News

The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani will take part in the Istiska (rain-seeking) prayers tomorrow morning at the Al Wajba prayers ground. These prayers come in line with the sayings and deeds of the Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him), who performmed Istiska prayers at the time of rainfall delay. QNA

Despite an alarming increase of cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/ Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in the Arab world, Qatar has still a relatively low incidence with 235 cases, according to a report released yesterday by the Qatar National Committee for AIDS Prevention.

Qatar Airways Holidays – the tour-operating arm of Qatar Airways – is offering value for money holiday packages during the Eid Al Adha break and the Christmas season.

The Smart Health Cards (SHC) being issued by the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) will go operational beginning January. Patients would then be able to make all hospital payments through these electronic cards.

The vibrant grandeur of Qatar’s heritage will be displayed in a unique photo exhibition at the ‘Media Expo Qatar 2008’.

Qatargas sponsored Walk for Life Club yesterday broke the Guinness Book of World Records for the most number of people running 100 metres carrying a baton in a 24 hour relay. At an event organised by the ‘Walk for Life’ club of Al Khor community over 2,727 people participated in a running relay breaking the previous record of 1,848 people set in Singapore in March this year.

Five Filipinos, including the wives of two Filipino chefs stuck in the Trident-Oberoi hotel in Mumbai have been safely evacuated, a report from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

Qatar Telecom (Qtel) recently upgraded its national HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) mobile network for the benefit of its Mobile Broadband customers. The network has been enhanced to deliver HSDPA 7.2 Mbps (megabits per second) peak downlink speeds. Customers will benefit from double the previous network speeds and download capacity at no additional cost.

The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani launched the four-day International Conference on Financing for Development stressing that development should encompass all aspects of human life, not just finance, and calling for shared responsibility to achieve it.