Moderate to heavy rains were recorded in various parts of Qatar for several hours from late on Monday, accompanied by strong winds. While the northern region experienced heavy rains and hail, several other parts of the country, including Doha, received only scattered to moderate rain.Thundery rain was observed in northern areas such as Shamal and Ruwais along with strong winds. According to Qatar Meteorology Department, total amount of rain reached about 45ml in the early afternoon Tuesday. Social media is abuzz with videos of heavy rains in the northern parts of the country as well as the rough and turbulent waves in the sea.The Met department said that thundery rain accompanied with hail was observed at several parts of the northern region. By evening the department said that there could be thundery rains along with dusty winds mainly northeasterly to northwesterly with high speed.Meanwhile, other parts of the country received moderate to scattered rain. In addition, most parts of Qatar experienced very heavy winds and the seafront areas witnessed very rough and turbulent sea with very high waves lashing the shores. However, most parts of Doha had only scatted rains and the traffic was normal with no major incidents. The city had overcast conditions most of the time during the day.With the Eid holidays coming to an end, it was expected that all the students would start their academic session from Tuesday. However, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education had warned about the adverse weather conditions and instructed educational institutes to provide classes online for the day.Financial institutes such as the banks worked remotely with most branches closed for the day and only select branches, mostly in malls, functioned.Various parts of the region have been experiencing heavy rains for the last several days. Parts of Oman, the UAE and Saudi Arabia witnessed very heavy rains resulting in several causalities.

A top US university has canceled its plans for a graduation speech by a Muslim student over what it says are safety concerns, after pro-Israel groups criticised her selection.The decision by the University of Southern California is the latest controversy to roil American higher education since the conflict between Israel and Hamas erupted in October.Asna Tabassum, who has been attacked online for "antisemitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric," had been selected as class valedictorian.USC's valedictorian is chosen by college officials from among scores of applicants with high academic grades.They represent the graduating class and deliver a speech at graduation in front of up to 65,000 people.But on Monday the university's provost, Andrew Guzman, announced the May 10 ceremony would go ahead without the speech."Unfortunately, over the past several days, discussion relating to the selection of our valedictorian has taken on an alarming tenor," Guzman said in a statement."The intensity of feelings, fueled by both social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, has grown to include many voices outside of USC and has escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security."Guzman's statement gave no specifics, but the Los Angeles Times quoted Erroll Southers, the university's associate senior vice president for safety and risk assurance, as saying the institution had received threats by email, phone and letter.Individuals "say they will come to the campus," he said.Tabassum criticised the decision, which she said was the result of the university "succumbing to a campaign of hate meant to silence my voice.""Although this should have been a time of celebration for my family, friends, professors and classmates, anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian voices have subjected me to a campaign of racist hatred because of my uncompromising belief in human rights for all," she said in a statement.The fallout from the Israel-Hamas conflict has been felt around the world, and is particularly intense on US college campuses, where both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups say they are being victimised and silenced.On Wednesday the president of the prestigious Columbia University in New York will become the latest campus leader to face questions from US lawmakers about whether her institution is doing enough to combat anti-Semitism in the student body.

PM urges world community to help stop warRomanian leader hails Qatar’s mediationHE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani renewed Qatar's condemnation of the targeting and killing of civilians — regardless of their backgrounds, the continuation of the collective punishment policy followed by Israel towards the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and the ongoing escalation in the West Bank, which is increasing on a daily basis, causing more danger to the situation in the region.In a briefing held Wednesday with Prime Minister of Romania Marcel Ciolacu, the prime minister pointed out that Qatar had clearly warned, since the beginning of the events on October 7, of the expansion of the circle of conflicts (which is seen on various fronts today) and its direct relationship to the escalation and war on the Gaza Strip.In this context, he called on the international community to assume its responsibilities and work to stop this war as well as the continuous targeting and killing of the Palestinian people in this manner, in addition to the policy of siege and starvation against them, and the use of humanitarian aid as a tool for political exploitation.Sheikh Mohammed pointed out the differing international positions regarding the situation in Gaza, deploring the double standards of some counties in evaluating conflicts. He also called on the international community to ensure that the standards be unified and applied on everyone, rather than being classified on the basis of identity of the aggressor and the victim.He stressed that there will be no permanent solution or sustainable peace without the establishment of a Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the borders of June 4, 1967, in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative.In regard to the file of ceasefire negotiations and the release of hostages, the prime minister explained that the negotiations are going through a sensitive phase and some faltering, indicating that the negotiations — unfortunately — range between moving forward and faltering. Qatar is making efforts to address this matter and move forward to put an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people and recover the hostages at the same time, he added.“Qatar is an advocate of peace, not of war, and it demands that there be similar and compatible positions alongside it from the Israeli side, so that a solution can be achieved and the Palestinian people can live in safety,” he continued.During the briefing, the PM spoke about Qatari-Romanian relations, stressing that they are characterised by trust and keenness to exchange views on various issues in the Middle East and Europe. In this regard, he pointed out the continuous exchange and permanent political consultation between the two countries over the past years.During the past few years, the two countries signed a group of agreements in several fields, including youth, sports, economy, health, medicine, culture, trade, industry, education and co-operation, he explained, adding that a memorandum of understanding was signed today regarding livestock and food security, which embodies the ambitions of the two countries to strengthen and develop the relations to broader horizons.Today, there was a chance to discuss the regional developments that the Middle East is going through, especially since the region is experiencing sensitive circumstances and a dangerous escalation, the PM indicated, calling on all parties to reduce the escalation and spare the region from sliding into a new cycle of conflicts.His counterpart Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said his visit to Doha sends a strong message indicating that his country stands alongside Qatar, the US and partners in the European Union to support peace efforts and restore security in the Middle East.He stressed the need for all countries to adopt a balanced stance and work to encourage dialogue and restraint to avoid dangerous events in the region, and for diplomacy and dialogue to be stronger than weapons.In this regard, he hailed the role of Qatari mediation over the years in dealing with complex international files, which contributed to reducing the escalation in and outside the region, emphasising Romania's readiness to join relevant regional and international efforts to become part of a constructive solution, in order to avoid expanding the conflict in the Middle East.The Romanian leader expressed appreciation for Qatar's efforts, which demonstrated its important role in the region, especially regarding the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, including Romanian citizens. He pointed out that these efforts led to the safe return of Romanian citizens to their homes, commending Qatar's support for Romania during the Coronavirus pandemic, which strengthens the friendly bilateral relations and their ability to build an in-depth partnership centred around strategic projects of mutual interest, in fields such as transportation, energy, economy, agriculture and digitalisation.He also expressed the hope that Romania would be the gateway to Qatari investment in the European Union, and that such co-operation would continue for the benefit of the two friendly countries and their peoples.