Doha: The Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani yesterday sent a cable of congratulations to the Italian President Giorgio Napolitano on his country’s National Day.
The Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani sent a similar cable.
Doha: The Minister of Transport H E Jassim Seif Ahmed Al Sulaiti yesterday said Qatar was committed to the time frame for building a rail network between GCC countries by 2018.
He said all countries are keen on the project and some are in more advanced stages. He said the UAE and Saudi Arabia were in advanced stages of the project, while others are still preparing technical studies. He said the last meeting of GCC Ministers of Transport in Bahrain two months ago was very positive.
He said there will be no increase in the budget allocated for the project in Qatar and it will be some time before the budget will be reconsidered, especially that some tenders of the project were not offered yet. The network would start from Kuwait, connecting Dammam, Bahrain, Doha, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.
Doha: The Advisory Council yesterday held its weekly meeting at White Palace under the chairmanship of the Speaker Mohamed bin Mubarak Al Khulaifi.
The Secretary-General, Fahd bin Mubarak Al Khayareen, read out the agenda, which was agreed upon. The council then endorsed the minutes of the previous session.
Ali Abdullah Ali Al Abdullah, Assistant Undersecretary for Planning Affairs, the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning, and his team presented Qatar’s comprehensive urban plan and answered to queries from council members.
The council decided to refer the plan to its Public Services and Utilities Committee.
Doha: Doha Centre for Media Freedom and Superior Institute for Information and Communication have signed an MoU to develop skills of young journalists. The deal, signed in Moroccan capital Rabat, will provide students opportunity to enrol in theoretical and practical courses and assist professors and students working on research projects by gathering data. QNA
