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I congratulate our people on the occasion of National Day of our country, which comes in a year of challenges, but is a testament to the process of giving and the achievements that have been achieved over generations and at all levels, and that made Qatar an oasis of stability, development and prosperity. We are proud of this renaissance and we look forward to achieving more with the will of Allah, then the will of our sons and daughters.

I congratulate H H the Amir, and all citizens and residents, on the occasion of the National Day, praying to Allah to perpetuate the blessings of security and prosperity on our beloved country. On this occasion, I salute our medical teams who have responded with courage and dedication to COVID-19 pandemic. In recognition of their efforts, we will be pleased with their qualitative participation in the parade of this year.

On this day every year, feelings of pride increase in me for what my beloved country has reached under our wise leadership in terms of development, progress and growth. May Allah bless upon all of us with security, safety and prosperity.

Amir, Father Amir attend National Day parade

QNA — DOHA

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani attended the 2020 National Day Parade, which was held yesterday-morning on Doha Corniche amid precautionary and preventive measures imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year.

Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani also attended the National Parade. The parade was attended by H H Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, Personal Representative of H H the Amir; H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani; H H Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani; H E Sheikh Jassim bin Khalifa Al Thani; Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, and a number of Their Excel-lencies Sheikhs and Ministers.

The parade was also attended by Speaker of the Shura Council H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud, and a number of members of the Shura Council, in addition to Their Excellencies guests, including Commander of US Air Forces Central Command Lieutenant General H E Gregory Guillot.

It was also attended by a number of branch and unit com-manders, senior officers of the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Interior, in addition to notables, families of the health sector, and participating parties.

Following the National Anthem and the firing of

18-shot gun salute to celebrate Qatar National Day, the parade started with the entry of the White Army consisting of doctors, nurses, Qatar Red Crescent Society employees and volunteers who cooperated with the health sector during the fight against the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, as the Qatar Armed Forces sang a poem in appreciation of their efforts to address this pandemic.

The Armed Forces infantry parade consisted of 1,000 sol-diers, which was followed by the parade of the ground forces, Air Force, naval forces, armoured personnel carriers, special forces, military police, support forces, the Amiri Guard, armoured vehicles and parachute jumping.

Later, the teams of the Min-istry of Interior and Civil Defence started their show with a line of security vehicles; mil-itary police, rescue police department (Al Fazaa); followed by the parade of Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya), and a show of the Armed Forces’ armoured vehicles, tanks, air defence systems, military police vehicles, anti-terrorism vehicles, military communications systems and electronic warfare in addition to a naval show fea-turing Amiri Naval Forces’ vessels in addition to warships and speed boats that are equipped with the latest defence systems.

The parade concluded with the entry of horsemen and

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani waving to the crowd after attending the National Day parade on the Corniche, yesterday.SEE ALSO PAGES 2,3,4 & 5

camel cavalry and an air show featuring several aircraft types

including ‘Rafale’ multi-purpose je t f ighter ; ‘Mirage ’

multi-mission defensive and offensive fighters; ‘Apache’ attack helicopters; ‘F-15’ war-planes; and ‘Typhoon’ in

addition to other military combat aircraft, helicopters, airlift, cargo aircraft and show aircraft.

Amir, football family celebrate launch of new World Cup stadium

RIZWAN REHMAT THE PENINSULA

The Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani last night was joined by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, retired soccer stars and national sports heroes as Qatar unveiled its fourth

World Cup venue with a grand football clash broadcast around the world.

Doha football giants Al Sadd added sparkle to their performance by beating Al Arabi 2-1 in the final of the Amir Cup watched by 20,000 fans allowed inside the new

venue inaugurated two years ahead of the World Cup.

The Amir was welcomed to Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium by his Special Representative H H Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani moments before the start of the exciting final that was also watched by AFC President

Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa and chief of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), Sheikh Ahmed Al Fahad Al Ahmed Al Sabah. UEFA President Ale-ksander Ceferin and QFA Pres-ident Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani were also present.

The Amir waved to the fans as he walked into the artfully decorated World Cup venue. Moments later FIFA President welcomed the Amir with an elbow bump.

The Qatar nat ional anthem was played soon afterwards. Qatar 2022 brand

ambassadors Tim Cahill of Australia, Samuel Eto’o of Cameroon and Barcelona legend Xavi Hernández —coach of Al Sadd — were also present on the occasion as fans were treated to a show of pomp and pageantry from 3pm onwards at the venue. �P3

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and other dignitaries stand in honour of the Qatar national anthem being played at Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium moments before the start of the Amir Cup final. LEFT: H H the Amir hands over the trophy to Al Sadd skipper Hassan Al Haydos. Al Sadd beat Al Arabi 2-1 in the Amir Cup final.

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Amir, Father Amir attend National Day parade

03SATURDAY 19 DECEMBER 2020 HOME

Citizens, expatriates mark QND with fervourSANAULLAH ATAULLAH THE PENINSULA

Citizens and expatriates yesterday celebrated Qatar National Day (QND) with full fervour with their families and friends avoiding large gath-erings following COVID-19 preventive and precautionary measures.

The day started for many with watching live QND parade on Qatar TV at their homes. The National Day parade was held at Doha Corniche to celebrate QND, demonstrating the achievements of Qatar in dif-ferent walks of life.

First time health workers ‘White Army’ consisting of doctors, nurses, Qatar Red Crescent Society employees and volunteers took part in the parade, which was in recog-nition of their roles in fight against coronavirus.

People who watched the parade on Qatar TV described the participation of ‘White Army’ one of the most amazing moments.

“It was a heartfelt moment to see health workers and those

who supported Qatar in fighting COVID-19 walking together during parade,” Abu Ahmad, an expatriate working as a civil engineer in Qatar for years told The Peninsula.

Abu Ahmad lauded Qatar and its wise leadership for adopting a unique way to thank the frontline health workers who risked their lives to protect people from the pandemic.

Lauding the presentation of QND parade, another indi-vidual Mohamad Khalid said that forming words related to QND, FIFA World Cup 2022 and health messages with human assembling was amazing.

“One of the most impressive moment for us was forming the word like Allah, Al Watan and Al Amir and 2022

with human assembling,” said Khalid, adding that he used to go to Doha Corniche with his family to celebrate QND but this year because of corona-ivurs they marked the day at home.

People also moved to shops to buy national flags, scarfs, t-shirts, stickers and other items related to QND for themselves and their families and friends. Car accessory shops also attracted pretty good number of people seeking decorations of their cars with national flag and stickers.

At evening, motorists car-rying their families and friends were spotted taking rounds of Cultural Village Katara and Doha Corniche. Children in cars were waving national flag enjoying the moment.

People also enjoyed firework displayed at the Doha Corniche at evening .

Social media sites were abuzz with QND greetings and footage of celebration. ‘Nah-madak Ya Dhal Arsh’, ‘Al Yamul Watni Al Qatari’ and ‘Qatar Balad Al Iz’ were

registered among the most trending hashtags on the Twitter launched by citizens to mark QND.

The commentators lauded

the decision of QND Organizing Committee to include health workers in the parade. “Standing up for the doctors, f irst responders, and

paramedics was a precious moment of the parade this year. Humility, respect and always graceful,” said a com-mentator on a QND hashtag.

ATMs start issuing new banknotesTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

ATMs of banks in Qatar started issuing the new series of Qatari Riyal bank notes yesterday, on the occasion of the Qatar National Day.

New designs were announced last week for all denomination banknotes in the country along with the introduction of a new denomination QR200. New notes have 64 state-of-the-art security speci-fications. The front designs of the new banknotes share a common theme based on traditional geo-metric patterns, the State of Qatar flag, Qatari flora (Dreama) and an orante gate representing the his-torical Qatari architecture.

The back designs comprise themes reflecting

Qatari tradition, Islamic history, culture, flora and fauna and development of education, sport and the economy.

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani attended the 2020 National Day parade, which was held yesterday morning on Doha Corniche amid precautionary and preventive measures.

Amir attends Qatar National Day parade

Qatar Foundation: 25 years of empowering leaders and changemakers of tomorrowTHE PENINISULA — DOHA

For the past 25 years, Qatar Foundation has unlocked human potential and contributed to the sustainable development of Qatar through education, science and research, and community development.

To mark this milestone, and as the nation celebrates Qatar National Day, this mosaic image of H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chair-person of Qatar Foundation, and H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson

and CEO of Qatar Foundation, with thousands of students from the organisation’s schools and universities illustrates its commitment to investing in the young people who are the future of Qatar, and the world.

The mosaic reflects how Qatar Foundation’s unique ecosystem brings together children and young people from Qatar and throughout the world to learn, explore, discover, create, innovate, and thrive in an environment that empowers them to become lifelong learners, change-makers, and the leaders of tomorrow.

Mosaic image of H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser and H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani with QF students reflects an enduring commitment to investing in youth.

Fireworks during Qatar National Day celebrations at Doha Corniche, yesterday.PIC: ABDUL BASIT/ THE PENINSULA

Amir, football family celebrate launch of new World Cup stadiumFROM PAGE 1

The new stadium, that sits next to Mall of Qatar - the country’s biggest shopping centre - is the fourth match venue to be unveiled by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC).

In May 2017, the iconic Khalifa International Stadium (KIS) was unveiled five years ahead of schedule while the Al Janoub Stadium was inaugu-rated in May 2019. The Edu-cation City Stadium was unveiled with a digital cer-emony thanking health workers around the world in June this year. Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, built from scratch, now has

become the fourth World Cup venue to be unveiled by SC. All venues have state-of-the-art cooling technology that can help host matches in any degree of comfort for players and fans, organisers say.

Yesterday the new Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium operated at 50 percent capacity with fans seated two seats apart for the Amir Cup final. The fans had to wear masks after showing their Ehtarez app at the entry gates, officials said. The 20,000 fans had to show a negative COVID-19 test or pos-itive COVID-19 antibodies test in order to enter the stadium.

The attending fans also underwent temperature

checks prior to taking their seast. With social distancing in place, food and beverages were only made available in the Fan Zone.

OCA President Al Sabah said yesterday: “I am so happy to be here as it is Qatar’s National Day. I congratulate the Amir and the people of Qatar on their National Day. I wish Qatar the very best. I also congratulate Doha on winning the Asian Games bid for the 2030 edition. The bid race victory is not new because Doha has hosted the Asian Games before. I congratulate Riyadh also for securing the 2034 Asian Games.”

He added: “There was

never any doubt on Qatar’s fast-paced preparation for the World Cup. There have been issues like COVID-19 situation this year yet Qatar handled all of it very well and continued with their slick preparation. Qatar is unveiling their superb match venues one by one. The fact that Qatar is hosting the AFC Champions League matches - for West and East Zones - is another reflection of how the country is deliv-ering and assisting in com-pleting the halted sports cal-endar in Asia.”

Built on the site where Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium once stood before it was razed to the ground, the new

40,000-capacity venue is slated to host seven matches during Qatar 2022 up to the round of 16 stage. Two more stadiums are expected to be inaugurated in the coming months - Al Bayt and Al Thumama Stadium. SC has confirmed all eight stadiums ‘will be delivered well in advance of the tournament’.

Two weeks ago, FIFA Pres-ident Infantino praised Qatar’s fast-paced construction commitment.

“I am very pleased with Qatar’s progress ahead of the tournament. We have seen the plans, but when you see the reality, it is even more impressive. Qatar has been

able to continue to advance during the last six months while the world stood still. If I was confident before, now I can say I am even more,” Infantino said during one of his three visits to Qatar in as many months.

“In 2022, everything will be close by and fans from all nationalities will have the opportunity to gather in the same public areas and enjoy Qatar’s mild temperatures at this time of the year. It’s a World Cup like no other was or ever will be,” Infantino, who was also present for the inau-guration ceremonies of the Khalifa International Stadium and Al Janoub Stadium, said.

People who watched the parade on Qatar TV described the participation of ‘White Army’ as one of the most amazing moments.

04 SATURDAY 19 DECEMBER 2020HOME 05SATURDAY 19 DECEMBER 2020 HOME

Pride, glory and patriotic fervour as Qatar celebrates National Day

PICS: SALIM MATRAMKOT, ABDUL BASIT & ANWAR SADATH

Their Excellencies, Heads of the diplomatic, consular and representative missions of the State of Qatar abroad raised their highest greetings and blessings to Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and all the Qatari people on this occasion, wishing the State of Qatar more progress and prosperity.

Embassies and Consulates of Qatar celebrate QND

QNA

The diplomatic, consular and representative missions of the State of Qatar celebrated the occasion of the National Day, which falls on December 18, in commemoration of the founder of the state, Sheikh Jassim Bin Muhammad Bin Thani, under the slogan: “We praise you, the Lord of the Throne. We accept your judgment in all actions.”

Their Excellencies, Heads of the diplomatic, consular and representative missions of the State of Qatar abroad raised their highest greetings and blessings to Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and all the Qatari people on this occasion, wishing the State of Qatar more progress and prosperity.

The diplomatic celebrations in the capitals and cities of the world witnessed the partici-pation of high-level official, which reflected Qatar’s distin-guished relations with the coun-tries of the world.

In NEW YORK, the per-manent delegation of the State of Qatar to the United Nations in New York held a virtual cel-ebration on the occasion of the National Day, with the partici-pation of President of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly H E Volkan Bozkr, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Amina Mohammed, as well as Their Excellencies ambassadors accredited to the United Nations and officials of the United Nations Secretariat.

In her opening statement during the ceremony, Per-manent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations H E Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani, affirmed that the National Day is an opportunity to reflect on the past and future of Qatar, and Her Excellency reviewed the achievements made by the State of Qatar, expressing her pride in the accomplishments.

She emphasized that the State of Qatar seeks to create a balance between economic and environmental development goals. In the field of human rights, Her Excellency referred to the declaration issued by Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, at the opening of the forty-ninth regular session of the Shura Council, to hold elections next October, in accordance with the constitution of the State of Qatar and to ensure the practice of the constitutional right for all citizens.

Her Excellency expressed her pride that the State of Qatar is one of the most effective countries to play the role of mediation and its commitment to achieving comprehensive peace and stability through dia-logue, referring to the peace conference hosted by Doha for the Afghan parties.

With regard to confronting the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), she stated that the

State of Qatar has given priority to international cooperation in confronting and addressing the pandemic, stressing that it will continue its efforts in supporting international efforts to spread and distribute vaccines in a fair way to countries in need.

For his part, President of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly H E Volkan Bozkr extended his con-gratulations to Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and to the government and people of the State of Qatar on the occasion of the celebration of the National Day. He said that the State of Qatar is a distin-guished partner in international and multilateral cooperation.

Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations H E Amina Mohammed, praised the efforts made by the State of Qatar to combat the coronavirus pan-demic at the national, regional and global levels, and expressed her gratitude and deep appreci-ation for the generous assistance provided by the State of Qatar to the various programs and activ-ities of the United Nations, and said that the State of Qatar is an important partner in the inter-national community and a defender of multilateral action, expressing her aspiration to con-tinue working with the State of Qatar now and after the post-coronavirus pandemic.

The program of the cer-emony included displaying a video on the construction of sta-diums by the State of Qatar to host the World Cup 2022, where H E Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani explained that these stadiums are a model of sustainability and advanced technology that provides a new global standard for the benefit of future generations.

In ROME, the Embassy of the State of Qatar to the Italian Republic held a virtual cer-emony on the occasion of the National Day. Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Italian Republic H E Abdulaziz bin Ahmed Al Malki, said in a speech on this occasion that everyone is celebrating within the framework of protection and safety measures, which is an approach that the world has not been used to, and everyone hope to change it at the earliest possible opportunity. The State of Qatar has supported the efforts of the international com-munity and provided the nec-essary assistance to more than 70 countries and international organizations, stressing that the State of Qatar will continue its efforts to support the manu-facture of the vaccine and provide it in a fair way to the most needy countries.

His Excellency stressed that the State of Qatar, in this excep-tional circumstance represented by the outbreak of the corona-virus, has paid close attention to human rights, especially workers’ rights, the need to pre-serve the health and safety of all workers, regardless of their place and work conditions, and

full attention to their economic and legal rights, and the State of Qatar has adopted an inte-grated package of measures to preserve the health of citizens and residents and the country’s economy, and financial incen-tives were allocated in the amount of QR75bn, including guarantees to banks of QR5bn within the salary support program and at the level of health procedures, examination, treatment and health care were provided to all citizens and res-idents of Qatar free of charge.

His Excellency said that the bilateral relations between the State of Qatar and the friendly Republic of Italy are excellent and distinctive relations at all levels, including political, economic and military, which depend on respect, mutual trust and common interests, stressing that they have reached the strategic

level. His Excellency pointed out that the volume of trade exchange between the two coun-tries has achieved high increases compared to what it used to be, due to mutual investments and bilateral investments through sovereign funds and others in various sectors.

In STOCKHOLM, the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Sweden celebrated the National Day. The ceremony was attended by Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden H E Robert Rydberg.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Qatar to Sweden H E Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al Thani, and a non-resident Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Kingdom of Norway, affirmed that the National Day marks a turning point in the process of building a modern, prosperous and developed country as it is a great opportunity to express our pride in our past and present.

Her Excellency pointed to the pivotal and vital role played by the State of Qatar on the regional and international arenas, pro-viding help to the needy around the world, and its medical assistance to more than 70 coun-tries to combat the coronavirus pandemic and the relief for people suffering from ongoing crises and conflicts around the world, as well as the crucial role in the peacemaking process and conflict resolution to make the Middle East a better place for sta-bility and prosperity.

For his part, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden Robert Rydberg extended his warmest congratulations and sincere congratulations to the State of Qatar on the occasion of its National Day, and referred to

the positive developments in bilateral relations, stressing the Kingdom of Sweden’s keenness to develop relations to new dimensions, praising the measures taken by the State of Qatar regarding its hosting of the World Cup. 2022, and the migrant worker issue.

In OTTAWA, the Embassy of the State of Qatar to Canada held a virtual ceremony on the occasion of the National Day with the participation of a number of Their Excellencies members of the Canadian Parliament, officials in the Canadian government, and a group of ambassadors accredited to Ottawa.

Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Canada H E Saud bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud, men-tioned the exceptional health conditions that the world is going through this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and also touched upon the important developments and achievements at the state level. His Excellency reviewed the two most important events expected during the next year and the following year, rep-resented in the Shura Council elections in October of next year, and the FIFA World Cup finals organized by Qatar in 2022, for the first time in the Arab region.

In PARIS, the Embassy of the State of Qatar in the French Republic celebrated, virtually, the occasion of the National Day. Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the French Republic H E Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al Thani, affirmed in a recorded speech that he addressed through video conference tech-nology on this occasion, that what increases our pride in this precious national occasion is that we feel today in the State of Qatar more proud of our pio-neering national experience,

despite the economic and health difficulties that the whole world is witnessing, the State of Qatar has managed to overcome these enormous difficulties and chal-lenges, and made bright national achievements in the process of development and comprehensive construction in all aspects of life within the framework of the moderni-zation system led by the wise leadership in accordance with the Qatar National Vision 2030 which foresees prospects for a promising future and a new era of prosperity for the country and the citizen.

On this occasion, he praised the relations between Qatar and the French Republic, which had made long strides of prosperity and progress in recent decades, and pointed to the increasingly deepening of relations between the State of Qatar and France after the two countries signed the Strategic Dialogue Agreement early last year, which gave the relations a strategic dimension deeper and more established,

In ATHENS, the Embassy of the State of Qatar to the Greece Republic celebrated, via video communication technology, the occasion of the National Day. Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Greece H E Abdulaziz Ali Al Naama, said that the cel-ebration this year comes (remotely) in application of pre-cautionary and preventive measures to preserve the health and safety of everyone.

His Excellency noted the announcement of the Shura Council elections to be held in October of next year, and referred to the proclamation of September 9, 2020 of every year as an International Day to Protect Education from Attacks, based on the proposal of H H Chairperson of Qatar Foun-dation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, and this is in addition to all the initiatives of the Education Above All Foundation, pointing to the State of Qatar hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup and affirming that it will be an exceptional edition in history.

In BUCHAREST, the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Romania celebrated the National Day. Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Romania H E Abdullah bin Nasser Al Humaidi, affirmed that this occasion has profound connotations in the consciences and hearts of all citizens, as the State of Qatar has become a civ-ilizational beacon and a shining pioneering model in all fields of life because it puts the citizen in priority.

He said, “The policy of Qatar and its projects in all fields, such as education, culture, health, sports, youth, and social care to raise the level of well-being of the citizen and resident on its lands, respect his rights and preserve his dignity, have been affirmed by the legislative structure represented in the permanent constitution of the country, where elections will be organized for the Shura Council next October which is an expression of its respect for the foundations of democracy and the freedom of the citizen and his rights, an embodiment of what our leadership believes in of the authentic social and moral values affirmed by Islamic law and the ancient tra-ditions of the Qatari society.”

Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations H E Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani held a virtual celebration on the occasion of the National Day, with the participation of President of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly H E Volkan Bozkr, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Amina Mohammed, as well as Their Excellencies ambassadors accredited to the United Nations and officials of the United Nations Secretariat.

Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Canada H E Saud bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud held a virtual ceremony on the occasion of the National Day with the participation of a number of Their Excellencies members of the Canadian Parliament, officials in the Canadian government, and a group of ambassadors accredited to Ottawa.

Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Romania H E Abdullah bin Nasser Al Humaidi celebrating the Qatar National Day.

06 SATURDAY 19 DECEMBER 2020HOME

WCM-Q researchers prove effectiveness of face masksTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar (WCM-Q) have demonstrated the effectiveness of medical face masks in helping to prevent respiratory infections like COVID-19 and strongly recommend their use by the public along with other preventive measures to help mitigate the spread of the disease.

The research, which has been published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, was conducted by faculty from the college’s Institute for Population Health (IPH), which carried out a meta-analysis of previous studies on the efficacy of medical face mask use in community settings for preventing flu, flu-like illnesses and other respiratory infections such as SARS and the novel coronavirus.

The research is authored by Dr. Karima Chaabna, population health and communications spe-cialist in IPH and instructor in population health sciences, Dr. Sathyanarayanan Doraiswamy,

assistant director of IPH and instructor in population health sci-ences, Dr. Ravinder Mamtani, vice dean for student affairs-admis-sions, population health, and life-style medicine and professor of population health sciences and Dr. Sohaila Cheema, assistant dean of IPH and assistant professor of population health sciences.

Although transmission of COVID-19 through close contact with an infected person or contact with a contaminated surface is recognised, the efficacy of face masks in reducing transmission in household situations and public settings like supermarkets has been contested, and recommen-dations have been inconsistent.

Dr. Cheema said: “Globally, there has been a lack of consensus from the leadership and health organisations to offer united rec-ommendations about face mask use to prevent COVID-19 trans-mission. In countries such as the United States, face masks have proved divisive and have even been politicised, so we wanted to ascertain — with as much

confidence as possible — whether there was hard evidence to support the use of face masks in preventing respiratory disease transmission.”

The research group evaluated 12 primary studies which had pre-viously examined medical face mask use and found that the inci-dence of transmission of respi-ratory infections was lower if medical face masks were used early and used in conjunction with stringent hand hygiene. One study conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic found that medical face masks were of particular use in infection control if worn before an individual displayed symptoms of infection.

But the WCM-Q study — which is entitled ‘Facemask use in community settings to prevent respiratory infection transmission: A rapid review and meta-analysis’ — was unable to find any evidence that cloth face masks were effective in reducing transmission in community settings. It should also be mentioned here that there was one study — performed in a

healthcare setting — which dem-onstrated that healthcare workers who wore a two-layer cloth face mask were 13 times more likely to be infected with respiratory ill-nesses than those who wore medical face masks.

However, this does not mean that cloth face masks are not of use, rather that medical-grade masks are more effective. The

authors suggest that the efficacy of cloth face masks is likely to depend on the number of layers they contain, and the material used.

Dr. Mamtani said: “The evi-dence is quite clear that medical face masks should be worn by both healthy and sick individuals in order to reduce virus trans-mission. The effectiveness of

medical face masks obviously depends on them being used cor-rectly and we cannot overstate enough that face masks alone should not be relied upon; we must all continue to practice all preventive measures including physical distancing and rigorous hand hygiene to minimize the risk of both spreading COVID-19 and contracting it.”

The research, which has been published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, was conducted by faculty from the college’s Institute for Population Health.

HBKU’s CSE awarded prestigiousjoint QNRF-TÜB�TAK grantsTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Faculty at the College of Science and Engineering (CSE) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) have been awarded two substantial three-year research grants under the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF)-TÜBİTAK Joint Funding Program. The competitive third cycle of the program was held under the theme of ‘Smart Cities’.

HBKU’s Dr. Marwa Qaraqe, Lead Principal Investigator, and Dr. David Yang, Principal Inves-tigator, both Assistant Pro-fessors at the Information and Technology Computing Division at CSE, with faculty from Texas A&M at Qatar (TAMUQ) as prin-cipal investigators, were awarded a grant for “Intelligent Public Safety Platform for Smart Cities”. The value of the grant is

estimated at $825,000 for the Qatar team and $592,000 for Gebze Technical University and Ozyegin University, as Turkish collaborators.

The second awarded QNRF-TÜBİTAK project was to HBKU Principal Investigators Dr. Aiman Erbad and Dr. Saif Al Kuwari, Associate Professors at CSE, for their project “Sky-CubesNet: A Ka-band Cubesat based Communications Infra-structure for Smart Cities of the Future”. Dr. Tamer Khattab, Professor of electrical engi-neering at Qatar University, is the Lead Principal Investigator. The award comprises $600,000 for Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University, Turkey, and $750,000 for the Qatar team, with co-funding to be provided by local stakeholders, Barzan Holdings and the Ministry of Interior.

Kids from QISH Rehabilitation Center participated in an event organised by Best Buddies & the US Embassy, at Qatar Foundation, yesterday. As many as 15 kids attended and played football alongside with their coaches and the players of Washington Spirit (an American women’s soccer team based in Washington DC). It was a joyful event that put smiles on all the children’s faces.

Kids from QISH attend event

159 new viruscases, 141 morerecoveries: MoPHTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Public Health yesterday announced the regis-tration of 159 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. Out of these 43 were travellers returning from abroad.

Also, 141 people have recovered from the virus bringing the total number of cases recovered in Qatar to 139,384. All new cases have been introduced to isolation and are receiving necessary healthcare according to their health status. The Ministry said that measures to tackle COVID-19 in Qatar have succeeded in flattening the curve and limiting the spread of the virus and the number of new daily cases and hospital admis-sions is continuing to decline each week.

QND revives our pledge to follow footsteps of the FounderTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar National Day is a day of joy and pleasure when we recall the great sacrifices made by the founders of this great country and a day when we pledge to follow in the footsteps of the Founder to continue the building process for which he had laid the foundation, said Prof. Khaled Nasser Al Khater, Vice-President for Administration and Financial Affairs Office at Qatar University.

He told The Peninsula that this is a great national occasion in which we offer our sincere greetings and best wishes to the Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and the people of Qatar. “Despite the challenges, the State of Qatar has achieved many achievements that made it an advanced country in all fields, and a country, in which people enjoy the best means of life and

prosperity, thanks to the achieve-ments made under the leadership of His Highness the Amir,” Al Khater said.

Qatar has made distinguished achievements, especially in the field of higher education, men-tioning in this regard the Qatar University and other universities

operating in the country. “Also, the government’s handling of the pandemic deserves appre-ciation and praise and on this occasion I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the White Army (health workers) and the Ministry of Public Health with all its and departments. We were able to overcome the coronavirus pandemic thanks to their efforts and the cooperation of the Qatari people and residents.”

“Thanks to their good planning and management, which enabled us to continue education without interruption, taking advantage of the infra-structure and technology enjoyed by Qatar, and distance education was one of the fruits of this technological advancement.” He lauded the achievements made at all levels in Qatar, especially in the field of education, health, infrastructure projects and preparations for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Achievements of Qatar are source of pride and gloryTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The National Day embodies the meanings of a sense of loyalty to the country, leadership and the people, and it is also an occasion in which we celebrate the achievements made over the years in all fields under the wise leadership, said Prof. Abdulnasser Saleh Alyafei, Associate Dean for Social Sciences and Humanities, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University.

“On the occasion of this great day in the history of the State of Qatar, let me start by congratulating Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and H H the Father Amir and the Qatari people,” he told The Peninsula. On this National Day, he said, people also remember the duties and commitments towards the homeland, the people and the leadership.

“Despite the blockade and

some difficulties, the achieve-ments made in various fields throughout the past years are source of pride and sense of glory for its people in this country.”

Prof. Abdulnasser Saleh Alyafei added: “I am talking to you now while I am attending

the Amir Cup final at Al Rayyan Stadium, which is an architec-tural masterpiece and a great achievement that we are proud of.

It is a source of pleasure and pride that the opening of this stadium coincides with the final of Amir Cup and with the Qatar National Day.”

He said that since this is a national occasion, the exchange of greetings among the people and congratulations on the level of individuals and even one family gives the occasion a social dimension and gives the occasion a sense of joy, soli-darity, unity and willingness to work together for the sake of the advancement and progress of this country.

“As Qatari people, we enjoy awareness and openness to the other, and we have high aspi-rations and look forward to building a strong nation to ensure a brilliant future.”

More achievements will raise status of Qatar in the worldTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

On the occasion of the National Day of the State of Qatar, we extend our warmest congratula-tions to the Qatari people, their political leadership, and all those residing in it, with our sincere wishes for further advancement and progress, and more achieve-ments that will raise the status of the State of Qatar in the world and elevate it to the new heights, said Dr. Kamal Hamidou, Head of the Department of Mass Communi-cation at Qatar University.

He told The Peninsula that the occasion of the National Day of the State of Qatar this year comes in exceptional circumstances, given the circumstances of the pandemic

which imposed social distancing in the celebrations and the reduction in activities.

“But the joy of hearts touched it in the faces of every citizen and resident of the country, in light of optimism for the coming year that will prevail after the hardship of the pandemic and prosperity pre-vails all over the world after the distress caused by the epidemic.”

He said that the signs of relief and the imminent end of the dispute between the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) suggest promising days, in which we hope that the joy of the Qatari people and their political leadership will be complete. “We hope that the differences of brothers will end so that we can devote ourselves to completing the process of development in all the Arab Gulf region,” he added.

QND a kind of historical communication under framework of belongingTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Without any doubt, our National Day creates good opportunity so the generations can communicate in order to carry a coherent idea of the State of Qatar, and to convey it for bond of Qatari family in one entity, said Prof. Fatima Mohamad Al Suwaidi, Associate Dean for Languages, Communi-cations and Translation, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University.

She told The Peninsula that Qatar National Day represents for us a kind of historical communi-cation under a framework of belonging, and a symbol that reveals what the Qataris should be, not only on December 18 every year, but rather throughout

the year to confirm in us the great humanity that Qatar and its people carry, and a deep

appreciation for the nation, which sees people as the first pillar of any progress and development in various fields.

“On such a dignified occasion we can only be communicated about the values that our great ancestors carried; great by their actions and words, I mean the Founder, Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani who estab-lished a State based on sophisti-cation and advancement in a long history that we are all proud of.”

She said that since he assumed the reins of power in 1878 AD, he has been a unique model in giving wisely, and man-aging with a political vision based on awareness of the region, Arabism, Islam and the outside world.

Prof. Khaled Nasser Al Khater, Vice-President for Administration and Financial Affairs Office, QU

Prof. Abdulnasser Saleh Alyafei, Associate Dean for Social Sciences and Humanities, QU

Dr. Kamal Hamidou, Head of the Department of Mass Communication, QU

Prof. Fatima Mohamad Al Suwaidi, Associate Dean for Languages, Communications and Translation, QU

07SATURDAY 19 DECEMBER 2020 HOME

08 SATURDAY 19 DECEMBER 2020VIEWS

CHAIRMANDR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI

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

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

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

EDITORIAL

ON an auspicious and unique day when the entire nation was celebrating country’s National Day, Qatar yesterday inaugurated fourth FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 venue – Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium - by hosting the Amir Cup final that capped three days of football frenzy in the country.

The inauguration of Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium follows the successful launch of the iconic Khalifa International Stadium (2017), Al Janoub Stadium (2019) and the Education City (2020) Stadiums. Al Bayt Stadium has also been completed and will be inaugurated in the near future. Al Thumama Stadium, Ras Abu Aboud and Lusail Stadium are in the final stages of construction and will be delivered well in advance of the tournament, which kicks off on November 21, 2022.

Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani yes-terday was joined by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and national sports heroes as Qatar unveiled its fourth World Cup venue with a grand football match watched by 20,000 fans. The new Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium reached approximately 50 percent capacity when it hosted Amir Cup final last night. Social distancing measures were implemented within the vicinity of the stadium, including the fan zone and on public transport.

On Thursday, in a board meeting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Q22 Chairman and Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) Hassan Al Thawadi said: “Despite the enormous challenges presented by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, major strides have continued to be made during 2020 in preparation for the first FIFA World Cup in the Middle East and Arab world.”

Nasser Al Khater, CEO of Q22, said: “With over 90% of all tournament infrastructure completed, our focus has shifted to delivering a unique fan expe-rience in 2022. We are very excited to host two major tournaments in 2021, namely the FIFA Club World Cup and FIFA Arab Cup. Both these events will offer fans a glimpse of our plans for 2022 and serve as key opportunities to test our operational plans and infrastructure readiness to ensure we deliver a unique and remarkable World Cup,” he added.

In a related football development, President of the European Football Associations (UEFA) Ale-ksander Ceferin, on Thursday praised Qatar’s prep-arations to organize the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, on the sidelines of his visit to Doha to attend the final of the Amir Cup. On the participation of the Qatari team in the European qualifiers for the World Cup, Ceferin stressed that it is a great idea, as it was dis-cussed in the European Union and UEFA reacted positively to the idea.

Football frenzy in Qatar

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Quote of the day

As Canada gets vaccinated, if we have more vaccines than necessary, absolutely we will be sharing with the world.

Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

DR. SHARIFA NOMAN AL EMADI

Since 2007, Qatar National Day has been the most festive day of the year for Qatar, a depiction of national love for the country. However, falling in a year of global crisis, this year’s celebrations will be unlike any other because of COVID-19, a disease that has seen the world face an unprecedented ordeal.

Never has any of us alive today experienced a year like 2020. Never has a single enemy gripped the world, and – in silence – distanced fam-ilies, affected livelihoods, and taken lives.

Amid this extended crisis, I feel that this year’s Qatar National Day theme – ‘We praise you, the Lord of the Throne, and we accept your judgment in all actions’ – reflects the nation’s sen-timent, because we do have so much to feel grateful for, and to be proud of our country and its leadership.

In the face of this global crisis, Qatar has responded swiftly and effectively, building the infrastructure to curb the spread of the virus and allow work and learning to continue remotely. The Qatari government also dis-pensed economic stimulus to mitigate the pandemic’s impact on the private sector, helping companies weather the crisis and people maintain

their livelihoods. Thanks to the health and

economic strategies Qatar has implemented since the onset of the pandemic, we are now slowly returning to life as we knew it and regaining the freedoms we temporarily conceded for the sake of our community.

While battling this pan-demic, we at Doha Interna-tional Family Institute (DIFI), a member of Qatar Foun-dation, have been keen to continue our work with strengthening families. Our continued collaboration with local and regional partners and participation in various events have allowed us to explore ways of supporting families in Qatar and the region to cope with the new way of living imposed by the pandemic, and promote health and well-being within homes during this crisis.

Our studies have con-firmed to us that although the Gulf family may be living through the harshest and

most difficult conditions, it is based on a rich set of charac-teristics, or what is known as “family strength attributes”, which enable it to provide its members with strength to keep on thriving in the face of the most arduous adversities. Strength attributes not only contribute to family cohesion, support individual growth, and ensure the well-being of all its members, but also benefit societies on a broader scale. There is no doubt that the new situation has caused tension and anxiety for fam-ilies, and children in par-ticular, who are accustomed to going out, playing, and par-

ticipating in various activities. That being said, family

members are starting to grow closer to one another. We were able to conduct studies that revealed to us the impact of this pandemic on family relations. A study conducted by DIFI on the well-being of adolescents showed that parents have been spending more time with their children, and have been taking part in various activities with them, reducing the rates of psycho-logical problems and negative behaviors. We also found a decrease in the percentage of families that argue in the presence of their children, albeit in contrast to interna-tional statistics, which indicate an increase in domestic violence during the pandemic period. This proves the strength and cohesion of families in the Qatari society, and their ability to coexist and face difficulties and adversities.

As we celebrate Qatar National Day – this year with fewer events and activities – I believe that the gratitude and pride we feel for this nation in our hearts today are greater than ever. And, as we have always been throughout our history, let us remain united in overcoming whatever chal-lenges arise, and in reaching for our goals.

I wish you all a happy Qatar National Day.

ANDREW RC MARSHALL, VALERIE VOLCOVICI AND SHEILA DANG — REUTERS

The avuncular man in the TV ad has an urgent-sounding message from his employer, the oil giant Chevron Corp.

“I think renewable energy is vital to our planet,” says the man, identified only as an environmental expert called Steve. “At Chevron we’re investing millions in solar and biofuels technology to make it work.” He adds that the energy can be made widely available and the work needs to begin “right now.” What Steve doesn’t mention, according to three US lawsuits alleging deceptive advertising, is that Chevron is overwhelmingly focused on fossil fuel extraction and its investment in renewables remains miniscule compared to the bil-lions it spends each year on drilling for oil and gas.

Critics have long attacked the oil industry for ad cam-paigns that they call “green-washing” - telling people that policies or products are more environmentally friendly than they really are. But the ad agencies behind the campaigns have largely escaped scrutiny.

That’s changing, as the issue of climate change shoots up the global agenda. Climate activists and some ad industry figures are calling on agencies to declare or dump their Big Oil clients.

Recent lawsuits by four US states, the District of Columbia and a city allege “green-washing” by oil companies, accusing them of making “misleading and deceptive” claims. The suits don’t name the ad agencies as defendants, but do single out at least 15 campaigns. As a result, the companies could face embar-rassment or become embroiled in the litigation.

Sean Corey, a Chevron spokesman, said such lawsuits are “meritless” and “serve only to divert attention and

resources away from the col-laborative, international efforts that are critical to developing a meaningful solution to climate change.” Pressure has been building against oil and gas companies in recent years to address dan-gerously rising global temper-atures. The companies, which rank among the world’s worst polluters, have been targeted by protests outside their offices and seen sponsorship deals with museums, art gal-leries and others canceled in the United States and Europe.

A prominent climate protest group, Extinction Rebellion, last year unfurled a banner reading “TELL THE TRUTH” outside the adver-tising industry’s top awards ceremony in Cannes, France. Activists in the Netherlands and other European countries are campaigning for a tobacco-style ban on fossil fuel advertising.

All these pressures will likely intensify after the January inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden, who has vowed to get tough on climate change.

Most major advertising companies with fossil fuel clients, and the US ad indus-try’s leading trade group, declined to comment for this story or did not respond to requests for comment. However, in a statement, WPP Plc, the world’s largest

advertising and public rela-tions holding company, defended its practices.

“WPP recognises the importance of its role in addressing climate change by applying rigorous standards to the content we produce and helping clients to accel-erate the world’s transition to a lower-carbon economy,” the agency said. A spokes-woman also said the company “will not undertake work which is intended or designed to mislead.” WPP did not handle the ad featuring Steve, formally known as “We Agree.” That ad is part of a global campaign created in 2010 by New York-based agency Dentsu McGarry-Bowen LLC. Jennifer Fer-guson, a spokeswoman for McGarryBowen’s holding company, Dentsu Group Inc, declined to comment.

Delaware, along with Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, the District of Columbia and the city of Hoboken, New Jersey, are suing key players in the oil industry for violating con-sumer protection laws with the help of “greenwashing” ad campaigns.

The new scrutiny of adver-tising campaigns raises the prospect that ad agencies could see their names dragged into litigation along with their oil company clients, said Karen Sokol, an environ-mental law professor at Loyola University New Orleans.

Sokol said that similar lawsuits against the tobacco industry brought to light information on the role of advertisers and PR companies in deceiving the public about the dangers of smoking.

In 1997, R.J. Reynolds tobacco company agreed to pay $10 million to settle a lawsuit over a campaign for its Camel brand, which was accused of targeting children. The “Joe Camel” campaign was executed by large adver-tising firms that also were

sued.Ultimately, Sokol said,

details about advertising and marketing practices that emerged during litigation against the tobacco industry contributed to the companies’ decision in the late 1990s to pay billions of dollars annually in a massive set-tlement with the vast majority of US states and territories.

“There was a sea change in how we viewed tobacco products after we learned about that industry’s disinfor-mation,” she said. “We’re on the cusp of that with climate.” Others predict that Big Oil’s message makers will likely avoid costly courtroom ver-dicts. Douglas Kysar, a pro-fessor at Yale Law School who specializes in climate change, among other things, said it was unlikely that ad firms would be held liable for misleading communications by fossil fuel companies. That’s because the primary duty of those firms is to their clients, the companies, and not to the public, he said.

However, he added, given the “existential stakes” of climate change, advertisers likely won’t escape being sued in the first place. “I fully expect that advertising/PR firms, bankers, insurers, accountants, lawyers, and other professionals that support fossil fuel companies, will increasingly find them-selves targeted by lawsuits and pressure campaigns.” The picture is different in Europe, where regulators have taken action against a number of ad campaigns by oil companies.

In 2019, for instance, the UK advertising watchdog upheld a complaint against an ad by Norwegian energy giant Equinor ASA that suggested gas was a “low carbon” energy source. In January, Italy’s com-petition authority slapped state-backed energy giant Eni SpA with a €5 million ($6.10 million) fine for ads claiming that its diesel was “green” and helped the environment.

A grateful, resilient nation celebrates Qatar National Day amid global crisis

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Climate change turns up the heat on ad industry

Established in 1996

Critics have long attacked the oil industry for ad campaigns that they call “greenwashing” - telling people that policies or products are more environmentally friendly than they really are. But the ad agencies behind the campaigns have largely escaped scrutiny.

In the face of this global crisis, Qatar has responded swiftly and effectively, building the infrastructure to curb the spread of the virus and allow work and learning to continue remotely. The Qatari government also dispensed economic stimulus to mitigate the pandemic’s impact on the private sector, helping companies weather the crisis and people maintain their livelihoods.

Dr. Sharifa Noman Al Emadi, Executive Director of Doha International Family Institute, a member of Qatar Foundation

Protest for rights

09SATURDAY 19 DECEMBER 2020 MIDDLE EAST

Report: Iran builds at underground nuclear facilityAP — DUBAI

Iran has begun construction on a site at its underground nuclear facility at Fordo amid tensions with the US over its atomic programme, according to satellite photos obtained by The Asso-ciated Press yesterday.

Iran has not publicly acknowledged any new construction at Fordo, whose discovery by the West in 2009 came in an earlier round of brinkmanship before world powers struck the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran.

While the purpose of the building remains unclear, any work at Fordo likely will trigger new concern in the waning days of the Trump adminis-tration before the inauguration of Pres-ident-elect Joe Biden. Already, Iran is building at its Natanz nuclear facility after a mysterious explosion in July there that Tehran described as a sab-otage attack.

“Any changes at this site will be carefully watched as a sign of where Iran’s nuclear program is headed,” said

Jeffrey Lewis, an expert at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies who studies Iran.

Asked for comment, Iran’s mission to the United Nations told the AP that “none of Iran’s nuclear activities are secret,” given the ongoing inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

“We have always maintained that our current activities, which are in line with (the nuclear deal), can and will be immediately reversed once the other parties, including the US, come into full compliance with what was agreed

upon, in particular on removing sanc-tions,” mission spokesman Alireza Mir-yousefi said. He did not elaborate.

The Vienna-based IAEA, whose inspectors are in Iran as part of the nuclear deal, declined to comment. The agency as of yet has not publicly dis-closed if Iran informed it of any con-struction at Fordo.

Construction on the Fordo site began in late September. Satellite images obtained from Maxar Technol-ogies by the AP show the construction taking place at a northwest corner of the site, near the holy Shiite city of Qom, some 90km southwest of Tehran.

A December 11 satellite photo shows what appears to be a dug foun-dation for a building with dozens of pillars. Such pillars can be used in con-struction to support buildings in earth-quake zones.

The construction site sits northwest of Fordo’s underground facility, built deep inside a mountain to protect it from potential airstrikes. The site is near other above-ground support and research-and-development buildings at Fordo.

Among those buildings is Iran’s National Vacuum Technology Center. Vacuum technology is a crucial com-ponent of Iran’s uranium-gas centri-fuges, which enrich uranium.

A Twitter account called Observer IL earlier this week published an image of Fordo showing the con-struction, citing it as coming from South Korea’s Korea Aerospace Research Institute.

The AP later reached the Twitter user, who identified himself as a retired Israeli Defense Forces soldier with a

civil engineering background. He asked that his name not be published over previous threats he received online. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute acknowledged taking the sat-ellite photo.

President Donald Trump in 2018 unilaterally withdrew the US from Iran’s nuclear deal, in which Tehran had agreed to limit its uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Trump cited Iran’s ballistic missile program, its regional policies and other issues in withdrawing from the accord, though the deal focused entirely on Tehran’s atomic programme.

When the US ramped up sanctions, Iran gradually and publicly abandoned the deal’s limits as a series of escalating incidents pushed the two countries to the brink of war at the beginning of the year. Tensions still remain high.Under the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran agreed to stop enriching uranium at Fordo and instead make it “a nuclear, physics and technology center.”

A supporter of Hashed Al Shaabi, an Iraqi paramilitary network dominated by Iran-backed factions, wave the Hashed flag as protesters gather at Al Habboubi Square in the southern city of Nasiriyah in Dhi Qar province in Iraq, yesterday, to demand their legitimate rights.

Turkey to begin Sinovac vaccinations before trials overBLOOMBERG — ANKARA

Turkey plans to start COVID-19 vaccinations using the Chinese-made Sinovac Biotech Ltd. shots as early as next month, before it completes human trials, offi-cials said, as the country’s daily death toll from the virus hits new highs and intensive-care beds fill up. The government has published a change to regu-

lations that allows the new timeframe.

So-called phase 3 trials involving 12,500 people are yet to reach the midway mark and will only be completed in Feb-ruary, according to a member of the COVID-19 Science Board, a body of health professionals that advises authorities.

The vaccinations will be administered based on the

results from final trials in Indo-nesia and Brazil, as well as “interim analyses” in Turkey, a government official said. No serious side effects from the Chinese vaccine have been observed, the official said.

Turkey’s Medicine and Medical Device Agency issued the regulatory change per-mitting the vaccinations.

In “exceptional situations”

where an infectious disease threatens public health, vac-cines that don’t yet have “com-prehensive data on efficiency, safety and quality” may be granted an emergency-use license, according to the amendment published in the official gazette on Friday.

Turkey has signed an agreement for 50 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine. An initial

shipment of 3 million doses is expected to arrive before the end of the year, the government official said.

Daily deaths from the virus reached an all-time peak of 243 on Thursday. Almost two million cases have been recorded in Turkey, with the nationwide average adult occu-pancy rate for intensive care units nearing 74%.

Palestinians scramble for COVID-19 vaccines as Israel prepares rolloutREUTERS — RAMALLAH

As Israel prepares to give COVID-19 vaccines to its citizens, Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza are scrambling to secure their own doses, which health author-ities say are still months away.

Palestinian leaders have cast a wide net in their search, contacting international organ-isations, drugmakers like Moderna and AstraZeneca and states like Russia and China that are producing their own vaccines.

But the cash-strapped Pal-estinian government has yet to finalise any private supply agreements — a contrast from neighbouring Israel, which has secured millions of doses from drugmakers and is developing its own vaccine. Israel begins its vaccination drive on Saturday.

“It will be many months before we receive a quantity of vaccines sufficient to vaccinate people en masse,” Prime Min-ister Mohammad Shtayyeh of the Palestinian Authority (PA), which has limited self-rule in the West Bank, said on Thursday.

The PA expects to receive 20% of its needs from the World Health Organization’s vaccine scheme for poor and middle income countries. The rest will come from PA—or donor-funded vaccine purchases, the PA says. PA Health Minister Mai Alkaila estimated that the PA could receive an initial vaccine shipment by March. She did not say from whom.

New coronavirus cases have spiked in recent weeks in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip, which Israel keeps under a blockade citing threats from the coastal enclave’s Islamist

rulers Hamas.The WHO says it is working

with UN agencies to secure vac-cines and medical equipment for Gaza.

But some rights groups said it was Israel’s responsibility to ensure that Palestinians living in territory it captured in a 1967 war receive vaccines.

“Israel is obligated to protect the health and safety of all people living under its control, including by ensuring that the vaccine is available in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza,” the Israeli rights group Gisha said.

Deputy Israeli Health Min-ister Yoav Kisch said Israel would consider assisting the PA if “we see that Israel’s needs have been met and we have additional capacity.

“There is also a significance and benefit in terms of pre-venting entry (of carriers) to our

(side), in this matter. But Israel’s citizens come first,” Kisch told Kan radio. Gaza, whose densely concentrated and

mostly poor population of 2 million is vulnerable to con-tagions, has logged 237 deaths and more than 32,000 cases

of the coronavirus.The West Bank, home to 3

million Palestinians, has seen 86,594 cases and 846 deaths.

A view of an empty main road during a weekend lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic in Gaza City, yesterday.

Hundreds of Lebanon’s most vulnerable migrant maids flown home, many more waitTHOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION — AMMAN

Hundreds of Lebanon’s most vulnerable migrant maids have been repatriated with funds raised by local charities, but thousands more remain stuck and destitute due to a deep economic crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, according to campaigners.

Their top priority has been aiding women with health problems or young children and those who have lost jobs and accommodation during the crisis, which has worsened the plight of workers trapped in a system long compared to modern slavery.

“They have medical issues, some of them have kids, some of them are pregnant, some of them face domestic violence and want to get out of the country,” said Banchi Yimer, founder of the Egna Legna Besidet workers’ rights group.

So far, community-raised funds have mostly been used to provide essentials like food, shelter and medication for the migrants, but part of the money is being used to pay for travel, campaigners said.

Hundreds of women have now be flown to home nations including Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Nigeria, despite numerous bureaucratic hurdles. Lebanon hosts about

250,000 foreign workers, some working illegally, who are employed under the country’s sponsorship system which binds them to one employer and can lead to abuses, according to human rights groups.

Labour groups say that the true figures are likely to be much higher, with Ethiopians alone making up more than 400,000 of the migrant community.

The plight of Lebanon’s foreign maids has captured global attention this year. Some women were left in the street by employers who could not afford to pay them, while others lost everything when a massive blast devastated parts of the capital.

“Everybody wants to go home—some have been waiting for months,” Banchi told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “But we can’t afford to send 400,000 people... so we are picking the most vulnerable.”

Governments including Ghana and Nigeria have scheduled repatriation flights from Beirut, but advocacy officer at migrant rights group Anti-Racism Movement Farah Baba said some had asked workers to pay for tickets in US dollars.

That put them virtually out of reach for maids paid in devalued local currency.

Turkey condemnsarrest of consulatestaff in Greece

AFP — ISTANBUL

Turkey yesterday condemned the arrest on suspicion of espi-onage of a Greek employee at the Turkish consulate on the Greek island of Rhodes.

The Rhodes examining magistrate yesterday issued an arrest warrant for Sebahattin Bayram, a 35-year-old sec-retary at the Turkish consulate.

Greek media reported the arrest of another Greek national in connection with the case who worked on a ferry as a cook.

CNN Greece said the second man is suspected of reporting the position of Greek Navy ships to Turkey, and pro-viding other information con-cerning Greek military forces.

The Turkish foreign min-istry said the espionage charge against Bayram also stemmed from his “taking photographs of vessels”.

It said Greece violated international convention on consular relations by arresting Bayram, adding that the case against him was “constructed by certain circles willing to increase tensions in relations with Turkey”.

It made no mention of the second man who worked on the ferry.

Syria: Struggling farmers turn to tropical fern for fodderAFP — KFAR TAKHARIM, SYRIA

To dodge skyrocketing prices for animal fodder in Syria’s last major rebel bastion, farmer Ayman Ibrahim has turned to an aquatic fern used as a ferti-liser in Asian rice paddies.

Azolla, which looks more like a pond weed than a fern, is regarded as an invasive plant in much of the world but is used to feed livestock in parts of southeast Asia.

Ibrahim, a former tailor

who took up farming in the rebel-held Idlib region after fleeing fighting in Syria’s second city of Aleppo in 2016, says the plant has given him huge savings over traditional animal feeds like hay or silage.

Azolla is highly productive with the ability to double its weight in seven days, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

The plant is rich in proteins and has been used as a feed for cattle, fish and poultry in

Vietnam, Singapore and Taiwan.

“We want Azolla to spread here,” Ibrahim said on his farm overlooking the town of Kfar Takharim. “The animals want to eat it,” he said, scooping up Azolla weeds from a shallow pool using a kitchen strainer.

“There is a big difference between offering them a green plant and dry feed.” The 25-year-old father of two started raising livestock in the Idlib region after he failed to

find work as a tailor.But in the years since he

started, the Syrian pound has plummeted in value, leading to sharp increases in the cost of imported goods.

Compounded by the coro-navirus pandemic, the eco-nomic crisis has led food prices to increase by 249 percent, plunging millions into hunger.

The cost of animal fodder also rose sharply so Ibrahim embarked on a search for a cheaper alternative.

“We have always maintained that our current activities, which are in line with the nuclear deal, can and will be immediately reversed once the other parties, including the US, come into full compliance with what was agreed upon, in particular on removing sanctions,” spokesman of the Iran's mission at United Nations, Alireza Miryousefi said.

Armed groups issue threat over CAR voteAFP — BANGUI, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

Several powerful armed groups in the Central African Republic have accused President Faustin-Archange Touadera’s government of seeking to fix upcoming elections and warned of a violent response.

The warning stokes ten-sions in the troubled country ahead of the December 27 pres-idential and legislative vote.

It came in a communique issued late on Thursday by militias who had joined a Feb-ruary 2019 peace accord

between Touadera and armed groups which control most of the country.

The statement lashed the agreement as a “patent failure.”

The signatories, it said, vowed to “restore security across the national territory... by any means” if the gov-ernment “insists on manipu-lating the organising of the vote in order to carry out an elec-toral holdup.”

Three of the six groups con-firmed early yesterday that they had signed the statement, while a fourth denied it. Touadera is seeking a second term in the

ballot, which is a crucial test for one of Africa’s most volatile countries. The country spi-ralled into conflict in 2013, when the then president, Fran-coise Bozize, was ousted by the Seleka, a rebel coalition drawn largely from the Muslim minority.

The coup triggered a bloodbath between the Seleka and so-called “anti-Balaka” self-defence forces, mainly Christian and animist. France intervened militarily in its former colony and after a transitional period, elec-tions were staged in 2016 and won by Touadera.

Ethiopia offers reward for Tigray fugitive leadersREUTERS — ADDIS ABABA

Ethiopia offered a 10m birr ($260,000) reward yesterday for information on the location of fugitive leaders of a rebellious force in northern Tigray region.

The money for helping capture heads of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) was announced on state-run broadcaster EBC and tweeted by a government taskforce.

TPLF leaders, possibly hiding in surrounding mountains since they lost Tigray’s capital on November 28, had said they were fighting back. Reuters has not been able to reach them for comment for more than a week.

Thousands of people are believed to have been killed and nearly a million fled their homes after two years of feuding between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and the TPLF erupted into war in early November. Some power and phone links have been

restored after a virtual blackout since the federal offensive began

on November 4. But access for media is still restricted and

accounts from all sides are hard to verify. Aid agencies have

warned of a humanitarian crisis in Tigray, where about 600,000 people depended on food aid even before the war.

The United Nations and other agencies are still pressing for safe access to most of the region. The UN World Food Pro-gramme sent 11 trucks worth of food to two Eritrean refugee camps in the southern part of Tigray that arrived in the camps on Wednesday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humani-tarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

Despite the arrival of some aid, needs are increasing, OCHA spokesman Saviano Abreu said. “People have now been living for more than six weeks with no running water, no access to health services, no cash and very limited access to food.” He said the United Nations was still negoti-ating with the Ethiopian gov-ernment for full and unhindered access and reiterated the global body’s call for all parties to allow all aid groups into Tigray.

Freed Nigerian schoolboys return homeREUTERS — KATSINA, NIGERIA

Scores of schoolboys who were rescued from kidnappers in northwest Nigeria arrived back home yesterday, many of them barefoot and wrapped in blankets after their week-long ordeal.

The boys, dressed in dusty clothes, looked dazed and weary but otherwise well as they got off buses in the city of Katsina and walked to a gov-ernment building. One, who did not give his name, said the captors had told him to describe them as members of the mil-itant group Boko Haram, although he suspected they were armed bandits.

“They beat us morning, every night. We suffered a lot. They only gave us food once a day and water twice a day,” he told Nigeria’s Arise television.

A week earlier, gunmen on motorbikes raided the boys’ boarding school in the town of Kankara in Katsina state and marched hundreds of them into a vast forest that spans four states. Security services rescued them on Thursday, authorities said. However, many details sur-rounding the incident remain unclear, including who was responsible, whether a ransom was paid, how the boys’ release was secured and whether all of them are now safe.

The abduction gripped a country already incensed by widespread insecurity, and evoked memories of Boko

Haram’s 2014 kidnapping of more than 270 schoolgirls in the northeastern town of Chibok.

Six years on, only about half the girls have been found or freed. Some were married off to fighters, while others are assumed to be dead.

Any Boko Haram involvement in this kidnapping would mark a geographical expansion in its activities from its base in the northeast. The region is also plagued by armed gangs that rob and kidnap for ransom.

Hours before the rescue of the boys was announced on Thursday night, a video started circulating online purportedly showing Boko Haram militants with some of the boys. Reuters was unable to verify the authenticity of the footage or who released it.

The boy interviewed by Arise TV was one of those who spoke in the video.

“They said I should say they are Boko Haram and gangs of Abu Shekau,” he said, referring to a name used by a Boko Haram leader. “Sincerely speaking, they are not Boko Haram... They are just small and tiny, tiny boys with big guns.”

Another boy said that the kidnappers had initially taken them to a hiding place.

“But when they saw a jet fighter, they changed the location and hid us in a different place. They gave us food, but it was very little,” he said.

Yesterday, the boys from

the Government Science Sec-ondary School walked from the buses in single file, flanked by soldiers and armed police officers, and were taken to the government building to meet the governor. “We are very grateful. We are very grateful. We are very grateful,” a man who said he was the father of two of the pupils told Arise TV.

The boys were later brought back to the buses and driven off for medical checks, officials said. A group of parents waited to be reunited with them in a shaded parking lot in another

part of town.Hajiya Bilikisu, in a cream-

coloured veil, said she had started to lose hope that she would ever see her son, Abdullahi Abdulrazak, again.

“I was just crying, crying with joy, when I saw them, my son” in pictures after the release, she said.

“They have to recovery psy-chologically,” she said. “They went through trauma. We have to try to counsel them, so they can now become normal persons.” Hafsat Funtua, mother of 16-year-old Hamza Naziru,

said she ran out of her house with joy “not knowing where to go” when she heard the news. “I couldn’t believe what I heard until neighbours came to inform me that it’s true,” she said in a phone interview. She later returned home to pray. The mass kidnapping piled pressure on the government to deal with mili-tants in the north of the country.

I t w a s p a r t i c u l a r l y embarrassing for President Muhammadu Buhari, who comes from Katsina state and has repeatedly said that Boko Haram has been “tech-

nically defeated”.Buhari said he had congrat-

ulated the state’s governor and the army, in a brief clip from an interview posted on his Twitter account earlier on Friday.

Information Minister Lai Mohammed told journalists the abduction was “totally unac-ceptable”. “Our children should not have to go to school in trep-idation. The federal government is doing everything possible to secure all our schools, and indeed all Nigerians,” he said at a press conference in the capital, Abuja.

UN calls for $254m for Mozambique conflict victimsAFP — GENEVA

The United Nations launched an appeal yesterday for $254m to help hundreds of thou-sands caught in an Islamist insurgency aimed at carving out a caliphate in northern Mozambique.

A group known locally as Al Shabaab unleashed a violent campaign in the gas-rich Cabo Delgado province in 2017 that has since killed more than 2,300 people and forced hun-dreds of thousands to flee.

The UN said many people fled with just the clothes they were wearing and warned that 1.1 million people would need help next year.

“They lost their belongings, their livelihoods, their future,” said Myrta Kaulard, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator in the country. “Humanitarian assistance is vital to alleviate their suffering.”

Burkina Faso court confirms Kabore winAFP — OUAGADOUGOU

Burkina Faso’s top court yesterday certified that Pres-ident Roch Marc Christian Kabore had been elected for a second five-year term in a November poll. “The candidate Kabore, Roch Marc Christian, is elected president,” Constitutional Court head Kassoum Kambou announced.

Kambou said the staging of the November 22 election was “normal,” despite oppo-sit ion accusations of irregularities.

Kabore, 63, has vowed to step up efforts to roll back a five-year-old insurgency that has had a devasting effect on the impoverished Sahel country. At least 1,200 people have died and around one million have fled their homes.

Because of the unrest, the election was not held across at least one-fifth of the territory, reducing the potential pool of voters from 6.49 million to 5.89 million in a population of 20 million, according to the country’s electoral board, CENI. Kabore won over 57 percent of the vote, with the court saying it amended the figure slightly from the initial results announced by CENI after problems with voting tabulation forms submitted by 200 polling stations.

Rescued Nigerian schoolboys sit together at the Government house in Katsina, Nigeria, yesterday.

10 SATURDAY 19 DECEMBER 2020AFRICA

An Ethiopian woman who fled the ongoing fighting in Tigray region, holds her refugee registration document as she waits to receive relief aid at the Um-Rakoba camp on the Sudan-Ethiopia border, in Kassala state, Sudan, yesterday.

UN: Nearly 60% of South Sudanpopulation facing acute hungerAFP — JUBA

Roughly 60 percent of South Sudan’s population face severe hunger by the middle of next year, the government and UN agencies warned yesterday, calling for urgent assistance to address the growing crisis.

In a new joint report they also said that 1.4 million children face acute malnu-trition in the conflict-ravaged eastern African nation.

“The food security situation and nutrition situation has deteriorated,” Isaiah Chol Aruai, chairman of South Sudan’s National Bureau of Sta-tistics, said in the capital Juba as he released the country’s latest hunger assessment.

“This is because of pockets of insecurity that have led to population displacement, low crop production because of climate shocks such as floods and drought,” he said, also pointing to the COVID-19 pan-demic, an economic crisis, desert locust infestation and “inadequate” humanitarian aid.

UN-backed assessments use a ranking called the Inte-grated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which rates hunger levels from one to five.

According to the latest update, an estimated 5.8 million people face a phase-three “crisis” level of acute food inse-curity between December 2020

and March 2021. That number is predicted

to rise to around 7.2 million by July, representing more than 60 percent of the population.

“This is the highest number since South Sudan gained inde-pendence” in 2011, World Food Programme deputy country director Makena Walker said, adding it was a five percent increase compared to last year.

Update comes after two independent reports published by IPC last week said that tens of thousands of people were likely to face “famine conditions” in Pibor, in the country’s east. Pibor was given the highest food inse-curity level of five on Friday, along with the counties of Akobo, Aweil South, Tonj East, Tonj North and Tonj South.

Meshack Malo, the Food and Agriculture Organization representative in South Sudan, called for urgent humanitarian access to Pibor “to prevent an already dire situation from turning into a full-blown catastrophe”.

Aruai said that humani-tarian aid needed to be quickly scaled up “in order to save lives and avert total collapse of live-lihoods”. South Sudan is strug-gling to emerge from a six-year civil war that claimed some 380,000 lives and officially ended with the creation of a government of national unity in February.

The boys, dressed in dusty clothes, looked dazed and weary but otherwise well as they got off buses in the city of Katsina and walked to a government building. A week earlier, gunmen on motorbikes raided the boys’ boarding school in the town of Kankara in Katsina state and marched hundreds of them into a vast forest that spans four states.

At least 10 killed in Somalia bombingREUTERS — MOGADISHU

At least 10 people were killed yesterday in a town in Soma-lia’s semi autonomous state of Galmudug when a suicide bomber detonated a device at a rally due to be addressed by the country’s prime minister, a security official said.

Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble was on his way to address the rally at a stadium in Galkayo, a town in central Somalia where many residents and security forces had gathered to welcome him before the explosion, Galmudug state security ministry said in a post on its Facebook page.

“Over 10 people died in the

blast including three senior military officials, soldiers and civilians,” Major Mohamed Abdirahman, a military officer, said from Galkayo. Over 20 people were injured, he added.

Senior officials at the site included General Abdiasis Abdullahi Qooje who was com-mander of a battalion based in Galmudug, Somali state radio Sonna reported.

He said the death toll may rise. Somalia’s Al Qaeda-allied Islamist group Al Shabaab, claimed responsibility for the attack and said it was “targeting the prime minister who was visiting the town.”

Among those killed, Al

Shabaab’s military operations spokesman, Abdiasis Abu Musab, said, so