Qatar

With major political events occurring in the Middle East, Qatar, a regional diplomatic heavyweight, saw a year 2024 full of political events: from mediation efforts in conflicts to the reopening of its embassy in Damasco following restored ties with Syria

News updates on referendum, budget announcements, cabinet reshuffle, holiday announcements for Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha, and weather reports were some of the most viewed articles by The Peninsula readers in 2024, the news outlet reports

During Charity Week 2024 the University of Doha for Science and Technology raised QAR 114.753,25 (around €30.000), the highest total among participating universities and schools in Qatar for the second consecutive year

Design Doha, in collaboration with the Years of Culture initiative, presented the Crafting Design Futures exhibition at Museum of Islamic Art, which showcases the works of 9 talented Qatari and Moroccan craftspeople, created as part of exchange programme

Over 4.000 cruise passengers arrived at Doha Port on board the MSC Euribea that made its maiden voyage to Qatar; it is the largest ship to visit the terminal this current season that will continue until April 2025

The polling station locations for the 2024 referendum on the constitutional amendment project have been announced by the General Referendum Committee; the referendum will also be held in electronic form

Qatar Airways launched the world's first Starlink-equipped Boeing 777 aircraft, which took off with passengers on board, from London to Doha, complete with free high-speed Internet access

The initiative 'My Values Design My Identity', promoted by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, saw the participation of over 30.000 public school students in the first phase

The Ministry of Public Health is preparing to introduce a national patient safety event reporting system to capture, analyse and learn from incidents that could harm patients

The country could record its highest number of tourists ever this year, having already welcomed almost 3,3 million visitors in the first eight months of 2024, a 26% increase over last year, when more than 4 million visitors were welcomed

Qatar Museums unveiled a new metal sculpture at the Al Shafallah Centre: 'Infinity Love' honours 25 years of support by Sheikha Moza, who founded the centre in 1999 to support people with disabilities

A new study by Smart focuses on public attitudes towards retirement savings in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE; the survey of 1.500 individuals revealed that most respondents considered benefits as a key driver to relocate to Qatar or other Gulf countries