Iran: Our Ties with Qatar Moving on the Right Course

Doha, Qatar. (Reuters)
Doha, Qatar. (Reuters)
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Iran: Our Ties with Qatar Moving on the Right Course

Doha, Qatar. (Reuters)
Doha, Qatar. (Reuters)

Iran’s Minister of Industries and Mines ‎Mohammad Shariatmadari stressed on Monday that his country’s ties with Qatar are “moving on the right course.”

Economic ties between them are progressing on the right path, he said upon his arrival in Doha, reported the Fars news agency.

Efforts should be exerted to continue along this course, he added.

The minister hoped that the joint Iranian-Qatari economic committee would be able to implement the agreements signed between the two countries.

The committee had on Sunday kicked off the its sixth meeting after a 13-year pause.

A delegation of some 70 Iranian experts and businessmen from private and government sectors had arrived in Doha early on Monday to attend the proceedings of the committee meetings.

Iranian and Qatari experts held later on Monday a series of meetings related to customs, oil, mines, petrochemicals and banking affairs. They are set to sign a number of agreements.

Iranian-Qatari ties witnessed a marked improvement in 2017 in wake of the diplomatic and economic boycott imposed by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt over Doha’s support for terrorism.

Trade exchange between Doha and Tehran reached 250 million dollars in 2017.



Thousands of Australians Without Power as Heavy Rain, Damaging Winds Lash Tasmania

The Coomera river is seen cutting a road at Clagiraba Road on the Gold Coast Tuesday, January 2, 2024. (AAP)
The Coomera river is seen cutting a road at Clagiraba Road on the Gold Coast Tuesday, January 2, 2024. (AAP)
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Thousands of Australians Without Power as Heavy Rain, Damaging Winds Lash Tasmania

The Coomera river is seen cutting a road at Clagiraba Road on the Gold Coast Tuesday, January 2, 2024. (AAP)
The Coomera river is seen cutting a road at Clagiraba Road on the Gold Coast Tuesday, January 2, 2024. (AAP)

Tens of thousands of people in Australia's southern island state of Tasmania were without power on Sunday after a cold front brought damaging winds and heavy rains, sparking flood warnings.
"Around 30,000 customers are without power across the state this morning," Tasnetworks, a state-owned power company, said on Facebook on Sunday.
The nation's weather forecaster said on its website that a cold front over Tasmania, population around 570,000 people, was moving away, "although bands of showers and thunderstorms continue to pose a risk of damaging wind gusts."
Properties, power lines and infrastructure had been damaged, Tasmania's emergency management minister Felix Ellis said in a televised media conference, adding that "the damage bill is likely to be significant".
Emergency authorities issued warnings for flooding, which they said could leave Tasmanians isolated for several days, as the state prepared for another cold front forecast to hit on Sunday night, Reuters reported.
“There is potential for properties to be inundated, and roads may not be accessible," executive director of Tasmania State Emergency Service, Mick Lowe, said in a statement.
Authorities had received 330 requests for assistance in the last 24 hours, according to the agency.
Tasmania is a one-hour flight or 10-hour ferry crossing from the mainland city of Melbourne, 445 km (275 miles) away. About 40% of the island is wilderness or protected areas.