Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Receives Copy of Credentials of Niger's Ambassador
HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs wished HE the Ambassador success in his duties, assuring him of all support to advance bilateral relations to closer cooperation in various fields.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The State of Qatar.
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The National
33 minutes ago
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Israel demands release of all hostages in any Gaza deal
Israel is demanding the release of all 50 hostages held in Gaza in ceasefire talks with Hamas, dampening hopes of a last-ditch truce to halt the expansion of the war. Qatar on Tuesday urged Israel to accept a 60-day truce to avert a "humanitarian catastrophe" in the strip. Hamas has signalled it could accept a deal that would provide for the initial release of 10 hostages. Israel has not officially accepted or rejected the proposal, which was put forward by Egypt and Qatar weeks after a previous round of talks collapsed. Reports say Israel will give a formal response by Friday. But a senior Israeli official said: 'Israel's policy is consistent and has not changed. Israel demands the release of all 50 hostages in accordance with the principles set by the cabinet to end the war,' in remarks briefed to Israeli media. 'We are at the final decisive stage of defeating Hamas and will not leave any hostage behind,' the official added. Qatar said that the proposal Hamas has agreed to is 'almost identical' to an earlier plan put forward by the US special envoy Steve Witkoff. Israel had previously agreed to the outline of the Witkoff plan, but withdrew negotiators from Qatar last month and blamed Hamas for the failure to reach a deal. Since then it has approved plans for a new offensive to seize Gaza city, triggering new efforts to stop the war. 'We received the response, as we said, from Hamas. It was a very positive response,' Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said. 'However, we are still, of course, awaiting the Israeli side's response to this proposal.' He added that while there was no timeframe for a response, Israel was looking into the matter and 'we hope for a quick and positive response'. The proposal includes a temporary, 60-day ceasefire and a path to a comprehensive agreement to end the war, Mr Al Ansari said. Some hostages will be released in exchange for Palestinian detainees during the truce, he said. Israel's redeployment within the framework of this agreement will be accompanied by vast amounts of aid entering the strip, he added. 'We are at a decisive humanitarian moment. If we don't reach a deal now, we will face a humanitarian catastrophe that will make all those that preceded it pale in comparison,' the spokesman added. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week said his country would accept 'an agreement in which all the hostages are released at once and according to our conditions for ending the war'. Hamas's acceptance of the proposal comes as Mr Netanyahu faces increasing pressure at home and abroad to end the war in Gaza. Sources told The National on Monday that Hamas agreed to the Egyptian-Qatari proposal for a 60-day Gaza truce and the initial release of 10 Israeli hostages. Hamas also agreed to hand over the remains of 18 hostages who have died while in captivity, the sources added. The group has agreed to lay down and store its weapons under international supervision. It has also agreed to the deployment of an Arab force in Gaza under UN supervision to maintain security. The sources said Hamas told Qatari and Egyptian mediators that it has dropped its condition for a written US guarantee that negotiations with Israel on a complete withdrawal from Gaza and for the ceasefire to continue until an agreement is reached. Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas's October 2023 attack that triggered the war, 49 are still in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. The latest proposal also comes after Israel's security cabinet approved plans for its military to take control of Gaza city and nearby refugee camps, fanning fears the new offensive will worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the devastated territory. Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is staunchly opposed to ending the war, rejected the new ceasefire initiative, warning of a 'tragedy' if Mr Netanyahu 'gives in to Hamas'.


Khaleej Times
an hour ago
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UAE ambassador to Pakistan Hamad Alzaabi concludes tenure
Hamad Obaid Alzaabi has concluded his tenure as the UAE Ambassador to Pakistan. To mark the occasion, Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari met with the outgoing ambassador in Islamabad, extending his best wishes for Alzaabi's future endeavors. 'Asif Ali Zardari, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, received Hamad Obaid Alzaabi, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates in Islamabad, at Aiwan-e-Sadr to bid him farewell at the conclusion of his tenure in Pakistan, and extended best wishes for his future endeavors,' the UAE Embassy in Islamabad said in a post on X. The embassy also shared a photo of the two dignitaries during the farewell meeting. Take a look: H.E. Asif Ali Zardari, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, received H.E. Hamad Obaid Alzaabi, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates in Islamabad, at Aiwan-e-Sadr to bid him farewell at the conclusion of his tenure in Pakistan, and extended best wishes for his futureâ�¦ — UAE Embassy PK (@uaeembassyisb) August 19, 2025 Ambassador Alzaabi officially assumed his post in Pakistan on September 19, 2017. He began his diplomatic career in 2004 as an Attaché with the UAE's Diplomatic and Consular Corps and later served at the UAE Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. During his tenure in Pakistan, bilateral relations between the two nations significantly deepened across various sectors, including economic, cultural, social, diplomatic, and political domains. According to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 'The UAE is one of the largest investors in Pakistan, and bilateral trade has been steadily growing over the years, with people-to-people ties also continuously strengthening.'


The National
3 hours ago
- The National
Arabic speaking placed front and centre in UAE's government schools
Arabic tests starting from first grade are to be introduced in government schools to gauge pupils' abilities as part of a nationwide push to preserve the language and encourage its wider use. A broader goal is to instil Emirati and Arabic cultural values across all walks of life in the UAE, the Ministry of Education said ahead of the new 2025/2026 academic year. Based on the language testing, plans to enhance the curriculum will be made if and when needed. 'The focus this year is on refining students' abilities and skills, national identity and an increased emphasis on language,' Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of Education, said at a conference at the Zayed Education Complex in Al Warqa on Tuesday. 'Abilities in Arabic will be measured from grade one and improvement plans will be implemented if needed.' The ministry also introduced new criteria for hiring teachers at government schools, which will measure how well they know Emirati culture and society. 'A new psychometric was added when hiring new teachers,' Ms Al Amiri added. "The goal is to see how well the teachers would fit into the cultural environment of the UAE." Second-term exams cancelled The ministry also announced the cancellation of second-term exams, shifting towards continuous evaluation that reflects performance throughout the year. Instead of centralised exams, each school will have the freedom to carry out its own bespoke tests to assess a pupil's performance. The decision is part of broader reforms designed to enhance critical thinking and analytical skills while moving away from traditional high-pressure testing. Learning Arabic Private schools will also instil greater emphasis on Arabic from the 2025/2026 academic term. In June, the ministry mandated that all private schools teach at least 40 minutes of Arabic lessons daily, totalling 200 minutes a week. By 2027-2028, that number will increase to 300 minutes. The ministry said Arabic will be taught by qualified early childhood teachers using approved educational resources and age-appropriate teaching methods, suitable for native and non-native speakers. Under the new policy, Islamic studies will be taught to all Muslim children in kindergarten years for 90 minutes each week, divided into two 45-minute lessons or three each lasting for 30 minutes. Private schools must also include social studies in kindergarten education, which will focus on concepts of family, UAE geography and environment, social values and wider social studies. These will be taught through simplified, play-based approaches throughout the daily school programme, inside and outside the classroom. Mandatory AI classes Ms Al Amiri also explained how new AI classes will be implemented and what it will focus on depending on the student's grade. Announced in May by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the subject is to be introduced across all stages of government education in the UAE. 'The subject will matter on teaching students how to use artificial intelligence in an ethical and responsible way," Ms Al Amiri said. "In the first and second cycle, there will be one class every two weeks focused on raising awareness towards the benefits and potential harms of AI, while on the third cycle it will be focused on using AI effectively." The subject will be taught by the same teachers that teach computer science; they were trained specifically to teach AI for this year. Additionally, there will be a specialised committee that makes sure the subject is being taught effectively. New schools, more teachers The opening of nine new schools, which will welcome more than 25,000 pupils, was also announced alongside 800 new teachers. More than 460 schools have been maintained and equipped, 5,500 buses allocated, more than 10 million textbooks printed and 47,000 laptops distributed, the ministry said. In addition, more than 23,000 educators participated in a specialised training week, totalling around 170 hours across 40 workshops for leaders and teachers, and 20 workshops for support positions. In the next academic year, the Educational Competency Assessment Project will target more than 12,000 cadres across kindergarten and Cycle 1 levels, and 11,000 cadres across cycles 2 and 3 to define clear career paths and empower staff in line with national education system requirements.