HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, HH the Deputy Emir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani and HE the Prime Minister and Minster of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani have sent cables of congratulations to Rodrigo Duterte on his victory in the presidential elections in the Philippines.

Qatar-US defence ties reviewed
HE the Chief of Staff of the Qatari Armed Forces Major General Ghanem bin Shaheen al-Ghanem met the Commander of the US Air Forces Central Command Lt Gen Charles Brown in Doha yesterday.
Talks during the meeting covered issues of mutual concern and means of strengthening relations between Qatar and the United States.

Montenegro waives visa for Qatari nationals
Montenegro has announced the exemption of Qatari nationals from obtaining visa for entry, transit and residence in Montenegro for a period of 90 days as of 3/3/2016, an official source at the Department of Consular Affairs of the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

Qatar elected to FAO council
Qatar was unanimously elected member of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Council in Rome, starting a two-year membership in July.
The council comprises 45 countries out of the organisation’s 193 member states, and Qatar will represent the Near East and North Africa region. FAO, a UN agency working on combating poverty, hunger and malnutrition, is facing significant issues such as food security, climate change, water problems, desertification, drought, and food shortage.

Maid sentenced to death for killing elderly woman
A Doha Criminal Court has sentenced a Bangladeshi maid to death for killing an elderly woman whom she used to serve, local Arabic daily Arrayah reported yesterday.
The court convicted the maid of deliberately pushing the wheelchair bound woman off her chair, causing severe head injuries which led to her death.
Another maid who used to work in the same house told the court that on the day of  the incident she heard the victim screaming from the upper floor of the villa. So, she hurried upstairs to see what was happening and found the victim lying on the floor bleeding from her head and the defendant was attacking her.    
The second maid informed the court that the defendant told her after one month of the incident that she was scared because she pushed the victim off her chair, and caused her injuries. The witness also said that the victim had never fallen off her wheelchair before.

Strong winds, poor visibility due to dust
Strong winds are expected in most parts of the country during the day along with poor visibility due to dusty conditions, the Qatar Met department has said in its forecast for today.
Offshore areas, too, are likely to see strong winds and high seas.
The wind speed may reach 27 knots in some inshore areas at times before dropping by night, while in offshore areas it is likely to go up to 22 knots.
The forecast for inshore areas today also says it will be hot during the day and slight to blowing dust is expected in some places. Slightly dusty conditions are also likely in offshore areas, with the sea level rising to 7ft in the northeastern direction.
Visibility, meanwhile, may drop to 3km or less in some areas.
Data available on the Met department’s social media platforms showed that the mercury level had dropped to under 40C yesterday, reaching a high of 39C at Abu Hamour, Doha airport, Messaied, Wakrah and Turayna, followed by 38C at Qatar University, Al Khor and other places.
Today, the maximum temperature is expected to be 41C in Doha, 40C in Messaied and Wakrah, 39C in Al Khor, 38C in Dukhan and Abu Samra and 33C in Al Ruwais.

Audit Bureau modernisation effort continues
The State Audit Bureau is pushing ahead with its modernisation and development programme to keep pace with the rapid progress taking place in Qatar at all levels, HE the President of State Audit Bureau of Qatar Sheikh Bandar bin Mohamed bin Saud al-Thani said.
This came in a speech delivered by HE Sheikh Bandar bin Mohamed bin Saud al-Thani on the occasion of the 154th anniversary of the Turkish Court of Accounts, according to a statement released by the State Audit Bureau yesterday.  
Sheikh Bandar bin Mohamed bin Saud al-Thani, who headed Qatar’s delegation to the event, congratulated the Turkish Court of Accounts on the occasion, wishing them more success and progress.

Bang & Olufsen reveals Beoplay A1 speaker
Bang & Olufsen, represented by Darwish Technology, has announced the smallest member in B&O Play family of portable Bluetooth speakers, Beoplay A1.
Designed for life on the go, the Beoplay A1 combines beautiful Danish design by award-winning Cecilie Manz, signature sound by Bang & Olufsen, a speakerphone for taking calls out loud and up to 24 hours of battery life to
play music.
The Beoplay A1 is available at the Bang & Olufsen store in Lagoona Mall, first floor.