New PSD campus to host 7,000 kids - Qatar Tribune

RASGAS
SPONSORS QU
ENGINEERING
PROGRAMME
INDIAN
COMMUNITY
FETES
SHOOTING
TEAM
KERALA
FORUM
NAMES
AWARD
WINNERS
PAGE 14 | DATELINE DOHA
Weather Today
FINE
Sunrise
6:21 am
Sunset
5:06 pm
High 22ºC
Low 14ºC
Wind
15 kts
Visibility
moderate
Pressure
1013 mb
Rel. humidity 52%
CATHERINE W GICHUKI
DOHA
A NEW campus for
Philippines School of Doha
(PSD), to be constructed
near the Catholic Church of
Our Lady of Rosary next
to Pak Shaama School,
Mesaimeer, will accommodate
7,000 students. The
building is expected to be
completed by 2014.
Currently, the school is operating
from a rented building
in Madinat Khalifa and it
has around 2,560 students.
The Philippine Ambassador
to Qatar HE Crescente
Relacion, PSD Principal Dr
Alexander Acosta, government
representative from
the Ministry of Interior
Salem al Shamari and Board
of Trustees Chairman
Gerardo Macasa Jr, along
with several PSD officials
attended the ground breaking
ceremony for the new
building on Saturday.
The new facility will be built
on a 14,375 square-metre
PSD officials take part in the ground-breaking ceremony for the new PSD building, in Doha, on Saturday. (MANEESH BAKSHI)
piece of land allotted by the
Qatari government as part of
the agreement with the
Philippines government.
Talking to mediapersons,
Macasa Jr said the project
will cost between QR60 million
and QR70 million.
“We have an annual
increase in the number of students
in our school. This
increase has been around 35
percent in the last three years.
So, we need a bigger space,”
he said.
Asked how the school will
Sunday, January 15, 2012
be able to raise such a huge
sum of money required to
construct the building,
Macasa Jr said that they
would ask some financial
institutions to fund the
project.
“We will construct a building
with the help of funds and
in 10-15 years the school will
return the amount. The
school will not have to pay
rent. So, we will manage to
pay back the money. We also
have a tender review system
where interested parties can
PRAYER TIMING
Fajr: 4:59 am Dhuhr: 11:44 am
Asr: 2:45 pm Maghrib: 5:05 pm
Isha: 6:35 pm
New PSD campus to host 7,000 kids
Arabi hails Qatar for sincere
efforts to address Arab issues
QNA
CAIRO
ARAB League Secretary-General
Dr Nabil al Arabi said Qatar was
leading ‘a very active foreign policy
aimed at solving several
Arab issues’. “The Qatari policy is
trying to address the current issues
in a genuine way,” Arabi said in Cairo,
adding that this role has been
accepted during the Arab League’s
meetings, which is “great”.
On the real intention to globalise
IHSAN YOUSSEF
DOHA
THE Qatar Statistics Authority
(QSA) released the Consumer
Price Index (CPI) for December
2011 on Saturday. The CPI for
December 2011 has reached 109.6,
showing an increase of 0.1 percent
compared to the CPI of November
2011; and an increase of 2.1 percent,
when compared to CPI of
December, 2010. A comparison of
the CPI of December 2011 with the
CPI of November 2011 shows a
minor rise of 0.1 percent.
The ‘food, beverages and tobacco’
group recorded the highest increase
of 1 percent, while the ‘miscellaneous
goods and services’ group
showed a decline of 1.3 percent.
the Syrian crisis, Arabi said the
Arab League was now acting on the
fact that Syria has admitted the
implementation of certain obligations.
He added that there were a
number of decisions which required
necessary coordination between
the Arab League Secretary-
General and the UN Secretary-
General. However, Arabi did not
give any details about what can be
decided during the next two-day
meeting of the Arab League foreign
ministers, which will discuss the
Prices in the ‘rent, fuel and energy’
category, and ‘medical care and medical
services’ group remained stable
between November and December
2011. During this period, the ‘furniture,
textiles and home appliances’
group increased by 0.6 percent; and
‘garments and footwear’ group
increased by 0.3 percent. On the
other hand, the ‘entertainment,
recreation and culture’ and the ‘transport
and communication’ groups
showed a decline of 0.3 percent and
0.2 percent respectively.
A ‘year-on-year’ analysis, comparing
the CPI of December 2011
with the CPI of December 2010,
shows an increase ranging
between 2.8 percent and 6.4 percent
in all the major groups, with
the exception of ‘rent, fuel and
PAGE 19 | METRO MUSINGS
findings on January 19.
He added that the Arab League
observers have found out that the
Syrian regime did not implement in
full its commitments. “Therefore, it
was necessary to support them in a
real and effective way, or to look for
other options,” he said.
Declining comment on President
Bashar al Assad’s defiant speech,
Arabi said he had asked for a full
report from the head of the Arab
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
Rent and fuel drop, all other
items climb up: QSA report
energy’ group which registered a
drop of 5.6 percent.
The increases were recorded in
the ‘furniture, textiles and home
appliances’ group at 6.7 percent, followed
by ‘garments and footwear’
category with 5.6 percent, ‘transport
and communication’ at 5.4 percent,
‘entertainment, recreation and culture’
with 5.2 percent, ‘food, beverages
and tobacco’ with 4.2 percent
and ‘medical care and medical services’
with 2.8 percent.
A CPI exclusive of the rent group
has also been calculated. After
eliminating the effect of rent, the
overall index shows an increase of
0.1 percent compared to the CPI of
November 2011; and an increase of
5.1 percent when compared to
December 2010.
PAGE 20 | CITY LIGHTS
submit their proposals and
we’ll have a committee working
on this,” said Macasa Jr.
The envoy, for his part,
thanked the Qatari government
for allocating the land.
He said, “The building will be
ready in two years. The project
needs a large amount of
money. But we are hoping to
arrange this amount soon.”
The PSD principal, who
was excited about the project,
said, “The project will be
realised in two years. This is a
new challenge for us.”
JOBS!
We are looking forward to your application to join
our group of smart and savvy news professionals
COPY EDITORS
A new and dynamic media company
seeks print journalists to fulfill
the following functions
■ Work experience as a Print Journalist in an English language
newspaper for 2-5 years
■ A graduate degree, preferably in Journalism or
English Literature or any social science
■ Knowledge of Arabic an added advantage
■ Good knowledge of Qatar and the region
■ Possession of a valid Qatari driving licence
preferable
■ Work experience as a Print Journalist in an English language newspaper
for 2-5 years
■ Having sound knowledge of Quark Xpress 6.5 in Macintosh
■ A graduate degree, preferably Journalism or English Literature or any social
science
■ Should have a good command over English grammar
■ The ability to make pages with speed and accuracy
REPORTERS
SECRETARIAL STAFF
Major Groups of commodities & services % of CPI basket Dec-10 Nov-11 Dec-11 Dec 11/Nov 11 Dec 11 / Dec 10
Household consumption 100% 107.3 109.5 109.6 0.1% 2.1%
Food, beverages & tobacco 13.2% 126.7 130.7 132.0 1.0% 4.2%
Garments and Footwear 5.8% 109.1 114.8 115.2 0.3% 5.6%
Rent, Fuel and Energy 32.2% 89.8 84.8 84.8 0.0% -5.6%
Furniture, Textiles and Home Appliances 8.2% 109.9 116.2 116.9 0.6% 6.4%
Medical care and Medical services 2.0% 110.9 114.0 114.0 0.0% 2.8%
Transport and Communications 20.5% 108.5 114.6 114.4 -0.2% 5.4%
Entertainment, Recreation and Culture 10.9% 112.5 118.7 118.3 -0.3% 5.2%
Miscellaneous Goods and Services 7.20% 129.5 137.5 135.7 -1.3% 4.8%
Base Year: 2007
■ A graduate degree
■ Fluent in English
■ Good computer skills
■ Systematic, methodical and hard working
Attractive remuneration packages. Only shortlisted
candidates will be contacted.
Please email your resume to jobsqatar2010@gmail.com

Sunday, January 15, 2012
14 www.qatar-tribune.com
DATELINE DOHA
CONTACT US
Qatar Tribune —
Editorial: Phone: 44422077
Fax: 44416790
Administration & Marketing
Phone: 44666810, Fax: 44654975
P. O. Box: 23493, Doha
EDITORIAL: qatar.editor@gmail.com
qatar.pressreleases@gmail.com
COMMERCIAL PRESS RELEASE:
qtpressreleases@qatar-tribune.com
ADMINISTRATION: admin@qatar-tribune.com
ADVERTISEMENT: advertising@qatar-tribune.com
CIRCULATION: circulation@qatar-tribune.com
CLASSIFIED: classifieds@qatar-tribune.com
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
RASGAS Company Limited
will be the gold sponsor of the
‘Life is Engineering
Programme’ (LIEP), and will
actively participate with its
volunteers, for the third consecutive
year.
The ‘Life is Engineering
Programme’, a partnership
between Qatar University
College of Engineering and
major local business players,
provides talented Qatari high
school students with technical
experience, as well as raising
awareness on industry
requirements through a mentoring
and skills transfer
scheme with the support of
sponsor companies such as
RasGas.
The programme, a long
term education and skills
transfer scheme, culminates
in the construction of real racing
cars, in a race at Lusail
Circuit.
Recently, at the Lusail
International Circuit over 140
students selected among the
most talented from 14 schools
joined RasGas volunteers in a
lecture to share information
and provide an informative
overview presentation of the
company’s LNG production
and the various opportunities
offered by the industry in the
field of engineering.
Abdulrahman al Mannai,
learning and development
manager, while welcoming
the students said, “RasGas
believes in its responsibility to
share its world-class expertise
in the LNG industry, and
enable Qatari students to gain
relevant and valuable professional
experience. We are
QNB launches
education
plan campaign
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
QATAR National Bank
(QNB) has announced the
launch of its education
plan campaign as part of
its corporate social
responsibility policy.
A good education and a
degree from a respected
university are the key to
unlocking many doors of
opportunity for children.
This investment plan is
designed to help people
save the cost of higher
education by guaranteeing
the growth of their contributions
over the years.
The product offers customers
who have children
with a savings and protection
plan that helps for the
future education of their
children. It will give the
bank’s customers a sense
of security and achievement
knowing that their
children’s education will go
as planned even if everything
else doesn’t, the bank
said in a statement.
With a flexible savings
structure, it will ensure the
family’s financial independence
in the event of
unexpected permanent
total disability or death of
the policy owner.
The minimum accumulation
phase is five years
and the maximum is 21
years. Customers can also
continue to pay into the
account from any country
they move to.
In order to enroll in the
programme customers
would have to contact the
QNB customer care centre
to schedule an appointment,
following which a
customer care officer will
visit the customer to create
the suitable package that
suits their needs or the
customer will visit the
nearest branch of the
bank.
confident that as we continue
to work together, we will provide
a wealth of opportunities
for the youth and we look forward
to many more occasions
such as this.”
Dr Mazen Hasna, dean of
the QU College of
Engineering, spoke highly of
the partnership between
RasGas and the college.
“We are pleased to have
RasGas as a partner in this
important initiative which is
part of our commitment to
strengthen the relationship
between education and
industry.
“The college stands proudly
on its commitment to this
and other projects that
engage high school students
in an appreciation of science
and engineering towards a
career with leading industrial
companies such as Ras Gas.
FIRE
AMBULANCE
POLICE 999
Electricity 991
Water 991
Hamad Hospital 44394444
Childs Emergency Centre (Al Saad) 44393333
Rumila Hospital 44396666
Women’s Hospital 44396666
Airport Services- Enquiry 44622999
Students attend a lecture organised by RasGas at the Lusail International Circuit, in Doha, recently.
RasGas to be sponsor
of QU engineering plan
LIEP students have the
invaluable opportunity to be
mentored by highly-qualified
technical teams which adds
considerable value to the
project and to the students’
academic portfolio,” Hasna
said.
In addition to supporting
programmes such as LIEP,
RasGas also provides regular
internship programmes
and sponsors a number of
gifted high school graduates
and undergraduate university
students through its
scholarship programme.
The students enjoy numerous
benefits that include a
guaranteed position with
RasGas upon graduation
and the opportunity to gain
vital hands-on experience
within relevant departments
during their summer vacations.
DIAL DOHA
Airport Services-Operator 44656666
Qatar Airways 44496666/44496000
Qatar Airways (Airport) 44496688
Gulf Air 44455444
Gulf Air (Airport) 44656318
Immigration & Passport Department 44890333
Traffic Department 44890666
Water Emergency 44325959
Electricity Emergency 44677601
Weather Forecasting (Admn) 44656590
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
CHANTS of ‘Hoya Saxa!’
reverberated throughout the
campus as students of
Georgetown University School
of Foreign Service in Qatar
(SFSQ) celebrated the inaugural
Hoya Spirit Day recently.
Open to SFSQ students, faculty,
staff and families, the festival
spirit was evident
throughout the day, which
marked the closing out of the
semester. It reached a feverish
pinnacle as emcees were introduced
to the gathering students
amidst music and
youthful chatter.
The perfect day to get out of
class, and celebrate the
school’s spirit featured musical
performances, a presentation
of SFSQ sports, a fight
song video, game show style
quizzes, Bollywood dancing,
awards, food and more.
Tasked with leading the proceedings,
the emcees, Dima
Wahbeh (Class of 2015) and
Erik Vos (Class of 2014) started
out by taking light swipes at
each other, before announcing
the order of the day.
The student band Halal
Boys then performed their hit
‘Bandar’ (Monkey) and a rendition
of the hugely popular
Arabic song ‘Aicha’.
The atmosphere became
further animated when the
men’s and women’s sports
teams were invited on stage.
The speeches by sports leaders
had a rousing effect on the
audience, who rallied behind
their teams’ achievements.
More chants of ‘Hoya Saxa!’
followed.
“Events like this - student
run, spirited activities- are
representative of a cohesive
and unified student body. As
a freshman, I want to make
sure that our overall student
culture is reflective of this.
Students should be proud to
be Hoyas, and today I think
we helped solidify that. The
thing that truly makes a
school unique is not necessarily
academic rigour or athletic
strength; it is the overarching
student culture,” said
Nikhil Lakhanpal, freshman
class representative to the
Student Government
Assembly (SGA), which
organised the event.
Drain Centre 44687894
Municipality (Doha) 44336336
Ministry of Education 44941111
Qatar Television (QTV) 44894444
Qatar Broadcasting Service (QBS) 44894444
Qatar University 44852222
Postal Department 44464000
SriLankan Airlines 44322628/44369910
Oman Air 44320509/44321373
Oman Air (Airport) 44626835
Georgetown students
celebrate Hoya Spirit Day
Georgetown students perform during the Hoya Spirit Day, in Doha, recently.
TAMUQ hosts course on
petroleum exploration
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
TEXAS A&M University at Qatar
(TAMUQ) conducted a specialised
course for engineering industry professionals
on ‘Petroleum Exploration
and Production’.
The course participants were taken
through the full life cycle of the oil
and gas industry. This included an
overview of technologies, workflows
and processes that enable the oil and
gas industry to explore, appraise,
develop and produce hydrocarbons.
It also covered various social, environmental
and financial impacts of
this production.
The attendees were given an introduction
to the oil field on the first day
and then studied reservoir appraisal
and engineering on the second day,
reservoir development and drilling on
the third day and completion and production
operations on the fourth day.
Dr Mahmood Amani, associate
professor of petroleum engineering
and course instructor, indicated that
the course benefited the participants
and offered them a comprehensive
understanding of oil and gas operations
rather than only one piece of
the process.
“Oil and gas companies in Qatar
place a very high value on training
for their employees. They believe
Participants at a TAMUQ course on petroleum exploration, in Doha, recently.
that training will enhance the knowledge
and capabilities of their
employees – it is an investment in
their people. Training courses also
highlight the safety of personnel and
safe operations in the field. Thus,
they both educate employees and
result in safer operations,” he said.
The course was offered by the
Network of Excellence in Training
(NExT), a Schlumberger company,
in collaboration with Texas A&M
University. NExT provides customised
training programmes for oil
and gas professionals in over 50
countries.
“As a freshman, but more
importantly, as a Georgetown
Hoya- I want to graduate having
demonstrated that I do not
only attend a school in
Education City, or a university
in Qatar; but a presence in the
Middle-East. Today is the start
to that goal,” added
Lakhanpal.
The programme continued
with the playing of
Georgetown’s fight song video,
a Sudanese dance performance,
a quiz show, a Bollywood
dance, presentation of the
Hoya Spirit Award, a final talent
activity and a raffle for a
number of prizes.
The SFSQ’s SGA is comprised
of 11 members, elected
by the student body, which in
turn has 200 student members.
“The Student Government
Assembly advocates student
interests and organises community-wide
events like Hoya
Spirit Day. The SGA has done
a tremendous job this semester,
and we’re looking forward
to a spring semester full of new
initiatives and events,” said
Alex Silberman, advisor to the
SGA.
Arab League chief
hails Qatar’s
foreign policy’
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13
League observer mission Mohammad
Ahmad Mustafa al Dabi on the latest
developments.
Arabi, however, admitted that a number
of mistakes were made while dealing
with the Syrian crisis due to the different
views of the 21 Arab League foreign ministers.
“Reaching a unique resolution is not
easy and it takes time,” said Arabi, who
explained that as a regional organisation,
the Arab League does not have the right
to impose its views in the member states,
noting that the league resolutions are not
binding on states which vote against
them. “The only international body
which has an enforcement mechanism is
the UN Security Council,” added Arabi.
On the role of the Arab League in
Yemen, the Arab League chief said the
GCC has mediated an end to the Yemeni
crisis through an initiative which was
signed by President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
On the chances of resuming the Middle
East peace process, he said, “In my view
the peace process was born dead.”
He called for international “pressure”
on Israel to make peace with the
Palestinians.
He explained that the Arab League has
no diplomatic relations with Israel,
renewing his call to hold an international
conference aimed at discussing means of
achieving a “just peace” in the region.

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
THE three apex bodies of the
Indian embassy, the Indian
Cultural Centre (ICC), the
Indian Community
Benevolent Forum (ICBF)
and the Indian Business
Professional Network (IBPN)
recently organised a community
reception for the Indian
shooting team which is participating
in the 12th Asian
Shooting Championship.
The 109 players and officials
of team were present at
the reception, which was held
in the Ashoka Hall of ICC.
The chief guest on the occasion
was the Deputy Chief of
Mission of the Indian
embassy Sanjiv Kohli. The
First Secretary M R Qureshi
and Second Secretary Anil
Nautiyal were also present.
The programme started
with a welcome dance presented
by the students of the
ICC dance class.
Tarun Basu, general-secretary
of the ICC, welcomed the
gathering.
Kohli, along with presidents
of ICC K M Varghese,
ICBF Nilangshu Dey, and
IBPN Azim Abbas, presented
a memento to the team coach
Sunny Thomas.
While addressing the gathering,
Thomas highlighted
the achievements of some of
the individual shooters in the
team at different international
competitions.
Bindra, Rathode, Narang
and other world renowned
shooters have not only
brought laurels to the home
country but hold many world
records, said Thomas, who
METRO MUSINGS
himself is the only
Dronacharaya award winner
in shooting in India.
Divakar Poojary, generalsecretary
of the ICBF compeered
the programme while
Yasir Nainar, general-secretary
of IBPN, proposed a vote
of thanks.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
www.qatar-tribune.com 19
Indian community fetes shooting team
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
REGENCY Travel & Tours
won the Leading Travel
Agency award for the fifth
time in a row at the World
Travel Awards (WTA) in
Doha recently.
The grand finale of the
World Travel Awards, considered
the highest level of
recognition in the travel
industry, was hosted for the
first time in Qatar.
The most important decision-makers
in global travel
and tourism attended the
show, which was held in
partnership with Qatar
Tourism Authority, at
Katara Cultural Village.
The 2011 WTA nominations
featured more than
5,000 companies in 1,000
categories across 162 countries.
The winners were
selected by more than
210,000 industry professionals
and consumers
worldwide.
Tareq Abdullatif Taha,
chief executive officer of
Regency Travel & Tours,
Indian community representatives with members of the shooting team at a reception, in Doha, recently.
Regency Travel & Tours wins
‘Leading Travel Agency’ award
Regency Travel CEO Tareq Abdullatif Taha receives the award from President of World Travel Awards
Graham Cooke, in Doha, recently.
received the award in the
presence of an elite assembly
of senior travel, tourism
and hospitality executives.
He was accompanied to
the event by the senior management
team of Regency
Travel and Tours and senior
management team of
Regency Group Holdings’
subsidiaries.
Ibrahim Hassan al
Hassan al Asmakh, Regency Group Holding vice-president for business development with David Falcon, senior vice-president of World
Travel Awards, in Doha, recently.
Asmakh, president of
Regency Group Holding,
parent company of Regency
Travel and Tours, was recognised
as the Travel
Personality of the Year 2011.
Hassan Ibrahim al Asmakh,
Regency Group Holding
vice-president for business
development, received the
award on behalf of his father.
Taha said, “I would like to
congratulate all the winners,
especially President of
Regency Group Ibrahim
Hassan al Asmakh for winning
the Travel Personality
of the Year Award and our
esteemed partners Qatar
Airways, Qatar Tourism
Authority and Aspire Zone.
“An event of this scale
being staged in Qatar is a
testimony of the country’s
increasing popularity among
the travel industry and customers
globally as a destination
of choice for business
and leisure alike.”
He said Regency Travel
and Tours intends to launch
new products and open new
outlets this year.
The event marked the culmination
of a year-long
search for the very best travel
and tourism brands in the
world, and featured the winners
from WTA’s five 2011
regional heats competing
head to head.
Hailed as the ‘Oscars of
the travel industry’ by the
Wall Street Journal, WTA is
recognised worldwide as the
ultimate travel accolade. Its
2011 Grand Tour featured
regional heats in Dubai
(UAE), Antalya (Turkey),
Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt),
Bangkok (Thailand) and
Montego Bay (Jamaica).
At the event, Doha was
voted ‘World’s Leading
Business
Travel
Destination’, Qatar Airways
was named ‘World’s Leading
Airline Business Class’,
while Aspire Zone was
named the ‘World’s Leading
Sports
Tourism
Development Project’, in
recognition of the country’s
superlative sporting credentials.
L N MALLICK
DOHA
The eventincluded an interactive
session with the team
members.
PWF annual general
assembly tomorrow
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
THE Qatar Museums
Authority (QMA) has
launched ‘Naira’, the discount
programme for its
employees and their families,
giving exclusive discounts
and offers at major
stores, and a host of other
options including retail,
hotels and restaurants, and
other attractions in the
country.
As a multicultural organisation
that focuses on culture
and heritage, QMA
selected the name Naira
which originates from the
word ‘lear’ used in reference
to an Ottoman gold coin
(that comes in different
weights) by rural and
Bedouin people. It is still
known by that name today.
As part of the QMA
Human Capital Division’s
attempt to be an employer
of choice, the Naira programme
reflects Qatar
THE Pakistan Welfare Forum
(PWF) will hold its annual
general assembly at the
Pakistan embassy auditorium
on Monday.
Pakistan’s Ambassador HE
Muhammad Sarfraz A
Khanzada will be the chief
guest at the function.
While the performance of
the outgoing steering committee
for the 2010-2011 year will
be reviewed, the newly-elected
members of the steering
committee for 2012-13 will
take the oath of office, according
to a spokesperson of the
forum.
Pakistani community members
are invited to participate
in the event that will commence
at 6.30pm.
Established two years ago,
the PWF provides financial
and humanitarian assistance
to deserving community
members.
It has provided financial
assistance to members for
education, medical, health
legal aid purposes, including
during natural calamities.
The forum has also extended
financial support to people
of other nationalities in Qatar.
QMA comes out
with discount
scheme for staff
The programme
allows the staff
to benefit from
discounts and
Museums Authority’s
appreciation for its employees
and its ongoing initia-
special offers.
tives to reward its employees
for their hard work, dedication
and commitment.
Commenting on the
launch of the programme,
Sharoq al Malki, chief
human capital officer, said:
“The use of employee discount
programmes as part
of the QMA overall employee
engagement strategy, as a
tool for recruiting, retaining,
and motivating employee
talent is becoming increasingly
common among major
organisations in the world,
and we in the human capital
division want to ensure that
our employees and their
families are privileged.”
The programme gives
incentives for employees
and allows them to exclusively
benefit from discounts
and special offers at
over 160 outlets in Qatar
and abroad, including major
hotels, restaurants, retail
outlets, among others.

Sunday, January 15, 2012
20 www.qatar-tribune.com
CITY LIGHTS
FALCONS AND HUNTING FESTIVAL
Children with falcons at the Third Qatar International Festival for Birds and Hunting, in Mesaieed, on Friday. The week-long festival is hosting a number of contests on birds and hunting skills.
Kerala forum names award winners
SANTHOSH CHANDRAN
DOHA
A LEADING Indian expatriate
forum, Thrissur Jilla
Souhrida Vedi (TJSV),
announced its eighth annual
awards for 2011 in Doha on
Saturday.
A total of eight awards
named after prominent personalities
hailing from the
Thrissur district in the
Indian state of Kerala were
announced by the forum’s
Chairman CK Menon at a press
conference. Award categories
include social, cultural,
media and literature. Each
award winner will receive
Rs50,000, along with a citation
and a TJSV memento.
Talking on the occasion,
Menon said, “The TJSV has a
responsibility towards the
society. TJSV is a forum of the
Kerala community and it has
always tried to promote,
encourage and value the contributions
of the people of Kerala
who work in the fields of
culture, media and literature.”
Menon also said the TJSV
will consider presenting a
special award for Indian
expatriates who excels in
their profession.
The ‘C Achutha Menon
Award’ for exemplary social
work will be given to MP
Veerendrakumar, a senior
politician, writer and former
Central minister of India.
The ‘K Human Fraternity
Award’ named after late M
Seethi Saahib will be given to
MN Karassery, a writer, critic
and activist from the state
of Kerala. Karassery is currently
working against the
discrimination faced by
some Muslim women in
their communities in Kerala.
J Gopikrishnan, a reputed
TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
DOHA
SUITEBLANCO, one of the
most prominent fashion
companies in Spain with an
ever-growing presence in
the international market, is
continuing its firm commitment
to the Middle East and
is ending the year by entering
a new Arab market.
The firm that set foot in
the UAE in 2010, sees Qatar
as a major opportunity to
keep broadening horizons
and fostering the expansion
process to which the brand
is committed.
The Lagoona Mall in Doha
has welcomed the Spanish
firm among its women’s
fashion options.
Indian journalist and special
correspondent of the Pioneer
newspaper, has been named
for the ‘Best Media Personality
Award’. The award has
been named after prominent
Indian freedom fighter, late
Abdulrahman Sahib.
The award named after
Joseph Mundasserry, an
educationalist and politician,
will be presented to
Dr Sunitha Krishnan. Krishnan
has been working
relentlessly to combat human
trafficking for the last 16
years. She has also received
the ‘Real Heroes Award’ in
the past.
Popular Malayalam writer
A Sethumadhavan was
named for the ‘TV Kochu
Bava Literary Award’ while
Salim Kumar, a national
award winning Indian film
actor was selected for the
‘Behadoor Memorial
Abhinaya Pratibha Award’.
Kumar’s recent movie
‘Aadaminte Makan Abu’
A Sethumadhavan Akku Akbar Dr Jose Chacko Periyapuram
TJSV Chairman CK Menon with other officials at a press conference, in Doha, on Saturday. (QT PHOTO)
Dr Sunitha Krishnan
J Gopikrishnan MN Karassery MP Veerendrakumar Salim Kumar
Aniss Baobied, GM of
Liwa group, said, “We’re
happy to kick-start the operations
for SuiteBlanco in
Qatar. Our corporate group
has established a strong
presence in the market with
several globally-recognised
brands and we are confident
that SuiteBlanco will be a
great choice for the fashionistas
in the country. We
chose Lagoona because we
firmly believe that it
sets new standards in the
world of lifestyle shopping
and that it provides us
with the platform and exposure
we need to maintain
our image.”
With this new sales outlet,
the store chain is consolidating
its presence in the territory
and reasserting its collaboration
with the Liwa
group which runs the
SuiteBlanco stores in the
UAE and from now on also
the openings which are to
take place in Qatar.
In conjunction with the
current expansion process,
the company is also going
through a process to overhaul
its corporate image
which includes the global
bagged four national awards
including the Best Actor
Award and the film was
nominated for the Academy
Awards from India.
The ‘Ramu Karyat Award’
or the ‘Samvidhana
Prathibha Award’ named
after late Ramu Karyat, a feature
film director, will be
presented to Akku Akbar.
The ‘Special TJSV Award’
will be given to Dr Jose
Chacko Periyapuram, who
has performed the first heart
transplant in Kerala.
The panel of judges for the
award ceremony includes Balachandran
Vadakedath, CK
Menon, KM Anil, VS Narayanan,
VK Salim, AP Manikandan
and CT Lohidakshan.
The awards will be presented
at a ceremony in the
MES Indian School on
February 17. Ministers from
the state of Kerala along with
other Indian dignitaries are
expected to attend the
ceremony.
Spanish fashion firm opens first store at Lagoona Mall
A SuiteBlanco store at the Lagoona Mall, in Doha, recently.
Blanco currently
has in excess of
200 stores and
it stands out for
offering a product
which is faithful
to the young.
transition of its logo to that
of SuiteBlanco; a logo which
lends international value to
the brand without losing its
original identity.
In view of the imminent
change and in order to
secure the future projects of
the company in the country,
the recent opening in Qatar
already incorporated the
new SuiteBlanco image.
Blanco currently has in
excess of 200 stores and it
stands out for offering a
product which is faithful to
the young, urban spirit of the
woman it is targeting. Every
season, its varied collections
of clothes, complements and
accessories include models
which blend top trends and
design with a low cost.