QATAR  |  Diplomacy
Emir to go on Asian tour
HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani goes on an Asian tour next week, covering  Pakistan,  Sri Lanka and India. During the tour, which lasts from April 23 to 25,  the Emir will hold talks with leaders and senior officials from the three countries “that will discuss ways to enhance co-operation ties and a set of issues of common concern”, the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) said.  A number of agreements and memorandums of understanding related to different fields, including youth and sports, culture, health, exchange of information, communications and information technology, will be signed,  the agency said.


QATAR  |  Justice
Jail for drug dealers caught in police sting
A criminal court in Qatar has sentenced two Bangladeshi men to jail for 20 years each for narcotics possession, abuse and trade, local Arabic daily Arrayah has reported. The court has also directed them to pay a fine of QR20,000 each and ordered their deportation on completion of the prison term. Material seized from them included eight bags, weighing 3.511kg, of the Indian hemp plant, which is prohibited. A trap was laid by the police and, accordingly, an offer was made to the suspects to buy the narcotics through a secret agent, which led to the capture, according to the report.