Wednesday 29 December 2010

بولندية تنجب توأم من أبوين مختلفين

ولد توأم في بولندا من أبوين مختلفين في سابع حالة من نوعها في العالم . وكانت الأم قد حملت من زوجها ثم اقامت علاقة مع شخص اخر. وقامت المرأة التي لم يذكر أسمها برفع دعوى للطلاق بعد ولادة التوأم وهو ولد وبنت. وكانت المرأة قد قامت بإجراء اختبارات لإثبات أن زوجها ليس والد أي من الطفلين. إلا أن الإختبارات أوضحت أن الزوج هو والد الطفل الذكر فيما الرجل الاخر هو والد البنت. وتعتبر هذه الحالة نادرة إلى انه محتمل حدوثها عندما تقوم المرأة بتبويض بيضتين ثم تقوم باتصال جنسي بشخص اخر أثناء التبويض.

Sunday 19 December 2010

أشرف مروان كان مخلصا لإسرائيل والمخابرات المصرية وراء قتله

اشرف مروان
القدس المحتلة: زعم كتاب صدر مؤخرا في دولة الاحتلال الإسرائيلي إن أشرف مروان رجل الأعمال وصهر الرئيس المصري الراحل جمال عبد الناصر كان مخلصا لتل أبيب وخائنا لبلده مصر.

وقال أوري بر يوسف من جامعة حيفا في كتابه الذي حمل عنوان "الملاك، أشرف مروان ومفاجأة حرب الغفران" إن المعلومات التي قالت إن مروان كان عميلا مزدوجا هي معلومات مغلوطة .

أما عن ملابسات حادث وفاة أشرف مروان عام 2007 في العاصمة البريطانية لندن ،فقال الكتاب: "مما لاشك فيه إن مروان لم ينتحر بل تم اغتياله على يد المخابرات المصرية انتقاما منه على خيانته بعد أن كشف (رئيس الاستخبارات العسكرية الإسرائيلية المتقاعد إيلي زعيرا) النقاب عن اسمه منذ عدة سنوات ".

وبحسب الكتاب الجديد فإن مروان الذي كان في الـ25 من عمره ومتخرج من كلية العلوم قسم الكيمياء، وصل إلى لندن في زيارة قصيرة، وقام بالاتصال بالسفارة الإسرائيلية من هاتف عمومي في العاصمة البريطانية، وتحدث مع الملحق العسكري رافضا إعطاء رقم هاتفه، وهكذا انتهت المحادثة الأولى، ولكن بعد مرور أقل من 24 ساعة اتصل ثانية، ووافق على إبقاء رقم هاتف الفندق الذي كان يقيم فيه وبدأ نشاطه في الموساد عام 1969.

ويقول الكتاب أيضا إن رئيس وحدة "تسوميت" المسئولة عن تجنيد العملاء في الموساد شموئيل جوردون الذي كان مسؤولا عن القارة الأوروبية، التقى به وقرر خلافا للتعليمات المتبعة آنذاك، أن يجنده، هذه التعليمات التي كانت تحتم عليه استشارة المسؤولين عنه في الموساد قبل إقدامه على خطوة من هذا القبيل.

ويشير بر يوسف في كتابه إلى أن الحدس وبداهة جورين هما اللذان دفعا الموساد نحو هدف تجنيد مروان ، وفي وقت لاحق وفي كل مراحل تجنيده خضع للفحص الدقيق والتأكيد بأنه لم يأت لخداع إسرائيل .

وزعم البروفيسور الإسرائيلي أن مروان نقل معلومات لإسرائيل في غاية الأهمية قبل حرب 6 أكتوبر/ تشرين الاول ونبهم بأن الرئيس المصري الراحل انور السادات سوف يحارب وذلك قبل الحرب بيومين أثناء سفره كعضو في وفد في باريس ولكن المعلومات عندما وصلت لإسرائيل لم يوليها الأهمية المستحقة .

ويقول مؤلف الكتاب إنه حتى اليوم لم تتمكن المخابرات الإسرائيلية من تحديد السبب الذي دفع مروان إلى خيانة وطنه، ولكنه يقول إنّ هناك ثمة احتمالات لإقدامه على هذه الخطوة: الطمع بالأموال، الرغبة بالانتقام من الرئيس الراحل جمال عبد الناصر، الذي كان يستخف به، والسبب الثالث هو جنون العظمة، ويكشف الكتاب عن أنه عندما أخبر مروان الموساد بأن علاقته بزوجته ساءت ونشب خلاف بينهما، أمر رئيس الموساد بتخصيص مبلغ كبير واشتروا له خاتما من الماس كهدية الصلحة مع زوجته.

وقالت صحيفة "هآرتس" إنه من خلال تحليل مضمون الكتاب يتأكد أن الموساد الإسرائيلي يحاول تصحيح الخطأ الذي ارتكبه زعيرا بالكشف عن اسم مروان بكونه عميلا مزدوجا ليبعد عن نفسه الشبهات بكونه المستفيد الحقيقي من الانتقام من الدكتور أشرف مروان .

وجدير بالذكر، أن صحف إسرائيلية قد سربت أخبارا قبل وفاته بفترة عن كونه عميلا للمخابرات الإسرائيلية، وهو ما نفته مصر حينها ووصف رئيسها حسني مبارك مروان بأنه وطني

Friday 10 December 2010

Barcelona & Qatar Foundation agree £125m shirt deal



Barcelona & Qatar Foundation agree £125m shirt deal

Barcelona star Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is among the stars currently wearing the Barcelona shirt
Barcelona have ended their long term stance of refusing commercial shirt sponsorship by signing a record £125m deal with the Qatar Foundation.
The Catalan giants have paid to carry the Unicef logo for the last five years and the children's charity will share shirt space with the new sponsors.
Barcelona have a sizeable debt but now claim to be "the undisputed brand leader in world football".
The deal will be worth £25m a year from next season through until 2016.
In July, an audit revealed Barcelona's debt to be £369.5m after a loss of more than £64.36m in the 2009/10 season.
The new sponsorship arrangement could free up some transfer funds for coach Pep Guardiola - who worked as an ambassador for Qatar's successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup.
The Qatar Foundation is a non-profit organisation concerned primarily with education projects in the Middle East.
It is chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, the wife of the Emir, who was central to Qatar's final World Cup bid last week.
Senior club executives said the deal was a "remarkable milestone because it represents a record level of revenue for a football club and has more value still in the current economic climate".
Liverpool, Manchester United and Real Madrid each earn about £20m a year for their rights, while Bayern Munich make closer to £23m.
Marketing experts will seek to find a way for both logos to be displayed on the Barcelona shirts, although if that is not possible the Qatar Foundation will take priority.

Monday 6 December 2010

Eva Longoria wants her tattoos removed?

Everything seems to indicate that Eva Longoria not only wants to end her marriage with Tony Parker as soon as possible, she also wants to quickly get rid of anything that reminds her of him, and that includes her two tattoos.
Apparently, the 'Desperate Housewives' star is "desperately" seeking professional help for the laser removal of her two tattoos which commemorate their relationship. Now that she's divorcing him - due to his alleged infidelity - she wants them erased!
The first of her unwanted tattoos is the word NINE, referencing the number Parker wears on his San Antonio Spurs jersey, which is located at the spine of her neck.
The other one is inscripted on her right wrist with the date of July 7, 2007 in Roman numerals. That's the date they were married in France.
The news of their divorce spread quickly two weeks ago. Even though her rep first denied anything was wrong with the couple, it only took a day for the news to be confirmed, as Us Weekly published a cover story about Parker's cheating on her while sexting with a mutual friend of theirs. Eva then confirmed the sad news with a quick message to fans via her Twitter account.

Tony Parker & Eva Longoria -- Table for Two Exes

12/2/2010 5:55 AM PST by TMZ Staff  

Tony Parker and Eva Longoria reunited for a lunch date in L.A. on Wednesday -- two weeks after she filed to divorce him in Cali ... which was followed by Tony's own filing in Texas.  Awwwwkward.

They met on neutral ground ... at a hotel in the L.A. area. Tony was in town because his San Antonio Spurs played the Clippers last night -- but based on Eva's gestures and Tony's expressions ... we're guessing there was little hoops strategy discussed.
One of the things Tony and Eva are trying to work out -- where they're getting divorced.  Eva filed legal papers in California and Tony followed suit days later in Texas.  We're told Tony's lawyer was worried Eva might challenge the prenup and felt Texas was a friendlier forum for enforcing it.
So far there's no evidence Eva is challenging the prenup.  Nevertheless, they'll have to figure out where the divorce will be handled before it can go forward.

Shri Mukesh Ambani, CMD, Reliance Industries Limited(RIL) - Words of Inspiration

Billion Dollar House – Ultimate Luxury or Living Hell

This past week Mukesh Ambani, thanks to a big jump in the Indian stock market, was handed the title of “Richest Man in the World” but sadly for him a day later it turned out to be a miscalculation.
Even so, Ambani’s correct net worth is estimated in the $50 Billion range, ranking him comfortably in the world’s top 5 richest men.
What does someone with $50 Billion do when they need new digs?
Build a billion dollar home of course! Below, thanks to Mumbai Mirror are some of the specs:
Mumbai AmbaniResidence
According to the plan, the house will rise to a height of 173.12 meters, equivalent to that of a regular 60-storeyed residential building. However, Antilia will have only 27 storeys in all, which means each floor will have a ceiling considerably higher than the current average of nearly three meters.
Six floors for parking
The first six floors will be reserved for parking alone, and that too for cars belonging only to Mukesh’s family. Space for a total of 168 ‘imported’ cars has been earmarked here.
Floor for car maintenance
Sources said the Ambanis would prefer to have all their cars serviced and maintained at an in-house service centre. This centre will be set up on the seventh floor.
Entertainment floor
The eighth floor will have an entertainment centre comprising a mini-theatre with a seating capacity of 50.
Balconies with gardens
The rooftop of the mini-theatre will serve as a garden, and immediately above that, three more balconies with terrace gardens will be independent floors.
The ‘health’ floors
While the ninth floor will a ‘refuge’ floor – meant to be used for rescue in emergencies – two floors above that will be set aside for ‘health.’ One of these will have facilities for athletics and a swimming pool, while the other will have a health club complete with the latest gym equipment.
For guests
There will be a two-storeyed glass-fronted apartment for the Ambani family’s guests above the health floors. One more refuge floor and one floor for mechanical works will be built on top of these apartments.
Family
The four floors at the top, that will provide a view of the Arabian Sea and a superb view of the city’s skyline, will be for Mukesh, his wife Neeta, their three children and Mukesh’s mother Kokilaben.
Air space floor
According to the plan, two floors above the family’s residence will be set aside as maintenance areas, and on top of that will be an “air space floor,” which will act as a control room for helicopters landing on the helipad above.
Helipad
The plan states that three helipads are to be built on the terrace.
The place will require 600 full time staff to keep it running on a day to day basis!
I know we’ve all seen Trump’s gold encrusted New York apartment, but this guy is in another league entirely. I would sure be interesting to see the public reaction in America if anyone was to build a house this opulent. But given the horrific poverty that is present in India, to build a structure like this as a personal residence does seem to be highly insensitive at best.
I’m as much of a capitalist as anyone and Mr. Ambani can certainly do as he pleases with all that dough, but I do think an awareness of the fate of those around him should play into his actions.
Really will having a house this spectacular give him a better life; or will the separation it creates from virtually everyone else around him make it a regretful nightmare?

Sunday 5 December 2010

Shark Attack to A German Woman

She returned to the Sharks hit back hard at Sharm el-Sheikh after a relative lull .. they had been a German tourist was killed yesterday afternoon after being attacked by a shark.

During exercise in the sport of swimming near the area of Tiran in Sharm el-Sheikh, and this is the first event of the death of a tourist as a result of a shark attack, and the fifth case of attacking these fish during the week. Has decided yesterday, Major General Mohammed Abdel-Fadil Shusha governor of South Sinai to stop all cruises, tourism, and various activities in Sharm El-Sheikh, has sent the Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs and a delegation of experts of Marine Sciences and dealing with loans to South Sinai to study and discuss the phenomenon in a scientific manner to find out their causes. and issued instructions for the management of natural reserves for the continuation of the comprehensive survey of the area. It will be recalled that the Sinai has a distinctive alternative sites for diving in gold until the danger has passed

Friday 3 December 2010

Cyber attack forces Wikileaks to change web address

Whistle-blowing website Wikileaks has been forced to change its web address after the company providing its domain name cut off service.
EveryDNS.net said it had terminated services because Wikileaks.org had come under massive cyber attacks.
Julian Assange, file pic
But Wikileaks has already reappeared using a Swiss web address.
Wikileaks has also used the micro-blogging site Twitter to urge its fans to redistribute its "raw" net address so it can be viewed at any time.
This numerical internet protocol (IP) address remains live and accessible even when web domains - the normal "www" addresses used to access most sites - are unavailable.
Experts say it is likely that Wikileaks has done deals with lots of web hosting companies, although many are likely to back away from dealing with the controversial site in the light of recent web attacks.
There is also a published list of mirror sites, which Wikileaks hopes will provide constant access to the site.

The Main Leaks So Far

  • Several Arab leaders urged attack on Iran over nuclear issue
  • US instructs spying on key UN officials
  • China's changing relationship with North Korea
  • Yemen approved US strikes on militants
  • Personal and embarrassing comments on world leaders
  • Fears over Pakistan's nuclear programme
  • Afghan leader Hamid Karzai freed dangerous detainees
Some of these sites have simply copied Wikileaks' content and put it on a different web server, while others are using different domain names to point at the original content.
The more of these sites there are, the more difficult it will be to shut Wikileaks down, security analyst Paul Mutton told the BBC.
In France, Industry Minister Eric Besson has called for a ban of Wikileaks on French servers.
One of the mirror sites, Wikileaks.ch, is currently hosted on servers in France.
Downtime
In a post on Twitter, Wikileaks acknowledged that its domain had been "killed" by EveryDNS.net.
It was not clear how long disruption to the wikileaks.org site would last.
In a statement on its website, EveryDNS.net said it had issued a 24-hour termination notice to Wikileaks which ended at 0300 GMT on 2 December.
It said the domain wikileaks.org had become the target of "multiple distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks".

Analysis

The net appears to be closing in on Wikileaks as more and more companies it relies on distance themselves from it.
Shutting down the main .org site will cause problems but it is by no means the end.
Its Twitter feed remains defiant, urging fans to log on via its IP address with the tweet "Free speech has a number: http://88.80.13.160".
In some ways, any attempts to cut off Wikileaks could be a case of too little, too late.
The thousands of secret US diplomatic cables at the heart of the controversy are already with media outlets.
A site as controversial and savvy as Wikileaks has plenty up its sleeve, like the mysterious encrypted file labelled 'insurance', which is believed to have been posted on Bit Torrent and is rumoured to contain all the leaks.
"These attacks have, and future attacks would, threaten the stability of the EveryDNS.net infrastructure, which enables access to almost 500,000 other websites," it said.
"Any downtime of the wikileaks.org website has resulted from its failure to use another hosted DNS service provider," it added.
Websites use hosting firms such as EveryDNS.net to translate their raw IP addresses to a more memorable web address such as Wikileaks.org.
But the IP address of a website will also direct users to the site.
One web expert explained that Wikileaks had managed to re-establish web access via a different address.
"Users visiting the www.wikileaks.ch website appear to be directed via a Swedish website on to a server in France which is now hosting their main website," explained Sebastien Lahtinen, director of web hosting firm NetConnex.
In a surprising twist, the .ch address is also hosted by EveryDNS.
"It seems a strange choice given that they pulled the plug on the .org address just a few hours ago," said Paul Mutton, a security analyst at internet services firm Netcraft. "It could be that Wikileaks is quite happy to play a cat and mouse game with them," he added.
'Death threats'
Using a Swiss domain could be Wikileaks anticipating the next line of attack - having its IP address de-registered, thinks Mr Mutton.
"Moving to a non-US domain makes sense. Its previous domain was registered with a US company and as such has to work within US laws, with potential for the government to lean on it and get it suspended," said Mr Mutton.

branding for Open Secrets programme
Stephen Sackur will be hosting a special programme debating the effect of the leaks - Wikileaks: Open Secret at 1630GMT on BBC World News & 1930GMT on the BBC World Service
Mr Assange is currently reported to be staying at a secret address in the UK.
In a question-and-answer session on the website of the Guardian newspaper, he said there had been threats against his life.
"We are taking the appropriate precautions to the degree that we are able when dealing with a super power," Mr Assange wrote.
Wikileaks says its website has been under attack since it began publishing more than 250,000 classified US diplomatic cables.
The memos, which discuss US diplomatic relations and military activities, have been causing controversy across the world.
It turned to the online store Amazon to host its site but the company ended the agreement on Wednesday - a move welcomed by US officials.
Amazon said that it had not removed Wikileaks because of a government inquiry. Instead it said Wikileaks had failed to adhere to its terms of service.
"It's clear that Wikileaks doesn't own or otherwise control all the rights to this classified content. Further it is not credible that the extraordinary volume of 250,000 classified documents that Wikileaks is publishing could have been carefully redacted in such a way as to ensure that they weren't putting innocent people in jeopardy," Amazon said on its website.
But freedom-of-speech campaigners remain defiant.
"The first serious infowar is now engaged. The field of battle is Wikileaks. You are troops," tweeted John Perry Barlow, the founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Tourist dies in Egypt's first fatal shark attack in five years

A female French tourist was attacked and killed by a shark while diving in a remote site off Egypt's Red Sea coast today.
It was the first fatal shark attack in the Arab country for five years, state media and a French embassy official said.
The woman's leg showed visible bite marks, and medics said she probably bled to death before being lifted to the surface.
A French female tourist has fallen victim to the first fatal shark attack in Egypt for five years. She was diving off the Red Sea coast when it happened (file photo)
A French female tourist has fallen  victim to the first fatal shark attack in Egypt for five years. She was diving off the Red Sea coast when it happened (file photo)
French embassy spokesman Jean-Marie Safa said: 'I can confirm that there is one French citizen killed by a shark in the Red Sea south of Marsa Alam.'
Marsa Alam is a remote southern dive spot on the Red Sea coast frequented by tourists hoping to avoid the crowds at more popular sites in the Sinai peninsula, where tourists flock in large numbers for the colourful coral reefs.
'This very rarely happens. It seems that the victim aggravated the shark or presented it with food, which caused a change in the shark's behaviour,' Amr Ali, the president of the Society for the Preservation of the Red Sea Environment, said.
Sharks are common in the area and tourists often take pictures, but attacks are rare.
The last person killed by a shark in Egypt was reportedly attacked while snorkelling near the Sinai resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in 2004.
Egypt's Environment Ministry is looking to set up a natural reserve for the sharks near Marsa Alam, where it already has a similar reserve for dolphins


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1190366/Tourist-dies-Egypts-fatal-shark-attack-years.html#ixzz175na8rro

Leaks reveal US doubts on Karzai

Cables released by WikiLeaks reveal US concerns over President Karzai's character and rampant corruption in his country.

US diplomats were concerned about the competence of Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, and widespread corruption within his government, according to cables released by WikiLeaks.
Karzai's character as well as ability are questioned in US embassy memos obtained by the whistleblower website and published by the Guardian, a UK newspaper, late on Thursday.
Karl Eikenberry, the current US ambassador to Afghanistan, in a 2009 cable describes Karzai as "insecure" and a "paranoid and weak individual".
"Indeed his inability to grasp the most rudimentary principles of state-building and his deep seated insecurity as a leader combine to make any admission of fault unlikely, in turn confounding our best efforts to find in Karzai a responsible partner," Eikenberry said.
Eikenberry added that Karzai continually blames the US and its allies for Afghanistan's problems rather than looking at the problems of his leadership, and that his attitude was unlikely to change.
'Semi-modern aristocracy'
The cables state that Karzai's own ministers accused him of going along with criminal activity. One case cites Karzai's ordering of the physical intimidation of the official heading a team negotiating with the Taliban.
US officials in the memos view Ahmed Wali Karzai, the half-brother of the president and senior official in Kandahar, as corrupt and call the Karzai family a "semi-modern aristocracy".
"As the kingpin of Kandahar, Ahmed Wali Karzai (AWK) dominates access to economic resources, patronage, and protection.
"Much of the real business of running Kandahar takes place out of public sight, where AWK operates, parallel to formal government structures, through a network of political clans that use state institutions to protect and enable licit and illicit enterprises."
Al Jazeera’s James Bays, in Kabul, said that the documents showed a declining confidence in Karzai's presidency.
"Certainly there is criticism of some of the things he has done, like releasing some prisoners from jail ... said to be for tribal, political reasons.
"The cables show a progression of when Karzai has been in power - from total confidence in him to now when they are deeply concerned."
The leaked cables reveal mounting US worries over corruption in Afghanistan and the flight of "vast amounts" of money from the country.
One memo from October 2009 stated that Ahmed Zia Massoud, the then vice-president, had been found with $52m in a suitcase when stopped at Dubai airport.
Massoud has denied the claim.
UK criticism
US diplomats also criticised the role of UK troops in Afghanistan, saying their effort was "not up to standard" in southern Helmand province, a stronghold of the Taliban.
"We and Karzai agree the British are not up to the task of securing Helmand," US diplomats from the Kabul embassy said in a 2008 cable.
In a separate cable sent in February 2009, Karzai complains that UK forces had allowed law and order to breakdown in Helmand.
"When I first returned to Afghanistan, I had only 14 American soldiers with me," the cable quoted Karzai as having said.
"Helmand was safe for girls to go to school. Now ... British soldiers are in Helmand, and the people are not safe.
"We must stand on a higher moral platform than the bad guys."
General Dan McNeill, the commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan from 2007-2008, was reported to have said to a US drug-control officer in April 2007 that the British "had made a mess of things in Helmand, their tactics were wrong".
Gulab Mangal, Helmand's governor, was also quoted in a cable sent from the US embassy in Kabul as telling a US team led by Joe Biden, the vice-president, that US forces were needed urgently due to British security in the town of Sangin failing to extend even to the main bazaar.
'Increasing security'
"I do not have anything against them [the British] but they must leave their bases and engage with the people," Mangal said.
"Stop calling it the Sangin district and start calling it the Sangin base - all you have done here is build a military camp next to the city."
The UK has reacted to the leaked memos, stating that their troops had performed well and that safety in Sangin - which the US now maintains responsibility for - was improved by their presence.
"British forces did an excellent job in Sangin, delivering progress by increasing security and taking the fight to the insurgency," the UK's ministry of defence said in a statement.
"Both Afghan leaders, including the governor of Sangin and the US Marines, have publicly recognised and paid tribute to the sacrifice and achievements of British forces in that area," a spokesman added.
Nato forces have been in Afghanistan since 2001, following a US invasion of the country to remove the Taliban, whom they accused of harbouring al-Qaeda operatives connected to the September 11 attacks, from power.
This year has been the most violent since the campaign began.
The UK has 10,000 troops in the country, now costing more than £5bn ($7.7bn) a year, of about 150,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan.
The WikiLeaks website began releasing a trove of classified US diplomatic cables on Sunday, infuriating Washington, which called the leak an "attack on the international community".

Qatar celebrates World Cup bid win

Frenzied celebrations erupt across tiny Gulf nation after it wins bid to host 2022 football World Cup.
Massive celebrations erupted on the streets of Doha, Qatar's capital, after Fifa, football's world governing body, announced the tiny Gulf country will host the sport's biggest tournament in 2022.
The decision came as a surprise to many around the world, but for Qataris, it represented a chance for others to know them better.
Sepp Blatter, president of Fifa, announced on Thursday that Russia and Qatar won their bids to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup respectively.
"Never has the World Cup been in Russia and Eastern Europe, and the Middle East and Arabic world have been waiting for a long time so I'm a happy president when we talk about the development of football," Blatter said after a vote of his executive committee at the Fifa headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.
Frenzied celebrations
Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Thani, Qatar's bid chairman, told Fifa executives in Zurich: "Thank you for backing us and expanding the game. You will be proud of us and you will be proud of the Middle East."
         Qatar
 Population: 1.5m, of which only 200,000 are Qatari
 It promises to spend $50bn on public transportation ahead of the World Cup
 It promises to build 12 state-of-the-art football stadiums
 It will be the smallest country to ever host the World Cup
 It will be the first country in the Middle East to host the event

Qataris and expatriates in Doha shared his joy. 
"We are really crying from our hearts. This is like a dream. It means everything to us," Khalifa Khalaf, an employee in the country's energy industry, said.
"We will prove to the world that good things come from small places."
Widespread traffic jams were witnessed across Doha following Fifa's announcement as crowds of Qataris and expatriates took to the streets.
"It's hard to speak, we're so happy. You cannot believe how happy we are. We're celebrating because we are so proud of Qatar," Ismail Taymour, a lifelong resident of Doha, said.
The choice of Qatar and Russia as host nations is Fifa's ultimate recognition to emerging markets.
Both new hosts are major energy producers and both had planned larger and costlier investment in infrastructure and new stadiums than all their respective rivals.
Vladimir Putin, Russia's prime minister, flew in to Zurich after the ceremony to meet and thank Blatter and Fifa.
"We are honoured to win in this tough and fair fight," he told reporters. "Thank you for supporting Russia. Together let us make sure football supports fair play, tolerance, honour."
Big challenges
Qatar bagged the 2022 bid over rivals Australia, Japan, South Korea and the United States. They committed in their bid document to building nine new stadiums and renovating three existing grounds at a cost of around $3bn.
"You need very large areas where people can relax, have entertainment. You need great beaches, which Qatar doesn't have at the moment, where people can take a dip in the water".
Ajit Kumar Jha, editor of Qatar Tribune

Al Jazeera's Jane Dutton, reporting from Doha, said the small country had big challenges to face after the "huge" victory.
"Before the fans even get here there are moral issues that need to be addressed, this is a Muslim state. We know football fans enjoy alcohol. We know that there will be fan zones where alcohol will be served.
"Also what is going to happen to the visa system. Rather stringent rules apply, so that has yet to be addressed.
"But the biggest issue that fans and organisers have to look forward to is from a geographical point of view, because clearly Qatar is very hot. In June and July [when the World Cup is held], temperatures reach 42, sometimes 50 degrees celsius.
"So Qatar will build 12 new stadiums that are climate controlled for fans and players. They will be solar powered, so it will be environmentally friendly.
"Qatar is also promising to spend $50bn on public transport at the moment. There will be a new airport and metro system."   
Thousands took to the streets to celebrate Qatar's World Cup bid victory [EPA]

Ajit Kumar Jha, editor of Qatar Tribune newspapertold Al Jazeera that the Gulf country needs to restructure itself significantly.
"You need very large areas where people can relax, have entertainment. You need great beaches - which Qatar doesn't have at the moment - where people can take a dip in the water," he said.
Jha said that Qatar had to restructure itself "socially, economically and politically" to satisfy international standards.
"But it's a step in the right direction because Qatar was liberalising. Qatar is perhaps the most liberal country in the Gulf, more than the UAE and Oman."
Others across the region shared Qatar's triumph.
"This is going to bring a lot of football into the region. The whole world will be watching us, and this will change the view the world has on Arab football," Mejo Jose, manager of the Safa Football Club in the UAE city of Dubai, said.

South Korea vows air strikes if North attacks

South Korea's defence minister-designate has promised to respond with air strikes if North Korea attacks.

Kim Kwan-jin was responding to questions in parliament during his confirmation hearing.

North Korea shelled a Southern island near the two countries' disputed maritime border last week, killing four people and destroying many homes.

South Korea's chief of intelligence has said the North is very likely to attack again.

Tensions have soared in the region since the North Korean bombardment of Yeonpyeong island on 23 November. Two civilians and two South Korean marines were killed.

The shelling came after South Korean forces conducted exercises in the area.

"If North Korea provokes again, we will definitely use aircraft to attack North Korea," Mr Kim said when asked how he would respond to another attack.

He also criticised his predecessor, saying the military should not have ignored intelligence reports suggesting an attack from the North was likely.

Public pressure

Kim Tae-young was forced to resign just days after the bombardment of Yeonpyeong island, amid criticism that the military's response was too slow and too weak.

Kim Kwan-jin, a retired general and former head of South Korea's joint chiefs of staff, told his confirmation hearing that he would strengthen the military's rules of engagement, to give more power to the head of the military.

He said he would also give more leeway to commanders in the field to determine the level of response to attacks.

The North Korean bombardment produced images not seen since the Korean War 60 years ago, says the BBC's Lucy Williamson in Seoul.

The civilian casualties, bombed out buildings and a mass evacuation were all captured on the nightly news, she says, and the public pressure on the government to make changes is high.