Amir meets Chairman of US Joint Chiefs of Staff

Monday 27 July 2020

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Volume 25 | Number 8331

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Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met yesterday at Al Bahr Palace with Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, H E General Mark Milley and his accompanying delegation on the occasion of their visit to the country. During the meeting, they reviewed the strategic cooperation between the two friendly countries and ways of enhancing them, especially in the military and defence fields. They also discussed joint efforts to enhance the security and stability of the region.

Amiri Diwan announces Eid Al Adha holidaysQNA — DOHA

On the occasion of Eid Al Adha, the Amiri Diwan yesterday announced the Eid holiday.

According to the announcement Issued by the Amiri Diwan, Eid holiday for ministries, other government entities and public institu-tions, the holiday starts on Thursday, July 30, 2020 and ends on Thursday, August 6, 2020. Employees are to resume work on Sunday August 9, 2020.

As for Qatar Central Bank (QCB), banks and financial institutions working under the supervision of QCB and Qatar Financial Markets Authority (QFMA), H E the Governor of Qatar Central Bank shall specify the start and the end of the holidays.

Qatar Airways resumes flights to GuangzhouSACHIN KUMAR THE PENINSULA

Advancing further on its expansion plans, Qatar Airways resumed its first China passenger flights yesterday with a weekly Guangzhou service. July has been a busy month for the award-winning flag carrier of Qatar as it launched services to several destinations across the world.

“Qatar Airways is delighted to resume our first China passenger flights on Sunday with a weekly Guangzhou service. We look forward to more of our China fl ights resuming in the coming months,” said the airline on its official twitter account yesterday.

The airline also resumed its flights to

Istanbul from Saturday. “Welcomed back with a

water cannon salute, Qatar Airways resumed flights to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen today (Saturday), operating a three-times weekly service. On top of our current service to Istanbul Airport, we now offer 17 weekly flights to this beau-tiful city,” said the airline in a tweet.

On July 23, Qatar Airways launched a new direct service to Cebu, offering its passengers another gateway into the Philippines.

Despite challenging environment due to COVID-19 outbreak, the multiple award-winning airline has continued to expand its operations and has helped more than 2 million people get home to their loved ones since Feb-ruary. �P3

Gulf dispute harms US’ shared regional interests in stability, prosperity: Brian HookFAZEENA SALEEM THE PENINSULA

The US Special Representative for Iran, Brian Hook, has said that the Gulf dispute has continued too long and it ulti-mately harms United States’ shared regional interests in stability, prosperity, and security.

He further said that Qatar shares strong ties with the United States and has made a great contribution to peace and stability in the region.

Brian Hook, the US Special Representative for Iran and Senior Adviser to Secretary of State, during a visit to the region was in Qatar and also met with Deputy Prime Min-ister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, yesterday.

“It is a pleasure to be here in Doha, where I met earlier with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs

H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Qatar is a great friend to the United States, and my lunch meeting with H E Sheikh Mohammed was wide-ranging and pro-ductive,” Hook said while speaking to journalists in a virtual press conference.

He said that while Iran was the main focus of his

discussions with H E Sheikh Mohammad and they also dis-cussed a range of other topics including the Gulf rift.

“President Trump and Sec-retary Pompeo continue to stress the importance of unity among the GCC members. The dispute has continued too long and it ultimately harms our shared regional interests in

stability, prosperity, and security. The United States will continue to stress the benefits of cooperation with all GCC members and support steps to rebuild trust and unity,” said Hook.

“Bringing an end to this dispute will really advance the collective interests of all parties to this conflict,” he added.

Hook emphasised on the importance of Kuwaiti medi-ation to solve the Gulf dispute and expressed hope that the crisis will end soon.

Answering a question on Qatar’s role in the region’s sta-bility by giving priority to dia-logue, Hook said: “Well, Qatar is a base for US forces. And through that it very much con-tributes to greater peace and stability in the region. Qatar is a partner across a range of security issues. But we also have very deep economic, diplomatic cooperation and cultural ties. It is always a very good and pro-ductive to be in Qatar.”�P2

2,000 abandoned vehicles expected to be removed from Al Rayan MunicipalitySIDI MOHAMED THE PENINSULA

The second joint campaign to remove abandoned vehicles was launched yesterday in Al Rayan area and as many as 2,000 vehicles are expected to be removed under the drive.

From the beginning of current year, around 4,000 abandoned vehicles have been removed from all municipalities.

The drive is being conducted by Joint Committee for Removing Abandoned Vehicles, in collaboration with Public Cleanliness and Mechanical Equipment Departments, security authorities and Al Rayan Municipality.

The campaign comes within the framework of the continuous efforts of the Ministry of Municipality and Environment to limit the number of abandoned vehicles and equipment that distorts the aesthetic view of the State. The drive is also an implemen-tation of Law No. (18) of 2017 on public hygiene.

Marzouq Mubarak Al Masifari, Assistant Director of the Mechanical Equipment Department, who is also a member of the joint committee, said that the campaign to remove abandoned vehicles was launched in early July starting from the Industrial Area of Doha Municipality.

“So far we have removed around 500 abandoned vehicles from the Industrial Area since we launched the campaign in July. From the beginning of the year, we have removed 4,000 aban-doned vehicles,” he said. Regarding the joint campaign which began yesterday in Al Rayan, Al Masifari said: “It is expected to remove 2,000 abandoned vehicles from various areas of Al Rayan Munici-pality with the removal of around 25 to 30 cars a day.” �P2

Third phase of lifting curbs begins tomorrowQNA — DOHA

The Supreme Committee for Crisis Management announced yesterday that the third phase of the gradual reopening of COVID-19 restrictions to begin from tomorrow (July 28, 2020), based on public health indicators in the community, including the continued decrease in the number of active cases that are recorded daily and the prolifer-ation of the virus.

The Supreme Committee for Crisis Management thanked the citizens and residents for their commitment to the pre-cautionary measures to confront the COVID-19 virus in the past period, which contributed to a significant reduction in its spread in society, and stressed the importance of continuing to adhere to those procedures in the coming period in order to support the efforts and plans for the gradual return to normal life.

The Supreme Committee for Crisis Management clarified in a statement that the third phase of the gradual opening will include certain procedures.

The gradual reopening of mosques and prayer halls will continue, while Friday and Eid prayers are allowed in some mosques, provided that the precautionary measures are implemented. The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs will announce the rest of the details.

It will be allowed to make public and private gatherings of a maximum of 10 people in closed places, and 30 people in open places, with the need to adhere to precautionary measures, especially safe dis-tances, and wearing masks. Continue to allow the use of boats and personal and char-tered yachts, with a maximum capacity of 10 people.

Driving schools will reopen at half capacity (50 percent). Playgrounds and exercise equipment of public parks and Corniche are still closed. Ama-teurs and professionals are allowed to perform sports in gyms with a maximum capacity of 40 people. As for open spaces, they will be without limited capacity with the need to maintain a safe distance.

Sporting events to be held without public attendance. Increasing the capacity of private health care facilities to 80 percent while allowing the resumption of home health services.

Nurseries and child care facilities to resume at a 50 percent capacity, with the necessity of applying all the precautionary measures deter-mined by the Ministry of Public Health and after obtaining the approval of the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs.

Malls will continue to open regular hours, while keeping the maximum capacity at 50 percent and will continue to follow all procedures deter-mined by the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Souqs will continue to operate with a capacity ranging from 30 percent to 75 percent, according to the evaluation of the Ministries of Public Health, Commerce and Industry and following all the procedures determined by those author-ities. �P2

NEW GUIDELINES FOR THIRD PHASE

Gradual reopening of mosques and prayer halls will continue

Friday and Eid prayers are allowed in some mosques

Public and private gath-erings of a maximum of 10 people allowed in closed places, and 30 people in open places

Beauty and barber shops to operate with a 30 percent capacity

Gradual opening of restaurants will continue including opening of restaurants and cafes within malls (except for those in food courts in malls)

Playgrounds and exercise equipment of public parks and Corniche are still closed

Malls to continue to operate at 50%

Children under 12 are not allowed.

Souqs to operate with a maximum capacity of 75%

Gyms, outdoor swimming pools and waterparks to reopen at a maximum capacity of 50%.

Return to Work : Maximum of 80% of

employees on work-

places, and 20% to

continue working

from home.

Qatar is a great friend to the US, and my lunch meeting with H E Sheikh Mohammed was wide-ranging and productive.

Brian HookUS Special Representative for Iran

FROM PAGE 1

Wholesale markets to con-tinue to operate at a 30 percent capacity, following all proce-dures determined by the Min-istries of Public Health, Com-merce and Industry.

Gradual opening of restau-rants will be maintained, and this will include the opening of restaurants and cafes within Malls (except for those in food courts in Malls). The Ministry of Commerce and Industry will announce the details of the opening of these restaurants and the related conditions. Museums and public libraries, will continue to work with a 50 percent capacity.

Beauty and barber shops to operate with a 30 percent capacity provided that its employees are examined in a private laboratory accredited by the Ministry of Public Health and that they are not infected with the virus, in addition to obtaining prior approval from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Gyms and sport clubs to operate half capacity, provided that the precautionary measures announced by the ministries of Public Health, Commerce and Industry are applied. Services of massage, jacuzzi, sauna rooms and indoor swimming pools in hotels and other complexes are still closed.

The Supreme Committee for Crisis Management confirmed that the transition from one phase to the other is subject to the cooperation of all and their application of precautionary measures, and stressed on the necessity of adhering to the pro-cedures set in place by the cabinet, including wearing masks, and installing Ehteraz application as well as social distancing.

During a press conference held yesterday, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) clar-ified the procedures for lifting restrictions related to shopping, work, and praying in mosques, visiting restau-rants and cafes, going to beauty salons, barbershops,

gyms, wellness centers and travel procedures.

With the advent of Eid Al Adha, which coincides with the start of the third phase of the gradual lifting of restric-tions, Chair of the National Strategic Group on COVID-19 Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal, who is also the Head of the Infectious Diseases at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), stressed the necessity of strict adherence to the precau-tionary measures recom-mended by the Ministry of Public Health, these measure include wearing a mask, using hand sanitizers, physical dis-tancing, avoiding crowded places, and taking all appro-priate and recommended measures to protect the elderly and people with chronic diseases from the virus.

Regarding the status of the spread of the virus in the country, he noted that the epi-demic is currently retreating since recording the highest daily infections in late May. He added that the daily number of infections has been declining since the date to a range of 250 to 400 new cases a day. He noted that most new infections is among young people.

He pointed out that the last period witnessed a decline in the daily of infec-tions, but at a decelerating rate compared with the first half of July. He noted that most of the infections recorded in the last week were among people aged between 25 and 44 years, while the number of infec-tions for people above 55 years of age was limited.

He said that the average age of people who get infected in the State of Qatar is 35, with a relative decline in infections among the elderly.

He stressed that these figures indicate the success of the state and society in general in limiting the spread of the virus to the most vul-nerable segments in society.

Al Khal noted that the rate

of infections among citizens and resident professionals was declining since the first week of July but has seen a stabilization recently. He added that many of the new cases were among families, with family and social visits were the main source of infection. He noted that the fact is a cause for concern due to the potential of having a rise in cases during Eid Al Adha. He said that a similar rise was recorded in the 14 days that followed Eid Al Fitr, due to the increase in social visits during the period.

Dr. Al Khal called on all citizens and residents to take the necessary measures during Eid Al Adha by fol-lowing the precautions, including the adherence to safe distancing and wearing masks.

He said that the Ministry of Public Health conducts a relatively large number of tests on a daily basis to detect positive cases, pointing out that the State of Qatar is one of the highest countries in terms of the number of tests relative to its population, which contributed to the early detection of many cases.

He added that the ministry has placed a plan that will see it carry out more proactive tests in various private and public sectors, and will be a key part of the plan to gradually lift restrictions and to have activ-ities return as normal, which will contribute to containing the spread of the virus.

He also said that the Min-istry of Public Health is fol-lowing many indicators that reflect the level of the virus’ spread in the community, the most important of which is the number of severe cases of COVID-19, who are admitted to the hospital, explaining that the number of these cases is declining in general, ranging from 40 to 60 cases per day compared to more than 300 cases per day during the peak period.

He praised the level of medical services provided in the

State of Qatar, noting that it helped limit the number of deaths to 165 so far. He added that deaths, while tragic, have been kept relatively low in the State of Qatar compared with the rest of the world, reflecting the efficiency and quality of healthcare services.

He pointed out that the success of the State of Qatar so far in the gradual plan to lift restrictions was an indication of the extent of cooperation by all members of society in lim-iting the spread of the virus in recent times. He warned however that the virus did not completely disappear could see a comeback, citing a many countries that saw another wave of virus spread after easing restrictions.

In this context, he stressed the need to take all the pre-ventive measures during the coming period with Eid Al Adha and the start of the third phase of the plan to gradually lift restrictions.

He stressed on the impor-tance of fully adhering to all necessary measures and pre-cautions during the per-formance of prayers, social visits, shopping, while following strict precautions when visiting the elderly and people with chronic diseases. He also called for reducing the number of visits and gatherings as much

as possible.For his part, the Director of

Health Protection and Commu-nicable Disease Control at the Public Health Department in the Ministry of Public Health Dr. Hamad Al Rumaihi urged eve-ryone to adhere to all pre-ventive measures issued by the Ministry of Public Health.

As for shopping centers, markets and wholesale markets, the Director of Health Pro-tection and Communicable Disease Control at the Public Health Department warned that children under 12 years are not allowed to enter, and shopping centers will continue to operate with 50 percent capacity.

As for souks the concerned government agencies determine the operation rate, not exceeding 75 percent as per risk assessment.

With regard to hairdressing salons and beauty and barber shops, he stressed that it will be re-opened with a capacity of up to 30 percent with strict cleaning and disinfection procedures.

Employees must wear masks, face shields and gloves. Also, all workers will be subject to a COVID-19 testing before reopening, and clients will not be allowed to enter the salons “except according to prior appointment” to ensure social distancing and avoid crowding.

OFFICIAL NEWS

02 MONDAY 27 JULY 2020HOME

Defence Minister meets Indonesian counterpart

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs H E Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah met yesterday with Minister of Defence of the Republic of Indonesia H E Prabowo Subianto. They discussed bilateral military relations and means to bolster them. A lineup of Armed Forces’ senior officers attended the meeting.

Qatar condemns bombing in Afghanistan

DOHA: The State of Qatar has

expressed its strong condemnation

and denunciation of the bomb-

ing, which occurred in the Baghlan

region, in northern Afghanistan,

and resulted in deaths and an injury.

In a statement issued yesterday,

the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reit-

erated the State of Qatar’s firm

stance on rejecting violence and

terrorism regardless of motives and

causes. The statement expressed

Qatar’s condolences to the families

of victims as well as the govern-

ment and people of Afghanistan,

wishing the wounded a speedy

recovery. -QNA

Justice and

Equality Movement

hails Qatar’s

support for lasting

peace in Sudan

QNA — KHARTOUM

The Sudanese Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), which signed the Doha peace agreement, hailed the State of Qatar’s efforts and support of establishing a comprehensive and lasting peace in Sudan and stabilising living conditions of the people there.

The Movement stressed that the State of Qatar’s posi-tions at the regional and inter-national levels in this regard contributed positively to the advancement of the Sudanese peace process and are recog-nised and respected by the Sudanese people, noting the real transformation from war to peace, and the promotion of social peace in conflict areas.

In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), JEMs Political Secretary Nahar Osman Nahar said that the Movement appreciates the continuous role played by the State of Qatar in supporting the peace process in Darfur and in Sudan in general, and follows up all the Qatari efforts exerted in this regard at the regional and international levels through clear stances aiming to stabilise the peace process.

Nahar referred to the recent visit of the Qatari del-egation to South Sudan, which has established basic mile-stones to advance the peace process in all its aspects, and clearly clarified the Qatari positions supporting Sudan and the Sudanese peace negotiations.

He further said that the growing and essential role that the State of Qatar played in Darfur through the Doha Doc-ument for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) was appreciated and supported by the international community.

Awqaf Ministry to reopen 300 more mosques, some to hold Friday prayersTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has announced to reopen 300 additional mosques under thirds phase of gradual lifting of COVID-19 restrictions from Fajr prayer of July 28, 2020.

Friday prayers will be held in a number of mosques fol-lowing the preventive precau-tionary measures. The mosques will be opened with first prayer call, 30 minutes before Friday sermon and it will be closed after 10 minutes of Friday prayers. The social distancing will be applied on sermon and prayers. Women and children are not allowed in the mosque during Friday prayers.

The additional mosques will be allowed for prayers

following the same preventive and precautionary measures which are in place to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The list of mosques to be reopened is published on min-istry’s website. “Following the procedures of second phase for reopening mosques starting from Fajr prayer of Tuesday (July 28, 2020), we would like to announce the additional mosques to the list which was announced previously,” the Ministry has tweeted.

“We would like to remind the worshipers to adhere strictly to all preventive and precautionary measures for prayers in mosques.” The Min-istry also said that it is allowed for senior citizens and people with chronic diseases to keep praying at homes.

Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal, Chair of the National Strategic Group on COVID-19, and Dr Hamad Al Romaihi, Director of Health Protection and Communicable Disease Control at the Public Health Department, addressing a press conference, yesterday.

Third phase of lifting curbs begins tomorrow

2,000 abandoned vehicles expected to be removed from Al Rayan MunicipalityFROM PAGE 1

Marzouq Mubarak Al Mas-ifari added that the committee will intensify its drives in all areas to remove abandoned vehicles, in addition of alerting vehicle owners of the need to not abandon their vehicles in public spaces.

He asked the public to cooperate with authorities con-cerned to remove abandoned cars, adding that the work plans during the next stage would focus on another municipality according to schedule set by the committee.

For his part, Mohammed Faraj Al Kubaisi, Assistant Director of the General Cleaning Department at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment and member of the committee said that after placing the notification on a car the owner is granted three days by the committee to remove their vehicle. “In case the vehicle impedes the traffic it is removed immediately.”

Al Kubaisi also noted that the committee welcomes receiving any reports about abandoned cars on the com-mittee’s hotline number. Last

year, the committee had organized a comprehensive campaign in cooperation with all municipalities to remove abandoned vehicles. The com-mittee annually removes about 12,000 to 15,000 abandoned vehicles.

The Ministry of Munici-pality and Environment has allocated another site to park abandoned vehicles in Al Mazroua (Um Slal) in addition to one in Mesaimeer and another in Al Mashaf. The new parking site can accommodate 25,000 to 30,000 abandoned vehicles.

Ministry of Municipality and Environment launched a campaign to remove abandoned vehicles from Fereej Al Murra area, yesterday.PIC: ABDUL BASIT/THE PENINSULA

Gulf dispute harms

US’ shared regional

interests in

stability, prosperity:

Brian Hook

FROM PAGE 1

Prior to his arrival in Qatar, Hook had visited UN Security Council member Tunisia and will travel to Kuwait. “Before arriving in Qatar, I was in Tunisia for consultations with the President’s office and the Foreign Minister. Tunisia cur-rently sits in the Security Council and I used the oppor-tunity to discuss our shared interests at the United Nations,” he said.

“I am back in the region today to advance the Admin-istration’s priority of extending the UN arms embargo on Iran, which expires in October. I have spoken with leaders here in the Gulf and throughout the world,” he added.

FAJR SUNRISE 03.33 am 04.58 am

W A L R U WA I S : 31o↗ 38o W A L K H O R : 32o↗ 41o W D U K H A N : 31o↗ 40o W WA K R A H : 31o↗ 39o W M E S A I E E D 31o↗ 39o W A B U S A M R A 30o↗ 43o

PRAYER TIMINGS WEATHER TODAY

HIGH TIDE 11:03 – 21:07 LOW TIDE 04:33– 16:11

Hot daytime with some clouds, relatively humid by night.

Minimum Maximum34oC 41oC

ZUHR

MAGHRIB

11.40 am06.24 pm

ASR

ISHA

03.07 pm07.54 pm

03MONDAY 27 JULY 2020 HOME

FM meets US Special Representative for IranQNA — DOHA

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met yesterday with the US Special Representative for Iran and Senior Adviser to Secretary of State, H E Brian Hook, who is

currently visiting the country. During the meeting, they

reviewed bilateral cooperation relations and the latest devel-opments in the region, in addition to topics of mutual interest. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasised the importance of the Qatar-US strategic relations

and partnership, and the contin-uation of cooperation between the two countries in order to achieve security and stability in the region. He also affirmed the State of Qatar’s position on the importance of not escalating and taking diplomatic means as the only way to resolve all crises in the region.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani with the US Special Representative for Iran and Senior Adviser to US Secretary of State, Brian Hook, who is currently visiting the country, yesterday.

Ministry of Municipality celebrates Mangrove DayQNA — DOHA

The Ministry of Municipality and Environment represented by the Natural Reserves and the Public Relations Departments, in coop-eration with the Friends of the Environment Centre, celebrated International Day for the Conser-vation of the Mangrove Ecosystem, which falls on July 26 every year, by organising an introductory environmental tour of mangroves in the Al Dhakhira Natural Reserve.

Assistant Director of the Natural Reserves Department, Salem Al Safran, stressed the importance of celebrating this occasion, which was selected by Unesco since 2016, as these forests represent a unique and fragile ecosystem and that their biomass presence and produc-tivity bring significant benefits to humans.

He added that mangrove forests represent rare, surprising natural sites with abundant wildlife separating land and sea which works to produce oxygen as well as absorb carbon dioxide and toxic gases, which greatly helps in reducing global warming.

Al Safran explained that the mangrove trees in the state of Qatar, which extend over an area of 14 square km, are considered one of the most important envi-ronmental systems in ridding the air of dust and harmful suspensions.

He pointed out that these forests maintain the appropriate temperature for the coastal areas in which they are located, espe-cially in reducing thermal differ-

ences between day and night.The mangrove is a major

environmental component in maintaining moisture and the water cycle in the soil, he added, noting that it also plays an important role in preventing erosion of coastal soils. They are also an ideal medium for many small fishes, flora and fauna, as well as a haven for seabirds.

The Assistant Director focused on the importance of mangrove trees in promoting

ecotourism, pointing out that the Al Dhakhira Nature Reserve is popular among tourists and emphasised the need to commit to preserving the environment, ensuring public cleanliness and not throwing waste.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Municipal and Environmental Affairs, represented by the Department of Public Hygiene and the Department of Natural Reserves, in cooperation with the Seashore Group, implemented an awareness campaign to invite beach goers to commit to main-taining cleanliness and throwing waste in their the designated places.

Al Sheehaniya Municipality also implemented the bird watering initiative in public parks, with the aim of protecting birds from the summer heat and preserving the environment and wildlife in the region, where drinking water basins for birds were provided in parks located within the municipality.

Assistant Director of the Natural Reserves Department, Salem Al Safran, while visiting a mangrove to mark the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem.

Nakilat is patron sponsor of NMoQ’s ‘Adventure Ship Playground’THE PENINSULA — DOHA

Qatar Museums has announced Nakilat as the sponsor of one of the two children’s adventure areas that opened at the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) earlier this year.

The Nakilat Adventure Ship Playground is inspired by the celebrated Qatari pearl trader Erahma Bin Jaber and his famous Ghatrousha – a type of dhow or Qatari boat.

Indeed, Nakilat’s world-class Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard in Ras Laffan is named in honour of the famed maritime leader.

Ahmad Al Namla, Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Museums, and Eng Abdullah Al Sulaiti, Nakilat’s Chief Executive Officer, signed the sponsorship agreement which confirmed Nakilat, the global shipping and maritime company, as the Patron Sponsor of the

Adventure Ship Playground.Commenting on the

agreement, Al Namla said: “We are excited to welcome Nakilat onboard as the Patron Sponsor of the Adventure Ship Play-ground. As global leaders in the maritime sector, it made perfect sense for Qatar Museums to partner with a local enterprise that continues Qatar’s maritime legacy. Through the Nakilat Adventure Ship Playground, we have recreated longstanding traditions that have shaped Qatar’s heritage and culture. The playground invites children and families to reconnect with the country’s fascinating roots in an immersive and fun way.”

For his part, Eng Al Sulaiti said: “We are honoured to come onboard as the Patron Sponsor of the Adventure Ship Playground in our first collab-oration with Qatar Museums. This partnership will allow us to further raise awareness for

our services, as well as Qatar’s rich maritime heritage. In alignment with our corporate

s o c i a l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y framework, we are proud to be associated with this initiative,

which aims to educate the wider community about these traditions while celebrating and preserving them for future generations.

“This collaboration con-tributes to the Qatar National Vision 2030, which espouses sustainable and societal devel-opment. As a responsible cor-porate citizen, Nakilat strate-gically partners with various national institutions to make a positive impact on the commu-nity’s health and education, as well as environmental protection.”

Children visiting the play-ground can learn about sailing, pearling, fishing, trading and other maritime occupations and practices that were once common in Qatar.

Through storytelling and songs, cargo and treasures, and an array of other imaginative play opportunities, youngsters can reconnect with — and

reimagine — their shared and cherished national history.

The Adventure Ship Play-ground was unveiled at NMoQ in February alongside The Cave of Wonders, a playground designed to resemble a dahl or cave, with rays of light beaming through openings in the struc-ture’s roof.

The ‘Cave’ features glowing rocks, and recreations of nationally important relics, including the Al Jassasiya rock carvings and other archaeo-logical finds.

Together, the playgrounds provide immersive experiences that promote intergenerational play activities, while also encouraging visitors to explore NMoQ’s collection and per-manent galleries, as well as Qatar’s wide-ranging natural and cultural offerings.

The NMoQ playgrounds follow the museum’s opening hours.

A view of Nakilat Adventure Ship Playground at National Museum of Qatar, which is inspired by the celebrated Qatari pearl trader Erahma Bin Jaber and his famous Ghatrousha — a type of dhow or Qatari boat.

Ashghal starts construction works on D-Ring Road upgrading projectTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has started imple-menting the upgrading works of the D-Ring Road.

The project aims at improving traffic on the three main intersections of the D-Ring Road to provide free flow of traffic by increasing the number of lanes on Fereej Al Ali inter-section (known as Al Tadamon Intersection), Nuaija Intersection and providing free flow traffic on the intersection known as Lulu intersection.

The improvements on inter-sections will enhance the traffic capacity and reduce traffic con-gestion in the area, especially on Fereej Al Ali intersection (known as Al Tadamon Intersection), which currently witnesses high traffic volume.

The project of upgrading works will include the con-struction of rainwater drainage tunnel, with a total length of about 3.5km to improve the effi-ciency of drainage networks in the area. The project works will also include the construction of shared pedestrian and cycling lanes along the 4.5km D-Ring Road on both sides.

The Qatari heritage of the area surrounding the project, known as Rawdat Al Khail, was considered during the design phase, elements inspired from the Qatari environment will be featured on murals inside the tunnel that will be built as part of the project.

Well-planed diversions will

be implemented in the project area to allow the execution of construction works and to reduce the impacts on traffic flow in the area. The completed sec-tions of the projects will be grad-ually opened to traffic and the project is scheduled to be com-pleted by Q1 in 2022.

Manager of Highway Projects Department at Ashghal, Eng Badr Darwish said that the improve-ments that has just started on the D Ring Road, is a part of the main overall plan that aims to achieve the highway network connecting the main parts of the country, besides the construction of a new underpass on Fereej Al Ali Inter-section ( Known as Al Tadamon Interchange) with three lanes in both directions, will provide the free flow of traffic on this inter-section that is one of the most congested intersections in the area.

Upgrading works on the three intersections: Fereej Al Ali

Intersection: A three lanes in each direction underpass will be constructed on Fereej Al Ali Interchange, to provide free traffic on D-Ring road. The existing signalised junction will be improved, by increasing the number of lanes from three to four lanes in each direction at the intersection with Al Montazah Street, which will significantly increase the traffic capacity of the intersection.

Nuaija Intersection: The intersection will be improved by increasing the number of lanes on the D-Ring road to four lanes in each direction, thereby increasing the traffic capacity of the intersection.

Lulu Intersection: The inter-section will be improved, by allowing free flow of traffic coming from the airport road, towards Fereej Al Ali Interchange along the D-Ring road, while keeping the traffic light in the opposite direction.

The plan of an underpass on Fereej Al Ali Intersection also known as Al Tadamon Interchange.

MoPH: Only 269 new COVID-19 cases; 274 recoveries reportedTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) yesterday announced the registration of 269 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country. Another 274 people have recovered from the virus, bringing the total number of recovered cases in Qatar to 106,024.

The Ministry also announced one new death of 75 years old person who was receiving the necessary medical care. All new cases have been introduced to isolation and are receiving necessary healthcare according to their health status.

The Ministry further said that measures to tackle COVID-19 in Qatar have succeeded in flattening the curve and limiting the spread of the virus. The number of daily new cases and hospital admissions has gradually declined over the past few weeks.

The Ministry has also said that Qatar has one of the lowest COVID-19 death rates in the world, as a result of, Qatar’s young population, proactive testing to identify cases early, expanding hospital capacity, especially intensive care, to ensure all patients receive the medical care they need, pro-tecting the elderly and those with chronic diseases.

However, the Ministry has emphasised on the impor-tance of taking precautions against COVID-19.

“Even though restrictions are being lifted, and numbers are declining, this does not mean that the COVID-19 pan-demic is over in Qatar — every day between 50 and 100 people are admitted to hospital with moderate to severe COVID-19 symptoms,” the Ministry said.

“Unless we follow all precautionary measures, we may experience a second wave of the virus and see numbers increasing — there are already signs of this happening in other countries around the world. Now more than ever, we must be careful and protect the most vulnerable.”

The mangrove is a major environmental component in maintaining moisture and the water cycle in the soil, said Salem Al Safran, Assistant Director of the Natural Reserves Department.

Qatar Airways resumes flights to Guangzhou

FROM PAGE 1

Qatar Airways re-launched 11 destinations on July 1 including Bali Denpasar, Beirut, Belgrade, Berlin, Boston, Edinburgh, Larnaca, Los Angeles, Prague, Washington DC, and Zagreb. This marked the largest number of route resumptions in a single day since Qatar Airways started to rebuild its network. By the end of July, the airline plans to expand its network to more than 450 weekly flights to over 70 destina-tions worldwide.

Qatar Airways is one of the few global airlines to have never stopped flying throughout this crisis and continues to utilise its full fleet of 30 Boeing 787 and 49 Airbus A350 aircraft.

The airline’s mix of modern fuel-efficient aircraft helped it to develop a sustainable and adapted solution, allowing it to continue flying routes with less overall demand as it has a variety of air-craft it can select from to offer the right capacity in each market. Due to COVID-19’s impact on travel demand, the airline has taken the decision to ground its fleet of Airbus A380s as it is not commercially or environmentally justifiable to operate such a large aircraft in the current market.

Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Pakistan meets Qatar’s AmbassadorChairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, General Nadeem Raza, met with Qatar’s Ambassador to Pakistan H E Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations, in addition to topics of common concern.

04 MONDAY 27 JULY 2020HOME

QF graduate creates portraits depicting COVID-19 experienceTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

From quarantine to face masks, hand sanitizers and social distancing to anxiety and adap-tation, COVID-19 has thrown people around the world into a whirlwind of thoughts and feelings that are almost impos-sible to ignore.

For Sara Al Buainain, who is a graduate of Virginia Com-monwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar — a Qatar Foundation partner university — with a Bachelor in Fine Arts, she felt like her whole life was crashing to a standstill. To help overcome her own feelings of uncertainty and unease, and as an artist specializing in painting and digital art, Al Buainain decided to capture how people

have had to adjust to a new, everyday norm through a col-lection of artwork titled The Quarantine Diaries.

“At first I was scared – scared of the unknown – as my whole life felt like it had come to a sudden standstill. But as a person who believes in constant change, I decided to try and turn how I felt into something pos-itive, and use my artwork to help make life a little easier – not only for myself but for others, too, and to offer them a source of comfort,” Al Buainain says.

The young Qatari artist started taking notes of her daily encounters in light of the pan-demic, and the changes she wit-nessed personally, as well as those experienced by her family

and friends. “The inspiration behind my

exhibition, The Quarantine Diaries, came from the obser-vation of daily struggles of myself and the people

surrounding me, and how they dealt with the pandemic, and are in fact still are coping with it,” Al Buainain said.

“Each piece of art displayed in the exhibition represents a

snapshot or a memory that reflect things we were exposed to or felt during the pandemic.”

Among the artwork dis-played is a portrait titled Lost and Distressed. The piece depicts a woman in distress, which is reflected by the fact she is drawn very faintly, who is surrounded by daisies and plants, signifying her hopes and dreams of the future.

Another piece, titled The Quarantine Style, is of a group of young men with the same haircut which – with everything closed – has come to be viewed as the unofficial look of lockdown.

While all the portraits in the exhibition have a place in Al Buainain’s heart, the piece titled

It’s the New Look is particularly special to her. The portrait includes two drawings of herself, facing opposite direc-tions – one featuring a mask and one without. It strives to show how face masks have become a fashion staple.

Al Buainain spent months working on her artwork, which were displayed in an exclusive online exhibition with Al Markhiya gallery from June 30 to July 17.

“It has been a period of con-templation for me,” she said. “My exhibition was a documen-tation of the pandemic through my eyes as an artist, as I sought to reflect the chaotic state of mind we have all been experi-encing in this crisis. It’s an achievement I’m proud of.”

The Quarantine Diaries

HBKU’s CHSS concludes 'Stay at Home' webinar seriesQNA — DOHA

College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) has concluded its “Stay at Home” webinar series.

The webinars provided online audiences with an oppor-tunity to learn more about the work of the CHSS and its Trans-lation and Interpreting Institute.

The series began with Inter-cultural Communication in the Virtual Classroom, which looked at tools educators can use to support their students during stressful times without losing sight of diverse cultural needs.

This was followed by The Good and the Bad of English Arabic MT, which considered the pros and cons of English-Arabic machine translation engines. Notable differences between machine, computer assisted and

human translation were also highlighted.

The third webinar, Inter-preting: Mode, Pleasures and Pains, provided a general overview of the practice of inter-preting, as well as tips on note taking, translation booth manners, and more.

The do's and dont's of a good CV was the overarching theme of Resume and CV Writing: Tips and Tricks. Developed with HBKU students in mind, the webinar also offered practical

advice on layout, design, structure and content.

The series concluded with How Did Egyptian Filmmakers Represent Epidemics with a dis-cussion on the notoriously dif-ficult subject of portraying the outbreak of epidemics in film.

Speaking after the conclusion of the final webinar, Founding Dean, CHSS Dr. Amal Al Malki said: “COVID-19 has generated its fair share of hashtags, most notably calls to stay at home. In keeping with the rest of HBKU, weve strived to counter this message by emphasizing that learning never stops. To this end, our webinar series was a chance to present a snapshot of our research activities and interests to a diverse online audience. Engagement levels were consist-ently high across all webinars, as were the numbers tuning in to each session.”

The webinars provided online audiences with an opportunity to learn more about the work of the CHSS and its Translation and Interpreting Institute.

Stay cool this summer with Nespresso’s latest Barista Creations For Ice rangeTHE PENINSULA — DOHA

Inspired by the world’s finest Baristas, Nespresso has spent the past five years tasting iconic iced recipes from around the world and learning what makes the ultimate iced coffee.

From cooler temperatures to specific coffee blends; the brand’s coffee experts have taken learnings from their travels straight back to Nes-presso coffee lover’s homes with their latest iced coffee range, Barista Creations For Ice.

Available in both Original and Vertuo systems, the Barista Creations For Ice range con-sists of two distinctive blends to choose from, each with a simple three-step recipe, meaning you can be chilling with your iced coffee in the summer sun in no time.

Introducing Freddo Del-icato: The perfect pool side blend - refresh yourself with Freddo Delicato.

The fruity notes from the Kenyan coffee in this blend will keep you cool, whether in the baking sun or cooling off at home. This lightly roasted coffee has been crafted specif-ically to deliver delicate notes to your palate.

Introducing Freddo Intenso: For a more indulgent iced coffee, why not try Freddo Intenso - a blend of South American Arabica and Indo-nesian Arabica beans. When paired with ice this coffee transforms in to an intense flavour and full-bodied finish,

the perfect accompaniment to a summer’s afternoon.

Introducing Ice Leggero: Perfect for those days lounging in the sunshine, Ice Leggero is full of delicate fruity and cereal coffee notes. When poured over ice, this blend will refresh you like the gentlest of summer breezes. Roasted lightly and ground specifically to deliver this delicate, cooling sensation.

Introducing Ice Forte: After impressing your friends with your culinary skills, why not finish your meal with an Ice Forte. The South American Arabica’s mix with the Indo-nesian Arabica to offer an indulgent aromatic experience. Dark roasted and ground spe-cifically for a delicious expe-rience over ice.

Ferrari F8 Tributo, a celebration of excellence THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The F8 Tributo is the new mid-rear-engined sports car that represents the highest expression of the Prancing Horse’s classic two-seater berlinetta. It is a car with unique characteristics and, as its name implies, is an homage to the most powerful V8 in Ferrari history.

The F8 Tributo sets the market benchmark for per-formance, driving pleasure and ease of handling. It makes the exhilarating performance of the best 8-cylinder in the world accessible to all drivers, with unprecedented handling and superior ride comfort, said a statement.

With a massive 720 cv and a record specific power output of 185 cv/l, it is the most powerful V8 ever to be mounted in a non-special series Ferrari, achieving new heights not just for turbos, but for engines across the board.

The turbo-charged V8 has

already been used in other models in the range with various power output levels, winning ‘Best Engine’ in the International Engine of the Year awards three years running in 2016, 2017 and

2018. In 2018, it was also awarded the title of the best engine of the last two decades.

The F8 Tributo delivers its 720 cv without the slightest hint of turbo lag and produces an

evocative soundtrack. Instanta-neous power is matched by exceptional handling thanks to the integration of state-of-the-art aerodynamics solutions derived from Ferrari’s track experience.

Designed by the Ferrari Styling Centre, the F8 Tributo is essentially a bridge to a new design language that will con-tinue to emphasise Ferrari’s key characteristics of high per-formance and extreme aerody-namic efficiency. In fact, the F8 Tributo is the most aerodynam-ically efficient series-production mid-rear-engined berlinetta ever designed.

The F8 Tributo replaces the 488 GTB and, in the range, is the model with the highest per-formance matched by the greatest driver involvement. There are significant improve-ments across the board aimed at providing even better control on the limit along with greater on-board comfort.

PISQ students shine at SSC-II Examination 2020

THE PENINSULA — DOHA

The students of Pakistan Inter-national School, Qatar (PISQ) have made their mark with record breaking performance in the Secondary School Certif-icate (SSC) Annual Examination 2020 of Federal Board of Inter-mediate and Secondary Education (FBISE), Islamabad. The result was announced by FBISE on Monday 20th July 2020.

Muhammad Shaheer of PISQ stood first with record highest score of 1077 marks out of 1100 marks in all Doha-based Pakistani schools in the science group. Abdullah Abid and

Hasan Shahid shared second position in the school and overall third position in all Doha-based Pakistani schools by securing 1065/1100 marks each whereas Jawairia Shakeel

Ahmed secured third position in the school with 1049/1100 marks in the science group.

In the Humanities group of Secondary School Certificate Examination, Asra Sher Khan

stood first in the school with 1028 marks, Faiza Mohammed secured second position with 917 marks and Musfira Ubaid Ullah Ghazi grabbed third position with 863 marks.

Abdullah Abid

Faiza Mohammed Musfira Ubaid Ghazi

Muhammad Shaheer

Asra Sher Khan

Hasan Shahid Jawairia Shakeel Ahmed

Available in both Original and Vertuo systems, the Barista Creations For Ice range consists of two distinctive blends to choose from, each with a simple three-step recipe, meaning you can be chilling with your iced coffee in the summer sun in no time.

Fatah reacts to the death of local leader

05MONDAY 27 JULY 2020 GULF / MIDDLE EAST

Growing protest movement calls for Netanyahu to go

AFP — OCCUPIED JERUSALEM

“We won’t leave until Bibi leaves.” Israel’s struggle to contain the coronavirus has s t i r r e d d e e p - s e a t e d resentment towards Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and protests demanding his resignation are growing by the week.

As the Shabbat rest-day was ending on Saturday evening, thousands of demon-strators headed towards Netan-yahu’s Jerusalem residence, a main site for protests that have taken place in multiple cities.

Some demonstrators

branded Netanyahu — who has been indicted with bribery, fraud and breach of trust — as corrupt, while others con-demned a lack of coherence in the government’s response to the pandemic.

For Tamir Tsabary, who travels each day to the Jeru-salem protests with his wife Tami from southern Israel, coronavirus was “a trigger” that brought renewed focus to Netanyahu’s leadership faults.

The pandemic made people “understand that he doesn’t care (about) Israel, he just cares for himself,” the 56-year-old sales

manager said. Netanyahu won praise for

his initial response to the virus. His government’s quick

decisions in March to curb travel and impose a lockdown brought the daily case-count to a trickle by early May.

But an economic re-opening that began in late April has led to an explosion in transmission in the country of about 9 million people, with daily COVID-19 tallies ranging between 1,000 and 2,000 cases in recent weeks.

Anti-government protests that initially included a few hundred people in Tel Aviv, now regularly count several thousand there and in Jerusalem.

Reflect ing on the movement, Einav Schiff of the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said it began in response to “a premature victory celebration for having defeated the coronavirus”.

That false victory “morphed into a healthcare and economic failure, which has left a severe

crisis of confidence between the public and the government in its wake,” he said.

In response to rising cases, Netanyahu’s centre-right coa-lition has re-imposed econom-ically painful restrictions, including targeting shops and markets.

It has also approved addi-tional relief measures, notably cash deposits to all citizens.

Protester Amit Finkerstin said the government’s recent moves reveal it does not “have any plan,” making it impossible for people to prepare for the future.

The 27-year-old waitress, currently unemployed because of the pandemic, pointed to res-taurant closures as evidence of the policy chaos.

On July 17, the government announced restaurants would mainly be limited to delivery and takeaway.

Four days later, parliament overturned that decision. Then the government passed a law allowing it to bypass parliament on coronavirus restrictions,

casting further uncertainty over the sector.

“One day yes one day no,” Finkerstin said. “People can’t earn any money.”

The government’s plan to send at least 750 shekels ($220) to every citizen has been criti-cised by some economists as a knee-jerk response to mounting economic suffering in place of smart, targeted aid.

Finkerstin accused the government of giving eve-ryone cash “just to shut our mouth up.”

Netanyahu has taken responsibility for re-opening the economy too soon, but said he was seeking a tricky balance between protecting livelihoods and limiting viral transmission, a challenge faced by many leaders.

He has also acknowledged the financial pain felt by many in a country where unem-ployment currently exceeds 20 percent, compared to 3.4 percent in February, when Israel recorded its first COVID-19 case.

But, in a series of tweets, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister has also sought to undermine the protests as a product of the “anarchist left” and accused the media of exag-gerating their size.

In a July 19 tweet that dis-missed the protests as an “embarrassment and a dis-grace,” Netanyahu highlighted the presence of a Palestinian flag at one rally, saying “the secret is out,” about the movement.

Despite those dismissals, Schiff insisted that “something is happening” in the protest movement known as “black flag”. “We can all hear, see and mainly feel it,” he wrote on Sunday.

“It isn’t clear yet whether this is a full-fledged earthquake or whether it is merely a tremor that will ultimately pass, but it’s everywhere.”

Israel’s last major protest movement —2011 demonstra-tions over rising cost of living — fizzled without large-scale impact.

A Palestinian man looks for a way through the debris on a road in Balatah Al Balad, a suburb of the the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Nablus yesterday, following a night of protests in reaction to the death of local Fatah movement commander Imad Eddin Dweikat during an altercation with Palestinian security forces.

Israel violated air space of Lebanon 29 times in 48 hoursANATOLIA — BEIRUT

Israel violated Lebanon’s air space at least 29 times in the last 48 hours, Lebanese author-ities said yesterday.

“On Friday, Israeli planes violated Lebanese air space 20 times, and on Saturday 9 times,” according to a statement by the Lebanese army.

All violations were in a cir-cular flight format and are being monitored in coordi-nation with the UN Lebanon Peacekeeping Mission, it said.

“Enemy forces have flown unmanned air vehicles with observational purposes, and flown them over the southern Hula province,” Lebanon’s official news agency reported.

Israel has not commented on the claims. Bomb kills eight

in Syrian border townAFP — BEIRUT

A bomb in a Syria border town killed at least eight people, including six civilians, yester-dayday, a Britain-based war monitor said.

The blast from an explosive-rigged motorbike ripped through a vegetable market in the volatile town of Ras Al Ain, wounding at least 19 people, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Such bombings are common in the town, which was held by Kurdish forces before Turkish troops seized it last October.

The Turkish defence min-istry blamed yesterday's attack on the US-backed Kurdish Peo-ple’s Protection Units (YPG), which still controls much of northeastern Syria.

Despite the key role the

YPG played in the US-led cam-paign to drive the Islamic State group out of northern and eastern Syria, Ankara has launched repeated incursions against the group, which it regards as an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) that has waged a deadly insur-gency in southeastern Turkey since 1984.

“The terror organisation PKK/YPG once more targeted innocent civilians,” the ministry said on Twitter.

During its most recent incursion against the YPG last year, Ankara established a “safe zone” extending along 120km of the border and including the town of Ras Al Ain.

The area is a frequent target for bombings and other attacks.

Last week, a car bomb killed four people and wounded 10.

Israeli army arrests ex-Hamas lawmakersANATOLIA — RAMALLAH

Israeli forces detained two former Palestinian legislators in raids in the occupied West Bank yesterday, according to local residents.

Israeli soldiers raided the homes of former MPs, Hatem Qafisha and Nayef Rajoub, in the city of Hebron in the southern West Bank and took them into custody, the residents said. Qafisha was later released by Israeli forces. The former lawmakers are from Palestinian resistance group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.

There was no comment from the Israeli army on the raids. Last week, the Israeli army arrested former Hamas lawmaker Nezar Ramadan and former minister Essa Al Jaabari, who was later released.

Iran says medics exhausted in battle against coronavirusAFP — TEHRAN

Iran reported 216 new deaths from the novel coronavirus yesterday, calling on its citizens to observe health protocols more closely to ease the burden on exhausted medical staff.

The Islamic republic announced its first COVID-19 cases on February 19, and the outbreak quickly became the Middle East’s deadliest.

Declared coronavirus deaths have surged since the end of June and claimed more than 200 lives nearly every day in the past week, including a record 229 on Tuesday.

“Our biggest concerns are

the infection and fatigue of medical staff,” health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said in a televised briefing on Sunday.

“We can help them and prevent the spread of the disease” by observing basic guidelines such as hand-washing, mask-wearing and social distancing, she added.

Iran said earlier this month that 5,000 health workers had been infected with the novel coronavirus and 140 had lost their lives.

According to Lari, the 216 fatalities recorded in the past 24 hours brought to 15,700 the overall death toll in the

country’s outbreak. A further 2,333 new cases of infection were confirmed over the same period, she added, taking the total to 291,172.

The official said that 12 of Iran’s 31 provinces were clas-sified as “red” and 13 were on “alert” or close to red.

Red is the highest category on the country’s coronavirus risk scale. Authorities have made masks mandatory in enclosed public spaces and allowed the hardest-hit prov-inces, including Tehran, to reimpose restrictions that had been progressively lifted since April to reopen Iran’s sanc-tions-hit economy.

Oman reports 1,147 new coronavirus cases, 13 deathsQNA — MUSCAT/KUWAIT

The Omani Ministry of Health reported yesterday 1,147 new cases of coronavirus, 1,053 of them were Omanis and 94 were non-Omanis.

This brings the total number of cases in Oman to 76,005, while the number of recoveries reached 55,299.

The Ministry also announced 13 deaths due to the virus, bringing the total deaths in the country to 384, Oman News Agency reported.

The Ministry conducted 3,187 tests during the past 24 hours, while the total cases in intensive care were 167

Kuwaiti Ministry of Health announced 464 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, bringing the total infections to 63,773, while four deaths were reported raising the number fatal-ities to 433.

All the new cases were in contact with previously infected people or are being investigated for sources of infection, the Kuwaiti Health Ministry’s spokesman Dr Abdullah Al Sanad said.

Earlier today, the ministry announced 766 new recoveries in the last 24 hours, raising the total to 54,373.

A drone photo shows pergolas, which people built to stay during the hot weather, at a beach in Aksu district of Antalya, Turkey, yesterday.

Thousands of demonstrators headed towards Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence, a main site for protests that have taken place in multiple cities. Some demonstrators branded Netanyahu — who has been indicted with bribery, fraud and breach of trust — as corrupt, while others condemned a lack of coherence in the government’s response to the pandemic.

Explosion hits southern Baghdad weapons depot, blamed on heatREUTERS — BAGHDAD

A weapons depot belonging to Iraq’s federal police force exploded yesterday in Bagh-dad’s southern suburbs because of high summer temperatures and poor storage, the military said in a statement.

Multiple explosions could be heard in Baghdad last evening.

Security sources said the depot, which is part of a mil-itary base used by both the police and paramilitary forces, was one that had caught fire in August last year.

That fire also set off explosions heard across Baghdad, killing one person

and injuring 29 others. There were no casualties

reported immediately yesterday.

Iraqi paramilitary groups with links to Iran last year blamed a series of blasts at their weapons depots and bases on the United States and Israel as tension escalated between Washington and Tehran.

The US killing of Iran’s military mastermind Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi paramil-itary chief Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis in a missile strike in Baghdad in January raised the threat that Iraq could become a battlefield in a con-flict between Washington and Tehran.

Respite from summer heat

06 MONDAY 27 JULY 2020MIDDLE EAST / AFRICA

Erdogan lauds Turkish intelligence serviceANATOLIA — ANKARA

The Turkish Intelligence Organ-isation (MIT) has conducted world-scale works on various areas, Turkey’s president said yesterday.

“Turkish Intelligence Organisation conducts works on areas of cryptology, cyber, satellite, and signal intelligence all around the world,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the opening ceremony of a new service building of MIT in Istanbul.

“The activity capacity of ter-rorist organisations in Istanbul declined considerably thanks to the close cooperation between the organization and other security institutions,” he added. Turkey produces tech-nologies with its national resources, Erdogan stressed, and said a nation without intel-ligence is doomed to disappear.

“It is not coincidence that MIT is one of the first institu-tions being targeted during the historic struggle our country has been exerting for a while,” he said, highlighting the impor-tance of intelligence services especially when the use of information turned into an effective weapon.

He added that Turkey

develops a more effective national security system to eliminate threats that the country faces.

Erdogan also stressed that MIT has so far ensured repatri-ation of over 100 members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organi-zation (FETO) to Turkey.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orches-trated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured. Turkey accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

On Friday, the first prayers since its official reconversion into a mosque was held in the

Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque.In the process of the reo-

pening of Hagia Sophia for Muslim worship, Turkey has witnessed that some countries could not acknowledge that Istanbul is Turkish territory, the president said.

“Even centuries after the conquest, we see it is still not accepted that Istanbul is in the hands of the Turkish nation and Muslims,” he added.

Hagia Sophia served as a church for 916 years until the con-quest of Istanbul, and a mosque from 1453 to 1934 — nearly 500 years — and most recently as a museum for 86 years.

A Turkish court annulled a 1934 Cabinet decree on July 10 that had turned Hagia Sophia into a museum, paving the way for its use again as a mosque

after an 86-year hiatus.One of the most visited his-

toric buildings in Turkey by domestic and international tourists, Hagia Sophia was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985, during its time as a museum.

Also addressing MIT’s oper-ations in Libya, Erdogan said it has a “game-changing role” by providing intelligence and oper-ational support.

He added that MIT helps to stop the advance of warlord

Khalifa Haftar who prefers mil-itary to political solutions for the conflict. Last November, Turkey and Libya signed landmark pacts on military cooperation as well as boundaries in the Mediterranean.

Under the deal, Turkey has sent advisers to help the Libyan army defeat the militias of warlord Haftar that have launched since April 2019 attacks on the Libyan capital of Tripoli and other parts of northwestern Libya, resulting in more than

1,000 deaths, including civilian women and children. The Libyan army recently inflicted heavy blows on Haftar and liberated Tripoli and Tarhuna, in addition to other strategic locations, including Al-Watiya airbase, from his militias.

“Thanks to our impact area in foreign intelligence expanding day by day, our country started to take its place in all platforms as a regional and global power,” Erdogan said.

Tunisian president Kais Saied (right), appoints Interior Minister Hichem Mechichi as the country’s new prime minister, tasked with forming a new unity cabinet, at the Carthage Palace on the eastern outskirts of the capital Tunis, yesterday.

Tunisia interior minister named new PMAFP — TUNIS

Tunisia’s interior minister Hichem Mechichi has been appointed to form the next government, the president’s office said, amid political tensions among major parties in the North African country.

The 46-year-old lawyer succeeds Elyes Fakhfakh, who resigned as prime minister earlier this month — but Mechichi was not one of the names proposed by the ruling political parties to President Kais Saied.

In a statement following Saturday’s announcement, Mechichi said he would “work to form a government that meets the expectations of all Tunisians”.

Tunisia has been praised as a rare success story for demo-cratic transition after the Arab Spring regional uprisings sparked by its 2011 revolution.

But its leaders have struggled to meet the expecta-tions of the Tunisian people and the already fragile economy has been battered by the closure of the country’s borders because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The disease has claimed around 50 lives and infected more than 1,400 people in Tunisia.

As well as being interior minister in the outgoing gov-ernment, Mechichi has been a counsellor to President Saied, handling legal matters. He has previously been chief of staff at the transport ministry and

also served in the social affairs ministry.

He now has a month to form a government.

At that point his choice will be put to a parliamentary vote of confidence and will need an absolute majority to succeed. Failing that, par-liament will be dissolved and new elections organised within three months.

In the last elections held in October the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party came top but fell far short of a majority and

eventually agreed to join a coa-lition government.

Fakhfakh’s resignation on July 15 after less than five months in office threatened fresh political deadlock in the nation as it struggles with the economic fallout of the pandemic.

And it came as a political row deepened with Ennahdha over allegations against Fakhfakh of conflicts of interest.

Relations between the 47-year-old outgoing premier and Ennahdha have been

strained since the October leg-islative elections. Fakhfakh stepped down the same day the party filed a no-confidence motion against him.

Ennahdha had initially nominated an independent for premier but he failed to win the support of parliament, leading the president to name former finance minister Fakhfakh for the post.

Faced with the prospect of fresh elections, Ennahdha even-tually agreed to join the coa-lition government.

Libyan govt: French Jewish intellectaul was uninvitedANATOLIA/AFP — TRIPOLI

Libya’s UN-recognised government has disavowed a visit by French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy, a champion of the 2011 ouster of longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi whose standing has plummeted since the uprising.

Libya’s Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha has denied reports of inviting controversial French Jewish intellectual to visit Libya.

“The government has not officially invited any journalist to visit Libya,” Bashagha said on Twitter. He accused certain parties of fishing in troubled waters “to set political scores.”

“A visit by a journalist without an official invitation from the government has no political overtone and the public opinion has the absolute right to react to any public event,” the minister said.

The government vowed to take harsh measures against any party involved in Levy’s visit. “The Presidential Council has no relation to or information about the visit,” premier Fayez Al Sar-raj’s media office said in a statement.

“There was no coordination about this visit,” it said, vowing to take all legal measures against who is involved “in this act, which is a violation of legit-imacy and the country’s laws”.

The visit by the Jewish writer, who is known for his staunch support to Israel, has triggered uproar in Libya, amid calls for probing those who granted him visa into the country.

Khalid Al Mishri, chairman of the Libyan High Council of State, said he was surprised by

Levy’s visit to the city of Misrata, and called for an investigation to determine the authority that invited him into Libya. Libya’s Ambassador to France Hamed Al Houderi denied issuing a visa for the Jewish writer. Across Libya, the euphoria of the Nato-backed rebellion has long since faded as fighting has raged on between rival governments and feuding militias.

In the government-held west of the country, France is widely resented for the political support it has given military strongman Khalifa Haftar whose forces dominate a rival administration in the east.

Levy flew into Libya’s gov-ernment-held third city Misrata in a private jet on Saturday, airport sources said.

He told pro-government television channel Libya Al Ahrar that he had travelled to the country as a journalist to write a piece for the Wall Street Journal.

Levy said he planned to visit the town of Tarhuna, where government forces uncovered a mass grave they say contains the bodies of civilians executed by Haftar loyalists.

Armed groups loyal to the government said they had pre-vented Levy from entering Tarhuna on Saturday.

But in tweets accompa-nying photographs of himself flanked by masked gunmen in military uniforms, the French celebrity philosopher said he had visited the “killing field” in Tarhuna where 47 people, including children, had “suf-fered martyrdom from pro-Haftar proxies”.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Head of the Turkish Intelligence Organization Hakan Fidan (left) during the opening ceremony of new Istanbul office of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) in Istanbul, Turkey, yesterday.

Kenya arrests two police after shooting incident, launches enquiryREUTERS — NAIROBI

Kenya’s national police service has arrested two police officers and opened an investigation after “a shooting incident” in the eastern county of Garissa, the police service said yesterday.

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), a body set up to investigate cases of police brutality, has also sent its investigators to Garissa, it said late on Saturday.

The national police service said two officers had been arrested “over a shooting incident at Soko Ng’ombe market within Garissa Township” and that the inspector general had ordered an inves-tigation. “The inspector general has equally directed the direc-torate of criminal investigations to carry out forensic analysis on the firearms used by the officers,” it said.

Garissa member of parliament Aden Duale said in a Twitter post police had shot dead Aden Abdi Madobe and Muhiyadin Adow Shibin on Saturday during an “arrest mission”. He did not give further details. International campaigners have raised con-cerns about police behaviour in the East African nation, including during lockdown restrictions.

Rights group Amnesty International said Kenyan police had killed at least 100 people in 2020, with 21 related to COVID-19 lockdown infractions, such as curfew or mask violations.

Former C Africa Republic president to run in December electionAFP — BANGUI

Controversial former Central African Republic head of state Francois Bozize announced he is running in the December pres-idential election, a high-risk vote in a country ravaged by civil war since his ouster in 2013.

Activists of Bozize’s Kwa Na Kwa (KNK) party have been meeting in Bangui since Friday and the announcement was widely expected.

“The party congress has just designated me candidate of the Kwa Na Kwa for the next presidential election... I sol-emnly accept the mission you have entrusted me,” he said in a speech that was also trans-mitted live on Facebook.

Appealing for unity in a bit-terly divided and lawless country where two-thirds of the territory is controlled by militia groups, he asked all political

parties to back him, saying he was a candidate “for national reconciliation”.

He deplored the current “sombre and traumatic sce-nario” in the country, speaking of an “absence of democracy... the rise of tribalism” and “the total absence of state authority”.

Bozize returned from exile in Uganda last December.

The veteran politician took power following a 2003 coup, before being overthrown himself 10 years later by Michel Djotodia, head of the mainly Muslim Seleka rebellion in the predominantly Christian country. Since then, the poor, landlocked country has spi-ralled further into bloodshed, marked by vicious intercom-munal violence.

“The many sufferings of the Central African people, as well as the call of the activists have pushed you to come back to the

fold,” said the KNK’s secretary general, Bertin Bea, addressing Bozize earlier. France inter-vened militarily in its former colony from 2013 to 2016 to push out the Seleka, winding down the operation after Faustin-Archange Touadera was elected president.

Touadera governs today with the support of a large UN peacekeeping operation with more than 13,000 troops and police. The government signed a peace deal in February 2019 with 14 armed groups, who typ-ically claim to defend the interests of specific commu-nities or religions. Violence has since generally receded, but there are still bloody flare-ups, typically sparked by fighting over resources.

The fighting has forced nearly a quarter of the coun-try’s 4.7 million people to flee their homes.

EU denounces no-confidence ousting of Somalia PMAFP — BRUSSELS

European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Somali prime minister Hassan Ali Khaire’s ouster through a near-unanimous vote of no confidence showed “serious disrespect for the constitutional foundations” of the country.

A whopping 170 of parlia-ment’s 178 MPs backed the no-confidence motion on Sat-urday, brought largely as a result of Khaire’s perceived failure to pave the way towards fully democratic elec-tions in the Horn of Africa country.

The result was immedi-ately endorsed by President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, who appointed Khaire as prime minister in February 2017.

“Turkish Intelligence Organisation conducts works on areas of cryptology, cyber, satellite, and signal intelligence all around the world,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the opening ceremony of a new service building of MIT in Istanbul. “The activity capacity of terrorist organisations in Istanbul declined considerably thanks to the close cooperation between the organisation and other security institutions,” he added.

07MONDAY 27 JULY 2020 ASIA

Australia reports highest daily toll of virus deathsREUTERS — MELBOURNE

Australia reached a grim mile-stone yesterday, recording its highest ever daily tally of deaths from the novel coronavirus, as authorities in Victoria state battled scores of clusters of infection and intensified efforts to trace their contacts.

Victoria’s leader, Daniel Andrews, told a media briefing the state had reported 10 COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, Australia’s highest ever daily toll.

Victoria also recorded 459 new cases of the coronavirus, its second highest tally ever, he said, falling short only of the 483 last Wednesday, and up from 357 on Saturday, as infec-tions remained persistent despite a two-week lockdown of its biggest city, Melbourne.

The state’s second wave is being driven by workplace infections at places like aged-care and healthcare facilities, big distribution centres, slaugh-terhouses, cold-storage facil-ities and warehouses, Andrews said.

“What that tells you is that some people... are feeling sick, they have symptoms and they are still going to work,” he said.

“If that continues, then we will just continue to see more and more cases.”

The new case tallies came on the day that Victoria carried out the most ever coronavirus tests, at more than 45,000.

Australia has avoided the sort of severe coronavirus out-breaks seen in some other countries, with more than 14,400 cases recorded and 155 deaths. But authorities are struggling to contain more than 100 clusters in Victoria.

“It is a challenge when you get to these numbers and it is something that would challenge any jurisdiction in Australia which is exactly why we’re offering the extensive support we are to Victoria,” Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Coatsworth told media.

Victoria is under a six-week lockdown with its borders with other states closed and masks mandatory.

Officials have also enlisted the help of Australian Defence Force members, third-year medical students and ambu-lance workers to focus on tracing contacts of infected people within 24 hours.

“Ten families are currently planning funerals. And the youngest among them have lost someone in their forties. Please wear a mask everyone. And if you don’t you will get fined,” Andrews said.

The country’s most pop-ulous state of New South Wales recorded 14 new cases over-night, with almost half con-nected to an outbreak at a res-taurant on the outskirts of

Sydney.Protesters in Sydney vowed

to appeal a Supreme Court

decision to block a rally planned for Tuesday over the high number of Aboriginal deaths in

custody in line with a police request given concerns it could spread the coronavirus.

Commuters walk past Melbourne’s Flinders Street Station, in Australia, wearing face masks as the city experiences an outbreak of the coronavirus.

India sees 675 deaths in just 1 hour, total cases over 1.38 millionIANS — NEW DELHI

While India is putting in all efforts to prepare a vaccine for the cure of the deadly corona-virus, the world’s third worst-hit country yesterday recorded 48,661 cases in the last 24 hours taking the total tally to over 1.38 million cases while the death toll crossed 32,000 (total 32,063) with 675 deaths in just

one hour.According to the latest data

available on the website of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of cases in India reached 13,85,522 of which 32,063 people have lost their lives while 8,85,577 have recovered.

The total number of active cases are 4,67,882. Maharashtra remained the worst hit state

after recording a single-day spike of 9,251 cases taking the state’s tally to 3,66,368 of which 13,389 people have died of the deadly disease.

Maharashtra is followed by Tamil Nadu (2,06,737), Delhi (1,29,531), Karnataka (90,942) and Andhra Pradesh (88,671).

The national capital recorded a single-day spike of 1,142 cases taking the tally

beyond 1.29 lakh cases of which 12,657 were active cases as 3,806 people died and 1,13,068 were cured and discharged.

States and Union Territories which recorded less than 1,000 cases were Andaman and Nicobar Islands (290), Dadra and Nagar Haveli (860), Chan-digarh (852), Mizoram (361), Meghalaya (646) and Sikkim (499).

On the global front, India remained the third worst-hit nation in the world. The United States remained the worst-hit nation with 41,78,021 cases fol-lowed by Brazil which has 23,94,513.

The total casualties across the globe reached 6,44,528 with 1,46,460 alone in the United States followed by 86,449 in Brazil.

Vietnamese city reimposes

distancing after first local

infections in monthsREUTERS — HANOI

Vietnam reintroduced social distancing measures in the central city of Danang yesterday after the country reported four locally transmitted coronavirus cases over the past two days, the first in more than three months.

The Southeast Asian country was back on high alert after the government on Saturday con-firmed its first community infection since April, and another case early yesterday, both in the tourism hot spot of Danang.

The two new cases included a 17-year-old boy in Quang Ngai province and a 71-year-old woman in Danang, the gov-ernment said yesterday, bringing the total number of reported cases in the country to

420. Authorities gave no further detail on how the new infec-tions were contracted nor whether they were believed to be linked.

The city’s social distancing measures would come into force until further notice, the government said on its website.

Danang will stop receiving inbound tourists for 14 days and all religious, sports and cultural events will be suspended.

Wearing masks in public places in the city is now com-pulsory and gatherings of more than 30 people at public places are banned, the government said.

The detection of the new cases, which come as Vietnam seeks to revive its economy and resume international com-mercial flights, has prompted authorities to step up a

crackdown on il legal immigrants.

State media said dozens of migrants from China have been

detected in Danang over recent days.

Thanks to strict quarantine measures and an aggressive and

widespread testing programme, Vietnam has kept its virus total to an impressively low level with no deaths.

A health worker checks the temperature of residents in the area of a newly found coronavirus infected patient in Da Nang city, Vietnam, yesterday.

Malaysia searches for 24 Rohingya feared drowned off islandAP — KUALA LUMPUR

Malaysian authorities said yesterday that they were searching for two dozen Rohingya refugees who are feared to have drowned after jumping off their boat off the northern resort island of Langkawi.

Zawawi Abdullah, a senior official with the Malaysian Mar-itime Enforcement Agency, said initial police information showed that only one of 25 Rohingya men who jumped off the boat had managed to swim ashore.

The lone survivor sought help from police late Saturday and has been detained for further investigation, Zawawi said. Hundreds of thousands of Muslim Rohingya have fled Myanmar due to a military crackdown, and many live in densely crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh. Muslim-domi-nated Malaysia has been a common destination of boats arranged by traffickers who promise the refugees a better life abroad.

Zawawi said two vessels and an aircraft were deployed in the

search. He said the agency will also alert local fishermen and authorities in neighboring Thailand to assist in the search. He didn’t provide further details on the boat.

Last month, Malaysian authorities detained 269 Rohingya refugees and found a body on board a suspected smuggling boat off Langkawi that they said had been inten-tionally damaged so it couldn’t be turned back to sea. The M a l a y s i a n M a r i t i m e Enforcement Agency later said that the 269 were transferred from a larger vessel on which dozens of people were believed to have died and their bodies thrown into the sea.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said Malaysia cannot accept any more Rohingya ref-ugees as it struggles with an eco-nomic slowdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. But he said those already in the country will not be sent back out to sea.

Malaysia is home to over 2 million illegal immigrants as well as some 180,000 refugees and asylum seekers — including 101,000 Rohingya.

Philippines virus

cases top 80,000;

Singapore

exceeds 50,000

BLOOMBERG — MANILA

The number of coronavirus infections in the Philippines surpassed 80,000, a level that increases the risk of stricter quarantine measures if the trend continues.

The nation added 2,110 cases yesterday to reach 80,448, the health department said. There were 39 new fatalities, taking the toll to 1,932. The level of active cases of 52,406 is the highest in Southeast Asia.

Cases also stayed elevated in Indonesia and Singapore. Indonesia reported an addi-tional 1,492 cases yesterday, for a total of 98,778. The number of deaths as a result of COVID-19 in Southeast Asia’s largest economy rose by 67 to 4,781, the health ministry said on its website. In Singapore, total virus cases exceeded 50,000 yes-terday, after 481 new cases were reported, mainly among foreign workers who reside in dormi-tories. There were still 28,000 foreign workers in isolation in various quarantine facilities.

Philippine presidential spokesman Harry Roque told CNN Philippines on July 22 that there’s a “distinct possibility” that movement curbs could tighten in the capital region, which has the highest number of infections, if total nationwide cases hit 85,000 by the end of this month.

Victoria’s leader, Daniel Andrews, told a media briefing that the state had reported 10 COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, Australia’s highest ever daily toll.

Bangladesh floods death toll climbs to 119ANATOLIA — DHAKA

The death toll in Bangladesh’s floods increased to 119 with eight more fatalities in the last 24 hours, officials said yesterday.

As many as 10,684 others have also been injured in the dis-aster that has affected 21 of the country’s 64 districts since June, latest figures by the government said.

Of the total deaths, 96 drowned while 13 died of snake-bites, it said, adding that around 5,000 people in flood-hit areas are suffering from diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases.

Environmental experts have warned of long-term adverse impact due to the flooding in Bangladesh, a delta-nation criss-crossed by hundreds of rivers.

“At least five million people will suffer from acute food crisis for the next six months,” M Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, exec-utive director of COAST Trust, a non-profit organization, told Anadolu Agency.

Heavy rains in the neigh-boring Indian state of Assam, he said, have resulted in huge inflows into downstream Bangladesh.

The monsoon, which usually falls from June to September, causes widespread death and destruction across the region

every year. It destroys crops and displaces people in villages.

Chowdhury said the issue has become more severe due to the o n g o i n g c o r o n a v i r u s pandemic.

As many as 2,928 people have died of the virus in the South Asian country to date.

Due to virus restrictions, he said, many people left urban centers for income opportunities but “now they are losing

life-saving income sources in rural areas as well.” Bangladesh imposed a lockdown from March 26 to May 31.

Meanwhile, Atiq Rehman, an expert on climate change, said rivers have become shallow due to dams being built by India on common rivers. Bangladesh and India share at least 53 rivers.

“Hence, the entire region, especially Bangladesh, India and Nepal, has become more

disaster-prone,” he told Anadolu Agency.

Terming the current situation as “extreme,” he urged leaders of both the countries to discuss this recurring problem.

According to a recent UN report, millions of people in India, Bangladesh and Nepal have been affected by the widespread flooding. Of them, over four million children need urgent life-saving support.

People walk on flooded land beside the Padma river as the flood situation worsens in Munshiganj district, on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh

The region is blessed with tremendous diversity and potential. Yet all Arab countries – whether oil-rich, middle-income or least developed – face difficulties in responding.

08 MONDAY 27 JULY 2020VIEWS

CHAIRMANDR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI

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

editorinchief@pen.com.qa

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMOHAMMED SALIM MOHAMED

m.salim@pen.com.qa

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

EDITORIAL

THE Amiri Diwan yesterday confirmed the Eid Al Adha holidays. The break in work will last from July 29 until August 6. In essence the workforce in the country will resume work on Sunday August 9, 2020. The 11-day break - which is usually spent in meeting and hosting family members and guests - will be a test case for those celebrating the culmination of Haj. With little air travel for those living in the country, most of the residents in Qatar will be eager to avail the Eid break to meet loved ones at gatherings that could lead to a possible surge in the number of COVID-19 cases.

Last week, neighbouring Oman announced it will ban travel between all of its governorates from July 25 to August 8, essentially imposing strict curfew to limit the spread of the deadly disease. This curfew period also includes the Eid holidays that have been announced across the region. Last Tuesday state news agency ONA released a statement from the Health Ministry describing the measure as a “total lockdown” of all governorates. Oman is implementing a daily curfew from 7:00pm to 6:00am, meaning shops and public spaces will be closed during these hours.

Last Friday, after implementing strict safety measures that consumed most of June and July, the much-awaited QNB Stars League also commenced with a series of six matches involving the 12 football clubs in Qatar. Unfortunately the coach of Doha pow-erhouse Al Sadd - Barcelona legend Xavi Hernendez - revealed on Saturday he had tested positive for symptoms of COVID-19. With the former Al Sadd captain going into isolation, the rest of the games were a smooth operation as teams battled for points before the season winds to a close four weeks later.

During every video conference involving players and coaches this week, the common sentiment from the stakeholders is that Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) had done a ‘commendable job’ to ensure the restart of the league that has four rounds remaining. Players and coaches roundly applauded the healthcare workers for their untiring efforts during the four-month period that has seen thousands staging quick recoveries. During one of the matches, a healthcare worker even started the match with a ceremonial kick. Al Sadd players sported specially designed jerseys to compliment the efforts of the healthcare workers.

The Eid holidays will be a test of the common man’s resolve to not let their guard down. No hand-shakes, no hugging, practising social distancing and maintaining a gap of at least a meter and half with a person you are talking to. It is still time to stay 100 percent focused.

Time to stay focused

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Quote of the day

Spain is safe. It is safe for Spaniards, it is safe for

tourists. Just like other European countries, Spain is

having outbreaks. It is not unusual. Spain is putting

a lot of work into controlling the outbreaks.

Arancha Gonzalez Laya, Spanish Foreign Minister

A volunteer provides food to a child in a residential neighbourhood of Karbala in Iraq after the imposition of curfews due to the coronavirus.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed fault lines, fissures and fragilities in societies and econ-omies around the world – and the Arab region is no exception.

The region is blessed with tremendous diversity and potential. Yet all Arab countries – whether oil-rich, middle-income or least developed – face diffi-culties in responding.

The global pandemic has revealed endemic challenges.

The regional economy has suffered multiple shocks — from the virus as well as the sharp drop in oil prices, remittances and tourism. Economic forecasts stand at 50-year lows.

The regional economy is expected to shrink by more than 5 percent - with some countries facing double-digit contractions.

With millions more pushed down the economic ladder, fully one-quarter of the Arab popu-lation may live in poverty.

In a region already rife with tensions and inequalities, this will have profound

consequences on political and social stability.

Some communities are espe-cially hard hit — including women, migrants — who rep-resent 40% of the workforce — and the 55 million people who already rely on lifesaving humanitarian assistance.

Those caught in armed con-flict face particular challenges, especially the 26 million refugees and internally displaced persons, who are among the most exposed to the virus.

But the COVID-19 pandemic can also be a moment for resolving long-standing conflicts and addressing structural weaknesses.

Four sets of priorities can guide the response to build back better and achieve the Sus-tainable Development Goals.

First, immediate measures to slow the spread of the disease, end conflict and meet the urgent needs of the most vulnerable.

That means prioritising life-saving health care to COVID-19 victims, respecting the call for a global ceasefire; ensuring human-itarian assistance to the most vul-nerable — including refugees, dis-placed and host communities; providing emergency support to individuals and households; and taking steps to relieve debt, promote trade and expand relief — for example, through a regional solidarity fund.

Second, we must deepen efforts to address inequalities by investing in universal health and education; social protection

floors; and technology.The region is home to the

world’s largest gender gap in human development. COVID-19 recovery is an opportunity to invest in women and girls, ensure equal rights and partici-pation — which will have lasting benefits for all.

Education and opportunities are also critical for young people in the region who face unem-ployment rates five times higher than those for adults. With the right investments, Arab youth — now the largest age group in the region — can also be its largest asset. Third, boosting the eco-nomic recovery through reimag-ining the region’s economic model in favour of more diversified, green economies. That means creating decent sustainable jobs; introducing progressive taxation measures; ending fossil fuel sub-sidies; and taking greater account of climate risks.

Fourth, now is the moment to prioritize human rights, ensure a vibrant civil society and free media and create more accountable institutions that will increase citizen trust and strengthen the social contract.

All of these steps are pivotal to helping the Arab region build back better and enhancing its ability to withstand future shocks. The Arab region can get there by making the most of the remarkable potential, compassion and ingenuity of its people. Together, we can turn a crisis into an opportunity. It will be good for the region — and good for our world.

JAPAN NEWS-YOMIURI

The spread of the new coro-navirus has not slowed. How to deal with the situation during this long weekend and summer vacations will determine the future course of infections. Each and every member of the public should be alert and thoroughly prevent infection.

In Tokyo, the number of virus cases per day exceeded 200 for four consecutive days. In addition to the Tokyo met-ropolitan area, which has been the center of infections lately, the number of cases is also rapidly increasing in other prefectures, including Osaka, Aichi and Fukuoka. The situation can no longer be said to be limited to specific areas.

Even though the surge in the number of virus cases is due partly to an increase in the number of people being tested, there are growing con-cerns that a second wave of infections might come.

The problem is that the

infections have spread to various age brackets. In Tokyo, those in their 20s and 30s account for more than 60% of the total, while those in their 40s and 50s account for about 20%. It is feared that the infec-tions will spread from these age brackets to the elderly through contact at home.

Clusters of infections have also occurred at many loca-tions. Infections are spreading not only in nightlife districts, such as restaurants and bars where customers are attended to in close-contact settings, but also in general restaurants, facilities for the elderly, company training centers, university training camps and day care centers. It is also worrisome that infection routes are unknown in many cases.

While the danger of enclosed spaces is widely known, the risk of infection at places where voices are raised, such as theaters and parties, is attracting renewed attention. Both facilities and users should try to avoid

crowding and prevent the spread of airborne droplets.

The medical system is in an unpredictable situation. In Tokyo, the number of inpa-tients has risen to about 1,000, nearly five times the number one month ago, and the number of patients in serious condition is increasing, too. If the number of patients surges in areas where the medical system is fragile, the supply of medical care could suddenly become tight.

It is important to secure hospital beds and prevent patients from falling into a more serious condition. Avoiding the collapse of the medical system and main-taining services for non-coro-navirus patients is also an important role for hospitals in charge of regional medical services.

Treatment of coronavirus requires a great deal of man-power, including for testing and disinfection. The pro-longed epidemic has exhausted health care workers and public health

center officials in charge of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. It is essential to reduce their burden by such measures as allocating support personnel in areas where there are many infected people.

With the start of the gov-ernment’s tourism subsidy campaign “Go To Travel,” many tourists have been vis-iting sightseeing spots other than in Tokyo. If the pro-motion of the campaign leads to the spread of infections from urban areas to rural areas, it will be meaningless.

Those who are not feeling well should refrain from traveling. It would also be wise for elderly people, who are prone to become seriously ill, and young people, who account for a significant number of cases, to refrain from traveling in groups. Travelers should learn to prevent infection by, for example, avoiding crowded places and choosing to visit tourist spots when they are uncrowded.

COVID-19 and the Arab region: An opportunity to build back better

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Spread of coronavirus nationwide shows need for caution and action

Established in 1996

ANTÓNIO GUTERRES UN SECRETARY-GENERAL

09MONDAY 27 JULY 2020 ASIA

Staff leave US consulate in Chengdu as deadline loomsREUTERS — CHENGDU

Staff of the US consulate in Chengdu made final efforts to clear the premises yesterday as security remained tight outside, ahead of today's closure ordered by Beijing as China-US relations continue to worsen.

A mini tourist atmosphere prevailed outside the facility on a tree-lined street on a hot Sunday, as onlookers shared sidewalk space with dozens of uniformed and plainclothes police opposite the entrance.

Consulate closures in Houston and Chengdu have escalated a sharp deterioration in ties between the world’s two biggest economies, which were already their worst in decades amid disputes over trade and technology, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and its clampdown on Hong Kong.

Police asked people to move on when crowds formed outside the consulate, as onlookers took

photos and videos of what they expected would be the last time to see the compound in US hands.

The street was closed to traffic, except for consular or police vehicles let through by police.

China on Friday ordered the closure of the Chengdu con-sulate in the southwestern provide of Sichuan. That means an evacuation deadline of 10am (0200 GMT) today, according to the editor of a state-run tabloid.

In Houston on Friday, a group of men accompanied by a US State Department official were seen forcing open a door

at the Chinese consulate, shortly after the US closure order took effect for a facility that Sec-retary of State Mike Pompeo called “a hub of spying and intellectual property theft”.

A coach that had been on the Chengdu consulate premises on Saturday left yesterday morning. It was unclear who or what was inside.

Since Friday, staff have been seen coming and going, including at least one with a suitcase. Removal vans entered and left on Saturday and yesterday.

“China’s response was reciprocal,” said a 63-year-old local resident who gave only his surname, Yang. The situation “is quite regrettable.”

On the Chengdu police account on Weibo, similar to Twitter, some netizens were asking the authorities to be lenient toward to a man who lit a firework outside the consulate Friday.

“I believe our country is so powerful, so it has the ability

to handle it properly, and provide me with enough

safety,” said a 25-year-old finance worker surnamed Zhao

when she passed by the consulate.

Social distancing signs are seen in the restaurant to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease, on the Explorer Dream cruise ship, in Keelung, Taiwan, yesterday.

Taiwan resumes ocean cruise amid pandemic

REUTERS — KEELUNG, TAIWAN

Taiwan resumed an island-hoping ocean cruise yesterday, joining a handful of places in the world to restart voyages after the coronavirus pandemic brought the industry to a virtual standstill.

Some 900 holiday makers are adapting to new safety measures when boarding Genting Hong Kong’s Explorer Dream embarking from Tai-wan’s northern Keelung port. The company now offers trips of up to five days from Taiwan to its scenic outlying islands of Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu.

The cruise resumption is part of a government effort to boost a tourism industry badly hit by the pandemic. Taiwan has largely closed its borders since mid-March and advised citizens against overseas travel unless absolutely necessary.

James Sun, sales manager of the cruise line, said a sea voyage could satisfy the desire for travel of people who are not permitted to go abroad.

The ship is carrying just a third of its maximum passenger limit, and is equipped with 22 COVID-19 wards to isolate pas-sengers if any fall ill.

The 500-strong crew

underwent a 21-day health screening before coming on board. All front-line service staff are required to wear masks and gloves. Buffet service has been dropped, the onboard spa is shut, and dining tables are set apart and divided by screens.

Passengers must keep social distance and have their tem-peratures checked before coming onboard.

Taiwan has kept the pan-demic well in hand with only 11 active cases and no local trans-mission for more than three months due to early and effective prevention.

Taliban accuse Afghan forces of re-arresting freed insurgentsAFP — KABUL

The Taliban accused Afghan security forces yesterday of re-arresting insurgents who had been released as part of a crucial prisoner swap meant to kick-start peace talks.

They said the National Directorate of Security (NDS) had detained an unspecified number of insurgents released under the exchange pro-gramme, warning Kabul would “bear responsibility for the consequences”.

“They are incessantly

raided, detained and put behind the bar by NDS of the Kabul (administration),” Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen said on Twitter.

Javid Faisal, the spokesman for Afghanistan’s National Security Council, said the claim was “incorrect”.

“It’s their way of sabotaging the peace efforts and the peace talks that should start,” he said.

The prisoner swap has been a major stumbling block in getting Kabul and the Taliban to start peace talks.

Under a deal between the

US and the Taliban, the Afghan government is supposed to release 5,000 insurgent pris-oners while the Taliban free 1,000 government inmates.

Kabul has released most of the 5,000 but the NDS has said some of the Taliban inmates are returning to the battlefield.

Peace talks were originally supposed to begin March 10 but the deadline passed amid political disarray in Kabul and as the prisoner swap stalled.

In the months since, vio-lence levels have soared across Afghanistan, with the Taliban

carrying out near-daily attacks against security forces.

On Saturday, Faisal said the Taliban had killed 46 civilians in more than 400 “terrorist activities” in the past week.

“Peace requires com-mitment and will, which aren’t visible in the actions of the Taliban,” he said on Twitter.

Also on Saturday, the US State Department said Zalmay Khalilzad, its special envoy who has been leading negotiations with the Taliban, will return to the region to “press for resolution of the remaining issues ahead of

intra-Afghan negotiations”.“Although significant

progress has been made on prisoner exchanges, the issue requires additional effort to fully resolve,” the department said in a statement.

Khalilzad will visit Doha, where the Taliban have a political office, as well as Kabul and Islamabad before heading to Europe to brief Nato.

Pakistan support for any peace push is key, as the country has long been accused of backing the Taliban — a claim Islamabad denies.

Thai youth resort to anime in pro-democracy protestAFP — BANGKOK

Sporting animal ears and stuffed hamster toys, hundreds of young protesters gathered yesterday at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument to call for the government’s disso-lution, the latest subversive show of creativity from the kingdom’s nascent pro-democracy movement.

As dozens of police watched, the protesters sang a parody of the theme song for Hamtaro —a popular Japanese anime char-acter that is a sparkly-eyed hamster — replacing the lyrics with the refrain “dissolve the parliament”.

The demonstrators brought

a different mood from a week ago, when thousands of young, black-clad Thais shouted vit-riolic anti-government rap songs at the monument.

But the message remains the same, as boom-box wielding Thais started to jog around the monument in an apparent symbolic attempt to show how the politics falls into a cycle they wish to break.

“I want a future where people can fight for democracy,” said Bowie, a 27-year-old lawyer who only provided his nickname.

“We need freedom to fight because this government attacks everyone that is not on their side,” he said before

running to join his fellow protesters.

The kingdom’s rambunc-tious political scene has long been defined by coups and deadly street protests.

The current government headed by former army gen-eral-turned-premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha is regarded as part of the pro-military royalist establishment.

But a freefalling economy due to the coronavirus epi-demic, and the recent disap-pearance of a pro-democracy activist has stoked the anger of younger internet-savvy Thais who are well-versed in viral movements.

The Hamtaro theme was

chosen for its viral potential in other countries, said Jessie, a 19-year-old university student.

Most notably, the jaunty chorus — “The most delicious thing is sunflower seeds” —have been changed to “The most deli-cious thing is the people’s taxes”.

“They should use our taxes to develop our country,” Jessie said. “We are scared but for us, it is important to start speaking up about it. We need change right now.”

The premier said last week he was “worried” for the parents of the young protesters, and defended keeping the emergency laws in place — which critics say is a way to erode freedoms.

Hong Kong tightens quarantine rules for sea and flight crewsAFP — HONG KONG

Hong Kong will stop most ships from changing crews in the territory from Wednesday to cut back on quarantine exemp-tions blamed for causing a third wave of coronavirus cases.

After seemingly ending local transmissions for weeks, new infections have hit triple figures on a daily basis in the densely packed finance hub —sparking fears the new outbreak is spreading out of control.

More than 1,000 infections have been confirmed since early July — more than 40 percent of the total since the virus first hit the city in late January.

Some health experts have blamed an exemption from the usual 14-day quarantine which the government granted to “essential personnel”, including cross-boundary truckers and air and sea crew.

Because of its extensive air links and busy port, Hong Kong is a popular transit point for ships to change crews.

T h e g o v e r n m e n t announced a slew of measures to tighten quarantine exemp-tions yesterday as the city recorded 128 new cases in the previous 24 hours, bringing the total to 2,634 with 18 deaths.

Most of the new cases were locally transmitted.

From Wednesday, only vessels with freight destined for Hong Kong will be able to

change crews, but even they will not be allowed to mingle in public and must go straight to or from the airport, or stay in a designated quarantine venue.

“We believe by tightening up the relevant requirements, we can properly address the public concern on the health risk,” a government spokes-person said.

Meanwhile, a total of 46 new cases were reported on the Chinese mainland over the past 24 hours, with 22 of them in the Xinjiang autonomous region, home to the majority-Muslim Uighur community, according to National Health Commission of China.

After around five months of no COVID-19 cases, infections have spiked in Xinjiang, with 137 new cases recorded over the last 10 days.

Most cases in the north-western Chinese province have been reported in its capital Urumqi, where strict restric-tions have been imposed to curb the virus’ spread.

The remaining 24 new cases, 11 of them were imported, reported from Mon-golia autonomous region, Guangdong province, Tianjin municipality, Fujian province, Shandong province and Liaoning province, according to the health commission.

China’s overall count since last December now stands at 83,830, including 4,634 fatal-ities and 78,908 recoveries.

A demonstrator holding a soft toy during a protest demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-Cha, in Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday.

Singapore and

Malaysia agree

on key points of

Green Lane Travel

BLOOMBERG — KUALA LUMPUR

Singapore and Malaysia said they’ve agreed on key aspects of green lane travel as the two countries move a step closer to reopening one of the world’s busiest border crossings.

The talks on the so-called Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) and the Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) will facil-itate travel for official, business and work purposes, according to a joint statement by the two foreign ministries after their ministers met yesterday.

Last month, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin discussed the gradual and phased resumption of cross-border travel between Singapore and Malaysia.

The governments will have further discussions on restoring travel for other groups, they added.

“It will be for a limited group of people for now, and done in a controlled manner,” Singapore Foreign Affairs Min-ister Vivian Balakrishnan, said in a Facebook post. “I seek the understanding and patience of Singaporeans that we are some time away from full and open travel, even to Malaysia.”

Applications by eligible travelers can be submitted by August 10, and they have to abide by public health measures in both countries. Operational details will be published soon.

Border lockdowns were imposed in March. About 300,000 people travel by land each day between the two nations, which are trying to safely reopen their economies that have been disrupted by the pandemic.

Besides the crossings via bridges, a one-hour flight between Singapore and Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur is the world’s second-busiest international route measured by seat capacity, according to OAG Aviation Worldwide Ltd.

Consulate closures in Houston and Chengdu have escalated a sharp deterioration in ties between the world’s two biggest economies.

A worker removing the wall plaque in front of the US consulate in Chengdu, southwestern China’s Sichuan province, yesterday.

10 MONDAY 27 JULY 2020EUROPE

Minister insists Spain is safe, as Britain imposes quarantine on travellersREUTERS — MADRID/LONDON

Spain is safe for tourists and Spaniards, the government insisted yesterday after Britain abruptly imposed a two-week coronavirus quarantine on trav-ellers returning from there, a decision that filled holiday-makers with dismay.

Last year, Britons made up over a fifth of foreign visitors to Spain, which relies on heavily on tourism revenues, meaning the UK move could deal a hard blow to efforts to restart the Mediterranean country’s economy after months of lockdown.

“Spain is safe, it is safe for Spaniards, it is safe for tourists,” Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya told reporters.

The Spanish government will focus its efforts on trying to persuade Britain to exclude the Balearic and Canary islands from the quarantine measure, she said, adding that the prev-alence of the virus in those popular travel destinations was much lower than in the United Kingdom.

Spain has seen COVID-19 cases rise in the last few weeks,

and Britain announced late on Saturday it was taking the country off a safe-travel list. The quarantine took effect hours later.

The measure upset the plans of many people either on holiday or planning to take one and caused more disruption for airlines and tour companies.

While Gonzalez Laya avoided directly criticising the UK move, British tourists trav-elling in Spain were more blunt.

“It’s a bit crazy considering the restrictions in place in Spain already are really good, with the masks, with disinfecting every-thing, with hand wash in the shops. That’s better than what we have in London,” Rich Lambert, a communications

officer, said at Barcelona’s airport.

Britain has also advised against all but essential travel to mainland Spain, leaving the islands out of the advice but including them in the quar-antine measure.

TUI UK, part of the TUI, holiday company, said it would cancel all holidays to mainland Spain up to August 9, while maintaining flights to the Bal-earic and Canary islands.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab defended the quarantine decision yesterday, as a “real-time response” to a jump in infections in Spain. “We can’t make apologies ... we must be able to take swift, decisive action,” he said on Sky News.

The opposition Labour Party’s health policy chief, Jonathan Ashworth, slammed Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government for its “frankly shambolic” handling of the measure.

Spain’s rise in COVID-19 cases has prompted most regions to impose rules for masks to be worn everywhere and, in several areas including Barcelona, calls for people to

stay at home.Most new cases have been

concentrated in the north-eastern region of Catalonia and neighbouring regions, so a lot of the criticism focused on the fact that the quarantine also applies to areas which have been spared the brunt of the pandemic.

“This is ridiculous. There are almost no cases here and there’s a far higher chance of con-tracting it when I get back to Britain,” said John Snelling, 50, from Stratford-upon-Avon, who was on holiday in Menorca.

Britain has been the

hardest-hit country in Europe by the pandemic. Spain was also badly affected, with more than 290,000 cases and over 28,000 deaths. It imposed very strict lockdown measures, gradually easing them earlier in the summer.

Norway last week reim-posed a 10-day quarantine requirement for people arriving from Spain, while France advised people not to travel to Catalonia.

But a collapse of tourism from Britain would have far more of an impact on Spain, where tourism accounts for 12%

of economic output. Britons make up the largest group of foreign visitors by nationality.

“This decision is an absolute disaster for the recovery, there’s no other way to see this,” Angel Tavares, head of European Eco-nomics at Oxford Economics consulting, said on Twitter, referring to the quarantine measure.

Maria Frontera, head of Mallorca’s FEHM hotel associ-ation said she was shocked by the UK move “just like the British citizens who were enjoying their holidays here in Spain.”

‘Alarm’ at Poland’s plan to leave treaty protecting womenAFP — STRASBOURG

The Council of Europe said yesterday it is “alarmed” that P o l a n d ’ s r i g h t - w i n g government is moving to withdraw from a landmark international treaty combating violence against women.

Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro (pictured) said on the weekend that on Monday (today) he will begin preparing the formal process to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, the world’s first binding instrument to prevent and combat violence against women, from marital rape to female genital mutilation.

A previous centrist Polish government signed the treaty in 2012 and it was ratified in 2015, when Ziobro called it “an invention”.

The treaty was spearheaded

by the Council of Europe, the continent’s oldest human rights organisation, and its Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic Buric condemned the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) government’s plan to withdraw.

“Leaving the Istanbul Con-vention would be highly regret-table and a major step back-wards in the protection of women against violence in

Europe,” she said in a statement yesterday.

“If there are any miscon-ceptions or misunderstandings about the convention, we are ready to clarify them in a con-structive dialogue.”

Around two thousand people marched in the Polish capital Warsaw on Friday to protest the government’s with-drawal plan, some shouting “stop violence against women”.

There was also outrage from several members of the European Parliament, with Iratxe Garcia Perez, the Spanish leader of the Socialist group, cal l ing the decis ion “disgraceful”.

“I stand with Polish citizens taking (to) the streets to demand respect for women’s rights,” he tweeted.

The leader of the EU parlia-ment’s Renew Europe group,

former Romanian prime min-ister Dacian Ciolos, tweeted: “Using the fight against the Istanbul Convention as an instrument to display its con-servatism is a new pitiful and pathetic move by some within the PiS government”.

Fellow MEP and former Belgian premier Guy Verhof-stadt said the decision was “scandalous”, adding that “vio-lence is not a traditional value”.

The Council of Europe emphasised that the Istanbul Convention’s “sole objective” is to combat violence against women and domestic violence.

The Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, which is sep-arate from the European Union, has no binding powers but brings together 47 member states to make recommenda-tions on rights and democracy.

A British Airways check-in desk is seen at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat airport, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Barcelona, Spain, yesterday.

A file photo of Brexit-themed billboard depicting Britain’s former foreign secretary Boris Johnson waving Russian national flags reading “Thank you Boris” is seen in east London.

49% of Britons believe Russia interfered in Brexit voteANATOLIA — LONDON

A new poll found yesterday that 49 percent of Britons believed Russia interfered in the Brexit referendum.

The poll was carried out by Opinium for The Observer newspaper, and came after the release of parliament’s Russia report, which found that the UK had “badly underestimated” the threat posed by Russia to the UK.

The poll asked Brits about Russian interference in the 2014 Scottish independence refer-endum, the 2016 Brexit refer-endum, and the 2019 UK general election. In all three elections, Brits were more likely than not to believe that Russia

had interfered.It found that 40 percent of

Brits believed Russia interfered in the Scottish independence referendum, and 49 percent believed that it had interfered in the Brexit referendum.

Those who voted Remain were more likely to believe Russia interfered in the refer-endum than those who voted Leave, 63 percent and 39 percent, respectively.

Regarding the 2019 UK general election, 47 percent believed Russia had interfered: 70 percent of centrist Liberal Democrat voters, 62 percent of centre-left Labour voters, and 39 percent of centre-right Con-servative voters.

Although Conservative

voters were the least likely to believe Russia had interfered in the 2019 UK general election, they were still more likely than not to believe Russia had inter-fered, with 39 percent believing Russia had interfered and 33 percent believing they had not.

Regarding the government’s overall approval rating over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, it dropped to -15, with disapproval increasing from 43 percent to 46 percent, and approval decreasing from 38 percent to 32 percnet.

Prime Minister Boris John-son’s overall approval rating dropped from -4 to -8, with 36 percent approving and 45 percent disapproving of his performance.

Danish Prince stable after brain clot surgery: PalaceAFP — COPENHAGEN

Denmark’s Prince Joachim, youngest son of Queen Margrethe II, is in a stable condition following surgery on a brain clot in France, the palace said yesterday.

“Prince Joachim’s situation is still stable. He is doing well in the circumstances,” the Ritzau news agency quoted the palace as saying after the prince’s surgery on Friday at Toulouse University Hospital.

Joachim, 51 and sixth in line to the Danish throne, was hol-idaying with his family at Cayx, a chateau the royal family owns in southwestern France, when he was taken ill.

The palace added that Joachim, contrary to earlier

Danish media reports saying he had been taken by helicopter, was driven by ambulance to the hospital, 130km away.

“It is too early to say right now,” palace spokeswoman Lene Balleby said with regard to how long the prince would remain hospitalised.

He became ill shortly after an interview for a local paper with French reporters, who described a “relaxed” encounter.

Joachim, whose late father, Prince Consort Henrik was of French origin, is the younger brother of Crown Prince Fre-derik, who is in line to succeed their 80-year-old mother.

Joachim is due to begin serving as military attache at the Danish embassy in Paris in September.

Britain has advised against all but essential travel to mainland Spain, leaving the islands out of the advice but including them in the quarantine measure.

'Gone with the wind' star Olivia de Havilland deadREUTERS — PARIS

“Gone With the Wind” star Olivia de Havilland, considered the last surviving actress of the Golden Age of Hollywood, died yesterday at the age of 104, the Hollywood Reporter said.

She died of natural causes at her home in Paris, where she had lived for more than 60 years, it said, citing her publicist.

De Havilland’s acting career included two Academy Awards, a victory over Holly-wood’s studio system and a long-running feud with sister Joan Fontaine that was worthy of a screenplay.

She first drew attention by playing opposite swash-buckling Errol Flynn in a series of films starting in the 1930s and made an enduring impression as the demure Southern belle Melanie in “Gone With the Wind” in 1939.

Later she would have to fight to get more challenging roles — a battle that ended up in court but paid off with Oscars for “To Each His Own” in 1946 and “The Heiress” in 1949.

De Havilland, a naturalised American who was born to English parents in Japan, had lived in Paris since 1953. She made few public appearances after retiring but returned to Hollywood in 2003 to take part in the 75th Academy Awards show.

“Gone With the Wind,” which also starred Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, won eight Academy Awards.

Ukraine, Russia hail peace efforts ahead of ceasefireAFP — KIEV

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (pictured) welcomed efforts to resolve Ukraine’s conflict with Kremlin-backed separatists during a phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin ahead of a ceasefire starting today.

Moscow and Kiev agreed to implement a ceasefire in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbass during negotiations earlier this month, as a precon-dition for a broader settlement agreed in the capital of Belarus in 2015.

Ukraine has been fighting separatists backed by Russia in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions since 2014 following Moscow’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

More than 13,000 people have been killed since fighting broke out in 2014, despite the peace accords signed in Minsk.

Both Putin and Zelenskiy “welcomed the agreement on a full and comprehensive ceasefire in the Donbass”, a statement from the Ukrainian presidency said.

The Kremlin meanwhile underscored the importance of the “unconditional observance of these agreements by the parties to the conflict”.

Zelenskiy called for redoubled efforts to secure the release of Ukrainian citizens in the Donbass, Crimea and Russia, according to the Ukrainian statement.

Putin raised concerns over a recent bill in the Ukrainian parliament paving the way for regional elections in 2022,

saying it runs “counter to the Minsk agreements” and puts “settlement prospects in jeopardy,” the Kremlin said.

In December, the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany met in Paris for another round of talks, expressing support for the Minsk deal and agreeing to revive the peace process.

The four-way talks seek the withdrawal of heavy weapons, the restoration of Kiev’s control over its borders, wider autonomy for Donetsk and Lugansk, and the holding of local elections.

Zelenskiy, who won the 2019 election on promises to end the conflict, wanted Ukraine to get control of its border first before local elections, but the Kremlin has insisted the deal should be implemented without revisions.

The new ceasefire deal was reached on Wednesday by members of the Tripartite Contact Group that includes rep-resentatives of Russia, Ukraine and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and was welcomed by EU officials.

11MONDAY 27 JULY 2020 EUROPE / AMERICAS

‘Brazil’s virus crisis complicated by chaotic policy-making’AFP — BRASÍLIA

Brazil is being battered by the coronavirus crisis, but the damage is uneven across the sprawling South American country, where experts say chaotic policy-making has only made a complicated situation worse.

Like the United States — the only country that has recorded more infections and deaths in the pandemic — Brazil is a continent-sized giant with myriad regions and sub-regions, held together by a federal system that can breed a confusing cacophony of national, state and local pol-icies even at the best of times.

The national statistics on the new coronavirus — more than 2.3 million infections and 85,000 deaths — mask a varied panorama across the country of 212 million people.

“It’s very heterogeneous,” said Marcelo Gomes, of leading public health research institute Fiocruz.

Brazil’s 27 states are all facing different epidemics. Even within states, “things can change a lot from one region to the next,” he said.

Nationwide, the curve of daily COVID-19 deaths in Brazil has been in a long plateau since

June, albeit in a very high range.

At the state level, things are murkier.

On average over the past seven days, four states posted declining daily death tolls, including once-devastated Amazonas in the north and Ceara in the northeast.

Ten had rising numbers, including in the south and west-central regions, which had been less affected until recently.

And 13 were basically stable, including Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the two hardest hit states.

In some states, including Ceara and Rio de Janeiro, there is talk of a “second wave, even though the first wave never really tapered off,” said Gomes.

President Jair Bolsonaro has downplayed the pandemic, comparing the virus to a “little flu” and the reaction to it “hysteria.”

The far-right leader, who regularly defies social dis-tancing guidelines, tested pos-itive for the virus himself on July 7 after developing a fever and fatigue.

On Saturday, after spending neraly three weeks in self-isolation at the presi-dential palace, he said he had tested negative for the virus — crediting his controversial use of the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine, whose efficacy against COVID-19 has not been proven.

Amid Bolsonaro’s attacks on stay-at-home measures to contain the virus, the Supreme Court gave state and local authorities the final say in the matter.

But states and municipal-ities have imposed an inelegant hodge-podge of quarantine measures, with little in the way of enforcement and a wide-spread lack of adherence.

That has been followed, in some cases, by poorly designed policies to reopen the economy, which many experts have deemed premature.

Brazilians are also split by

huge socioeconomic and regional divides. Private hos-pitals in the wealthy industrial cities of the southeast look nothing like public ones in the poor north and northeast.

The World Health Organ-ization said last week Brazil finally appeared to have reached the plateau, urging it to use the occasion to take

control. “We’re still a long way

from that. It’s not that we’re not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. We can’t even see the tunnel,” said Jose David Urbaez, an infectious disease specialist at Asa Norte Regional Hospital in Brasilia.

“If Bolsonaro’s attitude were different, if there were a

coordinated central response, the situation would be a lot dif-ferent,” he added.

“This diversity of situations is more down to management chaos than the actual epidemi-ological picture. We could have had a single quarantine for everyone, with different layers and timing adapted to each region.”

Sanitary staff disinfecting in the Santa Marta Favela, south of the city Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, yesterday.

Serbia seeks more warplanes amid Balkan tensionsAP — BELGRADE

Serbia will strengthen its armed forces and is seeking to purchase more warplanes amid simmering tensions in the Balkans, the Serbian pres-ident said yesterday.

President Aleksandar Vucic said “certain initiatives” have been made to buy a fleet of fighter-bombers, accusing the US and other Western countries of arming Serbia’s Nato neighbours and its breakaway former province of Kosovo.

“The Americans, Turks and Germans are taking care of their beloved child,” Vucic said, referring to Kosovo. He said the US has recently delivered a number of armored vehicles to Kosovo’s security forces.

During a tour of a Serbian army tank brigade, Vucic said his country cannot compete with “Nato donations” to its neighbors when it comes to weapons, “therefore we must do it alone.”

Vucic did not specify what type of warplanes Serbia plans

to buy, but the pro-gov-ernment media said his gov-ernment has officially asked the US for the delivery of 20 fighter-bombers. The reports said Washington has not yet responded to Belgrade’s request and that in case of a refusal, it is likely to purchase Russian-made Sukhoi-25 attack aircraft.

Serbia, which claims mil-itary neutrality, has recently received a sophisticated anti-aircraft system from Russia, which has also provided fighter jets, attack helicopters

and armored vehicles. Another Serbian ally, China, has delivered military drones.

US officials have in the past spoken openly about introducing sanctions against Serbia if Moscow sends more arms to the country, especially those that could jeopardize the security of neighbouring Nato-member states.

The Russian and Chinese arming of Serbia is being watched with unease in the West and among Serbia’s neighbours. Tensions are growing in the Balkans, which

went through a devastating civil war in the 1990s. Nato intervened in Serbia to stop a bloody Serb crackdown against Kosovo Albanian sep-aratists in 1999.

Despite formally seeking to join the European Union, Serbia’s populist leadership has further strengthened close political and military ties with the Kremlin, as well as Beijing. Serbia, as well as Russia and China, don’t accept Kosovo’s independence, which is rec-ognized by the US and most of the West.

Hundreds of firefighters battle Portugal wildfireREUTERS — LISBON

More than 700 firefighters yesterday battled a wildfire sweeping across a part of central Portugal, with strong winds complicating efforts to tackle the blaze.

The wildfire has been raging in the municipality of Oleiros since Saturday afternoon but it has now spread to two neigh-bouring municipalities and has already forced the precautionary evacuation of several people.

A 21-year-old firefighter died in a road accident on Saturday evening while fighting the fire and six others were injured.

“I would like to send a word of solidarity, encouragement and thanks to the firefighters... for the work they do for Portugal and for all of us,” Prime Minister Antonio Costa said in a statement. Luis Belo Costa, com-mander from the Castelo Branco

district, where the affected municipalities are located, told a news conference on Sunday morning that several houses were at risk as the fire raged near isolated villages.

“There were houses hit by the flames,” Belo Costa said, adding it was still too early to say how long it would take to bring the fire under control.

“People were evacuated but most have already returned to their homes.” The fires are small compared with a massive fire that hit the region in June 2017, killing 66 people and injuring more than 250. European Union data shows that Portugal is one of the bloc’s worst-hit countries by fires every year. One of the root causes of wildfires is that parts of the country’s interior are deserted as people have left to live in cities or abroad, and the job of clearing trees and bushes is ignored, creating a fire risk.

Italian region imposes €1,000 fines for not wearing masksAFP — ROME

Three businesses in the southern Italian city of Salerno are the first to fall foul of tough new anti-coronavirus regulations imposed by the region of Campania, local media reported yesterday.

The three businesses, which include a bar and a hairdresser, were hit with 1,000-euro ($1,166) fines after police found they had not respected an edict imposed on Friday that requires people to wear masks in enclosed spaces.

“If our fellow citizens think that the problem is resolved, that means that within a few weeks we will return to a grave emer-gency,” Vincenzo De Luca, the president of Campania, which includes Naples, posted on Facebook on Friday.

“We knew that there would be an increase in contamination, it was widely expected,” he said, a few hours before the publi-cation of an order toughening the rules to fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

The key measure of the text is a fine of 1,000 euros for anyone who does not wear a mask in an enclosed space, whether in public buildings, supermarkets, bars, restaurants, shops or on public transport.

According to the new regu-lations, “transport operators are required to deny access to pas-sengers who do not wear the mask”.

If they are on board, they must be sanctioned and “invited to disembark immediately or as soon as possible”.

If they refuse, “the bus or train will be blocked” and the “intervention of the police will be requested”.

Businesses are also being held responsible “if the offence

is committed in the exercise of a commercial activity”. Apart from a 1,000-euro fine, the business could face closure from five to 30 days. Italy was the first country in Europe to be affected

by coronavirus. More than 35,000 people have died and there have been over 242,000 cases of contamination.

Saturday saw 275 new cases as well as five deaths.

Guests wearing face masks wait as they arrive before a concert at the Arena in Verona, northern Italy.

Britain to unveil

obesity plan after

PM’s near-death

experience

AFP — LONDON

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to roll out a £10m anti-obesity campaign, including junk food advert bans, following his own brush with death that he partly blamed on his weight.

Johnson will announce his “Better Health” campaign today, which is expected to include encouraging doctors to issue “cycling prescriptions” for over-weight patients, more segre-gated cycling lanes and a ban on junk food television ads before 9.00pm, according to British media reports.

“COVID-19 has given us all a wake-up call of the immediate and long-term risks of being overweight, and the Prime Min-ister is clear we must use this moment to get healthier, more active and eat better,” said a government spokesman yesterday.

“We will be urging the public to use this moment to take stock of how they live their lives, and to take simple steps to lose weight, live healthier lives, and reduce pressure on the NHS.”

Restaurants will also have to publish the number of cal-ories in the meals they serve, according to a report in the Daily Mail. Johnson, who has fought his own battles to control his weight, required intensive care treatment in April after catching the virus. The plan, which the Guardian estimated would cost £10m, marks a U-turn by the prime minister.

Tropical Storm Hanna drenches South Texas amid virus crisis

AP — CORPUS CHRISTI

A day after roaring ashore as a hurricane, Hanna lashed the Texas Gulf Coast yesterday with high winds and drenching rains that destroyed boats, flooded streets and knocked out power across a region already reeling from a surge in coronavirus cases.

Downgraded to a tropical storm, Hanna hovered over the US-Mexico border in the morning with winds near 50mph (85kph), the National Hurricane Center said. It was expected to unload as much as 18 inches of rain (45 centimetres) on parts of South Texas and northeastern Mexico.

Border communities whose health care systems were already strained by COVID-19 cases - with some patients being airlifted to larger cities - found themselves grappling with Hanna.

Dr. Ivan Melendez, the health authority in Hidalgo

County, Texas, was treating a patient overnight at a hospital when he noticed water pooling on the floor.

“I thought, ‘Hey, something’s leaking,’” Melendez said. “The nurse looks at me and says, ‘Look behind you.’ I look and see this water coming and coming and coming down the wall.” The water was flowing through a vent in the room, which had been retrofitted with a fan to create negative pressure and prevent the virus spreading through the hospital.

After driving home in the storm in the middle of the night, Melendez was trapped Sunday morning in his home by downed trees and had no electricity. He used the phone to discuss whether to place a 58-year-old woman on a ventilator, a decision he felt uncomfortable making without seeing the patient in person.

“You look at the people’s eyes,” he said. “You’ll know if they’re in despair.” Shelters were

opened in hotels, schools and gyms. A community building known as the “Dome” in the border town of Mercedes was set aside for evacuees who had tested positive for COVID-19 or were exposed to the virus. Authorities instructed people to bring masks and hand sanitizer if they could.

Coastal states scrambled this spring to adjust emergency hur-ricane plans to account for the virus, and Hanna was the first big test. Governor Greg Abbott said on Saturday that some people in need of shelter would be given hotel rooms to keep them apart from others.

“We cannot allow this hur-ricane to lead to a more cata-strophically deadly event by stoking additional spread of COVID-19 that could lead to fatalities,” he said.

The first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic season blew ashore as a Category 1 storm late Saturday afternoon with winds of 90mph not far from Port

Mansfield, which is about 210km south of Corpus Christi.

Parts of South Texas had gotten at least 9 inches of rain, including Cameron County, which includes Brownsville.

Myrle Tucker, 83, tried to ride out the storm in a pow-erboat docked in a Corpus Christi marina. But winds and rain blew out the vessel’s windows. Eventually, rescuers in a dinghy were able to reach him and bring him to shore.

Tucker was standing in the marina yesterday holding a cup of coffee. Many other boats had been flooded and lashed by the storm. He recalled telling the rescuers he wasn’t sure he would be able to climb out of his boat.

“They picked me up,” he said. “They carried me like a box of napkins.” The Coast Guard helped rescue a couple without injuries after their sailboat began taking on water Saturday evening in a harbor near Corpus Christi.

The national statistics on the new coronavirus — more than 2.3 million infections and 85,000 deaths — mask a varied panorama across the country of 212 million people.

12 MONDAY 27 JULY 2020AMERICAS

Police, protesters clash as US cities endure violent weekendAP — PORTLAND

Protests took a violent turn in several US cities overnight, with demonstrators squaring off against agents outside a federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, forcing police in Seattle to retreat into a station house and setting fire to vehicles during unrest in California and Virginia.

A protester in Austin, Texas, who was apparently armed with a rifle was shot and killed after witnesses say he approached a car that had driven through a march against police violence. And someone was shot and wounded in Aurora, Colorado, after a car drove through a protest there, authorities said.

The unrest on Saturday and early yesterday stemmed from the weeks of protests over racial injustice and the police treatment of people of color that flared up after the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd, who was Black and handcuffed, died after a white police officer used his knee to pin down Floyd’s neck for nearly eight minutes while Floyd begged for air.

In Seattle, police officers

retreated into a precinct station early yesterday, hours after large demonstrations in the city’s Capitol Hill neigh-bourhood. Some demonstrators lingered after officers filed into the department’s East Precinct around 1am, but most cleared out a short time later, according to video posted online.

At a late-night news con-ference, Seattle police Chief Carmen Best called for peace. Rocks, bottles, fireworks and mortars were fired at police during the weekend unrest, and police said they arrested at least 45 people for assaults on officers, obstruction and failure to disperse. Twenty-one officers were hurt, with most of their injuries considered minor, police said.

In Portland, thousands of people gathered Saturday evening for another night of protests over George Floyd’s killing and the presence of federal agents recently sent to the city by President Donald Trump. Protesters breached a fence surrounding the city’s federal courthouse building where the agents have been stationed.

Police declared the situation to be a riot and at around

1:20am, they began ordering people to leave the area sur-rounding the courthouse or risk arrest, saying on Twitter that the violence had created “a grave risk” to the public. About 20 minutes later, federal officers and local police could be seen attempting to clear the area and deploying tear gas, however protesters remained past 2:30am, forming lines across intersections and holding makeshift shields as police

patrolled and closed blocks abutting the area. Multiple arrests were made, but it wasn’t immediately clear how many.

In the Texas capital of Austin, a protester was shot and killed Saturday night after wit-nesses say he approached a car that had driven through a march against police violence.

In Oakland, California, pro-testers set fire to a courthouse, damaged a police station, broke windows, spray-painted graffiti,

shot fireworks and pointed lasers at officers after a peaceful demonstration Saturday evening turned to unrest, police said.

In Virginia’s capital, Richmond, a dump truck was torched as several hundred pro-testers and police faced off late Saturday during a demon-stration of support for the pro-testers in Portland. Police declared it to be an “unlawful assembly”.

Joe Biden tops Trump in polls for three US statesBLOOMBERG — WASHINGTON

Another wave of opinion polls released yesterday showed voters leaning to Democrat Joe Biden over President Donald Trump in Michigan, Florida and Arizona, three key states won by Trump in 2016.

Handling of the coronavirus spells trouble for Trump, according to pollsters, as US cases now exceed 4 million and deaths are over 146,000. The US election is 100 days away but early voting will start in some states in as few as five weeks.

Biden is ahead in Arizona by 49 percent to 45 percent among registered voters, according to a CNN poll conducted by SSRS,

a survey and market research firm. Another Arizona poll released yesterday, from NBC News/Marist, put Biden up by 5 percentage points, 50 percent to 45 percent.

Arizona voters said Biden would do a better job handling the COVID-19 outbreak and race relations. Trump’s sup-porters were more enthusiastic than Biden’s, though — a factor

that the president and his re-election campaign have emphasised.

Democrats also enjoy a wide advantage in Arizona’s Senate contest between incumbent Republican Martha McSally and challenger Mark Kelly.

Kelly, a Nasa astronaut and husband of former Represent-ative Gabrielle Giffords, had a

12-point lead over McSally, 53 percent to 41 percent, after having a 3-point edge in March, NBC said.

Trump carried Michigan in 2016 by a narrow 10,704-vote margin. The new CNN poll put Biden on top there by 52 percent to 40 percent. Another poll released yesteday, from CBS/YouGov, showed Biden leading by 6 points.

Some 70 percent of Michi-gan’s registered voters reported disliking how the president handles himself personally. Biden is only mixed on that measure himself but does better than Trump by double digits.

Some surveys have shown that when voters dislike both candidates, more are leaning

toward Biden.CBS showed Trump up by

1 point over Biden in Ohio after winning the state by 8 points in 2016. Much of Biden’s support in Michigan and Ohio came from people who are mainly voting against Trump rather than for Biden, CBS said.

In Florida, Biden is ahead 51 percent to 46 percent, according to the CNN survey. Like Arizona, Florida is dealing with a rapid rise in the level of coronavirus infections.

The RealClearPolitics summary of major polls, including those released Sunday, shows Biden up by 4 points in Arizona, 8.4 points in Michigan, and 7.8 points in

Florida.The CNN polls were con-

ducted July 18 to 24 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points among registered voters. Some 873 reg-istered voters were polled in Arizona; 880 registered voters in Florida; and 927 registered voters in Michigan.

The NBC-Marist poll was taken July 14 to 22 among 826 registered voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 per-centage points.

The CBS-YouGov survey was done July 21 to 24 with a 3.4 percentage point margin of error among registered voters in Michigan, and 3.6 points among registered voters in Ohio.

A man is tackled to the ground and arrested by the police, in Richmond, Virginia, yesterday.

Handling of the coronavirus spells trouble for Trump, according to pollsters, as US cases now exceed 4 million and deaths are over 146,000. The US election is 100 days away but early voting will start in some states in as few as five weeks.

LatAm leads world in virus casesREUTERS — ASUNCION

Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Latin America for the first time have surpassed the combined infections in the United States and Canada, a Reuters tally showed yesterday, amid a surge of infections in Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Colombia and Argentina.

The quickly growing number of cases make Latin America the region most impacted by the pandemic

globally, with 26.83 percent of worldwide cases.

Latin America now has 4,327,160 total cases of the novel coronavirus compared to 4,308,495 infections in United States and Canada, according to the count based on data pro-vided by the governments of each country.

The United States continues to be the individual country with the highest number of infections and deaths from COVID-19, the respiratory

disease caused by the virus, with more than 4.2 million cases and roughly 146,000 deaths, followed by Brazil, with 2.4 million cases and nearly 87,000 dead.

Mexico, Peru and Chile also are among the top 10 nations in COVID-19 cases.

Health experts have said that official data almost cer-tainly under-reports infections and deaths, particularly in countries with limited testing capacity.

Customers sit with teddy bears used to keep social distancing measures amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, at a restaurant in Polanco neighbourhood in Mexico City, yesteday.

Florida records 9,300 new virus cases, blows past NYREUTERS — TALLAHASSEE

Florida yesterday became the second state after California to overtake New York, the worst-hit state at the start of the US novel coronavirus outbreak, according to a Reuters tally.

Total COVID-19 cases in the Sunshine State rose by 9,300 to 423,855 yesterday, just one place behind

California, which now leads the country with 448,497 cases. New York is in third place with 415,827 cases.

Still, New York has recorded the most deaths of any US state at more than 32,000 with Florida in eighth place with nearly 6,000 deaths.

On average, Florida has added more than 10,000 cases a day in July while California

has been adding 8,300 cases a day and New York has been adding 700 cases.

The surge in Florida has continued as the state’s Repub-lican Governor Ron DeSantis has repeatedly said he will not make mask-wearing man-datory and that schools must reopen in August.

On the contrary, New York state has managed to get the

virus under control, with stores and restaurants shuttered and the wearing of masks mandatory.

The rise in cases also comes as President Donald Trump is pushing to re-open US schools in the fall, despite teachers’ and families’ concerns that children could contract or transmit the disease should they return to the classroom.

Actress Spencer Grammer slashed outside restaurantAP — NEW YORK

Actress Spencer Grammer said she was trying to calm an agitated man when he slashed her in the arm and stabbed her friend in the back on Friday outside a New York City restaurant.

Grammer, 36, told US Weekly that she and her friend “did what anyone else would do in the same situation” and were “attempting to prevent the altercation from esca-lating” when they were attacked.

Grammer and her 32-year-old friend were eating at an outside table at The Black Ant in Manhattan’s East Village neighbourhood around 11:30pm Friday when the man ambled up and demanded to be served as the restaurant was closing down.

Grammer and her friend were hurt as they “attempted to break up a dispute between the unidentified male and other patrons at the location,” police said.

The man ranaway after wounding Grammer in the right arm and her friend in the lower back with an unknown sharp object, police said. No arrests have been made.

Grammer, who provides the voice of Summer on “Rick and Morty” and previously starred on the ABC Family series “Greek,” is the daughter of “Frasier” star Kelsey Grammer and actress Doreen Alderman.

Grammer said she and her friend both expect to recover quickly. Neither suffered serious internal injuries, she said.

In her statement, Grammer thanked the first responders and Bellevue Hospital staff that treated them and noted the “incredible battle” those workers have fought against the pandemic.

Number of fires

increases in

Brazil’s wetlands

AP — BRASILIA

The number of fires in Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands nearly doubled in the first half of 2020, compared to the same period last year, according to data released by a state institute. Officials said it was the largest number of fires in a six-month period in the last two decades.

The sharp increase in fires comes amid domestic and inter-national concern over Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s calls to clear land in order to drive economic development, and follows a surge in fires, many set to make land available for farming and other industry, in the Amazon last year.

There were 2,534 recorded fires in the Pantanal, the world’s biggest tropical wet-lands, between January and June, the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research said. Between January and June 2019, the institute recorded 981 fires, which rep-resents an increase of 158 percent so far this year.

As of Saturday, the institute had registered another 1,322 fires in July, for a total of 3,856 blazes in the wetlands that extend through the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul. Until the end of last month, technicians from the institute estimated the total area of the Pantanal burned this year at 5,100 sq km.

On July 16, the Brazilian government issued a decree banning burning in the Pan-tanal wetlands and the Amazon forest for four months. However, in the Pan-tanal alone, 1,002 fire spots have been identified since the decree came into force.

White House pushes narrow virus aid; Pelosi blasts delayAP — WASHINGTON

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi yesterday assailed Republican “disarray” over a new pandemic relief package as the White House suggested a narrower effort might be necessary, at least for now.

The California Democrat panned the Trump administra-tion’s desire to trim an expiring temporary federal unem-ployment benefit from $600 weekly to about 70 percent of pre-pandemic wages. “The reason we had $600 was its simplicity,” she said from the Capitol.

The administration’s chief negotiators — White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin — were returning to the Capitol to put what Meadows described as “final touches” on a $1 trillion relief bill Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is likely to bring forward today.

Both Mnuchin and Meadows said narrower legis-lation might need to be passed first to ensure that enhanced unemployment benefits don’t run out for millions of Amer-icans. They cited unem-ployment benefits, money to help schools reopen, tax credits to keep people from losing their

jobs, and lawsuit protections for schools and businesses as priorities.

Pelosi has said she opposes approving a relief package in piecemeal fashion.

“We can move very quickly with the Democrats on these issues,” Mnuchin said. “We’ve moved quickly before. … If there are issues that take longer, we’ll deal with those as well.”

Separately, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said a federal eviction moratorium on millions of rental units, due to expire at the end of the month, will be extended. “We will lengthen it,” he said, without specifying for how long.

Pelosi criticised the hold-up on the GOP side. House Dem-ocrats passed a $3 trillion relief package a couple of months ago, with the aim of jump-starting negotiations.

“They’re in disarray and that delay is causing suffering for America’s families,” Pelosi said.

She declined to say whether she could accept 70 percent of wages in place of the now-expired $600 weekly benefit.

“Why don’t we just keep it simple?” she asked, referring to a flat dollar amount.