Qatar rejects nomination of Israel as vice-chair of panel

 

QNA/New York

Qatar, on behalf of the Arab states to the United Nations, has rejected the nomination of Israel for vice-chair of the Fourth Special Political and Decolonisation Committee by the Group of Western European and other States.

Qatar, which chairs the Arab Group for this month, made the request to vote on the nomination of Israel, in order to express its categorical rejection of Israel’s candidacy.

The Israeli candidate received 74 votes out of 193 as 34 delegation were absent at an election by secret ballot.

Speaking before the vote on behalf of the Arab group which she chairs this month, HE Sheikha Alia Ahmed bint Seif al-Thani, the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations, expressed the group’s rejection of Israel’s candidacy, describing the country as a State that violates the UN Charter and international law.   

She categorically rejected Israel’s nomination as vice-chair. “Because its track record is rife with murder and its occupation has lasted more than 66 years, Israel was not qualified to preside over questions pertaining to Palestinian refugees, peacekeeping and the investigation of its own illegal practices,” HE Sheikha Alia Ahmed bint Seif al-Thani explained.  

Israel’s negative track record in voting against the majority of draft resolutions before the Fourth Committee showed its flagrant contempt for this body’s work and that of the General Assembly on the Palestinian cause, she added.

Approval of the Assembly’s six Committees’ Bureaux are usually done by consensus and acclamation.

 

‘Serious violations’
observed in nurseries

 

Salwa al-Ibaidli, director of Family Development in the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, has said serious violations have been observed in some nurseries, local Arabic daily Arrayah has reported.

Some of the most serious violations are the use of expired medicines, ignoring hygiene and the spread of insects in places where children sleep, as discovered by the department’s inspectors, the report states.

She said strict action is taken against such violations and final closure warnings have been issued to seven nurseries. The number of nurseries in the State is 120 and most of these are in Doha, the report adds.

Regarding the new requirements provided for in the law for licences, al-Ibaidli said the age of an applicant should not be less than 21 years. The applicant should satisfy other criteria, in addition to the entire staff of nurseries being females and the staff including a nutrition superviser, a nurse and a doctor/visiting doctor, according to the report.

Al-Ibaidly said the department carries out classification and evaluation of nurseries. The evaluation criteria include the use of the ground floor only, allocation of a place for children’s bags and another area where the kids could sleep, good location, provision of fire extinguisher and fire alarm as well as a first-aid kit, in addition to other requirements pertaining to ventilation, toys, furniture and general cleanliness, she explained.

Further, she said the procedures adopted for violations such as the use of expired medicine include a warning, payment of fine and temporary or permanent closure, the report states.

 

Food outlets found
flouting licence norms

 

Joint inspection campaigns conducted by the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning and Ministry of Economy and Commerce have resulted in the detection of a number of health and food irregularities as well as violation of trade licence norms, local Arabic daily Arrayah has reported.

A number of shops were found preparing and selling food products and materials without the proper licence or by violating the provisions of the licence granted to them, the report states.

The joint inspection campaigns will continue to keep tabs on markets, especially in the holy month of Ramadan, as well as to monitor food establishments and shops.

The recent campaigns targeted restaurants, shops and cafeterias at a well-known city mall in order to detect violations of Law No 3 of 1975 and Law No 8 of 1990, according to the report.

 

President of Cassation court meets US officials

 

HE the Chief Justice, President of the Court of Cassation and President of the Supreme Judiciary Council of the State of Qatar, Masoud Mohamed al-Ameri met the federal judge for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Judge John Bates, the President of International Judicial Academy (JIL) Dr James Apple and the Chief of the US International Association for Court Management Geoffrey Aberson yesterday.

The meetings, held during the Chief Justice’s visit to Washington, discussed ways of exchanging expertise, training opportunities and capacity-building programmes that can be provided by the American side, as well as modern techniques in the management of lawsuits.

Six new sites on World Heritage list

 

The Unesco World Heritage Committee named six new sites and added one existing site as a mixed natural and cultural site on the World Heritage List in a Doha meeting yesterday.

The new sites include Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah (Saudi Arabia); Erbil Citadel (Iraq); Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites (Japan); Van Nellefabriek (Netherlands); Qhapac Ñan, Andean Road System, (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru); Ancient Maya City and Protected Tropical Forests of Calakmul (Campeche Mexico); and Carolingian Westwork and Civitas Corvey (Germany).

Ancient Maya City and Protected Tropical Forests of Calakmul, Campeche, Mexico is a re-nomination and extension of the existing 3,000 ha cultural World Heritage property, Ancient Maya City of Calakmul, Campeche which becomes a mixed natural and cultural site. With these inscriptions, the total number of sites on the World
Heritage List has moved to 988.

Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah, is situated on the eastern shore of the Red Sea. From the 7th century AD it was established as a major port for Indian Ocean trade routes, channelling goods to Makkah. It was also the gateway for Muslim pilgrims to Makkah who arrived by sea. These twin roles saw the city develop into a thriving multicultural centre, characterised by a distinctive architectural tradition, including tower houses built in the late 19th century by the city’s
mercantile elites.

Erbil Citadel in Iraq is a fortified settlement on the top of an imposing ovoid-shaped hill created by many generations of people living and rebuilding on the same spot. Located in the Kurdistan region, Erbil Governorate is a continuous wall of tall 19th century facades and still conveys the visual impression of an impregnable fortress, dominating the city of Erbil. The Citadel features a peculiar fan-like pattern, dating back to Erbil’s late Ottoman phase.

Tomioka Silk Mill is a historic sericulture and silk mill complex established in 1872 in the Gunma Prefecture north west of Tokyo. Built by the Japanese government with machinery imported from France, it consists of four sites that cover different stages in the production of raw silk. It illustrates Japan’s desire to rapidly adopt the best mass production techniques which became a decisive element in the renewal of sericulture and the Japanese silk industry in the last quarter of the 19th century.

Van Nellefabriek was designed and built in the 1920s on the banks of a canal in the Spaanse Polder industrial zone northwest of Rotterdam. The site is one of the icons of 20th century industrial architecture, comprising a complex of factories, with facades consisting essentially of steel and glass, making large-scale use of the curtain wall principle. It was conceived as   an “ideal factory”; open to the outside world, whose interior working spaces evolved according to need, and in which daylight was used to provide pleasant working conditions.

Qhapac Ñan, Andean Road System is an extensive Inca communication, trade and defence network of roads covering 30,000km. Constructed by the Incas over several centuries and partly based on pre-Inca infrastructure, this extraordinary network through one of the world’s most extreme geographical terrains, linked the snow-capped peaks of the Andes – at an altitude of more than 6,000m – to the coast, running through hot rainforests, fertile valleys and absolute deserts.

“The Qhapaq Nan by its sheer scale and quality of the road is a unique achievement of engineering skills in most varied geographical terrains, linking snow-capped mountain ranges of the Andes... to the coast, running through hot rainforests, fertile valleys and absolute deserts,” Unesco said in documents presented at the meeting.

“It demonstrates mastery in engineering technology,” UNESCO said, calling it “an exceptional and unique testimony to the Inca
civilisation”.

Ancient Maya City and Protected Tropical Forests of Calakmul, Campeche is a re-nomination and extension of the existing 3,000 ha cultural World Heritage property, Ancient Maya City of Calakmul, Campeche. It now becomes mixed natural and cultural property. The site is located in the central or southern portion of the Yucatan Peninsula, in southern Mexico and includes the remains of the important Maya city Calakmul, set deep in the tropical forest of the Tierras Bajas.

Carolingian Westwork and Civitas Corvey are located along the Weser River on the outskirts of Höxter where they were erected between 822 and 885 AD in a largely preserved rural setting. The Westwork is the only standing structure that dates back to the Carolingian era, while the original imperial abbey complex is preserved as archaeological remains which are only partially excavated.

 

Zakat Fund gives out QR2.3mn in treatment aid

 

Zakat Fund gave out around QR2.3mn as treatment aid for needy patients from April to mid-June.

The Fund pointed out that it gave QR6,900 for one patient referred it by a local charity, QR288,000 for three patients who require treatment abroad and QR26,592 for a cancer patient. Besides, it helped three other patients with a sum of QR28,934 to buy prosthetic devices.

Further, some 76 patients being treated at Hamad Medical Corporation got assistance in the form of monthly treatment or surgery aid from the Fund at a cost of QR731,351.

Meanwhile, the Fund affirmed that aiding patients is one of its top priorities.

 

Fresh to strong winds expected during week

 

There will be fresh to strong Northwesterly winds from tomorrow until the end of the week, especially on the coast, during the day, the meteorology department has said in a statement.

At night, the wind speeds will reduce to moderate to fresh.

The wind is expected to carry dust and suspended sand, which will reduce visibility, particularly in open areas and on highways.

These conditions are due to the deepening of the Indian monsoon low, according to the statement.

The temperature is expected to be typical for this time of the year, ranging from 39-43 degrees Celsius. Some scattered cloud could be seen on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Sunday will be hot during the day and relatively humid at night with slightly hazy conditions at places.

Meanwhile, yesterday was the longest day of the year, when the sun was directly perpendicular to the Tropic of Cancer, the statement added.

 

CMC team visits Paris

 

A delegation of the Central Municipal Council (CMC) has left Doha for Paris on an invitation from Patrick Clojman, deputy to the Mayor of Paris in charge of international relations.

During the visit, the CMC delegation, headed by CMC chairman Suad al-Hinzab, will get introduced to the French municipal council and its work mechanism, with special focus on development plans and community service.

The Qatari and the French sides will exchange views and experiences on issues of common interest and will look into ways for enhancing mutual co-operation. The trip is scheduled to conclude on Friday.

RAF tents to host 6,000 during Ramadan

 

The Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah Foundation for Humanitarian Services (RAF) has said it will erect 20 tents to accommodate some 6,000 people during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

Speaking at a press conference, RAF executive director Dr Mohamed Salah Ibrahim announced that the tents are specifically aimed at providing breakfast (Iftar) to workers, Asian communities and other occupants of residential areas, local Arabic daily Al Sharq has reported. Ibrahim said the 20 tents will be strategically located around Qatar, particularly in communities that accommodate large numbers of labourers.

He said this year they are expecting some 6,000 people to flock to their tents for breakfast during Ramadan. “All Ramadan-related projects are geared to strengthen ties of brotherhood, including citizens and residents, and to provide valuable service to the needy during this holy period,” Dr Ibrahim said.

The project will also include the distribution of coupons for 1,400 food baskets intended for needy families. The coupons, he added, will be available in designated shops during Ramadan. RAF director of Marketing and Media Department Ibrahim Ali Abdullah said the foundation has formed nine committees comprising RAF employees and volunteers, who will supervise the distribution of food baskets at the
breakfast tents.

Schools prepare for Ramadan timings

 

With the holy month of Ramadan expected to start next week, schools in Qatar prepare to have shortened working hours. Most of the schools have already sent circulars to the parents to this effect.

There are a few schools working during Ramadan. Most of them are working only in the first week of Ramadan and they will have a shortened schedule.

Many of these schools will be working from 7:30am to 12:30pm (five hours). All of them are already working on a shortened schedule due to rise in temperatures.

For Indian schools, the new schedule will be only for a few days. Some schools are set to close for summer break by July 1 or 2. In some cases, schools will close for students by the last week of June while staff will work until July 3.