Qatar Airways Group announces massive entertainment calendar for FIFA 2022

Qatar Airways Group unveils its major upcoming events and entertainment projects throughout 2022 FIFA World Cup. (Twitter/@qatarairways)
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Updated 20 October 2022
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Qatar Airways Group announces massive entertainment calendar for FIFA 2022

  • Qatar Airways announced the development of beach clubs, fan zones, theme parks and music festivals.

DOHA: Qatar Airways Group has unveiled its major upcoming events and entertainment projects as the country prepares to host the world’s largest football event. 

Qatar Airways announced the development of beach clubs, fan zones and theme parks in addition to hosting Qatar Live, Daydream Music Festival, Lusail Boulevard brand activation, Qatar Airways Sky House, Winter Wonderland and the naming ceremony for the MSC World Europa cruise ship.

The projects are the result of a number of collaborations, including those with Qatar Tourism, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, and Qatari Diar. 

“Today we see the breadth of what can be accomplished when aviation and tourism work together. We are very proud to announce a wide range of world-class live entertainment coming to Qatar to celebrate the most exciting tournament that will take place in the Middle East,” Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al-Baker said.

Qatar Airways and Qatar Tourism recently opened the family-friendly B12 Beach Club in collaboration with Ayla Oasis Development. Doha Sands, one of Qatar’s newest beaches, offers live music, dancing and dining, while West Bay Beach, open to the public, will offer a variety of water sports activities for up to 1,500 guests. 

Throughout the World Cup, Qatar Live will host more than 60 international artists, including Enrique Iglesias, Black Eyed Peas, Maroon 5, Post Malone, J Balvin and Robbie Williams.

The Coca-Cola Company is the official sponsor of the large-scale entertainment festival, and Ooredoo is its official partner. 

“We are extremely happy to partner with Qatar Airways as a sponsor of Qatar Live. Coca-Cola has a long legacy with both sports and music as it allows us to connect with consumers through their shared passions,” said Nazli Berberoglu, general manager for the FIFA World Cup 2022, Coca-Cola.

“As a long-standing partner of FIFA, this was a great opportunity for us to celebrate the real magic and shared passion for both music and football through supporting unforgettable local experiences,” Berberoglu said. 

Daydream Festival will feature the largest DJ lineup seen in the Middle East with Alesso, Alok, Armin Van Buren, DVLM, John Newmam, Major Lazer, Tiesto & Timmy Trumpet, and more to be announced. 

Qatar Airways  and its partners will schedule family theater circus musical performances including “The Enchanted Prince” and “Pinocchio.” 

From Nov. 13, the MSC World Europa, MSC Cruises’ largest ship, will be docked at the Grand Terminal in the Doha Port and serve as a floating hotel for the duration of the FIFA World Cup. The ship has six pools, 14 whirlpool baths, a Balinese-style wellness center and spa, a beauty salon, a fully equipped gym, and 13 dining venues for a total of 2,626 guest cabins. 

Qatar Airways has also recently announced that it will be the official airline partner and presenting partner of Lusail Winter Wonderland. The theme park, which will be located on Al-Maha Island, is scheduled to open to the public in November.

“Qatar is ready to welcome the world and host a unique edition of the FIFA World Cup — the first to take place in the Middle East and Arab world. Fans can expect top-class international football and a vast array of entertainment options,” FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 CEO Nasser Al-Khater said.

 


Israel’s attorney general tells Netanyahu to reexamine extremist security minister’s role

Updated 8 sec ago
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Israel’s attorney general tells Netanyahu to reexamine extremist security minister’s role

  • National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir criticized for interfering in police matters

JERUSALEM, Nov 14 : Israel’s Attorney General told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reevaluate the tenure of his far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, citing his apparent interference in police matters, Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Thursday.
The news channel published a copy of a letter written by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara in which she described instances of “illegitimate interventions” in which Ben-Gvir, who is tasked with setting general policy, gave operational instructions that threaten the police’s apolitical status.
“The concern is that the government’s silence will be interpreted as support for the minister’s behavior,” the letter said.
Officials at the Justice Ministry could not be reached for comment and there was no immediate comment from Netanyahu’s office.
Ben-Gvir, who heads a small ultra-nationalist party in Netanyahu’s coalition, wrote on social media after the letter was published: “The attempted coup by (the Attorney General) has begun. The only dismissal that needs to happen is that of the Attorney General.”


Israeli forces demolish Palestinian Al-Bustan community center in Jerusalem

Updated 56 min 41 sec ago
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Israeli forces demolish Palestinian Al-Bustan community center in Jerusalem

  • Al-Bustan Association functioned as a primary community center in which Silwan’s youth and families ran cultural and social activities

LONDON: Israeli forces demolished the office of the Palestinian Al-Bustan Association in occupied East Jerusalem’s neighborhood of Silwan, whose residents are under threat of Israeli eviction orders. 

The Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Culture condemned on Thursday the demolition of Al-Bustan by Israeli bulldozers and a military police force. 

The ministry said that “(Israeli) occupation’s arrogant practices against cultural and community institutions in Palestine, and specifically in Jerusalem, are targeting the Palestinian identity, in an attempt to obliterate it.” 

Founded in 2004, the Al-Bustan Association functioned as a primary community center in which Silwan’s youth and families ran cultural and social activities alongside hosting meetings for diplomatic delegations and Western journalists who came to learn about controversial Israeli policies in the area. 

Al-Bustan said in a statement that it served 1,500 people in Silwan, most of them children, who enrolled in educational, cultural and artistic workshops. In addition to the Al-Bustan office, Israeli forces also demolished a home in the neighborhood belonging to the Al-Qadi family. 

Located less than a mile from Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem’s southern ancient wall, Silwan has a population of 65,000 Palestinians, some of them under threat of Israeli eviction orders.  

In past years, Israeli authorities have been carrying out archaeological digging under Palestinian homes in Silwan, resulting in damage to these buildings, in search of the three-millennial “City of David.” 


Israeli strike kills 12 after hitting civil defense center in Lebanon’s Baalbek, governor tells Reuters

Updated 14 November 2024
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Israeli strike kills 12 after hitting civil defense center in Lebanon’s Baalbek, governor tells Reuters

  • Eight others, including five women, were also killed and 27 wounded in another Israeli attack

CAIRO: An Israeli strike killed 12 people after it hit a civil defense center in Lebanon’s city of Baalbek on Thursday, the regional governor told Reuters adding that rescue operations were ongoing.
Eight others, including five women, were also killed and 27 wounded in another Israeli attack on the Lebanese city, health ministry reported on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Lebanese civil defense official Samir Chakia said: “The Civil Defense Center in Baalbek has been targeted, five Civil Defense rescuers were killed.”
Bachir Khodr the regional governor said more than 20 rescuers had been at the facility at the time of the strike.


‘A symbol of resilience’ — workers in Iraq complete reconstruction of famous Mosul minaret

Updated 14 November 2024
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‘A symbol of resilience’ — workers in Iraq complete reconstruction of famous Mosul minaret

  • Workers complete reconstruction of 12th-century minaret of Al-Nuri Mosque
  • Tower and mosque were blown by Daesh extremists in 2017

High above the narrow streets and low-rise buildings of Mosul’s old city, beaming workers hoist an Iraqi flag into the sky atop one of the nation’s most famous symbols of resilience.

Perched precariously on scaffolding in high-vis jackets and hard hats, the workers celebrate a milestone in Iraq’s recovery from the traumatic destruction and bloodshed that once engulfed the city.

On Wednesday, the workers placed the last brick that marked the completed reconstruction of the 12th-century minaret of Al-Nuri Mosque. The landmark was destroyed by Daesh in June 2017 shortly before Iraqi forces drove the extremist group from the city.

Known as Al-Hadba, or “the hunchback,” the 45-meter-tall minaret, which famously leant to one side, dominated the Mosul skyline for centuries. The tower has been painstakingly rebuilt as part of a UNESCO project, matching the traditional stone and brick masonry and incorporating the famous lean.

“Today UNESCO celebrates a landmark achievement,” the UN cultural agency’s Iraq office said. “The completion of the shaft of the Al-Hadba Minaret marks a new milestone in the revival of the city, with and for the people of Mosul. 

“UNESCO is grateful for the incredible teamwork that made this vision a reality. Together, we’ve created a powerful symbol of resilience, a true testament to international cooperation. Thank you to everyone involved in this journey.”

The restoration of the mosque is part of UNESCO’s Revive the Spirit of Mosul project, which includes the rebuilding of two churches and other historic sites. The UAE donated $50 million to the project and UNESCO said that the overall Al-Nuri Mosque complex restoration will be finished by the end of the year.

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay celebrated the completion of the minaret by posting “We did it!” on social media site X.

She thanked donors, national and local authorities in Iraq and the experts and professionals, “many of whom are Moslawis,” who worked to rebuild the minaret.

“Can’t wait to return to Mosul to celebrate the full completion of our work,” she said.

The Al-Nuri mosque was built in the second half of the 12th century by the Seljuk ruler Nur Al-Din. 

After Daesh seized control of large parts of Iraq in 2014, the group’s leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, declared the establishment of its so-called caliphate from inside the mosque.

Three years later, the extremists detonated explosives to destroy the mosque and minaret as Iraqi forces battled to expel them from the city. Thousands of civilians were killed in the fighting and much of Mosul was left in ruins.


US hands Lebanon draft truce proposal -two political sources

Updated 14 November 2024
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US hands Lebanon draft truce proposal -two political sources

  • The US has sought to broker a ceasefire that would end hostilities between its ally Israel and Hezbollah

BEIRUT: The US ambassador to Lebanon submitted a draft truce proposal to Lebanon’s speaker of parliament Nabih Berri on Thursday to halt fighting between armed group Hezbollah and Israel, two political sources told Reuters, without revealing details.
The US has sought to broker a ceasefire that would end hostilities between its ally Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, but efforts have yet to yield a result. Israel launched a stepped-up air and ground campaign in late September after cross-border clashes in parallel with the Gaza war.