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Enormous Artificial Sand Dune To House Museum of Modern Arab Art
Check out plans for this new Museum of Modern Arab Art, planned to be in the desert near Doha, Qatar.
The museum is scheduled to be finished in 2011 and will house a collection of 5,000 paintings, 700 antiques, sculptures, metalwork and ceramics, a calligraphy section as well as other areas that include photography and applied arts. Check out plans for this new Museum of Modern Arab Art, planned to be in the desert near Doha, Qatar. ... more -
Sheikh sends luxury 'Batman' car 6,500 miles for oil change
A wealthy Arab sent his 'Batman' Lamborghini on a 6,500 mile round-trip to London for an oil change - at a cost of more than £23,000, the Telegraph reports.
The £190,000 vehicle travelled on a scheduled flight from Qatar to Heathrow, and was flown back to the Middle East after the service.
The Murcielago LP640, a two-seater coupe, features in the latest Batman film The Dark Knight.
According to reports, the black and gold car cost £3,552 to service at an approved dealer, plus around £20,000 to freight to Britain and back.
What do you think? The height of cool, or a grotesque and irresponsible display of more money than sense? And what precisely could you do with £23,000? A wealthy Arab sent his 'Batman' Lamborghini on a 6,500 mile round-trip to London for an oil change - at a cost of more than... more -
Report: ultra-rich man flies Lamborghini to UK from Qatar for service
Oil money is fun isn't it?
A rich Arab has caused uproar after reportedly putting his Lamborghini on a 6,500-mile round trip to Britain — for an oil change.
The $376,000 supercar was put on a flight from Qatar to Heathrow Friday before being flown back after the service, the U.K.'s Sun newspaper reported Thursday.
The transport of the Murciélago LP640 – driven by Batman in "The Dark Knight" — would have cost the owner — believed to be a Sheikh — about $40,000, the paper reported.
The move sparked fury from employees at Heathrow.
“This car doesn’t have a carbon footprint — more of a crater,” one airport worker told the paper.
The overall cost of sending the black-and-gold supercar to London for the oil change would have cost more than $45,000, The Sun reported.
On Monday, the vehicle was flown back to Qatar. Oil money is fun isn't it? ... more -
British airline boss is locked in solitary for 25 days after arrest for 'spyi...
A former British Airways executive was kept in solitary confinement for 25 days after being arrested in the Middle East for alleged industrial espionage.
Ian Heywood, 47, was heading off for a weekend break in Bahrain with a group of colleagues when he was seized by police as he was about to board a flight at Doha airport in the Gulf state of Qatar.
The Foreign Office in London admitted that Qatari officials had verbally confirmed his arrest to them after eight days – but they did not tell his distraught family of his whereabouts for another fortnight until they got ‘official confirmation’. A former British Airways executive was kept in solitary confinement for 25 days after being arrested in the Middle East for alleged in... more -
G.M. Tower in Manhattan Is Sold for $2.9 Billion
A group led by Mortimer B. Zuckerman, chief executive of Boston Properties, a publicly traded real estate company, is buying the General Motors Building and three other Midtown towers from the financially troubled Macklowe family for $3.95 billion.
The deal, which has been brewing for months as the Macklowes sought to get out from under more than $7 billion in debt, is a victory for Mr. Zuckerman, owner of The Daily News, and his partners, Goldman Sachs and the nations of Qatar and Kuwait, who paid about $2.9 billion for the 50-story, white marble G.M. Building on Fifth Avenue at 59th Street. It is the highest price ever paid for an American office tower.
The sale of the building represents the loss of the crown jewel of the Macklowe real estate empire. The travail of the Macklowes and the fate of the G.M. Building have been closely watched by real estate and banking executives, both for the family drama and as an indication of the real estate market’s health. A group led by Mortimer B. Zuckerman, chief executive of Boston Properties, a publicly traded real estate company, is buying the Gener... more -
Woman in Qatar creates 'Islamic game'
A Qatari woman has invented a board game invented to increase children's knowledge of Islam which is named Ka'abati (My Makkah) and is in Arabic and costs QR300 and is looking for help to bring it out in other languages.
She said one of the reasons why she created it was after her neice was asking her information about Islam.
The game has two kinds of cards with questions and answers related to Islam and can be played by two players, she said. Nora added that her sources of information were Islamic encyclopaedias, the traditions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and Qatar's Ministry of Education's books.
Those who want to buy the game can call 5771144 or send a fax to 4667788. A Qatari woman has invented a board game invented to increase children's knowledge of Islam which is named Ka'abati (My Makk... more -
Interfaith dialogue opens in Doha, Qatar
The sixth Doha Conference of Interfaith Dialogue opened on 13th may with Muslim leaders, Rabbis (incl. 2 from Israel) and Christian leaders coming together from across the globe in Qatar.
The conference was titled "Religious values: Perspective on peace and respect for life," and was organised jointly by the Qatar University, the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Opening the conference at the Doha Sheraton, H E Faisal bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud, Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, said, "We all see from the theme of this conference and its discussions a clear evidence of the success it achieved in terms of interfaith dialogue as well as the goals we wanted to achieve through the previous conferences. In addition to this, there is the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue, which is a real achievement of the previous recommendations."
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter religious Dialogue (Vatican City) said:
"I noted with satisfaction that the Qatari people are courageous and maintain their promises. For example, they promised to widen the conference to include Jews and to create an international structure for dialogue- both promises have been maintained."
"As religious leaders let us promote a sound pedagogy of peace, which is taught in the family, in the mosques, in the synagogues, in the churches, in our schools, in our universities. Religions do not make war, unfortunately- as history teaches us-their followers sometimes make war," said Tauran. The sixth Doha Conference of Interfaith Dialogue opened on 13th may with Muslim leaders, Rabbis (incl. 2 from Israel) and Christian le... more -
Live from the Doha Forum
Dancing Ink Productions' Rita J. King and Joshua S. Fouts recently hosted a virtual world event live from the U.S.-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar and simultaneously in the virtual world of Second Life. The event discussed ways in which virtual worlds can be used to build better understanding between the U.S. and the Islamic world. It was a first for all the participants, including Nashwa Al Ruwaini, who has the two top-rated television shows in the Middle East, "Nashwa" and "Poet of Millions." Howard Gordon, the Executive Producer and Head Writer of Fox's hit show "24" also participated, along with Ambassador Cynthia P. Schneider, former U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands. In a twist, Palestinian Hip-Hop artist Muhammed Mughrabi from Jerusalem and Iranian artist Yas from Tehran, did a freestyle hip-hop performance in Arabic and Farsi, respectively. Dancing Ink Productions' Rita J. King and Joshua S. Fouts recently hosted a virtual world event live from the U.S.-Islamic World ... more
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B-1 bomber burns after landing in Qatar
A U.S. Air Force B-1 bomber caught fire Friday after a landing at al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, U.S. military officials said.The crew evacuated safely, the officials said.
They said the fire began while the plane was taxiing after landing about 9:10 p.m. at al-Udeid, the headquarters of U.S. military air operations for the Middle East.
Officials said the fire on the bomber was contained. A military board of inquiry has been appointed to investigate the incident, they said.
The officials said initial reports said the plane crashed at the headquarters of the U.S. military's air operations for the Middle East. A U.S. Air Force B-1 bomber caught fire Friday after a landing at al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, U.S. military officials said.The crew ev... more -
How Qatar Helped Katrina Victims
"In the wake of the hurricane, which hit the north-central Gulf coast in August of 2005, the State of Qatar was among the first countries to commit financial support to the victims of the storm. Almost immediately after the damage was assessed, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Amir of the State of Qatar, pledged $100 million toward the rebuilding of New Orleans, Mississippi, and other areas destroyed by the hurricane. One month later, in September of 2005, the Qatar Katrina Fund was formed.
The Fund provides direct assistance to the victims of the storm in the form of student scholarships, health care, and the construction of homes and community centers, among other things. "We Are All Witnesses" includes a detailed report of gifts given, along with a complete list and description of the organizations and programs that received contributions. Several universities, medical centers, and non-profit organizations were included on the list, as well as housing projects like Habitat for Humanity." (New American Media-Feb 19 2008) "In the wake of the hurricane, which hit the north-central Gulf coast in August of 2005, the State of Qatar was among the first c... more -
Giuliani's terrorist ties
Forget Rudy's trysts. The real scandal crying out for investigation is his firm's business with Qatar, a haven for al-Qaida.
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Rudy Giuliani Does Business With Sheik Who Helped 9/11 Mastermind Elude FBI
Three weeks after 9/11, when the roar of fighter jets still haunted the citys skyline, the emir of gas-rich Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifah al-Thani, toured Ground Zero. Although a member of the emirs own royal family had harbored the man who would later be identified as the mastermind of the attacka man named Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, often referred to in intelligence circles by his initials, KSMal-Thani rushed to New York in its aftermath, offering to make a $3 million donation, principally to the families of its victims. Rudy Giuliani, apparently unaware of what the FBI and CIA had long known about Qatari links to Al Qaeda, appeared on CNN with al-Thani that night and vouched for the emir when Larry King asked the mayor: You are a friend of his, are you not?
Abdallah al-Thani remains a named defendant in the 9/11 lawsuits that are still proceeding in Manhattan federal court, but his Washington lawyers declined to address the charges that he shielded KSM, insisting only that he never supported any terrorist acts. Asked if Abdallah al-Thani ever supported any terrorists rather than their acts, his lawyer David Nachman declined to comment further. The Congressional Research Service report summarized the evidence against him: According to the 9/11 Commission Report and former U.S. government officials, royal family member and current Qatari Interior Minister, Sheikh Abdullah (Abdallah) bin Khalid Al Thani, provided safe harbor and assistance to Al Qaeda leaders during the 1990s, including KSM. While numerous accounts have named Abdallah as the KSM tipster, the report simply says that a high ranking member of the Qatari government is believed to have alerted KSM to the impending raid.
In other words, as incredible as it might seem, Rudy Giulianiwhose presidential candidacy is steeped in 9/11 iconographyhas been doing business with a government agency run by the very man who made the attacks on 9/11 possible. Three weeks after 9/11, when the roar of fighter jets still haunted the citys skyline, the emir of gas-rich Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin K... more -
Qatar, the least corrupt Middle Eastern nation?
I travelled to Qatar in the middle East to work alongside other documentary film makers and explore Transparency International's claim that Qatar is the least corrupt of all Arab nations. What does this mean? what is life like for residents? The Amir now allows parliamentary elections but why is his power unaffected by these supposedly democratic processes? these questions are all explored as well as the issue of where power lies in the nation and what may be in store for it's future. I travelled to Qatar in the middle East to work alongside other documentary film makers and explore Transparency International's ... more
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The Best Ball Kicking
If you are a true soccer fan this pod is for you. Laurence Billiet of Lonely Planet takes us around the globe to show us the best places to see the worlds most popular game. If you are a true soccer fan this pod is for you. Laurence Billiet of Lonely Planet takes us around the globe to show us the best plac... more
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