Day: 6 July 2024

HE Chief of Staff of the Qatar Armed Forces Lieutenant General (Pilot) Salem bin Hamad bin Aqeel Al Nabit met with a number of CEOs of Korean defense industry companies, during his visit to the Republic of Korea.

During the meeting, they discussed a number of topics of common interest.

Source: Qatar News Agency

HE Chief of Staff of the Qatar Armed Forces Lieutenant General (Pilot) Salem bin Hamad bin Aqeel Al Nabit met with HE Korean Minister of National Defense Shin Won Sik, on His Excellency’s current visit to the Republic of Korea.

The meeting discussed matters of mutual interest, along with bilateral military cooperation relations, and ways to enhance and develop them.

HE Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Republic of Korea Khalid bin Ebrahim Al Hamar attended the meeting, along with a lineup of senior officers in the Qatar Armed Forces.

Source: Qatar News Agency

The National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) participated in the high-level event on Gaza, held as part of the 23rd regular session of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that took place at the OIC headquarters in Jeddah, from June 30 to July 4.

During the event, the NHRC urged, through the working paper presented by Head of the Legal Affairs Department at NHRC Nasser Marzouq Sultan Al Marri, the OIC to encourage more Arab and Islamic countries to join the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, enabling them to press charges against the Israeli entity before the court, for its international crimes in Gaza.

The NHRC also stressed the need for OIC countries to employ diplomatic channels with the European Union, to urge its members not to supply weapons to the Israeli entity in order to reduce the human and material losses in Gaza. This also includes boycotting Israeli goods and supporting companies.

Al Marri called upon the National Huma
n Rights Institutions of Arab and Islamic countries to leverage the qualitative shifts in Western public opinion towards the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, by strengthening relations with parliaments and non-governmental organizations in these countries with the aim of exerting pressure for an immediate cessation of the criminal Israeli war.

The Head of the Legal Affairs Department at NHRC also called on governments to recognize the State of Palestine as a full United Nations member, as opposed to just being a UN observer, following in the footsteps of Spain, Ireland, Belgium, and Armenia in recognizing the State of Palestine.

On another note, the NHRC presented a working paper on the subject of “The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Human Rights: Challenges and Opportunities,” during the 23rd regular session of the Permanent Independent Human Rights Commission of the OIC.

The Committee called for finding safe and reliable methods to create AI systems, in such a way that makes use of safeg
uards to prevent adverse impacts on human rights, which could be achieved by integrating human rights and ethics into AI systems and beefing up controls on AI.

The NHRC also urged to put in place the necessary legislation to regulate and manage AI applications, advocating for multi-party and multi-dimensional cooperation involving states, companies, civil society, and national human rights institutions in an effort to create a world where digital technology serves peace, prosperity, dignity, and the best interests of humanity.

The NHRC working paper called on the international community to adopt a binding international agreement that would regulate AI, suggesting as well the drafting of a regional Arab or Islamic convention in a similar effort.

It also stressed the importance of codifying ethical guidelines governing the use of AI and maintaining respect for human rights, national security, societal well-being, and individuals’ privacy.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Doha: The Friends of the Environment Center, affiliated with the Ministry of Sports and Youth, organized a panel discussion titled “Hamzat Wasl” as part of its summer activities. The event aimed to introduce the center’s goals and vision, promote positive communication among youth, and provide an enriching experience for participants.

The discussion, led by Hassan Al Kathiri, the center’s events, programs, and activities supervisor, introduced participants to the center’s activities and its mission to care for, enrich, and preserve the environment.

Al Kathiri explained that this event is part of the center’s summer activities, which include lectures, workshops, and external visits and trips.

He noted that the discussion aimed to equip youth with communication and social skills that contribute to building human relationships, which are fundamental for coexistence and mutual understanding in society.

Additionally, the event focused on boosting self-confidence among young people, teaching them how to express
themselves clearly and trust their abilities. This, in turn, helps them build strong, independent personalities capable of facing life’s challenges.

Al Kathiri highlighted that the event served as a platform for exchanging ideas and experiences, fostering thought and creativity. He emphasized that sharing perspectives helps broaden knowledge horizons and understand different cultures, which reduces intolerance and promotes tolerance and coexistence.

Source: Qatar News Agency

France could enter a grim political period of instability if none of the political alliances (far-right – left – center) secured an absolute majority in the second round of the legislative elections scheduled for tomorrow Sunday, according to political analysts and French experts.

Speaking to Qatar News Agency , they affirmed that if the three competing fronts in the elections did not achieve the absolute majority in the second round of the run-off, the consequences would entirely disrupt the political life in France with deadlock, thus dragging the country into a cycle of standoff and infinite political rifts.

They stated that the coming period will be full of instability and uncertainty at least for one year, because the French constitutions bans the President from dissolving the Parliament once again, and consequently the political life will remain fragile at home and abroad, specially that President Emmanuel Macron will be at the end of his second and final presidential term.

Political analyst and stra
tegic expert at the French institute for international and strategic affairs (IRIS) Brahim Oumansour told QNA that the major consequences of the results of the first round of the legislative elections include expansion of the far-right influence, which would virtually bring the National Rally Party to the brink of power in the second round, especially with the possibility of gaining an absolute majority in the parliament in the second round.

The rapid exit of the moderate political elite from the left, center, and traditional right would put an end to this accelerating expansion of the far-right in the second round of the legislative elections and the upcoming electoral entitlements, Oumansour highlighted, indicating that the moderate political elite will thus be overcoming the confusion and morphing into the state of action, coalition, and positioning within the Unified Democratic Republican Front against the far right.

He pointed out that gaining most votes by the far-right in the second round of the run-
off is a reality. Therefore, obtaining most votes that would enable it to win and form a government is contingent upon convincing wide spectrum of the traditional right to join the alliance.

Regarding the new popular front representing the left-wing, Oumansour affirmed that gaining the absolute majority hinges upon good organization and the capability of forging new alliances, either with the center, or the traditional right to be stronger and influencer as a united front against the far-right. He outlined that the centrist presidential camp is divided and embraces those who unequivocally call for standing up to the far-right and voting for the left-wing to achieve the absolute majority, while there are those who reject this.

The closest scenario, Oumansour said, is that the National Rally Party and its allies would gain the absolute majority in the second round of the elections and the Parliament, especially given the latest opinion polls which placed the party at the vanguard, but the worst scenario is no
ne of the three political fronts gaining an absolute majority.

This would lead to a crippling state and complete gridlock in the French political life, plunging the country into a spiral of endless political debates and conflicts. This might push President Emmanuel Macron to form a technocratic government composed of experts distant from any political party, to navigate through this dark political tunnel.

Upon concluding his remarks, Oumansour emphasized that if the far-right won the absolute majority of votes in the second round, this would trigger the French President to pursue only two solutions; to co-exist with the president of the far-right government, since this co-existence is complex with enduring tension, given the plethora of domestic and external problems on which their viewpoints differ.

The second solution is the prompt resignation if he otherwise could not co-exist side-by-side with the far-right, which is tacitly a catastrophic scenario that will smear the image of France both in the Europe
an Union and globally.

In turn, Omar Al Morabit, a political analyst and expert in European affairs and international relations, told QNA that the results of the first round of the French legislative elections showed that the voters’ vote for the right-wing National Rally party and its allies is not only a punitive vote for the ruling political elite in France, but also indicates a change in the voters’ mood and a comprehensive change in the French political scene as a whole, because the ideas of the far right have become popular and resonate in French society, especially on issues of immigration and insecurity.

Al Morabit said that in light of this “comprehensive” change, it is likely that the National Rally party and its allies will obtain an absolute majority in the second round tomorrow (Sunday), which will force French President Emmanuel Macron to coexist with the far-right front, and the situation may develop into a state of political instability in the coming period.

The seriousness of this scenario
prompted President Macron to change his strategy, which he followed in the first round of the elections by putting the left and the far right in the same basket, to the necessity of strongly confronting the expansion of the far right, as President Macron called on his ministers to restore voters’ confidence in the left-wing alliance, because it is the most capable of confronting the far right in the second round of the elections, he added.

He said that the alliances of the second round of the legislative elections require the far right to attract the deputies of the traditional right (the Republican Party) and form an alliance with them if it wants to obtain an absolute majority in the next parliament, which may happen if the National Rally Party obtains a relative majority, but he did not rule out the possibility that the National Rally Party will rule by a relative majority only, as the presidential camp and President Macron did in the past two years.

He pointed to another scenario represented by the vict
ory of the new Popular Front, representing the left, in the second round and obtaining an absolute majority, especially if it expands its alliances with the center front and some well-known figures in the center, away from President Macron’s party, but he saw that the success rate of this scenario remains low given the French political reality. He considered that the center front and the presidential camp will not obtain the majority in the second round in all cases.

He stressed that in all cases and scenarios, the next stage will be one of political instability and uncertainty for at least a year, because the French constitution prevents the president from dissolving parliament again, and therefore French political life will be fragile internally and externally, especially since President Emmanuel Macron will be at the end of his second and final term.

Al Morabit said that the “forced coexistence” between President Macron and the National Rally Party if the far-right front obtains an absolute majority in t
he second round, will not be difficult because President Macron agrees with the far right on many issues, especially in domestic policy, security and immigrants, as his policy on these issues was closer to the far right than to the center or left.

For his part, Dr. Jamal Bin Kreid, political analyst and professor of political economy at the Sorbonne University, said that there are three scenarios in the second round of legislative elections. The first is that the National Rally Party and its allies obtain an absolute majority, which reduces President Macron’s political maneuvering room and forces him to appoint a prime minister from the far right. The second is that the National Rally Party wins a relative, not an absolute, majority, in which case the far right finds itself forced to choose a prime minister in a political manner subject to the choice of ballots.

Bin Kreid added, in remarks to the Qatar News Agency , that the third scenario is that none of the three fronts (the far right, the center, and the
left) are able to obtain an absolute majority, which will force the President of the Republic to form a government of experts, or that the President rule alone using Article 8 of the Constitution, which stipulates that the President can rule by orders, because there is a risk that it hinders the optimal performance of institutions. In this case, the President enjoys all the powers of governance and legislation by orders.

Bin Kreid concluded that coexistence between President Macron and Jordan Bardella, the far-right candidate for prime minister, is possible according to the arts of politics, because politics is the art of compromise, and because the nature of constitutional authority in France obliges the head of state to accept political reality and the will of the people.

The right-wing National Rally party and its allies topped the results of the first round of legislative elections, obtaining more than 33 percent of the voters’ votes, while the New Popular Front (left-wing alliance) came in second place
with 28 percent of the votes, the presidential alliance (centrist) came in third with 20 percent of the votes, and the Republicans (traditional right) came in fourth with 6.7 percent of the votes.

The French National Assembly (parliament) consists of 577 seats, including 13 overseas departments and 11 electoral districts representing French expatriates abroad. To obtain an absolute majority in parliament, a party needs 289 seats. The first round of legislative elections excludes all candidates who fail to obtain 12.5 percent of the vote. Anyone who obtains 50 percent of the vote with a turnout of at least a quarter of local voters automatically wins.

Source: Qatar News Agency

The new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has affirmed that his newly formed government will not pursue the policy of his predecessor with respect to deporting asylum seekers, arriving in the country on small boats, to Rwanda, which terminates this plan even before any flights take off.

“The Rwanda scheme was dead and buried before it started,” Starmer said in his first news conference. He added: “It’s never acted as a deterrent. Almost the opposite.”.

The government of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has encountered several judicial, parliamentary, and procedural obstacles in implementing the agreement, while the daily flow of illegal immigrants through the Channel continues. with the Labour Party promising before winning the elections to abandon the policy of deporting immigrants to Rwanda.

In November 2023, the UK government signed a new agreement with the government of Rwanda to send back asylum seekers and deported immigrants to Rwanda. The new pact includes guarantees that asylum seekers sent fro
m Britain will not be deported to another country where their lives or freedoms are threatened.

It also involves the establishment of a new appeals body composed of experienced judges in asylum cases from several countries to review individual asylum cases.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Doha: Weather inshore tonight until 6:00 am on Friday will be hazy with some clouds, the Department of Meteorology said in its daily weather report.

Offshore, it will see hazy at times, the report added.

Wind inshore will be northwesterly – northeasterly at a speed of 05 to 10 knot.

Offshore, it will be variable mainly northwesterly at a speed of 02 to 12 knot.

Visibility will be 04 to 08 km inshore and 04 to 10 kilometers offshore.

Sea state inshore will be 1 to 2 feet. Offshore will be 1 to 3 feet.

Area High Tide Low Tide Mini Doha: 05:56 17:53 01:03 13:00 31 Messaid: 07:49 19:29 02:14 13:16 29 Wakrah: 07:36 19:04 01:49 12:50 28 Al Khor: 17:43 07:02 12:06 01:07 29 Ruwais 07:02 18:59 01:07 13:18 29 Dukhan: 12:10 05:54 16:25 30 Sunrise: 05:16 LT Sunset: 17:56 LT

Source: Qatar News Agency

The Israeli occupation army stormed several villages and towns in the occupied West Bank, sparking confrontations that resulted in injuring many Palestinians and arresting others.

Local sources said that seven Palestinians, among them a child, were injured by a salvo of Israeli ammunitions, during the Israeli army’s incursion into Nablus city north of the occupied West Bank.

The sources highlighted that the Israeli army deployed its forces near Balata refugee camp amid intense gunfire, which sparked confrontations, during which three people, among them a child, were injured. Also, four others were wounded by shrapnel shells, and all were whisked off to the hospital.

The Israeli army stormed Beita town south of Nablus and broke into one house in the West bank, during which it assaulted three Palestinians who were inside who inflicted injuries and bruises. Two of them were transferred to the hospital.

The Israeli army arrested four Palestinians from Qibya town west of Ramallah after storming the town and br
oke into the houses of the detainees, in addition to arresting a Palestinian from the town of Jabaa south of Jenin when he stumbled on a military checkpoint.

The Israeli military vehicles rammed into the town of Birzeit north of Ramallah, where the occupation soldiers stormed several residential neighborhoods, searched houses, and destroyed their furniture.

Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation army tightened its military measures in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem and the perimeter of Al-Aqsa Mosque, preventing dozens of Palestinians from entering them, and maintaining the siege on Al-Aqsa Mosque, since Oct.7, 2023. The Israeli military forces are present all the time there and engage in erecting iron barriers, stopping visitors, and often trying to hinder their entry into the mosque.

The towns and camps of the West Bank are witnessing daily infiltration by the Israeli military forces and settlers coupled with confrontations, arrests, firing live ammunition, rubber bullets, and tear gas canisters at Palest
inians. The intensity of these campaigns has increased concurrently with the unprecedented and relentless Israeli aggression on Gaza since October 7.

Source: Qatar News Agency