Islamabad
15 April 2017
(QNA)

Dr Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah, Minister of State for Defense Affairs, State of Qatar, attended Saturday a passing out parade at Pakistan Military Academy.

Dr. Al Attiyah is presently in Pakistan on official visit.

Pakistan Military Academy offers a Bachelor of Military Arts And Sciences and is considered one of the most prominent military institutions in the world in its field.

Islamabad
16 April 2017
(APP)

Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said today on Sunday that the use of brutal Indian military might against innocent people of Occupied Kashmir who refused to participate in the recent shame state elections, cannot suppress their human urge for freedom.

Kashmir (IoK) is a paradise inhabited by citizens who have been consistently deprived of their rights to decide about their fate, he added.

“There is hope for the people of Kashmir in this moment of immense distress and grief that their march towards freedom is unstoppable,” Pakistani Prime Minister said in his statement.

He called international community to stop these atrocities by Indian military machinery through preventive diplomacy and must allow the Kashmir dispute to be resolved through a just and sustainable settlement.

Ankara
16 April 2017
Anadolu Agency

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Sunday the Turkish nation gave its final word by voting Yes in the country’s constitutional referendum.

Speaking in Ankara, Yildirim said "I thank and express my gratitude to all our citizens who went to the ballot box with a high turnout, and who protected our democracy."

"We have said different things in [rally] squares; we have voiced different things to the nation but the nation gave its final world by saying 'Yes'."

Yildirim congratulated over 1.2 million young people who went to the ballot box for the first time today.

He added, "There is no one who lost in this referendum, but the winner is Turkey, the winner is the nation."

Saying that Turkey's new government system would be put into practice in the 2019 general elections, Yildirim said: "Our nation made its choice, and it confirmed the presidential system."

He added "This nation once again demonstrated that it will not bow down to any [military] domination, external intervention, or threat."

Yildirim said that Turkey would protect its unity despite all its differences. "We surely have different opinions and different ideas for solutions, but we will gently protect our unity."

The premier stressed: "Having different opinions never means getting the upper hand over another."

With almost all the ballots counted in Turkey’s historic constitutional referendum Sunday, unofficial results showed 'Yes' won with 51.34 percent -- 24,789,242 votes -- while 'No' had 48.66 percent, or 23,499,390 votes.

Sunday’s referendum asked voters to choose Yes or No on an 18-article bill that would see the country switch from a parliamentary to a presidential system, among other changes.

Doha
16 April 2017
(QNA)

Qatar and the Philippines, led by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and the President of the Republic of the Philippines Rodrigo Roa Duterte, held Sunday round of official talks at the Emiri Diwan.

Both leaders reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries and means of enhancing them in all fields, especially in infrastructure, agriculture, health and education investments, as well as increasing cooperation in the fields of experience exchange and expatriate labor.

The two sides also discussed a number of regional and international issues of common interest.

Emir of State of Qatar and the President of Philippines oversaw the signing of a number of Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) between the two counties including an MoU in the field of culture between Qatar's Ministry of Culture and Sports and Philippine's National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

The two sides also signed a MoU on encouraging and protecting mutual investments between the governments of Qatar and Philippines.

A MoU is signed between both countries on cooperating in the fields of technical and vocational training education between the governments of Qatar and Philippines.

A MoU is signed on cooperating in the health field between the governments of Qatar and Philippines.

Present on the occasion from Qatari side were Deputy Emir of State of Qatar, Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Thani, along with a number of Ministers.

From Philippine's side, the talks were attended led by President Duterte, accompanying Ministers and members of the delegation.

Later, Emir of State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad AlThani hosted lunch in honour of President Duterte and his accompanying delegation.

Earlier upon arrival at Emiri Diwan this morning, Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad AlThani received Philippines President and his accompanying delegation.

A contingent of Emiri Guards presented a guard of honour to President Rodrigo Duterte.

President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte left today concluding a three-day official visit to Qatar.

He and his accompanying delegation were seen off at Hamad International Airport by Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry, Ali bin Ibrahim Al Malki, Ambassador of Qatar to the Philippines, and Alan Timbayan, Ambassador of Philippines to Qatar.

Doha
15 April 2017

A number of Qatari business community members and their representatives had one to one detailed meeting with Chairman and accompanying members of Philippines Economic Zone Authority today.

On the sideline of President Duterte visit to Qatar, a number of MOUs worth amounting to US$ 206 million were signed this afternoon between Qatari local companies and the Philippines Economic Zones Authority (PEZA).

Ramon M. Lopez, Secretary (Minister) Department of Trade & Industry of Philippines was also present on the occasion and witnessed the MOU ceremony. On behalf of PEZA, Brig. Gen. Charito Booc Plaza, Director General PEZA signed the MOUs.

PEZA local representatives Joseph Rivera, Greg Loayon and Adel Sa'adeh assisted in organising the signing ceremony.

Philippines Trade minister and PEZA authorities are part of official delegation of President Rodrigo Duterte, who is on his official visit to State of Qatar.

Doha
14 April 2017
(QNA)

President of the Republic of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte arrived Friday in Doha on an official visit to the country.

Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry, State of Qatar received the President upon arrival at Hamad International Airport. Present on the occasion were Ambassador of Qatar to the Philippines Ali bin Ibrahim Al Malki, and Ambassador of Philippines to Qatar Alan Timbayan.

Yahoo News
AFP
14 April 2017

China issued a stern warning Friday that a conflict over North Korea could break out "at any moment", as Pyongyang vowed a "merciless" response to any US military action.

Tensions in the region have surged to fresh heights in recent days with speculation mounting that the North is preparing a sixth nuclear test.

A US naval strike force has been deployed near the Korean peninsula, and President Donald Trump has issued stark warnings that the threat posed by Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme "will be taken care of".

A clearly rattled China, under pressure from Trump to prevent any North Korean provocation, said the situation had reached breaking point.

"One has the feeling that a conflict could break out at any moment," Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said.

"If a war occurs, the result is a situation in which everybody loses and there can be no winner," he added during a joint press conference in Beijing with the visiting French foreign minister.

Wang's comments mirrored a warning from the North Korean foreign ministry's Institute for Disarmament and Peace that "thermo-nuclear war may break out any moment".

North Korea has invoked similarly dire scenarios on previous occasions when tensions on the Korean peninsula have spiked, but Beijing's warnings have fuelled international concerns that the current situation is reaching tipping point.

- Atomic jitters -

The North's Korean People's Army (KPA) added its voice to the bellicose rhetoric on Friday with a statement threatening strikes against US military bases and other targets in South Korea.

"The closer such big targets as nuclear powered aircraft carriers come, the greater would be the effect of merciless strikes," said the statement carried by the North's official KCNA news agency.

Citing the recent missile strike Trump ordered against Syria -- which was widely interpreted as a warning to Pyongyang -- the KPA denounced the US president for embarking on a path of "open threat and blackmail" against the North.

It also urged Washington to "come to its senses" and find a "proper" solution to the current stand-off.

Trump's military muscle-flexing was on display again Thursday when the US on dropped the biggest non-nuclear bomb it possesses on Afghanistan, targeting a complex used by the Islamic State group.

The American president has repeatedly said he will prevent Pyongyang from its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped ballistic missile capable of reaching the mainland United States.

A White House foreign policy advisor said Friday that the US was assessing military options, and added that another provocative test was a question of "when" rather than "if."

Satellite imagery analysis has noted activity at the North's main nuclear test site ahead of Saturday's 105th anniversary of the birth of the country's founder leader Kim Il-Sung.

The North's sabre-rattling has encouraged a rapprochement between Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, who met face-to-face for the first time late last week at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.

Though his election campaign was marked with acerbic denouncements of China's "rape" of the US economy, Trump dropped his anti-China bombast in Florida, afterwards hailing an "outstanding" relationship with Xi.

- Spotlight on China -

But he insists China -- the North's sole major ally and economic lifeline -- must exert more leverage on Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear ambitions or suffer the consequences.

Beijing has long opposed dramatic action against the North, fearing the regime's collapse would send a flood of refugees across its borders and leave the US military on its doorstep.

China's state broadcaster CCTV announced Friday that Air China -- the only foreign carrier operating commercial flights into North Korea -- would suspend services to Pyongyang from next week.

The report gave no reason for the suspension, but noted that Air China has taken similar action in the past because of low passenger volumes.




Manama, Bahrain
14 April 2017 (PNA)

The Philippines and the Kingdom of Bahrain signed several agreements that will further strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries during the second-day of President Rodrigo Duterte’s state visit here.




President Duterte arrived at the Sakhir Palace at 8 p.m. (1 a.m. Friday in Manila) where he was accorded an official welcome ceremony with military honors led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain.

 


King Hamad bin Isa AlKhalifa welcomed President Rodrigo Duterte to the royal palace where they held a bilateral meeting shortly after the welcome ceremony.




The President was accompanied by his official delegation, among are Foreign Affairs Acting Secretary Enrique Manalo, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar and Special Envoy to the Middle East Roy Cimatu.




Following the bilateral meeting, President Duterte and His Majesty King Hamad witnessed the signing of four agreements including memoranda of understanding aimed at bolstering friendly ties between the Philippines and Bahrain.

 


Acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Manalo, representing the Philippines, and Bahrain's Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the establishment of a High Joint Commission for bilateral cooperation between the Republic of the Philippines and the Kingdom of Bahrain and the MOU between Bahrain’s Diplomatic Institute and Foreign Service Institute of the Philippines.

 


Also signed was the protocol amending the convention between the two countries for the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and on capital.

The protocol was signed by Manalo and Bahrain's Minister of Finance Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa

.

Lastly, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and Bahrain's Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed signed the protocol to amend and supplement the air services agreement between Bahrain and the Philippines.

 


After the signing, the President and his official delegation attended an official dinner hosted by His Majesty King Hamad in honor of the visiting head of state.
 



The Chief Executive earlier graced a lunch hosted by Sheikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister of Kingdom of Bahrain, at Ritz Carlton Hotel.

Doha
13 April 2017
(QNA)

Deputy Speaker of the Advisory Council, Issa bin Rabea Al Kuwari, met here Thursday with Ambassador of The Kyrgyz Republic in Qatar, Nuran Niyazaliev.

Both discussed existing parliamentary relations between the two friendly countries and means of enhancing them.

Doha, Qatar
13 April 2017

National Team of Macau led at the 2017 Doha Int'l Finals of 34th International Global Management Challenge (GMC) competition. Three days event from 10-12 April was hosted by Qatar Finance and Business Academy (QFBA) in cooperation with ADNAR Group held in Hotel Rotana City Center.

Sheikh Fahad bin Faisal Al Thani, Deputy Governor of Qatar Central Bank handed over the awards to 1st position holder Macau team followed by the Russian team (second place) and the People's Republic of China team on the third place.

The GMC competition was founded in Portugal in 1980, and today has become the biggest strategy and management competition worldwide, which is embraced by more than 30 countries. The competition arrived to Qatar in 2013.

The GMC International Finals for the year 2016 witnessed strong competition between teams from various countries including Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Kenya, Kuwait, Macau, Mexico, Morocco, the People's Republic of China, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Senegal, Slovak Republic, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates.

The Finals have taken place under conditions that mimic the reality of the global economic mobility, giving participants a vision and a profound understanding of the changes in the real market, as well as a direct experience in the process of creating a corporate strategy, contingency planning and a range of financial, operational and administrative decisions. The national GMC competitions continued in their final day in a thrilling atmosphere, with each national team making every effort to record the highest score of investment performance, following which a smart and sophisticated simulator analyzed the decisions of each team and determined the financial and operational results achieved by the virtual companies.

Randa Haidar, Chairperson of ADNAR Group (the regional organizer), said in his speech 'Our collaboration with QFBA has been a landmark achievement, as we have successfully concluded the International Finals of the prestigious Global Management Challenge in Doha, which is the first time this competition has been organized in one of the countries in the GCC, the Arab World and the MENA region.

We have exceptionally succeeded at raising the bar for the standards of development and support of professional talents in Qatar and the region by presenting prevalent trade and economic challenges before the participating teams, who have positively interacted with them and performed at the required level.'

Dr. Abdul Aziz Al Horr, CEO of QFBA said 'We are very pleased with the results we have achieved - in cooperation with the Adnar Group - over the two days of the GMC International Finals, for the winning teams from participating countries. Our success was unique in embracing the brightest future commercial and economic minds through this global event, which is organized for the first time in Qatar and the entire Arab region, reinforcing Qatar's role as a strong regional supporter of skills and talent development, launching initiatives and events that build human capital in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 and in harmony with the vision, message, and core values of QFBA. I warmly congratulate the Macau team, the ‘GMC winner of the year’ and I wish all participants further progress and success.”

I would also like to extend my sincerest thanks to HE Mr. Ali Shareef Al Emadi, Minister of Finance, for his welcomed presence and sponsorship of the opening ceremony, and to Sheikh Fahad Bin Faisal Al Thani, Deputy Governor of Qatar Central Bank, for his attendance and sponsorship of the awards and gala dinner ceremony, and for distributing the awards to the winning teams.”