Source: Government of Qatar
Doha, December 06, 2025
HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani met on Saturday with HE co-founder of Microsoft Bill Gates, on the sidelines of the Doha Forum 2025.
The meeting discussed bilateral cooperation relations and exchanged views on the items on the forum’s agenda, in addition to touching on a number of topics of mutual interest.
Source: Government of Qatar
Doha, December 06, 2025
HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, met on Saturday with a parliamentary delegation from the French Republic, which included HE Deputy Estelle Youssouffa, HE Deputy Laurent Mazure, HE Deputy Romain Daubie, HE Deputy Belkhir Belhaddad, HE Deputy Vincent Eble, HE Deputy Jean Nocquet, HE Deputy Helene Conway-Mouret, and HE Deputy Edwige Diaz.
The meeting took place during the 23rd iteration of the Doha Forum 2025 deliberations.
His Excellency also met with a delegation from the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which included HE PM John Grady, HE MP Alex Ballinger, HE MP Dan Carden, HE MP Sir John Whittingdale, HE MP Uma Kumaran, HE MP Florence Eshalomi, HE MP Melanie Ward, HE MP Sarah Champion, HE MP Sir Andrew Mitchell, and HE MP Marsha De Cordova on the sidelines of the forum.
In addition, His Excellency met with a delegation from the Government of Jersey (a British Crown dependency), headed by HE Minister for External Relations Deputy Ian Gorst, HE Vice Admiral Sir Jeremy Kyd, Lieutenant Governor of Jersey, Joe Moynihan, CEO of Jersey Finance, HE Principal External Relations Officer Joe Pinfold, and HE Chief of Staff to the Lieutenant Governor of Jersey, Major Justin Aldridge.
Discussions during the meetings focused on bilateral cooperation and ways to support and advance it. They also shared viewpoints on the forum’s agenda and a variety of subjects of shared interest.
Source: Government of Qatar
Doha, December 06, 2025
HE Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi met today separately with HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus Dr. Constantinos Kombos, HE Secretary to the Presidency of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay Alejandro Sanchez, HE Secretary for Foreign and Global Affairs at the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Spain Diego Martinez Belio, HE State Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Somalia Ali Mohamed Omar, HE Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Eng. Waleed bin Abdulkarim Al Khereiji, HE Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Marcel Jacco de Vink, and HE Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada for Foreign Policy, Defense, and Security Scott Gilmore, on the sidelines of the 23rd edition of the Doha Forum 2025.
The meetings dealt with discussing cooperation and the means to enhance it, in addition to regional and international issues of joint interest.
Source: Government of Qatar
Doha, December 06, 2025
HE Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi , met today with HE Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Alibek Bakayev on the sidelines of the 23rd Doha Forum 2025.
The meeting dealt with discussing bilateral cooperation between the two countries and the means to enhance it, in addition to several issues of joint interest.
Source: Government of Qatar
Doha, December 06, 2025
HE Minister of State for International Cooperation Dr. Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad met today with HE Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan for Foreign Affairs Hikmet Hajiyev, on the sidelines of the 23rd Doha Forum 2025.
The meeting dealt with discussing bilateral cooperation and the means to enhance it, in addition to several issues of joint interest.
Source: Government of Qatar
Doha, December 06, 2025
HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi met on Saturday with HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Elmedin Konakovic, on the margin of the Doha Forum 2025.
The meeting discussed bilateral cooperation relations and ways to enhance and develop them, along with a host of topics of mutual interest.
Source: Government of Qatar
Doha, December 06, 2025
HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi met Saturday with HE Minister of foreign Affairs of theآ Oriental Republic of Uruguay Mario Lubetkin, on the margin of the Doha Forum 2025.
Discussion during the meeting dealt with Cooperation relations between the two countries and ways to bolster them, in addition to a host of topics of mutual interest.
Source: Government of Qatar
Doha, December 06, 2025
HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi met Saturday with HE Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Panama Carlos Hoyos, on the sidelines of the Doha Forum 2025.
During the meeting, they discussed cooperation between the two countries and ways to support and develop it, in addition to a number of topics of common interest.
Source: Government of South Africa
Home Affairs withdraws 90-day visa exemption for Palestinian passport holders after “systematic abuse”
The Department of Home Affairs has withdrawn South Africa’s 90-day visa exemption for Palestinian ordinary passport holders, following investigations that found the provision was being deliberately abused by Israeli-linked actors involved in “voluntary emigration” efforts for Gaza residents.
“Following investigations and recommendations by national intelligence structures and consultations conducted within the Security Cluster – which confirmed the deliberate and ongoing abuse of the 90-day visa exemption for Palestinian ordinary passport holders by Israeli actors linked to “voluntary emigration” efforts for residents of the Gaza Strip – the Department of Home Affairs has withdrawn the exemption,” the department said in a statement on Saturday.
Short-stay visa exemptions, the department said, are a commonly used instrument by countries around the world to incentivise tourism and short-term travel. However, investigations into the recent arrival of two charter flights transporting Palestinian passport holders revealed systematic abuse of this exemption, with travel designed not for the purposes of tourism or short-stays as intended, but to relocate Palestinians from Gaza.
“Rather than using ordinary commercial flights, entire airplanes were chartered not by the travellers themselves, but by intermediaries. Most passengers were given one-way tickets to South Africa and prohibited from bringing luggage with them, while only being allowed to carry US dollars and essentials.
“Upon their arrival at OR Tambo International Airport, it was further discovered that many of them lacked departure verification and accommodation in South Africa, in addition to not possessing return or onward flight tickets.
“Taken together, this constituted obvious abuse of the exemption by external actors for purposes other than its intended use,” the department said.
The department said this sequence of events also amounted to abuse of the passengers themselves, as those who arranged the flights were “apparently content to leave the travellers destitute upon their arrival in South Africa”.
The department explained that most of the travellers indicated that they did not want to claim asylum in South Africa, necessitating civil society organisations to take responsibility for their welfare.
Investigations also indicated that the arrival of these charter flights was not intended to be a once-off events but that they may be part of a broader, ongoing effort to relocate Palestinians to other parts of the world.
“This includes reports that a Dubai-based broker, with offices in South Africa, recently requested bulk quotations for more charter flights to commence as soon as possible,” the department revealed.
In the wake of the withdrawal of the visa exemption, the department said will duly process any asylum applications submitted by the travellers who arrived on the two charter flights, while upholding the terms of the 90-day exemption for those who do not seek asylum.
The department said that going forward, visa applications from bona fide Palestinian travellers will be processed accordingly to enable them to visit South Africa, while any further attempts at abuse will be rejected.
The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, said: “When the most recent charter flight landed at OR Tambo International Airport, President Cyril Ramaphosa indicated that the travellers may have been flushed out of Gaza. Subsequent investigations have confirmed this to be the case.
“Withdrawing the visa exemption is the most effective way to prevent further flights of this nature, while ensuring that bona fide travellers from Palestine are safely able to visit South Africa without being subjected to abuse. South Africa will not be complicit in any scheme to exploit or displace Palestinians from Gaza.” – SAnews.gov.za
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Source: Africa Press Organisation – French
La Commission africaine des droits de l’Homme et des peuples (La Commission), à travers son Groupe de travail sur la peine de mort, les exécutions extrajudiciaires, sommaires ou arbitraires et les disparitions forcées en Afrique, exprime sa profonde préoccupation à la suite de l’adoption en Conseil des ministres le 4 décembre 2025 d’un projet de loi portant rétablissement de la peine de mort au Burkina Faso.
La Commission rappelle que l’abolition de la peine capitale constitue un acquis majeur dans la protection de la dignité humaine et la reconnaissance de la sacralité du droit à la vie. Par conséquent, toute tentative de réintroduction de cette pratique constituerait un recul grave, contraire aux engagements internationaux du Burkina Faso et aux standards de protection définis dans son Observation générale n° 3 sur le droit à la vie.
La Commission exhorte les autorités nationales à réaffirmer leur attachement à la consolidation des avancées réalisées dans la préservation du droit à la vie, garanti par l’article 4 de la Charte africaine des droits de l’Homme et des peuples, et les appelle à surseoir à toute initiative qui serait de nature à remettre en cause les acquis en matière d’abolition de la peine de mort.
Honorable Dr Idrissa Sow, Président de la Commission africaine des droits de l’Homme et des peuples ,
Président du Groupe de travail sur la Peine de mort, les Exécutions extrajudiciaires et les Disparitions forcées en Afrique
Distribué par APO Group pour African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR).
