Via IgnitionME/Facebook

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

Hoping to fill a vacuum in the local market, three Doha-based automotive enthusiasts have launched a new YouTube channel dedicated to exploring car culture in Qatar.

The founders of Ignition ME include 22-year-old Egyptian expat Ramy Khalaf, 19-year-old British parkour practitioner Jake Couper, and 30-year-old racer Mark Holroyd.

After experimenting with a new website, as well as establishing a presence of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, the group ultimately decided to focus their efforts on creating documentary-style videos, Khalaf told Doha News in a recent interview.

“Our goal is for people in the country to be able to see (the car scene) and, amongst other things, be able to recognize the locations used during our shoots; it’s all about being relatable,” said Khalaf, who acts as the project’s director, editor, and social media manager.

Lackluster support

Despite Qatar’s healthy appetite for luxury and high-end cars, the racing scene is poorly supported by the public.

For example, the Qatar Challenge Cup, an eight-month long racing tournament that allows amateur and rookie racing enthusiasts the opportunity to compete at a national level, draws in only a handful of viewers to its races at the Losail International Circuit.

Speaking to Doha News a few months ago, several tournament drivers said that engaging people in the sport and filling up the stadium were among their biggest challenges.

Ray Toh

Arabian Drag Racing League

Similarly, the Drag Racing and Drifting Championships, which take place at the Qatar Racing Club in the Industrial Area, also take place in front of mostly empty stands.

Khalaf said he and colleagues hope Ignition ME will help tackle this problem by drumming up more interest about and creating public awareness of Qatar’s vibrant motor scene among local residents.

So far, the project, which started last year, has some 1,000 Facebook fans and 70,000 views on the fourteen videos up on its YouTube channel.

In that time, IgnitionME has faced several challenges, Khalaf said:

“Our (main issue is) garnering support from institutions to help us get our content out there as well as convincing dealerships to provide us with cars to film.

Some have been more helpful than others, but we’re always on the lookout for new ways to work alongside dealers. Ferrari has been supporting us from the get-go and have supplied us with cars we wouldn’t have dreamed of driving.”

He added that other issues included finding shooting times that fit with each of the founders’ busy schedules. Both Holroyd and Khalaf have full-time jobs, while Couper is still in high school.

To create a video, the group sits down to brainstorm a viable storyline before approaching actors, racers, and companies to feature in the project. Once the subject of the short film is onboard, Khalaf creates a storyboard and plans out the video’s look and shot list.

“Filming takes quite a lot of time and patience and this is where most issues usually arise. I’ve had owners sell their cars during filming, travel, lose interest, etc…The process takes time, several shoots, and loads of patience. Once we’ve got the filming done, the editing usually takes around a week and then we’re all set to release the video,” he said.

The completed videos, which are entirely self-funded, have drawn varied responses, with some getting a few hundred views while others over 19,000.

Despite the challenges, Khalaf said he and his team are determined to continue on.

“Our driving force here is the cars. We’re doing our best to fill the void and making content people can relate to and are interested in seeing.There are no constraints to what we can film which has ultimately allowed us to focus more on the grassroots side of motoring and cover stories that would otherwise be left untold,” Khalaf said.

Thoughts?

(The post In Qatar, plenty of luxury and sports cars, but few racing fans is from Doha News.)

Mohamad Alodaima/Flickr

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

The Qatar Meteorology Department (MET) is advising residents to take care today as another wave of wind and dust is expected to inundate the country this afternoon.

⚪Attention Visibility my decrease to less than 2 km in areas due to blowing sand. Caution is advised

— أرصاد قطر (@Qatar_Weather) April 18, 2015

According to forecasters, strong northwesterly winds will cause horizontal visibility to fall to less than 2km due to blowing sand and dusty conditions.

Weather forecast for Saturday 18/04/2015 pic.twitter.com/ii3jBJakiE

— أرصاد قطر (@Qatar_Weather) April 17, 2015

The MET added that the windy weather will persist until tomorrow.

Health concerns

Qatar has been hit with several sandstorms over the past few weeks, as the nation transitions from the cooler weather to the hotter months.

Emilian Robert Vicol/Flickr

Dust masks

Earlier this month, the inclement conditions caused school and flight cancellations, decreased visibility on the roads and health problems for many residents, particularly those with asthma or other breathing issues.

During dust storms, health officials here advise residents to stay indoors as much as possible, to drive with their windows closed, avoid rubbing their eyes to prevent infections and carry a supply of water to keep from being dehydrated.

Since children are especially vulnerable, parents should cover their kids’ mouths and noses while outside, to avoid reducing inhalation of dust particles.

What are you seeing in your part of town? Thoughts?

(The post Qatar MET warns of dusty conditions through Saturday afternoon is from Doha News.)

All photos via 13th UN Crime Congress – Doha 2015 on Facebook

As part of a competition to raise awareness about violence against women and children, hundreds of Qatar-based students recently came up with drawings to visualize their thoughts on the issue.

The artwork, which is being displayed at the Qatar National Convention Center until tomorrow, is part of the ongoing 13th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice that has been hosted in Doha over the past week.

Domestic violence, as well as cybercrime, corruption and organized crime were among the main themes explored at the conference, which wraps up tomorrow.

In a statement, Abdullah Khalifa al Muftah, head of the conference’s media committee, said:

“The images were very intense. Coming from young students, they were very honest manifestations of what our children feel about mature subjects and should be of concern to us adults.”

Domestic violence in Qatar

Though crime within Qatar wasn’t a focus of the meet, the country has been working to reduce domestic violence rates in the country, with mixed success.

For example, legislation that specifically outlaws domestic violence has been in the works for more than two years, but has not yet led to any new laws.

And worrying attitudes about the acceptability of violence continue to persist.

Last year, a government survey found that some 16 percent of men and 7 percent of women living in Qatar believe a husband is justified in “hitting or beating” their wives in certain circumstances, namely if the woman leave the house without telling her spouse or if she neglects their children.

Thoughts?

(The post PHOTOS: Doha students decry violence against women and children is from Doha News.)

Sheikh Eid Charity Association Facebook

Distribution of food

Amid growing concern about food waste in Qatar, a local charity is renewing efforts to collect and distribute leftover meals to the country’s needy.

For the past several years, the Sheikh Eid Charity Association has offered a pickup service to collect leftover food from homes, hotels and restaurants, following special occasions like weddings or banquets, where large quantities of food are usually thrown away.

According to charity director Mohammad Ibrahim, response to the group’s program has been overwhelming in recent months.

In a statement, he said that the charity has increased its staff and has been working around the clock to manage the surge.

Employees make around 50 trips a day to pick up food donations around Qatar, which must be checked to ensure its quality and distributed quickly before it spoils.

The charity typically distributes some 25,000 meals a month to workers and families in need around Qatar, using 11 mini-vans.

Omar Chatriwala

QIFF

But donations can ebb and flow based on the season. Last month for example, the charity received 10 tons of food in two days – enough to make more than 4,000 meals – which it distributed to 3,000 workers in Sinaeya, Abu Hamour and Shahaniya.

Last month also proved busy because the charity participated in the recent Qatar International Food Festival (QIFF). There, it worked to raise awareness regarding consumption and encouraged companies and hotels participating in the event to give away the leftover food from the festival to those in need.

Another very active time is during the month of Ramadan, where it is estimated that some 25 percent of food goes to waste because community members and hotels hold such lavish iftaar dinners.

How it works

Speaking to Doha News, a volunteer in the program said the pickup service is only offered when there are large amounts of food, enough for 10 to 20 people.

“Large amounts of leftover food need to be transported and distributed by vans, but small amounts can easily be distributed by the donors themselves,” the volunteer explained.

Via Facebook

Eid Charity food pickup van

The charity has several centers in Qatar, including the main center in Madinat Khalifa North, as well as branches in Al Shahaniya, Abu Hamour, Al Khor and Al Wakrah, according to the volunteer.

Those who wish to donate smaller amounts of food can drop them off at one of these locations.

To dispatch a pickup van, residents can call the charity’s operators 24/7 at 66665121. On Friday, operators are available from 4pm.

In addition to leftovers, donations can include rice, cooking oil, sugar and lean meat. No cash is accepted.

Who benefits

Though Qatar is considered one of the wealthiest countries in the world per capita, many of its residents struggle to make ends meet on a daily basis.

In addition to distributing meals to Qatar’s many low-income construction workers, priority is given to the families of widows, divorced female residents and those who suffer from chronic diseases.

Since the leftover pickup service was launched in 2008, the charity has also extended its distribution outside of Qatar, to Syrian refugees and those in need in Mauritania.

Thoughts?

(The post Qatar charity tackles waste by expanding leftover food pickup service is from Doha News.)

Vesselin Kolev/Flickr

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

Reviving an idea to lodge some football fans and guests during the 2022 World Cup in “floating hotels,” the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) has announced plans to contract at least 6,000 cruise ship rooms for the winter tournament.

QTA announced its intentions in a statement to Qatar News Agency yesterday during an international cruise ship expo in Miami, USA.

The 6,000 rooms figure equates to about five average-sized cruise ships, and would represent approximately one-third of the 16,000 hotel and apartment hotel rooms currently available in Qatar.

New Doha Port Project

Hamad Port rendering

The tourism authority did not say where the cruise ships would be berthed during the World Cup, but authorities have previously discussed transforming the existing port near the Museum of Islamic Art into a dedicated cruise ship terminal.

The repurposing of the port would presumably happen after the first phase of the $7.4 billion Hamad Port in Mesaieed is completed in 2016.

Hotel build-up

The country has been racing to significantly increase its room supply ahead of the World Cup to meet FIFA requirements.

According to the guidelines, Qatar must have a minimum of 60,000 rooms available by 2022 for fans, players and officials. However, in Qatar’s bid document in 2010, the nation pledged to develop an ambitious 100,000 rooms by the time the tournament begins.

The cruise ship deal is expected to secure 10 percent of FIFA’s accommodation requirement for the World Cup.

Ankita Menon

Under-construction Mondrian Doha Hotel

It comes amid a wider expansion strategy in which QTA aims to have 80 new hotels and apartment hotels operating within the next five years.

By the end of this year, the goal is to add an additional 4,000 rooms across 20 new hotels and apartments.

However, many of the projects are experiencing delays. Last week, the Mondrian Hotel next to Lagoona Mall announced it would be pushing back its planned opening date another six months, with a new launch planned for September this year.

And late last year, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, under construction in Msheireb district, said its projected launch had also slipped. It is now expected to open in 2016.

Pressure is on

The idea of commissioning “floating hotels” for the upcoming tournament was first raised two years ago, at a Cityscape conference in May 2013.

There, plans were unveiled for a $5.5 billion (QR20 billion), 445-acre Oryx Island project that was to be built by Barwa Real Estate. Some 25,000 rooms were supposed to be provided through cruise ships that would be docked at the island.

Penny Yi Wang

Oryx Island

However, a year later, the plan was quietly scrapped.

Qatar has come under significant pressure over its ambitious hotel-construction plans, with some analysts predicting a World Cup “hangover” and plummeting room occupancy after the event.

A report published last year by Deloitte forecast that, based on previous tourist numbers, Qatar could only support around 38,000 hotel rooms after the tournament, based on approximately 60 percent room occupancy.

“While investment into the hospitality and tourism sector in Qatar is growing and demand is steadily increasing, there is a risk that the demand growth will not be sufficient in order to sustain this level of supply growth post-2022 FIFA World Cup,” the firm’s hotel market report said.

However, recent studies have been more upbeat. QTA figures released in February showed that Qatar welcomed 2.83 million visitors in 2014, up 8.3 percent on the previous year and double the number of tourists and visitors from 2009.

While visitors from neighboring Gulf countries make up the largest portion of this number, at 1.12 million, the largest increase is shown in visitors from Asia – up 20 percent to 782,904 last year.

Meanwhile, commercial real estate agency Colliers International has recently predicted a more positive outcome for Qatar’s hospitality sector, expecting occupancy rates for hotels in Doha to rise to between 71 percent and 84 percent this year.

This is up from the average of 71 percent occupancy during 2014 and 61 percent the previous year, according to QTA figures.

Future plans

The recent rise in tourism numbers comes as QTA embarks on an ambitious strategy announced early last year to increase the number of visitors to Qatar by up to 7.4 million by 2030.

Part of Qatar’s economic diversification from hydrocarbons, the plan aims to make the state a more attractive destination for Gulf visitors, but also for other tourists globally.

Katara/Facebook

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

One of the challenges Qatar faces in this regard is creating a niche to separate it from other established Gulf holiday destinations such as Dubai and Oman.

In the strategy, the QTA outlined a number of areas of focus for Qatar, including developing its “sun and beach” offerings and providing “authentic” cultural experiences, showcasing Qatari heritage.

This is in addition to its ongoing push to host major global sporting tournaments, and to attract more international conferences and business events.

Commenting on QTA’s latest deal with cruise ship operators, chief tourism development head Hassan Al Ibrahim said it was part of a wider strategy to develop Qatar as a Gulf destination for cruise ships.

The region is already one of the world’s three most popular destinations for “winter sun” cruises” and has grown at a rate of around 30 percent each year since 2008, QTA’s statement said.

“We want to promote Qatar as a key maritime destination, and capitalize on the already substantial cruise traffic in the Gulf, which Qatar is currently unable to support,” Al Ibrahim added.

Thoughts?

(The post Qatar to host football fans on cruise ships during 2022 World Cup is from Doha News.)

Ashghal

Rendering of Rawdat Rashid Road redevelopment

Qatar’s Public Works Authority Ashghal has begun construction work to redevelop and improve Rawdat Rashid Road, commonly referred to as “the road of death” by some residents due to the large number of fatal accidents that have taken place there.

Rawdat Rashid, which is located west of Doha, will be reworked up to the Umm Qarn area in five phases to “reduce the impact of construction works on residents and visitors of the area,” Ashghal said in a statement.

A spokesperson said a timeline for when the entire project would be completed remains unclear, but construction work on the first two phases are already underway and slated for a 2016 finish.

As part of the project, more street lights will be added to the road, which has been the site of many car accidents, due to its poor lighting and dangerous curves.

The road will also be widened to three lanes in each direction, including a right lane designated for heavy vehicles, to help increase traffic capacity on the road and reduce accidents.

”The project aims at providing a safe and developed road network linking Salwa Road to Dukhan Road and easing the traffic flow around the Rawdat Rashid residential area,” Ashghal said.

Details

The 33km road, which is parallel to Salwa Road, passes through the Rawdat Rashid area before reaching Dukhan Road.

Ashghal

Rendering of Rawdat Rashid Road redevelopment

Construction on phase one entails the creation of an 8.5km dual carriageway road with three lanes in each direction near Salwa Road, heading north to entrance of Rawdat Rashid district.

The second phase picks up where phase one ends and includes creating a 10.4km dual carriageway road with three lanes in each direction. It stretches to a new roundabout that will link to a road in Al Shahaniya municipality, past Rawdat Rashid.

“This phase will  improve the area by eliminating the traffic flow of heavy vehicles that currently drive through Rawdat Rashed residential area,” Ashghal said.

ALCAT Contracting Company started working on the first phase, while Bin Omran Trading Contracting is responsible for phase two of the project.

Safety concerns

Residents and the Central Municipal Council (CMC) have been calling for the redevelopment of Rawdat Rashid road for at least the last few years.

CMC member Mohammad Zafer Al Hajri previously told Al Arab that the narrow road is only 8m wide, and includes two lanes going in opposite directions, without any barriers between them.

He said that this contributes to accidents, especially when cars try to overtake the large trucks and vehicles driving through the road day and night.

Ashghal had initially announced that the development of Rawdat Rashid Road would start in 2014 and end in 2015.

Thoughts?

(The post Ashghal commences redevelopment work on Qatar’s ‘road of death’ is from Doha News.)

Chantelle D'mello

Photo of Hamad Hospital for illustrative purposes only.

In a case that’s spurred online outrage and drawn attention to the vulnerability of domestic workers in Qatar, an Indonesian woman has been hospitalized for more than three days following a beating that left her with multiple injuries.

The 25-year-old woman, who spoke to Doha News through a translator and asked not to be named, said she fled her sponsor’s home on Wednesday after being beaten with the metal end of a hose used to siphon water.

Chantelle D'mello

Bruises on the victim.

She said she ran to a neighboring house, where a domestic worker allowed her to come inside. The friend then called the police, who upon seeing the victim, called an ambulance.

She was taken to Hamad Hospital and received six stitches to close a gash on her skull, as well as treatment for a broken wrist.

Numerous scars, abrasions, and scabs were visible on the woman’s back, arms, shoulders, stomach, and face. They are the result, she said, of nearly two years’ of abuse at the hands of her employer.

“Initially he just slapped or reprimanded me. It wasn’t bad,” the woman told Doha News. “But then it started getting worse … He says I annoy him because I’m slow, so he does it. The children have told him that I hit them – but I don’t – and so he hits me.”

Local support

The Indonesian embassy confirmed to Doha News that it is aware of the woman’s case, but a designated spokesperson declined to speak about the matter today.

The embassy did say the police were involved following the assault, but it’s unclear if an official investigation is underway.

As of Saturday night – some three days after being admitted – the woman said she had not been interviewed by police officers or visited by representatives of any social services agency.

Via Facebook

Donated items

Meanwhile, there has been an outpouring of support from local residents who read about the woman’s story on a popular local Facebook group.

After learning of the case over the weekend, community members donated more than QR2,600 in cash as well as clothes, shoes and toiletries to help the woman, according to organizers of the charitable effort.

However, some supporters said they prevented from visiting the woman over the weekend after hospital officials abruptly moved her to a different room last night and banned all visitors.

An HMC spokesperson was unable today to comment on the hospital’s visitation policies or say what services it provides when patients say they have been abused.

A leading human rights organization has previously noted that complaints of abuse by domestic workers rarely result in criminal convictions.

Working conditions

Last year, Amnesty International released a comprehensive report on domestic workers in Qatar that documented the vulnerability of migrant maids, nannies, cooks and cleaners in the country at the hands of their Qatari and expat sponsors.

Amnesty International

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

Domestic workers are not covered under Qatar’s labor law, which means there are no limits on the hours that they can be forced to work. A separate UN report found that domestic workers in Qatar work some of the longest hours in the world.

In this particular case, the woman said her day started at 5am and ran 19 hours as she cooked, cleaned, dusted, and waited on the Qatari family until midnight with only a one-hour midday break.

According to Amnesty, being excluded from Qatar’s labor law also means that domestic workers cannot lodge claims against their employers in Labor Court over issues such as their accommodation.

The woman said she spent her nights sleeping on a makeshift bed on the floor of the family’s living room and allowed only two meals a day, consisting mostly of instant noodles or rice.

She added that she hadn’t been paid her QR750 monthly salary in more than seven months. Even before that, she said her pay was withheld by a senior family member.

“So I’ve never kept my salary with me or used it,” she said.

Status quo

Because domestic workers work in their sponsor’s homes, out of view from the public, victims of abuse often face challenges trying to speak to outsiders, either to seek assistance or simply explain their experiences, Amnesty officials have previously said.

However, the Qatar government has to be well aware of the most egregious incidents of abuse that result in victims being hospitalized, Amnesty researcher Mustafa Qadri told Doha News.

“Qatar is a wealthy country and this (problem of abuse) is well known,” he said. “But we don’t see the will to change the situation or, when (abuse) does take place, help the women.”

To better protect domestic workers, Amnesty has urged Qatar to include them under the labor law; abolish the kafala sponsorship system that can prevent expats from switching jobs or leaving the country; and make it easier to report cases of abuse, among other measures.

Shabina S. Khatri

Lower criminal court in Doha

One important step would be equipping authorities with the proper tools to investigate complaints of domestic violence.

This is something that the government has promised for several years, but that recent cases suggest remain a weakness within the healthcare and criminal justice system.

For example, Qadri suggested that a victim should be able to speak to a specially trained investigator who is sensitive to the trauma that the individual has experienced.

Additionally, Amnesty said the Qatar government should decriminalize “absconding” laws that result in the criminal prosecution and deportation of some women who flee abusive sponsors.

At this point, however, the Indonesian woman said leaving would be more preferable than remaining in Qatar.

When asked what she would like to happen next, she said, “Go home.”

Thoughts?

(The post Plight of domestic worker beaten in Qatar sparks outcry is from Doha News.)

Aqua Park Qatar

Aqua Park

Citing “humanitarian reasons,” a lower criminal court judge in Doha has ordered journalists to stop reporting on a case involving a young Palestinian boy who drowned at a Qatar water park in 2012.

The judge issued the ban at the request of the victim’s sister during a court session yesterday. She said that media coverage of the legal proceedings was hurting her family by reminding them of their loss.

Shabina S. Khatri

Lower criminal court in Doha

This appears to be one of the first times in recent years that such a reason has been used as justification for preventing the details of a case from being reported.

Three individuals and two companies are on trial for involuntary manslaughter in connection with the child’s death.

They are accused of recklessly failing to properly perform their duties at the Aqua Park, which is located approximately 40km from Doha.

Following the court session, the judge told reporters that he was ordering the publication ban in an effort to protect the family’s feelings.

Journalists will be allowed to attend the hearings, but may not publish any witness testimony until a verdict is issued.

Precedent

Though the media is usually allowed to report on criminal trials in Qatar, sweeping publication bans are occasionally imposed. In 2013, Doha News was prevented from reporting the proceedings of several hearings about the fatal Villaggio Mall fire.

Nada Badawi

Aftermath of last year\’s explosion at Istanbul restaurant.

And last year, Qatar’s attorney general issued a temporary ban on coverage of the Istanbul Restaurant gas explosion during the investigation phase, ahead of the trial.

Judges will also sometimes place bans on publishing specific witness testimony or graphic pieces of evidence.

Far more frequently, however, these officials turn down requests by lawyers to bar journalists from reporting on a trial.

For example, the same judge hearing the Aqua Park case rejected a defense attorney’s plea to issue a publication ban on the trial of a Moroccan man charged with stabbing another expat to death with a sword.

And other judges overseeing the ongoing Villaggio Mall fire appeal have consistently refused to issue publication bans requested by defense lawyers, arguing that the sessions are “public hearings.”

Previous testimony

The defendants charged in connection with the Aqua Park drowning include an administrative supervisor and two contractors – a lifeguard and a Doha Clinic paramedic.

Aqua Park/Facebook

Aqua Park

The facility’s owner, Hala Co. for Projects Aqua Park, is also named as a defendant, as is Kuwait-based Al Jazeera Co. for Commercial Projects, which is contracted to manage the property.

All have pled not guilty.

During a hearing last month, witnesses testified that several things went wrong the day the boy drowned on May 4, 2012, raising the possibility that multiple factors – including inadequate supervision – contributed to the victim’s death.

The next hearing is scheduled for May 24.

Thoughts?

(The post Qatar judge issues publication ban during Aqua Park drowning trial is from Doha News.)

DohaStadiumPlus/Flickr

Hassan Al Thawadi

Three young Qataris who have served as leaders in sport, business and technology have been recognized among the Middle East’s movers and shakers, ranking in the latest list of the 100 Most Powerful Arabs Under 40.

The man leading Qatar’s 2022 World Cup plans, Hassan Al Thawadi, was listed as the region’s third most influential person, according to an index compiled by industry publication Arabian Business.

Al Thawadi, 37, is secretary general of the Supreme Committee of Delivery & Legacy, and oversees construction of all the stadiums and infrastructure that must be ready ahead of the tournament.

Sean Knoflick/Flickr

Qatar World Cup bid celebration, 2010.

He has held the position since March 2011, after serving as CEO of Qatar’s 2022 bid committee.

During his tenure, he has had to address a number of controversial issues, including corruption allegations over Qatar’s bidding process, human rights concerns about workers building venues for the event and FIFA’s decision to shift the date of the tournament to the winter.

A law graduate from Sheffield University in the UK, Al Thawadi also serves as General Counsel of the state’s sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA).

That fund has invested in some of the world’s biggest brands including Barclays, Harrods and UK supermarket chain Sainsburys.

Other Qataris

Internationally-renowned Qatari athlete Mutaz Barshim was also recognized on the index, as one of the Arab world’s leaders in sport.

Adam Schmenk/Twitter

Mutaz Barshim

The 23-year-old Olympic bronze medalist high-jumper took the 73rd spot in this year’s ranking. He sparked a social media craze last year after his record-breaking performance at the IAAF Diamond League final in Brussels in September when he cleared 2.43 meters (about 8 feet), making him the second highest jumper of all time.

His achievement caught the attention of sports commentators, and spawned a meme under the hashtag #ThingsBarshimCouldJumpOver, featuring photoshopped images to show the scale of the athlete’s feat.

The third Qatari to make the list is entrepreneur and businessman Khalifa Saleh Al Haroon, who became a public name after setting up the community website I Love Qatar (ILQ) in 2008.

Khalifa Saleh Al Haroon/Facebook

Khalifa Saleh Al Haroon

Al Haroon, who took 85th place, is also founder and CEO of Haroon United Group.

HUG describes itself as “a group of young and enthusiastic Qataris and long-term residents who helped to build one of Qatar’s most vibrant holding companies,” whose interests include King Koil, Shake Shack and The Camel Co.

Al Haroon is also head of interaction and innovation at Vodafone Qatar and is executive director of marketing and communications at Qatar Stars League – the top professional football league in the country.

He has featured on a number of lists of young people to watch in the region, including being named Young Achiever of the Year by Arabian Business in 2014 and Entrepreneur of the Year by telecoms ministry ictQatar in 2011.

He thanked his 40,000 followers on Twitter for helping him achieve his latest accolade:

Honored to be on the Top 100 Most powerful Arabs list. Thank you to everyone who pushes me to be a better person http://t.co/V01fjN0vkc

— Mr. Q – I♥Qatar (@iloveqatar) April 19, 2015

Earlier this year, in a separate list published by Gulf Business, some 15 Qataris were included 100 Most Powerful Arabs 2015 list.

This list, which included royal family members and politicians who had strong corporate connections, saw Qatar figures take seven of the top 50 spots. Al Thawadi was in 11th place in that index, making him the top-ranking Qatari.

List leaders

Qatar has one of the fewest number of leaders on this year’s Top 100 index.

The UAE has the most, with 24 of its leaders included, while Lebanon follows in second place with 15. Palestine has 12, Egypt 10 and Saudi Arabia nine entries.

The list does not include any members of royal families or politicians, and none of Qatar’s top three are women.

Middle East Institute

Jawad Nabulsi

Leading the power list is Egypt’s Jawad Nabulsi, a 33-year-old activist, entrepreneur and humanitarian who founded the non-governmental organization Nebny Foundation.

Initially established to provide medical assistance to those caught up in the 2011 uprising, it has developed to economically empower Egypt’s youth through micro-finance loans, support for skilled craft workshops and other initiatives.

Kuwaiti businessman Bader Al Kharafi was ranked second. One of the heads of the family conglomerate MA Al Kharafi & Sons Company, he became director of the group’s executive committee in 2012 and is vice-chairman of telecommunications organization Zain Group, which has 44.3 million customers in eight countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

In an editorial introducing the list, Arabian Business editor Ed Attwood said:

“The list is a celebration of the Arab world’s brightest talent, particularly in a part of the world where good news is sometimes hard to come by.”

Thoughts?

(The post Three Qataris make power list of top 100 Arabs under 40 is from Doha News.)

Habtoor Leighton

Qatar Avenio tram

The first trains designed to run on a new 11.5km tram network across Qatar Foundation‘s Education City campus have been built and are being tested in Austria ahead of an expected delivery this summer.

The US$412 million project is intended to facilitate a car-free campus and provide public transportation to key locations through 24 stations.

Students and staff will eventually be required to leave their vehicles in multistory car parks around the perimeter of the property and ride the tram to their classrooms and offices.

Sam Agnew/Flick

Qatar Foundation campus

When completed, the new people-mover system is expected to be one of the region’s most energy efficient transport systems.

It is envisioned to transport an average of 3,300 people in each direction an hour, with trains operating at four-minute intervals during peak time.

QF announced in 2012 that it had signed a contract with German engineering company Siemens to build a total of 19 trams, although only 16 trams will will be in operation at any given time.

Eight trams are scheduled for delivery to QF by this summer, with the remainder due to make their way to Qatar by the end of the year, a Siemens spokesman told Doha News.

Onsite testing is set to begin early next year, with the first passengers scheduled to ride the tram by fall 2016, QF previously said.

Climate tests

So far, at least four trams have been built and are undergoing rigorous climate testing in a specially built facility in Vienna to ensure that they can withstand the extreme heat and high humidity of a Qatar summer.

Sam Agnew/Flickr

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

The trams are being tested to make sure that the on-board climate controls can maintain an interior temperature of 25C, even when they are fully loaded with passengers and when the weather outside is upwards of 40C Celsius.

Humidifiers and heating pads have been added to the trams to simulate passengers, while artificial light is being shone on the vehicles to replicate the intense summer sun Qatar receives, according to specialist website Railway Gazette.

The Rail Tec climate chamber is also testing the performance of the hybrid energy storage units, which will recharge from overhead conductor rails at stations. The batteries, meanwhile, which will store energy created when breaking.

This system will power the trams and will mean there is no need for unsightly and potentially dangerous overhead cables.

The low-floor Avenio trams will be wheelchair accessible and are also designed with sunshades to protect the electrical equipment which will be mounted on the roof, Railway Gazette added.

The vehicles measure 27 meters by 2.5 meters and have a capacity of 222 passengers: 60 seated and 162 standing.

The construction of the track, stations, depot and civil engineering work worth $124 million is being undertaken by Habtoor Leighton Group.

Sam Agnew/Flickr

Education City

Last summer, QF said that the first tracks for the system were being laid, most of which will run at ground level. A 1km-long viaduct will connect the Qatar National Convention Center with Sidra Medical and Research Center, while a tunnel will create a link under the Dukhan Highway.

The trams will also be used during the World Cup to provide transport for football fans to the stadium at Education City, which will be used for matches through to the quarter-finals.

Eventually, the plans are for the system to link up to the Doha Metro through the Green Line.

QF did not respond to Doha News requests for an update on the latest progress of construction of the tracks and stations.

Thoughts?

(The post Qatar’s Education City trams undergo testing ahead of summer delivery is from Doha News.)

Dogs in Doha/Facebook

Stray puppies

A local canine rescue organization is seeking to re-home eight young puppies that were found next the bodies of two dogs behind the Qatar Racing Club earlier this week.

The deceased animals had their legs bound and bodies marked with stab wounds, according to Dogs in Doha.

The graphic photos of the dead creatures, posted on the group’s Facebook page, led some to speculate that they may have been used in a dogfighting match.

However, Dogs in Doha founder Birgit Marquerithe said in a statement to Doha News that it appeared as though the animals had been dragged behind a car.

According to Marquerithe, such killings are not infrequent occurrences here. On a near-daily basis, she said “dogs and cats are brutally murdered, either by hitting, kicking them or by dragging them behind their cars or shooting them.”

She said that Dogs in Doha, alongside local shelters and other groups, have rescued more than 50 puppies in recent weeks who have been left without their mothers.

“Most of the time the mom has been killed and the puppies are left behind to die,” she said.

Looking for new homes

Dogs in Doha/Facebook

Stray puppies

Dogs in Doha rescues canines, but doesn’t operate its own shelter. Instead, it works to find foster homes for young puppies who need care.

Marquerithe said a “kind woman” offered to take in the eight puppies and give them shelter for a week.

However, foster homes are still needed to take care of them afterwards, as they are only four weeks old and need care to survive.

She added that food donations for the puppies are more than welcome.

The puppies have been examined by a veterinarian and dewormed. They were very dehydrated when they were found, but are now eating and drinking well, Marquerithe said.

Laws and regulation

Like many countries, Qatar has several laws in place against abusing animals, though enforcement may be a problem.

Lawyer Yusuf Al Zaman previously said that beating or torturing a dog or cat – regardless of whether it is a stray or a pet – is an offense punishable by two months of jail time or a fine of up to QR1,000 (US$275) under Law No. 11.

Intentionally killing domestic animals, such as a dog, can lead to a prison term of three months, a fine of up to QR2,000 ($550) or both.

Omar Chatriwala/Flickr

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

Penalties climb to three years in prison and/or a fine of QR5,000 ($1,374) for killing or severely harming animals used to carry humans or goods such as camels, donkeys or cattle.

Stronger regulations may soon be on the way.

New GCC-wide legislation aimed at protecting the welfare of animals are expected to soon be implemented in Qatar. The law, which has already been adopted by Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, was discussed by Qatar’s Cabinet late last year, according to Al Sharq.

However, some residents have expressed skepticism that authorities are willing to aggressively go after animal abusers. The poor treatment of animals for sale at Souq Waqif has long been a sore subject for many, as has the practice of keeping wild creatures such as lions as pets.

Shelters

While responsibility for investigating cases of animal abuse falls on the police department, the Ministry of Environment (MOE) works to help control the number of stray cats and dogs.

Bill Kuffrey/Flickr

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

The MOE spays and neuters animals that come to its attention and then returns them to the streets, according to a ministry official.

Internal regulations prevent the MOE from killing stray animals unless they pose a threat to residents or have a fatal disease.

Still, the stray animal population – combined with pets that are abandoned by their owners – has stretched many shelters to their limits.

“We are at the end of our rope, as all the shelters are overloaded with animals and the same goes for our foster home recourses,” Marquerithe said.

“I wish the Qatar government would finally step up and implement a law that protects the animals in Qatar and put a stop of the breeding and selling of animals in the Souq.”

A few years ago, the Central Municipal Council (CMC) recommended that the government designate land to charity organizations and groups that shelter stray animals.

CMC said that the MOE had a temporary shelter for stray animals in Nuaija area, and a new government animal shelter is being built in Omm Salal Mohammad area. The 3,000 square meter establishment is expected to be finished by December 2015, according to Al Raya.

Thoughts?

(The post Local group seeks new home for puppies after stray dogs killed in Qatar is from Doha News.)

ITU Pictures/Flickr

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

More than one out of every four visitors to Qatar now hail from Saudi Arabia, according to new government figures that have shown a spike in tourism during the first quarter of this year.

The neighboring country’s importance to Qatar’s tourism sector appears to be growing, despite efforts by authorities here to attract a more diverse group of visitors.

In the first three months of this year, the number of arrivals from Saudi Arabia climbed to 241,008 people, a 28 percent jump over the first quarter of 2014, the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) said.

kgbbristol / Flickr

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

The visits were highest last month, when many families from Saudi Arabia came here while schools were closed for holiday.

“March witnessed the largest monthly influx of arrivals in Qatar’s history,” Hassan Al Ibrahim, QTA’s chief tourism development officer, said in a statement.

The number of Saudi tourists was more than double the number of visitors from India, Qatar’s second-largest source of guests. Arrivals from the South Asian country inched up to 107,262 in the first quarter, a 5 percent increase over the same period a year earlier.

Overall, the number of visitors to Qatar between January and March this year climbed to 841,025 people, up 11 percent over the first quarter of 2014.

Visitors also came from the UK (39,270 arrivals, up 4 percent), Bahrain (33,648, up 1 percent) and Oman (30,685, up 5 percent), among other countries.

Industry courts KSA

Saudi Arabia – and, to a lesser extent, other GCC countries – have long been a dominant source of tourists to Qatar, due to their proximity, common language and culture.

Previously, local tourism officials have said they want the number of visitors from the region to keep increasing, but would like to see the number of tourists from outside of the Gulf grow even faster.

QTA/Facebook

QTA ad to court French visitors.

Generally speaking, tourists from afar tend to spend more on hotels, dining out and shopping when they travel. By attracting more high-spending visitors, Qatar officials see tourism as a way for Qatar to diversify its economy away from oil and gas.

To that end, QTA has set a goal of attracting 64 percent of its tourists from outside the GCC. During the first quarter of 2014, it came close to meeting that target, as 57 percent of visitors came from non-Gulf countries.

Still, there are signs that the industry is looking to cater to and capitalize on Qatar’s largest source of tourists.

For example, Hilton Hotels & Resorts last year announced plans to open a 362-room waterfront resort in southwest Qatar, 15 minutes from the Saudi border, by 2019.

SKS Studio

Salwa beach resort

And last month, QTA officials stepped in to prevent hotels from hiking their prices during the Saudi school holiday.

The local tourism body threatened legal action against some hotels that had apparently increased their prices by 400 to 1,200 percent of the maximum allowable rate, denouncing the higher rates as “irresponsible.”

Despite the incident, the cost of a hotel room increased only modestly in March. The average rate per room stood at QR566 last month, up from QR546 in February. The increase was relatively consistent across all categories of accommodations, from five-star facilities to budget hotels.

Overall, average room rates actually dipped 1 percent during the first quarter. But higher occupancy rates meant that hoteliers brought in 7 percent more revenue per available room, a key industry metric.

Thoughts?

(The post Large influx of Saudi visitors to Qatar drives recent surge in tourism is from Doha News.)

Michael Elloray/Flickr

Finnish driver Kimi Räikkönen tests ahead of start of 2015 F1 series

Qatar’s long-held ambition to host a Formula One grand prix looks like it may have stalled again after the head of the F1 group indicated he was not looking to add another race in the region.

Just a few months ago, Qatar appeared to be on the verge of signing a deal to bring the grand prix to the state for the first time, which would make it the third Gulf nation after Bahrain and Abu Dhabi to host the event.

However, F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone has now downplayed Qatar’s chances, telling reporters at the Bahrain Grand Prix this week, “I think we’ve got enough here, don’t you?”

Waiting game

For three years, motorsports fans have been waiting for Qatar to be given the green light to host the event, after Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) President Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Attiyah said in 2012 that he was keen to have F1 come here.

In February, the dream looked like it was close to happening, as Al Attiyah reportedly told AFP:

“We are about to sign contracts to organize a Formula One race. We have completed all the steps and there are only a few details before the official signature.”

At the time, the deal looked like it would happen by 2016 or 2017, and that the race would either be at the Losail International Circuit or a new street circuit in Doha, Sky Sports said.

CaterhamF1/Flickr

2013 Bahrain Grand Prix

This comment followed months of speculation as to whether Qatar was likely to be added to the F1 calendar.

In November last year, a number of motorsports publications said Qatar was a contender, and Ecclestone confirmed that talks were ongoing.

“We are looking at all possibilities there. Qatar is not signed but they are ready to go,” he said, according to a report in The Independent.

Bahrain’s role

However, just weeks later the plans were put on hold after the F1 chief said that Bahrain, as the first Gulf state to host the event in 2004, had veto rights on any other cities in the region joining the schedule.

According to Reuters, Ecclestone said:

“I made a deal with the people in Bahrain and they said, ‘If we are going to be something new in this area, which we are, will you give us a guarantee you won’t put another race on in the area, in the Gulf?’ I said yes. Typical Ecclestone handshake deal with the Crown Prince.”

While negotiations to add Abu Dhabi to the circuit in 2009 went through, including Qatar appears to be a trickier proposition.

AR AlHashemi/Flickr

Bahrain Grand Prix

Still, Bahrain circuit chief executive Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al-Khalifa has reportedly down-played the state’s option to block Qatar from joining.

“It’s not for us (to say). It’s for the rights holder. We welcomed Abu Dhabi when they came on board and we’ll wait and see,” he added. “I think Mr. E appreciates the loyalty we have kept with him,” Reuters quoted him as saying.

Referring to Qatar’s bid to join the F1 circle, he added: “It’s nothing we have seen that is serious, so until it is then we can’t (answer).”

Bahrain’s existing deal to host the Grand Prix expires next year. Al-Khalifa reportedly said talks were ongoing to extend the contract, and that he hoped that the state’s slot would get pushed to earlier in the calendar from its existing fourth place, which was in mid-April this year.

With Abu Dhabi closing the season in November, Qatar faces a question about when it would host an F1 event, to avoid being too close to those already set by its Gulf neighbors and also steering clear of the hot summer months.

Qatar’s Losail International Circuit, situated near Lusail city north of Doha, opened in 2004 and hosts motorcycle grand prix including MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 events as well as a number of rallies and endurance competitions.

Thoughts?

(The post Formula One chief cools Qatar’s hopes of hosting grand prix races is from Doha News.)

Avi Viljoen/Flickr

Doha Metro Green Line

Contractors working on the Doha Metro have excavated 18.6km of the tunnels (about 20 percent) on the massive transportation project, which officials say remains on track to start operating in late 2019.

The first phase of the public transit project, which is intended to ease Doha’s worsening traffic jams as well as move large numbers of football fans around the country during the 2022 World Cup, will consist of 37 stations.

However, Qatar Rail said today that not all stations will be immediately accessible to the public.

Officials said that roughly QR65 billion (US$17.86 billion) worth of contracts have been awarded so far for the Doha Metro, which will initially consist of four lines:

• The Red Line North, running from a connection with Lusail’s light-rail line to Msheireb via West Bay;
• The Red Line South, running from Msheireb to Mesaieed, with a branch to Hamad International Airport;
• The Green Line, running from Al Rayyan Stadium to Msheireb via Education City; and
• The Gold Line, running from Villaggio Mall to the area around the old Doha International Airport, via Msheireb.

Material distributed to journalists today during an update on the metro’s progress contained alternative names for the lines.

The Red Line is referred to as the Coast Line, Green the Education Line, Gold the Historic Line. However, a spokesperson for Qatar Rail said later in the day that these are not the official names of the various lines.

Constructing all the lines simultaneously makes Qatar’s project one of the largest metro systems under construction on the planet.

“No where else in the world, as far as I’m concerned, builds such a massive project all at the same time, in such a short time,” said Samuel Mcchesney, the project director of the Gold Line who spent more than a decade working on Singapore’s metro system.

“Usually you’d do one line first for four or five years, then you’d do the next one … But obviously we’ve got the FIFA World Cup, so it has to be done and it will be done. It’s basically on schedule at the moment and we see no problem with meeting the date.”

Digging

Mcchesney was speaking to reporters at the Al Sudan station construction site, located on the Gold Line just off Al Waab St., near the Doha Expressway.

Avi Viljoen/Flickr

Tunnel boring machine on the Green Line

Two pairs of tunnel boring machines (TBMs), set to drill parallel tunnels in either direction, could be seen at the bottom of a large pit that will eventually be the station, 25 meters below the surface.

German firm Herrenknect has delivered all 21 tunnel boring machines to Qatar, and 17 of them are currently working in operation, officials said today.

Mcchesney said the Gold Line’s TBMs operate 24 hours a day, six days a week. On average, the machines will advance between 15 and 20 meters daily, he added.

Excavation is expected to be complete by mid-2017, at which time construction crews will turn their focus to fitting out the tunnels with rails, lighting, electricity and ventilation systems, as well as building the actual stations.

What’s underground?

Mcchesney said crews have so far encountered good subterranean conditions for tunneling.

Peter Kovessy

The Gold Line’s Al Sudan station, under construction

“Here, the soil is like a soft rock. It will stand up on its own. We have no real problem with ground stability,” he told Doha News.

“Sometimes, underground (materials) can just be like a soup (of) sand and water (that) just totally collapses when you expose it.”

While conditions on the Gold Line may be relatively dry, especially as it heads to Villaggio Mall, contractors face challenges of groundwater on stretches of the network closer to Doha Bay.

In February, a significant amount of water entered one of tunnels being dug between Msheireb Station and Al Bidda Station. While no one was injured, the flood damaged the TBM and caused work to grind to a halt.

Qatar Rail said today that the TBM is currently being repaired and may be ready for a re-launch by next month.

Speaking to Doha News, Qatar Rail CEO Saad Ahmed Al Muhannadi said the flooding incident would not affect the timeline of the metro project because work was operating five months ahead of schedule on the line at the time of the flooding.

“There was some lessons learned from this incident. All additional precautions was taken to avoid repeating this incident,” he said.

Long-distance rail

Officials also touched upon progress of Qatar’s other rail projects.

The long-distance passenger and freight line is still scheduled to enter operations by 2018, despite reported delays in the qualifying of contractors.

Meanwhile, all the tunneling for Lusail light-rail line – which will connect to the Doha Metro – was completed in 2013. Like the Metro, the Lusail LRT is expected to open to passenger traffic in 2019 and contain 37 stations.

That’s two years later than previously stated, although many of the separate projects to construct Lusail’s homes and offices that will create demand for the LRT have also fallen behind schedule.

The 38km LRT network will be spread across four separate lines.

The installation of a public transport system in Qatar is expected to take the pressure off the nation’s crowded road network, which is struggling to accommodate the thousands of new cars that join it each year.

“This is a network that will be an alternative to private transport,” said Hamad Ibrahim Al Bishri, Qatar Rail’s deputy CEO.

The second phase of the Doha Metro is projected to be completed by 2026, adding another 70-odd stations to transit system.

The rail network will be extended by approximately 146km by extending the existing lines further out of Doha and building a parallel Gold Line west of Msheireb.

Additionally, phase two includes a new Blue Line that loops in a semicircle from West Bay, through Al Sadd and towards the airport on a route that appears to roughly follow C-Ring Rd.

With the exception of the new Blue Line, which will be completely underground, most of the second phase will be constructed at ground level or on elevated tracks.

Thoughts?

(The post Contractors complete nearly 20km of tunnel digging for Doha Metro (updated) is from Doha News.)

Al Maha Airways

Al Maha Airways

Qatar’s national carrier is expected to finally begin operating its new venture in Saudi Arabia by the end of this year, according to an official with Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA).

That’s almost two years behind schedule, but months ahead of the last estimated beginning date.

Al Maha Airways, along with fellow fledgling airline Saudi Gulf (a spinoff of Bahrain-based Gulf Air), were awarded the right to operate within the kingdom in December 2012, as part of a plan to meet rising domestic aviation demand there.

Qatar Airways/Flickr

Akbar Al Baker

The carriers were due to start operations in September 2014, with initial routes to include Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Madinah, Abha and Qassim, but hit licensing problems last year.

Earlier this year, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said the airline may not be up and running until summer 2016, adding: “We expect to have a six-to-18-month waiting period before the operation starts.”

Al Maha – which means “oryx” in Arabic – will sport the Qatar Airways oryx logo, but it will be in green instead of maroon, to match Saudi Arabia’s national colors.

Bloomberg has previously reported that the airline will launch with a fleet of 10 Airbus aircraft, although the airline has not yet disclosed its plans for staffing of the new airline.

Licensing issues

Speaking to Saudi daily Al Madina, GACA Director General Sulaiman Abdullah Al Hamdan this week attributed the ongoing delays to the airlines, saying they were not meeting the regulations required to receive a license.

He added that a number of permits have yet to be completed.

When the airlines began operating, Al Hamdan said that no prices would be set by the GACA.

“There is no intention or plan that confirms distributing specific locations (in Saudi Arabia) on the airlines, but the competition will be open to fly passengers anywhere in the kingdom,” he said.

Currently, two carriers in Saudi Arabia offer domestic flights, Saudi Airlines and budget company flynas.

According to Al Madina, the two new carriers are expected to help fill demand in the country by boosting capacity some 14 percent.

The newspaper cited a GACA official as saying that last year, there was a shortage of two million seats in the domestic market.

Thoughts?

(The post Official: Qatar’s Al Maha Airways to launch in Saudi by year-end is from Doha News.)

Lesley Walker

Bluebell ice cream in freezers in Monoprix

An American company that makes Blue Bell ice cream has recalled all its frozen products in the US and some countries internationally – including Qatar – after a listeria outbreak that is believed to have caused three people to die, and 10 to become seriously ill.

On Monday, Bluebell Creameries issued a statement ordering the recall of “all of its products currently on the market made at all of its facilities including ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet and frozen snacks because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.”

Blue Bell Ice Cream/Facebook

Blue Bell ice cream

Supermarkets in Qatar that usually stock the product do not appear to have received any notification of the recall by local authorities yet, but at least two stores said they have voluntarily removed the ice cream from their freezers.

A representative from Megamart at The Center told Doha News that all Blue Bell products were removed last night, after being advised of the recall by a supplier.

Earlier this morning, Monoprix had some nine different Blue Bell ice cream flavors in stock, as well as some of the brand’s popsicles.

However, these have all since been removed, a supervisor told Doha News, although he said that the store had still not received any formal order to do so from Qatar authorities.

Health advice

Yesterday, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised consumers to not eat any Blue Bell brand products, and instructed institutions and retailers to stop serving or selling the ice cream while the manufacturing company investigates the source of the contamination.

The listeria organism can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections, particularly in children, the elderly, those with a weakened immune system and pregnant women. The bacteria can cause fever, muscle ache, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions.

Infections during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn, according to the CDC.

In its most recent statement, the CDC added:

“This is a complex and ongoing multistate outbreak investigation of listeriosis illnesses occurring over several years. Several strains of Listeria monocytogenes are involved in this outbreak. Information indicates that various Blue Bell brand products are the source of this outbreak.”

Bluebell Creameries is a Texas-based company that has been making ice cream for 108 years.

Claus Rebler/Flickr

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

It issued the blanket recall after pulling some products from stores over the previous few weeks. The recall comes while authorities investigate the deaths of three people in the state of Kansas over the past year, and 10 cases of illness after people contracted listeriosis – five in Kansas, three in Texas, one in Arizona and one in Oklahoma.

“We’re committed to doing the 100 percent right thing, and the best way to do that is to take all of our products off the market until we can be confident that they are all safe.

We are heartbroken about this situation and apologize to all of our loyal Blue Bell fans and customers. Our entire history has been about making the very best and highest quality ice cream and we intend to fix this problem. We want enjoying our ice cream to be a source of joy and pleasure, never a cause for concern, so we are committed to getting this right,” said Paul Kruse, Blue Bell CEO and president in a statement.

The recall affects 23 states within the US and 27 countries and territories internationally.

In addition to Qatar, they are: Anguilla, Belize, Bermuda, Chile, China, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Haiti, Jordan, Kuwait, Mexico, Montserrat, Oman, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico,, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saudi Arabia, Tortola, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United Arab Emirates, Yemen and St. Croix St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands.

The first case of illness dates back to January 2010, although the cause of the bacteria is still unknown.

Investigation

Blue Bell said it is investigating all its manufacturing facilities after initial tests found Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream half gallons produced on March 17, 2015, and March 27, 2015, contained the bacteria.

It said it was operating a “test and hold” process for all its products, rigorously testing all its foodstuffs to ensure they are safe before they are released to the market.

It said it has also increased its swabbing and testing of all its facilities and sending samples daily to a leading microbiology laboratory for testing and is providing additional employee training.

Thoughts?

(The post Qatar shops pull Blue Bell ice cream over listeria-related recall is from Doha News.)

Malabar Gold & Diamonds/Facebook

Kareena Kapoor

It’s going to be hot and a bit dusty again this weekend, but there are still plenty of activities to check out around town, from dune bashing to kids’ events to a special appearance from an Indian film star. Here are the highlights:

Bollywood actress visit

Indian superstar Kareena Kapoor will be in Qatar tomorrow, April 23, to inaugurate the sixth showroom of Malabar Gold and Diamonds.

She is scheduled to appear at Lulu Hypermarket (D-Ring Branch) at 6:30 pm for the opening ceremony. If the reception she got last week in Abu Dhabi is any indication, expect traffic in the area to be extremely heavy as her many fans turn up to catch a glimpse.

Rainbow Park for kids

Pearl Qatar

Pearl Qatar Rainbow Park

The Pearl-Qatar is opening a “Rainbow Park” tomorrow, April 23, at 18 and 1 La Croissette in Porto Arabia.

The venue will feature colorful sand pits and other rainbow-themed activities and sections, where children can build sand castles, play and interact with each other. The event is free and open to the public, and runs from 10am to 8pm daily until May 16.

Inland Sea open drive

A local group is hosting a trip to the Inland Sea this weekend and inviting residents out for a day of dune-bashing, BBQ and fun.

Toyota Qatar

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

Participants will learn safe dune driving techniques during the event. Those who wish to attend are requested to meet up with the group at Sealine at 1:30 pm on Friday, April 24, where the team will leave for the dunes via different routes for experienced and non-experienced drivers.

While the event is free, residents are required to have 4×4 cars, as smaller vehicles cannot be driven over the dunes, and are requested to bring their own BBQ, drinks, chairs and any other necessary tools.

Those without a 4×4 car, can hitch a ride via the event’s Facebook page here.

QMMF Sealine cross-country rally

Patrick Gage Kelley/Flickr

Photo of Sealine beach for illustrative purposes only.

Join some of the best local motorsport riders as they take part in the QMMF Sealine Cross-Country Rally from April 22 to 24 at the Sealine Beach Resort.

While the event began last Saturday, residents can still catch the 3rd, 4th, and 5th legs of the race, along with the closing ceremony on April 24 for free. For more information, visit the event’s website here, or view a detailed schedule here.

Ezdan Mall kids’ day

Keep tiny tots and toddlers busy this weekend with free loom band, play-doh, planting and fruit-cutting workshops from April 23 to 25 at Ezdan Mall.

Andrew Dallos/Flickr

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

The free activities also include face painting, kiddie fitness and a larger-than-life snake and ladder game, along with cotton candy and ice-cream treats. Children will also be entered into a daily raffle draw, with prizes drawn from 8:30 to 9pm. For more information, visit the mall’s Facebook page here.

Theater at the MIA

Students at Northwestern University in Qatar are putting on a free theater performance of Today’s Lesson: Pearls from the Past at 7pm tonight, April 22, at the Museum of Islamic Art.

The hour-long original musical, featuring music by Dana Al Fardan, is the final product of a Creative Collaboration course. The play follows the journey of three unruly schoolgirls as they venture into the past and explores themes of pearl diving, education and human growth.

Residents are welcome to attend the show’s closing performance, and reserve their seats online here.

Islamic geometry workshop

The Katara Cultural Center is hosting an Islamic geometry workshop on April 24 from 4 to 6pm at the Art Studios (Building 19).

Dimitry B./Flickr

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

The workshops, which cost QR150 per person, are open to residents ages 16 years old and over, and will cover the basics of Islamic geometry and pattern-making. To book a seat, email your name and contact details to education@katara.net or call the Katara Education Center at 44080233.

Bonus:

• Hand Puppet Family Workshop: Katara Art Studios is hosting a cloth hand puppet family workshop at Building 19 tomorrow, April 23. Three sessions of the workshop, which costs QR30, will be held on the hour from 5 to 7pm. To register a spot, email education@katara.net, or call 44081357 or 44080233.
• MIA Park bazaar: This is one of the last weekends before summer that the Museum of Islamic Art Park will hold its weekly bazaar, on Saturday, April 25, from noon to 8pm. A homage to the old souqs of yore, the bazaar features some 150 stalls selling clothes, accessories, arts, crafts, décor and the like. The event is free and open to the public and will continue to be held every Saturday through May. For more information, visit the event’s website here.
• Peter and the Wolf performance: The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra is hosting a one-time performance of Peter and the Wolf at the German International School tomorrow, April 23, at 4pm. Tickets to the event cost QR50 for adults and QR25 for children, and are available at the school’s reception.

What are your weekend plans? Thoughts?

(The post Seven things to do in Qatar this weekend (April 22-25) is from Doha News.)

Peter Kovessy

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

Contractors in Qatar could face fines if they miss deadlines related to road work and excavation projects under a new enforcement system being considered by the public works authority.

Speaking at a Central Municipal Council (CMC) meeting yesterday, an Ashghal official said the organization was looking into introducing the penalties as a way to keep projects on schedule and reduce the public impact of having so many dug-up roads in Qatar.

Yusuf Abdulrahman al-Emadi, director of Ashghal’s road maintenance department, said that under the new proposal, Ashghal would assess each job and set a time-frame for completion of digging works.

The authority would monitor progress and if the works go past schedule, the contractor could be penalized, according to Gulf Times.

These new rules could be rolled out as early as next month, the newspaper added.

Call for action

With thousands of vehicles joining Qatar’s already busy roads each month, pressure is on authorities to take steps to reduce congestion where possible.

Muhammad Kamran Qureshi/Flickr

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

Reducing the time that roads are closed for digging is being seen as one way of addressing this problem.

Ashghal’s announcement came as several CMC member relayed public concerns over the number of roadworks taking place around central Doha at one time, which they said led to delays.

Also at the CMC meeting, an official from Kahraama (Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation) said that the problem partly stemmed from householders’ requests for improved utilities infrastructure.

“Kahramaa faces a challenge when many house owners submit requests to increase their water and electricity load and get it approved by the municipality. This entails digging,” Kahramaa’s Nasser Mohamed al-Nuaimi is quoted by Gulf Times as saying.

Penalties are something that other government entities are also rolling out. At the same meeting, a Doha Municipality officer said that the body had recently begun blacklisting contractors who fail to keep to the terms of their agreements.

Chantelle D'mello

For illustrative purposes only

Salim Hammoud al Shafi, Director of the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning (MMUP)’s monitoring section, said the new system is being deployed on a trial basis to deny new contracts to companies that have previously found to have violated terms and conditions of their agreements, in a bid to improve efficiency, Qatar Tribune reports.

Qatar’s infrastructure is undergoing a substantial overhaul, as Ashghal undertakes a number of huge projects including its seven-year, QR16 billion Expressway program and more than 200 works related to local roads and drainage program, in addition to upgrading Doha’s sewerage system.

This is as well as digging projects undertaken by a number of other organizations including Kahramaa.

Do you think a penalty system would help speed up construction here? Thoughts?

(The post Ashghal considers fining contractors for missing project deadlines is from Doha News.)

Check Out My Design

For illustrative purposes only.

The local sports calendar is poised to become much busier over the coming year with an average of more than seven major events per month, a spokesperson from Qatar’s Olympics Committee (QOC) has said.

The packed agenda is part of a push by local officials to position Qatar as a global sporting hub and develop a stronger athletic culture ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

Qatar is expected to host 89 local, regional and international sporting events between this month and March 2016 – up from 84 a year earlier, the QOC spokesperson said.

At the same time, the number of international athletic events hosted by Qatar is set to climb to 55 – up from 43 events last year, he said.

In a statement to Doha News, the spokesperson added:

“Hosting world-class sports events in Qatar helps to inspire more young people at a grassroots level, develop more elite athletes, empower more females and inspire greater community participation.”

Boxing

Some of the most high-profile events coming to Qatar include the AIBA World Boxing Championship for Men – the first time the event has come to the region.

AIBA World Boxing Championship Facebook page

For illustrative purposes only.

The AIBA World Boxing Championship will be held at Al Sadd Sports Club from Oct. 5 to 18 this year.

A smaller event, the Doha International Boxing Tournament, will be held next month and feature competitors from 11 countries including Tunisia, Morocco, India, Pakistan, Australia, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Australia, Philippines, Nepal and Saudi Arabia.

The May tournament will be good practice for officials organizing the event’s logistics ahead of the the World Championship in October, said Youseff Kazem, the head of the Qatar Boxing Federation, according to Qatar Olympic’s Committee website.

“(It) will revitalize the boxing sport to attract the public, adolescents and youth, as we find it very difficult to find talent (here),” he said.

IPC Athletics / Facebook

For illustrative purposes only.

Separately, Qatar will also host the International Paralympic Committee Athletics World Championship this year.

“It is our ambition to increase opportunities for people with a disability to participate in sport and to use the World Championships to showcase the incredible achievements of Paralympic athletes,” said Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, QOC secretary-general, in an online statement.

The IPC Athletics World Championship will be held at Qatar Sports Club from Oct. 22 to 31.

Other sporting events

Other tournaments coming to Qatar include bowling, sailing, ice skating and weightlifting events. A full calendar can be found on the QOC website.

“Many of the World Championship events that QOC have hosted or will be hosting have come to the Middle East for the first time in their history, which introduces new fans, new athletes, new markets and new sponsors to the sport,” the spokesperson said.

There’s also the Asian Senior Wrestling Championship at Aspire Zone from May 4 to 11, as well as the first Asian Youth Athletics Championship from May 8 to 11.

The events come on the heels of several successful tournaments hosted by Qatar that have wrapped up in recent months such as the FINA World Cup Swimming Championship, the Qatar Total Open and the Men’s Handball World Championship.

Local handball organizers built several brand-new stadiums for the tournament – which helped give a boost to many of Qatar’s hotels – and generated more buzz around the event with last-minute announcements of concerts by high-profile stars such as Pharrell Williams, Gwen Stefani, Kylie Minogue and Taio Cruz.

Thoughts?

(The post Qatar to host 89 major sports tournaments through March 2016 is from Doha News.)

All photos courtesy of the Supreme Council for Delivery and Legacy

In a glitzy ceremony last night, Qatar’s 2022 World Cup organizing committee has revealed a new desert design for its fifth football stadium.

The new 40,000-seat capacity complex will be built on the site of the now-deconstructed Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan.

The former structure was intended to serve as the basis of the new stadium, but ended up being torn down to meet FIFA’s technical requirements for a proposed World Cup host venue.

Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy

Former rendering of Al Rayyan Stadium

While the facility was originally designed to look like it was wrapped in a massive digital display board, the new plans for the stadium, located some 20km west of Doha’s city center, look markedly different.

Designed by UK-based Ramboll and Pattern, the rectangular-shaped building is slated to have soft corners and undulating waves, drawing on Islamic geometric influences that are also evident in the facade of Qatar’s iconic Burj Al Arab building in West Bay.

In a statement, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SCDL) said the Al Rayyan stadium boasts seven patterns:

“Shield, desert rose, chain, nut heart, banana spiral, palm tree and bridal ring patterns. One of the six includes the bridal ring, a pattern referencing the heart of the stadium which unifies family and society. The pattern is also inspired by the Islamic and cultural concept of women at the core of the family and their important role in society.

The shield pattern, which predominantly weaves in the other six patterns, represents loyalty, unity and perseverance. The patterns unify to form one grand pattern for Al Rayyan, defining the past and future. The third and fourth patterns in the new design play on nature; the desert rose, a unique symbol of the natural ornaments in the desert, and the palm tree.”

Features

When completed in 2019, dune-like structures meant to resemble the sand dunes that surround traditional desert tents will flank the stadium and host multi-functional hospitality and service areas.

SCDL

Al Rayyan Stadium design

The stadium also has two giant screens for match replays, close-ups, and other graphics, and 3,400 parking spaces.

Adjacent “precinct” facilities in the building’s enclosure include mosques, a members club, an athletics track, cricket, hockey, and football training pitches, tennis courts, an aquatics centre, a skating park, a cycling track and shaded walkways and fountains.

Mall of Qatar

Mall of Qatar rendering.

The proposed design also features nearby facilities like the Al Rayyan Doha Metro link, located five minutes from the currently under-construction Mall of Qatar as well as a new branch of the ultra-modern sports medicine hospital, Aspetar.

Manco International General Contracting W.L.L, a joint venture between Manco, a subsidiary of the Al Mana Group, and Buckingham Group Contract are in charge of the stadium’s early works and preliminary deconstruction, while multi-national American corporation AECOM has been booked as the complex’s project manager.

After the 2022 World Cup, where the stadium will host matches up to the quarter finals stage, the complex’s capacity will be almost halved, with 19,000 seats in the upper tier removed and gifted to developing football nations in need of sporting amenities.

Sustainability

In a bid to promote sustainability in a largely fossil-fuel driven economy, the new stadium will be built with some with 90 percent of the materials from the deconstructed complex.

SCDL

Demolition of Al Rayyan stadium

In a statement, the SCDL said some of the debris and materials will also be used by local and international artists to create works of public art that reflect the history of Al Rayyan Sports Club.

The Supreme Committee added that the new stadium would aim to reduce its own carbon footprint through on-site renewable energy sources, a lightweight building design, careful selection of materials and both energy and water efficiency measures.

The stadium is also designed with the goal of certification under both the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ratings.

Finally, to offset Qatar’s heat, the stadium is slated to be fitted with sustainable cooling technology to ensure comfortable viewing conditions for fans and an optimal playing temperature for players both during and after the World Cup.

Other stadiums

When Qatar bid for the games, it proposed readying 12 stadiums for the World Cup. That included a major renovation of three stadiums (Al Gharafa, Al Rayyan and Khalifa International), as well as the construction of nine new stadia.

However, that number is now expected to be pared down to so that the tournament is played in eight stadiums (the minimum requirement). A decision on the final number is expected to be made by FIFA this year.

So far, Qatar has unveiled plans for four of its other World Cup stadiums: in Al Khor, Al Wakrah, the Aspire Zone and Qatar Foundation. Each facility is expected to seat some 34,000 to 60,000 people.

SCDL

Al Bayt (Al Khor) Stadium rendering

The Al Khor stadium, dubbed “Al Bayt,” is based on the traditional Bayt Al Sha’ar, a white and black tent used by nomads in Qatar, and is one of the proposed venues for the world cup semi-finals. It is expected to be completed by 2018.

SCDL

Khalifa Stadium rendering

Next is the Aspire Zone’s existing 30-year-old Khalifa Stadium. The complex is expected to be refurbished to keep with FIFA standards, nine years after a US$90.12 million renovation done prior to the Asian Games.

In the southwest, the Al Wakrah Stadium, a modular structure based on the traditional dhow boat, will seat some 40,000 spectators during the World Cup, and around half that amount afterwards. Enabling works have been ongoing and the stadium is expected to be completed by 2018, three years later than the initial proposed date.

And the last venue with a design so far is a 40,000-seat diamond-inspired Education City stadium, part of the larger QF Stadium & Health and Wellness Precinct, which will include gymnasiums, a swimming pool, tennis courts, medical clinics and areas for other athletic activities.

Other confirmed sites for stadiums include Qatar Sports Club in Dafna/West Bay, and another venue near the new airport.

The eighth venue will be in Lusail City, which will host the World Cup opening ceremony and final match in 2022. That stadium is currently in the design phase.

All contracts for the stadium projects are to be governed by the SCDL’s Workers Welfare Standards, which were announced in 2013 and outline a number of basic rights that all contractors working on World Cup-related projects in Qatar are required to follow.

Thoughts?

(The post Qatar unveils new Al Rayyan Stadium design inspired by sand dunes is from Doha News.)