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A court in Bangladesh on Monday sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed to five years in prison on corruption charges linked to a government land project. The court also handed down a two-year prison sentence to her niece, British Labour Party lawmaker Tulip Siddiq, in the same case.Judge Rabiul Alam of Dhaka's Special Judge's Court ruled that Hasina had misused her authority while in office, while Siddiq was found guilty of using her influence to assist her mother and two siblings in obtaining a state-owned land under the Purbachal New Town project. Siddiq's mother, Sheikh Rehana, received a seven-year prison sentence and was identified as the main defendant in the case. Fourteen other suspects are also facing charges.Sheikh Hasina has been living in exile in India since being ousted in a popular uprising last year. She was sentenced to death last month over her government's violent crackdown on protesters, and had also been handed a 21-year prison sentence earlier on separate corruption charges.Siddiq, who represents London's Hampstead and Highgate constituency in the British Parliament, has denied the allegations, describing the trial as politically motivated and based on "fabricated accusations."She resigned as a British government minister in January under pressure linked to her family ties.There is no extradition treaty between Bangladesh and the United Kingdom

His Excellency Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani Thursday morning attended the conclusion of the "Watan 2025" exercise.The exercise included preliminary desk-based phases, followed by field exercises simulating realistic scenarios for dealing with security challenges and emergencies.The closing ceremony was attended by HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan bin Ali Al-Thani and HE Minister of Interior and Commandor of Internal Security Forces (Lekhwiya), Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani along with a number of Their Excellencies the ministers; senior officials from participating entities; and security leaders.HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs also inaugurated the Lekhwiya camp - in Zekreet - which is preparing to host the "Arabian Gulf Security 4" exercise in early 2026, with the participation of security agencies from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. 

His Excellency Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani received a written message from the Prime Minister of Romania Ilie Gavril Bolojan, pertaining to bilateral relations and ways to support and develop them.HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi received the message during his meeting on Thursday with the Ambassador of Romania to the State Nicusor Daniel Tanase.

His Excellency Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani met on Thursday with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Ghana Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who is currently visiting the country. During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations and ways to support and enhance them, in addition to discussing a number of topics of common interest.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever gave his deadlocked ruling coalition more time to agree a cost-cutting budget Thursday, staving off fears of an imminent government collapse. The straight-talking Flemish conservative — who only became premier in February after seven months of painstaking negotiations — set a new 50-day deadline to strike a deal. That came after he had sought to pile pressure on his governing partners by dangling the prospect that he could resign over the failure to agree through €10bn ($11bn) of savings by 2030. De Wever — who earlier insisted he wanted to reach an agreement by Thursday — said he had told Belgium's King Philippe he now wanted until Christmas to get there. "I immediately added that this would be the maximum timeframe," De Wever said in an address to parliament. Talks over the new budget have already dragged on for several months, missing a number of self-imposed deadlines. De Wever says the spending cuts are vital to help reduce Belgium's eye-watering national debt, one of the steepest in the European Union. He is calling for a series of "historic" reforms to liberalise Belgium's labour market, curb high unemployment benefits and cut back on pension costs. "Tomorrow's prosperity begins with today's courage. Let's dare to make the reforms that will bear fruit in a few years," De Wever told lawmakers. But trying to get a disparate five-party coalition that includes French-speaking economic liberals and Dutch-speaking socialists to agree on what needs to be done is proving tough. While those on the right are rigidly opposed to hiking taxes, the left is pushing to hit the wealthy harder rather than slash benefits. De Wever, a cat-loving former mayor of Antwerp known for his three-piece suits, is hoping the additional breathing space will pay off and he can solve the deadlock. A long-time proponent of independence for his Flemish-speaking region, he would be loath to relinquish the post of prime minister after years of questing for the top job. The stand-off over the budget comes at a sensitive time for the country, after unexplained drone flights shut down several Belgian airports earlier this week. De Wever chaired an emergency security meeting on Thursday over the incidents, with ministers saying they would look to step up the ability of authorities to monitor drones. As the budget talks consume his attention at home, De Wever is also facing pressure himself on the European stage for holding up a potential mammoth EU loan to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets. The vast majority of those assets are housed in international deposit organisation Euroclear in Belgium and De Wever has insisted he needs strict guarantees from EU counterparts before giving his green light.

Qatar wants the Palestinian Authority (PA) to be the single agency for the Palestinians to take care of Gaza and the West Bank, HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani has said. In an exclusive interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS, he said there were ongoing talks between all the Palestinian factions, including the Fatah and the PA, in order to make sure that this is a technocratic committee, it’s apolitical.“It will take care of Gaza in this transition period, and it will be linked somehow to the Palestinian Authority, and once the reforms are in place, the Palestinian Authority should take over the governance in Gaza and the West Bank together.”Regarding the role that the international forces in Gaza should play, HE Sheikh Mohammed observed that “there should be a defined mandate”, and Qatar is working together with the US in order to define that mandate. The role of the international forces should be “securing the Palestinians and the Israelis don’t pose a threat to each other”. At the outset, HE the Prime Minister stated that the “Gaza ceasefire is a very complex deal”. And despite the ceasefire - we had even in the previous ceasefire, which was in January - we had a lot of violations and a lot of Palestinians being killed during that ceasefire.Observing that the violations are happening everyday, he said that Qatar, together with Egypt and the US, are working together very closely in order to make sure that the ceasefire stays intact. Regarding Qatar’s history of successfully mediating international conflicts, HE Sheikh Mohammed was of the view that each country needs to contribute something to the international community. “We found that we are able to convene between conflicted parties and understand the grievances between them, and try to address them step by step. And we’ve built a track record of credibility, honesty and transparency with those parties.That’s what makes Qatar a destination for mediation.” Asked about relations with Iran, HE the Prime Minister pointed out that Qatar shares the largest gas field in the world with Iran. “We would like to see Iran flourishing, developing and prospering and, of course, we don’t want to see an arms race in our region. We don’t want to see a nuclear race in our region. That’s why we’ve been supporting diplomacy all the time, and hoped that Iran reached a deal with the US and the Europeans in order to get its nuclear programme under supervision and to make sure that it’s a peaceful programme.”Describing the US as Qatar’s ally, HE Sheikh Mohammed said the relationship has been developing in a lot of areas, not only in security and defence, but also in energy, economy and education, in many aspects. “When you look at the security guarantees that we got from US, this is a guarantee for the US interest as well, which are in the region, which are in Qatar, either it’s about the air base... where we are hosting more than 10,000 US soldiers.” Also referring to the presence of American universities and energy companies in Qatar, he asserted that the security guarantee is just a demonstration of the strategic relationship with the US.

The Prime Minister of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Dr. Jaafar Hassan, landed in Doha on Monday for the second Global Summit for Social Development, scheduled to take place in Qatar from November 4 to 6.Upon his arrival at Hamad International Airport, Dr. Hassan and his accompanying delegation were welcomed by HE Ibrahim bin Yousef Fakhro, Director of the Protocol Department, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Zaid Mufleh Al Lawzi, Jordan's Ambassador to Qatar.

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani met Sunday with Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Qatar Walid Fahmy al-Faqi.The meeting discussed ways to enhance cooperation between the two countries, as well as issues of mutual interest. The ambassador conveyed Egypt's condolences over the death of three members of the Amiri Diwan in a traffic accident in Sharm el-Sheikh while performing their official duties, and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani received a phone call Friday from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. During the call, they discussed developments in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories in light of the agreement on provisions and mechanisms for implementing the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement and means to ensure its full implementation.HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed that the success of the first phase of the agreement is a collective responsibility to ensure its implementation and achieve peace and stability in the region. He also affirmed that Qatar will spare no effort in fulfilling its humanitarian, historical, and diplomatic duty towards the Palestinians.For his part, the UN Secretary-General appreciated the pivotal diplomatic role played by Qatar in facilitating the negotiations and its tireless efforts that contributed to reaching the agreement.

HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan bin Ali al-Thani, who is visiting Washington, met with US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth.Discusion during the meeting, dealt with issues of common interest, ways to enhance and develop bilateral co-operation, and the latest regional and international developments.**media[367122]**The meeting was attended by Qatar's ambassador to the United States, Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad al-Thani; Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine and a number of senior officers from both sides.**media[367123]**

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani met Wednesday Army Commander of the sisterly Republic of Lebanon Brigadier General Rodolphe Haykal, who is visiting the country.Discussions during the meeting reviewed aspects of bilateral cooperation and means of enhancing and advancing them, in addition to the latest developments in Lebanon and a number of issues of mutual interest.HE Sheikh Mohammed reaffirmed Qatar's support for Lebanon's army and state institutions, as well as its continued solidarity with the brotherly Lebanese people.

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani, in a post on his X account, stated that “the issuance of Law No. (22) of 2025 by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani concerning persons with disabilities reflects our nation’s deep conviction in their vital role in development and reaffirms its commitment to empowering them to fully participate in society and protecting their rights in a homeland that values their contributions as an integral part of its progress.”