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Moving around in Doha and across Qatar in general has become safe, quick, and cost-efficient, as the country has been considered one of the safest in terms of roads and traffic, with the number of serious injuries and fatalities steadily decreasing over the past few years.While the country maintains strict traffic laws and regulations, motorists enjoy one of the most sophisticated road networks in the region, with efficient highways and easy-flowing traffic circulation, as there are over 9,000km of motorways with around 450km of highways, implementing the highest world safety standards with integrated traffic and security surveillance systems. Accordingly, most of the recently registered road accidents resulted in no injuries or only minor injuries, with a considerable number causing only vehicle damage.**media[410780]**Besides, pedestrian safety is a top priority in the country, with smart traffic signs and dedicated pedestrian crossings on all major roads across the country's cities. Further, during major events, popular activities, weekends, and public holidays, traffic police personnel and patrols are deployed across the areas of usual public turnout, such as the popular souqs (markets), Doha Corniche, Souq Waqif and other key areas, to regulate the movement of people and enhance their safety. In the meantime, the road network is integrated with various safe pedestrian crossings in all key areas, including pedestrian-friendly and well-equipped modern pedestrian tunnels and flyovers.The introduction of the metro service before the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has reflected positively on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and made their mobility easier, more convenient and cheaper, especially with the free Metrolink services that effectively cover most areas in Doha and some parts of Al Wakra and Al Rayyan, among others.**media[410782]**"One of the things I love most about Qatar is that it is very easy and cost-effective to move around the country with multiple options of means of transport. You can even get a taxi ride for less than QR10, and it is quick, easy and comfortable," a journalist from one of the neighbouring countries stressed, as he frequently visits Doha.He recalled that, many years before the Metro entered service and the smart taxi application was not yet available, moving around in Doha was very slow, expensive, and exhausting. "It used to take hours waiting for a taxi or getting public bus services, and road congestion used to be the norm rather than the exception," he recalled his experience more than 15 years ago.However, he noted that compared to many countries in the region known for their sophisticated roads and transportation systems, Qatar can be ranked among the best in all respects, making it attractive for tourism, business and all aspects of life.In the meantime, the various means of transport in the country are easily and safely accessible to people with special needs, enabling them to exercise their right to move.Accordingly, all Doha Metro stations and the Lusail Tram network are easily accessible to people with special needs, with level-boarding platforms, wheelchair spaces, tactile paving for people with visual limitations, and dedicated seating and family areas. Mowasalat (Karwa) buses are equipped with wheelchair ramps and designated spaces, and Metrolink buses are equipped with the same. Further, people with disabilities can easily book a well-equipped taxi at a very reasonable fare.The development of road networks and the transport sector is set to continue with the Qatar Transport Master Plan for Qatar 2050 (TMPQ 2050), launched in 2022, which entails various ambitious objectives, such as making Qatar’s transport sector ready for population and tourism growth and business diversification. 

A deeply embarrassing systems failure which forced Greece to close its airspace for several hours with pilots unable to speak to air traffic control, has exposed badly outdated communication systems at Athens International Airport - one of the world's top travel destinations.Flights had to be diverted to neighbouring countries with thousands of travellers hit after the "unprecedented" technical malfunction on January 4, which baffled experts.Even more than a week after the chaos, questions as to what sparked the glitch - and how the system returned online - remain unanswered, with a report expected this week.According to the Greek civil aviation authority, the YPA, the malfunction began at 8:59am (0659 GMT) when multiple radio frequencies serving Athens airspace were hit by continuous "noise" interference.The agency's transmitters began sending out "involuntary signal emissions", YPA said.As technicians raced to radio relay stations on top of mountains near Athens and further afield to locate the problem, planes were essentially flying blind, experts said - unable to communicate with air traffic controllers - until the incident began to gradually abate four hours later."Hundreds of flights were directly affected - those in contact with air traffic control or already in the air that changed their route," Foivos Kaperonis, a board member of the Greek air traffic controllers association (EEEK), told AFP.Athens International Airport handled over 280,000 flights last year, an average of over 760 a day.Officials have insisted that Athens airspace was quickly cleared of traffic, and that flight safety was not compromised.The system returned to full operation at 5pm (1500 GMT), with flights restored 45 minutes later, the YPA said.No signs of a cyberattack or intentional sabotage were detected, YPA said. And nothing suspicious was found at the relay stations.Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis later confirmed there was "no sign" of a cyberattack."We have an exact picture of what happened. What we don't yet know is how it happened," Michael Bletsas, one of Greece's top computer engineers and head of the Greek cybersecurity authority, told state TV ERT.Planes "may have flown 'deaf' for a short while... but under no circumstances was there a flight safety problem," he said, with pilots still having their radar."Every system fails at some point," said Bletsas, who is on the committee investigating the incident.Kaperonis is much less sanguine."Air traffic controllers could see the aircraft on the radar display, but they could neither hear the pilots nor speak to them," he said."In other words, if two aircraft had been on a collision course, controllers would not have been able to give them instructions," he said.George Saounatsos, the head of the YPA, said a report on the incident by a hurriedly-convened investigative committee would likely be delivered this week."It was a rare event - it's hard for this to happen again, even statistically," he told Open TV.A major infrastructure overhaul costing 300mn euros ($350mn) is currently underway, which includes digital transmitters that will be delivered this year, Saounatsos said.Greece's junior transport minister has admitted the airport's communications systems should have been upgraded "decades" earlier."These are systems we know are outdated," Konstantinos Kyranakis told Action24 TV.The Athens airport tower radar dates from 1999, air traffic controllers note."Clearly, systems that should have been replaced decades ago, cannot be replaced in nine months," Kyranakis said, who was appointed in March.Four different transport ministers have held the portfolio since 2019 when conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis came to power.Bertrand Vilmer, an aeronautics expert and consultant at Paris-based Icare Aeronautique, said Athens' largely analogue-based systems "are robust, but ones for which there's no longer really any possible maintenance because they're old."Last month the European Commission referred Greece to the EU Court of Justice for failing to put in place measures to design and publish performance-based navigation (PBN) procedures at Greek airports that should have been in place five years ago.Air traffic controllers, who have clashed with YPA for years over staff and infrastructure shortages, insist that the January 4 incident was a debacle waiting to happen.They say that the incident is particularly concerning in a country heavily reliant on tourism that has seen record visitor numbers in recent years."The air traffic control unit where the problem appeared handles up to nearly 5,000 flights per day during the summer season," Kaperonis said.Air traffic controllers require "long rest periods" due to the difficulty of their job, Vilmer said.YPA and the transport minister's office did not respond to questions.Athens International Airport last year handled nearly 34mn passengers, an increase of 6.7% over the previous year.Critics have also noted that Greece's worst rail disaster, when two trains collided in 2023, killing 57 people - which brought hundreds of thousands onto the streets to protest - was also partly caused by chronic infrastructure and staffing failings. 

For a few tense hours on Sunday ‌morning, Greek skies turned into a communications black hole. Air traffic controllers for ‌Athens airport were guiding planes towards ‍the runway when the usual radio chatter suddenly vanished - replaced by a piercing whistle.It quickly became clear that ⁠controllers had lost contact with most aircraft in ⁠Greek airspace, including dozens of incoming flights, according to two controllers and an aviation official on ‍duty at the time.Internet systems also appeared to fail across the board. Even the civil aviation authority's press office resorted to reading statements over the phone rather than sending by email.The outage, which lasted several hours and affected most of Greece's airports, stranded thousands of travellers. Authorities have ruled out a cyberattack, but the cause remains unknown - and officials admit the systems didn't get fixed, they simply came back on their own."Suddenly communications ‌went down. You could only hear a high-pitched whistle," said one controller, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The thing is, we don't know what caused it and how it ended. We want to find out ‍the exact cause to ensure once ⁠and for all that ‌this will not happen again."Controllers managed to identify a couple of working radio frequencies in the tower, but not enough to maintain safe communication with pilots, a senior official said. Within half an hour, Greece took the unprecedented step of suspending flights into and across its airspace.Air traffic controllers from across the region stepped in to help. A controller in a neighbouring country said most communication with Greece was done over the telephone because the usual radios were down."We had a black hole in Greek airspace," said aviation safety expert Faithon Karaiosifidis. "Imagine if it had happened in the summer at the peak of the tourist season. The chaos."The incident ​has reignited calls to upgrade Greece's aviation ‌infrastructure, which unions and experts say is outdated and underfunded after the country's 2009-2018 debt crisis.The government insisted on Monday that modernisation is underway ⁠and that current systems meet ‍EU standards. The plan, which includes updating communication systems, is due for completion in 2028.But last month, the European Commission referred Greece to the EU Court of Justice for failing to implement certain navigation procedures designed to boost safety in low-visibility conditions. It's unclear whether those measures would have made any difference on Sunday - but many worry reform is coming too late."This incident once again exposes ​the critical weaknesses of outdated and underfunded air traffic management infrastructure. Safety was maintained thanks to human expertise - but this cannot continue to compensate for systemic deficiencies," said Panagiotis Psarros, Chair of the Association of Greek Air Traffic Controllers.Experts say the problems go beyond ageing equipment. Radios dating back to the 1990s remain in use, and staffing shortages persist despite a tourism boom that brings millions of visitors to Greece each year."The old technical equipment and the lack of personnel in air traffic controllers and electronic technicians... create a bottleneck," said Karaiosifidis.In September, unions ⁠protested by limiting flight arrivals they said exceeded permitted limits, causing delays. They have now threatened to do the same again. 

A huge electricity outage hit San Francisco on Saturday, leaving 130,000 residents without power for several hours at its peak, with the city's main provider saying all services would return overnight.Pacific Gas & Electric Company said in a statement on X that power had been restored to about 110,000 households by 7am Sunday, "with the remaining customers expected to be restored overnight”.The outage caused traffic jams and forced some businesses to close temporarily.Large parts of the West Coast tech hub, which has a population of more than 800,000 people, were plunged into darkness, with disruptions to public transport and many traffic lights not working on a busy Christmas shopping weekend before power began to be restored."I know this was a rough day," San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a video posted on X from the city's emergency operations centre. "That is progress (on restoration of power)... but for those of you who do not have power, we want to make sure you stay safe, check on your neighbours."He said that police, fire department and other city officials had been sent out and asked residents to stay home if possible.Many traffic signals were out, leaving traffic police to manage intersections and the self-driving ride-hailing service Waymo had paused operation of its vehicles, he said.A fire at a substation had caused the blackout, Lurie said.Parts of the city were blanketed in fog and many businesses were forced to close for the day at the height of the holiday shopping period, the *San Francisco Chronicle newspaper reported, leaving normally bustling commercial areas quiet."A large power outage is impacting San Francisco – only call 9-1-1 for life safety emergencies, avoid non-essential travel, treat ⁠down traffic signals as four-way stops, keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed, and turn off major appliances to prevent surges," the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management said in a post on social media early Sunday.The abrupt fall in shoppers just days before Christmas was "devastating" for business, a manager of Black & Gold home goods store, told the *San Francisco Chronicle.Separately, Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said Sunday that the company's robotaxis were unaffected by the outage. 

Ooredoo Qatar has delivered uninterrupted, high-capacity connectivity across a series of major international sporting championships and conferences hosted in the country throughout this year.The network delivered high-capacity connectivity across events that collectively welcomed more than 1.5mn spectators and delegates, handling over 300 terabytes of mobile data traffic and 6mn voice calls, while maintaining a 99.99% call setup success rate.Peak moments generated extreme surges in data and voice traffic, with 5G services accounting for more than 60% of total traffic and VoLTE usage exceeding 95%, delivering superior voice clarity and reliability.Ooredoo Qatar CEO Sheikh Ali bin Jabor bin Mohammad al-Thani said, “As Qatar continues to attract major international gatherings and position itself as a global destination, our role extends beyond providing connectivity.“We are building the intelligent, resilient digital infrastructure that enables the nation's long-term objectives. Every successful event reinforces Qatar’s global reputation and demonstrates what's possible when technology, planning, and execution align.” 

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) successfully ensured smooth traffic flow in front of Al Bayt Stadium during the opening of the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025, after carrying out intensive field work to ensure the safe and smooth arrival of fans.These efforts were coordinated with the tournament's organizing committee and security committee to develop appropriate plans for closures and traffic diversions in accordance with the movement of fans entering and exiting the stadium.**media[389134]**In this context, operational team leader for Al Bayt Stadium at Ashghal Eng. Abdullah Ahmed Al Maraghi emphasized that all Ashghal's assets were in place, as the operational plan was implemented hours before the start of the opening match.**media[389135]**Al Maraghi added that Ashghal, represented by a specialized technical team from the Roads Operation and Maintenance Department, monitored traffic through the central control room, in direct coordination with the National Command Center and the special control room for the tournament, within the framework of joint cooperation to facilitate the movement of the crowds.**media[389136]**The work included implementing a number of traffic diversions, providing cones and plastic barriers, in addition to approximately 110 mobile electronic signs and TMA vehicles to guide road users to open lanes.70 directional signs were installed around the stadium, pedestrian walkways were planned inside the parking areas to ensure the safe arrival of fans, and a special bus lane was prepared under Exit 51 to facilitate their movement to the parking areas.

The Ministry of Interior, through the General Directorate of Traffic, has launched a public awareness campaign in the Sealine area to promote traffic safety culture among car and motorcycle sports enthusiasts. The campaign included a visit to the Sealine Car Track and meetings with supervisors, participants and spectators to highlight safety procedures and the importance of following them. It also featured awareness activities, interactive competitions and the distribution of educational materials to help raise awareness among young people and reduce risks. **media[382254]** Lt. Col. Hadi Mohammed al-Hajri, media and communications officer at the General Directorate of Traffic, said during the campaign that the directorate is committed to the safety of visitors to the Sealine area and to promoting traffic awareness across all segments of the community. He noted that the awareness messages rely on being physically present among the target audience to ensure clarity and impact. Lt. Col. al-Hajri stressed the importance of protecting the lives of racers and motorsport enthusiasts by adhering to safety rules and requirements, adding that they should set an example for other young people. He also praised the efforts of the Qatar Traffic Safety Society and the organisers of the Sealine track, commending their co-operation in providing a safe environment that enables young people to pursue their interests within well-regulated guidelines.

US officials said the scheduled capacity for flights was being cut by 10% in 40 busy air traffic areas nationwide today, as the longest government shutdown drags on.Federal agencies have been grinding to a halt since Congress failed to approve funding past September 30, with some 1.4mn federal workers, from air traffic controllers to park wardens, still on enforced leave or working without pay."There is going to be a 10% reduction in capacity at 40 of our locations," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told a White House news briefing on Wednesday, adding they would come into effect on Friday.Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Bryan Bedford said the cuts would be at "40 high traffic environment markets."According to a proposed list provided to CBS News, some of the nation's busiest airports in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles and New York City could be among those hit.AFP contacted the Department of Transport and FAA seeking details about which airports would be affected.The government shutdown became the longest in history on Wednesday, eclipsing the 35-day record set during President Donald Trump's first term.Airport workers calling in sick rather than working without pay — which led to significant delays — was a major factor in Trump bringing an end to that 2019 shutdown.More than 60,000 air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration officers are now working without pay, and the White House has warned that increased absenteeism could create chaos at check-in lines.House Speaker Mike Johnson said in late October that 5% of flight delays had been the result of staffing shortages but that number had now increased to more than 50%.He warned at the time that the "longer the shutdown goes on, and as fewer air traffic controllers show up to work, the safety of the American people is thrown further into jeopardy."However, Democrats and Republicans have both remained unwavering over the main sticking point in the shutdown: health care spending.Democrats say they will only provide votes to end the funding lapse after a deal has been struck to extend expiring insurance subsidies that make health care affordable for millions of Americans.But Republicans insist they will only address health care once Democrats have voted to switch the lights back on in Washington.Trump has sought to apply his own pressure to force Democrats to cave by threatening mass layoffs of federal workers and using the shutdown to target progressive priorities.He repeated on Tuesday his administration's threat to cut off a vital aid program that helps 42mn Americans pay for groceries for the first time in its more than 60-year history, even though the move was blocked by two courts.The White House later clarified that it was "fully complying" with its legal obligations and was working to get partial Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments "out the door as much as we can and as quickly as we can."

Five people were killed, and eight others injured in a traffic accident in central China. Xinhua News Agency, citing local police in Hubei Province, reported that a traffic accident occurred in Wangying Township, Lichuan City, killing five people and injuring eight others. Preliminary investigations indicate that none of the injured are in critical condition. In September of last year, six people were killed, and seven others were injured in a traffic accident in Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province in central China.

At least 15 people were killed and 41 others injured in a traffic accident in Mexico. Local authorities said the accident occurred in southeastern Mexico when a heavy truck overturned and collided with a small car and a bus transporting construction workers on a road between Merida and Campeche, killing 15 people and injuring 41.This deadly accident is the third of its kind in Mexico in less than a week. Previously, 10 people were killed and 41 injured when a freight train collided with a bus at a rail crossing in Mexico City.Road accidents in Mexico have risen sharply in recent years, from 301,678 in 2020 to 377,231 in 2022, according to the latest data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography. In late January, 19 people were killed and 22 others injured in a road accident in the northwestern state of Sinaloa.

Qatar's maritime sector saw higher vessels traffic through its Hamad, Doha and Al Ruwais ports in August 2025, translating into robust expansion across containers, cargoes and building materials on both yearly and monthly basis, according to the official statistics.The increased maritime activities is indicative of the strong performance, especially of the non-hydrocarbons private sector and is in line with the objectives of Qatar National Vision 2030, as Mwani Qatar continues to implement its ambitious strategy to enhance the sector's contribution to diversifying the economy and strengthening the county's position as a regional trade hub.As many as 290 ships had called on Qatar's three ports in August 2025, which was higher by 21.85% and 8.21% year-on-year and month-on-month respectively.Hamad Port, whose strategic geographical location offers opportunities to create cargo movement towards the upper Gulf, supporting countries such as Kuwait and Iraq and south towards Oman, saw as many as 165 vessels call (excluding military) on the port in the review period. The three ports had seen a total of 2,045 vessels in the first eight months of this year.The general and bulk cargo handled through the three ports amounted to 254,528 freight tonnes in August 2025, which zoomed 129.25% and 8.58% on yearly and monthly basis respectively.Hamad Port – whose multi-use terminal is designed to serve the supply chains for the RORO, grains and livestock – handled as much as 108,026 freight tonnes of bulk and 120,710 freight tonnes of breakbulk in August this year. The three ports together handled as much as 1.3mn cargoes in January-August 2025.The container movement through three ports amounted to 126,481 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), which surged 10.07% and 8.13% year-on-year and month-on-month respectively in the review period.Hamad Port, the largest eco-friendly project in the region and internationally recognised as one of the largest green ports in the world, alone handled 124,757 TEUs of containers handled this August. The three ports together handled a total of 986,240 TEUs of containers during January-August 2025.The container terminals have been designed to address the increasing trade volume, enhancing ease of doing business as well as supporting the achievement of economic diversification, which is one of the most important goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030.The building materials traffic through the three ports stood at 72,535 tonnes in August 2025, which zoomed 453.7% and 37.7% on an annualised and monthly basis respectively. The three ports together handled as much as 451,190 tonnes of building materials during the first eight months of this year.The three ports were seen handling 20,002 livestock heads in August 2025, which however showed 16.68% and 29.2% plunge year-on-year and month-on-month respectively. The ports had handled as many as 399,987 livestock heads during January-August 2025.The three ports handled 9,254 RORO in August 2025, which registered 14.35% and 27.69% contraction year-on-year and month-on-month respectively. Hamad Port alone handled 9,224 units in the review period. The three ports together handled as many as 78,869 units in the first eight months of this year.Qatar's automobile sector has been witnessing stronger sales, notably in heavy equipment, private motorcycles and private vehicles, according to the data of the National Planning Council.

The General Directorate of Traffic at the Ministry of Interior (MoI) has announced a 60-day extension of the deadline for rectifying the status of vehicles whose licenses have expired and exceeded the legal period stipulated in Article No. 11 of Traffic Law No. 19 of 2007. The grace period, according to a statement by MoI on X, came into effect Thursday and the vehicle status can be rectified within the given period in order to avoid the approved legal procedures.MoI clarified that this decision is based on the announcement issued on July 27, 2025, whereby the deadline has been extended for an additional 60 days from August 28. This extension aims to provide vehicle owners with the opportunity to complete the required procedures within the specified time-frame to avoid legal accountability. The grace period was announced as part of efforts to regulate vehicle status and ensure compliance with traffic laws and regulations.The ministry has warned that failure to register the vehicle within the deadline may lead to its deletion from the records of the General Directorate of Traffic. Earlier, during an interview with Qatar TV, Lieutenant-Colonel Hamad Ali al-Muhannadi, head of the Registration Section at the Licensing Affairs Department at the General Directorate of Traffic, said that there are no exceptions in this regard. “Failure to follow the rules will result in the enforcement of the law. The law applies to all vehicles,” he said, adding that innovations have made the procedures easy and the technical inspection takes 10-15 minutes.“Renewing insurance can be done online and renewal of the vehicle can be easily done through Metrash,” Lt-Col al-Muhannadi said, noting that the violations can be checked and cleared through Metrash or the MoI website.