Showing posts with label Doha News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Doha News. Show all posts

Wednesday, 19 August 2015


Did you know you can add a pronunciation guide to your name on Facebook? Overlay colorful text on the photos you post? How about mark the end of a relationship without your 500 closest friends getting notified?
Many of these tips and tricks aren't well known, even to veterans of the 1.5 billion-strong people-connector and time-waster. Facebook is constantly updating its service, adding new features or tweaking old ones. A lot can slip through the cracks even if you are scrolling through your friends' updates several times a day.
Here are a few ways to enhance your Facebook experience:
1. How do you say that?
More than 83 percent of Facebook's users are outside of the U.S. and Canada, and they use over 80 languages to communicate with friends and family. That's a lot of people, and a lot of different ways to say your name. To add a pronunciation guide, go to the "about" section of your profile and click on "details about you," (called "more about you" on mobile) then "name pronunciation." Here, Facebook will offer suggestions for your first and last name that you can listen to before selecting. If none work, you can also type in your own phonetic pronouncer.
2. One-time password
Logging in from a public computer? If you don't feel comfortable typing in your password on a shared machine that might have malicious software, Facebook lets you request a temporary one by texting "otp" to 32665. You'll get an eight-character passcode that works for the next 20 minutes and cannot be reused.
3. Unsubscribe
Anyone who's commented on a popular Facebook post, or belongs to a particularly chatty group, knows that those notifications telling you that "Jane Doe and 4 others also commented on a post" can get a bit annoying. You can turn off notifications for individual posts by clicking on the globe icon on the top right corner of your Web browser, then on the "X'' next to the individual notification. You can also change your notification settings here to get fewer or more of them for each group that you belong to.
To do this on mobile, click to view the original post, then click the down arrow in the top right corner of the post. You'll see an option to "turn off notifications."
4. Keep it on the down-low
Announcing engagements and marriages on Facebook is fun. Post and watch the likes and congrats roll in. Bask in the love and glory. Fast-forward a few years for some couples, and the glory fades, not to mention the love and marriage. In this case, you might not want to announce the irreversible breakdown to 450 of your closest friends.
Thankfully, you can still mark the end of a relationship without notifying everyone. Go to your profile and click on the "about" section, then "family and relationships on the left." Under relationship, you'll see a gray icon that probably says "friends," or maybe "public." Change it to "only me." Then change your relationship status. After a while, you can change it back if you wish. Your hundreds of acquaintances will be none the wiser, unless they are stalking your profile to see if you are single.
5. Picture perfect
Thanks to a popular but little-known new feature, Facebook lets you spruce up the photos you post by adding text and quirky stickers, such as drawings of scuba gear, sunglasses or a corn dog. This tool is available on iPhones and is coming soon to Android devices. To use it, choose a photo to upload and click the magic wand icon. Here, you'll find text overlay options as well as the same stickers you can use in other parts of Facebook.
6. Security check
Another recent addition to Facebook's trove of tools is a "security checkup" that guides users through a checklist aimed at making their account more secure. This includes logging out of Facebook on Web browsers and apps they are not using, and receiving alerts when someone tries to log in to their account from an unfamiliar device or browser. To use it, go to https://www.facebook.com/help/securitycheckup on your computer - this feature is not yet available on the mobile app.

Six Things You Didn't Know You Could Do on Facebook

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Workers will be paid electronically either twice a month or monthly

Qatar on Tuesday officially launches one of its most “significant” labour reforms to guarantee migrant workers’ wages.

The Wage Protection System (WPS) aims to ensure that migrant labourers, many working on 2022 World Cup-related projects, will finally receive their pay on time.

Under the new system, workers will be paid either twice a month or monthly, and the wages electronically transferred direct to their bank accounts.

Failure to pay salaries on time, especially for blue-collar workers, has been one of the biggest complaints voiced by rights groups against companies in the Gulf state.

A 2013 academic study, “Portrait of Low-Income Migrants in Contemporary Qatar,” found that around a fifth of migrant workers were “sometimes, rarely or never” paid on time.

On August 18, a six-month grace period for businesses to ready for the electronic payment system expires.

From that date, companies which fail to pay staff on time could face fines of up to 6,000 Qatari rials (Dh6,052), be banned from recruiting new staff, and bosses potentially sent to jail.

Inspection teams will monitor the new system and identify any firms not complying with the regulations.

The WPS is being overseen by the labour ministry, which has previously pointed to its introduction as proof of Qatar’s commitment to labour reform.

In May, the ministry cited the WPS as an example of the “significant changes” being introduced in response to furious criticism of its labour practices since the controversial decision to allow Qatar to host football’s biggest tournament.

Amnesty International, which has previously criticised Qatar for its “slow” pace of reform, said the introduction of the WPS was “welcome”.

“It’s a positive step in principle,” said Amnesty’s Gulf migrant rights researcher, Mustafa Qadri.

However, Amnesty still has concerns about what will actually happen in practice following the deadline on Tuesday.

It has called on Doha not to make any last-minute concessions to business or extend the grace period and also to ensure the WPS will be rigorously enforced.

“We shouldn’t see August 18 as some sort of panacea, now we have the law, how will it be enforced?

“The government now has a benchmark it can apply to business. The government should effectively enforce this law,” added Qadri.

“We shouldn’t see August 18 as a deadline but a new beginning for Qatar.”

Doha has said it backs “effective and sustainable change” and says the WPS, like Qatar’s promise of accommodation improvements for 250,000 workers, demonstrates a commitment to this end.

But reform of the WPS only adds to the calls for change elsewhere, specifically the biggest reform of all, scrapping of the controversial kafala (sponsorship) system, which limits the movement of foreign workers.

Qadri called kafala the “elephant in the room” and said the changes being introduced on August 18 should open the door to further reforms.

He referred specifically to the ending of the controversial kafala system.

Qatar has pledged by the end of 2015 to abolish the system under which employers retain the passports of workers, who are not allowed to change jobs.

Source: http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/qatar/qatar-to-launch-major-labour-reform-for-migrant-workers-1.1568486

Qatar to launch major labour reform for migrant workers

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Tuesday, 18 August 2015



The proposal by the Ministry of Finance to introduce Value Added Tax (VAT) stemmed from the fact that revenue from crude oil and other hydrocarbon products had gone down because of low oil prices, an analyst toldGulf News.

Sanyalaksna Manibandhu, Head of Research, NBAD Securities, said the decision was expected and the next step would be potentially corporate tax and income tax.

“The revenue from crude oil and other hydrocarbon products had gone down because of the declining oil prices. Depending on how VAT and corporate tax is introduced that would obviously increase the revenue and reduce the fiscal deficit.”

He said that the government might be selective in introducing the tax like they may not put it on food but have it on other goods like cigarettes etc.

“So it can be something that it doesn’t hit the poor, but does hit people who can afford to buy expensive goods.”

GCC countries have been introducing a slew of measures to overcome fiscal deficit as oil prices go down. In a landmark decision, the United Arab Emirates has scrapped fuel subsidies last month. The country increased petrol prices by more than 20 per cent.

From $115 per barrel last year, oil prices plunged less than $50 in recent times. The trend is likely to continue in the coming months as demand weakens and oil production increases.

Manibandhu said the rationale behind the decision to deregulate fuel prices is to reduce fiscal deficit by cutting down on subsidies.

The introduction of VAT in all GCC countries is to avoid unfair advantage because of the tax structure, he added.“The fuel prices were increased as it was too cheap and consumers tend to overuse it. The government will spend less on subsidy and finish off deficit.”

The Ministry of Finance on Tuesday has confirmed that the UAE has been conducting a series of studies on the implementation of a draft VAT law, along with the other GCC countries.

This is based on a previous agreement between the UAE and all GCC states to impose a VAT tax law simultaneously.

The draft law is still pending and under negotiation due to the absence of a final agreement between GCC countries on the tax rate and a list of tax exemptions, according to Ministry of Finance.

In a report released this month, International Monetary Fund suggested that the UAE consider imposing VAT at a 5 per cent rate, a 10 per cent corporate income tax, and a 15 per cent excise tax on automobiles.

Low oil prices push GCC to consider VAT

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UAE and India on Monday raised their partnership to a strategic level by setting up a UAE-India Infrastructure Investment Fund with a target of $75 billion (Dh275 billion) and establishing a mechanism for regular meetings between their security agencies to improve operational cooperation.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Monday received visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Dubai. The Vice-President emphasised the historical ties that bind the UAE and India. The two leaders explored ways to strengthen the friendship and cooperation on strategic grounds that ensure the interests of both countries and people. Modi invited Shaikh Mohammad to visit India and he accepted, WAM reported.

Earlier at the Emirates Palace, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Modi discussed bilateral relations and exchanged views on a number of regional and international developments.

At the end of Modi’s two-day visit, the two countries condemned efforts, including use of religion by states to justify, support and sponsor terrorism against other countries. They decided to establish a dialogue between their national security advisers and national security councils with bi-annual meetings, and agreed to cooperate in the manufacture of defence equipment in India, work together to promote peace, reconciliation and stability in the region, promote cooperation in space technology and projects and cooperate in peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

On the economic front the two countries will facilitate participation of Indian companies in infrastructure development in the UAE and promote strategic partnerships in the energy sector, including through UAE participation in India in the development of strategic petroleum reserves, upstream and downstream petroleum sectors.

The statement said the countries will coordinate efforts to counter radicalisation and misuse of religion by groups and countries to incite hatred, perpetrate and justify terrorism or pursue political aims.

UAE-India fund targets Dh275b

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Monday, 17 August 2015



Overconsumption of water remains a key problem for Qatar as it moves forward, Dr. Adel Sharif of the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI) has said during a speech at this week’s Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum.

According to Sharif, Qatar’s residents use an average of 500 liters of water every day, making the country one of the world’s biggest consumers of water. Quality of life, lifestyle and the country’s harsh climate as the major reasons for the high usage – four times as much as many European countries, and 10 times more than many others, he added.

The UK, for example, averages 150 liters; Australia 290 liters; France 164 liters. However, Qatar’s neighbors also have extremely high usage – in the UAE, per capita water consumption is 550 liters. The global average is 250.
Desert state

Qatar, which is thought to have only a 48-hour emergency water supply, has attempted to decrease consumption with awareness campaigns. But changes in behavior would only have a limited affect, Sharif argues.

Instead, he added, Qatar should focus on developing solar-powered desalination technologies to help it produce more water without having an adverse effect on the environment. Gulf Times reports him as saying:


“Our vision is to solve tomorrow’s problems today through innovation. We need to adopt ‘step changes’ such as thinking out of the box, using new processes, novel technologies and new materials. This will help us find new solutions that will help not only Qatar but the entire world to come out of the water crisis.”

He also told the conference that Qatar aims to reuse 30 percent of its water by 2020. As part of this effort, Qatar University and Exxon Mobil are currently researching the best ways to treat industrial waste water so that it can be safely used for irrigation and park use.

Water security in Qatar – one of the world’s only true desert states, with no surface water – is a major challenge that requires significant scientific research, former first lady Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, chairperson of Qatar Foundation, also told the conference this week.

In her speech, Sheikha Moza stated her support for scientific research to improve desalination technologies.

Solar-powered desalination has been in Qatar’s plan for some time. Last year, the nation announced plans to build a solar-powered plant with the aim of producing 80 percent of its water needs through solar energy.

Fahad bin Mohammed Al Attiya, Chairman of the Organizing Sub-Committee for COP18/CMP8, told journalists that these plans were “at the final design stage,” and that it could begin operation in 2014, but thus far, no further details of the plan has emerged.

Last month, however, a deal was signed for a new desalination plant at Ras Abu Fontas, due to enter service in 2015. Media reports do not suggest it will be solar powered.

Qatar is also planning to build five “mega” reservoirs on the outskirts of Doha by 2016, a $2.7 billion plan that would increase the emergency water supply to seven days.

Thoughts?

Managing water supply a key challenge facing Qatar, expert says

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Sunday, 16 August 2015


  • The Silver Pearl Hotel has been designed by New York-based firm M. Castedo Architects 
  • The 1000-plus room hotel and conference centre will feature two half moon shaped towers 
  • It will be built a mile out to see and connected to Doha by a four-lane causeway

A deluxe hotel resembling two half moons on the horizon will be built a mile off the coast of Doha in Qatar at a cost of £1.02billion.

The Silver Pearl Hotel, designed by New York-based firm M. Castedo Architects, is set to have more than 1000 rooms and an adjoining expo centre, has been scheduled for completion ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup to be host by Qatar.

Although it's still awaiting final approval, the remarkable-looking design featuring two 30-storey semi-circle towers will be built and operated by Qatari developer Katara Hospitality.

 
The estimated £1.02b cost doesn't include the interior construction or the building of dining areas and commercial outlets.

A four-lane elevated causeway will be constructed for cars while private yacht and helicopters will also have easy access to the hotel.

The designer said the complex will be positions above the seabed to have as little impact as possible on the marine environment.

'A major environmental consultant with extensive marine experience in the area will be responsible for making sure that lessons learned on existing projects such as The Palm and The World in nearby Dubai are incorporated in the development of this particular site,' the statement said.


The Silver Pearl is perhaps the most ambitious of a number of projects commissioned ahead of the 2022 World Cup by which the country is aiming to have increased its hotel capacity from about 15,000 to 95,000.

A report by Samba Financial Group fears following the tournament, which has been shrouded in controversy with widespread accusations of corruption throughout the bidding process, the country's tourism intake will struggle to support so many hotel facilities.

'Although the recent growth of the tourism industry in Qatar has been robust, it will be difficult for the country to achieve the level of visitor growth which will garner enough demand to support a 400 per cent expansion in the number of hotel rooms in eight years,' the report stated.

£1BILLION 'shimmering pearl' floating hotel a mile offshore from Doha to open in time for 2022 Qatar World Cup

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Wednesday, 12 August 2015


Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa) intends to replace conventional meters in the Doha area by smart meters by 2016, an industry source has said.
Prime Minister and Minister of Interior HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani had launched the smart meter system for remote readings of electricity and water consumption in January this year.
Smart meter deployment provides real-time information on the energy, water or natural gas consumption of a building.
At present, meter readings have to be conducted separately for water and electricity for each housing unit or building. This process is labour intensive and smart meters will help automate this process.
"In an endeavour to offer better energy management solutions to consumers, Kahramaa has leveraged the collaborative understanding of Information Technology and the power sector to launch its smart meter project," Expotrade, a global conference and event organiser, said.
The country's steady movement towards an overall smart energy approach is supported by the installation of smart grid projects and its related technologies such as smart meter that benefits consumers and energy providers in ways more than one.
Additionally, it enables Kahramaa to optimise energy consumption and promote energy efficiency.
Installing a smart meter helps keep a check on power distribution, monitors consumer usage and communicates revenue unit of energy data in real-time between any two-distribution points.
According to an industry study, smart metering market will reach 16.1mn units by 2022 and 86% of homes and businesses in the Gulf countries are expected to have smart meters by the same year.
One of the most advanced in the world, Qatar's smart meter system is based on a remote reading system that sends electronic readings to the energy supplier automatically.
It is equipped with consumption data recording modules for electricity and water as well as GPS modules for localising individual metering points.

Kahramaa switching to smart meters by 2016

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Tuesday, 11 August 2015


The Qatari capital of Doha was named host of the 2019 Athletics World Championships on Tuesday, just days after the Gulf state's football officials were cleared of corruption by FIFA in their successful bid for the 2022 World Cup.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) announced Doha had beaten off Barcelona and Eugene, Oregon, for the event after missing out to London for the 2017 edition.
"I am sure that in Doha we will have a wonderful edition of the World Championships," said IAAF president Lamine Diack, saying the three bids were "the best presentations we have ever had".
Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the leader of the Doha bid which saw off that of Eugene 15-12 in the second round of voting by the IAAF after Barcelona's elimination, added: "It's a privilege and honour to have the trust of the IAAF.
"I am very delighted that these championships are going to be for the first time in the region. I'm confident that with the help of the IAAF we will organise one of the best world championships."
Doha has proposed holding the event in the unfavourable period from September 29-October 6, with marathons to be held in the evening, in a bid to avoid the searingly hot summer month of August, when the championships are usually held.
The 2015 world championships take place in Beijing from August 22-30, while the London 2017 event is also scheduled for August.
The issue of temperature has also been a factor in the 2022 World Cup, with a push to hold it in the winter months, much to the disgruntlement of the European leagues.
- Controversial choice -
Doha will also be a controversial choice for track and field because most athletics events are wrapped up in early September, with the final Diamond League meet usually held in Brussels on the first weekend of the month, and just a sprinkling of meets following that as athletes head into the off-season before an all-important Olympic year.

Source-http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/news/doha-to-host-2019-world-championships_28042

Doha to host 2019 world championships

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Location: Doha, Qatar



Qatar will celebrate International Youth Day on Wednesday,12th August that recognises efforts of world's youth in enhancing global society.
The Youth Affairs Department at the Ministry of Youth and Sport will organise more than 20 events over three days under the theme 'Youth Participation'.In a statement, the ministry stressed the need for involvement and participation of young people to achieve sustainable human development by highlighting their efforts to raise awareness about the importance of youth participation and benefits to individuals and society, including sustainable development and well-being.

The ministry said there is a UN online campaign in which youth can participate with stories and ideas about their participation in community activities.They can send related comments or images expressing their thoughts and opinions, tweets about the impact of their participation in activities, or sending documents and photos showing how to engage in the promotion of youth participation.

The ministry confirmed that celebrations aim to encourage young people to participate in adopting decisions, enhance their role in human development, put forward challenges and needs of youth, promote their participation and reduce the gap between young people and officials by expanding the scope of dialogue and mutual understanding.


Source: www.qatarliving.com/

Qatar To Celebrate International Youth Day On Wednesday

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Monday, 10 August 2015



Doha witnesses young age Qatari nationals hunting for jobs while they are sure to get one if they are fluent in speaking English or they know computers. That is what a ministerial survey has found.

The finding further explains that youth are not interested in private jobs because of several reasons. Private employers only pay against the talent and always have tight budgets together with, odd work hours, maybe they need to work in shifts and even they have six days working in a week too. Further there are usually benefits termination a job having no retirement plans.

Why Qatari youth is unemployed, this because they lack experience and they are not qualified enough for the job offer. The survey during first quarter of 2015 was managed by the Ministry of Development Planning and the figures reveal that  177 Qataris holding secondary school certificate do not want to join private sector because of fore mentioned reasons.

Both men and women total 1.8 million who were found economically active. Out of this, the age group 25 to 34 years totaled 694,139 and next age group 35 to 44 years totaled 519,432.

The younger age group falling in bracket 15 to 24 year was 215,485 in number. The economically active Qatari ladies were counted as 35,296 while those excluding this group were around 62,000 in number.

Only 375 Qatari men and women did show interest in working with private sector while another 389 clearly decided not to join private sector for their jobs.

Unemployed Qataris are interested to learn English but not willing to join private sector!

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Location: Doha, Qatar

Thursday, 6 August 2015

Qatargas has issued its 2014 Sustainability Report, covering the company’s economic, environmental and social performance.  The report, which is the fifth Sustainability Report of Qatargas, includes historical performance data, coverage of progress made in 2014 and looks ahead at our future activities.

A key feature of the 2014 report is a description of how Qatargas moved closer to its 2015 vision of becoming the world’s premier LNG company indicating the 2014 progress in all key performance indicators of the vision’s five major pillars which are; Safety, health and environmental performance; Customer satisfaction; A high caliber, diverse workforce; Efficient and reliable operations; Financial performance. 

The report also contains an overview of the LNG market in 2014 and a graphic illustration of the Qatargas value chain — from the well-head, off-shore Qatar, to our customers all around the world.

Some of the Company’s key performance highlights in 2014 include completion of the $1bn Jetty Boil-off Gas Recovery project, 100 percent reliable deliveries, 80 percent of procurement awards made locally, 34 percent reduction in flaring, 21 percent reduction in recordable injuries, six percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and zero significant spills. It also talks about a significant rise in employee training and a continued increase in our community investment budget.

Improvements in health and safety performance position Qatargas as a sector leader, but work remains in order to achieve an incident and injury free workplace. Qatarization also remains an ongoing priority with 24 percent of the workforce made up of Qatari nationals in 2014, almost half way towards the 2020 target of 50 percent.

In preparing this report Qatargas has used national and international reporting guidelines provided by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA)/ American Petroleum Institute (API) and International Oil and Gas Producers Association (OGP), and the Qatar Energy and Industry Sector Sustainability (QEISS) Programme. 

Qatargas, established in 1984, pioneered the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Industry in Qatar. Today, Qatargas is the largest LNG producing company in the world, with an annual LNG production capacity of 42 million tonnes per annum (MTA).

 Source-http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/business/qatar-business/347724/qatargas-issues-sustainability-report

Qatargas issues sustainability report

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Location: Doha, Qatar
The Qatar Development Fund is donating $10 million to the Wajd programme in Palestine to support 2,108 children and youths who lost their parents in the Israeli assault on Gaza in the summer of 2014.


The Wajd programme will be launched in Ramallah and Gaza today in partnership with the Palestinian Welfare Association, the Bank of Palestine and the Haj Hashim A’atah Al-Shawa Fund.

Mr. Khalifa Bin Jassim Al-Kuwari, General Director of the Qatar Development Fund, said:
“The Wajd programme seeks to empower the children and young people of Gaza so they can live in dignity, achieve their ambitions and become active members of their community.
The programme, which coincides with the one-year anniversary of the Israeli assault on Gaza, will provide support for 2,108 orphans and their families until the age of 22.
These efforts are part of Qatar’s continued commitment to supporting economic and social development in Arab and developing countries.”
Dr. Tafeeda Jarbawi, Director General of the Palestinian Welfare Association, said:
“We want to extend our thanks to the Qatar Development Fund as our partners and main supporters for standing by the Palestinian people in their just cause. We would also like to thank our strategic partners at the Bank of Palestine and the Haj Hashim A’atah Al-Shawa Fund for their contributions to the work of the Palestinian Welfare Association.”
Mr. Rushdi Ghalayini, Deputy General Manager of the Bank of Palestine, said:
“Our contribution to the Wajd programme stems from our humanitarian vision to provide support for the education, healthcare and training of the orphans in Gaza. It is a continuation of the humanitarian support we provided during the Israeli assault on Gaza.”
The $10 million donation will consist of instalments of $2.5 million from 2015-2018. It will provide financial support for 2,108 orphans and their families until the age of 22. The donation will go toward supporting the recipients’ education needs, including tuition, school supplies, teaching materials, uniforms, transport, after school programmes and training courses. Healthcare will also be a cornerstone of the Wajd programme, and the orphans will have access to medical check-ups, medical treatment, rehabilitation for the disabled, and psychological and support services.

To prepare young people for entering the job market, the Wajd programme will provide professional development courses and vocational training. In addition, the recipients will be able to participate in revenue-generating pilot projects to gain work experience.

Finally, the Wajd programme will aim to build the technical capabilities of the organisations working with the orphans on-the-ground, as well as enhance collaboration among the various partners to ensure a holistic approach to the delivery of quality services.

Qatar donates $10 million to support 2108 orphans in Gaza

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