One hundred twenty six inmates in Qatar’s correctional institutions are continuing their formal education while serving their sentences, reflecting the country’s growing emphasis on rehabilitation through learning as a pathway to reintegration.The initiative was highlighted during the launch of Unified Gulf Inmate Week 2025, which underscores the Gulf Cooperation Council’s shared humanitarian approach to corrections and its commitment to strengthening the reformative role of penal institutions.Colonel Yousef Bilal al-Abdullah, Assistant Director of the Correctional and Rehabilitation Institutions Department at the Ministry of Interior, said 126 inmates are currently enrolled in various educational programmes, ranging from transitional levels to higher education, while undergoing rehabilitation.He explained that Qatar’s rehabilitation framework within penal and correctional institutions is built on two main pillars: education and vocational training, with education playing a central role in shaping behaviour, values and long-term prospects.“Correctional and rehabilitation institutions are not merely places for serving sentences,” Colonel al-Abdullah said, noting that they are designed to rectify behaviour, foster positive values and build inmates’ character on solid educational and social foundations — all of which enhance opportunities for successful reintegration into society after release.As part of the educational pillar, inmates are able to pursue structured academic pathways, including a diploma programme implemented in co-operation with the Community College. Colonel al-Abdullah said the first graduating cohort, comprising around 20 inmates, is expected to complete its studies in January 2026.The programmes cover a range of disciplines, including secretarial studies and administrative work, alongside ongoing collaboration with Cambridge College in the fields of secretarial studies, libraries and administrative affairs.The opening ceremony of Unified Gulf Inmate Week featured a symbolic theatrical performance conveying the importance of community and institutional solidarity in granting inmates a second chance based on trust, support and inclusion. The performance emphasised that meaningful reform extends beyond the walls of correctional facilities and relies on the role of society in welcoming individuals back after release.Colonel al-Abdullah said the performance was delivered in co-operation with the Ministry of Culture, civil society organisations and several departments within the Ministry of Interior, as part of efforts to strengthen community partnerships in support of rehabilitation and reform programmes.Alongside education, the vocational pillar of rehabilitation focuses on equipping inmates with practical trades and skills that enable them to secure legitimate employment after completing their sentences, contributing to financial stability for themselves and their families.To support productive engagement, correctional and rehabilitation institutions also take part in local and international exhibitions showcasing inmates’ products, including an exhibition currently being held at Villagio Mall. These products are additionally marketed electronically through the Ministry of Interior’s Sooum application, with full financial returns directed to inmates after the cost of raw materials is deducted — providing a lawful source of income aimed at ensuring stability following release.

Arsenal goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is relishing the prospect of knocking former club Chelsea out of the League Cup following his key role in a penalty shootout win over Crystal Palace. The Gunners went through to the semi-finals on Tuesday after Kepa saved Maxence Lacroix’s spot-kick in a dramatic 8-7 shootout success following a 1-1 draw with Palace at the Emirates Stadium. Kepa spent seven years with the Blues before moving to north London in pre-season and he could now deny his old side a spot in the first major final of the current campaign. It was a cathartic moment for the Spanish goalkeeper, who infamously refused to be substituted before Chelsea’s League Cup final penalty shoot-out defeat against Manchester City in 2019. Kepa also missed a spot-kick in the Blues’ 2022 League Cup final shoot-out loss to Liverpool. Kepa, who has made all three of his Arsenal appearances so far in the League Cup, said: “Right now, if you want a trophy, and that’s something that we want, we have to fight against good teams. Both semi-finals are big games, and it’s going to be tough, but we’ll prepare well for the game, and we’ll be ready and we’ll go for it.” Arsenal will take on Chelsea for a place at Wembley with the first of two legs to be played at Stamford Bridge on January 14 before the return match at the Emirates on February 3.The Gunners were on course to reach the semi-finals in regulation time before Marc Guehi’s late equaliser – the third time in Arsenal’s last five fixtures the Premier League leaders’ defence has been breached in or beyond the 90th minute. “We’ve conceded in a couple of games in the last minute so it’s something that we have to look at,” said Kepa, deputising for Arsenal first-choice keeper David Raya. The 31-year-old Spaniard added: “But we are in the next round and we’re happy. We made a huge effort. We should have scored a couple in the first half. We played so well. Then the second half was more like 50-50.” “Credit to the guys, they took amazing penalties. They kept us in the game, and they gave me an opportunity to make a save. Emotionally, you have to be focused, be strong, because obviously when you concede in the last minute and then you have to go to penalties, you need to 100 percent be focused on your penalty takers, you need to save. So it was a change of mindset, and it worked.” Arsenal are into the League Cup semi-finals for a second successive year as they chase their first trophy since winning the FA Cup in 2020. The north Londoners have only won the League Cup twice, with their last triumph coming in 1992-93, before any of their current squad were born. After celebrating Christmas on Thursday, Arteta’s men will turn their attention back to the title race with home games against Brighton and third-placed Aston Villa to close out 2025.Winning their first English title since 2004 is clearly Arsenal’s main aim this season, but lifting the League Cup in March would be a significant boost to a club starved of silverware in recent years. Arteta made eight changes to the side that won at Everton on Saturday.

His Excellency the Speaker of the Shura Council Hassan bin Abdullah al-Ghanem affirmed Qatar’s strong commitment to supporting parliamentary work at both the regional and international levels, and its continued keenness to provide effective platforms for dialogue, consultation, and the exchange of expertise among Asian parliaments. In a speech delivered at the opening of the meeting of the Standing Committee on Budget and Planning of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly, hosted in Doha yesterday, he noted the wide participation of member states in the committee’s work. He emphasised that this supports the progress of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly, which serves as a unifying framework for enhancing parliamentary cooperation in Asia. The Speaker pointed out that the meeting is being held amid rapidly evolving regional and international challenges, which necessitate strengthening financial planning efficiency, consolidating the principles of transparency, accountability, and good governance, and ensuring sound resource management. These measures, he said, are essential to guaranteeing the sustainability of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly’s work and enabling it to fulfil its active parliamentary role in promoting Asian co-operation. He praised the efforts of the members of the Budget and Planning Committee and the effectiveness of its previous meetings, during which important decisions were adopted. These included the Doha meeting held in November last year, where participants approved the adoption of a unified and equal membership fee for all member states. The committee also adopted a proposal to amend certain provisions of the Assembly’s statute, including the voting mechanism, granting each member state one vote only on draft resolutions and approving decisions by majority rather than consensus. He described this as an important step toward enhancing fairness, ensuring balanced participation in decision-making, and contributing to the development and activation of parliamentary work within the Assembly. The Speaker stressed the importance of this parliamentary bloc as an effective framework for unifying visions and coordinating positions among Asian parliaments in various regional and international parliamentary forums. At the outset of his speech, he welcomed the participants and expressed his wishes for the success of the meeting, once again hosted by Doha, in achieving its intended objectives and issuing recommendations and decisions that strengthen Asian parliamentary action, particularly in the field of budget and planning. The Secretary-General of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly Mohammad Reza Majidi, Representative of the Assembly’s President Dr. Rizvan Oglu Nabiyev, and Vice President of the Assembly Boris Chernyshov praised in their remarks during the opening session on Qatar’s diplomatic and humanitarian efforts and its role at both the regional and international levels. In this context, they commended the support and co-operation of the Shura Council with various parliamentary organisations and legislative councils, which contribute to strengthening parliamentary diplomacy in Asia. They also called for enhanced co-operation and joint parliamentary action among the parliaments of the assembly’s member states, and for leveraging Asia’s exceptional global standing given its geopolitical weight and significant economic and human potential. Prior to the start of the meeting’s proceedings, the Speaker met with the heads of the participating parliamentary delegations, welcomed them, and expressed the hope that their meeting would contribute to supporting joint parliamentary work and strengthening the role of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly in advancing sustainable development efforts across the Asian continent.