HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani yesterday held a telephone conversation with German Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, to congratulate him on his official nomination by the ruling coalition as candidate for the German presidency.
The Emir wished the German foreign minister success in his new post, looking forward for further co-operation between the two countries.

Drug peddler to be jailed, deported
A Doha Criminal Court has sentenced an Asian man to one year in jail, a fine of QR200,000 and subsequent deportation for illicit drugs trade and consumption.
Local Arabic daily Arrayah reported yesterday that the defendant was arrested while attempting to sell a small amount of the illicit drug marijuana to an undercover police officer.
The issue started when the Drug Prevention Department of the Ministry of Interior received information that the defendant was selling marijuana. Accordingly, an undercover officer approached him to buy the drug for QR2,500 and they agreed to meet at Msheireb Area.
The meeting took place under the police patrols surveillance and when the defendant was arrested, 48gm of the illicit drug was found with him. In addition, his blood analysis indicated that he used to consume marijuana.

Clarification
Australian ambassador Axel Wabenhorst has issued a clarification regarding an article published in Gulf Times on November 18 (‘Qatar, Australia sign open skies agreement’), which was based on a Qatar News Agency report. In a statement yesterday, Wabenhorst said the description of the Qatar-Australia air services agreement as an “open skies agreement” is incorrect. He explained that the agreement provides for an overarching legal framework under which air services between Qatar and Australia can operate, and it does not change the existing commercial entitlements currently available to Qatar’s airline, which remain at 21 frequencies per week to/from Australia’s major gateways of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth (along with additional entitlements available to other Australian airports). “Changes to the existing entitlements can only be done through negotiations between the aeronautical authorities of Australia and Qatar,” the envoy added.


Five Asian expats jailed for burglary
A Doha Criminal Court has sentenced five Asian men to one year in jail and ordered their subsequent deportation for burglary, local Arabic daily Arrayah reported yesterday. They broke into the house of a Qatari man while he was away and stole an iron safe which contained cash and jewellery worth QR1.2mn. When arrested, the culprits confessed that they divided the stolen things among themselves and discarded the broken safe in a deserted area.