Qatar is a Middle Eastern country which is known for its sand dunes, impressive landscapes, historic forts and modern luxurious hotels. Qatar tourist destinations have so much to offer that people who visit Qatar won´t be disappointed at all.

Iran's prospects to increase production of LNG in the near future are doubtful. Low production levels, the stagnation in gas production projects, and the lack of local infrastructure for the construction of a gas liquefaction plant, outweighs the high demand for gas in the country. As LNG produ...

Sahit Muja: Qatar and Albania are the best countries to invest in the world. Qatar GDP growth in 2010 is projected to increase to16 percent. GDP growth in Qatar is projected to accelerate to 20 percent in 2011. A doubling of natural gas capacity, timely intervention in the banking system, and on...

In thirty seven earlier articles, I republished all the preliminary parts and 29 chapters - profiles of Asiatic and African countries, featured in the Amnesty International 2010 Annual Report which was released a few days ago. Titles of and links to these articles are available in the latest of the ...

Qatar is not a state, is not a people, and is not a nation. It is a detached territory that the English colonials through hatred, conspiracy, and evildoing managed to shape according to their interests. The indigenous population did not exceed a few thousands of Aramaeans whose islamization had trig...

Today's world of science, technology and research can rightly be called a knowledge-crazed one. Every nation, irrespective of her size, state of development or level of wealth, is striving hard to advance in education, science & technology, and via these crucial factors, to realize her dream of development and prosperity. While some nations have progressed fairly encouragingly in their pursuit of educational excellence, others are lagging behind despite their long awareness of the importance of knowledge. Their inability to achieve excellence in education and research can partly be attributed to factors such as poverty and natural catastrophes. However, factors other than these are usually responsible for the misfortune of nations. One of most instrumental factors of backwardness and poverty is, no doubt, the absence of a wise and sincere leadership. Qatar, being one of the most blessed portions of the earth, is gifted with enormous natural wealth. It rests on probably the world's largest mass of natural gas, and possesses substantial oil reserves. Fortunately for the people of Qatar, the country has also been gifted with an intelligent and forward-thinking leadership. Among the many marvels that the Qatari leadership has accomplished over the past one and a half decades is the redevelopment of education in the country. The government has not only succeeded in overhauling and upgrading the pre-existent educational infrastructure and systems but has also hit her strides in introducing a range of new means and possibilities of advancement in the field. Among these achievements is firstly the creation of the supreme Education Council and its brainchildren – the government-funded 'Independent Schools' and the implementation of 'Annual Assessments' student learning and school performance – in the country. The creation of the SEC can be considered an historic landmark of Qatar and is expected to play a consequential role in the revampment of primary, intermediate and secondary phases of education. Under the Independent Schools system, the government has taken a hands-off approach as regards the policies, system of instruction, aims and objects, curricula etc. of the schools. Functioning under the four principles of autonomy, accountability, variety and choice, the schools to formulate their own regulations, devise their own strategies and set their own targets. Secondly, the standardisation of Qatar University – the prime national institution of education – is an important milestone. The university has been brought on par with international universities in infrastructure, facilities, academic programs and systems of instruction. The role of this development for the realisation of higher education and research standards is indispensable. Thirdly, the establishment of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development and its flagship project – the Education City – is of epoch-setting significance. The Education City in particular bears the greatest amount of hopes. The staggering number of select American universities and other technical and research institutions in the City is bound to open new pathways for the redemption of the 'education dream.' Lastly, the opening of numerous foreign universities, colleges and training institutes scattered elsewhere in the country is no less momentous as regards the educational uplift of the masses. They are playing their individual roles and are expected to play an increasingly larger part in outshining Qatar as a centre of education, scientific and technological research as well as an epicentre of arts and culture. These developments have made the national education system and infrastructure truly reflective of the national educational aspirations and requirements by achieving evenness with international standards. Furthermore, the opening of such an overwhelming number of world class institutions with world class facilities and systems has brought Qatar at the forefront of the education race not only among the GCC States but also in the Middle East, North Africa and South and Central Asia. The emergence of education in Qatar has brightened the opportunities of education tourism for the Peninsula. It has given birth to a potential prospect for Qatar to stand on the same footing as any other educationally advanced country in attracting aspirant students from around the world. It is, however, notable that to promote Qatar as a sure centre for education tourism for the entire Gulf region and beyond, certain initiatives will be highly desirable. They include efforts to control the spiralling cost of living in Qatar and bringing the current cost of living drastically down. It will make it possible for students from poorer countries to choose the Education City or some other institute instead of opting for a destination elsewhere. Another important step that will entice students from these regions can include generous aid and education loan packages. As a greater proportion of Qatar's workforce comes from the Middle East and South Asia, prospective students from those regions can be provided with loans on the same terms of serving for a specified period in Qatar as the ones provided to the expatriate population of Qatar. This can be done especially for medical, engineering and other technical spheres of studies whose scope is expected to either rise or remain steady for the next couple of decades. It will be one of the best long term investments and will ensure steady provision of skilled manpower to the monetarily stout nation.

While the realization of Education City is certainly an unusual step in the Arab world, it shows Qatar's intellectual openness and her seriousness to bring 'real change' in the region

Russians, Qataris and Iranians met in Tehran on Tuesday to discuss setting up a natural gas cartel, similar to the oil-based Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The notion of a gas cartel was brought up in January 2007 by Iran´s Supreme Leader ´Ali Khamanai, but it is n...

Athletes and champions can be heroes either due to their efforts and achievements in sports or because of their national and political engagements of outstanding dimensions. At times, champions and athletes face persecution of the worst form, if they stick to the ideals, values and principles o...

Your Highness, As your government expressed astonishment at the ´Ethiopian´ decision to break off diplomatic ties with your country, I am writing to express my indignation for the improper and inconsistent attitude of the tyrannical administration of Meles Zenawi. Before expandi...

Ethiopia reportedly has a document implicating Qatar to be financing Al-Shabaab a terrorist designated organization by the US. The Ethiopian government has severed its diplomatic relation with Qatar. Many have speculated that few countries from the Middle East and North Africa have been funnelin...