Article 538 If the force majeure prevented the submission of the bill of exchange or the plea in the prescribed deadlines, these deadlines shall be extended. The holder has to notify without delay the person who endorsed him the bill of exchange with force majeure, and he has to prove this notice with a date and his signature on the bill of exchange or any related paper, and the notifications sha

Bad news abounds. The purveyors and prophets of doom and gloom proclaim the broader Middle East to be Dickens on steroids: It’s the worst of times squared. By Aaron David Miller In Iran, the centrifuges spin ever closer to acquiring enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon. In Egypt, Islamists crowd out the liberals and the Google generation. In Syria, the Assads maintain their bloody grip

By Peter Apps Muammar Gaddafi’s apparent death from wounds received during the fall of Sirte means a long and complex trial that could have divided Libya and embarrassed Western governments and oil firms will be avoided. A senior National Transitional Council (TNC) military official said the former Libyan leader died after capture having earlier been injured in a Nato airstrike on a

Neighbourliness The best of persons in God’s sight is the best amongst his friends; and the best of neighbours near God is the best person in his own neighborhood. A Muslim who mixeth with people and putteth up with their inconveniences, is better than one who doth not mix with them, and bear with patience. Do you love your creator? Love your fellow-beings first. Orphans I and the guardian

Ziyaad Ibn Abeeh, the Umayyad statesman, asked those who were sitting with him, “Who leads the most blissful life?” They replied, “The Commander of the Believers does!” He said, “No. The man who leads the most blissful life is a Muslim man who is married to a Muslim woman and they have enough sustenance, and each of them is happy and satisfied with their partner! This man does not know u

By SHEIKH MUHAMMAD AL GHAZALI Islam attaches much importance to attending mosques for congregational prayers, which are the best way to offer all five daily obligatory prayers. Hence, the Prophet (peace be upon him) urged his followers to attend congregational prayers in mosques, using every method to make them eager to do so. He is authentically reported to have said: “As one walks to the

  Twenty-seven high school seniors and 13 juniors celebrated the last day of classes of the three-week Summer College Preview Programme at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar with a festive closing ceremony.

The Community College of Qatar (CCQ) will continue to receive registration documents from the first group of selected full-time students until August 18, 2010, officials have announced. The necessary documents including original Qatari ID, official high school diploma/certificate, and a health certificate should be submitted at the Information Centre on the first floor of the SEC building in Al D

  Officials at the Higher Education Commission at the Supreme Education Council have said they would start receiving scholarship applications from high school graduates to all universities included in their lists. The Guidance Office and the Professional Development Office at the Higher Education Commission have recently issued a students guide for scholarship programmes and higher education se

Best-selling children’s books translated into Arabic by Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing (BQFP) sold out at the world’s most famous luxury department store, Harrods, just two weeks after going on sale.

The sessions of the Arab Youth Forum that was held in the Syrian capital of Damascus came to an end last week, bringing the curtain down on heated discussions on participation and the empowerment of Arab youth.

Activities of the ‘Language Journey’ programme, sponsored by the Doha Youth Centre as part of its summer activities, continued to be organised in both Canada and the UK last week. In Canada, the students enjoyed the privilege of the presence of a unique itinerary. As they arrived at their residence in the hostels of the Algonquin College, the students started their first school day with an as

The Director of the Birds of Qatar Project, Sadiq Awad Bashir, announced last week the launch of a new project in the nation’s schools with the aim of spreading environmental awareness in classrooms. Called ‘My Country Birds’, the new project will start getting implemented as of the next academic year under the umbrella of the Birds of Qatar Project. Bashir said the project would seek to d

Summer activities at the University of Qatar came to an end last week with a six-hour voyage to Al Sanbouk where participants had gathered and later headed to one of Doha’s islands. The 3rd week of the Summer programme included an educational field trip to the Museum of Islamic Art, a cultural beacon summarising 1400 years of history with 800 rare pieces of ancient art. The programme also incl

The Director of Doha International Centre for Special Needs, Hala Al Said, highlighted last week the importance of modern educational strategies to help students with learning difficulties to achieve adjustment and development in their educational lives. Al Said noted that statistical studies in several countries had pointed to an increase in the number of students with learning difficulties. Sh

Several female teachers complained last week against being laid off in their schools, threatening to go on the offensive if they were not given jobs during the next academic year. The teachers said they were told to leave on the last day of the previous academic year without the being given convincing reasons. They added that they worked in their schools according to a plan by the Supreme Counci

Qimam Club, an affiliate of Qatar Charity, has launched its Summer programme last week, promising activities in both Qatar and Malaysia. Some participants in the programme, called ‘Leaders’ have already travelled to Malaysia where they will start the second leg of the activity for young people. This part of the programme includes training for 50 young people in the art of leadership.

Students flock to the Northwestern University in Qatar in big numbers seeking enrollment and prompting university administration to report a significant admission rise for the new academic year. The administration said a 25 percent rise in applications occurred in the university, raising the number of applicants from 200 to 252. It added that a big portion of the new applicants seeks degrees in

Classes for the Summer College Preview Programme (SCPP) at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar started last week offering high school students an opportunity to learn skills to prepare them for university. In its fourth year, the programme targets rising high school juniors and seniors by giving an in-depth focus on college-level material that students will undertake in their university life. SC

The Supreme Education Council started the implementation of a parallel education programme under the Independent Schooling system for the first time recently. The Education Institute has announced the beginning of registration for Grade 12 students in the parallel education (home schooling) programme for the academic year 2010/2011. Registration, which runs from July 20 to July 26, is restricted