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QIIB net profit rises 5.1% to

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Federer stages great escape to reach Australian Open semis

Wednesday 29 January 2020

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www.thepeninsula.qaVolume 24 | Number 8151

Enjoy unlimited local data and callswith the new Qatarna 5G plans

Amir issues order appointing Prime MinisterQNA — DOHA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued yesterday the Amiri Order No. 2 of 2020, appointing H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani as Prime Minister.

H H Amir also issued the Amiri Order No. 1 of 2020 accepting the resignation of H E the Prime Min-ister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani.

Both the Amiri Orders shall be effective starting from its date of issue and shall be pub-lished in the official gazette.

Later on, before Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani took the oath as the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior at the Amiri Diwan yesterday. The oath taking ceremony was attended by Deputy Amir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani.

Their Excellencies the Min-isters appointed by the Amiri Order No. 3 of 2020, took the

oath at the Amiri Diwan.The oath taking ceremony

was attended by H H the Deputy Amir and H E Prime Minister and Interior Minister.

H H the Amir also issued yesterday the Amiri Decision No. 5 of 2020, appointing H E Major General Abdulaziz bin Faisal bin Mohammed Al Thani as Commander of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya). The Decision shall be effective starting from its date of issue

and shall be published in the official gazette.

H H the Amir also issued the Decree No. 1 of 2020 appointing H E Major General Abdulaziz bin Faisal bin Mohammed Al Thani as Undersecretary of the Min-istry of Interior, in addition to his duties as Commander of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya). The Decree shall be effective starting from its date of issue and shall be published in the official gazette. �P5,6

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani with Prime Minister H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani.

"I congratulate His Excellency Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Thani on the confidence bestowed on him from His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Amir of the country, by appointing him as Prime Minister. All thanks and appreciation to His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani for the great services he rendered to this country and His Highness."

“In the beginning, I would like to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for confidence that he has shown on me throughout the period of my service, and for his guidance to me over the past years, and I also hope that I have succeeded in bearing responsibility with honesty throughout my service for the homeland and H H the Amir.

“I also thank everyone who worked with me and they were the best supporters for me. May Allah protect H H the Amir, may Allah protect Qatar, and peace and Allah's mercy and blessings be upon you.”

“We thank brother Abdullah bin Nasser for all the sincere efforts he made in all his positions over the past years, which have had a positive impact on the State of Qatar and the achievements that have been made at all levels despite the challenges. Sheikh Abdullah dedicated his energies for serving the country and will remain so in the service of this dear homeland.”

H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani Prime Minister and Minister of Interior

H E Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs

H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs

H E Ali bin Shareef Al Emadi, Minister of Finance

H E Dr. Gaith bin Mubarak Al Kuwari Minister of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs

H E Salah bin Ghanim Al Ali, Minister of Culture and Sports

H E Dr. Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi Minister of Justice and Acting Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs

H E Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulwahed Al Hammadi Minister of Education and Higher Education

H E Jassim bin Saif bin Ahmed Al Sulaiti Minister of Transport and Communications

H E Dr. Hanan Mohammed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health

H E Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie Minister of Municipality and Environment

H E Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, Minister of Commerce and Industry

H E Yousef bin Mohammed Al Othman Fakhro Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs

H E Saad bin Sharida Al Kaabi Minister of State for Energy Affairs and member of the Cabinet

H H the Amir also issued yesterday Amiri Order No. 3 of 2020 reshuffling the Cabinet. Before Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Their Excellencies the Ministers appointed by the Amiri Order No. 3 of 2020, took the oath at the Amiri Diwan.

H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani was appointed as the Prime Minister on January 28, 2020 by the Amiri Order No. 2 of 2020 along with his appointment as Minister of Interior. He has been serving as the Chief of the Amiri Diwan since November 11, 2014 pursuant to the Amiri Order No. 5 of 2014. He was born in Doha in 1968, where he received his pre-university schooling. He then obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration in the United States of America in 1993. At the beginning of his career, he worked at Qatar Liquefied Gas Company Limited, until 2002. He later served from 2002 to 2006 in the Office of the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. In March 2006, he joined the Amiri Diwan, and worked in the Office of H H the Heir Apparent. He was appointed as Director of the Office of the Private Secretary of H H the Heir Apparent on July 11, 2006, and later he became Director of the Office of H H the Heir Apparent on January 9, 2007. H E Sheikh Khalid has also been serving as Director of H H the Amir’s office since H H the Amir assumed the reins of power on June 25, 2013.

H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin

Abdulaziz Al Thani taking

oath.

Palestine requests urgent Arab League meeting on 'Deal of the Century'AGENCIES — CAIRO, RAMALLAH, WASHIGHTON

Palestine requested yesterday the Arab League to convene an urgent session to discuss the so-called ‘Deal of the Century’.

Assistant Secretary General of the League of Arab States Hossam Zaki said in a statement that Palestine requested the Arab League to convene an extraor-dinary session at the ministerial level on Saturday, with the attendance of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Zaki added that the Per-manent Representatives of Pal-estine to the Arab League requested the meeting to be held in order to listen to the Palestinian President’s vision, in addition to discussing the so-called ‘Deal of the Century’ that the US President Donald Trump announced regarding the Palestinian cause.

Abbas yesterday called Trump's Mideast peace plan a "conspiracy" and said to him and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu that his people's rights "are not for sale".

"I say to Trump and Netanyahu: Jerusalem is not for sale, all our rights are not for sale and are not for bargain. And your deal, the conspiracy, will not pass," Abbas said in a televised address in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Abbas' comments came after Trump proposed the creation of a Palestinian state with a capital in eastern Jerusalem, in an effort to achieve a peace breakthrough between the Palestinians and Israel.

Trump released his oft-delayed plan to end the Israel-Palestine conflict, calling it "fundamentally different from past proposals" as doubts persist it will gain traction amid stiff Palestinian resistance.

Among the details of Trump's plan, Jerusalem will remain Israel's "undivided capital, Trump said.

The plan does not appear to meet even the most

basic Palestinian demands for comprehensive peace with Israel, including the right of return for Palestinian refugees who fled or were forced out of their homes as a result of con-flict, as well as their descendants.

Regardless of where the Palestinian refugees fled from, they would be required under Trump's plan to resettle within the future state of Palestine, the countries in which they cur-rently live, or a third country. The plan does not allow for their resettlement within Israel, even if that is where they once lived, and calls for "a complete end and release of any and all claims relating to refugee or immigration status."

"There shall be no right of return by, or absorption of, any Palestinian refugee into the State of Israel," it says, meeting yet another key Israeli demand.

Under international law, ref-ugees are entitled to the vol-untary return to their country of origin.

Al Mal stresses importance of Doha Declaration Program accomplishmentsQNA — GENEVA

Major General Dr. Abdullah Yousef Al Mal, Chairman of the Follow-up Committee on the Implementation of the Global Program of the Doha Decla-ration issued by the Thirteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice 2015, stressed the importance of the accomplish-ments achieved within the framework of this program in its various axes.

Major General Dr. Al Mal pointed out that this program, which is being implemented through a contribution of $50m by the State of Qatar, is one of the largest global programs in the history of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

This came during an event organised in Geneva by the per-manent delegation of the State of Qatar and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on education for the rule of law

(enhancing participation in the field of human rights), which is one of the main pillars of the Doha Declaration program.

Major General Dr. Al Mal expressed his happiness at the work accomplished within the framework of the Education for Justice initiative, as the program reached its peak. He added that the State of Qatar is aware of the important momentum achieved in implementing joint endeavours and is looking forward to the fourteenth con-ference on crime prevention and criminal justice in April this year in Kyoto, Japan, and is looking forward to present important results and achieve-ments, in addition to presenting the latest results that contribute to achieving the 2030 Sus-tainable Development Goals.

Major General Dr. Al Mal pointed out that the State of Qatar decided, at the conclusion of the Thirteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Pre-vention and Criminal Justice

2015, to launch an ambitious global program, in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, to implement some of the major recommendations of the Doha Declaration.

He added that this initiative is the first in the history of crime prevention and criminal justice conferences over sixty years, in which the political declaration is used to develop an opera-tional program.

Dr. Al Mal said that the Doha Declaration is an inno-vative declaration for two reasons. The first relates to the agreement of Member States for the first time on the importance of education in promoting a culture of respect for the law and strengthening efforts to prevent crime at the national level, and the second relates to its recognition of the ability of young people to strengthen the rule of law and encourages Member States to involve them in that. �P4

H E Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thaniyesterday tweeted thanking HH the Amir

H E Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al Thani, CEO of QMC congratulates PM

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OFFICIAL NEWS

DOHA: Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will patronise today the graduation ceremony of the 7th batch of the Al Zaeem (Leader) Mohamed bin Abdullah Al Attiyah Air College at Al Udeid Air Base. QNA

DOHA: Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sent a written message to the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, H E Dr Abiy Ahmed Ali, pertaining to bilateral relations and means of supporting and developing them. The message was handed by the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Ethiopia, H E Hamad bin Moham-med Al Dosari, during a meeting with H E the Ethiopian Prime Min-ister, yesterday. QNA

DOHA: The State of Qatar expressed its strong condemnation and denun-ciation of the attack that targeted a police base in Afghanistan’s northern Baghlan province, which left sev-eral dead and three people missing.In a statement issued yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reit-erated the firm position of the State of Qatar on rejecting violence and terrorism regardless of motives and reasons. The statement expressed the State of Qatar’s condolences to the families of the victims, and to the government and people of Afghan-istan, and its wishes for the safety of the missing. QNA

Amir to patronise graduation ceremony at Al Zaeem College

Amir sends written message to Ethiopian Prime Minister

Qatar strongly condemns attack on Afghan police base

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Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani with the new Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs. H E Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and Their Excellencies the Ministers at the Amiri Diwan, yesterday.

Amir issues order reshuffling the Cabinet

Last batch of Qatar’s medical aid arrives in KhartoumQNA — KHARTOUM

The third and last shipment of medical aid donated by Qatar to Sudan arrived in Khartoum yesterday under a humani-tarian intervention conducted by Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS).

The aircraft carrying the Qatari medical aid was received at Khartoum Airport by H E Qatar’s Ambassador to Sudan, Abdulrahman bin Ali Al Kubaisi, Undersecretary of the Sudanese Ministry of Health, Dr. Sara Abdel Azim, and offi-cials of Qatar Red Crescent and Sudanese authorities con-cerned with medical, health and humanitarian aid.

In a press statement, H E the Qatari Ambassador Al Kubaisi said that the Qatari medical aid comes in support of the brothers in Sudan in the

medical and health field, in the framework of the distinct rela-tions between the two coun-tries in all domains.

H E Al Kubaisi pointed to the continued communication between the leaderships of the two countries at various levels to further promote the relations for the interests of the two countries and peoples.

For her part, the Undersec-retary of the Sudanese Ministry of Health, Dr. Sara Abdel Azim, praised the relations between Qatar and Sudan, and Qatar’s support and aid in the health field.

She noted a continued cooperation with Qatar and stressed the keenness on building a strategic partnership to ensure the joint work and the development of the health system and all its components in Sudan.

PHCC to organise International Conference from February 19 QNA — DOHA

The Primary Health Care Corpo-ration (PHCC) announced its organisation of the fourth Inter-national Primary Health Care Conference, which begins on

February 19 under the slogan “A Foundation Set for Significance” with wide international partici-pation. The four-day conference includes a set of events, lectures and workshops related to health promotion and disease

prevention, as well as presenting models of integrated healthcare, innovation and creativity in healthcare facilities, quality methods and how to prevent risks in the work environment and achieve occupational safety.

The conference will also include presentations on best practices in education and capacity building, as well as the exchange of experiences and identify best practices through exhibitions and accompanying workshops.

Al Mal stresses importance of Doha Declaration Program accomplishments

FROM PAGE 1

Major General Al Mal added that the Education for Justice initiative is part of the global program to implement the Doha Declaration, and it com-bines the areas of education and the rule of law taking into account the importance of the relationship between youth and education, saying in this context that the Doha Declaration affirms the fundamental role of youth participation in crime prevention efforts.

There is a change in the way

in which crime prevention and criminal justice approaches should be designed and imple-mented, he said, while noting the commitment of Member States to promoting the active participation of youth in pol-icy-making and in maintaining the rule of law, peace and justice.

Since the biggest challenges to crime, justice and the rule of law require the participation of more young people and assistance to governments in finding innovative solutions,

maintaining the rule of law is intrinsically linked to the pro-motion and protection of human rights, which is a fun-damental message within the Doha Declaration that high-lights the relationship between crime and justice issues, the rule of law and its relevance to human rights, he said.

Major General Dr Abdullah Yousef Al Mal stressed that support for the rule of law and strengthening respect for it cannot be achieved without human rights.

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A tenure full of achievements & dedication THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Former Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, was and will remain one of the dedicated soldiers serving this great nation.

He was devoted since his appointment as the Prime Min-ister and Interior Minister in June 2013 and did his best to implement several devel-opment projects in different fields.

Under the wise leadership and directives of the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani; Sheikh Abdullah directly supervised the country’s eco-nomic advancement, and facil-itated the active partnership between the government and private sector through the establishment of the Technical Committee to Stimulate Private Sector Participation in Eco-nomic Development Projects.

Also, instructions were issued to the ministries and institutions to prepare plans which ultimately led to the for-mulation of the National Development Strategy 2011-2016.

The National Development Strategy 2011-2016, the first comprehensive development strategy in Qatar aimed at achieving QNV 2030 goals of a sustainable and balanced growth, sought to establish major values, including value-for-cost through responsible use of oil and human resources, developing and modernising government institutions to ensure efficient performance, ensuring a governance of development programmes and projects, and providing high quality public services.

The Strategy was based on QNV 2030 pillars, targeting: sustained economic prosperity, promotion of human devel-opment, integrated method-ology for social development, and environmental preser-vation for future generations (sustainable environment). In terms of solutions, NDS-1

contained eight chapters drawn up from 14 sector strat-egies. A major achievement of the NDS-1 is that it created a national culture of devel-opment planning across all government entities and other development stakeholders.

Along the same lines, the second National Development Strategy (2018-2022) aims at sustaining economic prosperity through economic infra-structure development, eco-nomic diversification and private sector development, and management of natural resources; promoting human development.

Based on the directives of H H the Amir to develop the health sector, the H E Sheikh Abdullah directly monitored health projects and instructed the concerned authorities to implement health projects within its timeframe and in accordance to the highest level world standards.

Under the directives of H H the Amir, the former PM also represented the State of Qatar in many Arab and International summits and conferences.

The modernisation and development of legislative aspects, also got attention from H E in line with the goals of the State to facilitate business and foreign investments. H E directed concerned Ministries to develop several laws that regulate investments in the country and encourage investment under high level of transparency, which helped Qatar to achieve at high rank in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index.

Under the wise leadership and directives of Amir H H

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani; Former Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani supervised several developmental projects.

H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani inaugurated Al Daayen Naval Base, the new building of the General Directorate of Coasts and Borders Security, in Sumaysimah area in northern Qatar in July last year.

Built on a total area of 639,800 square meters, Al Daayen Naval Base is located in the middle of the country’s eastern coast, in order to facil-itate securing of all territorial waters of the State and border posts.

The base includes all the advanced requirements for marine security, which will contribute to securing the mar-itime borders of the State and tightening the security control and protection of all its coasts by conducting maritime patrols to prevent infiltration and smuggling of prohibited mate-rials and control maritime

violations, as well as providing marine services to citizens and residents at the same level in term of performance efficiency.

Former Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani on Decemeber 1, 2016 witnessed the ceremony marking the start of full oper-ations of Hamad Port.

Spread over 28.5 square kilometres, Hamad Port’s basin is 4km long, 700 metres wide and 17 metres deep — specifi-cations that enable it to receive the world’s biggest ships.

The capacity of Hamad Port is to reach 7.5 million TEU annually on completion of all construction phases. It has a general cargo terminal with a capacity of 1.7 million tonnes annually, a terminal for cereals with a capacity of one million tones annually, a terminal to receive vehicles with an annual capacity of 500,000, a ter-minal for livestock, a terminal for coastguard vessels and a terminal for marine support and backup. Hamad Port has a uniquely designed port

Control Tower at a height of 110 metres, a customs inspection area for rapid cargo clearance (5,600 containers per day), a ship inspection platform and multiple maritime facilities, in addition to other utilities such as storage units, mosques, rest areas, medical clinics and the offices required for port oper-ation. Hamad Port, in Sep-tember last year, also entered the Guinness World Record for having the deepest artificial port basin created on land.

Qatar’s aviation sector also got boost under the tenure of H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani as Hamad International Airport (HIA), Qatar’s state-of-the-art airport started operations under his tenure.

The world-class airport began its operation on May 27, 2014 by an inaugural flight from Qatar’s national airline, Qatar Airways, HIA has since been on a road to success. The airport has become one of the fastest growing hubs in the world. HIA celebrated its fifth year of operations in May 28, last year. �P6

A file picture of H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, inaugurating the Al Daayen Naval Base in July last year.

His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani was appointed Prime Minister of Qatar in June 2013, and he was also appointed Interior Minister the same year.In addition to being the Prime Minister and Interior Minister, His

Excellency has been the leader of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya) since 2004. From 2005 to 2013, His Excellency served as Minister of State for Interior Affairs.

On November 4, 2018, H E was appointed as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Tourism Council.

He held the position of Chairman of the Security Committee of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar and Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee. He also served as Executive Member of the Supreme Council for Economic Affairs and Investment. H E held various positions in the police and security forces from 1985 to 2002.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Police Sciences from Durham Military College in UK and also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law from Beirut Arab University.

H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani was awarded the French National Gendarmerie Medal in 2012 in recognition of his role in accomplishing a number of joint projects with the French Gen-darmerie. In 2009, His Excellency was also awarded the French Legion of Honor, in recognition of his role in supporting and strengthening relations between Qatar and France. In 2007, His Excellency received the International Civil Defense Medal in recognition of his role in sup-porting and establishing civil protection agencies.

The former PM was devoted since his appointment as the Prime Minister and Interior Minister in June 2013 and did his best to implement several development projects in different fields.

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A tenure full of achievements and dedication

FROM PAGE 5

HIA announced its multi-phased airport expansion plan in 2019. Phase A of the expansion is set to comprise of a central concourse linking con-courses D and E and will increase the airport’s capacity to more than 53 million pas-sengers annually by 2022.

Phase B, which will be com-pleted after 2022, will extend concourses D and E to further enhance the airport’s capacity to more than 60 million pas-sengers annually. The expansion project will also feature a 10,000 sqm indoor tropical garden, a 268 sqm water feature, 11,720 sqm of landscaped retail and F&B space and 9,000 sqm of world-class Al Mourjan lounge.

H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani also supervised the progress of Doha Metro project. He reviewed the progress of the Lusail Tram and Doha Metro projects during his tenure.

The initial Preview Service of the first section of Phase 1 of the Doha Metro Project was successfully launched by Qatar Railways Company on May 8, 2019. The first section runs for 21.5 kilometres and has 13 sta-tions, linking Al Qassar in the north of Doha to Al Wakra in the south. It represented almost two-thirds of the entire Red Line, which spans a total dis-tance of 40 kilometres and fea-tures 18 stations.

The second successful preview service was the Gold Line, covering 11 stations, including Ras Bu Abboud, National Museum, Sport City

and interchange station, Msheireb.

On the 10th December 2019, the Green Line, which runs from Al Mansoura to Al Riffa, entered into revenue service. The line includes 11 stations in total, 2 interchange stations that coincide with the Red Line (at Al Mansoura and Msheireb) and the Gold Line at Msheireb. The Green Line runs for 22.5 kilo-metres, and connects the new Education City to the centre of Doha.

The two remaining sections of the Red Line, linking Lusail and HIA airport, were also opened to the public on the same day which marked the completion of the Phase 1 of Doha Metro network.

Country's food and water security and road infrastructure also reached new heights during

the tenure of H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani.

His Excellency inaugurated, on June 28, 2018, the first phase of water pumping of the stra-tegic mega reservoirs project and pumping stations in the Umm Salal area. The launch of the first phase of the water pumping is part of the state’s plans to raise strategic water reserves.

The QR14.5bn “Water Security Mega Reservoirs” project includes 15 giant water tanks with a capacity of about 100 million gallons each, sit-uated at five locations across the country.

His Excellency opened the Aquatic Research Centre of the Ministry of Municipal and Envi-ronment in Ras Matbakh, Al Dhakhira district on January 25, 2020.

The Aquatic Research Centre, which is key to coun-try’s food security, will play a strategic role in developing Qatar’s fisheries wealth.

The Center will initially run with a production capacity of two million larvae of fish in one year. The production capacity will gradually increase as it targets to reach over 20 million larvae of fish within three years.

H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani

inaugurated Al Majd Road which is the largest road project in the country, on February 6, 2019.

The new road, part of a 195km-long road project, extends from Mesaieed to Al Khor and Lusail. Al Majd Road provides seven lanes of free-flow dual carriageway with the capacity of over 14,000 vehicles per hour in each direction reducing over 50 percent travel

times. It has two dedicated lanes for trucks and five lanes for light vehicles in each side.

H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani also attended the signing ceremony to build Al Kharsaah Large-Scale Solar PV Power Plant and to establish the project company as well as for power purchase from the plant held at Doha Sheraton Hotel on January 18, 2020.

Qatar signed an agreement

with France’s Total and Japan’s Marubeni to build a solar power project with capacity of about 800 megawatts (MW), which equals about 10 percent of Qatar’s current peak electricity demand.

With an estimated total cost of QR1.7bn, the Large-Scale Solar PV Power Plant will be constructed at Al Kharsaah area west of Doha on a 10 square kil-ometer land plot.

H E Sheikh Abdullah bin

Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani opened the state-of-the-art Kahramaa Awareness Park, an ambitious initiative to promote the culture of conservation of electricity and water among children on April 23, 2017.

The Kahramaa Awareness Park is a magnificent theme-facility having all features needed not only to educate kids about water and electricity but also teach them about the importance of resources.

H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani touring the control room of the mega reservoirs project and pumping stations in the Umm Salal area. Also seen are H E Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada and Eng. Essa Hilal Al Kuwari.

H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, being briefed on the tasks of Aquatic Research Centre. RIGHT: H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani with Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim bin Saif bin Ahmed Al Sulaiti and other officials during the visit to the Lusail Tram projects.

H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani; President of Kahramaa, Eng. Essa Hilal Al Kuwari; General Manager and Managing Director of Kahramaa and Board Member of Siraj Energy, Fahad Hamad Al Muhannadi; President and CEO of Japan’s Marubeni Corporation, Masumi Kakinoki; and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Total, Patrick Pouyanne, during the signing ceremony for the agreements of Al Kharsaah Large-Scale Solar PV Power Plant project to produce electricity using photovoltaic technology, at Doha Sheraton Hotel.

The initial Preview Service of the first section of Phase 1 of the Doha Metro Project was successfully launched by Qatar Railways Company on May 8, 2019. The first section runs for 21.5 kilometres and has 13 stations, linking Al Qassar in the north of Doha to Al Wakra in the south. It represented almost two-thirds of the entire Red Line, which spans a total distance of 40 kilometres and features 18 stations.

H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani’s nearly seven-year tenure as Prime Minister and Minister of Interior oversaw a great period of success when it came to Qatar hosting major sports events. World championships in track and field, swimming, boxing, cycling and gymnastics along with football were a few of the key events hosted by Qatar in the last six and a half years.

H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani’s tenure was a period of glorious success.

H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani’s nearly seven-year old tenure as Prime Minister and Minister of Interior oversaw a great period of success when it came to Qatar hosting major sports events. World championships in track and field, swimming, boxing, cycling and gymnastics along with football were a few of the key events hosted by Qatar in the last six and a half years.

Last month, Qatar hosted the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup for the first time at two venues - Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium and the iconic Khalifa Inter-national Stadium where British football giants Liverpool won the event by beating South American champions Fla-mengo in the final.

The other top event staged in Qatar in the last few months was the 2019 IAAF World Ath-letics Championships at the iconic Khalifa International Stadium. During the 10-day championships (Sep 26 to Oct 6), a total of 1972 athletes com-prising 1054 men and 918 women from 208 countries took centre-stage under lights for most part of the hugely fol-lowed event.

The IAAF event also wit-nessed the first ever midnight marathons held at Corniche, helping Qatar get official rec-ognition as the first and only

country in the Middle East to host the World Championships in track and field. IAAF Pres-ident Sebastian Coe declared the championships in Qatar ‘as the best ever edition of the IAAF Worlds’.

A year earlier in October 2018, Qatar hosted the 2018 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. The compe-tition was held from October 25 – November 3, 2018, at the Aspire Academy with hosts Qatar luring in dozens of top gymnasts and fans in their thousands. American gymnast Simone Biles regaled fans with epic performances clinching 6 medals in Doha.

Three years ago in October, the 2016 UCI Road World Championships were held across Qatar where the event consisted of a road race, a team time trial and a time trial for elite men and women and a road race and a time trial for men under-23, junior men and junior women. It was the 89th Road World Championships and the first time that Middle E a s t h o s t e d t h e championships.

A year earlier in 2015, Doha hosted the 2015 AIBA World Boxing Championships. The two-week championships were staged at the magnificent Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiya Arena from 5 to 18 October 2015. With the Philippines boxing legend Manny Pacquiao and British boxer Amir Khan in attendance, the event’s cov-erage attracted 500 million

viewers in 112 countries. A total of 260 boxers (from 74 coun-tries in 10 weight classes) battled for 23 berths for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

A few days later, Doha staged the the 2015 IPC Ath-letics World Championships. It was held between October 21-31 and featured around 1,300 athletes from 90 coun-tries and took place at the 12,000-capacity Qatar Sports Club Stadium, also known as Suhaim Bin Hamam Stadium.

In January 2015, the world’s handball fraternity was in Doha for the 2015 World Men’s Handball Championship. The 24th edition of the World Men’s Handball Championship, organised by the International Handball Federation (IHF) in collaboration of the Qatar Handball Federation, saw the hosts reaching the final.

The tournament, held for the first time in Qatar, was staged from 15 January to 1 February 2015. France beat Qatar 25–22 to win their fifth world title. It was Qatar’s first podium finish in handball at the world stage.

Qatar went about building 2022 FIFA World Cup venues, meeting all deadlines with ease. The iconic Khalifa Inter-national Stadium was reno-vated and then inaugurated in front of the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and FIFA President Gianni Infantino in May 2017 at the Amir Cup final.

A glorious sporting success for Qatar

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08 WEDNESDAY 29 JANUARY 2020HOME

Shura Council Speaker arrives in Burkina Faso

QNA – OUAGADOUGOU

The Speaker of the Shura Council, H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud, arrived yesterday in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, to participate in the 15th session of the Parlia-mentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC) Conference and the accompa-nying meetings which will last for several days.

H E the Speaker of the Shura

Council and the accompanying delegation were welcomed upon arrival by the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Burkina Faso, H E Alassane Bala Sakande, and Acting Charge d’affaires of Qatar’s embassy in Benin, Hussein Ibrahim Al Bader. H E the Speaker of the Shura Council said that the 15th session of the PUIC Conference includes important topics to be discussed by political and economic

committees, human rights com-mittee and other committees.

Following his arrival in Oua-gadougou, H E the Speaker of the Shura Council expressed his sincere thanks to the President, Government and People of the Republic of Burkina Faso for the good preparation and organi-sation of this conference and for the warm reception given to the Qatari delegation, wishing success to the activities of the conference.

The Speaker of the Shura Council, H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud (left), with the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Burkina Faso, H E Alassane Bala Sakande, in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.

President of Civil Aviation Authority meets President of ICAO Council, Secretary-General of ICAOQNA — MONTREAL

President of the Civil Aviation Authority H E Abdullah bin Nasser Turki Al Subaey met yesterday with President of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council Salvatore Sciacchitano, at the organization’s headquarters in Montreal, Canada.

During the meeting, H E the President of the Authority con-gratulated Sciacchitano on his recent election as President of the ICAO Council, wishing him success. He stressed the State of Qatar’s keenness and permanent commitment to the principles and goals of the organization, and its continuous support for all its initiatives related to achieving

security, safety and efficient system for civil aviation in the world. The President of the Civil Aviation Authority also met with Secretary-General of the ICAO Dr. Fang Liu. During the meeting, they reviewed existing relations between the State of Qatar and the organization in the field of civil aviation and means of sup-porting and developing them.

Souq Waqif Honey Exhibition opens tomorrow, with over 150 exhibitors THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Over 150 companies specialised in honey and its products from 37 countries will participate in the third edition of Souq Waqif Honey Exhibition, which will open tomorrow. The exhibition is organized by the Private Engi-neering Office (PEO) in cooper-ation with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and with the participation of the Ministry

of Municipality and Environment. It will continue until February 8.

Compared to the second edition of last year, the event will witness an increase of 25 percent in terms of participation.

General Supervisor of Souq Waqif Honey Exhibition, Khalid Saif Al Suwaidi, said that the large participation in this exhibition confirms the confidence of these companies in the local market, and reflects its success to be an

attractive destination for com-panies and those who wish to buy the best product of local and foreign honey.

Al Suwaidi said that the number of countries participating in the exhibition this year rose to 37 countries, compared to 20 countries in the second edition, revealing that there are 10 coun-tries taking part for the first time.

He stated that 80 local outlets participating in the honey

exhibition this year are either Qatari farms and or imported local companies. The exhibition constitutes an opportunity for these farms and companies to enhance their regional and inter-national presence through the conclusion of partnerships and deals in this sector, as happened in the previous two versions, he pointed out.

Al Suwaidi stressed the keenness to present a product

that meets the highest standards. He said random samples of the offered products are taken and tested by the competent author-ities to ensure their quality and suitability for human con-sumption, in the context of ensuring a high-quality product.

He also pointed out that the exhibition will provide an advisory service about treatment using bee products, through an expert specialized in this field. In

addition, honey test service for consumers who visit the exhi-bition will be provided for a small fee.

He said coordination has been made with Qatar Airways to provide a discount of about 40 percent for the shipment of honey only, besides facilitating customs procedures, providing freight transport from freight to stores, and providing free ware-houses to participants.

DIMDEX 2020 to open on March 16QNA — MONTREAL

Under the patronage of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Qatari Armed Forces will organize the 7th edition of Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX 2020) from March 16 to 18 at Qatar National Convention Centre.

Raytheon, a technology and innovation leading company specialising in defence solutions, will be the Silver Sponsor, while Bell Textron will be the Bronze Sponsor of the event.

Commenting on the spon-sorship of this year’s edition, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of DIMDEX Staff Brig-adier (Sea) Abdulbaqi Saleh Al Ansari expressed gratitude for the support the event receives from a solid and reliable network of partners, who have con-tributed greatly to the increased

commercial and strategic impor-tance of DIMDEX over the years.

The upcoming edition of this important event will be held with the participation of a number of new and former sponsors, whose accomplishments in the com-mercial, infrastructure and security fields are in line with the mission of DIMDEX which aims to provide unparalleled oppor-tunities to the global security and defense community, Al Ansari added.

Al Ansari stressed the joint efforts to enhance the position of the State of Qatar as a vital and pioneering center for technology and innovation, thus contributing to achieving the economic devel-opment goals in Qatar National Vision 2030.

Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Con-ference (DIMDEX) is considered today one of the most important events on the international

maritime security and defense agenda, providing unprece-dented trade opportunities for decision makers from all the major sectors involved in the global defense sector, at the level of governments, governments and companies, and at the level of companies.

The support of key sponsors is a testament to the success and excellence of DIMDEX in cementing its position as a leading international platform for knowledge exchange.

The theme of this year’s edition “’Connecting the World’s Maritime Defense and Security Community” affirms DIMDEX commitment to offer an integrated platform for decision makers and major technology companies partic-ipating in the exhibition from around the world to explore innovative solutions through direct communication.

QEERI scientists develop environment-friendly biocide

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Scientists at Qatar Envi-ronment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), part of Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU), have synthesized a new highly efficient anti-bacterial nanomaterial which is environment-friendly and is expected to be cheaper than existing commercial biocides.

The Water Quality Program team at QEERI’s Environment and Sustainability Center (ESC) used an innovative approach to develop these novel biode-g r a d a b l e p o l y m e r i c nanospheres.

It was synthesized using a one-step chemical crosslinking technique from renewable chi-tosan (CS), which can be sourced from shellfish and lignosulfonate derived from trees.

The material demonstrated high bactericidal properties towards aerobic Gram (-) E. coli and Gram (+) B. subtilis and anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) making them ideal biocides for water disinfection.

Furthermore, the new biocide has been successfully used for controlling microbio-logically influenced corrosion

(MIC) on carbon steel with 85 percent efficiency. It also did not show any adverse acute toxicity on the marine environment

The bio-degradable nature of the new material, and the cheap raw materials that it uses, makes it suitable for building antibacterial coatings and membranes for the future development of more stable, sustainable, cost-efficient bio-medical and environmental applications.

The nanobiocide can also provide an efficient solution for the chronic microbial cor-rosion issue in the oil and gas industry, especially in the harsh environment in the Gulf region.

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, Research Program Director for the Water Quality Program, said: “We are thrilled with the

outcome of our work; anti-bacterial materials are widely used but can prove to be costly both financially and on the environment.

This novel material is more effective, less expensive, and ‘greener’ compared to tradi-tional commercially available products. It took many hours of collaborative work within various teams at QEERI, but seeing the tangible result makes it worth it.”

The work was done by a team of QEERI scientists including Dr. Ravi Pandey, Dr. Kashif Rasool, Dr. P. Abdul Rasheed, Tricia Gomez, Mujaheed Pasha, Dr. Said Mansour, Dr. One-Sun Le, and Dr. Khaled Mahmoud.

Two patents have been filed and the work has been published in the Green Chem-istry journal as the cover story.

Scientists from Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute at the Hamad Bin Khalifa University pose for a photograph. Their work on a new highly efficient anti-bacterial nanomaterial has been published in the Green Chemistry journal as the cover story.

The bio-degradable nature of the new material, and the cheap raw materials that it uses, makes it suitable for building antibacterial coatings and membranes for the future development of more stable, sustainable, cost-efficient biomedical and environmental applications.

09WEDNESDAY 29 JANUARY 2020 HOME

Lulu unveils ‘India Utsav 2020’ THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Commemorating the Republic Day of incredible India, Lulu Hypermarket Qatar has organised the ‘India Utsav 2020’ which started on January 27 and will continue until February 6 at all their stores in the region.

The festival was inaugu-rated by H E P. Kumaran, Ambassador of India to Qatar, at Lulu Hypermarket, D-Ring Road, on January 27 evening in the presence of many digni-taries including Dr. R Seetharaman, Group CEO of

Doha Bank; Mohamed Althaf, Director of Lulu Group Interna-tional, and a host of important guests from the Royal family, Ministries, Indian community organisations, banks, retail sectors including officials from Lulu chain and a large gathering of ethnic and expatriate

communities. Lulu has been conducting

the festival on the same theme for many years on the week of the Indian Republic Day to cel-ebrate the diverse culture and heritage of India and to high-light the unique quality and richness of the food products

from India. The Indian culture is often considered as an amalgamation of several cul-tures and has been influenced by the history of many centuries.

Lulu highlights over 3,000 products in different categories, which are flown in straight from India for this promotion — from fruits and vegetables to meat, packaged food products, kitchen essentials, and tradi-tional wear like saris and chu-ridars etc. A wide range of hot food dishes is also being freshly prepared daily.

Lulu, which has its own food processing plants and sourcing offices in India, has exerted massive efforts to introduce a new range of products, fea-turing organic, low-fat,

gluten-free and many more healthier food options in store that are in demand now with the health-conscious customer base.

With a view to enrich the theme of the festival, many tra-ditional art forms including the-matic dance, Vaishnav Jan, Kashmiri dance, Bengali dance, Semi-classical dance and Patriotic cinematic dance etc were featured during the inau-gural ceremony.

As part of the above festival, a promotion on Indian Silk and Ethnic Wear was opened by Ritu Kumaran, wife of the Indian Ambassador. A wide assortment of pure natural and synthetic silk from India including saris, ready-made garments and dress material went on display and

sale at discounted rates at all Lulu outlets across the region.

Indian Silk is one of the major categories of India’s exports worldwide. Fair Exports India Pvt Ltd — an Export dis-tribution Centre of Lulu Group — has been the winner of the ‘Best Exporter Award’ for Indian Silk Saris and Garments by the Indian Silk Export Promotion Council since 1996 including current year.

Lulu outlets have also launched ‘Buy 2 Get 1 Free’ Promotion, which will continue to rock until February 8. This promotion will encompass almost all Indian and interna-tional brands of menswear, ladies-wear, churidars, saris, children-wear, footwear and ladies bags.

Indian Ambassador, H E P. Kumaran; Mohamad Altaf, Director of Lulu Group International; Dr. R Seetharaman, CEO of Doha Bank, and other officials at the opening of India Utsav 2020 at Lulu Hypermarket, D Ring Road.

Indian Ambassador, H E P. Kumaran (centre), cutting a cake with other officials during the opening of India Utsav 2020 at Lulu Hypermarket, D Ring Road, on Monday.PICS: ABDUL BASIT/THE PENINSULA

Lulu has been conducting the festival on the same theme for many years on the week of the Indian Republic Day to celebrate the diverse culture and heritage of India and to highlight the unique quality and richness of the food products from India.

HMC to welcome visiting consultants in February, MarchTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) will welcome a number of visiting consultants from various medical specialities in February and March.

Members of the public wishing to book an appointment with one of the visiting con-sultants are advised to discuss this option with their physician. If their doctor agrees that an appointment with a visiting consultant is appropriate, they will provide a referral.

Dr Philippe Morel, a digestive laparoscopic surgery specialist from Clinique de Genolier, Genolier, Swit-zerland, will visit from Feb-ruary 2 to 9; Dr Duncan Whitwell, Consultant Ortho-pedic Surgeon at the Nuffield Orthopedic Centre NHS Trust in Oxford, England, will visit from February 6 to 12; Dr Hossein Gharib, Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Con-sultant, Endocrinology, Dia-betes, Nutrit ion, and

Metabolism at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, US, will visit from February 12 to 21.

Dr Mark Myerson, an ortho-pedic surgery and orthopedic sports medicine specialist from the Mercy Medical Center, Bal-timore, Maryland, US, will visit from February 16 to 19. Dr Gon-trand Lopez-Nava, Head of Bar-iatric Endoscopy, Madrid Sanchinarro University Hos-pital, Madrid, Spain, will visit on

February 18 and 19. On February 19 and 20, Dr

Stephen Wilson, a urology spe-cialist from the Institute For Urological Excellence, Indio, California. Dr Amin Javer, an Otolaryngology, Head, and Neck Specialist and Head of St. Paul’s Sinus Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada will visit from February 24 to 29 February.

In March, from 1 to 5, Dr Jacques Magnan, an Otolaryn-gology, Head, and Neck

Specialist affiliated with Hôpital Nord, Marseille, France.

Other experts are scheduled to visit in the coming months as part of HMC’s focus on hosting highly-respected physicians and surgeons from around the world.

Hosting visiting interna-tional consultants who are experts in their field is in line with HMC’s commitment to providing specialized medical services to the people of Qatar.

Dr Mark Myerson (left) and Dr Hossein Gharib

Ooredoo is Platinum Sponsor ofEco Dome at environmental eventTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Ooredoo, Qatar’s leading tele-communications operator, announced it is the Platinum Sponsor of the Eco Dome, a key feature of a major environmental event, launched on January 27, and organised by Elite Paper Recycling to raise awareness of the importance of recycling within a sustainable society. The Eco Dome is an exciting edutainment experience, designed to act as an educational tool and a communication platform for all ages but espe-cially the younger generation who will be the environmen-talists of the future.

It features a unique, state-of-the-art, high-tech 2D VR story-board video on deforestation and the negative impact on nature and human lives, and was installed for the duration of the event.

As part of its corporate social responsibility strategy, Ooredoo is promoting recycling and sus-tainability initiatives in line with Qatar Vision 2030.

Through the Elite Paper Recycling programme, the organisation has so far recycled more than 100,000 tonnes of paper and carton waste, which equates to saving more than 2 million trees, 30 million gallons of oil, 300 cubic yards of landfill space, 400 million kilowatts of energy and 700 million gallons of water.

Speaking of the sponsorship, Manar Khalifa Al Muraikhi, Director PR and Corporate Communications at Ooredoo, said: “In line with Qatar National Vision 2030, Ooredoo places great emphasis on sustainability and protection of our envi-ronment. We’re committed to complete digitalisation, which will mean a huge saving in paper use and a great decrease in our carbon footprint. We’re delighted to be working with Elite Paper Recycling on this amazing initiative and are con-fident the Eco Dome will be a great way for us to spread the message that sustainability is crucial for our future.”

CNA-Q job fair attracts dozens of businesses and hundreds of studentsTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The lobby of College of the North Atlantic - Qatar (CNA-Q) was teeming with students meeting with prospective employers recently, as the College hosted another hugely successful job fair and career awareness day.

More than 30 of Qatar’s top employers turned out to scout potential talent.

For their part, students had the opportunity to see the wide range of opportunities available to them. Leading up to the one-day event, students were given the opportunity to work closely with career advisors at CNA-Q to practice their job pitch skills, receive interview tips and help sharpen their resumes.

“This is an excellent oppor-tunity for our students to get a first-hand look at what is available in the marketplace, and to meet with potential employers,” said Associate Vice President, Student Affairs, Aljazzi Hamad Fetais. “The high number of prospective employers in attendance speaks to the interest they have in CNA-Q, and the quality students we produce. Our students are ready to move Qatar toward the QNV 2030.”

All sectors of the economy were represented including banking and commerce, tech-nology, telecommunications, healthcare, and the oil and gas industry.

CNA-Q opened in 2002 after a world-wide search to bring the best technical and vocational training to the State of Qatar, in support of the booming energy and industry sector.

CNA-Q has graduated over 5000 students from 30 certificate and diploma

programs tailored to meet the needs of Qatar’s growing and changing economy, in the fields of: Business and Infor-mation Technology, Engi-neering Technology and Industrial Trades and Health Sciences.

All programs follow Canadian curriculum, are developed with input from local industry and business stake-holders, and are taught by international instructors with e x t e n s i v e i n d u s t r y experience.

More than 30 of Qatar’s top employers turned out to scout potential talent. And students had the opportunity to see the wide range of opportunities available to them.

Members of the public wishing to book an appointment with one of the visiting consultants are advised to discuss this option with their physician. If their doctor agrees that an appointment with a visiting consultant is appropriate, they will provide a referral.

Chinese New Year celebrations delight visitors at Mall of QatarTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

For the first time, Mall of Qatar is celebrating the Chinese New Year with an impressive array of events and activities! Chinese Drummers and a Dragon Parade already offered tension-filled performances and gave visitors the chance

to truly immerse themselves into the rich heritage of China.

Until January 31 in the Luxury Court, visitors can experience Chinese callig-raphy, face painting, oiled-umbrella painting, and ribbon dancing, all while taking memorable pictures and bring them home as a souvenir.

Visitors can experience Chinese calligraphy, face painting, oiled-umbrella painting, and ribbon dancing until January 31 in the Luxury Court.

MoCI recalls Mercedes-Benz V Class model of 2019THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in cooperation with Nasser Bin Khaled Auto-mobiles, dealer of Mercedes-Benz in Qatar, has announced the recall of Mercedes-Benz V Class model of 2019 due to the instrument panel not meeting manufacturer specification.

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

The Ministry said that it will coordinate with the dealer to follow up on the maintenance and repair works and will communicate with customers to ensure that they carried out the necessary repairs.

The Ministry has also urged all customers to report any violations to its Con-sumer Protection and Anti-C o m m e r c i a l F r a u d Department, which processes complaints, inquires and suggestions.

The BDS campaign has been purposefully ambiguous about the shape Palestinian statehood should take and there are tactical reasons for it - mainly to avoid disagreements within the movement.

10 WEDNESDAY 29 JANUARY 2020VIEWS

CHAIRMANSHEIKH THANI BIN ABDULLAH AL THANI

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

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

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

EDITORIAL

THE establishment of the first Qatar Internet Exchange Point (QIXP) has opend a vast pathway for Internet users. Local IXPs allow fast data transfer with great exchange speed, thus saving a lot of time and in turn cost for busi-nesses, government establishments and even home users. With the opening of the QIXP, Qatar has taken its advancement in technology one notch up, matching the best in the world and offering a highly competitive edge to the country’s businesses.

Inaugurating the QIXP, Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim bin Saif bin Ahmed Al Sulaiti said: “This project will contribute to further improve the country’s international network readiness rankings and to attract global content providers in addition to enabling the new generations for creativity in the digital content realm and building up the aspired digital future. This will contribute to achieving Qatar National Vision 2030 goals by providing a world-class infrastructural and informatics backbone and a knowledge-based economy that contribute to diversi-fying the national economy.”

An IXP acts as a physical location through which Internet infrastructure companies such as Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) connect with each other. These locations allow network providers to share transits outside their own network. A CDN with IXP presence has the advantage of optimising the path through which data flows within its network, cutting down on inefficient paths and avoiding trom-boning, which means a carrier sending data to another network in a completely different city resulting in longer latency and affecting the performance.

Over the last two decades, there has been a major expansion in network interconnections, running par-allel to the enormous expansion of the global Internet. This demands new data centre facilities and more IXPs to handle the huge magnitude of data in lightning speed.

A country like Qatar, which has been making huge strides in the ICT sector for a large number of services offered by the government and private sectors, needs a thoroughly reliable and faster data exchange infra-structure. For example, a fool-proof, faster and safe infrastructure is essential for the ubiquitous cashless transactions which almost everybody in the country make use of for their daily needs.

By launching the QIXP, Qatar is taking another huge leap in the ICT sector enabling more efficient digital transformation and attracting more investments. It will help in reducing operating cost, offer better user expe-rience, resiliency on national networks in the face of Internet blackout. It will be instrumental in providing more safe, secure and reliable data transfer and will augment national security.

A great leap for ICT sector

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Quote of the day

The WHO does not recommend the evacuation of nationals. The WHO is confident in China's epidemic prevention and control ability.

Tedros Adhanom, WHO Director-General

A file picture of BDS demonstration in France .

It has been almost 15 years since the Boycott, Divestment Sanc-tions (BDS) movement was launched by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).

The aim of the campaign is to force Israel and its supporters to recognise that the status quo in Palestinian lands and Israel is not tenable in the long term and that there can be no solution without respect for international law, civility and democracy. That means ending the illegal occu-pation of the West Bank and the siege of Gaza, securing equal rights within Israel for its Pales-tinian citizens, and implementing the right of displaced Pales-tinians in the diaspora to return to their homes.

Today, the BDS campaign enjoys the support of the vast majority of Palestinian civil society. The tide is changing in the West as well, where Israel’s multitiered system of oppression, namely occupation, colonisation and apartheid are increasingly condemned.

International civil society seems to have reached the con-clusion that, like South Africa’s, Israel’s system of oppression cannot be brought to an end without ending international complicity and intensifying global solidarity, particularly in the form of BDS. Thus, the cam-paign is fast approaching its South Africa moment of maturity

and impact. I personally have been

involved in BDS since its inception and wholeheartedly support it. I am also, however, one who is concerned about public attention being limited to the immediate demands of the campaign at the cost of devel-oping a coherent plan for Pales-tine’s political future. In other words, as the campaign limits itself to ensuring the rights of Palestinians are respected, it is lacking a vision for the political reality within which such rights will be extended.

The BDS campaign has been purposefully ambiguous about the shape Palestinian statehood should take and there are tactical reasons for it - mainly to avoid disagreements within the movement.

However, I am of the view that opting for silence on important political questions about Palestine’s future is the wrong tactic. Focusing on the end of occupation, rights for Pal-estinians in Israel and the right of return has to be put within a political programme that endorses a one-state solution.

That is why I cofounded, with a group of academics and activists, the One Democratic State Group. The group, which is part of the One Sate Campaign, has put forward a programme which not only reaffirms the right of return, the rights of Pal-estinian citizens of Israel, and the end of occupation, but also pro-poses a vision for statehood, eco-nomic development, social justice and responsible interna-tional politics.

The central premise is that the two-state solution is dead and should be pronounced as such, despite the attachment many groups, especially leftist

ones, have to it.It is time that all those who

continue imposing the two-state solution on the public discourse in Palestine and outside realise that Israel’s strategy of coloni-sation of the West Bank and gradual expulsion of the Pales-tinian residents working towards a future annexation has rendered a two-state solution impossible.

At this point, sticking to the two-state vision - an impossible solution - simply means the con-tinuation of occupation, coloni-sation and apartheid.

Even though I completely understand the position taken by defenders of the rights-based approach, I still think that there is an urgent need for a political vision that helps put a light at the end of the tunnel for those mil-lions of people living between the Jordan River and the Medi-terranean, and more than five million Palestinian refugees scat-tered all over the world.

In my opinion, the right to self-determination should not result in a racist solution in which there are two states, one of which violates the rights of two-thirds of the Palestinian people. That is, an Israeli state would continue to treat its Pales-tinian citizens as second class and it would continue to deny the right of return to Palestinian refugees.

It would be no different from white-ruled South Africa - a state which gave exclusive rights to one race while excluding all others. If we are to learn from the South African anti-apartheid movement, then we should heed its political vision: Democracy, racial equality and the end of segregation.

Haidar Eid is an associate Professor at Al-Aqsa University in Gaza.

IVAN COURONNE AP

The deadly new coronavirus that has broken out in China, 2019-nCoV, will afflict a minimum of tens of thou-sands of people and will last at least several months, researchers estimate based on the first available data.

“The best case scenario, you would have something... where we go through the spring into the summer, and then it dies down,” David Fisman, a professor at the University of Toronto who wrote an analysis of the virus for the International Society for Infectious Diseases, said.

“It’s not something that’s going to end the next week or

the next month,” said Ales-sandro Vespignani, a pro-fessor at Northeastern Uni-versity. He is part of a group of researchers that manages an online dashboard about the outbreak.

Epidemiologists have no crystal ball. They have only piecemeal information on the new virus, which appeared in December. They use mathe-matical models to estimate the actual number of cases, as of the current date, and compare them to past out-breaks -- but many of their hypotheses remain uncertain.

Until the past weekend, researchers thought that infected people were not con-tagious until they began exhibiting symptoms, such as

fever, respiratory problems, and pneumonia. But Chinese authorities said Sunday they had established the opposite.

US health authorities said Monday they had not seen evidence that asymptomatic patients can infect other people. But if they can, this would definitely change the outbreak’s dynamics.

The first estimates for the length of the incubation period -- about two weeks -- are recent.

In recent days, multiple experts have calculated an important parameter for any outbreak: the basic repro-duction number, or “R0.” It represents the number of people contaminated by an infected person. Estimates

range from 1.4 to 3.8, according to Fisman, figures that are considered moderate.

That is only an average: some patients may infect many people, while others infect only a few. “On its own, it isn’t a reason to panic,” said Maimuna Majumder, a researcher at Harvard Uni-versity and at Boston Chil-dren’s Hospital.

She said the rate is 1.3 for seasonal flu (which has mil-lions of cases per year) and between two and five for Severe Acute Respiratory Syn-drome (SARS), which resulted in 8,000 cases and 774 deaths, the majority in mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-2003. In comparison, the rate for measles ranges from 12 to 18.

BDS needs a political vision for Palestinian statehood

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Experts say China virus outbreak will last months at least

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Elite Paper Recycling launches Eco DomeRAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULA

Elite Paper Recycling (EPR), Qatar’s pioneering paper recy-cling company, has launched the first-of-its-kind state-of-the-art “Eco Dome” edutainment facility in its premises, marking another milestone in its efforts to raise awareness on climate change and the importance of paper recycling.

Under the patronage of Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, the Eco Dome, which witnessed a spectacular inau-guration on Monday, depicts contrasting images of forested

and deforested environment in a compelling way, and features a three-minute virtual reality 2D video experience.

“It is truly my pleasure to witness the opening of the Eco Dome, which Elite Paper Recy-cling has established. Such ini-tiatives should increase awareness on the importance of maintaining a sustainable and healthy environment, and preventing desertification, for us and for the safety of the future generations,” said Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim.

He thanked EPR “for its out-standing efforts in the field of preserving the environment and raising awareness on the best

practices to achieve this.”He stressed that as part of

Qatar National Vision 2030, “Qatar is seeking to achieve balance and synergy between economic and social devel-opment, and preserving the environment.”

The Eco Dome is one in the series of campaigns EPR has launched and forms a key aspect of its strategy to promote “Go Green”, “ Recycling” and “Sustainability” initiatives in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030.

Officially launching the Eco Dome, Abdulla Ibrahim Al Suwaidi, Chairman of EPR, said the Eco Dome was a “dream come true” project - a mega edutainment public awareness tool for schools and the public “to introduce them on climate change and how we can fight and stop it through recycling paper.”

Al Suwaidi recalled how as a young entrepreneur he had dreamt of innovating and envi-sioned sustainable business model for Qatar which has now come true through EPR, Qatar’s first paper recycling company.

“We have over 100 Trucks circulating all over Qatar with

over 2,000 Dumpsters deployed and collecting over 3,500 tonnes of waste paper (a month). EPR collects free of charge from homes, gov-ernment, companies, NGOs, embassies, schools and univer-sities. Today we have over 250 schools and universities part-nering with us,” he said.

He said that EPR is entirely self-sufficient producing 100 percent made in Qatar recycled paper, but “what makes EPR very unique is its pioneer pro-grams on public awareness for

climate change fight and how recycling is one of its major solutions.”

Maryam S Al Sayed, Public Relations Director, said “the Eco Dome is ready for school visits to have the full experience of this edutainment project along with a factory tour to see the paper recycling process, and we are also looking into public visits to spread the awareness for the community.”

H E Lolwah Rashid Al Khater, Assistant Foreign Min-ister and Spokesperson for the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was among the officials who were present at the inauguration which was attended by ambas-sadors and embassy represent-atives, among others.

The partners and sponsors of the project included Ooredoo (Platinum/Official Telecom Sponsor), Qatar Post and Aamal (Gold Sponsors) and FMM, Talabat, and Al Waad Packaging & Manufacturing Company (Silver Sponsors). Ministry of Education, Ashghal, and Jaidah Group -Isuzu were among other partners.

The Chairman of Qatari Businessmen Association, Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, and Chairman of Elite Paper Recycling (EPR), Abdalla Al Suwaidi, inaugurating the ‘Eco Dome’ at the EPR premises, as H E Lolwah Rashid Al Khater, Assistant Foreign Minister and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other guests and sponsors of the project look on. PICS: SALIM MATRAMKOT/THE PENINSULA

The inauguration of ‘Eco Dome’ at the Elite Paper Recycling premises on Monday.

QF think-tank’s research reveals what world’s youth feel about their educationTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

An overwhelming majority of young people believe that their generation should take respon-sibility for improving the world, according to research by Qatar Foundation’s global education think-tank — but less than half of those surveyed say they have the tools to take action.

The results of an interna-tional survey by the World Innovation Summit for Edu-cation (WISE), released on the International Day of Education, offer a new insight into how young people perceive their education and how prepared they feel to face the future.

The Global Education Barometer assesses how con-fident the world’s youth feel about their future and how well their education systems are preparing them to confront challenges. Conducted by Ipsos, the survey studied 9,509 young people aged 16-25 across 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, the

Americas and Europe. While the key findings will

be included in work conducted by Unesco’s Futures of Edu-cation and CRI’s Learning Planet Initiatives, the initial results were revealed during the Learning for People, Planet, Prosperity and Peace con-ference at Unesco’s Interna-tional Day of Education in Paris, France on January 24.

Elyas Felfoul, Director of Policy Development and Part-nerships at WISE, said during the event that entering a new decade is the perfect oppor-tunity to assess and reinvent education systems for future success.

“We’re all well aware of the rapid changes on the horizon that will radically shift the world we live in,” he said. “How can the main institutions help create an education system that adapts to these radical changes?

“We need to create a new roadmap, to make it easier for the next generation to join this effort so that once they’re ready

to lead, they’re going to feel well-equipped.”

The study showed that young people have a heightened

awareness of the challenges facing the world, with 85 percent of those surveyed expressing fears about the state

of the planet. Meanwhile, 87 percent of

young people said it was the responsibility of their

generation to make the world a better place, with poverty and social inequality, climate change and the environment, and access to employment being the most pressing issues.

But when the group sur-veyed was asked whether they felt ready to take action on such challenges, only half responded favourably and less than half said they truly understood major societal issues or felt ready to find solutions. Young people from Morocco, India, and China were the most actively engaged around at least one cause.

The results of the survey also revealed that even if stu-dents do not feel prepared to take on major societal changes, they are happy overall with their education. Among those who partici-pated, 80 percent said they were either satisfied or somewhat satisfied with their schooling, with those from Finland, Mexico and India being the most content.

The Global Education Barometer was presented by WISE at Unesco’s International Day of Education in Paris.

Woqod opens Al Nigyanpetrol station on Al Majd RoadTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

As part of Woqod’s ongoing expansion plans to be able to serve every area in Qatar, Qatar Fuel (Woqod) opened Al Nigyan petrol station, on Al Majd Road yesterday, and by this it raised its network of fixed and mobile petrol stations to 101.

W o q o d ’ s M a n a g i n g Director & CEO, Saad Rashid Al Muhannadi, said: “We are pleased to open a new fixed petrol station in Al Nigyan, Al Majd Road. Woqod aspires to expand its petrol station network in the country to meet the rising demand for petroleum products and achieve the goal of providing customers with access to best-in-class products and services at their convenience and comfort.”

He also said that “Woqod has recently accelerated the process for the construction of new petrol stations to meet the fuel and energy needs of the country.”

New Al Nigyan petrol station is spread over an area of 20,000 square metres and has three lanes with six dis-pensers for light vehicles, and three lanes with six dispensers for heavy vehicles, which will serve Al Nigyan area, Al Majd R o a d a n d i t s neighbourhood.

Al Nigyan petrol station offers round-the-clock services to residents, and includes Sidra convenience store, manual car wash, oil change and tyre repair for heavy vehicles, in addition to sale of petrol and diesel products for both light vehicles and heavy vehicles.

A view of the new Al Nigyan petrol station.

QatarDebate holds Qatar Universities Debate League

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

QatarDebate Center (QD) a member of Qatar Foundation (QF), recently organised the 3rd Qatar Universities Debate League (QUDL) in English, held on Saturday, January 25, in the student center, Education city, with a total number of 20 participating teams repre-senting six institutions. The participants debated around three motions during the tour-nament.

The rounds discussed three thought-provoking topics; “this house would ban lifestyle clauses in marriage contracts”; “this house believe that Iraq would have been better off had it been partitioned into 3 separate states at the beginning of the post-Saddam era”; “this house believe that parents from minority com-munities should raise their

children to be selfish”.It is worth mentioning that

the 20 of the debating teams represented the following uni-versities: College of North Atlantic Qatar, Doha Institute, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar, Northwestern University Qatar, Qatar University, and Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar.

Regarding the results, this is a league system; the debate points earned by the top two teams from the University at tournaments are accumulated. Here are the university rankings in this league: Geor-getown University in Qatar, followed by Qatar University, then Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar.

Public Debate organised by QatarDebate in collaboration with the “National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons’

(NCPW)” on the sidelines of the 3rd Qatar Universities Debate League between the top 4 teams of the Tournament as they dis-cussed “This House regional agreements for nuclear non-proliferation (eg MENWFZ) are more effective than global agreements (eg NPT).”

The event was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the talents and skills of debaters taking on a topic of national interest and relevance, for the viewing pleasure of students of the secondary and post-sec-ondary level, and the public. This event would not have been conceived or have the prominence without the “National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons’ (NCPW)”.

The National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons does its utmost to play its role in the community awareness

program and the youth gen-eration of university students by holding public debates on the weapon of mass destruction’ (WMD) agree-ments in cooperation with QatarDebate.

The continued cooperation between the Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons (NCPW) and QatarDebate is necessary to keep these public debates a sustainable platform for university students to reach a safe and free world and to keep Qatar safe and secure.

QatarDebate extended its thanks to NCPW for their vision and mandate, and their will-ingness to collaborate with educational institutions and students; they have shown to be champions of a safer world, and the idea of a world free of “ W e a p o n s o f M a s s Destruction.”

Participants of the third Qatar Universities Debate League pose for a group photo.

11WEDNESDAY 29 JANUARY 2020 HOME

Syria regime forces recapture most of key rebel-held townAFP — BEIRUT

Regime forces yesterday recap-tured most of Maaret Al Numan, a semi-deserted town of symbolic and strategic impor-tance in Syria’s last major rebel-held bastion, state media and a war monitor said.

“The Syrian army has retaken most neighbourhoods in Maaret Al Numan” and are now combing recaptured areas, said state news agency SANA, shortly after Damascus loyalists entered the town in the northwest province of Idlib for

the first time in eight years. The Britain-based Syrian Observ-atory for Human Rights said that most rebels and militants had pulled out after regime forces stormed the town from multiple fronts earlier in the day.

It said regime forces were left battling the few fighters that remained holed-up in the area, which has been under oppo-sition control since 2012.

Maaret Al Numan, which is nearly deserted after months of bombardment, lies on the M5 highway linking Damascus to

Syria’s second city Aleppo, a main artery coveted by the regime as it tries to rekindle a moribund economy.

It is also the second biggest urban centre in the beleaguered opposition bastion of Idlib.

Its recapture would bring the regime a step closer to taking full control of the wider militant-run bastion and the M5 highway that runs through it.

Damascus loyalists have since Friday seized more than 25 towns and villages around Maaret Al Numan, the Observ-atory said.

Netanyahu formally charged over graft after dropping immunity bidAFP — JERUSALEM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was yesterday formally charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust, the justice ministry said, shortly after the embattled politician dropped his request for parlia-mentary immunity.

The indictment came as Netanyahu was in Washington for a meeting with President Donald Trump for the unveiling

of a long-awaited US peace plan.

The Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit presented the charge sheet to the Jeru-salem district court, where Netanyahu will face trial for corruption over gifts and favourable media coverage received in return for regulatory and financial benefits.

Mandelblit had announced his decision to charge Netanyahu in November and

presented the charge sheet pub-licly, but had refrained from the formal move in court “to enable a debate on the prime minis-ter’s request for immunity from parliament”, his office said.

Hours earlier, Netanyahu issued a statement from Wash-ington announcing he would not seek parliamentary immunity. “A few minutes ago I informed the Knesset speaker that I’m withdrawing the immunity request,” Netanyahu

said on Facebook. “I won’t let my political opponents use this issue to disturb the historic move I’m leading.”

Israel’s parliament had been scheduled to vote on Tuesday to convene a committee to rule on the request.

“In this fateful moment for the people of Israel, while I’m in the US on a historic mission to form Israel’s final borders and ensure our security for future generations, another

immunity circus show is due to open at the Knesset,” Netanyahu said. Netanyahu denies the charges against him and says he is the victim of a politically motivated witch-hunt.

The court will now set a date for the beginning of the trial. His opponents had already mustered a majority in the leg-islature to deny him immunity.

Labour Party leader Amir Peretz welcomed Netanyahu’s announcement.

A aerial photo shows displaced Syrians driving through Hazano in the northern countryside of Idlib, yesterday, after fleeing its southern countryside towards areas further north near the border with Turkey, as a result of an ongoing offensive by regime forces on Syria’s rebel-held northwestern region.

UN envoy asks parties in Yemen to de-escalate violenceAGENCIES — SANA'A, YEMEN

The UN envoy for Yemen called on parties in the war-struck country yesterday to de-escalate violence.

"The parties in Yemen must de-escalate violence and renew their commitment to a peaceful resolution of the con-flict. The Yemeni people deserve better than a life of perpetual war,” Martin Grif-fiths wrote on Twitter.

"More than a year ago in #Stockholm, the parties promised the Yemeni people to keep #Hudaydah safe, to use port revenues to pay salaries& to return detainees to their loved ones,” Griffiths said.

"They must fulfill these promises&build a con-ducive environment for the p e a c e p r o c e s s . #YemenCantWait.”

A drastic escalation in fighting between the military coalition and Houthi rebels in Yemen has killed and wounded hundreds of people over the past week, officials and tribal leaders said.

The US-backed Arab coa-lition battling to restore

Yemen’s internationally rec-ognized government stepped up airstrikes on rebel targets northeast of the capital, Sana'a, following a monthslong lull, while Houthis shelled gov-ernment-held areas.

The sudden spike in vio-lence across long-stalemated front lines threatened to exac-erbate the five-year conflict and complicate indirect peace talks between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed rebels.

The UN Security Council called emergency consulta-tions at Britain’s request on the latest developments. Britain’s UN ambassador, Karen Pierce, said the council would receive a closed-door video briefing from the UN envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths.

The warring factions have concentrated their forces in three main areas: Nehm, a half-hour drive from the capital; Jawf, a mountainous northern district; and Marib, a western province that saw one of the deadliest rebel attacks earlier this month. Fighting this week was the most intense those provinces had seen in three years, according to observers.

Oman, India keen to strengthen cooperation QNA — MUSCAT

The Minister of the Royal Office, Gen. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Nu’amani, met yesterday with Indian Deputy National Security Adviser, Pankaj Saran, and his accom-panying delegation, who is visiting Muscat.

Oman’s news agency stated that during the meeting, bilateral relations between the two countries were discussed, including ways of enhancing and developing them in various fields. They also touched on a number of matters of common concern.