by Natasha Tynes | Jun 25, 2004 | Media watch
BBC Considers Starting 24-Hour Arabic Television News Channel
June 25 (Bloomberg) — The British Broadcasting Corp. is considering starting a 24-hour television news channel broadcasting in Arabic.
The U.K. government’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office asked the BBC to draw up a proposal for such a channel to be broadcast to Arab countries as well as to the U.K. and the rest of Europe, a BBC spokeswoman said.
No decision has been made on the new BBC channel, and discussions continue with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Treasury, the spokeswoman said. The BBC is funded by the U.K. government.
The channel would compete with satellite stations such as al- Jazeera, which was started in 1996 with $150 million from the emir of Qatar, and is owned by that nation’s government.
U.S. officials including Secretary of State Colin Powell and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld have criticized al-Jazeera’s coverage of the war in Iraq as biased against the U.S.-led coalition that removed Saddam Hussein from power. The U.K. has about 8,900 soldiers in Iraq as part of the coalition.
Here’s more from the horse’s mouth. This is good news for Arab journalists out there. Time to update that resume!
by Natasha Tynes | Jun 23, 2004 | Everyday me!, Jordan, my nation
I finally got the plane tickets to Amman. I woke up early this morning and headed to the Qatar Airways office, where I got the goodies and went back home with a huge smile.
Two weeks left folks, two weeks!
I have been away from my country for almost nine months now and the idea of me being there once again seems to be somehow too good to be true.
I must admit, Im extremely utterly and completely homesick.
I miss my parents, my sisters and my friends. I miss the traffic jam, the summer heat, and the crowded streets. I miss my favorite falafel place, the Rabieh neighborhood and Century cinema. I miss Mom’s food, Jessica’s nagging and Tania’s jokes.
I miss Sandy’s cozy house, Fairuz’ lush garden and Lana’s nice porch.
I miss the annoying gas vendor, the outspoken used-furniture dealer , and the persistent traffic lights beggars.
Ah, Jordan! I Miss you!
by Natasha Tynes | Jun 22, 2004 | Music
A recent discovery has added new flavour to my life: Access to the English Radio station Virgin. The other day, I discovered we can listen to Virgin through our TV satellite subscription from Orbit. Virgin really rocks! It can keep me entertained for hours with a huge playlist of English pop.
I got hooked on Virgin back in those carefree days working for my Masters in London at City University. Back then, lacking access to a TV, my Sony radio, which I brought all the way from Jordan, supplied my daily entertainment. It was while flippng around on it that I discovered Virgin. I remember spending hours listening to some of my favourite British bands such as Coldplay, Travis, Radiohead, the Dandy Warhols and others.
Now Virgin tunes are in my Doha home and life is great!
by Natasha Tynes | Jun 19, 2004 | Everyday me!, Film
Last night was a ladies night!
Amal and Sarah (my Egyptian friend from work) came over for a chick-flick and some pizza. The movie of choice was Sweet Home Alabama, which proved to be very suitable for the occasion. It was corny, sappy and quite entertaining!
Jeff joined us at the end of the movie but kept his distance, as he knew that it was an all-woman pastime.
After the movie, we gossiped, gossiped and gossiped. That was fun. After all it was a ladies night!
by Natasha Tynes | Jun 16, 2004 | Doha affairs, Shutterbug
I hate Doha’s City Center. It is crowded, noisy with lots of sleazy men who never cease to stare at any member of the female gender, giving a full examination to whatever they regard as her most notable attributes.
When I go there, most of the time I get dizzy and overwhelmed by the large number of people, many of them pushing and shoving to get their hands on their desired merchandise. I dread going there, as I know I will end up fuming, cursing, and sometimes — in severe cases — pulling the hair of certain individuals.
But still, surprisingly enough, not a week passes without our visit to the infamous mall. Why?Simple. No Doha resident can exist without frequenting the mammoth mall because all you need is there and I mean everything.
From restaurants to movie theaters to shoe shops and mobile vendors, City Center is bound to suck you in. It’s mainly what living in Doha revolves around. Without it you are just a lost soul in a foreign land. I believe I have a love-hate relationship with the place. I dread it but enjoy what it has to offer and I keep coming back.
We took these pictures of it on one of our frequent visits there! It is supposed to be the biggest mall in the Middle East, although apparently the "biggest" title is up for grabs now, with Dubai pushing to go still bigger. Its a constant tug of war between these two Gulf nations, with Dubai clearly in the lead.
