Day: May 9, 2023

"The project of the 2020s and the 2030s is different from the project of the 1990s," President Bidens national security adviser Jake Sullivan said, reflecting the change in US diplomacy. He added that Washington now has a different set of fundamental priorities than simply bringing down tariffs.

The Biden administration is now working to provide Japan and the EU with access to the clean-energy subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act, according to the article. The new deals focus on deepening economic ties, linking supply chains and leveling standards without touching customs duties. None requires congressional approval.

"In fact, the shift away from tariffs has been long under way, in part because tariffs are now so low. Most of the ill-fated TTIPs elements were about nontariff barriers (NTBs), such as regulations and industrial standards," Michaels writes.

Efforts to cut NTBs have been long under way, he added, citing An EU-South Korea FTA in 2011 dismantled barriers in cars, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, with Seoul following through by adopting chemical regulations modeled on EU legislation, opening the giant economy to Korean companies.

"Even if you dismantle tariffs, you might not have access to a market if you still have nontariff barriers," said Signe Ratso, a senior official at the European Commission, the EUs executive arm, who was involved in negotiating the pact.

"Even under Mr. Trump, a vocal opponent of free trade, the U.S. worked to remove nontariff barriers. The U.S. and EU food and drug regulators in 2017 signed a mutual-recognition agreement on good manufacturing practices for active pharmaceutical ingredients. Like the aviation agreement, it allowed the two regulators to shift inspectors from each others facilities to markets seen as posing potentially greater risks, such as China and India," he added.

He concluded by saying that the reworking of Nafta as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement in 2020, centered in large part around nontariff issues including digital trade, intellectual property and standards covering labor conditions and the environment in Mexican factories.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Qatar Tourism, in partnership with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), has launched the Qatar Tourism Awards, a program designed to celebrate and recognize the remarkable contributions made by businesses in delivering outstanding and distinct tourism experiences in Qatar.

The Qatar Tourism Awards are designed to shed light on the factors that contribute to curating a visitor's experience at every touchpoint of their journey, by awarding tourism businesses that continually achieve excellence in customer service delivery. This initiative aims to encourage all stakeholders who play a direct or indirect role in the delivery of tourism experiences to continue to develop and emulate exceptional initiatives characterized by uniqueness, sustainability, accessibility, and high-quality service.

HE Chairman of Qatar Tourism and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker, said: "We are delighted to launch the Qatar Tourism Awards, which are designed to recognize the exceptional work of stakeholders in the tourism sector. Qatar is home to some of the world's most iconic tourism experiences, and this is achieved by the vision, hard work, and dedication of the businesses and individuals in the tourism sector. Through this program, we hope to inspire and encourage our partners to develop new and innovative initiatives that will continue to elevate Qatar's reputation as a world-class tourism destination." The Qatar Tourism Awards will focus on three principal categories: Cultural Experiences, Smart Solutions, and Service Excellence, which highlight the different aspects of the visitor experience.

Entry to the Qatar Tourism Awards is open to all tourism businesses, operators, entrepreneurs, visitor attractions, organisations, and events that operate in Qatar and promote Qatar to a domestic and international audience. Submissions for the awards are now open, and winners will be announced in a special ceremony later this year. To apply, visit: https://www.qatartourism.com/en/qatar-tourism-awards.

Source: Qatar News Agency

The Supervising Committee of the 7th Central Municipal Council (CMC) elections has capitalized on technology to facilitate elections for voters and candidates, Director of the Ministry of Interior's (MoI) Elections Department Major General Majid Ibrahim Al Khulaifi, who is also the Supervising Committee's head, said on Tuesday.

Speaking with Qatar News Agency , Major General Al Khulaifi said that SMSs replaced all paper receipts for various applications. He added that SMSs as a notification method for voters and candidates without the need to visit the polling stations.

The Committee made it possible to submit an electronic voter registration application through Metrash2 app, and to inquire about electoral registration through Metrash2 app or through the MoI portal, in addition to providing a barcode to locate polling stations, Al Khulaifi added.

He added that the current law regulating the CMC elections does not allow an electronic vote casting and tabulation, voicing hopes for the appropriate legal amendments to expand the use of electronic technologies in the next elections.

He also highlighted all the election phases - preparation, voter registration, candidate registration, election campaigns, up to the voting day on which the votes will be tabulated and election results announced.

Al Khulaifi reiterated the conditions stipulated by law for eligible voters as follow: - They must have an original Qatari nationality or have obtained it more than 15 years ago; - They must be above 18 years old on May 4, 2023; - They have not been previously convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude or dishonesty, unless they have been rehabilitated; - They must be residing in the constituency where they have the right to vote, must not be affiliates of the armed forces or the police He added that all candidates must be Qatari, and that whoever acquires Qatari nationality must have his father born in Qatar. Candidates must be 30 years or above, fluent in reading and writing, and among those with recognized competence and honesty, he added.

The conditions, according to Al Khulaifi, also stipulate that a candidate must not have been previously convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude or dishonesty, unless they have been rehabilitated; they permanently live and be on the voter lists in the constituency in which they are running for elections; and that they should not be affiliates of the Ministry of Defense or the MOI or any other military agency.

Every constituency has three voting stations, one of which is dedicated to receiving voter registration applications, verifying the required voter conditions, and approving the final voter lists, he said.

Major Gen. Al Khulaifi added that the second committee, known as Election Committee, receives candidate applications, verifies the prerequisite and approves the final candidate lists, in addition to monitoring the votes casting and counting as well as election results announcement.

The third committee examines appeals and grievances submitted to it at various election phases, he added.

Major Gen. Al Khulaifi urged citizens to exercise their right to vote as the key index to measure the election success. Voters are invited to exercise their rights and responsibly participate in selecting their CMC representatives, he added.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Weather inshore tonight until 6:00 am on Wednesday will be scattered clouds with chance of light rain at places at times and hazy later, the Department of Meteorology said in its daily weather report.

Offshore, it will be hazy and some clouds, the report added.

Wind inshore will be mainly northeasterly to southeasterly 3 to 13 KT, becomes variable later.

Offshore, it will be mainly northwesterly to northeasterly 4 to 14 KT.

Visibility will be 4 to 09 kilometers.

Sea state inshore will be 1 to 2 FT. Offshore will be 2 to 4 FT Area High Tide Low Tide Mini-Max ---------- ---------------- --------------- ------------- Messaid ** : ** 21:59 ** : ** 12:44 25 Wakrah: ** : ** 21:13 ** : ** 12:12 28 Doha: 19.30 05:58 12:26 03:36 28 Al Khor: 18:53 05:38 ** : ** 10:07 28 Ruwais: 19:22 08:15 13:24 02:21 27 Dukhan: 12:58 00:50 18:49 07:22 25 Sunrise: 04:45 LT Sunset: 18:16 LT ------------------ (QNA)

Source: Qatar News Agency

Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) held the Commencement ceremony for its graduating Class of 2023 at Hamad Bin Khalifa Universitys Multaqa Students Center in Qatar Foundations (QF) Education City.

Chairperson, Qatar Museums, and senior representatives of Doha Film Institute, Reach Out to Asia, and Qatar Leadership Centre HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani attended the commencement along with faculty members, family, and friends.

64 students from VCUarts Qatars Art History, Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Painting + Printmaking and MFA programs, intend to graduate from the art and design university, this year.

The Class of 2023 graduates include 19 Graphic Design students, 20 Interior Design students, six Painting + Printmaking students, seven Art History students, five Fashion Design students, and seven MFA students.

The Commencement Speaker was Shaikha Hanadi bint Nasser Al Thani. Shaikha Hanadi Nasser Al-Thani is widely recognized as an outstanding Qatari business leader with a vision to establish new businesses benefiting the progress and well-being of the Qatari society and creating opportunities for female entrepreneurs. She is on the board of trustees of Junior Achievement Worldwide, as Chairperson of "INJAZ AL Arab" the regional arm of "Junior Achievement Worldwide and she is the Founding Chairperson of Injaz Qatar.

She said, "As an economist, you may wonder why I stand before you today. It is because I believe that creativity, when paired with discipline and persistence, leads to greatness. The renowned economist John Maynard Keynes once said, "The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones." My life and career have revolved around this quote.

VCUarts Qatars Dean Berbic said, "You are graduating into a world that is wholly different from when your journey at VCUarts Qatar began.

"You should be incredibly proud of everything youve accomplished in the last four years when the world itself was starting a new chapter of its own. Now, it is up to you to take ownership of the opportunities that await you in this environment," he added.

Source: Qatar News Agency

The Ministry of Culture's Qatar Philatelic and Currency Centre announced its participation in the 3rd Suhar Arabian Stamp and Numismatics Exhibition, from May 11 to 14, organized by the Omani Philatelic & Numismatic Centre on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the center, with the participation of stamp associations in the Arab Gulf States and some other Arab States.

The Qatar Philatelic and Currency Centre will participate in a delegation of stamp and currency collectors affiliated with the center.

The Qatar Philatelic and Currency Centre fosters and publicizes a culture of collecting stamps and currencies and provides conditions for their development by scientific and technical means. The Center also works to create ways for all its members to exercise the hobby appropriately and to strengthen the links of cooperation and knowledge between stamp collectors and currencies in the region.

Source: Qatar News Agency