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The Indian Business & Professionals Council (IBPC) Qatar recently hosted a special edition of its flagship Monday Bites series, bringing together business leaders, professionals, entrepreneurs, and emerging talent to celebrate leadership, knowledge-sharing, artificial intelligence (AI), and growing India–Qatar ties.The event, attended by Indian ambassador Vipul, observed a minute of silence in memory of those who lost their lives in the recent Ras Laffan incident. The gathering paid tribute to the deceased and expressed its heartfelt condolences to their families, colleagues, and loved ones.IBPC Qatar president Thaha Muhammed Abdul Kareem highlighted the importance of continuous learning, leadership development, innovation, and community engagement in an increasingly dynamic global environment. As one of IBPC Qatar's signature initiatives, Monday Bites has established itself as a premier platform for leadership dialogue, professional development, and knowledge exchange. By bringing together business leaders, policymakers, entrepreneurs, industry experts, and professionals, the platform fosters meaningful conversations on emerging trends, opportunities, and challenges shaping the future of business and society.Addressing the gathering, the ambassador reflected on the remarkable progress achieved in India–Qatar relations over the past three years and shared his perspectives on the expanding opportunities for collaboration between the two countries. He highlighted the growing momentum across trade, investment, energy, technology, innovation, education, and people-to-people engagement, while emphasising the importance of continued cooperation in strengthening the strategic partnership between India and Qatar.A major highlight of the event was the Monday Bites Signature Session titled ‘Build the BAT. Master the BAAP. Be the BATMAN. Attract What Others Chase’, delivered by Kareem.The session challenged conventional thinking around success and competition, encouraging participants to focus on building distinctive value, strong capabilities, and sustainable competitive advantages. The event also marked the successful completion of the inaugural IBPC AI Advantage Certification Programme with Certificates of Participation presented to the graduates.As one of the first initiatives of its kind undertaken by IBPC Qatar, the programme represents an important milestone in the organisation's commitment to preparing professionals and business leaders for the rapidly evolving age of AI. The certification covered key areas including prompt engineering, AI-powered productivity, content creation, automation, strategic decision-making, and digital transformation. By focusing on practical use cases and hands-on learning, the program empowered participants to confidently embrace emerging technologies and unlock new opportunities for innovation, efficiency, and growth.The initiative reflects IBPC Qatar's broader vision of fostering future-ready leadership and ensuring that its members remain competitive, adaptable, and well-positioned to succeed in an increasingly technology-driven global economy.As India and Qatar continue to deepen cooperation across trade, investment, technology, energy, innovation, and human capital development, initiatives such as Monday Bites and the IBPC AI Advantage Certification Programme reflect IBPC Qatar's commitment to building a future-ready professional community while strengthening the people-to-people and business connections that underpin one of the region's most dynamic and successful bilateral partnerships.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani held a telephone conversation on Tuesday with the Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi. At the outset of the call, HH the Amir expressed his sincere condolences and sympathy to the Indian Prime Minister over the victims of the explosion at an industrial facility in Ras Laffan, which resulted in the deaths and injuries of a number of Indian nationals, wishing the injured a speedy recovery. For his part, the Indian Prime Minister expressed his deep thanks and appreciation to HH the Amir for his heartfelt sentiments, praising the support and medical care provided by the State of Qatar to the injured as well as the efforts of the relevant authorities in responding to the incident. Both sides expressed their solidarity with the families of the victims, affirming the two countries' firm commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of their friendly peoples.The call discussed the friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries and ways to strengthen and develop them.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani received a phone call Tuesday from UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan.  At the beginning of the call, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan expressed his condolences to HH the Amir following the accident at an industrial facility in Ras Laffan, while offering his deepest sympathies to the families of the victims, wishing the injured a speedy recovery, and affirming the UAE's support for and solidarity with Qatar during this difficult time.  HH the Amir expressed his thanks and appreciation to the UAE president for his sincere sentiments and his expression of brotherly solidarity, commending the UAE's stance and its support for Qatar. They also discussed the close fraternal relations between their two countries.

His Excellency Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani held a series of phone calls with regional and international counterparts Monday to discuss the military escalation in the region and offer condolences over the deaths of Qatari service members.His counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, and Egypt all conveyed their nations' condolences over the loss of Qatar Armed Forces personnel in a helicopter crash in Qatari territorial waters, caused by a technical malfunction during a routine mission. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan similarly extended condolences, as the crash also claimed the lives of members of Qatar-Türkiye joint forces and two Turkish civilian collaborators.In all calls, the parties discussed the dangerous trajectory of military escalation in the region and its repercussions for regional and international security. They jointly stressed the urgency of halting escalatory actions, returning to dialogue, and prioritizing diplomacy to contain the crisis — with particular emphasis on safeguarding global energy security, freedom of navigation, environmental safety, and regional stability.The prime minister also spoke with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, in a call that touched on the same regional tensions but went further in addressing Iran's role directly. He condemned Iranian attacks on Qatari territory in unequivocal terms, stating they "cannot be accepted under any justification or pretence." He stressed that Iran's targeting of energy facilities constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and a serious threat to global energy security and the environment — particularly notable given Qatar's longstanding efforts to facilitate dialogue between Iran and the international community.Kallas echoed the call for de-escalation and urged a return to negotiations and diplomatic channels to prevent further instability.Across all conversations, a common thread emerged: the need for immediate coordinated action to pull the region back from the brink, with dialogue and reason taking precedence over military confrontation. 

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani sent a cable of condolences to the King Mohammed VI of the Kingdom of Morocco over the victims of the collapse of two residential buildings in the city of Fez, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

His Excellency Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani sent Tuesday a cable of condolences to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania Edi Rama on the death of Albania's former Prime Minister Fatos Nano.

Twenty-three people, including children, were killed late Saturday in a fire that broke out at a store in the city of Hermosillo, in northwestern Mexico. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed her condolences to the families of the victims in a post on the X platform, noting that she had ordered the immediate deployment of support teams to assist the victims' families and those injured in the incident.The city's fire chief said that the cause of the blaze has not yet been determined, as investigations continue.In a similar incident last September, at least three people were killed and 70 others were injured when a tanker truck overturned, caught fire, and exploded on a highway southeast of Mexico City.

Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, on Sunday extended his condolences to the government and people of Qatar following the deaths of several members of the Amiri Diwan in a traffic accident in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. In a post on X, Aboul Gheit said that he is praying to Almighty Allah to bestow upon the deceased His mercy and forgiveness, and grant their families patience and solace.