Doha: Qatar will participate in the annual meeting of the board of trustees of the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics (AITRS), due to begin today in the Jordanian capital Amman.
Qatar’s delegation to the two-day meeting will be headed by Minister of Development Planning and Statistics H E Dr Saleh bin Mohammed Al Nabit. The Minister will preside over the meeting which is scheduled to discuss a number of topics.
QNA
GAZA: Hamas marine forces in Gaza foiled an attempt by residents to smuggle a car from Egypt yesterday, a police spokesman said, signalling a new area of illicit trade as the Egyptian army cracks down on border tunnels.
Two Gazan smugglers carried the car, a dismantled Hyundai Sonata, on a fishing boat and sailed through the coastal enclave’s waters before being intercepted by coastal forces, Gaza police spokesman Ayoub Abu Sha’ar said.
The two smugglers tried to jettison their cargo, sped away from their pursuers and eventually jumped ship. They were rescued and detained by police divers who spent 10 hours bringing the car parts to the shore.
“We will maintain our borders and any attempt by any people to violate will be followed up and chased,” Abu Sha’ar said.
Since the overthrow of Egypt’s elected Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in July, Egyptian security forces have sealed and destroyed most of the 1,200 tunnels that used to bring food, cars and weapons into Gaza.
Bringing in cars through the tunnels was a semi-legal trade as they were legally bought from Egyptian companies, carried on trucks and then driven into Gaza.
Reuters
