The first picture of the causeway to be builtbetween Bahrain and Qatar was released on Wednesday by the Paris-based construction company that heads the consortium charged with building the 40-kilometre bridge.

The computer-generated image released by Vinci SA shows the colossal Friendship Bridge, which will run over 18 kilometres of shallow sea embankments and 22 kilometres of viaducts and bridges over deeper water.

The construction will be undertaken by Vinci Construction Grands Projets, in a consortium with QDVC, a joint venture between Vinci and Qatari Diar, Hochtief AG andCCC, according to Qatar daily The Peninsula.

The contract to construct the $3 billion causeway was signed on Tuesday by Ahmad Hasan Al Hammadi, director of the legal affairs department at Qatar's Foreign Ministry, and Pierre Berger, chairman of Vinci Group.

The transport link between the two Gulf states will reduce the travel time from one to the other from approximately five hours to around 30 minutes.

The project is expected to take up to 60 months, including a nine-month study and planning period.

No date has been set for when construction will begin.

This can only be good news! I can't think of anything worse than someone sat next to you having a phone conversation. "HELLO..I'M ON A PLANE"!!!

QATAR Airways is to ban mobile phone calls on its flights to avoid air rage.

The airline is allowing text calls, and is providing WiFi and high spead broadband access for laptops.

But chief executive Akbar al Baker said research showed that 80 per cent of customers do not want mobile calls to be allowed inflight.

"We will have the facility on board - it's just a question of flicking a switch. But we have decided not to allow mobile calls on planes for a very simple reason - comfort. We don't want people to start speaking loudly in the cabin on a night flight.

The Gulf Times mentioned increased pick pockets in shopping malls.

The article mentioned that controlling the entry of bachelors into shopping malls may get rid of "unwanted elements" in malls.  They suggested malls should fix a minimum purchase for bachelors to entry. 

How can this system happen?  How can a store check if a bachelor bought some items?  Are bachelors the problem?  When I was a bachelor, I never pick-pocketed.

According to Qatar Weather, today will be some shower guys... yeeehaaa... I am singing + praying (hope is true)

I am dancing in the rain.. I am dancing in the rain...

Lets pray together the rain will come today..

Check the link: http://www.qatarweather.net/index1.php

[Public Service Announcement: If you do encounter rain on the road please drive slowly and safely!]

The QL Volunteers Group was one of the first groups setup on Qatar Living. Aisha, one of our most prolific members setup the group and arranged for Qlers to give back to those less fortunate in Qatar by volunteering their time and energy:

I’m really excited and happy that we will start a QL group for our volunteers! This is just great. After the QL Blood Donation Camp1, the QL visits for children with special needs, and a couple of charitable projects organized by our dear QL members, we’ll have our own , hopefully growing, group!! Yaaay

SPEED has shown the same enthusiasm, caring and spirit in organising last weeks activities. Many people have nominated SPEED as group owner and I'm glad to announce that he has agreed to take on this task and help QLers give back!

If you have some time and want to get involved, please head over to the QL Volunteers Group and sign up!

Take the QL Vacation Time Poll here to have your say!

PEOPLE living in Qatar were seen to take longer vacations than those in the other GCC countries, according to a survey.

Almost half (47.61%) of those respondents who currently reside in Qatar took at least four weeks off, with around one in six Qatari residents (14.28%) actually managed to get off for 5-6 weeks, said a ArabianBusiness.com Travel Survey 2008.

Conversely, almost half of the respondents who reside in the UAE (45.85%) said they had taken only two weeks or less for their annual vacation.Only 6.67% of people living and working in the UAE vacationed for 5-6 weeks, less than half the number of their neighbours in Qatar, it said.

On the Gulf states average, it said the majority of people surveyed (37.28%) spend just two weeks on their annual vacation, while a lucky few (0.72%) managed to get away for a couple of months every year.

After the 1st phase of collection of Donations, I am still receiving calls on my mobile and several PMs from generous people to accept their donations and distribute to the needy labourers.

I cannot say NO to all those who are still willing to donate.

Today I spoke to the Company representative and they have no objection in receiving donations for their needy people.

Please note I will be again availble on the same collection point on Saturday 3rd May 2007:

I will be available in the parking of a new under construction next to NBK showroom :

Car Park BY the Mercedes showroom on Salwa Rd.
Saturday, 03/05/08
6:00 PM until 7:00 PM (18:00hrs to 19:00hrs only)

My mobile number - 660 4594

Kindly inform others and please try to come on time. We will leave for the camp which is behind Thrusday/ Friday Market on Salwa Road very close to our above colletion point.

Kindly note: This will be our last collection and after this we will not do any collection, if anyone willing to donate they can directly visit the HBK labour camp and donate.

Thank you and God bless you All.

An al-Jazeera cameraman detained by American forces in Afghanistan was last night released after spending nearly six years imprisoned without charge at Guantánamo Bay.

Sami al-Haj, 39, was arrested on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan on December 15 2001, while on assignment to cover the war against the Taliban. Although he had a valid visa to work in Afghanistan, US intelligence alleged that he was an al-Qaida operative, and he was transferred to Guantánamo in June 2002.

Last night, his lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith, said Haj was en route to his home in Sudan to be reunited with his wife and son. He said: "I'm very glad Sami has finally been released, but the question is why he wasn't freed many years ago."

Qatar’s ruling Al-Thani family bought Damien Hirst’s Lullaby Spring for £9.7m at Sotheby’s London in June 2007, the highest price ever paid for a work by a living European artist at auction. The 2002 sculpture, which consists of painted and cast pills displayed in a steel and glass cabinet, is now installed in Doha amid a growing collection of modern and contemporary art. While the Al-Thani family has been a major collector of Islamic art, it has not previously been known to buy European and American work at this level.

I am sure they will agree with me. So on behalf of the Labors/Victims I want to lend hand and say Thank you for your Donation.

You guys proved even in this modern busy day while we interact mostly by text/calls/net we still put our effort to support the neediest one.

Lets continue doing this good deeds to others. And I knows only GOD can repay you for this.

QLers ROCKS BIG TIME!!!!

As reported by Ramesh Mathew for the Gulf Times (photo by Thajuddin)

AS many as 157 workers, who suffered substantial loss in a fire that ravaged their camp in Doha on Sunday, received an additional assistance of QR600 each from their employer, the HBK Group of Companies, yesterday.

Over 400 workers housed in the gutted camp had been paid an emergency aid of QR150 each the very next day of the fire. About a 100 workers, who are staying in the portacabins unaffected by the flames, are to receive today several bags of relief materials collected by community website Qatar Living.

Volunteers from Qatar Living delivered the goods last night at the new camp of the company on Street 37 of the Industrial Area.
“A company official has agreed to transport the relief materials to the affected camp today,” a volunteer told Gulf Times.
A number of philanthropists had responded to appeals made through the website and donated a large number of blankets, clothing materials, utensils, footwear, provisions, cooking oil and toiletries.

Involved in the humanitarian drive were many nationalities, including Americans, Canadians, Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos and Qataris.

A charity worker kown by the nickname ‘Speed’ among the Qatar Living fraternity was at the forefront mobilising relief materials.
‘Speed’ told Gulf Times that when he and his colleagues gave the appeal soon after the disaster, they never expected such an overwhelming response from visitors to the website.

He said many of those who gathered yesterday had been involved in similar missions earlier and were only too happy to help the workers affected by the fire at the labour camp.

Some Qatar Living members had come to the camp with their vehicles, fully loaded with relief materials, a good portion of which were new.
“Of course, we collected a lot of used materials too as we thought it could be useful for the workers, who were left with literally nothing,” one member said.

An HBK official said about 200 workers affected by the fire had already been moved to the new accommodation on Street 37 of the Industrial Area.
“At present everything is normal for the majority of the affected workers and they do not require any further assistance,” he said.
Meanwhile, for the second day running, members of the India Fraternity Forum distributed clothes and other essential materials to the affected workers at their camp.

Great work folks!

If you have any feedback on the new look, please leave it here. I'll keep an eye on this thread. Since this is just a trial run I'm particularly interested in any errors or problems you find.

Thanks! 

"Habibi, you can't expect to be taken seriously in Doha if you show up at Starbucks with only two mobile phones. Don't even get me started on the fact that your phone is like soooooo last month"

Overheard somewhere in Doha

The only thing cooler than having the latest mobile phone in Qatar is being able to get a great bargain on a shiny-hardly-ever-used three month old phone. Where better to find one than right here in the shiny new mobile phone section of the classifieds on Qatar Living? 

You're only one click away if you're selling your phone or looking for your next one...