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The Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, yesterday condemned Iran's repeated attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain, declaring full solidarity with both states as it approved a raft of legislative and regulatory measures at its regular session at the Amiri Diwan.Opening the meeting on a sharply-worded note, the Cabinet denounced what it termed egregious violations of Kuwaiti and Bahraini sovereignty, reaffirming Qatar's backing for all measures the two states take to safeguard their security. It called for shielding the region from the consequences of unprovoked attacks and stressed the need to restore regional and global stability.On the legislative front, the Cabinet took note of an Owners' Association bill approved by the Shura Council to regulate real estate management and shared-area maintenance in jointly owned properties. It also approved amendments to the Civil and Commercial Procedure Law — part of a national drive to modernise the judicial framework and keep pace with digital transformation in judicial services supporting business and investment.The bill seeks to modernise an array of procedural rules in a manner that balances procedural efficiency and the orderly conduct of litigation with the protection of due-process rights and equal treatment of litigants. It also aims to advance electronic litigation, enhance the payment-order and judicial-receivership systems, and streamline certain procedural mechanisms that directly affect litigants, most notably service of process, avenues of appeal, court fees, and bonds. In addition, the bill provides for the establishment of a Case Management Office in each court to prepare and organise cases before they are referred for adjudication.The Cabinet further approved a Finance Ministry decision setting out customs rules for Free Zones, designed to establish a comprehensive framework regulating the import and re-export of goods through such zones.It also endorsed a memorandum of understanding on nuclear safety and radiation protection between Qatar's Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and Saudi Arabia's Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission.The session concluded with the Cabinet reviewing a report on Qatar's participation in the OECD Skills Summit 2026, held in Türkiye in April. 

Pakistan's parliament approved a sweeping constitutional amendment Thursday granting lifetime immunity to the president as well as the current army chief, a move critics warned would erode democratic checks and judicial independence.The 27th amendment, passed by a two-thirds majority, also consolidates military power under a new Chief of Defence Forces role and establishes a Federal Constitutional Court.The changes grant army chief Asim Munir, promoted to field marshal after Pakistan's clash with India in May, command over the army, air force and the navy.He and other top military brass will enjoy lifelong protections.Under the amendment, any officer promoted to field marshal, marshal of the air force, or admiral of the fleet will now retain rank and privileges for life, remain in uniform, and enjoy immunity from criminal proceedings.Such protections were previously only reserved for the head of state."This constitutional amendment will increase authoritarianism and whatever little semblance of democracy existed in this country will fade away," said Osama Malik, an Islamabad-based lawyer."It will not only remove civilian oversight from the military's activities, it will also completely destroy the military hierarchy where all service chiefs were considered equal under the joint chief system," he told AFP.Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation of more than 250mn people, has long struggled to balance civilian authority with the military's role in politics.The amendment also shields President Asif Ali Zardari from any criminal prosecution, although that immunity will not apply if he or any other former president later holds another public office.Zardari has faced multiple graft cases, although proceedings were previously stayed.He signed the bill into law following the parliamentary vote.Opposition parties, led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), tore up copies of the bill in both chambers over the past few days.The amendment also bars courts from questioning any constitutional change "on any ground whatsoever".The bill also creates a Federal Constitutional Court with exclusive jurisdiction over constitutional cases, stripping the Supreme Court of its original powers and transferring pending petitions.Another clause empowers the president to transfer High Court judges on the recommendation of the Judicial Commission, a change critics say could be used to sideline dissenting judges."This is the final nail in the coffin of an independent judiciary and a functioning democracy," PTI spokesman Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari told AFP.PTI secretary general Salman Akram Raja described the amendment as "deeply undemocratic at its core"."They have given lifetime immunity from criminal prosecution to the president and created a system that concentrates power in one military office," he told AFP.The Senate initially passed the bill on Monday. It was then tweaked and passed by the National Assembly, the lower house, two days later before returning to the upper house for final approval."Sixty-four members are in favour of the passage of the bill and four members are against, so the motion is carried," Senate Chairman Yusuf Raza Gilani said Thursday.It also cleared the 336-member lower house with the required two-thirds majority.