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Volume 22 | Number 7394 | 2 RiyalsTuesday 2 January 2018 | 15
Rabia II I 1439
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Thiem begins Qatar Open quest on a winning note
Compass Group chief dies in Sydney
seaplane crash
BUSINESS | 22 SPORT | 32
Festival ridesThe giant slide is one of the exciting features at
this year’s Souq Waqif Spring Festival which runs until April 25.
→SEE ALSO PAGE 4 PIC: RAYNALD C RIVERA / THE PENINSULA
Emir sends greetings to President of SudanDOHA: Emir H H Sheikh
Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sent a cable of congratulations to
President of the Republic of Sudan Omar Hassan Al Bashir, on the
anniversary of his coun-try’s Independence Day. The Deputy Emir H H
Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani sent a similar cable to
Pres-ident Al Bashir, on the anni-versary of his country’s
Inde-pendence Day.
Emir greets President of CubaDOHA: Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin
Hamad Al Thani sent a cable of congratulations to the President of
the Council of State and the Council of Ministers of the Republic
of Cuba, Raul Castro, on the anniversary of his country’s I n d e p
e n d e n c e D a y . The Deputy Emir H H Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad
Al Thani also sent a similar cable of congratulations to Raul
Castro.
Qatar rejects Likud’s annexation move of West Bank, Jerusalem
DOHA: The State of Qatar has affirmed its total rejection of the
decision of Israel’s ruling Likud party to impose Israeli law on
settlements in the West Bank and the occupied Jerusalem and their
annex-ation to Israel.
→SEE ALSO PAGES 4 & 7
IRFAN BUKHARI THE PENINSULA
DOHA: Expanding existing multi-faceted cooperation between Qatar
and Turkey, Qatar Post (Q-Post) yesterday launched e-commerce
platform – Turkish Souq – in partnership with Turkish Post
(PTT).
The new e-commerce platform (turkishsouq.qa) will provide access
to up to 5 million Turkish products ranging from clothing, shoes
and accessories as well as vehicle parts and eve-rything
in-between, all at a flat delivery rate of QR50.
The event was attended by Minister of Transport and
Com-munications H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti, Qatar Post Chairman
and Managing Director Faleh Al Naemi, Managing Director of Turkish
Post (PTT), Kenan Bozgeyik, the Ambassador of the Republic of
Turkey, Fikret Ozer and other dignitaries.
Ahmet Arslan, Turkish Min-ister of Transport, Marine Affairs and
Communications also addressed the gathering via FaceTime from
Turkey.
Speaking at the event, H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti said that
the launch of the platform would revolutionise e-commerce in Qatar.
“The depth of Qatari-Turkish bilateral relations and
constructive co-operation in the fields of post, transport,
ports, and aviation, whose foundations were laid by Emir H H Sheikh
Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the Turkish Pres-ident Recep Tayyip
Erdogan cannot be overemphasised,” the Minister added.
Qatar Post Chairman and Managing Director Faleh al Naemi said
that Qatar Post had launched “Connected” service two years ago
allowing people to shop in the US and UK.
“Today, we are launching our latest e-commerce service, Turkish
Souq. From today, our citizens can take advantage of
all the good work PTT (Turkish Post) has done and purchase
quality products from trusted Turkish merchants and Qatar Post will
ship them to their doorstep,” Al Naemi said.
He said it was the first phase
of cooperation between two countries’ postal services. “Later
on, we will offer reciprocal services allowing Qatari e-com-merce
companies to sell their products in Turkey.”
Turkish Souq offers free
home delivery by Qatar Post for all shoppers and items
pur-chased can be delivered within two business days anywhere in
Qatar.
→CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
THE PENINSULA
DOHA: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education announced
yesterday that it received some 37,000 applica-tions from
individuals interested to fill hundreds of academic, administrative
and special education posts.
The Ministry said it has
received the applications through its website from various Arab
nationalities following the announcement made by the Min-istry to
fill vacant posts and the opening of the submission of these jobs
during the period from 15 to 31 December.
The Ministry said in a statement that its work teams have
started sorting the
applications immediately after they start receiving the
applica-tions. The interview process is scheduled to take place in
Qatar and some of the interviews will be in a number of Arab
countries during the months of January and February.
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education in mid-December,
announced about
800 job vacancies for the posts of teachers and administrators
from all nationalities for the next academic year 2018-19. The job
vacancies are in the public schools. With regard to gender and
nationalities, the Ministry said posts are for (males and females),
administrative jobs (males only) and special edu-cation posts (male
and female)
and the number of candidates targeted is about 900.
The Ministry also said it is going to sort out the applica-tions
as per the requirements and the shortlisted applicants will be
called for interview. The applicants will be notified about
fulfilling the requirements according to first-come-first-serve
basis.
THE PENINSULA
DOHA: The Court of First Instance levied a bus driver who
assaulted another motorist in road rage fight with a fine of
QR5,000.
The Public Prosecution had referred the driver to a criminal
trial for assault and deliberately causing bodily harm to the
victim, a car driver, who suffered severe physical damage.
According to the case filed, the motorist was driving on a
crowded street, and was leaving a roundabout, when the bus driver
on the left side tried to turn and overtake his car. The car driver
in his attempt to avoid the bus entered the muddy road.
The bus was carrying many passengers, who also insulted the car
driver. When the bus stopped and the car driver approached the bus
driver to talk to him, the passengers and bus driver hit the former
and drove off.
The car driver noted the bus number and filed a com-plaint with
the police who tracked the bus and the driver. The driver admitted
his mistake.
Bus driver fined QR5,000 after road rage fight
Ministry of Education receives 37,000 job applications
THE PENINSULA
DOHA: Minister of Transport and Communica-tions H E Jassim bin
Saif Al Sulaiti has said that the volume of e-trade in Qatar at the
end of December is QR4bn.
Talking to media after launching Turkish Souq e-commerce
platform, the minister said that the volumes of e-trade were on the
rise. “Qatar Airways alone handed shipping of 25percent of
e-commerce items, 14percent of their cargo was handled by other
Qatari companies while the rest was shipped by other foreign
companies,” he said.
The minister said that Qatar was keen to develop e-commerce
market and increase exchange level reaching QR10bn by 2022. He said
that the government was encouraging Qatari companies in this
regard.
On Turkish Souq, the Minister said that it was a great step that
will give access to Qatar’s pop-ulation to Turkish market. He said
the service was cheap as Qatar Post would charge only QR50 for
shipping. The minister said that as many as 1,500 companies in
Qatar were working in elec-tronic businesses and “our target to
take the number to 5000 by 2020.”
SACHIN KUMAR THE PENINSULA
DOHA: Shoppers in Qatar are set to be spoilt with choices as
many new malls will open gates over the next three years. Around
nine malls are expected to open over the next three years, offering
customers a wide range of shopping, dining and entertainment
experiences.
“Currently, there are around nine new malls under various stages
of construction, out of which four have experienced soft openings,
or launched in phases and have expansion plans that are slated to
be delivered within a 3-year period,” said a report by KPMG on
Qatar’s real estate sector. “This will take the overall organised
retail space in excess of 2 million sqm,” it added.
Currently, the overall organised retail
space stands at approximately 1.63 million square metre
(sqm).
Opening of new malls indicates the strength of Qatar’s robust
economy and shows that the country is moving fast on the growth
trajectory, despite the illegal blockade imposed by siege countries
since June 5. Northgate Mall, Place Vendome, Doha Mall, Doha Oasis,
Katara Plaza, Al Waab Mall are among the malls which will be opened
over the next three years while some others announced partially
opening this year. “Qatar’s retail market continues to outperform
all other asset classes. One of the primary reasons for this robust
growth is the high disposable income of a significant section of
the population,” noted the report.
→CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Minister of Transport and Communications, H E Jassim bin Saif Al
Sulaiti (centre), Faleh Al Naemi (fourth right), Chairman and
Managing Director of Qatar Post, Kenan Bozgeyik (fourth left), CEO
of Turkish Post, Fikret Ozer (third right), Ambassador of Turkey,
and other officials at the inauguration of Turkish Souq, at
Mondrian Doha, yesterday. PIC: KAMMUTTY V P / THE PENINSULA
‘Turkish Souq’ to provide 5m items online
Nine malls expected to open in three years
Qatar Post yesterday launched new e-commerce platform
(turkishsouq.qa) that will provide access to up to 5 million
Turkish products ranging from clothing, shoes and accessories as
well as vehicle parts and everything in-between, all at a flat
delivery rate of QR50.
Volume of e-trade touches QR4bn
www.thepeninsula.qa
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02 TUESDAY 2 JANUARY 2018HOME
Al Muraikhi meets Azerbaijan Ambassador
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al
Muraikhi met yesterday with Ambassador of the Republic of
Azerbaijan to Qatar, Dr Tofiq Abdullayev, on the occasion of the
end of his tenure in the country. The Minister of State for Foreign
Affairs thanked the Ambassador of Azerbaijan for his efforts in
promoting the bilateral relations and wished him success in his new
tasks.
FM gets message from Afghan Minister
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Mohamed
bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has received a written message from
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Salahuddin Rabbani, pertaining to bilateral relations and means of
developing them. The message was received by Minister of State for
Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi during his meeting
with Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to Qatar,
Faizullah Kakar, yesterday.
QNA
DOHA: Heart Hospital’s Heart Failure Clinic received over 1,700
patients with heart failure during 2017, accounting for close to
9,000 visits to the hospital over the span of a year.
“Since its official opening in 2015, the Heart Failure Clinic
has received patients of many different national-ities through
referrals from health centers, other departments within HMC
hospitals, and from private sector hospitals and clinics. Most of
the patients we see at our clinic are over the age of 70. In fact,
patients below the age of 60 years make up only 20 to 25 percent of
the total number of patients that we treat,” Consultant
Cardiologist at Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Heart Hospital
and Head of the Heart Failure Clinic, Dr Amr Badr said.
In recent years there has been an increase in the incidence of
patients seeking medical attention for heart failure, Dr Badr
added.
“The Heart Failure Clinic is equipped with state-of-the-art
medical equipment, including an electrocardiograph, radiography,
and ultrasound equipment, as well as cardiac assessment and
re-evalu-ation devices.
“Apart from providing state-of-the-art services and quality
equipment, we counsel patients on how to take their medication and
educate them about the importance of a healthy lifestyle,” Dr Bader
noted.
He added that in recent years,
Heart Hospital and specifically the Heart Failure Clinic, has
introduced a number of new services and pro-grams to improve the
quality of care provided to patients. Heart failure in its early
stages can often be managed with medication and a healthy
lifestyle.
However, as the disease progresses, the heart becomes weaker,
and treatment becomes more complex.
One program introduced by the Heart Failure Clinic that is
providing care to patients with congestive heart failure is the
short stay service.
This service provides targeted care for patients who require
brief hospitalisation but do not need to stay in hospital
overnight.
Congestive heart failure is a chronic heart disease that affects
the heart muscle.
It hinders the heart’s ability to pump sufficient amount of
blood to meet the body’s needs.
Common signs and symptoms of heart failure include shortness of
breath, extreme fatigue and tiredness, and feet and leg
swelling.
Coronary heart disease, which is the result of coronary artery
disease, is a common form of heart failure.
It can lead to a heart attack or stroke, especially if the
patient has diabetes and is a smoker,” Dr Bader said. Dr Badr
stressed the importance of early diagnosis of heart disease as a s
trategy to prevent complications.
“We encourage our patients to be their own health advocate and
to make lifestyle choices that will
protect their health. “Eating well, drinking plenty of
water, exercising regularly, and getting a sufficient amount of
sleep are all important elements of main-taining good health.
“Small actions like limiting one’s consumption of salt, walking
to strengthen the heart muscle, not smoking, and trying to limit
exposure to stress and anxiety can all go a long way towards
protecting one’s health,” Dr Badr said.
Chairman of Cardiology at Heart Hospital, Dr Nidal Ahmad Asaad
added that patients should speak with their physician if they
suspect they have a heart condition.
Dr Asaad added that anyone experiencing signs of a heart attack
should seek immediate medical attention.
“Patients who experience heart failure may require treatment for
cardiac arrhythmias (irregular or abnormal heart rhythm). Today we
have many heart-assistive tech-nology tools at our disposal. Each
year, we provide implantable cardiac devices to between 150 and 180
patients,” said Dr Asaad.
Dr Asaad added that Heart Hos-pital is committed to continuing
to improve and provide new services and treatment options to
patients with heart disease.
“We have introduced a system of remotely monitoring patient
implants while they are in their home.
“This allows us to detect any defect in their device and take
imme-diate action,” Dr. Asaad said.
PM greets Sudan PresidentQNA
DOHA: Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah
bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani sent yesterday a cable of
congrat-ulations to the President of the Republic of Sudan Omar
Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir, on the anniversary of his coun-try’s
Independence Day.
Greetings to Cuban President DOHA: Prime Minister and Interior
Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani sent
yesterday a cable of congrat-ulations to President of the Council
of State and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba Raul
Castro, on the anniversary of his country’s Independence Day.
HMC’s Heart Failure Clinic receives 1,700 patients in 2017
Advisory Council reviews draft laws on judiciaryTHE
PENINSULA
DOHA: The Advisory Council yesterday reviewed a number of draft
laws related to the judiciary after studies prepared by the legal
committee of the council.
Following the discussion of the drafts laws and reports
pre-sented by the concerned com-mittee the Council decided to
submit its recommendations on all these draft laws to the
government.
At the outset of the regular weekly meeting held under the
Chairmanship of its Speaker H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al
Mahmoud, the Council reviewed the report prepared by its Legal and
Legislative Affairs Com-mittee on the following laws related to the
judiciary.
The report was prepared upon a task requested by the Council to
the committee in order to conduct further studies on the draft
laws.
The draft laws include amendment of certain provisions of the
judiciary law promulgated by Law No. 10 of 2003. A draft
law amending some provisions of the civil and commercial
pleadings law promulgated by Law No. 13 of 1990.
A draft law amending certain provisions of Law No. 12 of 2005
regarding cases and procedures of appeal to Court of Cassation in
non-criminal articles. A draft law amending certain provisions of
Law No. 19 of 2008 to determine blood money for manslaughter.
Draft law amending some provisions of Law No. 10 of 2002
regarding the Public Prosecution. Draft law amending certain
pro-visions of the criminal procedure law promulgated by Law No. 23
of 2004. Draft Law on Concili-ation and reconciliation centers in
civil and commercial disputes.
The Speaker initiated the members’ deliberations on those draft
laws, explaining that it came as an implementation to the
directives of the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani which
were mentioned at the opening of the 46th ordinary session of the
Advisory Council.
The directives stress the impor-tance of work on developing the
justice systems, ensuring the independence of the judiciary, to not
prolong litigation, which recognises the importance of justice,
ensures the development of the judicial system and strengthens its
ability to cope with the rapid developments wit-nessed by our
society in all fields, as well as taking the necessary measures to
provide all possibil-ities to do so.
He said while deliberating on the draft laws, the Council
lis-tened to the explanations of Min-ister of Justice and reviewed
the recommendations of the Supreme Judiciary Council.
Al Mahmoud said the draft laws reflect a great development in
the path of the judicial system in the country and added to
building its our independent judiciary and justice to facilitate
litigation. He added that it comes as part of the legislative and
legal development in the country to cope with the economic, social
and urban boom, which is all based on the religious justice inheri
ted from older generations.
Al Mahmoud explained that justice, integrity, the realisation of
the right and the support of the oppressed are meanings, values,
and teachings deeply rooted in the Qatari society and will remain
the base of the State since its establishment by its Founder Sheikh
Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani.
The members of the Council had a wide discussion on the
proposed draft laws, where they revealed their views and
con-firmed the importance of devel-oping the judiciary work and in
reconciling the laws, especially those with direct relation with
the lives of citizens and their jobs.
They also stressed on making litigation easier, faster and more
efficient as slow justice is a kind of injustice, as the Emir said
in his speech addressing the Council.
The draft laws added numerous articles to the devel-opment of
the judiciary, speeding up cases and, in addition, estab-lishing
conciliation and recon-ciliation centers in civil and com-mercial
disputes with the aim of settling disputes through concil-iation in
an optional and free manner.
In addition to the draft laws related to the work of the
judi-ciary, the Council also reviewed the report of the Legal and
Leg-islative Affairs Committee on a draft law on the national
system for the accounting and control of nuclear materials, which
included committee’s work to
inventory and control nuclear materials whether used or
pro-duced in all activities.
Regarding the danger of these materials on humans and the
environment, some of the provisions of the draft law pro-vided for
deterrent penalties against those who contravene its provisions and
to coordinate them with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
In light of that, the Council decided to submit its
recommen-dations on all these draft laws to the esteemed
government.
At the end of the meeting, the Advisory Council received a
report on the participation of its delegation in the Nato PA Joint
Seminar of the Mediterranean and Middle East Special Group (GSM)
and the Sub-Committee on Transatlantic Defense and Security
Cooperation (DSCTC), held in Rome, Italy.
The Council also reviewed another report on its delegation’s
participation in the 22nd session of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary
Union Executive Committee in Morocco.
The Speaker initiated the members’ deliberations on those draft
laws, explaining that it came as an implementation to the
directives of the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani which
were mentioned at the opening of the 46th ordinary session of the
Advisory Council.
MEC shuts building materials company for one monthTHE
PENINSULA
DOHA: The Ministry of Economy and Commerce yesterday announced
the one-month closure of a building materials company, located in
the Industrial Area, for displaying and selling counterfeit
sanitary ware.
The inspection campaign falls within the framework of the
Ministry’s efforts to monitor markets and commercial activ-ities in
order to crack down on violations, price manipulation, and
counterfeit and substandard products.
The company was fined and closed for a one-month period in line
with the Article (7) of Law Number (8) of 2008. Article 7 compels
suppliers to clearly display on the product’s package the type and
nature of the item as well as other rel-evant data in line with the
law’s imple-menting regulations. The law also pro-hibits the
display of fraudulent
descriptions, advertisements, and mis-leading statements.
The Ministry said in a statement that the administrative closure
declaration shall be published at the expense of the company that
committed the violation in accordance with Article (18) of Law No.
(8) on Consumer Pro-tection. The law stipulates that the closure
decision shall be published on the Ministry’s website and in two
daily newspapers at the expense of the violating company.
The Ministry stressed that it will not tolerate any violations
of Consumer Pro-tection Law and its regulation. The Min-istry said
it will refer those who violate laws and ministerial decrees to
competent authorities, who will, in turn, take appro-priate action
against perpetrators in order to protect consumer rights.
The Ministry urged consumers to report violations or submit
complains and suggestions to its consumer protection and
anti-commercial fraud department.
A Ministry official affixing the closure notice.
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03TUESDAY 2 JANUARY 2018 HOME
SANAULLAH ATAULLAH THE PENINSULA
DOHA: Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Nasser Al Thani, Assistant
Under-Secretary for Agriculture and Fisheries Affairs at the
Ministry of Municipalities and Environment, has revealed two major
agricultural projects to continue the production of vege-tables
round-the-year that will increase the self-sufficiency of
Qatar.
“We have two big projects on state level that will contribute in
increasing the agricultural pro-duction remarkably and con-tinue
throughout the year,” said Al Thani while speaking at a Rayan TV
talk show. “We want to ensure production through out the year,”
said Al Thani.
He said that with entering in third month of this season, the
agricultural production increased about 60 percent from 21 percent
last year.
He said that during agricul-tural season production of some
vegetables used to reach very close to self-sufficiency like
cucumbers and tomatoes that achieved about 100 per-cent and upto 60
percent self-sufficiency respectively during the season.
“There are 9,00 productive farms with the agricultural area
measuring 11,000 hectors,” said Al Thani.
He said that now local prod-ucts are available in the market.
The market is stable and the prices of vegetables have started
falling. Good quality vegetables from local farms are available in
the market.
“With the implementation of new projects and turning more farms
into productive, we will be able to meet a big portion of the need
of local market,” said Al Thani adding that if local pro-duction
would achieve 60 to 70
percent self sufficiency that will be great achievement.
Regarding the market share of local poultry production, Al Thani
said local production of fresh chicken increased 99 per-cent of
total consumption of the country from 50 percent before blockade.
“During first quarter (Q1) of 2018 we will achieve more than 100
percent self-suf-ficiency in the production of fresh chicken,” said
Al Thani.
He said that Qatar also achieved about 30 percent
self-sufficiency in egg production and plans are afoot to increase
the production about 55 percent soon.
Regarding dairy products, Assistant Under-Secretary said that
the production of milk is increasing on daily basis.
“Local milk production started meeting 72 percent of total
consumption of Qatar from merely 17 percent before blockade. In
less than six months, Qatar will achieve self-suffi-ciency in milk
production over 100 percent,” said Al Thani.
Regarding livestock, he said that animal production increased 20
percent totalling 1.4 million animals including sheep, goat, cow
and camels.
“Plans are afoot to increase the strategic reserve of Qatar’s
livestock to six months,” said Al Thani.
Farm projects to ensure year-round supplies
TOP AND BELOW: Locally produced vegetables are displayed in a
market.
Now local products are available in the market. The market is
stable and the prices of vegetables have started falling. Good
quality vegetables from local farms are available in the
market.
Nine malls expected to open in three yearsContinued from page
1
Over the years, retail malls in Qatar have per-formed well, with
high occu-pancy, increasing rental levels with subsequent demand
from new tenants.
The report added that North Gate Mall, a mixed-use development,
with a Gross Leasable Area (GLA) of 92,000 sqm retail space, has
started handing over spaces for fit-out and is expected to have a
soft opening in the first quarter of 2018. United Development
Company (UDC) launched ’04’ Mall in La Plage, South District in The
Pearl, and is expected to add 40,000 sqm of GLA once completed by
the end of 2018.
The second quarter of 2017 witnessed the launch of Doha Festival
City, which increased the overall supply of organised retail space
in Qatar to more than one mil-lion sqm of leasable space,
distributed across 19 shop-ping malls.
Expected to be fully oper-ational by the year end, Doha Festival
City spans over approximately 250,000 sqm of GLA is the country’s
largest shopping destination, noted the report.
The second quarter also noticed the soft opening of Al Hazm
Mall.
Al Hazm Mall will add 36,000sqm of leasable area that will
primarily feature luxury brands along with food and beverage
outlets and is expected to have a grand opening towards the end of
the year.
Citizens, residents see a promising 2018AMNA PERVAIZ RAO THE
PENINSULA
DOHA: The citizens and expa-triates have lauded the
achieve-ments of the State of Qatar accomplished in year 2017 and
the promise of productive 2018.
Citizens believe that 2017 has made Qatar self-sufficient and
productive. The unjust siege imposed by the neighbouring countries
has been defeated by the citizens of Qatar and expa-triates
belonging to different sectors also claim that blockade has made
Qatar a stronger country.
Fahad Al Saiari, a citizen told The Peninsula: “This New Year is
not like any other New Year, it’s unusual for the state of Qatar
due to the blockade imposed by our neighbouring countries. Qatar
has become more inde-pendent and self- sufficient. Qatar has given
the right sup-port to everyone living in Qatar no matter if they
were nationals or expatriates.”
“We pray that we must achieve the goals we have aimed for in
2018. Qatar has always been keen to be up-to-date in technology
sector; we aim to bring more high technology sys-tems to our
country. The year 2018 will be more successful by the grace of
Allah.”
Talking to different citizens belonging to various sectors
revealed that the morale of Qatari nation is high and they think
that Qatar has become a stronger country after over-coming the
crisis.
“I strongly believe that 2018 will be a year filled with
oppor-tunities for people living in Qatar. 2017 was the toughest,
yet the productive year for the State
of Qatar. The increase in oil prices will result in launching
new projects this year. Private sectors will be given chances to
work more this year, which include medical, construction, retail
and all other sectors,” said Jassim Al Mansoor, a Qatari
citizen.
“2018 will be promising and optimistic year. 2017 has made
everyone living in Qatar united; all expatriates or locals. We
stood up together with our leader, Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad
Al Thani, and we promise to do this all our lives,” he added.
Muhammad Al Yami, a Qatari businessman, expressed his affection
towards the country expecting more from Qatar by saying: “2018 is
the year of ‘change’, people living in Qatar will feel more proud
by the up-coming unexpected and outstanding projects.
“The blockade imposed on us has made us very strong nation. We
have set up our own factories and started manufacturing goods like
dairy products, agricultural products and many more. Relationships
with countries like Pakistan, Iran, Turkey especially Kuwait and
Oman
will become stronger in coming days.”
Al Yami added: “I am proud of Qatar and the people living in
Qatar. The way Qatar man-aged the crisis has been remark-able. We
were able to deal with every sector within no time. As part of
Qatar National Vision 2030, we have successfully managed projects
we had envi-sioned earlier.”
Expats also praised the end-less efforts made by the people
living in Qatar in year 2017 and expect to live a better year
ahead.
Muhammed Akhtar, an expat living in Qatar for more than 19 years
said: “Qatar has made us feel proud, the way people in Qatar dealt
with crisis they faced in 2017 made Qatar more powerful. We aim
high in 2018 in order to witness more successful events taking
place in Qatar.”
“We all managed to com-plete the projects already set to done in
2017. We being expats in Qatar have also become one nation standing
tall with our Emir. 2018 will be a fruitful and colorful year for
our beloved country Qatar and its innovative and energetic
people.”
“I strongly believe that 2018 will be a year filled with
opportunities for people living in Qatar. 2017 was the toughest,
yet the productive year for the State of Qatar. The increase in oil
prices will result in launching new projects this year. Private
sectors will be given chances to work more this year, which include
medical, construction, retail and all other sectors,” said Jassim
Al Mansoor, a Qatari citizen.
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04 TUESDAY 2 JANUARY 2018HOME
Kahramaa SMS service to inform utility usage rateTHE
PENINSULA
DOHA: Qatar General Elec-tricity and Water Corporation
(Kahramaa) will launch this month an SMS service to inform
subscribers in the residential sector about their monthly
consumption of electricity and water and the amount of the
bill.
Kahramaa said in a state-ment issued on Sunday that the service
comes within the initia-tive ‘be a partner in rationalisa-tion’, to
notify the subscribers about their actual monthly con-sumption
rate.
The aim of the SMS service is to raise awareness about the
con-sumption of water and electricity
and the importance of conserving resources which is part of the
National Program for Conserva-tion and Energy Efficiency
“Tar-sheed” “rationalisation”.
This is to alert consumers when they exceed the level of the
optimal rate of rationalisation, in order to achieve the goal of
the programme to reduce the consumption of electricity and water
per capita to the optimum consumption rate and help the subscribers
and encourage them to become a partner in the Tar-sheed
initiative.
Kahramaa launched the ini-tiative of be Partner of Tarsheed in
the summer of 2016 by sending text messages to edu-cate consumers
about the
consumption pattern and encourage them to reduce waste of
resources and avoid the increase of the bill.
In the campaign, which received a positive response from the
public, Kahramaa sends a monthly message to the con-sumers about
the consumption
rate in addition to alerting them not exceed the ideal rate.
This is to help subscribers control the monthly consumption of
elec-tricity and water to the optimum consumption rate.
Kahramaa invited sub-scribers to register with the corporation
and update their
data through its website (km.qa) and the smartphone appli-cation
to benefit from the SMS service.
In accordance with a detailed study of the National Program for
rationalisation and energy efficiency, “rationalisation” of the
actual consumption patterns of all segments of the residential
sector has been determined by the average rate of moderate
consumption for each category.
The company said it has registered 25,000 warnings and
violations against the offenders of the provisions of the law of
rationalisation No. 20/2015 since its enforcement two years
ago.
The corporation has also taken legal proceedings against those
who have proved that they wasted electricity or water and refused
to reconcile and pay the fines imposed.
Offenders have a chance to reconcile and pay 50 percent of the
fine.
According to the law, the fines imposed are QR15,000 for water
and QR10,000 for electricity.
Tarsheed programme target for the next five years is to reduce
per capita consumption of electricity to seven percent and a total
of 25 percent over 10 years and 15 percent for water consumption
and by 35 percent over 10 years by 2022.
The aim of the SMS service is to alert consumers when they
exceed the level of the optimal rate of rationalisation, in order
to achieve the goal of the programme to reduce the consumption of
electricity and water per capita to the optimum consumption rate
and help the subscribers and encourage them to become a partner in
the Tarsheed initiative.
RAYNALD C RIVERA THE PENINSULA
DOHA: A huge number of people opted to spend the first day of
the year enjoying the various offerings at the Souq Waqif Spring
Festival yesterday, including some fresh and exciting features
brought by local entertainment provision company QSports.
Said to be the biggest and longest entertainment extrava-ganza
in the country, the festival, which saw its official launch on
Sunday, runs for four months and features over 60 attractions and
activities including 36 amusement rides and games spread on two
separate locations in the Souq.
While Zone A, which is located at Al Ahmed Square, encompasses a
theme park with 25 amusement rides for all ages, Zone B which is at
the Western Square contains an inflatable park with unique and
interesting features that many visitors,
mostly families, enjoyed yesterday.
The Western Square was bursting with excitement as chil-dren
took the wheel at the Kids Driving School which teaches them how to
drive, provides a feel of driving in a neighbour-hood and more
importantly how to drive safely.
It was an amazing adventure for others who tried zip-lining or
descending the Giant Slide or getting active in the largest
out-door trampoline park in Qatar. Inflatable bumper cars,
trackless train and gigantic inflatables including pirate ship and
bouncy castles as well as the biggest-of-its-kind ocean ball pool
are among the other features at the venue.
The theme park at Al Ahmed Square includes a host of amuse-ment
rides including Octopus Ride, Disco Tagada, Romantic Coffee Cup,
Mini Roller Coaster Ride, Happy Swing, Music Express Ride, Moon
Embracing Ride, Helicopter Tanks War,
Luxury Flying Chair, Self Control Bees, Kite Flying Ride, Dragon
Roller Coaster, Energy Storm, Run Horse, Water Land Chariots, Crazy
Wave, Frog Jump, Bumper Cars, Speed Car, Heli Racer, Crazy Car,
Mini Pendulum Ride, Samba Balloon Ride and Luxury Carousel, in
addition to carnival skill games.
Rides and games are priced from QR10 to QR35. A Gold Pass worth
QR150 is also available providing a visitor chance to try all rides
for the day.
Hundreds of visitors were entertained by a variety of acts
staged by a motley of artistes including dancers, stiltwalkers and
clowns. They also took the oppor-tunity to have their photos taken
with a number of mascots roaming around the festival venue .
More than 30 food trucks and carts offer a variety of culinary
delights to satisfy visitors’ pal-ates including burgers, crepes,
waffles, corn on a cob, pancakes, potato rolls and French fries as
well as beverages including juice
slash, smoothies, karak and coffee, among others which many
festival visitors sampled.
Running until April 25, the festival promises to be the
coun-try’s largest outdoor entertain-ment event this year which
also highlights over 40 live entertain-ment shows and street
perform-ances, as well as special
performances on National Sport Day.
As one of the major offerings of the upcoming Shop Qatar 2018,
the festival will also wit-ness a number of other offerings such as
shopping and hotel pro-motions, among others.
Souq Waqif Spring Festival is presented by the Organizing
Committee of the Private Engi-neering Office in collaboration
with QSports and strategic con-sultant Russell Lloyds and is
sponsored by QNB.
It is open Sundays to Wednesdays from 3pm to 10pm, Thursdays
from 3pm to 11pm, Fridays from 2pm to 11pm and Saturdays from 12pm
to 9pm.
Huge number of people enjoy Spring Festival
Qatar rejects Likud party’s decision to annex West Bank and
Jerusalem settlementsQNA
DOHA: The State of Qatar has affirmed its total rejection of the
decision of Israel’s ruling Likud party to impose Israeli law on
settlements in the West Bank and the occupied Jerusalem and their
annexation to Israel.
In a statement yesterday, the Foreign Ministry said that the
decision constituted a serious vio-lation of the rights of the
Pales-tinian people.
It added that the execution of the decision would undermine
international efforts to implement the two-state solut ion
in accordance with established international terms of reference
and the Arab Peace Initiative.
The Ministry’s called on the international community to assume
its responsibilities and to compel Israel to respect the
res-olutions of international legitimacy.
The statement reiterated Qatar’s firm and permanent posi-tion in
supporting the Palestinian cause and the steadfastness of the
Palestinian people to ensure the establishment of an independent
Palestinian state on the 1967 bor-ders with East Jerusalem as its
capital. THE PENINSULA
DOHA: Starz Play, the fastest growing on-demand video streaming
service in the Mena region, and Ooredoo, announced yesterday a new
collaboration to provide a vast catalogue of premium Hindi content
for viewers to enjoy on their Ooredoo tv.
The new Bollywood content will further supple-ment Starz Play’s
existing 10,000 hours of the best Hollywood movies, documentaries,
children’s enter-tainment, same-day-as-the-US series, and Arabic
content in full HD and 4K.
Existing and new customers can now access the new Hindi content
by simply pressing the ‘Home’ button on their Ooredoo tv remote
control, then selecting ‘Clubs’ and the ‘Yupp Flix’ icon on the
main screen.
All new Ooredoo Fibre Home Entertainment cus-tomers can enjoy
free access to the Starz Play service, and Ooredoo tv customers not
on the new Fibre plans can subscribe to Starz Play for as little as
QR50 per month.
Speaking about the new content, Manar Khalifa Al Muraikhi,
Director of PR and Corporate Commu-nications, Ooredoo Qatar, said:
“We invest heavily to ensure a range of international content is
avail-able for all our customers, and we’re delighted that Starz
Play has enabled our viewers to enjoy Hindi content on demand.
Ooredoo tv is becoming the big-gest and best choice for
entertainment in Qatar, and we look forward to announcing further
updates in 2018”
Starz Play has confirmed that the service will also be offering
content in other Indian regional languages such as Tamil and
Malayalam in the near future which will also be available to
Ooredoo tv customers.
Ooredoo tv is available now via Ooredoo Shops, Starlink,
TechnoBlue and Jumbo outlets. The service has no upfront charges,
no equipment costs and no ongoing contracts. Furthermore, existing
Mozaic TV customers who migrate to Ooredoo tv will be awarded a
30-day free subscription to Starz Play.
One of the rides at the Spring Festival in Souq Waqif.
Bollywood content now available on Ooredoo tv with Starz
Play
-
05TUESDAY 2 JANUARY 2018 HOME
Safari Hypermarket announces lucky draw winnersSafari
Hypermarket Group announced the 6th and final lucky draw winners of
Win 20 Toyota Camry Car Promotion for the last five cars. The draw
was held at Safari Mall, Abu Hamour, yesterday in the presence of
Ministry official and Safari management and staff. The winners are:
Romeo Mesa Doeillo Jr, (Coupon No: 1211709); M D Abul Koyer Ayub
Miah, (3633244); Anas V C, (1125228); Aida Mousa Madini, (2908745),
and Seraj Miah, (4397898).
TII offers language courses for children and adultsTHE
PENINSULA
DOHA: Continuing its initiative to engage the community with
different languages and cultures, the Translation and Interpreting
Institute (TII), part of the College of Humanities and Social
Sciences at Hamad Bin Khalifa Univer-sity (HBKU), will be offering
a range of popular community language classes at its facilities in
Education City.
Designed to target both children and adults, TII’s Language
Center courses are delivered by experienced instructors, who
actively support language learning for stu-dents with diverse
cultural backgrounds, irrespective of their current proficiency
level. After a round of initial placement tests, all registered
students will be allotted an appropriate language command
level.Inmaculada Villasuso, Coordinator, Spanish Language, TII, “At
the TII Lan-guage Center, we work to offer the best quality of
Spanish courses in Qatar. Led by a team of qualified and
experienced native Spanish teachers, our program pre-pares students
to communicate in Spanish from day one in a friendly environment.
Furthermore, during each of the cultural activities and events that
we regularly organise – including film screenings and workshops –
students get a chance to engage with the Spanish-speaking
com-munity in Qatar, helping them to boost their confidence when in
conversation with native speakers and allowing them to immerse
themselves more fully in the new culture.”
TII applies the same level of curric-ular quality, class
environment, and stu-dent engagement efforts across all other
language programs as well.
Adults may register for Arabic, French, German, Italian,
Mandarin Chi-nese, Portuguese, and Spanish language courses. Each
course utilizes a blended learning approach, building on
classic
textbook learning with audiovisual and multimedia resources as
well as struc-tured classroom discussions. To be held during the
University’s Spring semester, all seven language courses at TII are
presently open for enrollment until Jan-uary 10. The program of
classes, begin-ning January 16, is conveniently timed to
accommodate those interested in learning or developing their chosen
language.
For children between the ages of 5 and 12, the list of languages
at TII’s Lan-guage Center this coming semester
includes Arabic, French, German, Man-darin Chinese, and Spanish.
During two-hour classes every Saturday, children will gain an
opportunity to practice the language of their choice through
well-structured lessons that integrate diverse activities, such as
art and crafts, drama, games, and music. Registration is open until
January 15 and classes are sched-uled to begin on January 20.
The launch of the Spring semester public courses comes as the
latest in a series of initiatives undertaken by TII to promote a
culture of learning and cele-brate languages in the wider
community. Recently, TII commemorated UN Arabic Language Day to
promote the integral role of the Arabic language in the history of
human advancement. Furthermore, the institute is currently in
preparation to mark the importance of Mandarin Chi-nese on the
forthcoming occasion of the Chinese New Year in February.
To register online, log on to http://tii.qa/language-center and
www.tii.qa/kids-courses.
Ahmet Arslan addressing the launching ceremony of Turkish Souq
via FaceTime from Turkey. Kenan Bozgeyik, CEO of Turkish Post (PTT)
is holding the phone. PIC: KAMMUTTY VP/THE PENINSULA
Turkey keen to enhance ties with Qatar: MinisterIRFAN BUKHARI
THE PENINSULA
DOHA: Ahmet Arslan, Turkish Minister of Transport, Marine
Affairs and Communications has said that Turkey wants to enhance
cooperation with Qatar in all fields.
He was addressing the launching ceremony of Turkish Souq, an
e-com-merce platform launched by Qatar Post in collaboration with
Turkish Post (PTT) via FaceTime from Turkey.
The minister expressed his delight at the successful launch of
the plat-form as well as the fraternal relation-ship between the
two countries. Arslan said that cooperation between two countries’
postal services was an indi-cator of brotherhood and long-lasting
relations between two countries.
“This cooperation will not be lim-ited and will cover all areas
and this bilateral cooperation will also help us cooperate with
other countries as well.”
He said that he and his counter-part, Qatar’s Minister of
Transport and Communications HE Jassim bin Saif al Sulaiti, were
expanding bilateral cooperation in transport and commu-nication
sector.
“The relationship between Turkey and Qatar has gone a long way
and the two brotherly countries are part-ners in progress. It is my
great pleasure to witness the launch of yet another platform for
bilateral trade relation-ship between the two countries,” he
said.
The minister added that Turkish Souq platform would greatly
enhance trade and give access to products at cheaper rates to the
consumers in Qatar.
Ahmet Arslan said: “Our cooper-ation with Qatar will not be
limited to e-commerce. It will become wide-spread in other fields
and will pave the way for the two countries to work together
elsewhere.”
MEC recalls Ford modelsTHE PENINSULA
DOHA: The Ministry of Economy and Commerce, in collaboration
with Almana Motors Company, dealer of Ford vehicles in Qatar, has
announced the recall of Ford F-150 and Explorer model of 2016
because the seat track pivot link bolt for the front power seat may
loosen and/ or fall out.
The ministry said the recall campaign falls within the framework
of its ongoing efforts to protect consumers and ensure that car
dealers follow up on vehicles’ defects and repair them. The
Ministry said that it will coordinate with the dealer to follow up
on the maintenance and repair works and will com-municate with
customers to ensure that the necessary repairs are carried out.
PHCC opens registration at Muaither Health CenterTHE
PENINSULA
DOHA: The Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) has opened a
registration for Health and Wellness Centre in Muaither, which is
expected to open during the first quarter of this year.
Residents of Muaither 55, Abu Sidra, Rawdat Abu Al Hiran, Al
Mearad and Al Sailiya are eligible to register with the Health and
Wellness Centre in Muaither, said PHCC in a statement
yesterday.
PHCC called on citizens who wish to transfer their medical files
from Abu Nakhla Health Center , Al Rayyan Health Center and Abu
Baker Al Siddiq Health Center to the Health and Wellness Centre in
Muaither, to visit the primary health care website or go to their
health center to complete the transfer procedures.
The new Health and
Wellness Centre in Muaither pro-vides comprehensive health
services such as family medicine clinics, including a vaccination
clinic , non-communicable dis-eases clinic, maternity clinic,
post-natal clinics, the women wellness clinic, well baby clinic,
smoking cessation clinic, med-ical commission and travel
vac-cination clinic. Also laboratories, pharmacy, radiology unit,
dental clinic, nutrition and diet clinic, physiotherapy , and early
screening services for breast and bowel cancer are available at the
Health and Wellness Centre in Muaither.
Turkish Souq’ to provide 5m items onlineContinued from page
1
Qatar Post’s new ecom-merce platform is dynamic and easy to use
for online shopping with wide range of products and diverse
items.
Q-Post has partnered up with the Turkish Post to give you access
to Turkish vendors directly. It offers an interna-tional shopping
and shipping service directly from Turkey to customers’ doorsteps
in Qatar.
Q-Post charges a flat shipping rate of QR50 for all orders
regardless of the number of items in an order.
A language class in progress.
Designed to target both children and adults, the courses are
delivered by experienced instructors, who actively support language
learning for people with diverse cultural backgrounds.
-
06 TUESDAY 2 JANUARY 2018HOME / MIDDLE EAST
SC extends its programmes to 10 local schools, up from three
Many activities lined up at ExxonMobil Qatar standTHE
PENINSULA
DOHA: An action-packed enter-tainment programme awaits visitors
at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2018, ExxonMobil Qatar has
announced.
As the title sponsor of the tournament, ExxonMobil Qatar is
organising a special line-up of creative activities at its stand in
the Public Village each year that caters to visitors of all
ages.
“The Qatar ExxonMobil Open is our top sporting event of the
year, and we’re excited to be bringing it back to Doha with the
Qatar Tennis Federation, our valued partner of 26 years. We’ve
built a great partnership with the federation, and we’re proud that
all the time, energy and effort our combined teams have invested
over the years has placed the tournament on major global sports
calendars,” said Saleh Al Mana, Vice-President and Gov-ernment
Affairs Director for Exx-onMobil Qatar.
“The tennis world waits in anticipation for the Qatar
Exx-onMobil Open, and they certainly have a lot to look forward to
this year. From the tennis stars taking part, to the tennis action
on centre court, and the entertain-ment, this year’s tournament
promises to be a spectacular one.”
“At ExxonMobil, we draw our inspiration from the Qatar National
Vision 2030 as we con-tribute to education, health, and developing
human potential towards building a sustainable future for Qatar.
The Qatar Exx-onMobil Open is an example of how we’re supporting
Qatar as it sets global standards for excel-lence in various
industries and sectors,” Al Mana added.
At the centre of the numerous activities that will take place at
ExxonMobil Qatar’s stand is a racing motorbike simulator that comes
in a set of two. The sim-ulator is mounted to a motion platform and
has a functioning throttle, hand brake, foot brake, clutch and
shift lever, all of which contribute to the ultimate riding
experience.
Users of the simulator will experience the thrills and spills of
racing a competition motor-bike, simulating accelerations and
brakes. Visitors of the stand can try out the motorbikes and even
compete against one another to win a daily prize for the shortest
lap time.
The “ExxonMobil Minute” is a popular feature of the tourna-ment,
and is also part of the 2018 activities. At the end of each
match, the winning player ran-domly serves tennis balls into the
audience, and the lucky specta-tors who catch them can then head to
the ExxonMobil Qatar stand at the Public Village and claim
wonderful prizes.
Those visiting the stand increase their chances of actu-ally
seeing tennis stars up close and may even be fortunate enough to
get a tennis ball signed by the tennis players who pass
by the stand each day of the tournament.
There is always something fun taking place at the Public
Vil-lage, and visitors of all ages can enjoy the live music;
magicians; restaurants and cafes; and tra-ditional Souq. With its
myriad of things to see and do, the Public Village is an incredible
venue that is not to be missed during the tournament.
Tareq Zainal, Tournament’s
General Coordinator said: “It is a great privilege to welcome
our fans once again to Doha in the 26th edition of the world-class
event, Qatar ExxonMobil Open is a symbol of the strategic and
enduring partnership between the Energy Company ExxonMobil and QTF
aimed at taking the sport to higher heights and bringing the
community of Qatar the finest tennis and entertainment.”
“As we are about to experi-ence another exciting week of
top-level tennis, I would like to appreciate everyone, especially
the committees that have worked assiduously to ensure a suc-cessful
event yet again.” He added.
Marking the 26th anniver-sary of the tournament, this year’s
Qatar ExxonMobil Open will run till January 6, bringing some of the
world’s top players together to compete for the trophy and a share
of the prize money. Confirmed tournament participants include
Dominic Thiem, Pablo Busta, Tomas Ber-dych and Richard Gasquet.
Tickets for the six-day event are available to the public online
at www.qatartennis.org, as well as at various locations across
Doha.
AFP
DUBAI: Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates introduced
value-added tax from yesterday, a first for the Gulf which has long
prided itself on its tax-free, cradle-to-grave welfare system.
Saudi Arabia compounded the New Year blow for motorists with an
unannounced hike of up to 127 percent in petrol prices with
immediate effect from midnight.
They are the latest in a series of measures introduced over the
past two years to boost revenues and cut spending as a persistent
slump in world prices has led to ballooning budget deficits.
The five percent sales tax applies to most goods and serv-ices
and analysts project that the two governments could raise as much
as $21bn in 2018, equiva-lent to 2.0 percent of GDP.
But it marks a major change for two super-rich countries where
the mall is king. Dubai has long held an annual shopping fes-tival
to draw bargain hunters from around the world to its glitzy
retail palaces. None of the Gulf states levy any personal income
tax and none have any plans to do so.
The International Monetary Fund has repeatedly urged Gulf states
to diversify their revenues away from oil, which accounts for more
than 90 percent of the Saudi budget and 80 percent in the UAE.
Both Riyadh and Abu Dhabi asked all companies with earn-ings of
$100,000 or more a year to register in the VAT system.
The UAE finance ministry said that VAT returns will be used “for
infrastructure development ... (to) upgrade public services ... and
boost UAE economy competitiveness.”
The hike in fuel duty in Saudi Arabia was the second in two
years. High-grade petrol rose 127 percent from 24 cents a litre
($1.09 a gallon) to 54 ($2.46), while low-grade petrol rose 83
percent from 20 cents a litre (91 cents a gallon) to 36.5 ($1.66).
The intro-duction of VAT coupled with the increase in fuel duty is
expected to bring an abrupt end to a year of negative inflation in
Saudi
Arabia. Riyadh-based Jadwa Investment predicted that infla-tion
could reach as much as five percent after the new measures.
Saudis reacted sarcastically on social media to the new sales
tax. “They are even taking taxes on car parking. I am afraid they
will next tax the air,” wrote Ahmed bin Fatima.
Saudi Arabia, whose economy contracted by 0.5 per-cent last year
for the first time since 2009, has introduced a raft of measures to
raise revenue and cut spending as it bids to balance its books.
Last month, it cut the government subsidy on electricity supply for
the second time in two years, leading to a sharp rise in bills.
Riyadh posted budget defi-cits totalling $260bn over the past four
fiscal years and does not expect to balance its books before 2023.
To finance its mounting public debt, the kingdom has withdrawn
around $250 billion from its reserves over the past four years,
reducing them to $490bn. It has also borrowed around $100bn from
the interna-tional and domestic markets.
Saudi, UAE introduce VAT in New Year blowTHE PENINSULA
DOHA: In Qatar, in collaboration with Your Health First, Supreme
Committee for Delivery and Legacy is now delivering its programmes
in ten local schools, up from three the year before.
SC’s key initiatives – Inclu-sive Generation, Green Genera-tion
and Healthy Generation – have directly benefitted more than 1,000
children during 2017. Soon we will expand the pro-gramme to 20
schools, SC says on its website under title “2017 in review:
Generation Amazing grows locally and internationally. We have also
published six chil-dren’s books in partnership with Maktaba
Library. These are helping to further reinforce our core messages
and inspire young people about the potential of the 2022 FIFA World
Cup.”
Also on the local front, SC has significantly expanded its
coaching structure, after part-nering with Qatar Football
Asso-ciation to incorporate 50 new coaches who are currently being
trained to deliver football for development sessions to both
schoolchildren and workers. “In
addition, we have partnered with Qatar Players Association to
appoint ambassadors for our pro-gramme who promote the ben-efits of
our training schemes and act as inspirational role models for our
beneficiaries.”
During the recent World Innovation Summit for Education in Doha,
SC showcased its pro-grammes, both at Qatar National Convention
Centre and during Doha Learning Week. “Partici-pating in these
events helped to highlight our work to local, regional and
international audi-ences, particularly as it included various
events attended by FIFA World Cup winner Xavi Hern-andez – our most
famous Gener-ation Amazing ambassador.”
Another of SC’s great achieve-ments in 2017 is benefitting its
programmes outside Qatar. “We have partnered with Street Foot-ball
World, a global NGO that har-nesses the power of football for good
causes, to support the delivery of Generation Amazing projects
overseas. Since 2010, Generation Amazing has been operating in
Jordan, Lebanon, Nepal, Pakistan and Syria. In all these
communities we have built
football pitches and implemented sustainable programmes where
football is used to develop human capacity and empower young
leaders while teaching our core messages.” Next year promises to be
another landmark 12 months in the Generation Amazing story. “We are
aiming to reach more than 2,500 workers and 4,500 children in
Qatar, while also looking to implement our school programmes in
other Gulf coun-tries.” Overseas, in collaboration with Street
Football World, SC is also aiming to reach six new com-munities in
India and the Philip-pines, where the committee will build two
community centres and six football pitches. “Each one of these
pitches will become key community hubs and places where our
football for develop-ment programmes will be deliv-ered through
various partners on the ground. Also next year and Generation
Amazing is aiming to launch a new initiative where football will be
used to help chil-dren and young people in post-trauma situations,
such as refu-gees and other people who have been displaced due to
conflict or natural disasters.”
People stand in queue at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2018 counters
for the tickets.
There is always something fun taking place at the Public
Village, and visitors of all ages can enjoy the live music;
magicians; restaurants and cafes; and traditional Souq.
-
AMMAN: Jordan’s royal palace warned it would take legal measures
against anyone spreading what it said were lies about the ruling
family, just days after King Abdullah relieved his brothers from
top army posts in a major shake-up. The King, a staunch US ally,
said that his brothers Prince Ali and Prince Faisal and his cousin
Prince Talal — who all had high military ranks — would be retiring
from the armed forces. He said the move was part of a
reorganisa-tion of the armed forces’ hierarchy and structure.Prince
Faisal was head of the Royal Air Force and deputy chief of staff,
while Prince Ali had for years been in charge of the royal guards
responsible for the king’s protection. Talal Bin Mohammad, a
Sand-hurst graduate who was and an officer in the elite special
forces, was also sent into retirement. They were all given honorary
promotions. A palace state-ment on Sunday said it would pursue
legal measures against those who propagated “lies and false claims”
in social media and online websites with the goal of driving a
wedge between the royal family and ordinary Jordanians.
12 dead in Syria air strikes: MonitorBEIRUT: Air strikes on one
of the last villages still held by the Islamic State group in
eastern Syria killed 12 civilians, including four children, a
moni-tor said. The strikes were carried out late Sunday on the
village of Susa in Deir Ezzor province, the Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights said. “Twelve civilians from a same family, including
four chil-dren, were killed,” Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman
said. The Britain-based monitoring organi-sation, which has a broad
network of sources on the ground, said the strikes were likely
conducted by the US-led coalition that launched air raids against
IS in Syria and Iraq in 2014.
17 held for FETO links across TurkeyTOKAT: At least 17 suspects,
including on-duty sol-diers, former judges and prosecutors, were
arrested across Turkey for suspected links with the Fetullah
Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind last year’s
defeated coup, according to a security source. FETO and its
US-based leader Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup attempt of
July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200
injured. In central Tokat province, fifteen suspects, includ-ing
former judges, prosecutors and lawyers, were arrested as part of a
probe into the terrorist organi-zation. The arrests came after the
Tokat’s Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued arrest warrants. In
capi-tal Ankara, two on-duty soldiers were detained for their
membership in FETO. The counter-terrorism units arrested two army
officers following the tes-timony of former Lt. Burak Akin, who had
admitted his own FETO membership on December 27, 2017.
NEWS BYTES
07TUESDAY 2 JANUARY 2018 MIDDLE EAST
New Year fireworksFireworks explode over downtown Beirut,
Lebanon, during New Year’s celebrations, early yesterday.
A total of 4,148 civilians, including 754 children and 591 women
were killed by torture and attacks carried out by the Assad regime
last year, the report said.
AFP
TEHRAN: Ten people were killed overnight in the worst violence
yet seen in Iran’s protests, local media reported yesterday, as
President Hassan Rowhani played down the unrest and vowed those
breaking the law would be dealt with.
US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticised Tehran
over four days of demon-strations, said it was “time for a change”
and that the Iranian people were “hungry” for freedom.
Sunday night was the dead-liest since the angry demonstra-tions
broke out on Thursday and spread across the country in the biggest
test for the regime since mass protests in 2009.
Six people were killed in the western town of Tuyserkan after
shots were fired, state television reported, while a local lawmaker
said two people had been shot dead in the southwestern town of
Izeh.
Two others, included a teenage boy, were run down and killed by
a fire engine stolen by protesters in the western town of Dorud,
the state broadcaster said, bringing the total death toll in the
protests to 12.
Rowhani tried to play down the unrest, saying: “This is
nothing.”
“Criticism and protest are an opportunity not a threat,” he said
in a statement on the presidency website, adding that the Iranian
people would “respond to the
rioters and lawbreakers”.“Our nation will deal with this
minority who chant slogans against the law and people’s wishes,
and insult the sanctities and values of the revolution.”
Pro-regime rallies were held across several towns and cities,
but videos on social media showed seemingly widespread
anti-government protests in cities including Kermanshah,
Khorram-abad and Shahinshahr.
A school for clergy and gov-ernment buildings were torched in
the northwestern town of Takestan and videos showed police using
tear gas and water cannon to disperse a small pro-test in Tehran’s
Enghelab Square on Sunday evening.
The authorities did not give details on who was responsible for
the fatal shootings.
The authorities have
confirmed more than 400 people were arrested since the outbreak
of the unrest, of which around 100 have been freed.
Judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani joined Rowhani in
warning against illegal action.
“Those who have rightful demands must be guided in lawful ways
and those who riot and commit sabotage and chaos and set fire to
public property... must be confronted decisively,” he told the
state broadcaster.
“The country must have dis-cipline,” Larijani added.
Verifying rumours and videos remained challenging due to travel
restrictions and sporadic blocks on mobile internet and popular
social media sites including Telegram and Instagram.
The protests began as dem-onstrations against economic
conditions in second city Mashhad on Thursday but quickly turned
against the Islamic regime as a whole, with thousands marching in
towns across Iran to chants of “Death to the dictator”.
Trump, a fierce critic of Tehran, used one of his first tweets
of 2018 to again lash out at a favourite target.
“Iran is failing at every level despite the terrible deal made
with them by the Obama admin-istration,” Trump tweeted, refer-ring
to the nuclear pact agreed under his predecessor Barack Obama.
“The great Iranian people have been repressed for many
10 dead in Iran unrest as Rowhani defiant
A group of men pulling a fence in a street in Tehran,
yesterday.
years. They are hungry for food & for freedom. Along with
human rights, the wealth of Iran is being looted. TIME FOR
CHANGE!”
After initial silence, state media began showing some footage of
the demonstrations on Sunday, focusing on young men attacking banks
and vehi-cles, an attack on a town hall in Tehran, and images of a
man burning the Iranian flag.
Rowhani came to power in 2013 promising to mend the economy and
ease social ten-sions, but high living costs and a 12 percent
unemployment rate have left many feeling that progress is too
slow.
“We have no problem bigger than unemployment. Our economy needs
an operation. We must all stand together,”
Rowhani acknowledged yes-terday. The authorities have blamed
external forces for fomenting violence, saying the majority of
social media reports were emanating from regional rival Saudi
Arabia or exile groups based in Europe.
Authorities ruthlessly put down the 2009 protests, which
followed a disputed presiden-tial election that gave hardliner
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a second term. At least 36 people were killed
in the 2009 unrest, according to an official toll, while the
opposition says 72 died.
In the years since, many middle-class Iranians have abandoned
hope of securing change from the streets. But low-level strikes and
demon-strations have continued, with
groups such as bus drivers, teachers and factory workers
regularly protesting against unpaid wages and poor conditions.
Meanwhile, Israel’s intelli-gence minister voiced encour-agement
for Iranian anti-gov-ernment protesters but added that Israeli
policy was not to get involved in Tehran’s internal affairs. Four
days of demonstra-tions in Iran have posed the boldest challenge to
its clerical leadership since pro-reform unrest in 2009. At least
four people have been killed as some confrontations with police
turned violent. “I can only wish success to the Iranian people in
the struggle for freedom and democracy,” Israeli Intelligence
Minister Israel Katz said in an Army Radio interview.
ANATOLIA
ANKARA: A total of 10,204 civilians were killed mainly by the
Bashar Al Assad regime in Syria in 2017, according to a report of
the London-based Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) released
yesterday.
The report said 2,298 children and 1,536 women were among those
killed.
A total of 4,148 civilians, including 754 children and 591 women
were killed by torture and attacks carried out by the Assad regime
last year, it
said. Also, 316 civilians, including 58 children and 54 women
were killed by the PKK/PYD terror group in Syria while another
1,421 civilians, including 281 children and 148 women were killed
by Daesh terrorists.
Attacks carried out by Russian forces killed 1,436 civilians,
including 439 children and 284 women while 1,759 civilians were
killed in attacks of the US-led coalition.
In the clashes between military dissidents and anti-regime
groups, 211 civilians including 47 children and 30
women were killed. Separately, 913 civilians were killed by
unknown sides.
According to the report, 2,019 civil-ians in the suburbs of
Damascus, 1,512 civilians in Raqqa, 1,352 in Aleppo, as well as
1,324 others Deir ez-Zour and 1,256 civilians in Idlib were killed.
Also, 882 civilians in Daraa, 852 in Hama and 781 in Homs as well
as 198 in Hasakah and 28 other civilians in Quneitra prov-ince were
killed. The report said 211 civilians in 2017 were killed after
regime’s tortures.
Over 10,000 civilians dead in Syria in 2017
AFP
RAMALLAH: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday harshly
condemned a vote by Israel’s ruling party in support of annexing
large parts of the West Bank and criticised the United States for
its silence.
Abbas said the non-binding vote by the central committee of
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party “could not be taken
without the full sup-port of the US administration.”
He said in a statement that the White House “has refused to
condemn Israeli colonial settlements as well as the systematic
attacks and crimes of the Israeli occupation against the people of
Palestine.” “We hope that this vote serves as a reminder for the
interna-tional community that the Israeli gov-ernment, with the
full support of the US administration, is not interested in a just
and lasting peace,” Abbas said.
“Rather its main goal is the con-solidation of an apartheid
regime in
all of historic Palestine.” The Likud central committee backed a
resolu-tion urging Israel to extend sover-eignty over all
settlement areas in the West Bank and called for unlimited
settlement construction. Netanyahu, who is a member of the central
com-mittee, was not present for the vote. Taking such a measure
could effec-tively end hopes for a two-state solu-tion to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict as there would be little area left for
a Palestinian state.
BLOOMBERG
WASHINGTON: Vice-Pres-ident Mike Pence, who post-poned a Middle
East trip a f t e r A r a b l e a d e r s denounced the new US
policy on Jerusalem, isn’t scheduled to visit Israel in January,
either, according to an Israeli official.
F o r e i g n M i n i s t r y spokesman Emmanuel Nah-shon said
the visit isn’t included in the schedule of high-level dignitaries
in Jan-uary, without elaborating on the reason for the delay. White
House and Pence spokespeople didn’t have immediate comment.
The vice-president had planned to meet with Egyp-tian President
Abdel-Fattah El Sisi and Israeli Prime Min-ister Benjamin Netanyahu
in December and deliver a speech to the Israeli Knesset, but the
visit was put off until this month.
The official reason given was a critical Senate vote on the tax
reform bill, but the postponement followed Arab objections to
President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as
Isra-el’s capital.
Abbas slams West Bank annexation vote
Pence again postpones Mideast trip
Pro-regime rallies were held across several towns and cities,
but videos on social media showed seemingly widespread
anti-government protests in cities including Kermanshah,
Khorramabad and Shahinshahr.
Jordan denies dismissal of princes
-
08 TUESDAY 2 JANUARY 2018AFRICA
Thousands gather on New Year day in DurbanA general view taken
yesterday in Durban shows thousands of New Year party revellers and
holiday makers gathering on the North Beach during the New Year
day. According to local police sources, close to 100,000 people
spent the day at the beach. The city situated on the east coast of
the African Continent attracts thousands of local and international
tourists boosting the local economy at this time of the year.
Sudan to activate deals signed with Turkey recently
QNA
KHARTOUM: Sudan’s Ministry of Industry started implementing the
agreements and memoran-dums of understanding it signed with its
Turkish counterpart during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
recent visit to Sudan, which laid down the bases of the strategic
economic partnership between the two countries in the industrial
fields.
Sudanese State Minister at the Ministry of Industry, Abdo Dawood
Suleiman, said in a remarks to Qatar News Agency that agreements
with Turkey will focus on the organisation and management of the
industrial zones, small and medium indus-tries, the exchange of
experience, expertise and experts between
the two countries, in addition to making the best use in the
fields of science and technology and the introduction of technology
from Turkey.
He pointed out that the indus-tries include the fields of
textiles, clothing and various leather industries, in addition to
food industries, iron and steel, manu-facturing of spare parts for
cars and machinery manufacturing.
On the future prospects for cooperation with Turkey, the
Sudanese Minister said that his country looks forward to
ben-efiting from the Turkish excel-lence in the fields of large
capitals and advanced technol-ogy to invest in Sudan and add value
to national products and move them to global markets for the
benefit of the peoples of the
two countries. Adding that there are several
factories established in the past and is expected to jump to
$10bn, and the industrial sector will receive the largest share
where there are 12 fields covered by sponsorship and development
exchange agreements, which can be increased, pointing out that this
year will see the transformation of the agreed plans into joint
work programmes.
The Minister also highlighted the plans for the current year,
stressing that Sudan will focus
on industry, linking the economic sectors, restarting suspended
factories and encouraging the states to put the manufacturing
industries within their priorities and provide the necessary
support for them to promote their industries.
He pointed out that the year 2018 will also see the training of
100,000 skilled and technical workers to form a large addition to
strengthen the institutional capacity and make human resources have
a better contribution to the conservation and maintenance of
resources
and employment properly, compared to 60,000 workers were trained
last year.
Sudanese State Minister at the Ministry of Industry said that
the programmes of localisation of technology will give priority to
the benefit of value-added, pointing out that the industries
related to meat and gum, Arabic and oils, especially peanut crops,
sesame and sun flower and cotton seed and feed, will flourish
during the coming period in which will continue to implement the
five-year industrial programme.
Sudan’s President Omar Hassan Al Bashir arrives to address the
nation during the 62nd Anniversary Independence Day at the Palace
in Khartoum.
Agreements with Turkey will focus on the organisation and
management of the industrial zones, small and medium industries,
the exchange of experience, expertise and experts between the two
countries, in addition to making the best use in the fields of
science and technology and the introduction of technology from
Turkey.
Deby promises to hold delayed elections in Chad this yearAFP
N’DJAMENA: The President of Chad, Idriss Deby, said general
elections, scheduled for 2015 but much postponed, would be held in
2018.
“I am happy to announce, on the cusp of the New Year, that
legislative elections will be organised in 2018,” Deby said in a
televised address, urging all politicians to show responsibility
and patriotism in the run-up to the poll.
The country’s parliament was due to be dissolved on June 21,
2015, but the consti-tutional court extended its term.
Deby, who took office in 1990 and won a contested fifth term in
April 2016, delayed polls still further last February.
The opposition derided his comments that the country did not
have the financial means to hold polls before 2019 and have dubbed
the current parliament illegitimate. He declared that “this major
electoral event is awaited by Chad’s entire political class” and
would be a source of “great political fervour”.
Deby also announced the creation of an “inclusive national
forum” in the oil-producing nation to bring together political
organisa-tions to examine in detail “different approaches to
(political) reform.
“We have to pay close attention to peace and secu-rity, which
are primordial conditions for progress,” said Deby, warning the
country it must not drop its guard in “the fight against
terrorism.”
Chad is an ally of the West in sub-Saharan Africa in tackling
radicalism. But a prolonged slump in oil prices has taken a heavy
toll on the country’s economy in recent years.
UN urges DR Congo leader to keep promise to step downAFP
UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged
Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila to abide by an
agreement to leave power, after at least eight people died in
protests against his rule.
Kabila, in power since 2001, signed a deal with opposition
groups a year ago agreeing to step down once his current term ends
and new elections are held.
But violence has swelled in the giant, troubled African nation
after the date of the new vote was pushed back to
December 2018, prompting fears that Kabila may seek to extend
his rule.
“The Secretary-General urges all Congolese political actors to
remain fully committed to the 31 December 2016 politi-cal
agreement, which remains the only viable path to the holding of
elections, the peaceful transfer of power and the con-solidation of
stability in the DRC,” Guterres’ office said in a statement.
Eight people were killed on Sunday and dozens arrested as
Congolese security forces cracked down on protesters who defied a
government ban to demonstrate in Kinshasa and other cities.
Troops fired tear gas into churches and bullets in the air to
break up gatherings at Catholic masses, in one case arresting 12
altar boys at a protest in the capital. “The Secretary-General
calls on the government and national security forces to exercise
restraint and to uphold the rights of the Congolese people to the
freedom of speech and peaceful assembly,” the statement said.
The head of La Francophonie, the world organisation of
French-speaking nations, on Monday blasted what she called
“unspeakable attacks” against worshippers and other civilians.
“Participating in a protest is a fundamental right,”
secretary-general Michaelle Jean said in a statement, urging
“free, transparent and credible elections in DRC”.
DR Congo, rich with mineral wealth but plagued by violence, has
not had a peaceful transition of power since inde-pendence from
Belgium in 1960.
Kabila succeeded his assassinated father Laurent Kabila in 2001
and refused to step down at the end of his second and final term in
December 2016. Elections had been due to take place by the end of
2017 under a church-mediated deal but were further delayed, and the
poll is now sched-uled for December 23, 2018.
Mali president eyes amnesties under ‘national consensus’
lawAFP
BAMAKO: Mali will adopt a law on “national consensus” that may
amnesty rebels who took part in a revolt in 2012, President Ibrahim
Boubacar Keita said in a New Year’s speech.
Keita, in a nationwide message, said the law would draw on a
so-called charter for peace, unity and national reconciliation,
which he received in June as the out-come of a two-year-old peace
pact between the government and Tuareg rebels aimed at shoring up
Mali’s shaky secu-rity. The “draft law on national consensus...
(will) include exemption from prosecution for all those who are
implicated in armed rebellion but who do not have blood on their
hands,” he said.
It will also include “meas-ures of conciliation”, he said.
These will be implemented after trials that are currently under
way are fast-tracked to conclusion, and after compen-sation for
victims is speeded up. Ideas include a programme to rehabilitate
“all those who lay down their weapons and publicly undertake to
renounce violence,” Keita said. But he insisted the package is
“neither a reward for impunity nor an avowal of weakness, and even
less a denial of right for the victims.”
One dead, 28 hurt in Cameroon suicide attackQNA
YAOUNDE: A female suicide bomber blew herself up in a cafe in
Cameroon’s far north region, killing at least one person and
wounding 28 others. Witnesses said the woman entered the cafe on
Sunday night before detonating her explosive vest in Bia, a village
close to the border with Nigeria. The area has seen frequent
attacks by the Boko
Haram militants in recent years.Since 2014, when Cam-
eroon began its fight against
Boko Haram, the group has killed at least 2,000 civilians and
military personnel and kidnapped a thousand more in the country’s
far north, accord-ing to the International Crisis Group.
Since the group emerged eight years ago, it has launched attacks
in Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad, and caused the deaths of at
least 20,000 people and the displacement of more than 2.6
million.
Toll in Boko Haram attack on villagers increases to 25AFP
KANO: The number of loggers killed in a Boko Haram attack in
northeast Nigeria has risen to 25 following the discovery of more
victims, survivors and militias said.
Motorcycle-riding gunmen attacked a logging site where people
were loading firewood into vehicles some 20km from the state
capital Maiduguri.
Four bodies were initially recovered, but search teams later
found 21 more victims in the surrounding area.
“We found 21 more bodies after search teams combed the bushes
when many people didn’t make it back to the village after we were
attacked,” logger Bunu Gana, who survived the attack, said.
“Fifty-three of us set out to the logging site from Bakin Muna
(village) but only 28 made it back after the attack.
“We found four bodies at the site which made us to search for
those missing,” said another logger, Haruna Dahiru.
The loggers were displaced by Boko Haram from nearby Mujtari,
Zangale, Anzamala and Kumbulla village who turned to logging to
feed their families, militia leader Ibrahim Liman said.
He said the victims had been logging at the site for seven
months without incident as they
were always escorted by troops to protect them from
jihadists.
“Yesterday they went to the logging without security escort and
it was evident some inform-ants alerted Boko Haram that the loggers
had no security protection,” he said.
The attackers were believed to have come from Boko Har-am’s main
enclave in Sambisa forest which is accessible from the logging
site, he said.
The militants have increas-ingly targeted loggers in their armed
campaign, accusing them of spying and passing informa-tion to the
military and the local militia fighting them.
In August Boko Haram fight-ers decapitated three loggers near
Aisa-Wulomari village, 40km from Maiduguri while returning to the
city.
In April eight loggers were killed and their bodies burnt by the
insurgents at Kayamla vil-lage, 10km from Maiduguri while
collecting firewood in a bush.
Boko Haram’s eight-year campaign of violence has killed over
20,000 people and dis-placed some 2.6 million from their homes,
sparking a dire humanitarian crisis in the region. Most of the
displaced rely on food handouts from aid agencies while others have
turned to felling trees in this arid region for firewood which they
sell to buy food.
A female suicide bomber blew herself up in a cafe in Cameroon’s
far north region, killing at least one person and wounding 28
others.
-
IANS
NEW DELHI: A thick blanket of fog engulfed the national capital
and its suburbs on the New Year Day with visibility dropping to
zero, hitting domestic and inter-national operations at the Delhi
airport and delaying trains departing from and arriving to
Delhi.
With mercury at 5.7 degrees Celsius, dropping a notch below the
season’s average on Sunday night, hundreds of passengers braved the
morning chill as they remained stranded for hours at the airport
and Delhi railway stations.
“Delhi woke up to worst fog of the season. Most of the
north-western plains are in its grip. Day temperature will fall
signifi-cantly,” Mahesh Palawat, Vice President at Skymet Weather,
said, adding the minimum tem-perature of 5.7 degrees was “lowest
minimum of the season”.
All the terminals at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI)
Air-port were packed with passen-gers, who drove on fog-covered
roads to catch their morning flights. The visibility which was
1,500 metres at 3.30am dropped rapidly to zero at 5.30am.
The flight operations at the airport were halted for about five
hours. However, the visi-bility improved as the late morning sun
broke through the blinding cloud cover, allowing
some flights to take off around 11am. A visibility of at least
125 metres is needed for a flight to take off. Arrivals at the
airport were also baldy hit as only some aircraft were allowed to
land.
Flights can land in visibility below 50 metres if pilots are
trained in CAT IIIB — which is Category Three.
The Northern Railways said over 50 trains coming to Delhi were
running late and 20 were rescheduled. Some 15 were can-celled. The
Met Department said the shallow fog would continue throughout the
region all through the day. The maximum temperature was likely to
hover around 23 degrees Celsius.
Pollution levels in the cap-ital also shot up. The Air Quality
Index (AQI) at various places in Delhi fell to the “hazardous”
category.
Many took to Twitter to share pictures of their areas cov-ered
by the blinding fog as the hashtag #delhifog was among the most
trending topics on the microblogging site.
“I wanted to say Hello 2018 by clicking the sunrise, but with
this fog I can’t even see my reflection to say hello to myself,”
tweeted @virenrawat48, posting a picture of all haze.
@pinky-chandran tweeted that it was “interest