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Healthcare professionals, researchers, policymakers, and experts from around the world gathered in Doha to explore evidence-based strategies for mitigating the health impacts of climate-related issues. The conference was co-ordinated by the Division of Continuing Professional Development at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q). Titled “Exploring the Nexus of Climate, Health, and Environment” (CHE2025), the two-day conference addressed the intersection of climate change, environmental pollution, and human health, with a strong emphasis on the unique challenges faced by the Mena region. Other areas of focus included sustainable urban planning and healthcare delivery, the food-energy-water-health nexus and strategies for achieving net-zero emissions in healthcare systems. Featuring plenary sessions, expert panels, and interactive workshops, CHE2025 offered participants actionable insights to enhance resilience and promote the integration of climate and health in research, policy, and practice. Dr Javaid Sheikh, dean of WCM-Q, said: “At WCM-Q, we recognise that the health of our communities is deeply connected to the health of our planet. CHE2025 demonstrates our commitment as an institution to bring together regional and global experts to discuss and address the urgent health threats posed by climate change, particularly in the Mena region.” The conference was directed by Dr Sadeer al-Kindi, a WCM-Q alumnus and associate professor at Houston Methodist and Weill Cornell Medicine, and medical director at the Centre for Health & Nature in Houston, US, and Dr Nasrin Mesaeli, associate professor of biochemistry at WCM-Q, who also served as speakers. Dr Sanjay Rajagopalan, chief of cardiovascular medicine and chief academic and scientific officer at University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, who also serves as the Herman K Hellerstein MD, professor of cardiovascular medicine and director of the Case Cardiovascular Research Institute at Case Western Reserve University, described the global health impacts of climate change and pollution and how environmental stressors contribute to disease patterns. He also evaluated strategies to address environmental challenges in clinical care. Dr Thurayya Arayssi, vice-dean for academic and curricular affairs at WCM-Q, said: “Discussions about climate change are critical. Through this conference, we seek to foster collaboration, knowledge exchange, and actionable solutions to drive climate-resilient healthcare and communities in the Mena region. We are extremely pleased by the high level of interest expressed by all participants in addressing this global health challenge.”

Abdullah al-Qahtani won the opening round of the Qatar Free-Style Drifting Championship for the 2025-2026 season held on Friday. After nearly three hours of thrilling action, Al-Qahtani with a total of 44 points edged out Saud al-Marri by just three points, while Ahmad al-Musnad secured the third place, surpassing Ahmad al-Banna by a single point. Rashid al-Banna claimed fifth place. The round was held under the patronage of HE Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al-Thani, chairman of Qatar Racing Club (QRC) and in the presence of a large crowd that filled the stands. Registration and technical inspection took place on Thursday to check the cars and ensure their readiness for competition. The organizing committee set a number of standards and requirements that all participants had to meet in order to compete in this round — some related to the vehicles, such as the necessity of installing a roll cage, properly securing the car battery, and having a functional seat belt, among other points; and others related to the drivers, focusing on safety elements such as wearing a racing suit, helmet, and using a proper seatbelt, among similar conditions. Before the start of Friday’s competition, a briefing session was held between the drivers and the judging panel, during which several important technical and procedural points were clarified. According to the competition’s structure, each driver was given one chance to enter the track and perform a set of required maneuvers — including drifting, reverse driving, figure-eight spins, and reverse maneuvers — within a total time limit of four minutes. There was also a specific score allocated for the overall style in which each driver performed their routine. At the conclusion of the event, Sheikh Jabor bin Khalid al-Thani, Director General of QRC, crowned the winners. The second round is scheduled to take place on December 26.

Estelle Poret, Oliver Koch Hansen, François Medori and Roberto Mariani clinched UIM-ABP World Aquabike Championship titles in their final Motos at the Old Doha Port Grand Prix of Qatar Saturday afternoon.Poret prevailed in Ski Ladies GP1 for the first time and Koch Hansen took his maiden Ski GP1 title. Medori earned a third world Runabout GP1 title with a stunning Moto 3 win after a shell-shocked series leader Jéremy Perez hit technical trouble om the parade lap and was unable to start the final Moto on time. Italian Roberto Mariani overcame a fierce late challenge from Team Abu Dhabi’s Rashed Al-Mulla to seal the Freestyle crown.Emirati Amer Hawair took the top step of the final Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Championship podium from Saudi Arabia’s Moto 3-winning Daoud Kaloti and Qatari Mohamed Abumaali.Poret seals maiden Ski Ladies GP1 world title; Moto 3 win for DrangeEstelle Poret headed into her final Moto showdown with Jasmiin Ypraus defending a 15-point lead in the World Championship. Despite winning Moto 2, Benedicte Drange’s fuel pump failure in Moto 1 had ruled her out of challenging for the world title, although she had a 16-point cushion over Naomi Benini in the battle for third.Drange started on pole but Jessica Chavanne claimed the hole shot from Emy Garcia, Drange, Poret, Ypraus and Benini. The current European champion held her lead into lap two and the top six held station with Virginie Morlaes, Sofie Borgström and Janina Johansson running behind. River Varner was a non-starter after trying to change an engine on her ski before the race with support from Tory Snyder’s team.Drange and Poret passed Garcia and Drange began to apply the pressure on the leader, who was under investigation before falling off her bike and tumbling down the field on lap three. Drange continued to pull away from her rivals as the Moto progressed but champion-elect Poret was coming under pressure from title rival Ypraus.Drange held on to take her second win of the weekend by 8.426 seconds and Ypraus passed Poret to take the runner-up spot but the final place on the podium was enough for Poret to earn her first world title. Poret also did enough to take honours in the Grand Prix with Ypraus and Drange finishing second and third in the World Championship.Benini overhauled Garcia to take fourth and Chavanne finished fifth, despite a 40-second penalty for not maintaining her lane. Morlaes, Borgström and Johansson rounded off the finishers after Garcia retired on lap seven of 10.An emotional Poret said: “I don’t know if I have the words. A lot of work went into being here. I am so happy after three years of injury. I want to thank my mechanics for the job they did this season. I also want to thank my brother Jéremy, my parents, my husband. It’s not only me. It’s the people around me that made this happen.”Koch Hansen wins the Ski GP1 world title: Bossche takes Moto 3 victoryA vital podium finish in Moto 2 enabled Oliver Koch Hansen to start the final Ski GP1 heat with an 18-point lead over Jéremy Poret in his quest for a maiden title. Japanese rider Toshi O’Hara had already confirmed the bronze medal position with the runner-up spot in Moto 2 and had a slim chance of finishing second.Garcia’s late problems in the Ski Ladies GP1 Moto prevented Benjamin Scharff from taking the original start of the last Moto on their shared ski. The first start was red-flagged in any case after O’Hara, Reiterer and Koch Hansen had made strong getaways. Riders returned to the start pontoon to try again. Ander-Hubert Lauri was a non-starter.Reiterer stormed through to take the hole shot from Koch Hansen, Valentin Dardillat, O’Hara and Scharff. Outgoing World Champion Quinten Bossche started at the rear of the field and was up to 11th through the opening lap. Reiterer continued to hold off Koch Hansen, Jéremy Poret passed Scharff and a flying Bossche was up to seventh behind Scharff.Bossche overhauled Scharff to take sixth and set his sights on the top five with Reiterer leading from Koch Hansen, Dardillat, O’Hara and Poret. The Belgian bomber thae overtook Poret to snatch fifth but, as it stood, Koch Hansen was world champion and Reiterer was on course for Grand Prix success.In treacherous conditions with big rollers, Bossche turned up the heat and was able to capitalise on a O’Hara mistake to grab fourth with Poret also passing the Japanese. There was no stopping Bossche and he overtook Dardillat and moved into the podium places behind Reiterer and Koch Hansen.With six minutes left, Bossche trailed the leader by 12.335 seconds and he passed Koch Hansen. The Bossche juggernaut proved too much for Reiterer as well and he earned his second win of the weekend to make it five wins from eight starts with three retirements this year. Second place was enough for Reiterer to seal overall Grand Prix success and third earned Koch Hansen a first world title.Dardillat and Poret finished fourth and fifth and Scharff, O’Hara, Yoni Hamelin, Matteo Benini and Anthony Beernaut rounded off the top 10. Dardillat was later awarded a one-lap penalty for missing a buoy and that lifted Poret, Scharff, O’Hara and Hamelin into fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth with Beernaut and Morgan Poret rounding off the final top 10. O’Hara was confirmed as third in both the World Championship and the Grand Prix.An ecstatic Koch Hansen said: “It feels amazing. I had a good start. I knew the others would go all-in. They had nothing to risk and I had a lot to risk. I wanted to be stable and try and keep my position. Everything worked out this weekend. It was an incredible race. Quinten was battling for the win but it was more important for me to win overall. Since I was 12-years-old, I worked towards this and I am now 22. It has taken me 10 years to get to this moment. I am so happy.”Grand Prix winner Reiterer added: “This weekend as a team was really tough. We had boat issues the whole time. We kept improving in each Moto. It paid off in the end. Coming out with the win is phenomenal!”Rampant Medori takes third Runabout GP1 title with sensational Moto 3 win; GP win for Qatar’s al-SharshaniJéremy Perez’s hard-earned Moto 2 victory in Runabout GP1 enabled the Frenchman to take the start of the final heat on pole position ahead of his friend and title rival François Medori. A crankshaft failure had cost the Corsican dearly on Friday afternoon and he trailed by nine points heading into the showdown. The battle for third place was wide open with György Kasza leading the way from Pierre-François Savelli, Linus Lindberg and Andrzej Wisniewski.But disaster struck Perez on the parade lap when his Easy Rider ski stopped and the distraught Frenchman was not able to take the start. Medori needed to pick up just nine points to be World Champion for the third time, although he started at the back of the field. Perez had to suffer the ignominy of watching the Moto unfold from the shoreline before starting the race a lap behind the rest of the field. His only consolation was being safe in second place in the World Championship.Kasza took the hole shot from Qatar’s Waleed al-Sharshani, Savelli, Yousef al-Abdulrazzaq and Tory Snyder. Medori was already up to ninth and then climbed to sixth heading into lap two. Egidijus Kirilevicius, Robin Laforge and Ahmad Al-Khadhari were non-starters. The leading Hungarian continued to pull clear of the pursuing Qatari and al-Abdulrazzaq made his way into third. Perez joined the race at the rear of the field in 20th place.With Perez running at the rear of the field that put a different perspective on the entire race for Medori. He remained in fourth through lap four and Perez climbed to 19th. Medori made it into third on the next lap at the expense of Al-Abdulrazzaq: the Kuwaiti ground to a halt on the course and that lifted Perez into 18th.Medori began to apply the pressure on Al-Sharshani with Kasza retaining the lead that would give him Grand Prix success. Medori made it past the Qatari to claim second and he maintained his pace over the closing laps to confirm the world title with a stunning late heat victory by 4.082 seconds. Kasza finished third behind overall Grand Prix winner al-Sharshani and the Hungarian was also third in the final World Championship standings and second in the GP.Savelli, Lindberg and Ruben Jimenez Riquelme finished fourth, fifth and sixth and Lino Araújo, Khalid Al-Maazmi, Guillaume Hemain and Jean-Baptiste Baldassari rounded off the top 10 after Qatar’s Khaled Jamal Al-Mohannadi lost a potential sixth place late on. Savelli also earned third place in the Grand Prix. Perez limped home in 15th.Medori said: “I came here 16 points in front of Jéremy and Saturday we broke the engine. There was maybe one chance in one million to win. I decided to push my maximum and I tried to take this chance. We always need to be positive. I start from last position and I win the Moto. My team did an incredible job. I am really happy with this title. It was really hard to start at the back. I passed a lot of riders. I win the Endurance and the European Championship. It has been a fantastic season.”Freestyle world title for Mariani; al-Mulla wins the Grand PrixTeam Abu Dhabi’s Rashid al-Mulla had reduced Roberto Mariani’s Freestyle lead to just seven points with his dominant display in the first Moto on Friday evening. Massimo Accumolo was assured of the bronze medal and could still catch both his main rivals in the second Moto that rounded off Qatar’s return to the championship.Kuwait’s Aziz al-Armeli took the early lead in the Freestyle Moto with a 136-point haul from the judges before Qatar’s Bader al-Nama earned 90 points to slip into second before being displaced by David Dzhologua (119 points). Abdulrahman al-Sulaiti scored 120 points and then Frenchman Steven Royer hit the front in fading light with a varied programme that gave him 163 points and the chance of a Moto podium.Accumolo started his programme after a short break in proceedings for the evening prayer time and the Italian scored 208 points. That paved the way for Bader al-Abdullah, Mariani and al-Mulla to draw the curtain on the weekend’s return to Qatar. The Qatari finished fourth in the Moto with 185 pointsMariani confirmed the world title with on-water activities that netted him 223 points and al-Mulla did enough to earn 251 points and take the Grand Prix win with a double back flip to finish his stunning session.Hawair wins Asian Runabout GP2 title; Moto 3 win for KalotiEmirati Amer Hawair headed into the last of the Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Motos with a 10-point cushion over fellow countryman Khalid al-Maazmi and an advantage of 12 points over a tying Daoud Kaloti and Mahmoud Abumaali.Hawair claimed the hole shot and stayed clear of Kaloti, al-Maazmi and Mohamed Abumaali through the opening twists and turns with Mahmoud Abumaali running in fifth. Khalaf al-Kuwari was a non-starter.Al-Maazmi grabbed the lead on the second lap but the Emirati was under investigation from race officials as Hawair settled into second ahead of Kaloti.The racers held their positions into lap five and al-Maazmi held on to take the chequered flag ahead of Kaloti, Mohamed Mahmoud Abumaali, Hawair and Mahmoud Abumaali. Fourth place was sufficient for Hawair to win the inaugural Runabout GP2 Asian Continental Championship title but he was later promoted to third when al-Maazmi received a 40-second penalty for a start infringement and Kaloti claimed the Moto win by 19.783 seconds from Mohamed Abumaali.

Survivors fleeing the Sudanese city of El-Fasher told AFP on Saturday that paramilitary fighters separated families and killed children in front of their parents, with tens of thousands still trapped following the city's fall. Germany's top diplomat Johann Wadephul described on Saturday the situation in Sudan as "apocalyptic" while fresh satellite images suggested mass killings were likely ongoing, five days after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces seized El-Fasher. At war with the regular army since April 2023, the RSF pushed the military out of its last stronghold in the vast Darfur region after a grinding 18-month siege. Since the takeover, reports have emerged of summary executions, sexual violence, attacks on aid workers, looting and abductions, while communications remain largely cut off. "I don't know if my son Mohamed is dead or alive. They took all the boys," Zahra, a mother of six who fled El-Fasher to the nearby town of Tawila, told AFP in a satellite phone interview. Before reaching the nearby RSF-controlled town of Garni, she said RSF fighters stopped them and took her sons, aged 16 and 20. "I begged them to let them go," she said, but the fighters only released her 16-year-old son. Another survivor, Adam, said two of his sons, aged 17 and 21, were killed in front of him. "They told them they had been fighting (for the army), and then they beat me on my back with a stick," he told AFP. In Garni, RSF fighters saw the blood of Adam's sons on his clothes and accused him of being a fighter. After hours of investigations, they let him go. The survivors' full names have been withheld for their safety. The UN says more than 65,000 people have fled El-Fasher since Sunday but tens of thousands remain trapped. Around 260,000 people were in the city before the RSF's final assault. "Large numbers of people remain in grave danger and are being prevented by the Rapid Support Forces and its allies from reaching safer areas," Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said. The group said that only 5,000 people had managed to make their way to Tawila, about 70 kilometres to the west. The numbers of people arriving in Tawila "don't add up, while accounts of large-scale atrocities are mounting", MSF's head of emergencies Michel Olivier Lacharite said. Several eyewitnesses told MSF that a group of 500 civilians, along with soldiers from the military and the army-allied Joint Forces, had attempted to flee on Sunday, but most were killed or captured by the RSF and their allies. Survivors reported that people were separated based on their gender, age or presumed ethnicity, and that many were still being held for ransom. Darfur is home to a number of non-Arab ethnic groups, who make up a majority of the region's population, in contrast to Sudan's dominant Sudanese Arabs. Hayat, a mother of five who fled the city, previously told AFP that "young men travelling with us were stopped" along the way by paramilitaries and "we don't know what happened to them". The UN said on Friday the death toll from the RSF's assault on the city may be in the hundreds, while army allies accused the paramilitary group of killing over 2,000 civilians. Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab suggested on Friday that mass killings were likely continuing in and around El-Fasher. The lab, which uses satellite imagery and open-source information to document human rights abuses during wars, said fresh images from Friday showed "no large-scale movement" of civilians fleeing the city, giving them reason to believe much of the population may be "dead, captured, or in hiding". The lab identified at least 31 clusters of objects consistent with human bodies between Sunday and Friday, across neighbourhoods, university grounds and military sites. "Indicators that mass killing is continuing are clearly visible," the lab said. At a conference in Bahrain on Saturday, Wadephul said Sudan was "absolutely an apocalyptic situation, the greatest humanitarian crisis of the world". The RSF said on Thursday that it had arrested several fighters accused of abuses during the capture of El-Fasher, but UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher questioned the group's commitment to investigating atrocities. Both the RSF -- descended from the Janjaweed militias accused of genocide in Darfur two decades ago -- and the army have faced war crimes accusations over the course of the conflict. The US has previously determined that the has RSF committed genocide in Darfur. Meanwhile, the army has drawn on support from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey. El-Fasher's capture gives the RSF full control over all five state capitals in Darfur, effectively splitting Sudan along an east-west axis, with the army controlling the north, east and centre. UN officials have warned that the violence is now spreading to the neighbouring Kordofan region, with reports emerging of "large-scale atrocities perpetrated" by the RSF. The wider conflict has killed tens of thousands, displaced nearly 12 million and created the world's largest displacement and hunger crises.

Paying homage to the legendary lyricists and music directors who made immortal contributions to Malayalam film music, ‘Thirasheelukal - Smaranaanjali Season 4’ — organised by Gramophone Qatar — captivated audiences recently.The event beautifully wove together the melodies of the silver screen — blending the lyrical poetry and musical brilliance of Malayalam cinema’s golden era. Each song was introduced through its emotional and historical context, while preserving the soulful essence of classic Mappilappattu.Conceived, directed, and presented by Dr Rasheed Pattath, Thirasheelukal was a soulful journey through the golden years of Malayalam film music — featuring 30 timeless “ishals” and references to hundreds of evergreen songs.Noted Doha-based singers Shivapriya Suresh, Mythili Shenoy, Riyas Kariyad, Manikandadas, Aathira, Anisha Rajesh, Ajmal Mohammed, Ram Ravindran, Mohammed Usman, Rashad Kuraishi, and Lal Kumar Alappuzha — brought the vintage melodies back to life with remarkable grace and authenticity. The Rhythm Orchestra, led by Binu, added rich texture and depth to the renditions, while sound engineer Ranjith lent technical brilliance to the performance.As part of its tradition of honouring contributions to music and culture, Gramophone Qatar announced that its annual award, henceforth named ‘Gramophone Qatar - Mohammed Easa Memorial Annual Award’ — will be dedicated to the memory of the late Easa, whose work left an indelible mark on Qatar’s cultural, social, and artistic scene. The inaugural award was presented to A V M Unni, a luminary of Doha’s theatre, literary and cultural world.A special felicitation was also extended to Shivapriya, who reached the top 12 in Asianet Star Singer. The organising committee comprised Makhdoom Insight, Shamsudeen Pazhuvil, Mohammed Usman, Rashad Khuraishi, Suresh Kumar Vannarath, Niyas Rahman, Dr Rasheed Pattath and K R Jayaraj.

MES Indian School inaugurated Innovex - 2025, a science, mathematics, and art exhibition, at the Girls’ Section, alongside a Science Expo, at the Junior Section. The aim was to foster inquiry-based learning, creativity, and innovation among students across academic levels. University of Doha for Science and Technology faculty members Dr Salmiah Ahmad (Professor, Electrical Engineering Department - for Automation and Control Systems) and Dr Luay Hussein (Engineering professor, Mechanical Engineering) were the chief guest and guest of honour, respectively. MES founder member Mohammad Ali K P and other members of the school governing board were present. Dr Ahmad inspired the young minds to remain bold in their thinking and proactive in their pursuit of scientific discovery so as to thrive in the ever-evolving world of science and technology. Students must nurture curiosity, embrace change, and think beyond the ordinary, she advised. There was an array of over 2,000 exhibits across four categories, featuring working models, and artistic expressions. In the Junior Section, a total of 64 classrooms were transformed into innovation hubs, where students displayed their projects. Earlier, head girl Hadiya Hashim welcomed the gathering. Lia Rolland and Ayesha Nidhal from the Department of Chemistry, co-ordinated the event.

HE the Minister of Labour, Dr Ali bin Smaikh al-Marri, met this week with French ambassador Arnaud Pescheux.The meeting discussed bilateral relations and explored ways to enhance and further develop them, particularly in the field of labour. HE Dr al-Marri also met with Director of the ILO Office in Qatar, Francesco d’Ovidio.The meeting reviewed the framework of bilateral co-operation between Qatar and the ILO, and to follow up on the progress and key developments of the ongoing joint programme.

The Embassy of Japan in Qatar hosted the 2025 Japan-Qatar Illustration Contest Award Ceremony on Wednesday. The contest, themed 'Draw a Japanese element in a Qatari setting,' attracted over 130 entries from artists of diverse ages and backgrounds, an embassy statement said. The first prize went to Moza al-Marri for her piece titled 'Qahwa wa Chai – Coffee and Tea.' The jury, which included noted Qatari artist Kholoud al-Ali, praised the participants for their creative works that truly captured the elegance of Japanese aesthetics and the warmth of Qatari environment. The contest was co-organized by Geekdom, Nakama, and the Japanese Club at Qatar University. The Embassy also thanked the sponsors, including Teyseer Motors – Suzuki, FNAC Qatar, Daiso Japan, and North Café. In his opening remarks at the ceremony, ambassador Naoto Hisajima, commended all participants for their exceptional creativity, and expressed his hope that such initiatives would continue to enhance the excellent bilateral relationship between Japan and Qatar.

The 25th Congress of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) concluded Friday in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.The three-day congress saw the participation of a delegation from Qatar, headed by HE President of the State Audit Bureau Abdulaziz bin Mohammed bin Ahmed al-Emadi.The "Sharm El Sheikh Declaration," issued at the conclusion of the Congress, emphasized the importance of strengthening the independence of supreme audit institutions, adopting artificial intelligence technologies in auditing, and expanding international cooperation to achieve more efficient and sustainable governance.The Congress is held every three years under the auspices of INTOSAI, with the participation of heads and representatives of supreme audit institutions from around the world and relevant regional and international organizations. Its aim is to discuss ways to enhance co-operation and exchange experiences among leaders of the international audit community, and to support efforts toward transparency, integrity, and the protection of public funds.

Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art opened “Resolutions: Celebrating 15 years of Mathaf Exhibition” and “we refuse_d” to the public Friday, honouring its roots in Sheikh Hassan bin Mohammed bin Ali al-Thani’s foundational collection and confronting the struggles of artists who face censorship and displacement.“Resolutions”, on view until August 8, 2026, explores the institution’s journey, showcasing four areas that cover its origins and impact on the region.The section “Infrastructure: Traces of a Legacy”, curated by Fatima Mostafawi, examines the museum as a complex case study rooted in the vision of artist and collector Sheikh Hassan.It details how Doha emerged as an artistic hub during the political turmoil of the 1990s and includes archival materials like letters, photographs, and video interviews that capture Sheikh Hassan’s role as both fellow artist and patron.The exhibition continues its self-examination with “Mathaf as Institutional Memory: An Exhibition History”, curated by Hadeel al-Kohaji, which chronicles the “kaleidoscopic range” of exhibitions the museum has hosted.This section utilises an elaborate timeline and backstage documents to foster a sense of institutional memory, valuing the museum’s publications, graphic design, and international partnerships.“Resolution” broadens its scope to the regional impact of art, featuring “Education: Art as Knowledge Creation”, curated by Noora Abdulmajeed.This underscores the foundational role of art education in cultivating revolutionary possibilities and knowledge circulation within the Arab world.“Representation and the Writing of History”, curated by Arthur Debsi, spotlights how artists in West Asia and North Africa used a shared visual language in the post-independence era to define a Pan-Arab ideology and continuous resistance, especially in relation to the occupation of Palestine.Addressing contemporary issues, “we refuse_d” exhibition, curated by Nadia Radwan and Vasif Kortun, brings together 15 artists whose practices explore refusal, endurance, and action.On view until February 9, 2026, this exhibition asks critical questions about how to persist, resist, and create under conditions of silencing, censorship, and displacement.Speaking to the media, Kortun said: “To see other people’s misery it’s not what we really wanted to do and we kind of turned the idea of refusal around its head... we know of the concrete cases of cancelations but what we don’t know is the untold, or unwritten or unknowable history of refusals and cancellations.”Among the highlights of this exhibition are Abdul Hay Mosallam Zarara’s *Untitled, from the Mahmoud Darwish series (2008), the newly commissioned installation *Resonance (2025) by Majd Abdel Hamid, Samia Halaby’s *Six Golden Heroes (2021), and Taysir Batniji’s early work *Untitled (1997).

HE Minister of State for International Cooperation Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser al-Misnad, met with ambassador of South Sudan Lily Adhieu Martin Manyiel. Discussion during the meeting, focused on co-operation relations between the two countries and ways to support and develop them, in addition to the situation of displaced persons from Sudan.HE the Minister of State for International Cooperation emphasized the importance of adhering to the protection of civilians and ensuring the provision of essential services to them, especially in light of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in conflict-affected areas. She stressed the need to strengthen international and regional efforts to coordinate the humanitarian response and support the most vulnerable groups. HE al-Misnad also reiterated Qatar's unwavering support for the Sudanese people and its continued support for all initiatives aimed at achieving peace and alleviating the suffering of civilians in Sudan and neighbouring countries.

The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change's Department of Land Protection in cooperation with the Environmental Security Unit of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya), has carried out a surprise inspection campaign in various sites in the northern region of the country. During the campaign, an unlicensed bird-hunting shelter that had been set up in violation of applicable environmental regulations was detected and removed. This action is part of the ministry’s measures to address any practices that harm the environment or distort the public landscape. The campaign is part of a series of periodic field inspections conducted by the ministry to ensure compliance with environmental laws and regulations, as well as to preserve vegetation cover and biodiversity across different regions of the country, supporting Qatar’s environmental sustainability goals.