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The European Union-Qatar joint workshop on adapting regulatory frameworks and practices in the digital age concluded in Doha on Tuesday. The workshop aimed to strengthen mutual understanding of regulatory challenges in the digital sphere, to support exchanges of expertise between Qatari and European institutions, and to discuss practical policy tools for safeguarding digital rights. The programme included real case studies to help build national capacities and underlines the importance of embedding human rights principles, such as freedom of expression, privacy protection, and non-discrimination, at the core of sustainable digital policies, in line with the United Nations Global Digital Compact. The event brought together participants from across Qatar, including representatives of the Public Prosecution, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, and the National Cybersecurity Agency.

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani met in Doha Friday with Kaja Kallas, the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission.The meeting reviewed co-operation between Qatar and the European Union, as well as regional and international issues of common concern, particularly the developments in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories.During the meeting, HE Sheikh Mohammed stressed the importance of unifying regional and international efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, ensure the protection of civilians, secure the release of prisoners and detainees, and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to alleviate the catastrophic conditions in the Strip.

A senior European Union official said Thursday that Israel's operations in Gaza constitute genocide, the first member of the bloc's commission to make that charge."The genocide in Gaza exposes Europe's failure to act and speak with one voice, even as protests spread across European cities and 14 UN Security Council members call for an immediate ceasefire," Teresa Ribera said at the opening ceremony of the academic year at the Sciences Po university in Paris.Israel's mission to the EU did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Ribera is the European Commission's Executive Vice President, second only in seniority to President Ursula von der Leyen. The Spanish socialist, whose portfolio includes climate and anti-trust issues, is not responsible for EU foreign policy.The comments were stronger than a statement she gave last month when she said the displacement and killing in Gaza looked "very much like" genocide.The European Commission has accused Israel of violating human rights in Gaza, but stopped short of accusing it of genocide.South Africa has brought a case at the International Court of Justice in the Hague accusing Israel of genocide.On Monday, the president of the world's largest academic association of genocide scholars announced that the association had passed a resolution affirming that the legal criteria have been met to determine that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.Israel's Foreign Ministry called that statement disgraceful.More than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's air and ground war in Gaza since then, according to Gaza health officials, who said most of those killed have been women and children.