BenArmani

Japanese and South Korean officials held hours of talks yesterday to discuss a worsening diplomatic row that has prompted Washington to offer to mediate between the US allies. The meeting between representatives from Japan’s trade ministry and South Korea’s foreign ministry ran hours longer than expected but there was no sign of a detente in the simmering dispute. Japan last week ramped up...

South Korean dog farmers defiantly gobbled down canine meat at a counter-protest to an animal rights demonstration in Seoul yesterday, handing out leaflets touting “the health benefits of the divisive delicacy.” Wearing headbands saying “Fight! Unite!” and dipping each stringy morsel in spicy sauce, the small but vocal group gathered paces away from a rally against the dog meat trade...

At least 17 people have been killed across Nepal after torrential monsoon rains induced floods and landslides, officials said yesterday. Heavy rains since Thursday have hit several districts in Nepal, especially in the country’s eastern region and the southern plains. According to figures released by Nepal’s police, 17 people have died, seven are injured and another seven have been reported missing. Kathmandu...

US labour secretary Alex Acosta resigned yesterday, amid a backlash over a secret plea deal he negotiated a decade ago with Jeffrey Epstein, the financier accused of sexually abusing young girls. Acosta, 50, a former federal prosecutor, had been facing mounting calls to quit over the deal that saw Epstein serve just 13 months in a county jail. “I called the...

Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Center for Patient Experience and Staff Engagement (CPESE), under the leadership of Nasser al-Naimi, deputy chief of Quality at CPESE and director of the Hamad Healthcare Quality Institute, held a dinner recently to recognise members of its Patient-Family Advisory Councils (PFACs). The purpose of the dinner was to acknowledge the council’s members and to thank them for...

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani left Washington DC, after a four-day official visit to the United States. The Amir sent a cable to US President Donald Trump, expressing deep thanks and appreciation for the hospitality and honour accorded to him and the accompanying delegation during the visit. His Highness the Amir also expressed satisfaction with his talks...

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani has received a written message from Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, pertaining to bilateral ties and the means to bolster them. Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr Ahmed bin Hassan al Hammadi received the message during a meeting...

Tribune News Network Doha A group of Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) students recently travelled to the Basque Country, an autonomous community in Spain, to study the causes of conflict and the complexity of resolution, as part of the award winning Zones of Conflict, Zones of Peace (ZCZP) programme the university offers to students of international affairs. The trip was the capstone...

QNA Doha THE Ministry of Interior (MoI), represented by the National Counter Terrorism Committee, and Qatar’s Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities (RACA), have signed a letter of intent to combat terrorism and its financing. The letter of intent was signed by Chairman of the Committee Major-General Abdul Aziz Abdullah al Ansari and Director-General of RACA Ibrahim Abdullah al Dhaimi. The Letter of Intent...

Appointment of new 737 programme head reflects urgency to resume Max flights after two fatal crashes grounded fleet. Boeing Co has reassigned the head of its next airplane project to run the troubled 737 programme, according to a memo seen by Reuters on Thursday, as the grounding of its 737 MAX in the wake of two accidents commands the US planemaker's full...

Two civilians, two soldiers killed in Benghazi blasts attended by senior military leaders aligned with commander Haftar. At least four people were killed and 33 wounded when two car bombs exploded at a funeral for a former special forces commander in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi. Those killed in Thursday's blast included two civilians and two soldiers, while soldiers, police,...

Ancient viruses have left behind traces in our DNA. Researchers believe these contribute to neurological conditions. Could inhibiting our viral passengers pave the way for future treatments? What links neurological conditions and ancient viruses? Transposable elements, which scientists also call transposons or jumping genes, are stretches of DNA that harbor the ability to move around our genome. Scientists can trace back one type...

A study that analyzed key contents of a classic mental health handbook has questioned whether psychiatric diagnosis to identify distinct conditions has any scientific value. A Psychiatry Research paper describes how researchers found many inconsistencies and contradictions in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is now in its fifth edition (DSM-5). Researchers from the University of Liverpool and the University of...

Sudan's ruling military council has foiled a coup attempt, a top general announced on state television Thursday, saying that 12 officers and four soldiers had been arrested. "Officers and soldiers from the army and National Intelligence and Security Service, some of them retired, were trying to carry out a coup," General Jamal Omar of the ruling military council said in...