00:00We are testing our autonomous vehicles, readiness at autonomous level 4, just to ensure that
00:09someone can take action in case of any emergency.
00:12For women and girls all over the world, no matter what you look like, what your beliefs
00:15are, you have and should always have a place in sport.
00:22Hello and welcome to Kata365 with me, Laila Humaira.
00:26On this episode, we look back at some of our favourite moments of 2024, whether it's
00:31making a splash at Qatar's largest water park, finding our zen with water therapy,
00:37or meeting some inspiring women blazing the trail in sports and science.
00:42But first, I go behind the wheel to find out how Qatar is putting artificial intelligence
00:47at the forefront of its tech-driven future.
00:52This compact vehicle is not only all-electric, it's also driverless and is powered by artificial
00:59intelligence.
01:00This is Mawasalat's autonomous bus.
01:05The last test we did was in Lusail City, where we really tested the autonomous vehicle readiness
01:09for public transportation and public interaction within the vehicle.
01:18The cool thing is the cameras that people don't see, the cameras that are existing outside
01:22of the bus, there's like around more than 16 or so cameras which are continuously working
01:29for the vehicle's AI so it can detect anything that's happening in the street.
01:34Mawasalat's Lusail bus depot is capable of supporting 478 e-buses, just like the ones
01:41behind me.
01:42In 2022, this sprawling site of more than 400,000 square metres earned its place in
01:48the Guinness World Records for being the biggest electric bus depot in the world.
01:54It's from here that hundreds of these e-buses start their journey every day, serving tens
01:59of thousands of passengers all around Qatar.
02:05Our short ride may be coming to an end, but Qatar's journey towards an AI-powered, fully
02:11electric transportation system is just getting started.
02:16While travelling in a bus with no driver sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, it could
02:21become the norm sooner than we think.
02:24Another tech revolution that's unfolding is how AI is being applied in the world of fashion.
02:30Adel Halim hit the runway to see how tech meets Qatar.
02:36Could this be the future of fashion?
02:39Augmented reality runway shows.
02:41Digital artist Ramiro Alban uses AR technology to create multidimensional experiences, so
02:47art is not just observed, but experienced.
03:09For the runway show, Ramiro collaborated with renowned fashion designer Debra Sawaf's The
03:15Power of Words by interpreting the brand's seven spirit animals and bringing them to
03:21life.
03:22So what we did is create a program where people can actually understand the emotions of each
03:27other because it's seven words and seven emotions.
03:31And you use the emotions in both ways, you express your emotion or you ask for an emotion.
03:38One of the highlights of this year's TEFA event is the Middle East's first ever Fashathon,
03:42which is a hackathon for fashion.
03:44It's a way for designers to use AI to create their own 3D fashion pieces, either from existing
03:50templates or by using their own imported designs.
03:54Fashathon is designers who want to showcase their creations, who want to contribute their
04:00templates to earn royalties, and now with artificial intelligence coming, they kind
04:04of become a fashion designer.
04:08While global trends show that the world isn't advancing women's empowerment at a fast enough
04:12pace, that's not the case in Qatar, and the stats speak for themselves.
04:16In fact, women account for 70% of STEM graduates, and I got to meet one individual who's also
04:22getting them to join the workforce.
04:25Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, together they make up STEM, a giant network
04:34of industries that quite literally makes the world go round.
04:39For years, it's also been known to be a male-dominated field, but Qatar is among many countries determined
04:47to change that by diversifying its STEM workforce.
04:52Those efforts start here, at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology,
04:58a place powering up Qatar's digital transformation.
05:02And leading the charge is Iman Al-Kuwari.
05:06My role as the director of digital innovation is about spearheading the smart country program
05:13where we're actually digitally transforming different sectors and seeing where technology
05:19makes sense to improve the quality of lives.
05:22From real-time crowd and traffic management to food security analytics, the high-tech
05:27solutions from the ministry's digital transformation program, TasMu Smart Qatar, stems from its
05:33innovation lab.
05:35There's been a global push in recent years to get more young women to pursue a career
05:39in STEM.
05:40Here in Qatar, those efforts have been taken up a notch to make sure that more women are
05:46being represented in positions of power.
05:49Iman's commitment to creating a diverse working environment starts from the youth.
05:54She helped develop Studio 5, a tech initiative targeting young women.
05:58We wanted to explore how technology is actually working.
06:01They can develop video games out there using these advanced softwares that you see them
06:06use in big corporations.
06:08From exploring the world of STEM to excelling in the field of sports, women are continuing
06:13to break barriers when they're empowered to challenge the norm.
06:17Adel Halim caught up with two sportswomen who have defied societal standards and charted
06:23paths for other women to follow.
06:27Hani Taljia knows her way around a football pitch.
06:30Growing up in Palestine, it's where she found her peace.
06:34I wanted to change the circumstances around me.
06:37I never believed that there is a limit.
06:40Whether it's social, cultural, political barriers, I always wanted to embrace change.
06:46That change came through her passion for football.
06:49Hani manages public relations for FIFA, but during her playing days, she was the first
06:54captain of the Palestinian women's national team.
06:58Football gave me the tool to embrace those barriers and gave me the power and liberated
07:04me to come across all these barriers with confidence.
07:09Someone else who's changed the game is Ibtihaj Mohammed.
07:12She was the first U.S. athlete to wear hijab while competing at the Olympics and the first
07:17Muslim-American female to win an Olympic medal.
07:21I really felt like I was doing it for the communities that I'm a part of, for the Muslim
07:25community, for the black community, and for women and girls all over the world, no matter
07:30what you look like, what your beliefs are, you have and should always have a place in sport.
07:38With more than 560 kilometers of shoreline and serene turquoise waters, it's no wonder
07:44Qatar is also called the pearl of the Arabian Peninsula.
07:49The abundance of water has enabled the country to thrive, while many new opportunities in
07:54tourism and wellness are also helping to steer the country's growth.
07:59And as Adel Halim found out, one way to do that is to make a splash at Qatar's largest
08:05water park.
08:08Plenty of high-speed twists, turns, and of course, splashes are on offer at Merial Water
08:14Park.
08:15But this isn't just any old water wonderland.
08:17The park pays homage to Qatar's history of oil and gas discovery, while illustrating
08:22its love for the sea.
08:25Merial was conceived by the government as an opportunity to really show off the oil
08:32and gas industry.
08:33This is one of the most intensely themed parks that I've ever been seen or been involved
08:37with.
08:38It's an amazing park.
08:40Walking around the grounds, there's a clear rusty feel, and the park's general manager
08:44says that is completely intentional.
08:50If you're on an oil site, they pour concrete, they never let it set, so you see tire tracks
08:54and footprints.
08:55If you walk around the park, you see that everywhere.
08:57Also, a lot of sites are old, they have rust everywhere, but it really helps with the theming.
09:05There are 53 slides spread across six acres here at the Merial Water Park.
09:10One of the major highlights is this 85-meter high water slide, billed as the tallest in
09:15the world.
09:17Bill Lentz believes once the park cements itself as a family-friendly entertainment
09:21destination, it will not only be an anchor to draw people to Kataifan Island, but also
09:26make a big splash for the country's tourism industry.
09:31From the exhilarating rides at Merial Water Park in Kataifan Island, we escaped the city
09:37and travelled all the way up to the northernmost tip of Qatar to visit Zulal Wellness Resort
09:42by Shiva Som, where I experienced watsu therapy, a type of massage conducted in warm water
09:49and believed to be beneficial for blood circulation.
09:55If there's any place that personifies the tranquility and cleansing properties of water,
10:00it's Zulal Wellness Resort.
10:03Zulal means pure water in Arabic, and purifying the mind, body and soul is what the resort
10:10seeks to bring to its guests through its wellness-focused programs.
10:16Among many of Zulal's treatments is watsu, a combination of Japan's zenshiatsu massage
10:22and modern techniques of hydrotherapy founded in the 1980s.
10:26It was important to include watsu as a treatment and as a therapy at Zulal.
10:32Watsu has great benefits, it is wonderful for pain relief, it is great for sleep enhancement,
10:39reducing stress.
10:41Watsu is among dozens of treatments offered here at the resort.
10:45Nestled in the northernmost point of Qatar, Zulal encourages its guests to fully immerse
10:51themselves in detoxing, physically, mentally and digitally.
10:56Participants are immersed in warm water no deeper than 1.2 meters and are encouraged
11:02to be as relaxed as possible, while the therapist cradles, moves, stretches and massages them.
11:10Once we go to the water, we will receive the therapy by the water.
11:16Aquatherapy, the water, they have their own energy to purify the negativity for us.
11:29From seeing how tech is changing trends in fashion and transport, to inspiring stories
11:34of women breaking the glass ceiling in science and sport, to a rollercoaster look at some
11:39fun water activities, we hope you've enjoyed reminiscing some of our favourite moments
11:43with us.
11:44But that's all the time we have for now.
11:47For more, check out euronews.com and connect with us through our hashtag.
11:50Thanks for watching Qatar 365 this year, and from our whole team here in Doha, we wish
11:54you a happy new year.
Comments