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The third session of the Joint Economic and Financial Committee between the Ministry of Finance of the State of Qatar and the Federal Department of Finance of the Swiss Confederation was held Wednesday in the city of Bern, Switzerland.The Qatari side was headed by HE the Minister of Finance Ali bin Ahmed al-Kuwari, while the Swiss side was chaired by President of the Swiss Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter.The meeting was also attended by a number of senior officials from both governmental and private sector entities on both sides.During this session, the Qatar-Switzerland Joint Committee discussed a range of proposals and ideas aimed at enhancing economic and investment co-operation between the two countries.Discussions covered topics such as digital finance, sustainable finance, and avenues of co-operation in the infrastructure sector, in addition to collaboration in sustainable investments and joint efforts in development projects.In his closing remarks at the conclusion of the third session of the Committee, HE al-Kuwari emphasised the importance of this partnership between the two countries, stating: "Qatar and Switzerland share many common values; both countries have open economies and are strongly committed to constructive international engagement. I am confident that the continued meetings of our Joint Committee will further strengthen our bilateral friendship and economic co-operation."Prior to the joint Committee's session, a technical committee meeting was held, chaired on the Qatari side by Deputy Undersecretary for Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Finance Dr Saud bin Abdullah al-Attiyah, and on the Swiss side by Head of the Planning and Strategy Department at the State Secretariat for International Financial Matters (SIF) Christoph Konig and Head of Bilateral Economic Relations at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA) Andrea Rauber Saxer.The technical meeting served to prepare for the Committee's work and discuss key areas of co-operation, contributing to the success of the current session.Holding the Qatar-Switzerland Committee follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding in March 2022 between the State of Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Finance, and the Swiss Federal Council, represented by the Federal Department of Finance.The MoU aims at establishing the Joint Committee on Financial and Economic Affairs to promote and strengthen bilateral relations. The meetings of the Joint Committee are held alternately in both countries.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) has organised a workshop on E-commerce, highlighting the key opportunities and challenges facing the sector. The workshop “The Impact of E-Commerce on the Local Retail Sector” at the ministry’s headquarters in Lusail city, examined the effects of E-commerce on the dynamics of domestic retail market in Qatar. The event brought together a number of specialised entities active in the field of E-commerce in Qatar, including local and global companies, as well as representatives from the MOCI, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, and the Strategy& team. Participants addressed a wide range of themes, discussed the preliminary findings of an ongoing study on E-commerce conducted in collaboration with local stakeholders; and tackled proposals for potential future policy measures. The workshop is part of the ministry’s efforts to strengthen Qatar’s digital business environment and develop policies that support the retail sector. Such efforts enable local companies to keep pace with global developments and enhance the role of E-commerce in achieving economic diversification under Qatar National Vision 2030. (Ends)

Colonists stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday under the protection of Israeli occupation forces.According to local sources, dozens of colonists stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in groups from the Mughrabi Gate, carried out provocative tours in its courtyards and performed Talmudic rituals.Since the beginning of the comprehensive Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in October 2023, more than 68,000 colonists have stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, amid tightened entry restrictions to the mosque and the gates of the Old City.

Specialist physicians from across the globe convened in Doha for a two-day event coordinated by Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) to share the latest best practice on the diagnosis and management of nerve damage associated with type 2 diabetes.The CONNecting Experts for Clinical besT practice in Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (CONNECT-DPN) event, endorsed by the International Diabetes Federation, welcomed 10 senior clinicians from South-East Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, and Mexico.The first day of the event was held at WCM-Q and featured sessions by expert speakers on the importance of early diagnosis of diabetic neuropathy (DPN), the latest developments in screening and diagnostic tools, risk factors for developing DPN, treatment options, and the latest guidelines for the management of DPN.The first day also emphasised multidisciplinary medical team work to optimally diagnose DPN, taking into account differential diagnosis, especially ‘red flags’ for other causes of peripheral neuropathy, and expert input from pain specialists for severe, painful neuropathy as well as podiatry, vascular and orthopedic surgery for managing more advanced complications like foot ulceration and Charcot joint abnormalities.The second day was held at the state-of-the-art Clinical Trials Unit of Hamad Medical Corporation to showcase cutting-edge DPN diagnostic tools like corneal confocal microscopy, neurophysiology and advanced techniques for pain management in DPN. WCM-Q’s Dr Rayaz Malik, professor of medicine and assistant dean for clinical research partnerships, led a workshop on implementing best practice into everyday clinical management of DPN to achieve the very best patient outcomes possible.Dr Malik said: “WCM-Q has become the first medical institution in Qatar to receive official designation as an International Diabetes Federation Center of Excellence for diabetes care. This means we have a responsibility to educate healthcare professionals to provide the very best care possible for our patients with diabetes, key to which is detecting and treating diabetic neuropathy as early as possible.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned on Tuesday the Israeli attack on Qatar, stressing that it is a flagrant violation of Qatar's sovereignty and territorial integrity.In a statement, Guterres said that Qatar has been playing a very positive role to achieve a ceasefire and release of all hostages held by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), calling on all parties to work towards achieving a permanent ceasefire, not destroying it.

China launched a new remote sensing satellite from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan on Tuesday.The Yaogan-45 satellite was launched aboard a modified Long March-7 carrier rocket. It has entered the preset orbit successfully, according to (Xinhua) news agency.It will be mainly used for scientific experiments, land resource surveys, crop yield estimates, and disaster prevention and relief work.The launch was the 594th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.Meanwhile, a smart Dragon-3 rocket lifted off on Tuesday morning from east China's Shandong Province, sending the Geely-05 constellation satellites into planned orbits.

The Israeli occupation army ordered residents of Gaza City in the northern part of the Strip, to evacuate immediately and head south via Al-Rashid Street, announcing also plans to launch a large-scale offensive in the area, marking a dangerous escalation that further exacerbates humanitarian concerns. The announcement coincided with ongoing artillery shelling across various areas of the Gaza Strip. Early this morning, Israeli artillery targeted central Khan Yunis in the southern part of the Strip. Additionally, Israeli drones opened fire on Palestinian homes, while occupation forces continued to demolish residential blocks and homes in northern and central Gaza, leaving widespread destruction in the targeted neighborhoods. In a related development, several Palestinians were injured in an Israeli airstrike on an apartment near Al-Qouqa roundabout in Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City. Earlier, medical sources reported that the death toll from the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023, has risen to 64,455, the majority of whom are women and children. The number of wounded has reached 162,776, while many victims remain trapped under the rubble or in the streets, as ambulance and civil defense crews are unable to reach them.

Qatari rally legend Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah added another golden chapter to his illustrious career by securing a record-breaking 20th FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) title, following a gripping second-place finish at the Rally of Lebanon. Despite missing out on a potential victory in one of the most thrilling finales the Lebanese rally has seen in recent years, the veteran’s runner-up finish behind local hero Roger Feghali was enough to mathematically seal the championship with one round remaining in Cyprus. It was Feghali, the undisputed king of Lebanese tarmac, who ultimately claimed his record 18th Rally of Lebanon win after a titanic two-day battle with al-Attiyah. Driving his Toyota Yaris GR, Feghali trailed al-Attiyah by 6.7 seconds overnight but clawed his way back to within 1.4 seconds heading into the final stage. Al-Attiyah, competing in his Skoda Fabia RS run by Autotek Motorsport, looked set to edge out his rival until a slow right-rear puncture on the final stage dashed his hopes of a maiden Lebanon win. Feghali capitalised, clocking the fastest time on the final test to clinch victory by 9.2 seconds. “This is always a fantastic rally and it was a tremendous battle between myself and Roger,” said al-Attiyah. “We pushed hard all the way. I was obviously disappointed to have the puncture on the last stage, but it’s a great feeling to have won the championship now for the 20th time.” Crucially, Feghali was not registered for MERC points, allowing Al-Attiyah and his Spanish co-driver Candido Carrera to collect maximum regional points for a fifth consecutive rally. Carrera had already sealed the Co-drivers' Championship before the start of the event. This landmark title also marks a personal triumph for Autotek Motorsport’s Ken Skidmore, who has engineered all 20 of Al-Attiyah’s MERC titles. Skidmore's record also includes championship wins with the late Misfer al-Marri and the shared 2023 crown between al-Attiyah and Oman’s Abdullah al-Rawahi. Elsewhere, Qatar’s presence was felt across multiple categories in Lebanon. Mohammed Al-Marri, a graduate of the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) Academy, continued his impressive MERC4 campaign, finishing ahead of India’s Payyakkal Panikkaveettil. With teammate Rashid al-Mohannadi having already secured the MERC4 title in absentia, al-Marri is now poised to complete a Qatari 1-2 in the championship. Veteran Nasser Khalifa al-Atya sealed the FIA Master MERC Driver title, finishing 15th overall alongside Lebanese co-driver Ziad Chehab in a Ford Fiesta. The pair also scored valuable points toward al-Atya’s push for a top-three finish in the overall standings. Chehab remains in contention for second in the Co-drivers’ Championship, behind Carrera.

Spain on Monday banned ships and aircraft carrying weapons to Israel from calling at Spanish ports or entering its airspace due to Israel's military offensive in Gaza, measures the Israeli foreign minister denounced as antisemitic.Spain, which recognised a Palestinian state in May 2024 and has been a vocal critic of Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip, responded to Gideon Saar's comments by summoning its ambassador in Tel Aviv back for consultations.On top of the ban on ships and aircraft delivering weapons or military-grade jet fuel to Israel, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government said it would not allow anyone who has participated directly in "genocide" in Gaza to enter Spain.Israel launched its assault on the Gaza Strip in October, 2023, after fighters from Hamas attacked Israeli communities, killing 1,200 people and capturing more than 250 hostages.Spain's Foreign Ministry said that Sanchez's measures were in line with public sentiment in Spain and reflected Madrid's support for peace, human rights and international law.It said Spain was committed to fighting antisemitism, pointing to the granting of Spanish citizenship to 72,000 Sephardic Jews - descendants of those expelled from the Iberian Peninsula in the 15th century.

HE Ali bin Ahmed al-Kuwari, Minister of Finance, held a meeting via videoconference with Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

HE Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi met on Monday with HH Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the State of Qatar, Prince Mansour bin Khalid bin Abdullah Al-Farhan Al-Saud, on the occasion of the end of his tenure in the country.HE the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked HE the Ambassador for his efforts in enhancing and promoting bilateral relations, wishing him success in his new duties.

Dozens of colonists stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque on Monday morning under the protection of Israeli occupation forces. According to local sources, colonists stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in consecutive groups, carried out provocative tours in its courtyards and performed Talmudic rituals, guarded by the Israeli occupation forces.Since the beginning of the comprehensive Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in October 2023, more than 68,000 colonists have stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of Israeli occupation forces, amid tightened entry restrictions to the mosque and the gates of the Old City.