Day: May 5, 2023

- The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and its partners are marking the World Hand Hygiene Day, which falls on May 5 every year.

- Qatar University (QU) has achieved yet another remarkable milestone in the field of Pharmacy & Pharmacology, as it climbs in the QS Subject Ranking. In the recently released 2023 edition, QU has been ranked in the top 150 worldwide (101-150), an outstanding improvement from its previous ranking in the top 250 in 2022, and a significant leap from its debut ranking in the top 300 in 2021.

- The Ministry of Municipality will organize 3rd Recycling Towards Sustainability Conference & Exhibition 2023, on 9th & 10th June 2023, under the slogan 'Together we make the difference.. For a sustainable future.' - Hamad Bin Khalifa University's (HBKU) College of Science and Engineering (CSE) hosted a special panel discussion inviting locally based experts to outline chatbots' impact on society and debate the ethical implications of their usage.

- The 21st session of the Global Counterterrorism Forum in Cairo, with the State of Qatar participating with a delegation from its Embassy in Egypt.

- The general index of the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) gained 494,520 points, during the current week, with a growth rate of 4,870 percent, reaching 10,639 points, with the support of various sectors.

- Qatar Insurance Company (QIC) (a Qatari public shareholding company) announced Thursday a net profit of QR173.153 million for Q1 of 2023, a 611 percent surge compared to the same period the previous year when the net profit was QR24.344 million.

- A ceremony was organized on Thursday in the Omani capital Muscat to honor workers in the field of youth for the year 2023 in the GCC, on the sidelines of the 36th meeting of the Committee of Ministers of Youth and Sports.

- HE President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani, attended the opening of the meeting of the Ordinary General Assembly of the International Judo Federation (IJF), held on Thursday at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel.

- Qatar SC defeated Al Ahli 2-0 in Week 21 of the 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League at the Al Duhail Stadium on Thursday.

- Qatar Volleyball Association (QVA) revealed on Thursday, the details of the final match of the 45th edition of the HH the Amir Cup for the 2022-2023 season, which will bring together Al Rayyan and Al Arabi at the Qatar Womens Sports Committee Hall in Aspire Zone.

- Defending champions Al Sadd prevailed over title contenders Al Duhail 3-1 in their penultimate Week 21 clash of the 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League at the Al Duhail Stadium on Thursday to set a thrilling finale of the league championship.

- Al Arabi defeated Al Gharafa 3-0 in their crucial Week 21 fixture of 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League at the Al Arabi Stadium on Thursday to stay in contention for a shot at the championship title.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Here is a summary of local news released on Thursday: - HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani made a phone call on Thursday to HE President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

- HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani sent a cable of congratulations to HE President of the Republic of Montenegro Jakov Milatovic on the anniversary of the Statehood Day.

- HH the Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Thani sent a cable of congratulations to HE President of the Republic of Montenegro Jakov Milatovic on the anniversary of the Statehood Day.

- HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani sent a cable of congratulations to HE Prime Minister of the Republic of Montenegro Dritan Abazovic on the anniversary of the Statehood Day.

- HE Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business, Trade and Energy of the Commonwealth of Dominica Dr. Vince Henderson received a copy of the credentials of HE Yasser Awad Al Abdullah, as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Qatar (non-resident) to the Commonwealth of Dominica.

- HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov met with HE Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Uzbekistan Hassan bin Hamza Hashim.

- The State of Qatar, represented by a delegation from the Ministry of Interior and the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya), is taking part in securing the France Cycling Tour (Tour de France), within the framework of joint cooperation with friendly countries in securing major sporting events.

- The Ministry of Interior, represented by the Juvenile Police Department, launched the 7th edition of its awareness program, Our Summer Is Safe 7, at the Doha Youth Center, in cooperation with the Ministry of Sports and Youth.

- The Education Above All Foundation (EAA) and the World Bank (WB) are committed to improving access to quality education and addressing the needs of out-of-school children around the world, especially in developing countries, as the two agencies agreed to explore new ways to support countries in countering the COVID-19 pandemic-aggravated learning crisis.

- The Police College of Qatar, on Thursday celebrated the graduation second batch of Police Officers of Tomorrow" Program. held at the College premises, the graduation ceremony was held in presence of HE Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior Abdullah bin Khalaf bin Hattab Al Kaabi and a lineup of officials and officers from MOI.

- Qatar Tourism revealed that Qatar received more than two million visitors during the first half of 2023, which indicates the remarkable performance of the tourism sector thanks to the many tourist attractions that Qatar abounds in.

- The Ministry of Interior (MOI) on Thursday organized an exhibition at Mall of Qatar in celebration of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2023.

- HE Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov met with HE Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Uzbekistan Hassan bin Hamza Hashim.

- The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change received the Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award, presented by the American ESRI Institute, the global market leader in geographic information systems (GIS), during its international conference for geographical information system, held in San Diego, US from July 10-14.

- The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and the Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council agreed to launch a research program on the environment, climate change and research priorities, during the month of September, and the proposed steps to implement the cooperative program.

- Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) index gained 60.71 points at the beginning of Thursday's trading, or 0.60 percent, to rise to the level of 10,183 points, compared to Wednesday's closing, with the support of various sectors.

- HE Assistant Undersecretary for Commerce Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Saleh bin Majed Al Khulaifi said that India is the second-largest trade partner, noting the trade volume between the two countries increased by about 33 percent during the years 2021 and 2022, reaching USD 17.2 billion.

- Qatar Central Bank (QCB) issued treasury bills worth QR 500 million for a one-week term, due on July 20, at an interest rate of 5.5050 percent.

- The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) index ended this week's trading down by 0.280 percent, losing 28.3 points, and thus retreating to the level of 10,217 points.

- University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST) announced the reopening of admission for Qatari students who have successfully completed their High School Graduation Certificate by the end of the academic year 2022/2023. Admissions will remain open for this group of students until Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023.

- Following the most successful FIFA World Cup ever, 440 clubs from 51 member associations across all six confederations will benefit from the FIFA Club Benefits Program (CBP) by receiving a share of the revenue for the release of players to participate at the final tournament in Qatar.

Source: Qatar News Agency

The Minister of Water Resources Tammam Raad discussed with the Chargé d’ affaires of DPRK Embassy in Damascus, Kim Hey Ryong ways to develop technical cooperation between Syria and DPRK in the drinking water sector.

Raad welcomed all initiatives of cooperation and technical and scientific support from all friendly countries that contributes to reconstructing and upgrading of what has been destroyed by terrorism in the water sector.

In turn, the Chargé d’ affaires of DPRK Embassy expressed his country’s willingness to cooperate and coordinate with the Syrian side in the water resources sector and exchange scientific and technical expertise for the benefit of the two friendly countries.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

Syria and Iran stressed in a joint statement at the end of the visit of the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi the importance of strengthening bilateral relations on the basis of brotherly and strategic relations between the two countries, and the need to respect national sovereignty and independence ,and preserve the territorial integrity of the two countries ,in accordance with the goals and principles of the United Nations Charter.

Full text of the statement:

In response to the official invitation of the President of the Syrian Arab Republic, President Bashar al-Assad, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi paid an official visit to Syria on the 3rd and the 4th of May 2023, during which Raisi discussed with senior Syrian officials ways to expand and strengthen bilateral relations, the latest developments in the region and the situations at the global level.

¬ The two presidents held discussions that focused on ways to develop and strengthen bilateral relations on the basis of fraternal and strategic relations between the two countries, in addition to discussing the latest developments in the region and the world.

– The two sides stressed the necessity of respecting national sovereignty and independence and preserving the territorial integrity of the two countries in accordance with the goals and principles of the United Nations Charter.

–The two sides stressed the importance of strengthening bilateral relations through the continuation of political, economic, consular and other fields of cooperation, as well as the continuation of visits by high-level delegations between the two countries.

– The two sides expressed their readiness and desire to take all measures to develop trade and economic relations between the two countries through the existing mechanisms, including the Joint Higher Committee, and they also affirmed the existing cooperation between them with regard to the reconstruction of the Syrian Arab Republic.

– The two sides expressed their satisfaction with the joint cooperation in the field of combating terrorism and extremism, stressing the continuation of joint cooperation in order to eliminate all terrorist groups.

– The two sides strongly condemned the attacks carried out by the Zionist entity against the Syrian Arab Republic, considering them a destabilizing factor in the region, and the two sides affirmed Syria’s legitimate right to respond to these attacks in an appropriate manner.

– The two sides condemned the continued occupation of the occupied Syrian Golan by the occupation entity, as well as the actions taken by the authorities of that occupation entity, including the decision to annex the Golan, which is contrary to the principles of international law. The Syrian Golan is regarded as an occupied territory at the level of legal status.

– Both sides condemned all forms of the illegal presence of military forces on Syrian territory, calling it an occupation, and stressed the need to end it as it is a violation of the Syrian sovereignty.

They strongly condemned the US practices of stealing the natural resources of the Syrian Arab Republic, and demanded a decisive position from the international community to end such acts.

– The two sides strongly condemned the coercive, unilateral and illegal measures taken by the USA and the European Union against the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Syrian Arab Republic, which are considered a violation of international law , stressing the need for immediately end of these inhuman acts.

– The Iranian side also declared once again its support for the government and people of the Syrian Arab Republic, as well as its solidarity with it regarding the recent devastating earthquake in the country.

– The two sides also denounced the continuation of the unjust blockade and illegal sanctions by Western countries against the Syrian people in post-earthquake conditions, and stressed the need to immediately break this blockade in order to facilitate the delivery of international aid for the reconstruction of the areas affected by the earthquake.

– They also praised the positive political developments in the region, especially the constructive communication between Syria and the Arab countries, and the Iran-Saudi deal made under the auspices of China,they considered that this agreement constitutes an important step towards new positive developments that favor the stability of the Middle East, and stressed the need for solidarity and regional cohesion to face the challenges and provide security, prosperity and tranquility through internal regional cooperation.

– They valued the blood of the martyrs who sacrificed for the sake of Syria’s victory in its war against terrorism.

– Raisi appreciated the efforts made to create appropriate conditions and facilitate the return of Syrian refugees, and both sides called on the international community to provide the necessary assistance in this field and stop exploiting the suffering of refugees by some countries to serve their political agendas.

– Both sides declared their support for the legitimate right of the Palestinian people to resist the occupation and to establish an independent, unified and sovereign state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Finally, the Iranian President expressed his sincere gratitude and appreciation to President al-Assad, the officials and the Syrian people for the warm welcome and generous hospitality, extending an official invitation to President al-Assad to pay an official visit to Iran.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune affirmed that Syria is a founding member of the Arab League, and cannot be deprived of its rights.

“We have not changed with respect to Syria, and Syria has not changed for us. What we are doing is based on the fact that Syria is a founding member of the Arab League and cannot be isolated or set aside its rights” Tebboune said during a meeting with representatives of the national press.

President Tebboune pointed out that Algeria’s aid to its sister Syria during the earthquake was a donation from the heart that is not subject to any political considerations.

Algerian President indicated that “there is an international system that imposes itself on the weak before the strong, and we hope that will change.”

He also expressed his hope that the Arab vision will change and that the divided situation in which the Arab nation finds itself will come to an end .

He concluded that we have said it many times, especially at the Arab League meeting, that as Arabs we should be the first to believe in our vision.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

China and Russia pledged to further develop bilateral relations and build the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to become a platform for mutually beneficial cooperation.

“The two countries have exchanged frequently at all levels and strengthened cooperation in various fields”, Xinhua news agency quoted Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang as saying in a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday on the sidelines of the foreign ministers’ meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states.

Both sides agreed to enhance communication with other members of the organization and maintain solidarity in order to build the organization into a platform for mutually beneficial cooperation, as they agreed to enhance communication and coordination in the Asia-Pacific region and stand against attempts to create a new cold war and protect regional peace and stability.

The two sides also exchanged views on the crisis in Ukraine.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro condemned the attempted attack by Ukraine on the Kremlin ,expressing his country’s full solidarity with Russia.

Maduro expressed, in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday , Caracas’ strong condemnation of the attempt by the Kiev regime to strike Kremlin territory with drones, Sputnik quoted the Kremlin as saying in a statement.

The two presidents also discussed issues of developing the Russian-Venezuelan strategic partnership, According to the statement.

In the same context, President of the Russian Republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, said that the Ukrainian attack on the Kremlin represents an attack on the president, the state and the entire Russian people, noting that the response will be “decisive and accurate.”

Earlier the Russian forces had repelled two drones that tried to target the Kremlin buildings, while the Russian presidency confirmed that Moscow would respond to this terrorist attack with appropriate measures.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency