Doha, November 06 (QNA)

Qatar and Argentine signed today an agreement on reciprocal encouragement and protection of investments.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al-Thani, Minister of Economy and Commerce Qatar and visiting Argentine Vice President Marta Gabriela Michetti signed the agreement on behalf of their countries.

The reciprocal encouragement and protection of investments agreement aims to create a good investment climate between the two countries, establish favorable conditions for investments by investors of the two countries, and promote and protect those investments.

It is to note that bilateral trade between both the countries in 2015 was around US$ 181 million, which includes $ 147 million Qatari exports. Argentine stands on No. 38 as Qatar's trading partner.

Riyadh, November 06 (QNA)

The Qatari- Saudi Economic Forum kicked off Sunday, on the sidelines of the "Made in Qatar" exhibition which will begin Sunday evening and continue until Wednesday Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center.

Organized by Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry in cooperation with the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Qatari-Saudi Economic Forum got underway in the presence of Minister of Energy and Industry Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada, Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Faleh, Minister of Energy,Industry and Mineral Resources, Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al-Thani, Chairman of Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Dr Hamdan bin Abdullah Al-Samrain, President of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce .

In his opening remarks, Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting the Qatari-Saudi Economic Forum and Made in Qatar Exhibition, pointing to the importance of the Forum in meeting the aspirations of the GCC citizens who hope to see GCC bloc as an active and influential economic power both regionally and internationally.

He stressed the need to rely on diversified resources to advance the GCC economy in light of falling oil prices, pointing out that in the future oil would not be the prime mover and actor of the Gulf economy. Gulf investments abroad reached $ 248 billion in 2015, Qatar Energy & Industry Minister added.

He underlined the importance of creating real and sustainable development in the GCC by attaching more attention to the industrial sector, pointing out that the contribution of the industrial sector in the GDP of the GCC countries accounted for 10 percent, which is low when compared to the developed countries.

Dr AlSada reiterated the need for industrial coordination among the GCC countries in manufacturing, small and medium sectors in particular in addition to supporting the private sector and encouraging new initiatives in production and export domains.

On this occasion, Saudi Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Faleh praised economic achievements of the GCC states within few decades, highlighting Saudi Arabia as the biggest economy in the Middle East and a member of the Group of Twenty.

He said that his country and Qatar aspire to double the volume of their investment, adding that the private sector should play a leading role in this regard.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al-Thani, Chairman Qatar Chamber of commerce said that the forum and the exhibition provide a great opportunity to bring economic and trade relations between the two countries to new horizons. The event is an important opportunity to exchange expertise and experiences, he added.

He showed his confidence that the forum aims to promote joint cooperation and explore opportunities available in both countries, in addition to identifying obstacles that prevent the achievement of common goals in developing trade relations.

Dr Hamdan bin Abdullah Al-Samrain, President of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce welcomed the Qatari dignitaries. He said that joint forum is a great opportunity for business community in both countries to enhances inter-trade relations and will attract more joint investments.

Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) is leading a Qatari delegation of 21 local industry partners to participate in the 37th World Travel Market (WTM) taking place this week at London.

Qatari delegation will shed light on Qatar’s natural, cultural and historic landmarks and to promote the country as a tourism destination among travel professionals and tourism industry leaders in the United Kingdom.

The UK is Qatar’s largest visitor source market in Europe, accounting for close to a third of European visitors to Qatar in 2015.

A year on from the international unveiling of the Qatar destination brand at WTM 2015, QTA has sustained and built interest in Qatar as a premium destination through its year-round promotional efforts particularly those targeting UK travelers.

Over the past year, QTA has actively sought to engage British travel agents through an informative roadshow in five key cities Manchester, Bristol, Brighton, Glasgow and Edinburgh, as well as Dublin in neighboring Ireland.

The rising interest in Qatar as a distinctive tourist destination is evident in the increasing number of UK travel agents – reaching nearly 1,000 - who have signed up for QTA’s Tawash online destination training program, where 60% of them have successfully graduated as qualified experts in Qatar’s tourist attractions.

On the sidelines of the three-day exhibition, QTA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Georgian Department of Economic Development. The MoU opens channels for cooperation in the areas of planning, development, investment, marketing, promotion and education for the respective country’s tourism industries.

WTM takes place every year in London and is one of the most significant events in tourism industry globally. More than 50,000 senior travel industry professionals, tourism industry leaders, government officials and international press visit WTM each year to network and negotiate with representatives from global tourism destinations, and to discover latest investment opportunities in tourism industry.

Friday
04 November 2016; Lausanne:

The Association of National Olympic Committee (ANOC) today announced that five world-class musical and dance performances will be interspersed throughout the ANOC Awards 2016 in Doha taking the ceremony’s global audience on a journey through music and sport and reflecting the power of sport to unite the world.

The ANOC Awards 2016 are being organised in partnership with the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and will be hosted for the third occasion on 15 November 2016 in the state-of-the-art Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC), which has hosted some of Doha’s biggest international conferences and music concerts. Global brand experience agency, Auditoire, was selected by the QOC to produce the ceremony due to its experience in designing and producing more than 3,000 live events for leading brands and businesses all over the world during the last 25 years.

The ceremony will fuse Qatari and international music, dance and sport and embrace some of the very latest technologies to deliver a truly spectacular evening of world-class performances. The performances will pay tribute to the world’s five continents and sport’s power to unite the world. Large moving images will complement the performances of those on stage who will commemorate the collective and shared spirit of sport.

The performances will showcase sport’s universality as performers symbolizing the diversity of different nations and cultures blend together in a unique and impressive show.

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahd Al-Sabah, President of ANOC said 'The ANOC Awards was created by ANOC to ensure that NOCs and their athletes receive the international recognition they deserve for their tireless dedication to the Olympic Movement. Of course not every athlete and NOC can win an award but the ANOC Awards is about more than individual sporting achievements. All of the world’s 205 NOCs will be in attendance at the ANOC Awards 2016 and so we want to make it as special and enjoyable as possible.'

'Our ambition is for the ANOC Awards to be the Oscars of Sport and so by bringing in some of the best performers and musicians we can guarantee the NOCs a spectacular and enjoyable evening that they will never forget', AlSabah said.

Doha, November 02 (QNA) -

Emir of State of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Chairman of Supreme Council for Economic Affairs and Investment Qatar chaired today the council's fourth meeting held at the Emiri Diwan.

Deputy Emir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Thani, Vice-President of the Council, attended the meeting along with Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Council's Executive Member and members of the council.

Ali Shareef Al Emadi, Minister of Finance and Secretary-General of the council said that the council discussed Qatar's second National Development Strategy 2017-2022 and the best ways to implement them. Other issues on the meeting's schedule was discussing developments in the energy field and the investment policies of Qatar Investment Authority (QIA).

Doha, November 02 (QNA)

The third edition of Katara European Jazz Festival started on Wednesday amidst significant presence of heads of diplomatic missions of participant countries and a large crowd.

Following the inauguration ceremony, Jazz lovers experienced the spectacular Saharan music that blend with rock sounds, African pulse, rhythmic trances and groove during the performance of the French band, Ezza.

Standing out of previous famous bands, the power trio EZZA transforms and brings the music off the usual path, blending, without any concessions, modern rock sounds, African pulse, rhythmic trances and relentless groove. EZZA's desert bluesrock, three-piece dynamic and soul-stirring melodies, produce a more contemporary sound than previously associated with Saharan music.

The first day of Jazz festivities continued with the performance of Golden Circle Quartet from Italy who formed an imaginary "golden circle," blending together their experiences and setting aside their preeminent roles to convey their extraordinary talent as interpreters and music makers in a singular band.

Jazz festivities will continue on Friday with the performance by the German band Three Fall.

Doha, Qatar, 3 November 2016:

The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) has announced Professor Dame Sally Davies, England’s Chief Medical Officer, as the second keynote speaker for the 2016 Summit.

Dame Sally will join renowned economist Lawrence H Summers, the Charles W Eliot University Professor and President Emeritus at Harvard University, as a keynote speaker for the event, which will take place in Doha from 29th – 30th November.

“I am delighted to be speaking at WISH 2016. This is an important forum for health experts from around the world to discuss the challenges that we face as a global community, and to discover innovative new ways to solve them. I will be focusing, in my keynote address, on the growing issue of antimicrobial resistance, and look forward to new perspectives on how we can galvanise global action to tackle this threat,” she said.

Egbert Schillings, Chief Executive Officer of WISH, said: “Dame Sally’s leadership on the issue of antimicrobial resistance in global health is unmatched; from her publication ‘The Drugs Don’t Work’ to her tireless advocacy around the world and in every health policy forum. Most recently she has written very eloquently about the role of leadership in health systems, defining it as the ability to identify priorities, set a vision, and mobilise the actors and resources needed to achieve them. This is exactly what Dame Sally has been doing so successfully, and we are fortunate to have her voice and wisdom inform the debate at WISH 2016.”

Dame Sally is the most senior independent advisor to the UK government on medical matters, with particular responsibilities regarding public and global health. She was previously the Chief Scientific Advisor for the Department of Health from 2004, where she founded the National Institute for Health Research.

Dame Sally sits on the World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Board. She advises many governments on health and policy, holding positions on a number of boards and groups, including the Singapore A Star International Advisory Group and the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation Board.

In 2013, Dame Sally published a report on infectious diseases bringing renewed focus to the increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and calling for action to address the key areas of stewardship, monitoring and surveillance, and antibiotic development. Since this publication, Dame Sally continues to advocate globally on AMR with a recent high-level meeting at the United Nations General Assembly.

She was chair of the 2013 WISH AMR forum and is chair of the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on AMR to the WHO.

The recent United Nations General Assembly Declaration on AMR underlined that all countries need to work with each other, as well as with civil society and industry, to prevent infection, find new antibiotics and diagnostics and encourage responsible use of drugs already in use. Dame Sally will outline what action needs to be taken now to heed the UN call and what are the challenges that we still face as a global community. She will be speaking on the first day of the WISH Summit.

WISH, a global initiative of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), is a meeting point for thousands of high-level policymakers, academics, and professionals. It has also evolved into a key platform for the dissemination of healthcare innovation and best practices.

The WISH Summit will feature innovation showcases from around the world that are shaping the design, delivery, and financing of care, as well as a cohort of young innovators; emerging healthcare leaders under the age of 30, whose contributions to global health deserve wider recognition.

The WISH 2016 Summit will feature nine panels and research papers that highlight and address some of the world’s most pressing healthcare challenges, including Accountable Care, Autism, Behavioural Insights, Cardiovascular Disease, Genomics in the Gulf Region and Islamic Ethics, Health Professional Education, Healthy Populations, Investing in Health, and Precision Medicine. Internationally-renowned experts will chair the discussions. For the first time, WISH will also report on its impact locally and globally, on issues previously highlighted at the conference, such as diabetes and patient safety.

For further information about WISH, please visit www.wish-qatar.org and Twitter @WISHQatar.

QNA
Doha, November 03 (QNA)

Shingo Tsuda, out-going ambassador of Japan called on Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad AlThani this morning at Diwan-e-Emiri on the occasion of end of his tenure in Qatar.

Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad AlThani presented ambassador Shingo Tsuda Sash of Merit in recognition of his role in enhancing ties between the State of Qatar and Japan. Emir wished him every success in his future assignments and for the bilateral relations further progress and prosperity.

The Japanese Ambassador expressed his thanks and appreciation to Emir and officials in State of Qatar for the cooperation he received which contributed to the success of his mission.

Doha, November 02 (QNA)

GCC news agencies launched on Wednesday in Doha the single mobile application for all GCC news agencies.

The application available on all smartphones in Arabic and English features news from GCC states at one place to facilitate access to official news and data. Directors, board chairmen and representatives of GCC news agencies attended the launch event.

Addressing on the occasion, Ahmed Saad Al Buainain, Director General, Qatar News Agency said it has been a dream finally became true and a reality that enables Internet browsers in general and those interested in GCC news in particular to access news from GCC news agencies at one place and at an extreme speed and ease.

He said that the step is a pioneering move through which QNA aims to serve GCC media to tackle media challenges facing GCC states.

Al Buainain thanked Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani who immediately approved the proposal when presented as it serves the interests of GCC media.

He lauded QNA Technical Affairs Department for their efforts in achieving the project.

Doha
2nd Nov. 2016

Qatar-based Abuissa Holding, one of the leading conglomerates in the Middle East, expands its operations in Dubai with the opening today of its first restaurant in the Emirate, Divan Patisserie at Dubai Mall. The company manages diversified business interests in segments ranging from arts and photography to high-end retail, distribution and F&B.

Divan Patisserie is a well-known Turkish brand established in 1956 from Divan Istanbul Hotel and today grown to over 200 restaurants throughout Turkey and greater Europe. The new restaurant at Dubai Mall is only the second Divan Patisserie in the Middle East, following an opening in Doha, Qatar in 2015.

Nabil Abu Issa, Vice Chairman, Abuissa Holding sees great opportunity for growth in Dubai. “Our long history in this region is unparalleled, and we manage an incredible portfolio of brands and businesses representing hundreds of industries and companies across three continents. Divan Patisserie is only the first of many retail and restaurant concepts we plan for the UAE,” he said.

Other brands within the Abuissa Holding portfolio include high-end fashion brands Brooks Brothers, Elie Saab, MCM, Cole Haan and Aigner. In addition to international brands, the company manages its own lifestyle house brands focusing on jewelry, home furnishings, electronics and fashion.

“Dubai is the economic engine that fuels strong growth throughout the entire Middle East, said Fawaz Idrissi, CEO Abuissa Holding. “As the fashion and retail hub of the Middle East, we see unlimited opportunity to bring the world’s best brands here. Paired with our company’s unique culture and commitment to the communities we serve, we know that our customers and stakeholders will greatly benefit.”