Population touches all-time high

Qatar’s population has touched an all-time high of 2.58mn on May 31 this year, according to the preliminary figures released yesterday by the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics on its website. There were 195,6424 males and 631,140 females in the country, totalling 258,7564. This was 28,297 more than the population on April 30, which also was a record figure.The latest figure does not include Qataris as well as expatriates, with residency permits, who were outside the country on May 31.The growth in Qatar’s population between May 31 last year and this year has been 212,704. The population increase between May 31 last year and May 31, 2014, was 413,529. Between May 31, 2014 and May 31, 2013 Qatar’s population went up by 624,440.Nato upgrades Qatari embassy as accredited missionThe North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) has announced the embassy of the State of Qatar to Belgium as an accredited mission to Nato and its ambassador as head of the mission.Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed his confidence that this step would benefit Qatar and Nato on practical and political levels, through upgrading institutional work between them.The Nato chief congratulated Qatar’s ambassador to Belgium Sheikh Ali bin Jassim al-Thani, on the occasion and as first ambassador of Qatar to Nato since its inception.