WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden will receive Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad at the White House on Jan. 31, his spokeswoman said Tuesday.
Biden and the Gulf state leader will discuss security in the Middle East and “ensuring the stability of global energy supplies,” Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.
The meeting comes as Washington and its European allies are seeking to shore up energy contingency plans should Russia squeeze supplies due to tensions with the West over Ukraine.
The US and its EU allies accuse Russia of seeking to upend European stability by threatening invasion of neighboring Ukraine, a former Soviet republic striving to join NATO and other Western institutions.
The European Union sources about 40 percent of its supply from Russia, and Washington and its European allies have been scouring global markets for alternative energy sources.
Qatar, a close US ally, has huge gas reserves and is the world’s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas.
Psaki said Biden will also thank the emir for Qatar’s support to the United States in safely transporting US citizens, permanent residents and Afghan partners out of Afghanistan in the wake of the US withdrawal last year.
Qatar has played a significant role both in diplomacy and evacuations at the end of nearly 20 years of war in Afghanistan.
Qatar emir to meet with Biden in Washington Jan 31: White House
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Qatar emir to meet with Biden in Washington Jan 31: White House
- The two sides will discuss ‘ensuring the stability of global energy supplies’
Yemen announces new government led by Al-Zindani, women return to the fold
- The reshuffle also marks the return of women to Yemen’s cabinet for the first time since 2015
ADEN: Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi issued a decree on Friday to form a new government, appointing Shayea Mohsen Al-Zindani as prime minister, who will also serve as minister of foreign affairs and expatriate affairs.
Republican Decree No. 3 of 2026, issued on Friday evening, sets out the new cabinet lineup, according to Yemen’s official news agency.
The decision comes days after Al-Zindani was tasked with forming the government and follows his proposal and approval by the Presidential Leadership Council, in line with the constitution and transitional framework, including the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative and its implementation mechanism.
The new government comprises 35 ministers across sovereign and service portfolios, including defense, interior, foreign affairs, finance and oil, as well as education, health, electricity, water and transport, alongside several ministers of state.
The reshuffle also marks the return of women to Yemen’s cabinet for the first time since 2015.
Afrah Al-Zuba was appointed minister of planning and international cooperation, Judge Ishraq Al-Maqtari as minister of legal affairs, and Ahed Jaasous as minister of state for women’s affairs, ending nearly a decade of women’s absence from executive roles.
