Driving tests in Qatar are being simplified, with major changes in the internal parking tests. Box parking has been replaced with straight parking, the system commonly found in most parking lots in the city, according to driving school sources.

After being sworn in as the 44th US President, Barack Obama used his inaugaration speech to pledge to seek a 'new way forward' with the Muslim world. But he also warned that the United States will defeat 'terror'.

THE first five-year plan, announced by Ashghal in 2005, is being completed and a new one will be announced soon, a senior official has said.

A new clean and green technology has the potential to save significant sums of money in the Gulf region by cutting costs of corrosion in wastewater industry and greenhouse gas emissions, an expert has disclosed.

Investors in the Qatari market have been warned against panicking by real estate officials, who explained that although the phenomenal growth over the past year has slowed down, prices have stabilised and the industry will strengthen once again over the coming year.

WHEN built by 2012, the 112-storey Qatar Exhibition Centre will be the world’s ninth tallest building.

Qatar is considering building a nuclear research reactor for peaceful uses, according to an expert in the field. Preparations are under way for availing of the peaceful uses of the nuclear technology, said Dr Athab Taher al-Kinani, an expert at radiation protection at the Ministry of Environment.

Qatar is to host a groundbreaking conference to showcase the country’s carbon dioxide emission reduction initiatives.

Students at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar recently updated and revised the Wikipedia article on Qatar as a project for their freshman writing class, Focused Inquiry. This new English course focuses on enhancing skills related to critical thinking, information literacy and social and civic responsibility.

House rentals in the country are showing signs of easing thanks to a law which was enacted early last year to curb excessive increase in rents. Apartment rental rates range on average from QR6,500 to QR8,000 per month in older residential districts of Doha, says a report released by Asteco on the property market in Qatar and Bahrain for the last quarter of 2008.