Qatar

DOHA (Reuters) - United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged warring Afghan sides to seize the opportunity to strike a peace deal at the opening ceremony for long-awaited negotiations in Doha on Saturday.

“The choice of your future political system is, of course, yours to make,” he said, adding that he hoped the solution would protect the rights of all Afghan and protect social progress, including the presence of women in public life.

“I cannot strongly enough urge you, seize this opportunity, he added.

03 Sep 2020; MEMO: Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani has reaffirmed his commitment to a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a meeting yesterday with senior adviser to the White House, Jared Kushner, Reuters reports.

31 Aug 2020; MEMO: Qatar announced on Sunday changes to its labour laws, raising its minimum wage on Sunday by 25 per cent to 1,000 riyals ($274.6) a month and scrapping a requirement for employees to get the permission of their employers to change jobs, Reuters reports.

It is the latest in a series of labour reforms by the 2022 FIFA World Cup host which in the lead up to the tournament has faced accusations that migrant workers are exploited.

29 Aug 2020; MEMO: Qatari natural gas exports have recently grown in the global market, as the country has become one of the UK’s major gas exporters.

In a report, Scientect website revealed that Qatar is among the leading exporters of natural gas to the UK, which is considered to be the world’s eighth-largest gas importer.

11 Aug 2020; MEMO: The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement is talking with Qatar about the renewal of its grant for the besieged Gaza Strip, local media reported on Monday. The talks are taking place amidst growing tension between Hamas and the Israeli occupation authorities.

06 Aug 2020; MEMO: Qatar has announced the establishment of an air bridge to get aid to the people of Lebanon following the explosion in the capital Beirut on Tuesday.

According to the Qatar News Agency, Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani has ordered an airlift of emergency medical aid to Lebanon, and the first aircraft of the Qatar Air Force has already left for Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport.

28 July 2020; MEMO: Qatar, the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, announced on Monday it would also like to stage the Olympics, possibly in 2032.

The Gulf Arab state’s Olympic committee said it submitted a request to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to join the phase of “continuous dialogue” about hosting a future Games.

25 July 2020; MEMO: The Qatar Committee for Reconstruction of Gaza announced on Friday that it would start paying cash aid to needy families in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, Qatar News Agency reported.

Chairman of the Committee Ambassador Mohammed Al-Emadi added that the assistance is paid for Gaza families in cooperation with the Qatar Fund for Development.

24 July 2020; MEMO: The Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations, Ambassador Sheikha Alya Bint Ahmed Bin Saif Al-Thani, has reiterated her country’s commitment to resolving the crisis with the blocking countries by diplomatic means through constructive dialogue.

Sheikha Alya made the remarks during a virtual meeting of the United Nations Security Council held yesterday to discuss the situation in the Middle East and the Palestinian issue.

15 June 2020; MEMO: Secretary-General of International Union for Muslim Scholars, Ali Qaradaghi, condemned on Saturday escalating UAE normalisation with Israel.

On Twitter, the officials wrote: “We are still with justice and against oppression,” referring to the prisoners inside the UAE’s prisons. “Stop oppression and aggression,” he added.

“You hug the sons of Zion and humiliate the true believers.”