Istanbul, 29 Jan. 2023 (Anadolu News)

Moscow, 25 Jan. 2023 (Anadolu News)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday that Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – BRICS countries – will discuss creating a common currency at the group's forthcoming summit this August in South Africa.

"Serious, self-respecting countries are well aware of what is at stake, see the incompetence of the 'masters' of the current international monetary and financial system, and want to create their own mechanisms to ensure sustainable development, which will be protected from outside dictates.

"It is in this direction that the initiatives that have been voiced recently about the need to think about creating our own currencies within the framework of BRICS," he told a news conference after a meeting with Angolan President Joao Lourenco in the capital Luanda.

The minister added that Russia and Angola have a "firm intention" to develop cooperation in all areas, despite "illegal" Western pressure.

Lavrov said the West uses "the same colonial methods with which it exploited developing continents," and continues using them "to plunder foreign countries and uses resources of global importance to its advantage."

"By its actions, the West has proved that all the values and mechanisms of globalization that it itself created and promoted, including the inviolability of property, fair competition, the presumption of innocence, can be trampled on at any moment, and can also betray its allies at any moment. This is proved by the practice of not so long ago events in Afghanistan, Iraq, and during the Arab Spring of 2011," he said.

At a separate meeting with Angolan counterpart Tete Antonio, Lavrov said Russia supports the idea of reformation of the UN Security Council to increase the representation of African, Asian, and Latin American countries.

He said he briefed his Angolan counterpart on the situation in Ukraine, and drew his attention to West's actions, which are "using Ukraine for years for waging a hybrid war against Russia."

"Ukraine was also used to carry out a frankly colonial policy towards the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine," he said.

Lavrov stressed that in order to stop this "anti-Russian course," and to prevent turning Ukraine into "a territory for creating threats for Russia," Moscow launched its "special military operation" last February.

For his part, Antonio said Angola supports the principle of non-interference and called on Russia and Ukraine to declare a cease-fire and start a dialogue.

Doha, 24 Jan. 2023

State Minister of Energy Affairs, State of Qatar, Sa'ad Sherida AlKaabi met today visiting Pakistan Federal Minister of Finance and Revenue, Mohammad Ishaq Dar.

According to Qatar Energy press releasae, both sides discussed enhancing relations and various aspects of cooperation in the field of energy between Qatar and Pakistan.

Manama, Bahrain, 23 Jan. 2023

Long resident Pakistani national, Iftikhar Ahmad Lone, age 90 died today in Manama, Bahrain.

He has been living in Bahrain since last almost 65 years and had dedicated himself for the service of Pakistani community.

He was founder member of Pakistan School Isa Town, Bahrain and has served as Chairman, Pakistan Club Bahrain (2011-2013).

Late Iftikhar Ahmad Lone has been respected by all the sections of Bahrain society including the nationals.

He served as advisor with a US based shipping company.

www.asiantelegraphqatar.com extends its condolence on the sad demise of late Iftikhar Ahmad Lone. May Allah SWT bless his soul place in Jannat AlFirdous.

Doha, 22 Jan. 2023

Bazm-e-Urdu Qatar (BUQ), the oldest Urdu language literary organization in Qatar (established in 1959), recently organized launching ceremony of Urdu prose book "Dastaan Dar Dastaan" by Mohammad Sulaiman Dehlvi. The event was held at Mazza Restaurant, Old Airport, Qatar and was attended by a diverse audience of literary enthusiasts and admirers of Urdu literature.

Sulaiman Dehlvi, the author of the book, is a pioneer of grand international mushairas in Qatar and has been a resident of Qatar since 1975. He founded the Indo-Qatar Urdu Markaz in 1986, which initiated a series of international poetry symposiums in Qatar in 1980s. He also organized six grand mushairas, which served as a benchmark for others in Qatar and the Gulf region for their quality and administration.

The noted literary personalities of the India-Pakistan sub-continent who were invited to Qatar by Sulaiman Dehlvi during his stay include Hafeez Meerthi, Kaleem Ajiz, Tabish Dehlvi, Majroh Sultanpuri, Ali Sardar Jafri, Shamsur Rehman Farooqi, Saeed Shuhaidi, Akhtar ul Eman, Jagannath Azad, Malikzada Manzoor, Raza Ali Abidi, Hilal Siharvi, Hemayat Ali Shayer, Waali Aasi, Munnwar Rana, Kaifi Azmi, Intizar Naeem, Ghulam Rabbani Taban, Kanwar Mahinder Singh Bedi Sahar, Gulzar Dehlvi, Tabish Mehdi, Waseem Barelvi and Sudarshan Fakhir among many others.

The program was presided over by Dr Faisal Hanif, Chairman of Bazm-e-Urdu Qatar and President of Ghazrgah-e-Khayal Forum. The function was graced by a visiting writer and scholar Maulana Dr Sirajuddin Nadvi (India) and Waseem Ahmed, a key member of Bazm as chief guests.

The author of the book, Sulaiman Dehlvi was the guest of honour. The evening was hosted by the President of Bazm-e-Urdu Qatar, Muhammad Rafique Shad Akolvi.

BUQ’s General Secretary Iftekhar Raghib conducted the event. He presented Bazm’s introduction and welcomed the participants and attendees to the program.

Waseem Ahmed and Muhammad Rafiq Shad Akolvi presented their essays highlighting the various characteristics of Sulaiman Dehlvi's work and personality in addition to his literary services.

Dr Faisal Hanif presented an elegant humorous character sketch which immensely delighted the audience. This sketch of Sulaiman Dehlvi is undoubtedly a masterpiece which is also included in the book of the author. Poets Muzaffar Nayab and Iftekhar Raghib presented their poems offering tributes to Sulaiman Dehlvi. Their presentations attracted huge applause from the audiences.

Sulaiman Dehlvi, in addition to organizing grand international mushairas, has also made significant contributions to the promotion and preservation of Urdu literature and culture in Qatar. He instituted the annual inter-school Urdu debates in 1988 among students studying Urdu in schools in Qatar, which continued for many years providing a vibrant platform to school students to learn and practice their communication skills. With his efforts, the examination center of Jamia Urdu Aligarh in Qatar was also established in 1990, which benefited countless people. He established the first Urdu library in Qatar "Indo Qatar Urdu Library" in 1993 which has been preserved by donating books to Qatar National Library in 2019. He issued the first international Urdu literary award "Hazrat Amir Khusro" from Qatar in 1994.

“Dastaan dar Dastaan" is a prose book by Sulaiman Dehlvi where he wrote various essays about the culture and traditions of old Delhi. The book is a collection of his thoughts and observations on the rich cultural heritage of old Delhi and its people. The book is a tribute to the city that he has called home for many years to people that he has interacted with and observe red.

In the second segment of the programme, i.e. the Mushaira, local poets including Shad Akolvi, Iftekhar Raghib, Muzaffar Nayab, Qaiser Masood, Wasi Bastwi, Raza Hussain Raza, Inam Azmi, Bijnath Sharma Minto, and Mubasir Iman entertained the audience with their selected poems. The Mushaira was a fitting tribute to Sulaiman Dehlvi's contributions to Urdu literature and poetry in Qatar.

Chief guests Maulana Dr Sirajuddin Nadvi and Waseem Ahmed, followed by the president of the ceremony Dr Faisal Hanif, congratulated Sulaiman Dehlvi for his book. In the end, Sulaiman Dehlvi was invited to share his thoughts with the audiences; he narrated some interesting incidents from his book and thanked Bazm-e-Urdu Qatar for organizing this programme. Host of the programme, Muhammad Rafiq Shad Akolvi presented vote of thanks.

The launch of "Dastaan Dar Dastaan" by Sulaiman Dehlvi was a memorable event that celebrated the contributions of a literary icon to the promotion and preservation of Urdu literature and culture in Qatar. The event was attended by a diverse audience of literary enthusiasts and admirers of Sulaiman Dehlvi's work and was a fitting tribute to his contributions to Urdu literature and poetry in Qatar. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in Urdu literature and the culture of old Delhi.

Besides the distinguished guests and poets on the stage following Urdu enthusiasts attended the programme: Feroz Khan, Shamsuddin Rahimi, Ashraf Siddiqui, Asif Hussain, Afroz Dawar, Hamid Ali, Muhammad Ghiyasuddin, Sajjad Alam, Muhammad Danish, Sohail Ahmed Wafa, Siraj Alam, Sultan Ahmed, Dr Ayaz Ahmed, Dr. Rizwan, Dr Faisal Nazir, Hasan Badr, Irshad, Mukhtar Ahmed and Kazem Faisal Hanif.

 

Doha, 22 Jan. 2023

Nine out of the world's top ten players including World No 1, confirmed to participate in the 2023 21st edition of the WTA 500 tournament. The world No. 1 and defending champion Iga Świątek of Poland leads the star cast of 32 players for the singles and 16 pairs for the doubles events to be held from 13-18 February at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex in Doha.

Greece's Maria Sakkari, World No. 6, will likely not be in action in Doha for the $780,637 total prize-money event.

Iga Świątek defeated Estonia's Anett Kontaveit in straight sets last year to lift the golden falcon trophy for the first time in her career in Doha.

The 21-year-old Warsaw-born player, who went on to add two Grand Slams (French Open and US Open) to her trophy cabinets after the victory in Doha, besides wins at Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart, Rome, and San Diego; in what was her best year so far on the tour, will be joined by super stars including OnsJabeur, Jessica Peluga, Caroline Garcia, ArynaSabalenka, Coco Gauff, Daria Kasatkina, Veronika Kudermetova, and Belinda Bencic to give tennis fans in Qatar and the region a treat of a lifetime.

For World No. 2 Ons Jabeur, the highest-ranked African and Arab tennis player in WTA and ATP history, a victory in Doha will not only cement her legendary status in the region, but will also ensure the tournament has an Arabian or African winner for the first time in its history – a record many people are looking forward to.

The 28-year-old Tunisian narrowly missed out twice on having a Grand Slam crown on her head last year, having suffered disappointing defeats at Wimbledon and at the US Open.

While all eyes will be on the top superstars as the favorites, two-time winner Petra Kvitova will also be waiting in the wings with the expectation of making history of her own as the first player to lift the coveted trophy thrice.

Of the four lucky players who have been two-time champions in Doha, namely Anastasia Myskina, Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka, and Petra Kvitova, only the 32-year-old Kvitova and Belarussian Azarenka remain in contention to break the record and make history. While Kvitova is one of the confirmed players for the main draw, Azarenka, on the other hand, is on the alternate players list at this year's edition.

Tournament Director Saad Al Mohannadi said that 'It is a great privilege to have almost all the top players confirmed for the Qatar TotalEnergies Open once again. Their desire to be a part of this tournament is a further confirmation of the reputation it has garnered over the years, the recognition of the organization, and the maximum attention to detail everyone involved in the tournament has always put into it. "We appreciate TotalEnergies, the title sponsor, and all our other supporters for their commitments over the years in always making this tournament a great success'.

He said that this year's edition is unique in that it is the first major tournament to be hosted by Qatar after the grand success of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. We believe the world will witness an amazing event just like they did at Qatar 2022 and we can't wait to host the stars, he added.

The Qatar TotalEnergies Open 2023 is the 21st edition of the annual tennis tournament that has grown to become one of the main signature events on the Qatar sporting calendar.

 

 

 

Doha, 22 Jan. 2023

Pakistan's leading developers to join first ever mega real estate exhibition in Doha from 25-26 January 2023. The event will be held at the City Center Rotana Hotel from 1000 AM to 0600 PM on both the days, announced by Imran Khattak, Managing Director, Globo Asia, a Dubai based events company and organizers of Pakistan International Property Exhibition (PIPEX).

Imran Khattak addressing at a dinner hosted for leading Pakistani business community and prominent members at the Hotel Rotana City Center Doha briefed about the exhibition. He said that it will be first ever time that in such a big number leading country's developers will be participating in Doha. It will be an opportunity to the Pakistani investors and those interesting to build their own house back home to discuss directly with the builders about their plans.

Among the participants were Umar Badshah Bangash, Chairman Ajwan Global, Qatar; Nazir Islam Khattak, CEO, Shahzeb Builders & Developers Pakistan and Director, Ajwan Global Qatar; Haji Niaz Badshah; Mohammad Israr Malazai, Mohammad Waqas, Manager PIA Qatar; GD Bangash; Malik Nawar Khan, Chairman Qatar Pashtun Community; Madam. Nabila Kaukab, Principal Pak Shama School Doha; Haroon Rasheed Qureshi, Chief Editor  Rahbar Kisan Int'l;  Ashraf Siddiqi, Editor, www.asiantelegraphqatar.com; Khaled Bhatti, President Pakistan Welfare Forum Qatar; Qaiser Anwar, Vice President Pakistan Welfare Forum Qatar; Adeel Akbar, General Secretary Pakistan Arts Society Qatar; a number of business community members and guests.

Imran Khattak thanked 'Ajwan Global Doha' for joining as local partners in PIPEX Doha and hoped to continue this partnership in future events in Qatar.

Imran Khattak announced participating in PIPEX Doha of Star Marketing, Islamabad; Gulberg Islamabad; DHA Multan; Mumtaz City; 101 Group; Green Pakistan; Pearl Continental Multan; Pearl Continental Hunza; Pearl Continental Mirpur; Hyper Mall;; Naqi Star Mall; Central Mall Hyderabad; Saif Group; ARY Pearl Residency; Green Acres; and Star Homes.

Among the speakers were Nazir Islam Khattak; Nawar Khan Wazir; and Kabir Siraj. The event was conducted by Doha based Pashtun poet Abdul Nasir Qureshi.

Islamabad, 23 Jan. 2023

Imran Khan, former prime minister of Pakistan, Chairman PTI and Honorary Chairman, Board of Governors, Shaukat Khanum Hospital (SKMT) on Satur­day admitted during a court proceedings conducted by Additional District and Sessions Judge Umeed Ali Baloch, that he had invested funds donated to the cancer hospital in a private housing project which he has forgotten which was that project. However, he clarified that the amount was later returned to the trust.

Imran Khan filed the Rs. 10 billion defamation suit against Khawaja Asif in 2012 on allegations of misappropriation and money laundering from SKMT donations. Khan had referred to Khawaja Asif’s press conference on 01 Aug 2012 in which PML-N leader had alleged that the PTI chief had lost a huge amount of funds donated to the cancer hospital in 'Real Estate Gambling'. The funds, he said, were given to the trust in the forms of zakat, fitrana and other kinds of donations.

Khan said 'fabricated and baseless allegations' were made to undermine people’s confidence in the trust. Imran Khan is accused of investing cancer hospital charity money in France and Oman, meant for Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital and Namal College.

Imran Khan joined the proceedings through video link from his Lahore residence. Additional District and Sessions Judge Umeed Ali Baloch conducted the proceedings, attended by lawyers of both parties.

Barrister Haider Rasool, a counsel of Asif, questioned to Imran, Barris­ter Haider Rasool, put a question to Khan regarding the investment in a construction project, to which the PTI chairman admitted the fact but stated that he did not remember the name of the housing project.

Khan said that he also did not remember whether the board informed him through writing and that the board members returned $3 million and the matter was settled.

Barrister Rasool argued that the matter was not settled as the dollar’s rate was Rs60 at the time of the investment and it doubled to Rs120 when the investment matured.

After the counsel reques­ted the court to adjourn proceedings and insisted that he would conclude the cross-examination during a couple of hours in the next hearing, Khan quipped that cross-examination would not take much time if the lawyer had not tried to twist the proceedings and come straight to the point.

The former premier said the matter could be resolved early if the case was handled truthfully. The court then adjourned the hearing.

Khawaja Asif also accused Khan of 'whitening' his 'black money' by taking advantage of amnesty schemes that allowed people to repatriate wealth in return for paying one per cent in lieu of unpaid taxes on them.

"The past three to four years have proven you are 'Double Shah'," Asif said in a comment directed at the PTI chief, alluding to a notorious fraud who ran a Ponzi scheme in Pakistan.

"By the time money made its way into cricket, you had begun other businesses," he said, asking how Khan had been able to build his assets. emanding that Khan also be held accountable for "three generations", especially whatever he inherited from his father, Asif said that: "We will not let him avoid accountability."

Doha, 21 Jan. 2023

Qatar Chamber First Vice-Chairman Mohamed bin Ahmed bin Twar Al-Kuwary met recently with Eng. Antonio Rodriguez Rodriguez, President of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources of the Republic of Cuba and accompanying members of the Cuban delegation.

The meeting was attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba, Oscar Leon Gonzalez.

The meeting touched on economic and commercial relations between both countries and ways to enhance cooperation between the Qatari private sector and its Cuban counterpart, especially in the field of construction and operation of water networks and stations.

It also discussed the business opportunities offered by the Cuban side in the sector of water resources.

Mohamed bin Twar praised the close relations between Qatar and Cuba and the common desire to develop them, noting that there are many areas for cooperation between them, especially in economic and investment aspects.

He assured that Qatar Chamber is keen to boost cooperation ties between Qatari businessmen and their counterparts from world countries, calling Cuban businessmen to invest in Qatar and take advantage of the incentives offered for the foreign investor and the advanced infrastructure and leading economic legislation.

Twar also pointed out that the Qatari private sector is interested in learning about investment opportunities available in Cuba, indicating that Qatar Chamber encourages Qatari investors to invest in Cuba, especially in line with the state’s economic diversification strategy and expanding investments in friendly countries.

Eng. Antonio Rodriguez said on the occasion that the objective of the delegation’s visit is to brief the Qatari side of the investment opportunities available in Cuba and exchange views on developing cooperation in the water sector.

Rodriguez called on Qatari investors to invest in his country which offers plenty of opportunities in various fields.

Doha, 16 Jan. 2023 (QT)

By ASHRAF SIDDIQUI

The Embassy of Vietnam in Qatar held Xuan Que Huong New Lunar Year celebrations on Saturday. A large number of Vietnamese expatriates, including families, students, friends and embassy officials, participated in the colorful event.

Ambassador of Vietnam to Qatar, Tran Duc Hung welcomed the guests and sent special new year wishes to the Vietnamese community in Qatar. In his address on the occasion, the Vietnamese envoy said that year 2022 has seen positive changes in furthering bilateral relations between Qatar and Vietnam with visits by Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Hieu to Qatar in July 2022 and visit by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin
Abdulrahman Al Thani to Vietnam in August.

He said trade investment ties between both the countries resumed right after the end of the pandemic when a number of enterprises of the two countries actively
conducted market surveys and looked for opportunities to promote cooperation.

He added that tour operators also organise tourism promotion activities and about 2,000 Vietnamese tourists came to Qatar to attend the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
“Bilateral cooperation activities presented momentum for the ministries, agencies and businesses of the two countries to promote cooperation in the time to come,” he said.

Ambassador Tran Duc Hung said Vietnam and Qatar will celebrate the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations in 2023. “The two countries plan to hold a number of activities to celebrate this event in Hanoi and Doha,” he said, inviting the community members to join hands with the embassy in promoting Vietnam-Qatar relations in the coming time.

He briefed his compatriots and the guests on the country’s achievements and various challenges, especially as a consequence of the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and post pandemic situation.

The envoy thanked the Vietnamese leadership for its efforts which have resulted in successfully maintaining the political stability, economic growth and international integration.

He said Vietnam is one of the few countries with impressive growth of 8.02 percent, trade volume of up to 9.5 percent, reaching $732.5 billion and foreign direct
investment of $22.4 billion, while more than 3.6 million international tourists travelled to Vietnam.

Ambassador Tran Duc Hung highly appreciated the role of the community members and the Vietnamese companies in promoting Vietnam-Qatar relations. He said that a Vietnamese company participated in the steel structure of the iconic Lusail Stadium, which hosted FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 final match.

He also appreciated some community members for opening Vietnamese restaurant in Doha to promote the country’s cuisines and culture in Qatar.

The ambassador said that though the population of Vietnamese in Qatar is moderate, he is proud to witness solidarity and mutual support with one heart towards
one another and their homeland.

Earlier, Ambassador Tran Duc Hung cut the ribbon to inaugurate the embassy’s Traditional Room to pay tribute to generations of officials and employees who worked at Vietnamese Embassy in Qatar, followed by serving the Vietnamese traditional cuisines to all the guests.