

According to the latest update, the death toll on the continent is now up to 7,693, while 132,412 people have recovered in 54 countries.

With 91,800, Southern Africa leads in the number of cases, followed by North Africa with 77,200, West Africa 59,500, East Africa 30,000, and Central Africa with 28,000.

At least 3,200 people have died in North Africa, 1,900 in Southern Africa, 1,100 in West Africa, 915 in East Africa, and 621 in Central Africa.

Southern Africa also has the highest number of recov-eries at 49,700, followed by North Africa’s 31,700, West Africa 26,500, Central Africa 12,400, and East Arica with 12,100.

Meanwhile, Sudan con-firmed 19 additional fatalities from the coronavirus on Friday, taking the nationwide death toll to 506. A further 296 new cases were registered, bringing that tally to 8,316, health officials said in a statement. A total of 3,086 people have recovered. In Ghana, the number of COVID-19 infections has exceeded 13,000, health authorities said on Friday, as 274 cases were reported in the last 24 hours.

Confirmed COVID-19 cases stands at 13,203. Health offi-cials said four additional fatal-ities from the virus were recorded Friday, taking the nationwide death toll to 70. The number of recovered patients has reached 4,548. The capital of Accra and in Ashanti, western and central regions are the worst hit areas.

In the central region, 131 people were detained for vio-lating COVID-19 measures.

Tripoli govtto boycottLeague talks

AFP — TRIPOLI

Libya’s UN-recognised unity government has said it will boycott talks on the conflict in the North African country to be held by Arab League foreign ministers next week.

Foreign minister Mohamad Taher Siala told the bloc’s executive council on Friday that the planned meeting would “merely deepen the rift” between Arab governments on the conflict, his ministry said.

The talks are to be held by videoconference because of COVID-19. Siala complained there had been no prior con-sultation with his government, even though the meeting con-cerned Libya, and said the virtual format of the meeting was not appropriate for addressing the thorny issues involved. The head of Tripoli’s Government of National Accord, Fayez Al Sarraj, visited Algeria yesterday and had talks with President Abdelm-adjid Tebboune, the official Algerian Press Service said. Algeria, which is seeking to mediate a peaceful solution to the Libya war, shares a 1,000-km border with Libya and has repeatedly denounced foreign interference in its eastern neighbour.

GNA forces are now in the ascendancy after defeating Haftar’s forces, driving them out of western Libya earlier this month. They aims to seize Sirte and Al-Jufra. The UN has urged outside powers to respect a deal reached at a January conference in Berlin, calling for an end to foreign meddling and upholding a much-violated arms embargo.

Ibrahim Kalin, the Turkish presidential spokesman, said a ceasefire in Libya would be possible if everybody went back to their positions in 2015, referring to a political agreement reached that year in Morocco.

07SUNDAY 21 JUNE 2020 ASIA

India will respond firmly to any transgression on LAC: PMOIANS — NEW DELHI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was clear that India would respond firmly to any trans-gression attempts at the Line of Actual Control, his office clar-ified yesterday and countered opposition’s attack, saying “attempts are being made in some quarters to give a mischievous interpretation” to his remark at the All-Party Meeting held on Friday on Galwan Valley stand-off.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said, the PM specifically emphasized Indian forces now decisively counter any viola-tions on LAC (unhe rokte hain, unhe tokte hain) in contrast to the past neglect of such challenges.

PMO’s clarification followed former Congress president

Rahul Gandhi’s accusation on Prime Minister Modi of surren-dering Indian territory to China.

“PM has surrendered Indian territory to Chinese aggression. If the land was Chinese: 1. Why were our soldiers killed? 2. Where were they killed?,” Gandhi tweeted on Saturday, a day after the all party meet.

The opposition leaders were also informed that this time, Chinese forces have come in much larger strength to the LAC

and that the Indian response is commensurate, the PMO said.

With regard to transgression on LAC, the PMO says, it was clearly stated that the violence in Galwan Valley on June 15 arose because Chinese side was seeking to set up structures just across the LAC and refused to desist from such actions.

The focus of the PM’s remarks in the all party meet was the events of June 15 at Galwan Valley that led to the

loss of lives of 20 Indian mil-itary personnel, said the PMO.

“Prime Minister paid glowing tributes to the valour and patri-otism of our armed forces who repulsed the designs of the Chinese there. The Prime Minis-ter’s observations that there was no Chinese presence on our side of the LAC pertained to the situ-ation as a consequence of the bravery of our armed forces.” The sacrifices of the soldiers of the 16 Bihar Regiment foiled the attempt of the Chinese side to set up structures and also cleared the attempted transgression at this point of the LAC on that day, the PMO statement said.

The words of Prime Minister — “those who tried to transgress our land were taught a befitting lesson by our brave sons of soil”, succinctly summed up the ethos and the values of our armed

forces, the PMO said.As per the PMO, the Prime

Minister further emphasised, “I want to assure you, that our armed forces will leave no stone unturned to protect our borders.” What is Indian ter-ritory is clear from the map of India, the Prime Minister said in the all party meet and that the government was strongly and resolutely committed to that. In so far as there is some illegal occupation, the PMO said, the opposition leaders were briefed in great detail how over the last 60 years, more than 43,000sqkm has been yielded under circumstances with which this country is well aware of.

It was also made clear that this government will not allow any unilateral change of the LAC. At a time when our brave soldiers are defending our

borders, it is unfortunate that an unnecessary controversy is being created to lower their morale, the PMO said. However, it said, the predominant sen-timent at the all party meet was of unequivocal support to the government and the armed forces at a time of national crisis.

“We are confident that the unity of the Indian people will not be undermined by moti-vated propaganda.” The attack on Indian Army personnel by Chinese People’s Liberation Army happened on June 15 night and it continued for almost six to seven hours.

On June 16, Indian Army stated that 20 of their men, including officers, were killed in an unprecedented violent clash with PLA troops at Galwan Valley.

Strategically important bridge in Eastern Ladakh completedIANS — NEW DELHI

The construction of a strategi-cally important bridge over the Shyok river in eastern Ladakh was completed on Thursday amid the face-off with China at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Galwan Valley.

The 60-metre bridge is around four kilometres east of the confluence of the Shyok and Galwan rivers, and links the narrow mountainous region to the Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi road. The bridge is on the Shyok river very close to the Shyok-Galwan meeting point aligned North and South and will improve the movement of Indian troops in the region.

The Indian Army clarified that it is not on the track moving to Patrolling Point 14 at Galwan Valley where the clash took place.

The barbaric assault on June 15 on Indian soldiers at Patrolling Point 14 has left little scope to ease tensions between the two countries in the near future.

The tense situation at Galwan will be a prolonged one in all likelihood as India has lost 20 of its soldiers.

There is renewed anger in the Indian security estab-lishment after it came to light that 10 Indian Army men, including two officers of the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and Major, were in Chinese Army captivity for three days and were only released on Thursday evening.

Actually China has changed the status quo at four places in Eastern Ladakh to which India had objected. The four standoff points are Finger Four at North Bank of Pangong Lake, Patrolling Point 14 near Galwan Valley, Patrolling Point 15 and

Patrolling Point 17.At these four points troop

concentration has increased manifold as China changed the status quo.

The Chinese move under-lining its expansionist design kicked-off after India began building road infrastructure in its territory near the LAC for easy movement of its troops.

The Galwan Valley attack on June 15 on Indian soldiers was not an isolated one.

The unprovoked Chinese actions started on May 5 and continued leading to the attack in Galwan Valley in which 20 Indian soldiers were martyred and 76 were injured.

These are the first casualties faced by the Indian Army in a clash with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army since 1975 when an Indian patrol was ambushed by Chinese troops in

Arunachal Pradesh.The Indian troops were out-

numbered 1:5 when the Chinese PLA troops attacked them,

sources said on Wednesday.“The number of Indian

Army troops compared to PLA troops were in the 1:5 ratio,”

said sources, adding that China used thermal imaging drones to trace the Indian soldiers before brutally attacking them.

Indian citizens of Chinese origin hold placards and Indian national flags shouting slogans in support of the Indian Army during an anti-China demonstration in Kolkata, yesterday.

Man accused of

murdering

New Zealand cop

appears in court

AFP — WELLINGTON

A man charged with the murder of an unarmed policeman that shocked New Zealand made a brief court appearance in Auckland yesterday.

Constable Matthew Hunt, 28, was gunned down during a routine traffic stop on Friday and the killing has stunned the normally peaceful country where police do not routinely carry firearms.

He is the 23rd officer to be shot dead in the line of duty in New Zealand since 1890, with the last fatal shooting more than 10 years ago.

All details surrounding the identity of the 24-year-old arrested man were suppressed.

He spoke briefly to confirm his name but otherwise remained silent and did not enter a plea during the brief hearing in which he was remanded in custody to reappear early next month.

The man appeared via video link from another part of the courthouse due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.

A 30-year-old woman has also been taken into custody and will appear in court on Monday.

Police said she was wanted as an accessory after the fact to the murder and was arrested without incident on Saturday afternoon.

Hunt, who joined the police three years ago and only recently transferred to the traffic enforcement division, was approaching a crashed car when the gunman opened fire.

Another officer was wounded and a bystander seri-ously injured when the attacker drove off in another vehicle.

Crown prosecutor David Johnstone told the court the case was of high public interest and sought “somewhat extensive sup-pression orders” — including the names of the accused, the injured police officer and the public.

Modi addresses job concerns of returnee migrantsIANS — NEW DELHI

Village, villagers and migrants — the tone of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the launch of Rs50,000 crore Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan Yojna — a rural mega job scheme targeted at returnee migrant workers was loud and clear.

Hailing the role played by villages in successfully con-taining the spread of corona-virus, the Prime minister acknowledged, “India is a country with more than six lakh villages, where more than two-thirds of its population, which

is about 80-85 crore people, lives. The rural India has effec-tively prevented the spread of infection. This population is even more than that of all the countries of Europe.” The scheme which is aimed at the returnee migrant workers is a massive rural public employment scheme which seeks to provide livelihood opportunities to them along with other rural citizens.

Modi, addressing the migrant labourers, remarked, “The country understands your emotions as well as your needs. Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan

starting from Khagaria, Bihar is a major tool to fulfil that very need.” Joining the video con-ference, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said: “During the lockdown, I interacted through video conference with labourers in different districts after they returned to the state. I realised that they don’t want to go else-where for work”.

The migrant crisis emerged as a political headache for the BJP-JDU combine in the state which will go to polls later this year. This scheme is expected to address much of its socio-economic concerns.

At least 25,000 migrant workers who returned home in the wake of the pandemic will be benefited in states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha. UP and Bihar took the bulk of the load of the reverse migration.

The scheme that seeks to give means to the migrant workers to earn a living will involve intensified implemen-tation of 25 different types of works which in turn will create rural infrastructure.

PM Modi also mentioned about investment of Rs one lakh

crore for building cold storage facilities to preserve agricul-tural produce. He also urged them to wear masks and maintain basic hygiene while going to work.

The Prime Minister began his address by remembering the sacrifice of our martyrs. “Eve-ryone is proud of Bihar Regi-ment’s valour. Each and every Bihari is very proud of it,” he said.

The bulk of the fatalities and injury in the India-China violent clash was from Bihar regiment, which also lost its Commanding Officer Colonel B Santosh Babu.

Nepalese want more effective response to COVID-19A protester holding placard lying down on the sidewalk of a street during a demonstration demanding a more effective government response to the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Kathmandu, Nepal, yesterday.

Bangladesh to launch first COVID-19 ICU for RohingyaANATOLIA — DHAKA

Bangladesh is set to launch an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for Rohingya refugees and resi-dents in the southeastern district of Cox’s Bazar for the first time, according to an official late on Friday.

“My dream comes to true as the authorities will open a 10-bed ICU and 10-bed HDU [High Dependency Units] in Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital tomorrow,” Dr. Abu Toha MR Bhuiyan, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commis-sioner’s (RRRC) chief health coor-dinator, said about the effort at the main government hospital in the region.

With financial support from the UN aid agency, UNHCR, the development is progress, he said.

“As a result of it both the perse-cuted Rohingya people as well as locals will benefit during the outbreak of the coronavirus pan-demic.” As many as 43 Rohingya refugees have been infected by the lethal virus, as of Friday, with three deaths, according to RRRC records.

Total cases in the district stand at 1,809 with fatalities numbering 27. Bangladesh, home to more than one million persecuted Rohingya refugees, has implemented a mega health project to stem the spread of the pandemic in squalid Rohingya makeshift camps.

The country of more than 165 million people has recorded 1,388 deaths and 105,535 infec-tions since the first COVID-19 case was reported March 8.

Australian state reinstates restrictions after spike in virus casesREUTERS — MELBOURNE

Australia’s second most populous state announced yesterday it will reinstate tighter restrictions on home and public gatherings after logging a double digit rise in coronavirus cases for a fourth straight day.

Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews chastised people for ignoring guidelines on social contact by engaging

in behaviour such as hugging as he reimposed a limit of five people visiting households and 10 people at public gatherings.

The restrictions, which come into force on Monday and will last until July 12, reverse a relaxation of the rules at the start of this month that had allowed for home and outdoor gatherings of up to 20 people.

“It is unacceptable that fam-ilies anywhere in our state just

because they want this to be over pretend that it is. It is not over,” Andrews said at a televised media conference, noting a rise in family transmissions since April.

State officials reported 25 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, including families who had held gatherings and workers at a hotel where travellers had been quarantined.

Victoria is responsible for around a quarter of Australia’s total

reported 7,400 cases but is driving a recent uptick in active cases.

While some of the country’s states and territories have reached zero active cases, Victoria’s has spiked to 116. “We are absolutely at risk of a second peak but we can get on top of it,” Victoria chief health officer Brett Sutton said.

Andrews warned that suburbs found to be viral hotspots could face stricter lockdowns.

The state will also defer plans to expand numbers at cafes and restaurants from 20 to 50 people by three weeks to July 12. However, gyms will be allowed to reopen from Monday as planned.

The Australian Football League (AFL) called off a game scheduled to take place in Mel-bourne on Sunday after a player tested positive. The AFL has recently restarted fixtures, playing in empty stadiums.

With regard to transgression on LAC, the PMO said, it was clearly stated that the violence in Galwan Valley on June 15 arose because Chinese side was seeking to set up structures just across the LAC and refused to desist from such actions.

The WTO report attracted widespread attention due to the drawn-out attempt by a Saudi-led consortium to acquire Newcastle United, a football team in the English Premier League whose games had been systematically and illegally streamed by beoutQ.

08 SUNDAY 21 JUNE 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 Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs (MADLSA), every year with advent of summer, specifies the duration and total working hours for outdoor workplaces to protect workers from harsh weather.

Earlier this month, the Ministry announced that there should be no work outdoors from 11:30am to 3pm, effective from June 15 to August 31, and the work must not be more than five hours during the day time.

As usual the Ministry urged the owners of institu-tions and companies who are subject to provisions of Labour Law to comply with its decision and the Minis-terial Resolution No (16) of 2007 which specifies working hours in exposed/outdoor places during summer from 15 June to 31 August, every year.

Every company in the country knows very well the Ministry conducts field visits to the companies’ sites to ensure that they comply with the provisions of the res-olution and enforce the law.

Despite these decisions being issued every year by the Ministry, and the law regulating and effective since 2007, some private companies are continuing to violate the law and these decisions every year. This too at the peak of summer when working hours supposed to be enforced by themselves.

The Labor Inspection Department of the Ministry found 56 contracting companies violating provisions of the law and they have been punished with three days closure of their worksites. This was during four days extensive inspection campaigns conducted from June 15 to 18, to ensure companies’ compliance with rules and decisions.

Companies are not only violating rules related to summer working hours, but also violate the health pre-cautionary measure taken by the government within the framework of the preventive and precautionary measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. The Min-istry has asked the companies to follow measures at workplaces and accommodations to protect workers and reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

But even these are not being respected by private companies. In April, three contracting and construction companies were found violating these health and safety policies and measures, therefore necessary measures were taken against them.

As the entire world is struggling to overcome the COVID-19 disease, companies in different sectors are urged to adhere to work hours during the summer in particular in worksites exposed to direct sun or in open workplaces, as these measures are taken to ensure the safety and health of workers and the work environment.

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Quote of the dayThe numbers in recent days show that we

have lost our position in the fight against the

epidemic. But we aim to remove the pandemic

from our agenda by respecting the cleaning,

mask and distance rules.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish President

Members resume in-person meetings on June 18 at the WTO after almost three months of impasse in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On June 16, the World Trade Organization (WTO) issued its long-awaited panel report on beoutQ and the pirating of sports broadcasting rights. The three-person panel found that the Saudi authorities had failed to do enough to protect intellectual property rights held by Qatar-based beIN Sports from widescale breach by individuals and entities operating inside the kingdom.

The WTO report attracted widespread attention due to the drawn-out attempt by a Saudi-led consortium to acquire Newcastle United, a football team in the English Premier League whose games had been systematically and illegally streamed by beoutQ.

In a sign of how seriously the football authorities viewed the issue, FIFA, the world football governing

body, demanded Saudi Arabia take immediate steps to conform with the WTO’s findings while the head of Spain’s La Liga, which was also hit by the theft of rights, labelled the beoutQ affair “one of the most sophisticated and damaging piracy opera-tions that has ever existed”.

While the effect of the WTO report on the proposed Newcastle takeover remains to be seen, it does hit the attempts of the Saudi lead-ership to show that it has learned from the mistakes of recent years.

With Saudi Arabia cur-rently holding the year-long presidency of the G20 and gearing up to host the annual G20 leaders’ summit in Riyadh in November, the cavalier approach to the international rules-based order detailed in the report makes for awkward reading. Javier Tebas, the pres-ident of Spain’s La Liga, cut-tingly observed that: “If Saudi Arabia wants to be taken seri-ously [in world sport], it simply has to play by the rules.”

The WTO report gives sig-nificant weight to such sen-timent, which has moved from mere allegation to proven fact and cast doubt on the coun-try’s credentials as an aspiring “middle power” in interna-tional affairs. For MBS, it hits a weak point given that he has so strenuously courted inter-national investors and global opinion during his meteoric rise to power in Saudi Arabia, and has struggled to repair his international standing, espe-cially after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The WTO report also shines a spotlight on the dif-ferent responses to the blockade of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and

Egypt, which passed the three-year mark on June 5.

Facing an economic and political siege launched without warning and charac-terised by a toxic mix of misin-formation and disinformation, the Qatari government adopted a rule-of-law response. It sought to break down each of the different aspects of the blockade into separate issues and sought arbitration from the relevant international bodies. This approach emphasised the institutions of global gov-ernance that had been designed to prevent abuses of power, and played a key role in combating the blockading states’ narrative that had tried to portray Qatar as a loose cannon in regional affairs.

In addition to opening the case against beoutQ at the WTO, Qatar has also filed cases at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) over the airspace blockade and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over discrimi-nation against Qatari citizens. These cases are still con-tinuing, with the ICAO issuing an initial ruling - favourable to Qatar - and the ICJ declaring that Qatar had established plausible claims of discrimination under the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). In June 2019, the ICJ denied a counter-filing by the UAE, but a date for a full hearing of the case has still not been set.

Separating the issues raised by the blockade into different “baskets” offers some hope that eventually they may be resolved on a case-by-case basis rather than all at once, which seems to be the approach the Trump administration is belatedly taking. This is a more

promising approach than the White House’s attempt in 2018 to convene a “reconcili-ation summit” at Camp David that failed to gain traction and never took place.

Such a set-piece event would have involved a loss of face by ruling elites who have refused to make any acknowl-edgement in public that the blockade has failed and that a new way forward is needed. While the glare of publicity that surrounded the WTO report prompted the Saudi authorities to dig in their heels, with the Saudi Foreign Min-istry tweeting about “false allegations”, the report could provide leverage for the Trump administration or other interested parties to renew the push for resolution of at least one of the issues in the dispute.

Much may depend on how much the Saudi leadership wants its bid to acquire New-castle to go through, and whether the risk of seeing the deal blocked by the Premier League outweighs the reluc-tance to compromise that has, so far, undermined all pre-vious attempts to end or ease the blockade.

It may be that cooler heads prevail in Riyadh and con-clude that if Saudi Arabia wants to play a more prom-inent role in international affairs then it really does have to respect and follow the rules-based order. Were this to happen, it might be possible to envisage a gradual thawing of the Gulf crisis on a case-by-case basis, but any such response is likely to unfold quietly and gradually over a period of months so as not to give the impression of “giving in” to international pressure.

Kristian Coates Ulrichsen is Fellow for the Middle East at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

CAROL MORELLO THE WASHINGTON POST

The United States’ three closest European allies said on Friday they would not support the Trump administration’s threats to reimpose UN sanc-tions on Iran, but they urged Tehran to allow access to two secretive sites where nuclear material may be stockpiled.

France, Britain and Germany - who all negotiated the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, alongside the United States, Russia and China, and have struggled to keep it alive after President Trump

withdrew from the accord - also said they wanted to hold talks with Iran over its viola-tions of the agreement.

Foreign ministers for the three European powers met in Berlin on Friday amid renewed tension between Washington and Tehran over its nuclear program and the slow but steady unravelling of the landmark nuclear deal. The statement underscores the Europeans’ disagreement with the administration’s tactics even though they share many of the same goals.

The United States wants to snap back all UN sanctions

that were lifted as part of the 2015 accord, unless the Security Council extends an embargo on exporting to Iran conventional arms that expires in October. Because ending the arms embargo was a key demand made by Iran during initial negotiations, extending it would almost certainly lead Iran to pull out the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“We firmly believe that any unilateral attempt to trigger UN sanctions snapback would have serious adverse consequences in the

UN Security Council,” the foreign officials said in a statement. “We would not support such a decision, which would be incompatible with our current efforts to preserve the JCPOA.”

The statement came hours after the three countries spon-sored a resolution that passed the governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which has monitored Iran’s compliance with and vio-lations of the agreement. Iran has been exceeding a series of limits it agreed to in the nuclear deal, to push the United States to ease up on US sanctions.

What does the WTO ruling mean for Qatar-Saudi relations?

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European powers refuse to back US call for escalating sanctions against Iran

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09SUNDAY 21 JUNE 2020 ASIA

China to set up ‘security agency’ in Hong Kong

AFP — BEIJING

China will set up a “national security agency” in Hong Kong to oversee a forthcoming new law aimed at cracking down on dissent in the city, state media said yesterday.

The new law also would override any existing Hong Kong laws that may conflict with it once it is implemented, Xinhua news agency said in a report detailing the draft legislation.

The report followed the con-clusion of a meeting in Beijing of China’s top law-making com-mittee that reviewed draft pro-visions aimed at snuffing out the pro-democracy movement that has rocked the semi-auton-omous city.

The fast-tracking of the bill — which is bypassing Hong Kong’s legislature — raised international concern that it will end the financial hub’s limited freedoms and usher in a new era of Communist-style repression.

Xinhua gave no details on its make-up but opponents of Bei-jing’s control have repeatedly voiced fears that the final

wording of the law will allow mainland security organs to openly establish a presence in Hong Kong. The future security agency would be established by China’s central government and would “supervise, guide, coor-dinate, and support” the main-tenance of national security in the territory, Xinhua said.

Xinhua said the eventual law would criminalise “secession, subversion of state power, terrorism, and colluding with foreign and external forces

to endanger national security.” If Hong Kong laws clash with the provisions of the upcoming legislation, the power of inter-pretation lies with the Standing Committee of China’s rubber-stamp national legislature, Xinhua added.

Alvin Yeung, a Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmaker, said the details on what will con-stitute a crime are “highly vague, which is of course, extremely worrying.”

“More importantly, it is

almost like Beijing’s hand is getting right in the centre of the administrative and judicial reins of Hong Kong.”

Leung also expressed alarm at Xinhua’s mention of a sep-arate security “council” to be headed by the territory’s chief executive whose duties would include choosing judges to handle security cases.

“What worries me more is if any judges, in the future, when they try the cases and in (rule) favour of the defendant, would those judges be removed? That could be pos-sible,” he said.

China ’s par l iament endorsed the planned

legislation last month, sending the draft to the Standing Committee.

The Group of Seven foreign ministers yesterday urged China to reconsider the proposed law, saying they had “grave con-cerns” it threatens Hong Kong’s rights and freedoms.

In response, senior Chinese foreign policy official Yang Jiechi said at a high-level meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Hawaii that Beijing’s “determination” to introduce the law was “unwavering”.

Under a “One Country, Two Systems” agreement before Britain handed the territory

back to China, Beijing agreed to let Hong Kong maintain certain liberties and autonomy until 2047 — including legislative and judicial independence and freedom of speech.

Hong Kong has been con-vulsed by a year of huge and often violent rallies that began with an eventually aborted criminal extradition bill but morphed into a popular call for democracy and police accountability.

Beijing says the national security law is needed to end the political unrest and restore stability. Xinhua said the Standing Committee would “soon finalise” the legislation.

People arrive at a venue where pro-democracy unions are holding a vote to ask members if they will participate in a citywide strike over China’s plans to impose a new national security law, in Hong Kong, yesterday.

EU should take China to UN court

over Hong Kong, say lawmakers

REUTERS — BRUSSELS

The European Union should take China to the International Court of Justice in The Hague if Beijing imposes a new security law on Hong Kong, the European Parliament voted on Friday, also calling on the bloc to use economic leverage to dissuade China.

EU governments have already expressed “grave concern” over China’s security law for Hong Kong, which democracy activists, diplomats and some businesses say will jeopardise its semi-autonomous status and its role as a global financial hub.

In a resolution, the European Parliament voted 565 in favour to 34 against, with 62 abstentions to protest the security law that Europe, Australia and the United States say would undermine the “one country, two systems” principle that governs Hong Kong’s autonomy.

The European Parliament “calls on the EU and its member states to consider, in the event the new security law is applied, filing a case before the International Court of Justice,” the res-olution said, referring to the highest United Nations legal body and based in The Hague.

You Wenze, spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s parliament, expressed firm opposition to the EU resolution, which he said seriously distorted the facts and amounted to open interference in Hong Kong affairs, state-run news agency Xinhua reported yesterday. The resolution also called on the EU to consider possible eco-nomic sanctions on China.

Beijing tests food and parcel couriers as virus checks widenREUTERS — BEIJING

Officials in Beijing are carrying out tests to detect traces of coro-navirus on all food and parcel delivery workers in an effort to rein in a new outbreak, state-backed media reported yesterday.

Officials in the Chinese capital have been expanding nucleic acid testing across the city of 20 million since a cluster of infections linked to a food wholesale market erupted just over a week ago.

The outbreak, the first in Beijing in months, has now sur-passed previous peak numbers in the city in early February.

A nucleic acid test involves a swab sample taken from the back of a person’s throat or res-piratory tract, and the sample is then tested for the presence of the coronavirus’ genome.

Testing was initially focused on residential areas near the sprawling Xinfadi market and on people who worked or shopped there.

Officials are now targeting the tens of thousands of delivery personnel who regularly

traverse the city, where fleets of motorised pedicabs and scooters ridden by couriers delivering parcels and food are a common sight.

Workers at SF Express, China’s second biggest courier firm, arrived in batches at testing points in Beijing on Friday evening, Beijing News reported.

Food delivery firm Meituan Dianping confirmed that all of its riders in the city would be tested and those who had carried out deliveries in high-risk areas would be temporarily taken off duty, undergo nucleic acid tests and be quarantined at home for 14 days.

Customers will be able to view details on disinfection of the delivery package and their courier’s body temperature online, Meituan said on its Wechat account.

Beijing News said that all couriers in the city would be tested by next week.

Officials have highlighted the risk of contamination through packaging in Beijing, which reported 22 new cases on Friday. The capital has now recorded more than 200 locally

transmitted infections since June 11.

Officials have been testing people working in catering, including restaurant staff, as well as imported food after the virus was found on chopping boards at Xinfadi used to handle salmon.

A total of 2.3 million nucleic acid tests had been carried out in Beijing as of 0600 local time yesterday, Zhang Qiang, an official from Beijing’s municipal committee, said at a news conference.

Residents of 40 communities

under lockdown in the capital are required to self-isolate at home to avoid possible further transmission of the virus, Zhang said.

Those that do not comply will be centrally quarantined for 14 days, after which they should take another nucleic acid test and are free to leave if the result is negative, he added.

In Dongcheng district in the eastern part of Beijing, two Reuters journalists received notice on Friday that everyone living in their communities

would be tested, even though they were in low-risk areas.

Dongcheng currently has four neighbourhoods designated as medium-risk, while there are now 34 medium-risk neigh-bourhoods across the whole city.

Mainland China saw 27 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Friday, with four imported and the other local transmission reported in the northern Hebei province that surrounds Beijing.

There were no new deaths recorded on Friday, leaving the death toll at 4,634.

A medical worker in a protective suit conducts a nucleic acid test for a resident amid a new outbreak of the coronavirus disease, in Beijing, yesterday.

Pakistan records

153 new virus

deaths in 24 hoursANATOLIA — KARACHI

Pakistan yesterday reported 153 new deaths due to the corona-virus, breaking its previous record of the highest single-day fatalities ever from the novel virus, the Health Ministry said.

Some 136 COVID-19 patients had lost their battle for life last Wednesday.

With the latest surge, the death toll from COVID-19 in the country has reached 3,382.

Another 6,604 people were infected by the virus over the past 24 hours across the country, raising the tally to 171,666, the data shows. Some 63,504 patients have recovered.

The country has recorded over 90,000 COVID-19 cases this month alone.

The rise in fatalities and new infection followed the impo-sition of “smart lockdown” in scores of hotspots in some 20 big cities on Friday in an attempt to mitigate the pandemic. The new restriction will run through until July 2. According to the official statistics, Pakistan has so far conducted 1,042,787 tests across the country. Health experts see the ever-increasing coronavirus cases as a result of the lifting of a prolonged lockdown late last month.

US says its embassy in Kabul battling coronavirus outbreakAP — KABUL The US State Department says COVID-19 infections have been reported at its embassy in the Afghan capital and affected staff include diplomats, contractors and locals.

The State Department did not say how many were affected. An official at the embassy in Kabul, who spoke on condition of ano-nymity because they were not authorised to brief the media, said up to 20 people were infected, the majority of them Nepalese Gurkhas, who provide embassy security.

“The embassy is implementing all appropriate measures to mit-igate the spread of COVID-19,” the State Department said in a statement late on Friday.

The infected staff are in isolation in the embassy while the remainder on the compound are being tested, said the embassy official. That official added that embassy staff were told they can expect tighter isolation orders.

The State Department said a sanitisation of the premises was being carried out to “prevent further outbreak.” Afghanistan has 28,424 confirmed coronavirus cases. International aid organisations monitoring the pandemic’s spread in the country say the numbers are much higher because of a lack of testing capabilities as well as access to testing. Observers also fear the highly contagious corona-virus has spread throughout the country with the return of nearly 300,000 Afghans from Iran, the hardest hit country in the region. Iran has recorded more than 200,000 cases and 9,392 deaths.

Few of the Afghans who returned from Iran were tested before they fanned out across the country to their homes.

North Korea preparing anti-South leaflet campaign: KCNAAFP — SEOUL

North Korea is preparing to launch an anti-Seoul leaflet campaign, state media said yesterday, prompting sharp crit-icism from South Korea with tensions high on the peninsula.

Pyongyang has recently issued a series of vitriolic con-demnations of Seoul over anti-North leaflets, which defectors based in the South send across the border — usually attached to balloons or floated in bottles.

North Korea has upped the pressure over the campaigns with a dramatic demolition of a building on its side of the border that symbolised inter-Korean rapprochement, threats to bolster its military presence at the border, and now leaflets of its own. “Enraged” North Koreans are now “pushing forward with the preparations for launching a large-scale distribution” of “leaflets of punishment” into the South, the official KCNA news agency said.

“Every action should be met with proper reaction and only when one experiences it oneself, one can feel how offending it is.”

Photos carried by the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed North Koreans preparing the leaflets, and cigarette butts and ashes scattered over flyers featuring the face of South

Korean President Moon Jae-in.One of the leaflets with an

image of Moon drinking a cup of unidentified beverage read: “(He has) eaten it all, including the North-South Korea agreement”.

Hours later, Seoul’s unifi-cation ministry urged Pyongyang to withdraw the plan “immedi-ately”, calling the move “very regrettable”.

Seoul filed a police complaint last week against two defector groups over the leaflets that have offended Pyongyang, and warned of a “thorough crackdown” against activists sending anti-North leaflets.

But the North continued issue denunciations of the South over the leaflets — which criticise the North Korean leader over human rights abuses and his nuclear ambitions. Analysts say North Korea may be seeking to manu-facture a crisis to increase pressure on South Korea to extract concessions. Moon, who has long favoured engagement with the North, was targeted

earlier this week by Kim Yo Jong — the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un — in an extensive diatribe, calling him “disgusting” and “impudent”.

Seoul retorted with unusually stern criticism to Pyongyang’s latest denunciations of Moon and its blowing up of the liaison office this week, saying it will “no longer tolerate” the North’s “unreasonable acts and words”.

Inter-Korean relations have been in deep freeze for months, following the collapse of a summit in Hanoi between Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump. That meeting foundered on what the nuclear-armed North would be willing to give up in exchange for a loosening of sanctions.

Yesterday’s KCNA report on the leaflets comes a day after Kim Yeon-chul, South Korea’s point man for relations with the North, resigned over the heightened tensions, expressing hope that his departure “will be a chance to pause for a bit”.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un

The new law also would override any existing Hong Kong laws that may conflict with it once it is implemented, Xinhua news agency said in a report detailing the draft legislation.

10 SUNDAY 21 JUNE 2020EUROPE

Macron seeks reviewof fraud case againstformer rival FillonAFP — PARIS

President Emmanuel Macron has called for a probe into claims that prosecutors were pressured to move fast in a fraud inquiry against Francois Fillon, a former prime minister and his main rightwing rival in France’s 2017 presidential race.

Fillon lost what many con-sidered a certain victory after a newspaper report claimed that he orchestrated a fake par-liamentary assistant job for his wife that saw her paid hun-dreds of thousands of euros (dollars) in public funds.

A ruling will be handed down on June 29 after a trial in which Fillon vigorously denied the claims, saying he was the victim of a political hit job.

The scandal flared anew this week after it emerged that the former head of France’s Financial Prosecutor’s Office

(PNF) told lawmakers she had sustained “pressure” and “very strict oversight” aimed at bringing charges quickly against Fillon.

Fillon’s supporters seized

on the comments as proof that the prosecutor’s superiors, pos-sibly acting at the behest of justice ministry officials, had infringed upon the judiciary’s independence to speed his downfall.

He was charged six weeks after the fraud claims emerged in the Canard Enchaine news-paper, an unusually swift move in a country where legal inquiries can take months or years.

The top Paris public pros-ecutor denied exercising any undue pressure, and on Friday the former financial prose-cutor, Eliane Houlette, tried to walk back her statements, saying she “regretted” that they had been “distorted or misun-derstood.” But the uproar prompted Macron’s office to say late Friday that the pres-ident had asked France’s judicial watchdog, the Supreme

Judiciary Council, to investigate the claims.

“These statements, which have provoked a significant outcry, have been interpreted as showing that pressure could have been put on the judiciary during a critical moment in our democratic process,” the Elysee Palace said in a statement.

“It is therefore essential to remove all doubt on the inde-pendence and impartiality of the justice system in this matter,” it said.

Prosecutors have asked the Paris court to give Fillon, 66, a five-year sentence, with three years suspended, as well as a three-year suspended jail term

for his Welsh-born wife Penelope.

They accuse Fillon of paying his wife 613,000 euros net ($700,000) in public money over 15 years for a fic-titious job, saying the couple produced no solid proof she ever carried out any significant work.

A file photo of France’s former prime minister Francois Fillon and his wife Penelope leaving the courthouse in Paris.

Britons can visit Spain from today without need for quarantineREUTERS — MADRID

Spain said yesterday it would open its doors to British tourists from today without requiring them to spend two weeks in quarantine, opening up to one of its largest tourism markets after the hit from the coronavirus pandemic.

“We will allow British visitors to enter Spain just like the rest of the European Union or Schengen

area from 21 June freely and without the need for the quar-antine,” foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya told BBC News.

But as much as Spain wants to welcome British tourists, the UK’s current quarantine measures, requiring a two-week period of self-isolation for most people entering the country from abroad, may well put off some potential travellers. Spain will end its coronavirus state of

emergency, imposed on March 14, on Sunday, and will open its borders to EU and Schengen area countries for a much needed boost to its tourism industry.

Gonzalez Laya said British travellers would be subject to the same “triple check” as other European visitors, which consists of checking their origin, taking their temperature and providing contact details in case they need to be traced.

“We want to make sure we welcome visitors but do so in safety and security for them as well as for Spaniards,” she said.

Spain is still in discussions over whether the UK will simi-larly lift quarantine measures for Spaniards, she said. But it was opening its borders “out of respect for the 400,000 British citizens who have second resi-dences in Spain” and who are “dying to benefit” from them.

Britons account for more than a fifth of the roughly 80 million tourists Spain receives every year.

Britain, which has reported more more than 42,500 deaths from coronavirus, and Spain, with over 28,300, are among the countries hardest hit by COVID-19.

Spain will open its border to neighbouring Portugal on July 1.

Sunak signals

UK poised to

relax social

distancing rulesREUTERS — LONDON

British Finance Minister Rishi Sunak signalled that the government is poised to relax its two-metre social distancing rule for England which busi-nesses have said in its current form would slow their recovery from the coronavirus lockdown.

A review of the two-metre rule would be concluded next week, Sunak told BBC television yesterday, adding: “Obviously that is something that will make an enormous difference, I think, to many businesses who are keen to see a change.”

“Obviously, we need to go through that review but I am very understanding of the calls for action on that.” Many employers, especially in the hospitality and leisure sectors, have said the rule that people must remain two metres apart will stop them from getting back up to speed as the coronavirus lockdown is lifted.

Sunak said he understood how the rule was affecting the ability of pubs, restaurants and other hospitality firms to reopen.

“I can’t pre-empt the findings of that review but suffice to say we have made really good progress over the past few months in tackling this virus and we all want to see our pubs and our restaurants spring back to life,” he said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who announced the review a week ago, has said he will do everything he can to get the country back to normal as soon as possible without risking lives.

The review applies to England as Britain’s devolved nations — Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — have their own powers over health rules.

Johnson has come under heavy criticism for his handling of the pandemic. Britain has the third highest number of coro-navirus deaths after the United States and Brazil.

Johnson, who says the gov-ernment has followed scientific advice in its approach, has to balance the need to revive the economy after its 20 perccent collapse in April without allowing a resurgence in cases.

Britain’s retail sector has already been allowed to re-open.

France shakes off itscoronavirus blues ascinemas set to openAFP — PARIS

France will begin to shake off its coronavirus blues today with cinemas opening on the stroke of midnight and thousands of people taking to the streets for its midsummer music festival.

The annual Festival of Music usually brings millions of people out in towns and cities across the country with a mix of large-scale events and impromptu concerts in cafes and on street corners that go on long into the night.

But this year there are few big set-piece extravaganzas beyond what French electronic music legend Jean-Michel Jarre has billed as the world’s first live virtual “avatar” concert —“like in the Matrix”.

The veteran performer hopes to go one better than the lockdown gig performed by the US rapper Travis Scott inside the shooter game Fortnite in April, which was watched by more than 12 million players.

Social distancing means that the Accor Arena in Paris will only be able to welcome 2,000 fans — a tenth of its normal capacity — for a show featuring a stellar line-up of francophone talent.

While gatherings of more than 10 people are still banned in France, its culture ministry said police would be tolerant with outdoor jamming sessions on the night if people keep their distance.

Having rushed back to the terraces of their cafes and res-taurants earlier this month, mil-lions of French people are also waiting with bated breath for

cinemas to reopen Monday.Millions of children are also

getting set to return to school for the last few weeks before summer holidays, after roughly three months at home.

Tomorrow, all pupils in primary and secondary schools up to the age of 15 will be able to return, following a gradual reopening in recent weeks.

“I cried with joy when I got the confirmation from the teacher that my two children would be going back to school full time,” said Noemie from Nice.

And although France ended its top-level football season in April, team sports are due to return to stadiums on Monday, though without fans until July 11.

Some cinemas will start screenings on the stroke of mid-night to celebrate the return of the big screen, with one close to the Champs Elysees in Paris hosting a red-carpet cham-pagne preview screening of “Les Parfums” (The Perfumes), starring Emmanuelle Devos and Sergi Lopez.

France is one of the most cinephile countries in the world. A poll earlier this week claimed that 18.7 million people — almost a third of the population — plan to go see a film in the next month.

“I only have one word -- finally!” Emmanuel Delesse, one of the directors of cinema chain UGC, said as he prepared to reopen the group’s near 400 theatres. He said cinemagoers will have to wear masks as they queue for tickets and in the corridors.

Demonstrators attend a protest against police brutality, racial inequality and the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Paris, France, yeserday.

Protest against racism in France

UK demonstrators hold fourth weekend of anti-racism protestsAP — LONDON

Anti-racism demonstrators held protests across the UK for a fourth weekend yesterday, despite a ban on large gatherings because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Demonstrations inspired by the Black Lives Matter campaign were taking place in cities including London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Several thousand people gathered in London’s Hyde Park, sitting on the grass and listening to speakers, before setting off on a boisterous, peaceful march to Trafalgar Square. A smaller group marched from south London, near the US Embassy.

“We are all here today because we know that black lives matter. We are all here today because we know that black is beautiful,” Imarn Ayton, one of the protest organizers, told the crowd in Hyde Park. “And we are all here today because we know that it is time to burn down insti-tutional racism.” The largely youthful crowds in London were smaller — and more socially

distanced — than those seen in the first two weeks after Floyd’s death. Since then the protest movement has become more geographically widespread, with hundreds of demonstrations held in towns, cities and neighbour-hoods across the UK.

Jeremy Mukel, 33, originally from New York, said he was encouraged by the number of white people among the pro-testers in London.

“I think people are becoming a lot more aware,” he said.

Hundreds attended a socially distanced Say No to Racism rally in Glasgow’s George Square, where earlier this week members of the far right attacked a ref-ugee-rights gathering.

In Edinburgh, protesters including “Trainspotting” author Irvine Welsh called for the removal of a statue of Henry Dundas from its column in the city’s St Andrew Square. The late 18th-century Scottish politician was responsible for delaying Britain’s abolition of the slave trade by 15 years until 1807. During that time, more than half a million enslaved Africans were

trafficked across the Atlantic.Hundreds of thousands of

people have held mostly peaceful protests across Britain since the death of George Floyd in Minne-apolis on May 25, urging the UK to confront its own history of imperialism and racial inequality.

After some protesters scuffled with police and defaced a statue of wartime Prime Min-ister Winston Churchill in London, and demonstrators in Bristol toppled a statue of slave trader Edward Colston, counter-protesters rallied last week with the stated aim of protecting monuments.

Hundreds of soccer hoo-ligans and far-right activists clashed June 13 with police near the Churchill statue in London, which had been boarded up for protection.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced he is setting up a commission to look at what more can be done to eliminate racial injustice, but opponents accuse the Conserv-ative government of opting for talk rather than action.

Lenin statue to be unveiled in West GermanyAFP — FRANKFURT AM MAIN

While a global row rages over the controversial background of historical figures immor-talised as statues, yesterday a divisive new monument to Soviet leader Lenin will be unveiled in Germany.

More than 30 years after the post-World War II communist experiment on German soil

ended, the tiny Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany (MLPD) will install Lenin’s likeness in the western city of Gelsenkirchen.

The MLPD says it is the first such statue ever to be erected on the territory of the former West Germany, decades after the eastern German Democratic Republic communist state and its deadly Berlin Wall and Stasi secret police collapsed.

“The time for monuments to racists, anti-Semites, fas-cists, anti-communists and other relics of the past has clearly passed,” said MLPD chair Gabi Fechtner in a statement.

By contrast, “Lenin was an ahead-of-his-time thinker of world-historical importance, an early fighter for freedom and democracy,” she argued.

Fillon lost what many considered a certain victory after a newspaper report claimed that he orchestrated a fake parliamentary assistant job for his wife that saw her paid hundreds of thousands of euros (dollars) in public funds.

11SUNDAY 21 JUNE 2020 EUROPE / AMERICAS

Putin hails ‘hero’ doctors who died from virus

AFP — MOSCOW

Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday hailed “hero” doctors who died during the coronavirus epidemic, comparing them to battlefield medics from past wars.

Putin, who spoke ahead of next month’s controversial vote that is expected to extend his hold on power until 2036, also promised awards and more bonuses for health personnel.

This week the state health watchdog said nearly 500 Russian medics who tested pos-itive for the coronavirus had died, a huge death toll

compared with other countries with large outbreaks.

During a video link-up with medics across the country, Putin expressed condolences to those who had lost their col-leagues and loved ones.

“The dreadful, insidious infection has not spared your colleagues,” he said, calling the fallen doctors “true heroes.”

“The selfless feat of medical workers during the epidemic will go down in the history of our medicine and our country.”

Putin said the medics’ work was on a par with “the valiant service of doctors and nurses” during World War I and World War II.

On Thursday, Alla Sam-oilova, chief of the state health

watchdog Roszdravnadzor, said that 489 Russian medics who tested positive for the corona-virus had died.

The agency later back-tracked, saying the figure Sam-oilova gave was “not official” and was based on “data circu-lating on the internet.”

An independent website set up by medics where colleagues

report deaths, the Remem-brance List, now lists 463 among health personnel in the country.

Russia has registered more than 8,000 fatalities and nearly 577,000 coronavirus infec-tions, the third-largest caseload after the United States and Brazil.

Russia’s fatality rate is low in comparison to countries like Italy, Spain and the United States but the number of fallen medics is huge.

Government officials and Putin himself have acknowl-edged problems in supplying personal protective equipment to medics. Many hospitals have also become hotspots of the coronavirus.

Russian cardiologist Alexei Erlikh, who has helped compile the Remembrance List, said authorities would unlikely draw any lessons.

“Next time this will happen again,” he said, stressing that Russia’s underpaid doctors should receive “good salaries” instead of coronavirus bonuses. Yesterday, Putin also said he had established two special awards for medics, thanking them for saving “thousands” of lives.

He added that health per-sonnel would continue to receive coronavirus bonuses in July and August.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with health workers via videoconference at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, outside Moscow, yesterday.

Tensions mount inBelarus after 140detained in protestsAFP — MINSK

Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko said yesterday the country’s sovereignty was under threat as police detained around 140 people during protests against his rule ahead of August 9 polls.

Lukashenko, who has dis-missed the coronavirus epi-demic as a hoax, is seeking a sixth term, having brooked no dissent during his nearly three decades in power.

Many of his critics have been jailed in recent weeks and yesterday he said Belarus faced a major risk to its sovereignty and independence.

“I never thought there would be people in Belarus who would like to destroy the country,” he said as he unveiled a monument in the country’s east.

“No one will be allowed to betray or destroy what you and me have been building for a quarter of a century.” Oppo-sition figures have fought hard to get on the ballot and enjoy robust support from the public, observers say.

Bucking expectations, a number of activists collected at least 100,000 signatures from supporters to be eligible to run.

Lukashenko’s main rival Viktor Babaryko, a 56-year-old former banker, has collected 435,000 signatures, his aides say.

“People are tired of Lukashenko,” said Vladimir Orlov, a 66-year-old writer.

In response to the sim-mering anger and criticism, Lukashenko has unleashed a crackdown on would-be election rivals and other oppo-sition figures.

On Friday evening, people lined the streets in the capital Minsk and other cities for a second day of protests.

Valery Tsepkalo, a popular would-be opposition candidate, joined those rallies but police

moved in to break them up.As a result, around 140

people — including 80 in Minsk — were detained, the Vyasna rights group said. Detentions also took place in Vitebsk, Brest, Mogilev and other cities.

A number of journalists with foreign media outlets were detained. Some people were released late on Friday.

The West has expressed concern over the latest deten-tions, with the UK embassy in Minsk saying “the detention of large numbers of journalists and peaceful protesters” was unacceptable. Although rela-tively modest, such protests are unusual in Lukashenko’s Belarus, analysts say.

“Society is polarised,” inde-pendent analyst Valery Karba-levich said.

“People’s slogan today is: ‘Anyone but him.’” Lukash-enko’s main election rival Babaryko was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of financial crimes.

The next day Lukashenko announced his government had foiled a foreign plot to stage a popular uprising in Belarus.

Authorities claim Babaryko is in cahoots with “puppeteers” from Moscow. Despite his arrest, Babaryko’s aides on Sat-urday handed in his registration papers so that he is allowed to run.

“If Viktor Babaryko is reg-istred a presidential candidate there is a possibility he might be freed,” lawyer Maksim Znak said. “Or maybe not.” Babaryko formerly headed Bel-gazprombank, the Belarus sub-sidiary of Russian energy giant Gazprom.

Around 20 people have been detained in connection with the Belgazprombank case.

The general prosecutor’s office opened a criminal case into organising or participating in a criminal group, with the penalty for those crimes up to 15 years.

Belarus’ riot police officers detain an opposition supporter during a gathering, in Minsk.

Greece to reduce migrant support groups in overhaulAFP — ATHENS Dozens of groups helping asylum seekers in Greece risk being edged out in a government move to tighten what it calls “opaque” rules overseeing char-ities, sparking concern that crucial support will be cut.

Critics warn that the new registration regulations will downgrade services to thou-sands of vulnerable and trau-matised people that were, in many cases, already barely adequate.

“We seek as much trans-parency as possible in the oper-ation of NGOs, and of people working for, or cooperating, with them,” Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi said in April.

Greece’s conservative

government, which was voted in nearly a year ago and whose policy is to make the country a “less attractive” destination to migrants, says that new NGO registration rules are needed because the groups have run projects in the last four years “in their own way” under an “opaque” framework.

But Minos Mouzourakis, legal officer for Refugee Support Aegean, is worried that the change could hamper the inde-pendent oversight role often played by NGOs.

It is often support groups that highlight alleged abuses by coastguards or police and take legal action against the Greek state on behalf of asylum seekers, he noted.

“The ministry evaluates

independent organisations that often criticise it... it should not have such (powers)... it’s a question of impartiality,” he said.

Mitarachi has complained that out of $1.7bn in EU support funds for Greek migration projects between 2015 and 2019, the Greek state managed just 1.9 percent.

“Do you want to hand over the keys to NGOs? I don’t want that,” he told parliament this month. The new registration process includes budget scrutiny and criminal background checks for workers and volunteers.

Each group’s field per-formance in the last two years is also probed.

“This essentially helps NGOs themselves to know who is working for them,” the

ministry’s asylum secretary Manos Logothetis said.

“Shouldn’t they know if, for instance, there is a paedophile working with minors?” he said.

On Wednesday, 22 out of 40 groups active in Greek camps were eliminated from a first approval phase.

E l e c t e d o f f i c i a l s acknowledge that support groups were key at the height of Europe’s migrant crisis, espe-cially after other EU states shut their borders in 2016 and tens of thousands of asylum seekers were trapped in Greek camps.

More than a million migrants and refugees arrived in Greece in 2015 and 2016, according to the UN refugee agency. There are now around 120,000 in the country.

Hungary enlists army in fight against virus joblessnessAFP — GYOR

As Hungary’s coronavirus-hit economy shrinks and unem-ployment soars, thousands of Hungarians are seeking to join the army, attracted by job stability and a government scheme that fast-tracks recruits toward a military career.

Military service is also one of the Hungarian government’s weapons to keep a lid on joblessness.

“Since the crisis began the number of applicants has risen by 100 percent,” Major Tamas Durgo, head of military recruitment, said at an army office in Budapest.

“We have loosened the admission procedure, that doesn’t mean it’s easier to get in now, just faster,” said Durgo in front of an advertisement for mil-itary careers.

After a simplified medical test, applicants can sign up for six months of paid training after which they can either return to civilian life or — if they make the grade — embark on a career path

in the army. Apart from tradi-tional military careers, the army also has jobs for engineers and IT experts, drivers and catering staff, said Durgo.

And besides defending the country’s borders, or taking part in foreign missions, soldiers also help out during emergencies like floods and epidemics, he said.

Nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban has long underlined the importance of beefing up the military.

His government has been hiking spending on the previ-ously underfunded military since well before the pandemic, with the proportion of GDP spent on defence rising from 0.95 percent in 2013 to 1.21 percent in 2019.

The army has had a high profile in the coronavirus crisis, for example being dispatched to look after hospitals.

Orban has emphasised patriotic education in schools while the Hungarian army has expanded a cadet programme and unveiled plans this month to operate up to 10 new military high schools by 2030.

With unemployment rock-eting due to the coronavirus crisis, officials say many are jumping at the chance of a stable job that the army offers.

“Already 2,500 have applied, with 900 starting basic training,” said Szilard Nemeth, a gov-ernment defence official, last week. The latest data put Hun-garian unemployment rising to around four percent in April, but analysts say the number may be almost double that given sud-denly jobless entrepreneurs and freelancers have yet to register as unemployed.

An OECD forecast earlier this month said the Hungarian economy, which grew by 4.9 percent in 2019, could contract by eight percent this year, and by

10 percent if hit by a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Everyone who loses their job due to the coronavirus out-break will have another one in three months,” Orban has p ledged.

Since coming to power in 2010 he has strived to build a “work-based society” based on “providing work, not aid”.

Monthly unemployment pay-ments are a paltry $225-400, depending on previous salary, and are stopped after three months. Now donning military fatigues is one of three routes back from virus-related unem-ployment promoted in the gov-ernment’s recovery plan, alongside public works schemes and jobs in state companies.

New recruits participate in a training exercise at the military camp in the Hungarian city of Gyor.

Mexico City delays reopening by a week due to virusAFP — MEXICO CITY

Authorities in Mexico City announced on Friday they are delaying a planned reopening of the economy by a week to give more time for the number of coronavirus infections to drop.

Mexico has employed a “traffic light” system to gradually reopen its economy, depending on the virus’s spread.

“The city will remain in the red light next week, in transition

to orange. The activities we announced... cannot open, we’re going to wait for the infections to reduce,” Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said.

Markets, restaurants, shopping malls, hotels and places of worship will remain closed for the week.

However, the automobile, mining and construction indus-tries, as well as beer production, can continue operating. Mexico City, home to nine million people, is using hospital

occupancy to determine the level of alert.

As of Friday they were just over 4,200 people hospitalised with COVID-19, the mayor said, putting occupancy at 65 percent.

“While the number of people admitted to hospitals has declined, (the (hospitalization rate) has not reduced” as quickly as hoped, said Sheinbaum.

By Thursday, Mexico had recorded 19,700 COVID-19 deaths and 165,000 cases among a population of 127

million. The country registered its largest jump in new cases on Thursday with more than 5,600 over the previous 24 hours.

Mexico City, the worst-affected area, has reported more than 5,000 deaths and 40,000 cases.

The pandemic-enforced lockdown provoked a historic fall in industrial activity of almost 30 percent in April, compared to the same month in 2019.

Serbia to hold

general, local

polls todayANATOLIA — GRADE, SERBIA

As the world wrestles with the novel coronavirus pandemic, Serbia today will hold general, local, and autonomous region elections.

Voters will head to the polls to determine the names and parties that will govern the country both locally and nationally for the next four years.

In Serbia, the effect of the pandemic has disappeared for the most part, with cas-ualty numbers and daily cases having decreased to the 50-100 band and major measures removed.

More than 6.5 million voters have registered to cast their ballots and elect law-makers from among 21 election lists competing to enter the 250-seat national assembly.

Voters will also elect the 120-seat assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina in the north of the country and new members of local city and town councils across the country.

The campaigning ban commenced on Friday to continue until the end of voting.

“The selfless feat of medical workers during the epidemic will go down in the history of our medicine and our country.” Putin said the medics’ work was on a par with “the valiant service of doctors and nurses” during World War I and World War II.

12 SUNDAY 21 JUNE 2020AMERICAS

Prosecutor who has investigated Trump lawyer refuses to resignREUTERS — WASHINGTON

A top US federal prosecutor whose office has been investi-gating President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, refused to step down after the adminis-tration abruptly said late on Friday it was replacing him.

The standoff marks the latest in a series of unusual actions by Attorney General William Barr that critics say are meant to benefit Trump politi-cally and undermine the inde-pendence of the Justice Department.

It also comes as Trump seeks to purge officials per-ceived as not fully supporting him. In recent weeks he has fired a series of agency watchdogs, including one who played a key role in Trump’s impeachment earlier this year.

Barr, in a surprise late-night announcement, said the US Attorney in Manhattan, Geoffrey Berman, was stepping down and that Trump would nominate Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton to take Berman’s spot.

Berman, who leads a pow-erful office known for prose-cuting terrorism cases, Wall Street financial crimes and gov-ernment corruption, said he first learned of the move from Barr’s press release and would not go quietly.

“I have not resigned, and have no intention of resigning my position,” Berman said in a statement.

“I will step down when a presidentially appointed nominee is confirmed by the Senate. Until then, our investi-gations will move forward w i t h o u t d e l a y o r

interruption.”A Justice Department

official, asked about Berman’s refusal to leave until a successor is confirmed, told Reuters the “timeline remains the same” as Barr laid out in announcing the replacement.

The move seemed to sur-prise the chairman of the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee, Lindsey Graham, who said on Saturday he had not been contacted by the administration.

In a statement, Graham said Clayton’s nomination would still be required to go through the usual practice of getting approvals from his home-state senators, in this case Democrats Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gil-librand of New York.

“As chairman, I have honored that policy and will

continue to do so,” Graham said. That approval looked

unlikely to be forthcoming, with Schumer, the Senate’s Demo-cratic leader, saying in a statement Clayton should withdraw his name from con-sideration, “and save his own reputation from overnight ruin.”

Gillibrand said in a statement that she would not be complicit in helping Trump and Barr fire a US Attorney who is reportedly investigating cor-ruption in Trump’s adminis-tration, and that Clayton should “remove himself from this sham.”

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, also a Democrat, said he intends to invite Berman to testify.

Since being appointed in January 2018, Berman has not

shied from taking on figures in Trump’s orbit. His office oversaw the prosecution of Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer, indicted two Giuliani associates and launched a probe into Giuliani in connection with his efforts to dig up dirt on Trump’s political adversaries in Ukraine.

Berman replaced Preet Bharara, who was himself fired as U.S. Attorney in early 2017 soon after Trump became pres-ident. Bharara, an outspoken critic of the president, said the timing of the push to replace his successor was strange.

“Why does a president get rid of his own hand-picked US Attorney in SDNY on a Friday night, less than 5 months before the election?” Bharara wrote on Twitter, referring to the Nov. 3 U.S. presidential election.

A file photo of US Attorney in Manhattan, Geoffrey Berman, speaking during a press conference in New York City.

Judge: Bolton canpublish book despiteefforts to block itREUTERS — WASHINGTON

A US judge yesterday denied a request by the Trump admin-istration for an injunction to block publication of a book by President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton (pictured) that alleges the president sought China’s help to win re-election.

“While Bolton’s unilateral conduct raises grave national security concerns, the gov-ernment has not established that an injunction is an appro-priate remedy,” US District Judge Royce Lamberth said in his ruling.

The administration had sought a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the publi-cation of The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, saying it contained classified information and threatened national security.

The book, scheduled to hit store shelves on Tuesday, is already in the hands of media organisations.

“Defendant Bolton has gambled with the national security of the United States. He has exposed his country to harm and himself to civil (and potentially criminal) liability,” the judge wrote.

But he said an injunction would be too late to stem the harm. “With hundreds of thou-sands of copies around the globe -many in newsrooms - the damage is done,” Lamberth said. In a tweet shortly after the decision was released, Trump charged again that Bolton was releasing classified infor-mation. “He must pay a very big price for this, as others have

before him,” Trump said. “This should never to happen again!!!” Trump drew some solace from the judge’s rebuke of Bolton.

“Big court win against Bolton. Obviously, with the book already given out and leaked to many people and the media,” Trump said.

Simon & Schuster, the pub-lishers of Bolton’s memoir wel-comed the ruling.

“We are grateful that the Court has vindicated the strong First Amendment protections against censorship and prior restraint of publication,” they said in a statement.

Bolton’s book has drawn wide attention for its withering portrayal of Trump and how politics drove the president’s foreign policy.

Bolton describes Trump as imploring Chinese President Xi Jinping for help in winning his 2020 re-election bid, and he detailed alleged improprieties not addressed in Trump’s impeachment trial.

Trump ousted Bolton, a foreign policy hawk, last Sep-tember after 17 months as national security adviser.

Biden aide begins forming US presidential transition teamREUTERS — WASHINGTON

A close adviser to former US Vice President Joe Biden has begun forming a team to oversee the transition if the Democratic presidential candidate wins November’s election and unseats President Donald Trump, according to a statement yesterday.

Longtime Biden aide Ted Kaufman has recruited six people, including several former Obama administration officials, to an initial team that will later be expanded, a person familiar with the transition team said.

Major party nominees set up transition teams before a general election to coordinate

with the incumbent administration.

In a statement, Kaufman said the work would “ensure continuity of government” in the event that Biden must prepare to take over amid the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing economic crisis.

“No one will have taken office facing such daunting

obstacles since Franklin Delano Roosevelt,” said Kaufman, adding that Biden was ready to begin that work “the day he is sworn in as president.”

Kaufman, who filled the US Senate seat for Delaware when Biden became vice president in 2009, co-authored a 2015 law that requires initial tran-sition work to begin six

months before an election.Yohannes Abraham, who

served in Barack Obama’s White House, will manage the day-to-day operation of the transition team, which is inde-pendent of Biden’s presidential campaign. Recruits also include former CIA Deputy Director Avril Haines, another Obama administration alum.

Pompeo says UN

vote on race,

policing in US is

‘hypocrisy’AFP — WASHINGTON

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said yesterday a UN Human Rights Council vote condemning racism amounted to hypocrisy.

Pompeo defended the recent discussion on race rela-tions in America as a sign of a healthy democracy, and said the council should focus on what he called systemic racial disparities in member countries such as Cuba and China.

“The council’s decision to vote yesterday on a resolution focusing on policing and race in the US marks a new low,” Pompeo said in a statement.

The council took the vote after a debate prompted by pro-tests in the US triggered by the death at police hands of African American George Floyd.

However, a specific mention of racism and police brutality in the US was removed.

This sparked outrage from rights groups, which accused Washington and its allies of lob-bying heavily to revise the text -- a charge to which the US mission in Geneva declined to respond. The United States, which had complained of being singled out in the initial text, withdrew from the council in 2018 and was not present on Friday. In his statement yes-terday, titled “On the Hypocrisy of UN Human Rights Council,” Pompeo said discussion in the US about race following the death of Floyd “is a sign of our democracy’s strength and maturity.”

“If the Council were serious about protecting human rights, there are plenty of legitimate needs for its attention, such as the systemic racial disparities in places like Cuba, China and Iran,” he said.

“If the Council were honest, it would recognise the strengths of American democracy and urge authoritarian regimes around the world to model American democracy and to hold their nations to the same high standards of accountability and transparency that we Amer-icans apply to ourselves.”

DC protesters pull down, burn statue of Confederate generalAP — WASHINGTON

Protesters toppled the only statue of a Confederate general in the nation’s capital and set it on fire on Juneteenth, the day marking the end of slavery in the United States, amid continuing anti-racism demonstrations following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Cheering demonstrators jumped up and down as the 11-foot statue of Albert Pike — wrapped with chains — wobbled on its high granite pedestal before falling backward, landing in a pile of dust. Protesters then set a bonfire and stood around it in a circle as the statue burned, chanting, “No justice, no peace!” and “No racist police!” Eye-witness accounts and videos posted on social media indicated that police were on the scene but didn’t intervene. President Donald Trump quickly tweeted about the toppling, calling out D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and

writing: “The DC police are not doing their job as they watched a statue be ripped down and burn. These people should be immediately arrested. A disgrace to our Country!” Jubilant pro-testers read out Trump’s tweet over a bullhorn and cheered. After the statue fell, most pro-testers returned peacefully to Lafayette Park near the White House.

The Pike statue has been a source of controversy over the years. The former Confederate general was also a longtime influ-ential leader of the Freemasons, who revere Pike and who paid for the statue. Pike’s body is interred at the D.C. headquarters of the Scottish Rite of Freema-sonry, which also contains a small museum in his honor.

The statue, dedicated in 1901, was located in Judiciary Square about half a mile from the U.S. Capitol. It was built at the request of Masons who successfully lobbied Congress to grant them

land for the statue as long as Pike would be depicted in civilian, not military, clothing.

Racial tensions in the country hit a boiling point and spilled into the streets after Floyd’s killing late last month. Video showed a white police officer pressing his knee against Floyd’s neck for nearly eight minutes as the

handcuffed Black man said, “I can’t breathe.” The officer, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with murder.

Civil rights activists and some local government officials in DC had campaigned for years to get the statue taken down but needed the federal government’s approval to do so.

“Ever since 1992, members of the DC Council have been calling on the federal gov’t to remove the statue of Confed-erate Albert Pike (a federal memorial on federal land). We unanimously renewed our call to Congress to remove it in 2017,” the DC Council tweeted Friday.

People gather at the 16th street “Black Lives Matter Plaza” near the White House to mark the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth, in Washington, DC, on Friday.

Colorado reform law ends immunity for police in civil misconduct casesREUTERS — DENVER

Colorado Governor Jared Polis on Friday signed into law a bill to remove the shield of legal immunity that has long protected police officers from civil suits for on-the-job misconduct, a measure civil libertarians hailed as landmark legislation.

The Colorado state legislature passed the sweeping police

accountability bill last week in the wake of nationwide protests over unfair treatment of racial minorities by law enforcement, sparked by the death of an unarmed Black man under the knee of a white Minneapolis policeman last month.

Polis, a first-term Democrat, took the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth, celebrating the abo-lition of slavery in the United

States, to formally enact the law.The American Civil Liberties

Union hailed enactment of the measure, saying Colorado became one of the first states in the nation to strip police officers of a legal defense known as qual-ified immunity. The ACLU called the police accountability law as a whole historic.

The statute additionally requires police agencies

statewide to adopt the use of body-worn cameras by their officers within three years, and bans choke holds by officers in restraining individuals.

Carotid-pressure holds, similar to the technique that Min-neapolis police officer Derek Chauvin used when he knelt on the neck of George Floyd in a fatal encounter on March 25, is also outlawed.

The legislation won the support from the state’s police chiefs and county sheriffs’ organ-izations, which said in a joint written statement that many of the policies contained in the new law are already in place at the local level.

The US Supreme Court rec-ognised qualified immunity 50 years ago to protect government officials from frivolous lawsuits