PALESTINE  |  Reconciliation

Qatar welcomes unity agreement

Qatar yesterday welcomed the reconciliation agreement reached by Palestinian parties. “Considering the agreement as an important national achievement and strategic choice, the State of Qatar will always be, as it has ever been, ready to assist in taking this agreement to its ultimate goals,” the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) said. “The State of Qatar supports all the efforts which aim to ending the division and achieving the unity of the Palestinian people to serve their interests and realise their aspirations of political freedom and the establishment of the Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem,” it said

QATAR  |  Health

SCH holding survey on Mers

The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) is conducting a national survey to detect the risk factors for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (Mers-CoV) and identify its source. The survey is being carried out in co-operation with the Ministry of Environment, World Health Organisation (WHO), US Centers for Disease Control and the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. No new cases have been reported in Qatar since November last year. A joint Qatari-Dutch research team has succeeded in culturing the Mers-CoV in the laboratory which will increase the knowledge for prevention and control of the virus in addition to enhancing the development of diagnostic tools and production of vaccines and treatment.

 

QATAR  |  Crime

Two jailed for robbery and impersonation

The Criminal Court in Qatar has sentenced two GCC citizens to three years in jail each for robbery and impersonation, local Arabic daily Arrayah reported yesterday. The court has  ordered their deportation upon completion of the sentence.  According to the complainant, an Asian expatriate, the two  men followed him with their SUV while he was driving and forced him to stop. They identified themselves as police officers and searched his vehicle. After taking QR500 and wallet from him, they asked him to park his car and made him get into their vehicle on the pretext of taking him to a police station for “investigation”. On the way, the duo said they would “release” him if he paid them a sum of money. When he refused to do so, they allegedly beat him up and fled. The two were later arrested.