Council approves law on health and education fund

Council approves law on health and education fund The Advisory Council (Shura)  has unanimously approved a draft law for establishing the  Health and Education Fund at its session attended by Dr Hassan al-Muhannadi, director of Legal Affairs of the Emiri Diwan, on May 20, local Arabic daily Arrrayah has reported. Al-Muhannadi answered the queries of the members and based on it, the council made some recommendations to the Council of Ministers. The QR360bn fund  will be under the direct control of HH the Emir. Article 4 of the law says that the objective of the fund is to provide sustainable financial resources, to support the health and educational services and the bodies controlling them in accordance with the interests of the State. The capital of the fund will be paid from government revenues included in the general budget of the State and in annual payments approved by Emiri decisions. The fund may provide financial support in emergency cases and in cases where the government cannot finance health and education programmes, it will be through the general budget. Discussion by the Shura also covered the provisions of Article 8 of Chapter 3 of the draft law which specified the method of management of the Fund, mentioning that it will be managed by a committee comprising a chairman and four members appointed by an Emiri decision. The Law referred to the fund’s investments which will be managed by Qatar Investment Authority.

Qatar condoles victims of US tornado

HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani have sent cables  to US President Barack Obama condoling the victims of the Oklahoma tornado. Emir meets Amr Moussa

HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani met at his Emiri Diwan office yesterday the former secretary general of the Arab League Amr Moussa, who is visiting Qatar to participate in the Doha Forum and Enriching the Middle-East’s Economic Future conference. They discussed some of the topics on the conference’s schedule. Total chief calls on Emir, Tamim

HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani met at his Emiri Diwan Office yesterday the chairman of the Board, chief executive officer and director general of Total Christophe de Margerie. Separately, HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani also met Christophe de Margerie. Qatar-Egypt ties discussed

HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani yesterday received a telephone call from Egypt’s President Dr Mohamed Mursi. Discussions dealt with bilateral ties as well as developments on the Arab and international arenas. Deputy PM meets ambassadors

HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Mahmoud held separate meetings yesterday with Eritrea’s Ambassador Ali Ibrahim Ahmed, Chad’s Ambassador Abubakr al-Siddiq Chourouma, Iran’s Ambassador Mohamed Javad Asayesh and Italy’s Ambassador Guido De Sanctis. Talks dealt with bilateral relations and means of enhancing them in all fields. The meeting was attended by a number of officials of the Council of Ministers’ Secretariat. Dignitaries call on trade minister

HE Minister of Business and Trade Sheikh Jassim bin Abdulaziz al-Thani met Winston Baldwin Spencer, the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister Yevgeny and Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr. Talks during the three separate meetings dealt with means of bolstering bilateral relations in the economic, trade and investment areas.

‘Use hotline for complaints’ Qatar residents have been urged to make use of a hotline to report complaints about unhygienic food in hotels and restaurants in the country. Senior Food Inspection Supervisor and Chief of Inspection Unit at Rayyan Municipality Majidi Zaidan said there was a call centre to deal with people’s complaints and the hotline number 44266666 was available all seven days of the week. Zaidan said: “Complaints must be authentic regarding the quality of the food and its hygienic aspects and not about the pricing or the behaviour of the staff or their approach such as the time taken for delivery.” He said generally 40% of the complaints had no substance. Zaidan said the municipalities followed a proper procedure once a genuine complaint was received. “We treat every complaint with due seriousness and immediately visit the place. And we take action if the complaint was found true. In normal cases, we initiate actions such as closing the restaurant for a few days and in serious cases, for a longer period and heavy fines will also be imposed.” The official admitted there were not enough supervisors to conduct inspections. “We hope more qualified hands will be added soon.”  Zaidan said an inspector has to visit all the restaurants under his supervision at least twice a month.

‘Brides of India’ jewellery festival to run until July Malabar Gold & Diamonds has launched “Brides of India” jewellery festival in Qatar, which will run until July 31. Malabar Gold & Diamonds said it launched the campaign “during the wedding season as a tribute to Indian culture and tradition.” An array of unique traditional bridal jewellery from all over India will be exhibited during the period and customers get a rare opportunity to witness and own the most exclusive bridal designs in gold, diamond and platinum. The group said it aims to be a “one-stop solution for all jewellery needs” and this year they would launch a special edition of wedding collection from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh & Maharashtra. K P Abdul Salam, group executive director, said: “Indian bridal jewellery has always been an icon of grandeur all over the world and it is as varied as the regions of India. With the commencement of ‘Brides of India’-Volume III, customers now have the opportunity to choose jewellery from the bridal jewellery collection traditionally adorning some 22 brides across India, which is truly unique to Malabar Gold & Diamonds.”

Regional meet discusses safety in aviation sector Doha International Airport recently hosted the second aerodrome certification implementation task force meeting of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Middle East regional office. The three-day event in the Qatari capital was aimed at fostering inter-governmental collaboration in the field of aerodrome certification and aviation safety. The task force meeting brought together operational and safety experts from Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates. Experts from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the US-based Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also participated in the meeting.   Discussions and working papers centred on aerodrome certification requirements for airports in the region and processes and implementation of the mandates in addition to future work programmes. Doha International Airport (DIA) and Qatar’s Civil Aviation Authority have jointly undertaken an aerodrome certification process and are preparing for the opening of Qatar’s brand new Hamad International Airport later in the year. Qatar Airways chief executive officer Akbar al-Baker, who is also the CEO of Doha International Airport, said at the inauguration that the nation is  looking forward to moving to the Hamad International Airport this year. He also highlighted that safety remained the topmost priority for the aviation industry – airlines and airports – and relayed the message that all related parties must work collectively for the benefit of the industry to ensure safety is paramount. “EASA is leading by example of how effective multiple governments, together with the airport industry, can collectively put together their combined experience and expertise in the interest of enhancing aviation safety,” he told delegates.

Indian expat dies in road accident

An Indian electrical engineer, identified as Sunil Dutt (31), died in a road accident on North road on Monday. A native of Ezhikkara in Kerala’s Ernakulam district, he  was working for a construction firm. He leaves behind his wife and a 5-year-old son. The accident occurred apparently after one of the  wheels of the vehicle in which Dutt was travelling came off, sources said.  The driver of the vehicle was seriously injured.

Scotland minister urges inclusive approach to developing society Scotland and the Arab world have many things they can learn from each other, especially after the Arab Spring, in order to achieve inclusive development of society. The Arab Spring brought about rapid changes and threw up several challenges and opportunities for the region, while Scotland’s own constitutional journey towards next year’s independence referendum has been a peaceful and democratic process, Scotland’s external affairs minister Humza Yousaf told the 13th Doha Forum, which will conclude today. The forum seeks to bring together political leaders, academics, analysts, representatives of intergovernmental organisations and other members of the foreign policy community to examine pressing issues in the world today as well as key issues in the Middle East of global relevance. “However, there are lessons that we can both learn to our mutual benefit,” he said. “For example, we need to do more in Scotland to increase participation, especially of young people, in our politics. We need to learn more about how we can use digital media as a means of consulting with young people, to make them feel more engaged.” During his visit to Doha, the minister also undertook a series of meetings and engagements to explore how the Scottish and Qatari governments can further build co-operation particularly around energy, culture and international development. He said Scotland’s experience is that an inclusive approach that respects the views of others and places human rights at its core can help frame the environment in which peaceful transition can take place. “It is this approach that led to the historic Edinburgh Agreement between the Scottish and UK Government to hold a referendum on Scottish independence in 2014, and a commitment to work together in the best interests of the people regardless of the result,” he said. An historic accord that paves the way for a referendum on an independent Scotland was signed in Edinburgh in October 2012, after First Minister Alex Salmond reached an agreement with the UK Prime Minister David Cameron that will confirm the Scottish Parliament’s power to hold a vote that will be respected fully by both governments. Toyota starts its summer promotion Toyota’s sole agent in Qatar is offering incentives this summer under a promotion scheme aimed at attracting buyers. Abdullah Abdulghani and Bros Co (AAB) began its summer promotion under the theme, ‘Best time to own a Toyota’. The campaign is running from May 15 to June 30. Customers buying any Toyota vehicle during the campaign period will be eligible for vouchers valued up to QR4,000, depending upon the model. The vouchers can be redeemed at any AAB-Toyota service and spare parts outlets whenever the customer avails of a service. Toyota’s line-up of vehicles includes Corolla, Camry, Avalon, RAV4, Prado and Land Cruiser. These are supported by AAB’s after-sales facilities, which include a network of seven service centres in various parts of the country, some of which are open seven days a week. To assist customers, AAB has tied up with Qatar National Bank and First Finance to offer the best finance terms.