Mowasalat (Karwa), Qatar’s leading transport provider, announced the launch of the country’s first RoboTaxi service under the supervision of the Ministry of Transport (MoT), marking a major milestone in the development of smart, sustainable, and technology-driven mobility solutions, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.The RoboTaxi service represents a new era of autonomous transportation, designed to enhance passenger safety, comfort, and efficiency through advanced self-driving technology.Each RoboTaxi is equipped with an integrated system of eleven cameras, four radars, and four LiDAR sensors, enabling 360-degree environmental awareness, precise navigation, and real-time obstacle detection. A built-in redundancy system ensures that the vehicle can safely proceed to the nearest secure location in the event of any operational anomaly.All operational and passenger data collected by the RoboTaxi system are securely stored and processed within the State of Qatar, ensuring full compliance with national data localisation and cybersecurity regulations.The service has been developed and tested in collaboration with leading global autonomous technology partners, combining international expertise with local operational and regulatory requirements to ensure the highest standards of safety and efficiency.The launch of the RoboTaxi service reflects Mowasalat’s ongoing commitment to innovation and its role in shaping the future of mobility in Qatar through advanced technology, sustainability, and service excellence.

US negotiators have told Ukraine during peace talks in Berlin that it must agree to withdraw forces from the eastern Donetsk region under any deal to end the nearly four-year-old war with Russia, an offi cial familiar with the matter said. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity as Ukrainian and US negotiators wrapped up a second day of critical talks in the German capital, said Kyiv wanted further discussions. A second person familiar with the talks said there were still major obstacles to overcome to reach a deal on territory. Calling the issue of territorial concessions “painful”, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confi rmed to reporters later in the day that diff erences over the matter persisted. “Frankly speaking, we still have diff erent positions,” he said, adding, however, that he believed US mediators would help fi nd a compromise. Kyiv’s negotiators would continue consultations with US counterparts, he said, adding that Ukraine needed a clear understanding on security guarantees, including the monitoring of a ceasefi re, before making any decisions to do with the war’s front lines. “I do not think that the (US) has demanded anything,” Zelensky said. “I see us as strategic partners, so I would say that we have heard about the issue of territories in relation to Russia’s vision or Russia’s demands from the (US) We see this as demands from the Russian Federation. ” Zelensky has been holding talks in Berlin with US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s sonin-law Jared Kushner as well as European leaders. Kyiv is under heavy pressure from Trump to make concessions to Russia to end Europe’s deadliest confl ict since World War II, which began with Moscow’s 2022 invasion. Ukrainian offi cials have maintained an upbeat tone in public comments. “Over the past two days, Ukrainian-US negotiations have been constructive and productive, with real progress achieved,” Rustem Umerov, secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, wrote on X earlier yesterday. “The American team led by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are working extremely constructively to help Ukraine fi nd a way to a peace agreement that lasts.” A US offi cial told reporters later that, under the deal being discussed in Berlin, Ukraine would receive security guarantees similar to those provided in Article 5 of the Nato treaty, which requires the alliance to come to the defence of any member that comes under attack. Those guarantees would not be on the table forever, however, US offi - cials cautioned. One said Russia was open to Ukraine joining the European Union and that Trump wanted to prevent Russia from encroaching further westwards. US offi cials said there had been a considerable narrowing of differences between Russia and Ukraine and that about 90% of the issues between Ukraine and Russia appeared to be resolved. One official said security guarantees, including deconfl iction and oversight of any deal, were the major focus of yesterday’s talks and that an Article 5-like guarantee was something Trump believed he could get Moscow to accept. Ukraine said on Sunday it was willing to drop its ambition to join Nato in exchange for Western security guarantees. But it was not immediately clear how far talks had progressed on that or other vital issues such as the future of Ukrainian territory, and how much the talks in Berlin could persuade Russia to agree to a ceasefire. In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia’s demand that Ukraine not join Nato was a fundamental question in talks on a possible peace settlement. He said Russia expected an update from the US after the negotiations in Berlin. Russia claims to have annexed Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region comprising Donetsk and Luhansk as well as three other regions including Crimea, something Kyiv and its European allies say is unacceptable. Russian forces do not fully control all the territory that Moscow claims, including about 20% of Donetsk. Zelensky is treading a diffi cult line between appearing fl exible and reasonable to the Trump administration while also not making concessions that the Ukrainian people would reject. Underscoring the challenge he faces, a poll published yesterday showed three-quarters of Ukrainians reject major concessions in any peace deal

The 11th Conference of the State Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, the world’s largest anti-corruption conference, began Monday with His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani attending the opening session at Sheraton Doha.At the opening ceremony, His Excellency Hamad bin Nasser al-Misnad, President of the Administrative Control and Transparency Authority, assumed the chairmanship of the 11th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption as the conference called to make use of the emerging technologies in the fight against corruption and address its links with organised crime and other financial crimes.Addressing the opening session of the conference, al-Misnad said that the conference is a core platform for engagement and sharing expertise, as well as galvanising anti-corruption efforts on the global stage.He noted that the previous sessions of the conference have literally contributed to concrete achievements that deepened the culture of transparency and helped share best practices.“Combating corruption can't yield merits unless there is high political commitment in place, along with effective international cooperation and the concerted efforts of a variety of sectors,” he stated.He underlined the importance of adhering to the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, such as respect for state sovereignty, equality of rights, and non-meddling in internal affairs.“Preventing and ultimately eradicating corruption is a duty we share. We owe it to the people we serve,” said president of the United Nations General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock in her video message at the opening session of the conference.At the opening session, the United Nations secretary-general, António Guterres in a video message, noted: “Corruption is not a victimless crime. It fuels conflicts, entrenches inequalities, and drains the resources needed to protect people and planet. Every dollar lost to economic crime is a dollar stolen from those striving for a better future.”“Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence have the potential to accelerate corruption, but also to help us detect and prevent it. But this requires regulation and accountability,” the secretary-general said.The acting executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), John Brandolino, noted that corruption provides the illicit infrastructure for criminal groups to operate and profit with impunity around the globe.“There is a need for an integrated and coordinated approach, one where agencies work across sectors and borders, with all relevant partners, to bring down networks of crime and collusion in tandem,” he said, calling on the States Parties to make the most of UNODC’s initiatives and tools on anti-corruption, and to use the session “to reassert the universal vision of the Convention for a new age”.Also addressing the opening session was the outgoing president of the tenth session, Christine Cline from the United States. Held under the theme “Shaping Tomorrow’s Integrity”, the week-long meeting brings together more than 2,500 participants from 170 States Parties to the Convention.Resolutions considered by the Parties to the Convention focus on addressing the role of AI in preventing and combating corruption, strengthening the integrity of children and young people, enhancing transparency in the financing of political parties and election campaigns, and exploring the role corruption plays in facilitating other crimes, such as smuggling of migrants and crimes that affect the environment, among others.