Washington DC, 06 Jan. 2021 (AlJazeera News)

Pro-Donald Trump protesters, upset at the outcome of the presidential election, stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday as Congress met to tally the electoral votes that certify Joe Biden’s election as president.

Protesters overwhelmed US Capitol Police outside as numerous others breached security and entered the Capitol building, creating a scene of chaos and causing members of Congress to flee the House and Senate chambers to be safely locked down in their offices while some were evacuated elsewhere.

At about 2pm (19:00 GMT), while senators were debating an objection to Arizona’s electoral votes raised by Republican Trump supporters, debate was halted when word came that protesters were in the hall outside the Senate chamber.

As overwhelmed law enforcement tried to deal with the protesters, the mayor of Washington, DC, Muriel Bowser, implemented a city-wide curfew for 21:00 GMT.

President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden released dueling messages about the violent protesters that descended on the US Capitol Wednesday.

Biden, who spoke first, live from Wilmington, Delaware, strongly denounced the rioters calling their actions an “unprecedented assault unlike anything we have seen in modern times”.

Trump, in a recorded video released on Twitter, empathized with his supporters saying, “I know your pain, I know you’re hurt,” before pivoting back to the unfounded election claims that are at the root of Wednesday’s chaos.

“We had an election that was stolen from us.”

Biden called the protesters “extremists” and “a mob”, and said their violence is “an assault on the citadel of liberty, the Capitol itself. An assult on the people’s representatives and the Capitol Hill police sworn to protect them. … An assault on the rule of law … An assault on the most sacred of American undertakings: The doing of the people’s business.”

Doha, 06 Jan. 2020 (Qatar Tribune/QNA)

THe National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) of Qatar welcomed Al-Ula Declaration announced at the Summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) tagged ‘Sultan Qaboos and Sheikh Sabah Summit’ held on Tuesday to strengthen the unity and cohesion among the GCC countries and the return of joint Gulf action to its normal course.

The committee hailed the positive atmosphere and official statements at the conclusion of the summit on the Gulf reconciliation and the end of the crisis. It also welcomed the reopening of the airspace and the land and sea borders by between Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

The NHRC considered the declaration an essential step in the right direction towards solving the Gulf crisis and the complete lifting of the measures resulting from it.

The committee also reminded all parties of their responsibilities towards addressing the implications of the restrictions imposed by the crisis, especially on indi-vidual and group rights, in order to support the aspirations of the Gulf peoples towards stability, peace and respect for human rights.

The National Human Rights Committee urged the cooperation council for the Arab States of the Gulf to intensify efforts to establish effective mechanisms for mediation and resolution of disputes between its members in order to protect the rights of the Gulf peoples and ensure that what happened will not be repeated.

The committee affirmed that the bitter experience that the Gulf region has suffered necessitates serious consideration of concerted efforts of governments, national human rights institutions and civil society organisations to address the challenges surrounding the region and spare people the scourge of political crises by establishing a comprehensive dialogue to present proposals and initiatives that support the Gulf cohesion and civil peace and harmony

Doha, 04 Jan. 2021 (AlJazeera News)

Qatar’s Government Communication Office (GCO) has confirmed that the country’s ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, will attend the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Sheikh Tamim’s participation comes after Kuwait’s foreign minister announced late on Monday that Saudi Arabia will reopen its airspace, as well as its land and sea border, with Qatar, paving way for a deal towards resolving the political dispute.

In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt accused Qatar, among other things, of supporting terrorism and being too close to Iran and severed economic and diplomatic ties. They also imposed a land, sea and air blockade on Qatar.

Qatar has repeatedly denied the allegations and said there was “no legitimate justification” for the severance of relations.

Kuwait has been mediating between Qatar and four Arab states.

UAE, Saudi response

In remarks carried by the Saudi state-run news agency on Monday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the GCC summit will be “inclusive”, leading the states toward “reunification and solidarity in facing the challenges of our region”.

A senior UAE official said that the GCC summit would restore Gulf unity.

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said in a Twitter post, “We stand before a historic summit in Al-Ula, through which we restore our Gulf cohesion and ensure that security, stability and prosperity is our top priority. We have more work ahead and we are headed in the right direction.”

Doha, 03 Jan. 2021

Sanya, 01 Jan.2021 (Xinhua News)

Tourists ring a bell to greet the New Year at Nanshan scenic area of Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, Jan. 1, 2021.

Madrid, 01 January 2021 (Anadolu News)

Portugal officially assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of European Union on Friday, Jan. 1, with a motto of “a fair, green and digital recovery”.

The COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit will be the main agenda of the EU for the next six months under Portugal’s presidency, taken over from Germany.

The EU will specifically focus on COVID-19 vaccination and reducing the socio-economic impact of the pandemic. The outcome of the Brexit agreement will also be on the 27-member bloc’s agenda as the new trade deal between London and Brussels will be implemented in 2021.

Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva said Portugal can be an “honest broker” under the terms of the new deal with the UK, pointing to the diplomatic alliance between Portugal and the UK dating back to the 14th century.

In a statement announcing the priorities of its term presidency, Portugal pledged to “promote recovery leveraged by the climate and digital transitions.” The country also aims to implement a “European Pillar of Social Rights of the EU as a distinctive element for ensuring a fair and inclusive transition” as well as strengthening Europe’s autonomy while remaining open to the world.

Portugal also plans to defend and consolidate the “rule of law” principle within the EU, combating discrimination and promoting pluralism in the media, according to the statement on the EU website.

Although EU member states reached an agreement for the 2021-2028 budget and recovery plan under Germany's term presidency, the technical process will be completed during Portugal's term presidency, with the funds set to reach 27 member states.

The postponed EU-Africa summit, trade negotiations with India, and the ecological and digital transition process will also be prioritized by the EU during the next six months.

Some international issues, such as the recent developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, Libya, and Syria as well as the relations with Turkey and the EU will also be on the bloc’s agenda.

Slovenia will take over the EU term presidency from Portugal on July 1.