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MET warns of poor horizontal visibility over most areas due to fog

21 Dec 2017 – 10:31

The arches at Interchange 5/6 standing tall amid fog in the morning on Thursday. Pic: Shabeerali Madalan

QNA

Doha: Weather inshore until 6 pm on Thursday will be misty to foggy over most areas at first, becoming moderate temperature with some clouds inshore, the Department of Meteorology said in its daily weather report, warning of poor horizontal visibility over most areas at first due to fog inshore.

Offshore, it will be hazy to misty at some areas at first, becoming fine later, the report added.

Wind inshore will be variable at first less than 05 knot becoming northwesterly to northeasterly at a speed of 05 to 12 knot. Offshore, it will be mainly northwesterly to northeasterly at a speed of 03 to 12 knot.

Visibility will be 03 to 08 kilometer or 01 kilometer or less at places at first.

Sea state inshore will be 1 to 2 feet. while offshore it will be 1 to 3 feet.

Source  :  The Peninsula Qatar

Qatar hosts over 1.9 million tourists from January to October

 21 Dec 2017 – 11:15

Officials welcoming the MSC Splendida crew at Doha Port.

By Irfan Bukhari | The Peninsula

As Qatar has attracted over 1.9 million tourists from around the world from January-October 2017, Doha Port yesterday welcomed MSC Splendida, the largest ship with a capacity to carry 4,363 guests.

It is the largest ship to call Doha Port in the 2017-18 cruise season, Mwani Qatar announced.

A delegation of senior representatives from Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), Qatar Ports Management Company (Mwani Qatar), Hamad International Airport (HIA) and the Ministry of Interior’s Immigration Department welcomed MSC Splendida, said a statement issued by Qatar Tourism Authority.

The elegant mega ship, which can carry 4,363 guests, is the second member of the MSC Cruises family to journey to Doha, and is due to make five more calls throughout the 2017/18 season.

At 333 metres in length and 66 metres high, MSC Splendida is one of MSC Cruises’ most modern and elegant ships and measures the equivalent of three football fields. The ship was considerably refurbished and upgraded while in dry-dock in early December 2017. Separately, recently released statistics indicate that Qatar has become a favourite destination of tourists as over 1.9 million visitors from across the world visited the country this year till October 2017.

According to statistics, released this week by the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics, on number of visitors from January to October 2017, a total of 1,941,752 people visited Qatar.

Qatar Monthly Statistics of October reveal that 720,878 (37%) visitors are from GCC countries while 144,765 (7%) people who visited Qatar are from other Arab countries. According to fresh statistics, 530,107 (27%) were from Asia and Oceana, 384,397 (20%) from Europe, 126,784 (7%) from Americas and 34,821 (2%) from African countries.

Despite ongoing blockade imposed on Qatar, hotel occupancy in all categories remained 57% in October 2017 while hotel apartment occupancy rate in the same month was 64%.

In September this year, Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) report “Tourism Performance Summary H1 2017,” had indicated healthy growth in tourism sector in the first half of 2017 with visitor arrivals from Europe and the Americas increased by 10% and 7%, respectively when compared to the first half of 2016.

On MSC Splendida arrival in Doha, Hassan Al Ibrahim, Chief Tourism Development Officer at QTA said: “Qatar is fast becoming a more mainstream destination for cruise ships, as evidenced by the growing number of mega ships docking in our ports.”

Al Ibrahim added that the Doha Port Redevelopment Project, which is well underway, sets Qatar on track to grow its capacity for cruise tourists and become a turnaround port. Once complete, the port will be a permanent cruise terminal and tourist hub, with capacity for two mega cruise ships docking simultaneously. Once all development projects are complete, cruise tourism is projected to attract over 500,000 visitors to Qatar and generate QR350m annually by 2026.

Following extensive collaboration between the Ministry of Interior, Mwani and QTA, the guests benefitted from a recently introduced disembarkation procedure — brought into effect last season — that ensures all passengers to leave the ship and begin enjoying their day-trip within an hour. The guests are able to select from a variety of activities, choosing to enjoy desert safaris and a relaxing day on the beach, cultural tours around Qatar, shopping tours, or traditional dhow boat cruises. “Growing Qatar’s share of cruise tourists is a significant part of our strategy to diversify source markets. “Though the season has started recently, our year-to-date figures for 2017 already show a 6% increase in European visitors compared to last year,” said Rashed Al Qurese, Chief Marketing and Promotion Officer at QTA.

Gianni Onorato, MSC Cruises’ CEO commented: “We are delighted about MSC Splendida making her maiden call in Doha as part of her maiden voyage in the region. MSC Cruises is committed to support developing the cruise industry in this region and we are seeing a growing demand from our guests globally as they seek new and exciting winter cruise destinations.”

MSC Splendida will next visit Doha this winter season January 4 and 25, February 15, and March 8 and 29. The 2017/2018 cruise season kicked off in Qatar in October 2017. A total of 21 ships are expected throughout the season, which continues until April 2018.

The first cruise ship of the current season, Seaborne Encore, docked at Doha Port with more than 500 passengers on board in the last week of October while Mein Schiff 5 docked at Doha Port on November 22 marking the arrival of the first mega cruise ship of the 2017/2018 cruise season.

 

Source  :  The Penisula Qatar

Al Furousiya and Muaither roundabouts to become signal-controlled intersections

21 Dec 2017 – 14:39

The Peninsula

Doha: As part of Al Furousiya Street Development Project Al Furousiya and Muaither Roundabouts will be coverted into signal-controlled intersections to ease traffic congestion in the area.
The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) announced that it will close a 1-kilometre section of Al Furousiya Street, in the direction leading from Muaither Roundabout to Al Furousiya Roundabout (Equestrian R/A), starting from Friday, December 22, 2017 for a period of four months, in coordination with the General Directorate of Traffic.

During this period, traffic on the closed section of Al Furousiya Street will be diverted to a newly-constructed road parallel to the closed road, which includes 3 lanes, as shown in the attached map.

Lanes on the other direction of Al Furousiya Street will remain open to traffic.

The diversion aims to enable construction works as part of Al Furousiya Street Development Project, which includes increasing the number of lanes of Al Furousiya Street to four lanes in each direction with a service road on both sides of the street, in order to enhance traffic flow and increase the street capacity to accommodate current and future traffic requirements.

The project also includes converting Al Furousiya and Muaither Roundabouts into signal-controlled intersections to ease traffic congestion in the area, in addition to providing street lighting and pedestrian and cyclist lanes, among other works.

The Public Works Authority will install road signs advising motorists of the closure. Ashghal urged all road users to abide by the speed limit, and follow the road signs to ensure their safety.

Source  :  The Peninsula Qatar

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President of Uzbekistan receives Speaker of Jogorku Kenesh of Kyrgyzstan

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 21 December, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev received the Speaker of the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic Dastanbek Jumabekov, who is in Uzbekistan with an official visit, the press service of the Uzbek President said.

Uzbek President, warmly welcoming the guest, emphasized that the current visit of the respectable parliamentary delegation of Kyrgyzstan is a logical continuation of fruitful high-level meetings held this year in Tashkent and Bishkek, as well as convincingly demonstrates the strengthening relations of friendship, good-neighborliness and strategic partnership between the two fraternal states.

It was particularly emphasized that the strong political will and decisive spirit of both sides for constructive interaction, intensification of contacts and visits at various levels allowed achieving significant results and filling bilateral relations with concrete practical content in a short time.

Favorable conditions for mutual trips of citizens of the two countries are being created by joint efforts. Volumes of trade turnover are growing dynamically, cooperation between regions and industrial enterprises is intensifying, and relations in transport and communication sphere are developing. Joint business and cultural events are held regularly.

At the meeting, special attention was paid to issues of further expansion of inter-parliamentary cooperation between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Conduction of joint activities within the framework of practical implementation of agreements, adopted during the high-level visits, including the Memorandum signed between the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic, was noted with deep satisfaction.

The importance of regular contacts and systemic interaction with the use of the potential of existing mechanisms of inter-parliamentary relations was emphasized.

The Speaker of the Jogorku Kenesh of Kyrgyzstan Dastanbek Djumabekov expressed sincere gratitude to the President of our country Shavkat Mirziyoyev for the warm reception and meaningful conversation.

The guest highly appreciated the new stage of structural reforms in all spheres, including the strengthening of the role of parliament and civil society in Uzbekistan.

He assured of readiness for active joint work for further development and strengthening friendship, good-neighborliness and strategic partnership between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

 

Source  :  UzDaily

Senate approves amendments to some legislative acts in connection with improvement of tax administration

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 20 December 2017, the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan approved a Law “On amendments and additions to certain legislative acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan in connection with improvement of tax administration”.

The law was developed in line with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan from 18 July 2017 “On measures to radically improve tax administration, increase the collection of taxes and other mandatory payments”.

The legislative act is aimed at a consistent simplification of the taxation system, expansion of the taxable base, introduction of modern methods of tax administration.

In accordance with the law, the Tax Code is supplemented by a new chapter “Tax monitoring”, which envisages introduction of tax monitoring, an extended information exchange between tax authorities and bona fide taxpayers, and provide them with comprehensive assistance in resolving current issues of taxation.

The law also introduces changes and additions to the Civil Code and the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On Bankruptcy”, which envisages application of the bankruptcy procedure to individuals, who have a tax debt arising as a result of engaging in entrepreneurial activities and who have lost the status of an individual entrepreneur, state registration.

Changes and amendments to the Tax Code and the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On Electronic Commerce” envisages introduction of mechanisms for tax control in the field of trade and services carried out in the Internet.

Amendments to the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On the State Tax Service” and the Tax Code establish the procedure for refunding or offsetting excessively paid taxes and other mandatory payments within 15 working days from the date of the taxpayer’s appeal to the authorized bodies. The law is approved by senators.

 

Source  :  UzDaily

Uzbekistan and Belarus intend to increase trade turnover to US$500m by 2020

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan and Belarus are planning to increase bilateral trade up to US$500 million by 2020, Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Mikhail Rusy said at the 5th meeting of the joint intergovernmental commission on bilateral cooperation between Belarus and Uzbekistan in Minsk.

Mikhail Rusy said that the trade turnover between the two countries made up over US$100 million in January-September 2017. He added that the countries face a serious challenge – to achieve trade turnover of US$500 million by 2020.

“For this, there are all the conditions – political, economic, technical and technological. We must work together in the markets of third countries,” Mikhail Rusy added.

Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Nodir Otajonov said that Uzbekistan and Belarus are traditional partners.

He added that the trade turnover between the countries has been growing steadily lately. To increase it to US$500 million by 2020, the countries will work closely and implement joint projects, he said.

During the meeting of the joint intergovernmental commission on bilateral cooperation, the sides discussed issues of trade and economic cooperation and implementation of joint projects.

Following the meeting, Uzbekistan and Belarus signed an action plan (road map) for intensification of relations in the trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres for 2018.

Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Mikhail Rusy noted that Uzbekistan and Belarus should optimize and expand economic relations.

“This implies not only an increase in turnover, but also the creation of joint ventures. In 2016-2017, we managed to identify areas of cooperation across all sectors, which allow us to say that by 2020 we will be able to achieve a turnover of US$500 million,” Rusy added.

“Today we signed a roadmap for 2018, which outlined areas in which we will develop cooperation. These are machine building, agro-industrial complex, construction and production of building materials, healthcare, production of medical preparations and other directions,” he underlined.

In 2018, the countries are set to create a joint cluster of light industry and organize the delivery of quarry equipment, as well as create service centers.

According to the Vice Prime Minister of Belarus, about 1,000 Belarus tractors will be assembled in Uzbekistan in 2018.

He said that Belarusian company Amkodor established a joint production on the basis of the Tashkent plant of agricultural machines. He noted that Uzbekistan and Belarus can cooperate in the sphere of leather industry.

“Using resources from Uzbekistan, we can recycle with us and make quality leather and shoes. We also work on cooperation in the food industry – dried fruits, fruits and vegetables, confectionery, malt supply. The road map details the action plan for cooperation in all areas. Behind each direction, the deputy minister is fixed on both sides,” Mikhail Rusy said.

He added that the task was set to establish an enterprise for production of pharmaceuticals for treatment of hepatitis and oncological diseases in Uzbekistan.

Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Nodir Otajonov said that the countries outlined a concrete action plan for investment activity

“Belarus is famous for the high level of information technologies, engineering, construction, and we are aimed at developing cooperation in these areas. We will also be glad to attract investors from Belarus in such areas as pharmaceuticals, confectionary industry, agriculture,” he added.

Within the framework of the meeting of the intergovernmental commission, a memorandum of understanding was signed on cooperation between the Ministry of Industry of Belarus and Uzeltekhsanoat on joint activities in the electrical industry.

Uzbekistan and Belarus intend to prepare a new agreement on cooperation until 2028 until February 2018.

 

Source  :  UzDaily