Doha Zoo sunset
““It is surprising that Qatar, with its small population, had been ranked between two giants — India and China””The Peninsula reports:
A number of expatriates planning to go for Haj this year will be hit hard by a sharp rise in Haj tariffs that was announced by the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, yesterday.
The fares for pilgrims travelling by road (Category C) has been raised by more than 30 per cent compared to last year.
Those travelling by air (Category A) will also have to pay more this time, with a hike in the tariffs by about six percent, compared to last year.
Tariffs for C category has been hiked from QR9,200 to QR12,000 with trips to Makkah and Madina. Those opting not to travel to Madina will have to pay QR10,000, against QR8,120 charged last year.
Most expatriates normally prefer to travel by road due to the relatively low fares, but many of them would find the new hike unaffordable.
Read the full article here.
The cost of everything but rent has gone up in Qatar, according to the most recent Consumer Price Index released by the Qatar Statistics Authority.
Compared to the cost of things like clothes, food and transportation in May 2010, prices have gone up between .4 percent to 7.8 percent, QSA reports:
The highest increase was in the Clothing and Footwear group, where prices went up by 7.8%, followed by Transport and Communications by 5.2%, , Miscellaneous Goods and Services, by 4.8%, Food & Beverages group, by 4.5%. Prices in the group of Rent declined by (3.8%).
CPI has also been calculated excluding the group of rent. After eliminating the effect of rent, the overall index shows an increase of 0.4% compared to April 2011, and an increase of 4.1 % compared to the month of May 2010.
QSA doesn’t delve into why it’s getting more expensive to live in Qatar, but inflation is one possibility.
What do you guys think?
Has anyone started to feel the pinch of paying more for taxis, restaurants and clothes?
Doha by Arnab Dutta2010 and contributed to the Doha News Flickr group.
Beautiful!
Blatter: Verdict on Bin Hammam corruption charges expected in July:AFP reports:
FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Saturday he expects a verdict next month from the committee charged with investigating the corruption scandal which has rocked football’s governing body.
“The ethical committee is working on it and will come to a decision during the course of July,” said Blatter during a FIFA press conference in Berlin ahead of the women’s World Cup, which starts Sunday.
But Blatter repeated there will be no investigation into the conduct of ex-FIFA vice-president Jack Warner who resigned on Monday…
The investigation will only look into the conduct of Bin Hammam, who is accused of having bribed FIFA officials in his campaign to oust Blatter as FIFA president.
He later withdrew from the presidency race and Blatter was re-elected.
Both Bin Hammam and Warner have consistently denied any wrongdoing, but a FIFA report seen by the Britain’s Press Association says there is “overwhelming evidence” that Bin Hammam used bribery in his presidential campaign.
Read the full article here.
Qatar has become the first Arab country to set up a body odor bank to help police dogs track criminals.
The bank is located within the Ministry of Interior’s new Police Canine Department, which opened on Tuesday.
Qatar is among only a handful of countries, including China, to store body odor in its bid to fight crime.
The Peninsula reports:
The smell left by criminals at the scene of crime has been collected to match them with stored samples of the body odour of criminals who have already been caught. Well-trained police dogs are used for matching the smell.
Special smell-absorbing material including carbon pieces or yarns, are used to collect the samples. After “soaking” up scents, they are sealed in special bottles frozen at -18 degree Celsius in the scent bank, according to experts.
The technology is still in the developing stage and research is on to develop methods to effectively store the scents for longer periods and improve the performance of the police dogs in matching the samples.
Sounds very high-tech, no?
DOHA: The Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning is working on a project to redesign the Towers Area in West Bay to ease the traffic congestion and provide more facilities and services, the Advisory Council was told on Monday.
Responding to calls by the Council to address the infrastructural bottlenecks in the city, especially in the West Bay and the Industrial Area, a senior official of the Ministry said a project was already underway to redesign the Towers Area.
Ali Al Abdullah, undersecretary at the Ministry addressed a session of the Council on Monday, which discussed various issues related with roads and other infrastructural projects.
The official said the proposed overhaul in the Towers Area would be carried out without affecting the infrastructural projects in the area that have already been completed.
“Initially buildings with more than 16 floors were not permitted in the area but this restriction was lifted in the 1990s, allowing high-rise structures with no maximum limit on the height of the buildings,” said the official.
He said the Ministry had also undertaken a project to expand and upgrade the infrastructural facilities in remote areas of the country to attract more residents to such areas.
The Advisory Council meeting drew attention to the poor condition of roads and streets in the Industrial Area and called for immediate action to address the issue.The Council also called for more flyovers to ease the traffic on major highways and to establish tunnels and bridges for pedestrians and special lanes for heavy vehicles.
It also proposed to provide ambulance and emergency services across major highways and set up branches of various government departments in all important localities.
A senior official of he Public Works Authority (Ashghal) told the meeting that about 30 infrastructural projects were in different phases of implementation and it would take five to seven years to complete these projects. A project to renovate the Industrial Area is also underway.
ST - And when they went on a building spree the urban planning commission did not realize that all these buildings need parking??? I just cant understand the foolishness of the governance personnel involved in these projects…Even the most foolish would not have made these mistakes and then continue to make them by building more and more high rises in a small cluster (i am guessing to create an impressive skyline and some pseudo new york feel), relocating government offices to these clusters and not building roads or parking…
DOHA: Health authorities meet on Sunday to chart a nutrition and physical exercise strategy to face the challenge of growing obesity among its population and related health complications.
At least 71 percent of all Qatar residents are overweight and 32 percent of all residents are obese or morbidly obese.
The prevalence of childhood obesity is also high with 28 percent of Qatari children being overweight.
Qatar has the second highest prevalence of overweight and obesity in the GCC region.
The National Committee for Nutrition and Physical Activity will work, in cooperation with World Health Organisation, to establish healthy food habits and community workout programmes.
Given the fact that the primary drivers for the chronic disease burden that accounts for a majority of deaths in the country are lifestyle factors, such as dietary patterns coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, the committee aims to curb the problem.
Studies show that chronic diseases are a major cause of death in Qatar, accounting for 47 percent of classified deaths in 2008.
The occurrence of diabetes among Qataris is 16.7 percent, the fourth highest rate in the world, while the global average is estimated at 6.4 percent.
The plan is in tune with the Preventative Healthcare system that the National Health Strategy (NHS) 2011-2016 aims at.
“The nutrition and physical activity workshop at will include several topics including maternal and child nutrition and exercise for all community members, especially school students. The working group of the National Committee for Nutrition and physical activity will have many events to initiate systems and policies that deal with sound nutrition and physical activity.
“They will work in conjunction with a comprehensive media plan to promote health patterns,” said Dr Sheikha Anoud bint Mohammed Al Thani, Director of Health Promotion and Non Communicable Diseases Department at SCH, in a press statement.
SCH aims at establishing a comprehensive and integrated nutrition and physical activity programme with individual initiatives targeted at various stakeholders.
To achieve this, the government aims to have health promotion in schools, wellness promotion in the workplace, led by government offices with established health promotion programmes, implementing media awareness campaigns for nutrition and physical activity, prevention guidelines for healthcare service, develop policies to reduce fast food consumption and promote healthy food options at restaurants and key retail outlets.
National Committee for Nutrition and Physical activity includes institutions and national bodies as Supreme Council of Health, Supreme Education Council, Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning, Ministry of Environment, Qatar Olympic Committee, Hamad Medical Corporation, Primary Healthcare, Qatar University, Aspetar, Qatar Museums Authority and Qatar Women Sports Committee.
This is Qatar (english subtitles) = Documentary about a skateboard tour in Qatar with part of the Nike Sb team from Spain.
four guys in doha, qatar 2008
venus in doha, qatar 2008
Hahaha and if the dreams come true ? =p I will love it !
Villaggio Mall- Qatar(Doha) by tq1962-Tareq AlObaid on Flickr.
Doha, Qatar is possibly one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Painted ceilings and water throughout it can’t get much better…oh wait it has stores BECAUSE IT’S A MAL
Indonesia has recalled its ambassador to Saudi Arabia in response to the execution of an Indonesian maid who was convicted of murdering her Saudi employer.
The maid’s beheading has sparked protests in Jakarta and calls for an explanation from Riyadh.
In the past 20 years, a total of 303 migrant workers from Indonesia have been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia.
Indonesia has managed to help only 12 of its citizens escape execution.
According to the Al Jazeera report, Indonesians blame their own government just as much as they blame Saudi Arabia, saying it’s a matter of human rights.
How this case will affect the rest of the Gulf remains to be seen.
Qatar’s City Center mall will introduce pay-for-parking July 1, officials have said.
The mall, which has arguably the most congested parking lot in Doha, will charge QR2 for the first hour, QR3 for the second and third hours and then QR10 for every hour after that, according to a circular issued to tenants.
The Peninsula reports:
While there are other pay parking facilities in the city such as at Doha International Airport and Souq Waqif, the City Center is the first shopping mall to introduce the facility in the country, which could be an added burden for shoppers already saddled by rising prices.
But the mall management says the new system would be more of a benefit to customers.
“It takes a long time for a motorist to find a parking slot, sometimes it can take one hour to look for a space to park, but with the new guiding system it is very easy to find a place to park,” said Schweigel.
“On the top of every parking slot, will be an indicator which turns green when the space is available and red if it is not,” he added, saying it would dramatically reduce the time spent for looking for a parking space.
Read the full article here.
And tell us your thoughts. What do you think of the pay scheme?
City Center mall has installed parking ticket machines and may start charging for parking as early as next month, say local media reports.
The idea behind instituting parking fees, which has been discussed for at least two years, is to clear up spaces occupied by employees working in nearby buildings.
The Peninsula reports:
The mall has around 1,600 parking slots, 300 of which are occupied by mall staff. An additional parking space that could accommodate up to 400 vehicles was planned to be set up to alleviate the problem.
Lack of parking space is seen to be a main problem as a huge influx of people is expected this summer when people are left almost without any choice but spend their leisure time inside the mall as staying out is virtually impossible with temperatures crossing 50 degrees Celsius.
What do you guys think? Would you be willing to be shell out a few riyals in exchange for actually finding a parking space at City Center?
Image courtesy of the Peninsula.
“Moving On,” the first rock band music video made in Qatar - according to its creators - has just launched.
The song is written & performed by “e”, aka Edwardo, an Australian artist with Serbian & Scotish roots. Palestinian filmmaker Bayann Dah Dah directed the video.
It’s hardly the first music video filmed in Qatar though.
Just a day earlier, the Doha Film Institute released a video for Ashwin Renju’s song “Nomadination.”
Apparently it was filmed over five days, primarily by DFI students.
Then of course, beating them both out by more than a year is the first release from Nigeria’s Chidi Joe called “Count on Me”. That video was filmed and directed in Doha by the prolific Omar Khalifa:
In a rather amusing account, award-winning journalist Robert Fisk waxes and wanes about his recent visit to Al Jazeera, including the moment that a fly lands on his nose while he’s on air, prompting him to smack his own nose.
Only after does he realize viewers at home haven’t seen the fly.
One excerpt:
But the great thing is that on al-Jazeera English, you can say what you want, tell the truth in other words – and thank God nothing much actually happens in Qatar, home of al-Jazeera, because I somehow doubt that the Emir, who funds this extraordinary shooting match, would be subjected to quite the same serious interrogation by its titans of journalism.
But then again, both the English and the Arabic versions of al-Jazeera are, in their less than odd way, a state project, part of the nation’s diplomacy, an extension of Qatar’s foreign policy, an institution that helps Qatar (I hate these British clichיs because they remind me of William Hague) to “punch above its weight”.
Read the full article here.
One of the most favorite pastimes among expats in Qatar is complaining. Whether Qatar doesn’t have enough of one thing or too much of another, there is always something here to complain about.
But a funny thing happens to many Doha residents when they travel abroad - they start missing Qatar.
At least that’s what happened to one Canadian expat who blogs at Brays’ Adventures. She writes:
A Funny Thing Happened in France…I missed Doha. In the land of wine, pork and cheese in a beautiful green city with couples openly holding hands, I suddenly realized I was missing more of the “Sandpit” then I thought…
And now, things are going to change. I will be honest - I have spent the last 10 months hating my job. I have cried myself to sleep and cried to Big C about going home. I have been sick with stress. But I realized here, they aren’t going to get me. For the first time, when someone asked me if I wanted to stay the full time in Qatar the answer was an honest yes.
And so, another phase of our expat life begins. For me, the “honeymoon” (can you have a “nightmare moon”?) is over.
Read her full post here.
I went through a similar journey of self-discovery when I first landed in Qatar years ago - it was only when I left for a trip home (in the middle of a Michigan winter!) that I truly appreciated what Qatar had to offer.
What about you guys? Do you ever find yourself missing Qatar when traveling abroad? (Something’s gotta compel us to keep coming back, right?)
The noodle house at city center doha, must say it was a nice place and the food was great. The customer service however, was not great… was let down.
Life was disrupted for some Doha residents late Friday afternoon when a blaze broke out at a construction site in the Najma area.
Parts of C-Ring were slammed with traffic as authorities closed Toyota Signal while trying to get the fire under control.
But many of those stuck in the crush opted to use their energies reporting the story online:
Bicycle store
*
Souq Waqif (Central Market), Doha, Qatar
SPECIAL REPORT-Qatar's big Libya adventure:- Reuters
Yemen said it has intercepted financial transfers made through Qatar to fund opposition to its government and is warning the tiny Gulf country to stop supporting the strife.
“The authorities have discovered transactions made through Qatar and the mediator in this is our former ambassador (in Cairo) Abdulwali al-Shumeiri,” deputy information minister Abdo al-Janadi told AFP.
“We call onto Qatar… to stop financially supporting rifts inside Yemen’s army and to work instead on (backing) the country’s security and stability,” said Janadi.
AFP reports:
Embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is recovering in Saudi Arabia from wounds sustained in a blast that hit his presidential palace in Sanaa, accused Qatar in April of a “conspiracy” against his country.
He also accused it of “funding chaos” throughout several Arab countries rocked by a wave of protests that toppled regimes in Tunisia and Egypt, inspiring similar uprising in other countries including Yemen…
Despite strong Western and Arab Gulf pressure, Saleh has repeatedly refused to sign up to the proposals under which he would hand power to the vice president within 30 days in exchange for a promise of immunity from prosecution.
Read the full article here.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
I woke up at 8 am despite of sleeping at 2: 30 am. I was psyched and nervous at the same time. I was excited to meet new acquaintances and just be in the campus and explore…
Most of my summer clothes are just too casual so I had to trespass through my mom’s closet and found this white top (i just love how lose and light it is, comfortable, not too casual and still very summery…) Thanks Ma!
a bit anxious XD
waiting for my ride outside… (seconds after I went out, u dont wanna see me minutes after, the heat was killin me!)
I was hiding under the shadow for about 10 minutes -______-
I called for karwa the night before for 3 pm and it was 10 minutes late…one of those moments when I really wish I have my own car… It was dreadfully hot and you know how I hate going out in a summer noon…
while walking towards CMUQ bldg, my thoughts were mixed, I think I left my brains on my bed… my heart was beating a bit faster…because of the heat, ha! -_____-
I swear this building is HUGE! I think it’s the best in QF.
Excellence At Carnegie Mellon (it’s website)
interiors will make you go WOW. (but of course I’ve been here a lot of times in the past year so I got over it… oh okay, a bit, i’m still not sure if it really is a university or a multi-star hotel… lol. exaggerated…)
I can pronounce their names but I cant write them XD, both are also gonna be in Business Administration (Tepper School of Business0
The Orientation leaders guided us in accomplishing everything we had to do that day. From the very start, even in introducing ourselves to the other incoming freshman students, to writing and signing documents, id shoots, in taking the placement test and until socializing while having a light dinner in the game room…
system failed which caused the delay.
my cmuq account: mdinglas@qatar.cmu.edu
this room is incredible! it has everything essential in it plus the super comfy chairs, i almost fell asleep…
i.d shoot :)
i was excited for this one but they told me i will get it in August XD
Noshin and Chaturika
after taking our English placement test
Bilal, orientation leader, current student
we’re off to the game room for dinner XD
Bilal, Noshin, Moon and Chaturika
me and Noshin
home sweet home XD
There was a delay. Supposedly, it was from 4 to 8 pm but it ended at 9 pm.
Despite of the unexpected delay, i think the students who handled the orientation did a good job. They were all very friendly and warm. It was kinda awkward to smile back at them because I didn’t know their names but I do think they are very personable. It was nice meeting everyone! I am looking forward for the actual orientation in August!
Me: I'm from Qatar.
