Fishing and Pearl Diving festival started in Qatar

يستقبل شاطئ #كتارا فجر الخميس المحامل المشاركة في النسخة 5 من بطولة سنيار التي تُعنى بصيد الأسماك والغوص على اللؤلؤ pic.twitter.com/lYOVOD4tkg

— الوطن (@al_watanQatar) March 29, 2016

residential towers on fire in Ajman, UAE

Full investigation to be launched into the fire earlier this week in residential tower in Ajman, UAE.https://t.co/C8cbllQCMo

— BRE Fire & Security (@brelpcb) March 30, 2016

It happened on Monday .  It started in one tower building then it spread to to other one . The strong wind was feeding the fire and made it difficult  to put it off .Luckily nobody died - but a lot of people became homeless .!
What a big problem can it be !
 When  someone  loses all his belongings  - no clothes ,official papers ,furniture  - I knew someone whom it happened and they were quite miserable for a half year or more until  they were able to substitute every thing / they simple could not go out because they had only one set of clothes which they had to wash and dry after arriving home from school /work .

 the tower buildings have never been my cup of tea  - last time this happened to a luxury hotel in Dubai on New Years  Eve ....

The Safest countries in the world

Is there any safety in this world at all ?  Everything is relative - do not think you will be totally safe  anywhere -it can not be guaranteed .But looking at this list you can see that economical  stability brings some kind of safety : The top three countries are not only rich but they are small as well . It is so difficult to keep big empires  safe ! Singapore ,Qatar ,Switzerland are the top safest countries in the world in 2015 .

#Qatar ranked second globally in the World Safety Index 2015 released by GoldenVisa.ch, Switzerland. #MoI_Qatar pic.twitter.com/DtbMkPWfIY

— Ministry of Interior (@MOI_QatarEn) March 24, 2016

Top Ten travel destinations in the Global Muslim Travel Index 2016

Where the Muslim travellers trend to go for holidays ? . I listed the top ten here .

1 . Malaysia ( in spite of those air plane disasters ! )
2. United Arab Emirates ( modern ,shinning ,ladies beaches ,tolerant )
3 .Turkey ( huge country with beautiful hotels -expecting the rich Muslim )
4.Indonesia ( Bali is trendy )
5. Qatar ( though we have no one ladies only beach )

6 . Saudi Arabia ( religious tourism )
7 . Oman ( lovely old fashioned people -great mountains to hike and bike )
8.Singapore ( a safe country -friendly with Muslims )
9 .Morocco (  beautiful country with a strange Arabic accent )
10 .Jordan ( is it really popular ? me surprised ! )

When they made the list they considered factors like family friendliness , visa availability , halal food availability ,safety , communication ,awareness about Muslims needs ( halal food ,prayer room ),air connectivity , visitors scores .
Check out this website to learn more .

Silks from the silk road - exhibition at the Katara

وإلقيت بنظرة عن كثب على تقنيات صناعة الحرير الصيني والحياكة والدقة الكبيرة التي يتطلبها هذا الفن. #معرض_طريق_الحرير pic.twitter.com/G6mTP5HSZf

— Al Mayassa Al Thani (@almayassahamad) March 23, 2016

what to expect : 100 pieces of silk - ancient and modern brought from the China National Silk Museum
where : Qatar Museums (QM) Gallery at Katara
when : every day from 10am to 8pm /except on Fridays from 3pm to 9pm / until May 9

Luckily no kids on board - Karwa school bus accident

It is a very strange accident . Two cars under the school bus ! Poor drivers !
What a luck that there were no kids on board !  It was less than a week ago that a five year old Indian boy died while his school van flipped .

 The school bus of today accident belonged to

the Al Wafaa Model School for Boys .

Karwa school bus involved in freak accidenthttps://t.co/aqMeb2SGJv#DohaAccident #AirportRoad #SchoolBus pic.twitter.com/hOtwdsin40

— Gulf-Times (@GulfTimes_QATAR) March 21, 2016

Food festival has Officially begun

The gong has been struck, and #QIFF2016 has officially begun! pic.twitter.com/ev4suagBi9

— Qatar Airways (@qatarairways) March 22, 2016

Go to the official website to learn about the details  


NEW this year - one can take water taxi between the MIA and the Pearl

تجربة جميلة للتاكسي المائي لمهرجان قطر الدولي للأغذية للتنقل بين حديقة متحف الفن الإسلامي واللؤلؤة وكتارا #QIFF2016 pic.twitter.com/HO61NYTs8E

— Al Mayassa Al Thani (@almayassahamad) March 22, 2016

FIREWORKS EVERY DAY DURING THE FESTIVAL

Don't miss the spectacular fireworks tonight & every night at #QIFF2016 pic.twitter.com/ylYD2vwrkT

— Qatar Airways (@qatarairways) March 23, 2016

Arc 16 winners

Proud to see #USA univ @tamuq contribute to #Qatar investment in research & innovation. Congrats to #arc16 winners! pic.twitter.com/b0oWuKdTcI

— Dana Shell Smith (@AmbDana) March 22, 2016

PONYO film screening at Doha Food festival

She was such a small fish - but she had a big dream. Join us tomorrow at @qiff_ to enjoy PONYO! #QIFF2016 #Qatar pic.twitter.com/SAdBXGKed0

— Doha Film Institute (@DohaFilm) March 22, 2016

Essay competition for Qatari high-school students

Healing Hands competition for Qatari high school students.
Details at: https://t.co/7XSiUs4kgx@QF @WCMCQOutreach pic.twitter.com/v5PLYqaaRx

— WeillCornellQatar (@WCMCQ) March 10, 2016

Flydubai plane crash :( in Russia

44 Russians, 8 Ukrainians, 2 Indians and a Uzbek the 55 passengers killed in #FlyDubai crash https://t.co/VxMBcYCevI pic.twitter.com/OIwGUcignG

— The National (@TheNationalUAE) March 19, 2016

I checked out the map -  the town Rostov on Don  is not far from the Ukrainian border ...

Louvre Abu Dhabi - Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra

We hope you enjoyed yesterday’s musical evening performance with The Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra. #LouvreAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/OBIq1ssGqH

— Louvre Abu Dhabi (@LouvreAbuDhabi) March 17, 2016

A list of events can be expected before the
the official inauguration of the
Louvre - Abu Dhabi.The first program was a concert where traditional Arab music was mixed with classical Western orchestra . 120 members
of the Vienna-based Gustav Mahler youth orchestra were performing with 10 Emirati musicians .

School bus accident in Doha - five year old died

Every accident is sad but when little children are the victims it is even sadder .
A  van full of kindergarten students overturned yesterday  .A little Indian boy died and 7 other injured .The van belonged to Sarvodaya Kindergarten
in the Hilal area .

 It is very sad but not surprising .  I just wonder that so few accident happens . I saw with my very eyes during years my kids went to a cheaper Arab school how much these drivers  are careless about the safety of the students .I used to quarrel with them about such simply safety rule that the way they park the van should be that the kids can get into the van directly  not that they have to walk in front of the van !

I suppose there was no safety belt in the van . It is heartbreaking to see  that such simple thing is  missing in school buses with so young passengers !

source

Oryx International School -New School in Qatar

The school is dedicated to Qatar Airways Employees

Oryx International School is an independent day school, managed by Orbital Education, for boys and girls from 4 — 11 years of age.

English National Curriculum adapted to meet the needs of a wide range of nationalities.

Location : Al Nahda School Street, Airport Road, Doha, Qatar
Contact about admission : admissions@oryxschool.qa | +974 403 600 80

The Arab International Academy -new school in Qatar

Where : Arab International Academy
AL Sadd Area, Sports Roundabout,
Doha, Qatar

When :from fall 2016
Grades : 1 to 5 for the first year
English track - Primary Years & Middle Years Program of the International Baccalaureate program

Arabic track - offering the IB program in Arabic
Gender : mixed gender

learn more about them

Angelina Jolie in Greece to visit refugees

Refugee conditions in #Greece 'deteriorating': #AngelinaJolie https://t.co/3FWAKekqP9 pic.twitter.com/5AVgUFWqNg

— The Straits Times (@STcom) March 16, 2016

Easter celebrations in Doha

March  27  is Easter celebration in Doha . This is the holiday of the expat communities . There is no  Qatari tradition of Easter celebrations . Though several  expat Arab communities celebrate but not surely on 27 March !

 In case you celebrate Easter here  the local people / and most of the Middle Easterns will think that you are Christian . It is not well known here that  Easter and Christmas is celebrated by  lots of people  who do not consider themselves Christians . This is the  Spring holiday  in Europe .When flowers start to bloom  and chickens lay eggs again and it is pleasant to spend some hours outside .

Marhaba magazin collected the usual luxury hotels event about Easter celebrations . Brunches start at 170 and reach 390 rials .

The Easter Bunny awaits you with a traditional smorgasbord at our Easter Brunch! Call 4446 0105 #makelifedelicious pic.twitter.com/EvL7VOmRgU

— The St. Regis Doha (@StRegisDoha) March 25, 2016

Mother's Day offers in Qatar

The French Cafe Paul is offering

on Monday 21st March a complimentary continental breakfast or dinner meal for mums . For more info visit their fb page . I guess this offer is valid in case the one who invited mum is buying this meal for him/herself ...

There are a lots of ads in today's Gulf Times

Fifty one East is offering perfumes at 15 -25 % discount for Mother's Day

Clarks shoes also offering discount and encourages the readers to buy shoes for their mums

Qatar Airways is offering huge ,40% discount in case you want to buy a ticket for you mum - Sales period: From now until 31 March 2016.
Travel period: From now until 25 June 2016.
Valid on Qatar Airways marketed flights from Doha to selected online destinations.
For Dhaka - special one way fare only on QR636.
Luxury Hotels are offering spa treatments and afternoon teas for mums

Treat mum to a special mother's day afternoon tea at Seasons Tea Lounge from 18-23 March 2016. QAR 195 with beverage pic.twitter.com/7sjcLjMkP4

— Four Seasons Doha (@FSDoha) March 10, 2016

Show your mom how much you love her @ #mothersday! Invite your mom to treat herself at #remedespadoha 44460300 #Doha pic.twitter.com/EXQpJONB23

— The St. Regis Doha (@StRegisDoha) March 12, 2016

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MY Reverse Walking Experience

It was accidentally that I found myself at the reverse walking event  last Saturday  . We got a fun event cancelled and we headed to the Aspire Park . I had already seen the ads of this reverse walking but we thought it was just about reversing diabetes and not actually walking backward all  around the lake ! It was fun - it was a race -every hour or every half an hour ! I did not expect to win . Everyone walked  mixed -men ,women ,children  - but one  of my child arrived at the finish as number four  and he had complained that some adults arriving before him were actually cheating as they walked normally at some part of the race . So it was disappointing as a race .
The  first 3 got some prize -we could not make out what it was .
At the end I  felt a bit dizzy when wanted to walk normally . So I just sat down under a tree .After ten minutes the red faced OOridoo guys -these mascots arrived for a show . Then we all felt we must escape the event .They looked so much weird !

Art and craft lessons for kids ,teens ,adults at VCUQ -Spring 2016

Posted by Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar on Sunday, March 13, 2016

VCU- Q is offering more than 60 community classes this spring for children, teens and adults including paper mache, jewelry making, illustration, hat making, filming and more. Classes begin in April. Registration begins now. http://www.qatar.vcu.edu/community

Bird watchers of Qatar natural history group

Posted by Qatar Natural History Group on Sunday, March 13, 2016

UAE got more serious storm than Qatar

Watching the twitter videos and images -reading the posts of my friends living in Abud Dhabi I have the impression that the UAE got more severe storm than Qatar .Schools are shut ,flights disrupted . All previous rainfall records are broken ! And this storm now is moving to Pakistan area !

#GulfNews reader @RichyRobs took this picture from his apartment in DIFC. #DubaiRains pic.twitter.com/okCxJN1KSK

— Gulf News (@gulf_news) March 9, 2016

Danube Metro Station is flooded . Nomen est Omen ?

Watch: Lower level of Danube Metro station submerged in water after #DubaiRains
Courtesy: KT surfer Tinto pic.twitter.com/oByDFzyv4E

— Khaleej Times (@khaleejtimes) March 9, 2016

 children are rescued from school buses

Discovery gardens flooded @GulfNewsTV @dxbweather @Emirates247 #DubaiRains #dubainow massive rain pic.twitter.com/BqfQynHv75

— Suhail (@SuhailBandarkar) March 9, 2016

Abu Dhabi international  airport ceiling collapsed

Abu Dhabi International Airport, this seems to be pretty dangerous. Stay safe UAE people. #DubaiRains #AbuDhabiRains pic.twitter.com/k3KaAAnME1

— Gautam (@gautamverma23) March 9, 2016

 Parts of Modern tower buildings are falling to the streets

#DubaiRains gets scary. #almas tower falling into pieces 😱 pic.twitter.com/dcveqtu9pV

— Sanaz (@sanaze) March 9, 2016

Haling in some parts of Qatar

This does not happen every day here ! Have a look at this video .

#فيديو
لتساقط حبات البرد بشكل غزير في #الدوحة#الوطن #قطر #الخور #امطار_الخير pic.twitter.com/7Upiuq8oso

— الوطن (@al_watanQatar) March 9, 2016

General view of the Corniche shows heavy rains accompanied by thunder lightning

#فيديو
منظر عام لكورنيش #الدوحة يبين غزارة الأمطار الرعدية المصحوبة بالبرق#الوطن #قطر pic.twitter.com/fmLXtopeAP

— الوطن (@al_watanQatar) March 9, 2016

Emergency Numbers in Qatar to remove the rain water

Emergency Numbers of all Municipalities in #Qatar to remove the #rain water.
Don't hesitate to call #MME#Retweet pic.twitter.com/klyrH7jHoS

— Baladiya (@Baladiya1) March 9, 2016

Tiger on the roads - Doha today

We assure all that the concerned authorities r following up with what has been trending over spotting a tiger in some areas of the country.

— Ministry of Interior (@MOI_QatarEn) March 8, 2016

_____________

Here is the video of the TIGER stopping highway traffic in Doha Qatar😄 got tired of running at the end🐅 #OnlyInQatar pic.twitter.com/GlGVIZ4aDE

— Annimari Korte (@annimarikk) March 8, 2016

_______________

 Tiger on the road -  it must be an escaped pet . No news about it since morning -  was it captured or not ! But the  Ministry of Interior claims they are following up with the case !

Whoever took this photo it is not my best angle #dohatiger pic.twitter.com/qfsoyakfLB

— Doha Tiger (@DohaTiger) March 8, 2016

New footage shows that the #tiger fell off from a truck :O poor thing 3:) #DohaTiger #Qatar Does anyone else know about the incident? Video: @ilqlive #QatarDay
Posted by Qatar Day on Tuesday, March 8, 2016

SIMILAR STORIES : 1 . BULLS ESCAPED FROM THE PORT IN 2012

2 .Leopard cub attacks a five year old in Doha in 2013 3 .the horrific case of a pet lion kills house-maid in kuwait in 2014

Only today - Free Gym for ladies at any time Fitness -Happy International Women's Day

Happy International Women's Day!Ladies, we're giving you a FREE Gym Day full of surprises on Tuesday 8th March to...
Posted by Anytime Fitness Qatar on Sunday, March 6, 2016

Location :  5th floor inside Al Muftah Plaza, it's on Al Rayyan Road in front of Al Rumailah Hospital.

FREE ONLY TODAY !

What a pity that I could not go ! I was too much scared by the escaped tiger !Anyway -it is a very nicely designed ad - congrats to the one who created it !

IKEA Qatar -10 days celebrations from March

Join us from March 10 -19 to enjoy lots of activities; this includes magic shows, face painting, and much more! pic.twitter.com/XtcMARc1p5

— IKEA Qatar (@IKEAQatar) March 4, 2016

WE had lunch there on Friday . It was full of customers ! The lunch was very tasty but not cheap at all - QR45 for a plate of food - there were beef steaks ,shrimps in tomato sauce and lamb with mashed potato .It was reasonably priced to say the least . Considering the self-service style and that we had to queue  - By the way -this style is unique in Qatar nowadays . We got a rock band playing while we were having our meal . They were Filipino  guys playing old hits . They were OK . When we were leaving we saw the great celebration - a large cake was cut to celebrate the 3 years in Qatar  . Then it was distributed very nicely ,quickly  -four waiters serving the kids .
__________________

Happy  Anniversary Ikea ! If only I could forget our sofa bed experience !
It was nearly 2 years ago that expecting a guest to our home we decided to buy a sofa bed . We asked for an assembly team to do it as we had bought previously a desk , and a chest of drawers and it was very difficult job to make it up ! The team arrived just one day before our guest .  They broke a part of  the sofa  - it could not be used but it was the end of the day and the end of the week  -they have the right for a peaceful weekend . They left us with a broken sofa  - and it was quite embarrassing to ask our guest to stay somewhere else until it was fixed . After the weekend they came again changing only the broken part . It looked OK . When we wanted to open it in the evening it turned out -that part the can be pulled to transform the sofa into bed does not work well . It is not attached to the sofa when it is pulled out . So we got a little bed and a sofa . When complained we were promised a team would come to fix it ! Then we never heard about them again !
 That was the story of our sofa bed with Ikea .
We are not skillful  at assembling furniture  but their team is not either ! Too bad !

Vegetarians in Doha

I just stumbled upon this facebook page . Vegetarians in Doha . "A place where vegetarians and vegans in Doha, Qatar, can share tips, recipes, ideas and restaurant recommendations!"


Highly recommended for those who want to know where to find veggie burgers/veggie sushies , for those who want to learn new recipes  and more !

My healthy version of Banoffee Pie dessert...100% vegan!
Posted by Vegetarians in Doha on Saturday, February 20, 2016

Qumra screenings - 2016 - event for film lovers

When :from 4 to 9 March,
 What  time :  at 4 pm /7 pm
 where : Museum of Islamic Art
Auditorium

What to expect :international gathering of creative film professionals  / emerging
filmmakers,with a special focus on first-and second-time directors / 23 feature length  -11 short films / uncut versions  -original language / English and Arabic subtitles

Price :  35 /25 Qatari rials  - 45 minutes before screenings or online  
See the screening guides here 

Camera - Movie 1 Poster by popculture_t_shirts

More ladies only days in Dubai public beaches

 When I read that I became really jealous . I do not care about the other things one can find in Dubai but that women can really enjoy the swimming , the sea among themselves .  Here in Qatar the  number of ladies only beaches or days is zero . Though some years ago it was promised -then nothing . At least I have not heard about . There is the Aqua Park -one afternoon per week  for ladies only for a lots of money . That is fun but still not the beach .All beaches are mixed  - and according to the traditions women should not wear  common swimming suits in front of men . So  you can see women dipping in the water while totally covered or just watching how others are enjoying themselves in the water .

Happy Place Beach Quote Photo by BeachBlissLiving

LEARN MORE ABOUT BEACHES IN QATAR

Congrats ,Qatar Airways for the platinum status by IATA

Congrats Qatar Airways for reaching platinum status in the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Fast Travel Programme ! Only five other airlines had been ranked so before  in the world and Qatar Airways is the first in The Middle East though the UAE has also quality airlines .

source 

Martha Stewart &George Calombaris coming to the FOOD festival 2016

Press Conference announcing the celebrity chefs for #QIFF2016 - George Calombaris and Martha Stewart. pic.twitter.com/9CmD32RBe9

— Qatar Airways (@qatarairways) March 1, 2016