Carnival time!

On the 11th of November, two Journalists, Caroline and Tala, went to the Italian Carnival that was staged at the Doha Exhibition Centre. 

We walked towards the fury of lights and sounds - on the left was the circus and on the right, the carnival. We opted for the carnival for the thrilling rides. As we walked, we spotted game stalls where you could win a friend a giant plush monkey toy or even a new phone. There were also stalls selling various things such as fabrics and souvenirs. 

We purchased tickets - a hefty 25 Riyal per ride, per person (a downside of the night - we spent around 300 Riyal on rides alone!). But, ignoring the fact that we were low on money, we wondered around until we noticed the Bumper Cars and excitedly ran towards them, for a trip back to our childhood days. After a few glorious minutes of thudding into each other and laughing our heads off, we further explored the carnival. 

We wandered towards the Ferris Wheel: a typical ride in every carnival that must be ridden. But, in the corner of our eye, The Ranger was just waiting for us to climb aboard ... we couldn't resist. After several minutes of intense waiting, we were swung back and forth several times, then eventually turned a terrifying 360 degrees. Through the screams and chair-gripping moments, we managed to catch a glimpse of the Doha City Skyline which silenced us for a moment or two in awe, despite the flowing adrenaline. 

Then we ventured towards the Ferris Wheel, once again, where we settled in for a relaxing ride after all that bashing about and being flung upside down. We admired the vast view of Doha with its blinking lights and its wondrous night sky, then concluded our exciting trip with a much-needed feast at one of the various restaurants set up just beside the rides. 

Syrian Protests

The following is an example of writing by one of our reporters Tala.

'The Syrian protests started on March 15th and are still going strong. What sparked the protestors were 15 kids (aged 9-15) who were taken into custody and tortured, for writing an anti-government slogan on the wall of their school. Requests to release the young boys were rejected, and this compelled the Syrian people to speak out against the injustice they have been under for the last 41 years.

People began protesting against the corrupt government, for innocent prisoners to be freed and, most importantly, for freedom of speech. When the government responded with bloodshed, they began protesting for a new government. 

The protests remain peaceful; however, with the body count at 3500 and growing, the government response is not. 20,000 have been arrested over the last eight months, and the physical abuse of prisoners has become an all too common story. 

This revolution is not the first in Syria. In 1982, the 'Hama Massacre' occurred. The government managed to end the movement, killing 40,000 people and destroying the whole city in the process. But now their massacre is out for the whole world to see. 

On the surface, there is President Bashar Al-Assad stating that the government is 'making changes that will suit the people' and denying that the uprising is even happening. 

The world and the people of Syria are desperately awaiting the end of the governments rule, and everyone is wondering just how it will end.'

Tell us what you think about the issues raised in this piece in the comments link below