News

The Doha Centre for Media Freedom has expressed concern about the ill-treatment of journalist Muntazer Al Zaidi, who has been held by Iraqi security forces after he threw a pair of shoes at US President George W Bush at a press conference in Baghdad on December 14.

Air Miles, the world’s leading multi-participant loyalty programme, has begun its massive year-end promotion called ‘The Great Air Miles Giveaway’. The four-week promotion is now open to shoppers and is effective right though December at all participating outlets across Qatar.

ROME: Researchers from Italy and Qatar could soon be working together to explore pharmaceutical uses of desert plants. An education and research agreement was signed in Rome yesterday between Qatar Science & Technology Park and Biogem (QSTP), an Italian biotech consortium. In the first phase of collaboration, graduate students from the Qatar University will undertake a Masters programme in biotechnology conducted by Biogem.

The hi-tech media city being planned in the Lusail area to boost the business of dissemination of news in the region will be opening soon, an official from the ograniser of the first Media Expo 2008 said here yesterday.

Mowasalat launched two separate fleets of eco-friendly taxis and buses yesterday. Around one 100 taxis and five buses hit the road as a part of the company’s commitment to assist Qatar impose a major emission cut.

QATAR Airways is looking at connecting some 115 destinations worldwide by 2011, airline chief executive officer, Akbar al-Baker has said.

NEARLY 400 camels and their riders came under scrutiny as the world’s first camel training and dressage competition got under way in Rayyan yesterday.

BRITISH Airways – the UK’s flagship carrier which operates daily flights from Doha to London Heathrow – has revealed it will serve over 38,000 Christmas dinners on its flights during the forthcoming festive season, a spokesperson said yesterday.

DOHA has asked Manila for more time to study the situation in the conflict-hit Mindanao region after Philippine President Gloria Arroyo made a formal request to Qatar to act as a “facilitator of the peace process”, a top Filipino official told Gulf Times yesterday.

More than 300 camels and riders are all set to go on an exciting journey through ancient Bedouin routes deep in the Qatari deserts close to the border villages of Saudi Arabia on Friday morning.