May 2012
126 posts
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Villaggio fire: The day after (live blog)
Nineteen people, including 13 children, were killed in a that fire broke out at Villaggio Mall Monday morning, according to officials (yesterday’s live blog here). Details about the cause of the blaze are still unknown, but as Qatar struggles to pick up the pieces, we’ll provide the latest information we have here.
UPDATE | 12:26pm:
There’s been reports of two smaller blazes...
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Mourning the dead: Qatar prepares to say goodbye...
Excitement turned to panic turned to horror yesterday as word of a fire at Villaggio - and potential deaths - spread across Qatar.
After a frantic day of scrambling for news about what happened, who was hurt and how officials were handling the situation, the grim facts were finally announced: 19 dead - 13 children, four teachers and two civil defense officers.
But residents are waking up today...
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Fire that kills more than a dozen expat children...
In what some are calling a media vacuum, a community tries to sort out what’s happening.
From initial reports of smoke in Villaggio to alarming news that children were trapped inside the burning building, Yasser Khan takes us through the day and the global reaction to the tragedy.
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Qatar reels after Villaggio fire kills 19,...
Nineteen expats have been killed, including 13 children and 2 firefighters, in a fire at Villaggio Mall that residents are calling Qatar’s biggest tragedy in recent memory.
Seventeen additional people were injured, 13 of whom remain in the hospital, officials said.
The cause of death for many of the children - six boys, seven girls - and the four teachers was suffocation due to smoke...
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Survey: Qatar best place in the region for jobs,...
Qatar’s residents tend to be more optimistic than the majority of people in the MENA region, a survey conducted by Bayt.com and YouGov has found.
Around half of people surveyed in Qatar said they believe that their own financial situation and that of the country’s will improve over the next 12 months, the May 2012 Middle East Consumer Confidence Index said.
And almost a third (32...
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Has the heat brought out the hot pants? A question...
As Qatar’s temperature rises, so too are hemlines at Qatar’s malls, according to a story in local Arabic newspaper Al Raya.
In an article published last week, author Aisha Buhadi asserts that more expat women are wearing short shorts and miniskirts - in violation of expectations of modest dress - and are creating friction with locals.
Here’s a translated excerpt from the...
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Why aren't more Qatari women in the workforce?...
Though Qatari women comprise the majority of local college graduates, only 35 percent of female nationals work.
Faced with a massive shortage of skilled nationals, Qatar has set ambitious targets to increase their participation to 42 percent by 2016.
To do that, researchers are launching an investigation into the ”cultural and social impediments” influencing Qatari women’s...
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Official: More low-income workers in Qatar seeking...
An increasing number of low-income workers have said they want to leave Qatar after fallouts with their employers, but are finding they have nowhere to stay while the paperwork is sorted out, an official at the Indian embassy said.
That’s because deportation centers are already at capacity, Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa, an Indian ambassador, recently told reporters.
Many of these men decide to...
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“If you are confident in your product, why don’t you build it and then sell...”
– - Craig Plumb, head of research at international real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle in Dubai, speaking to The National about Barwa’s new 3.7 million sq. m Lusail Golf Residential Development, which was announced at Cityscape last week.
The National article compares the new...
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Qatar deploys inspectors to tackle rising number... →
The Ministry of Labor has installed inspectors around the airport to ensure that new arrivals to Qatar - namely, low-income workers - are not left waiting for more than two hours, a senior official said.
Companies that do not collect their employees shortly after they arrive face strict rebukes and could be blacklisted for repeated offenses, Khalid Al Ghanem, the ministry’s Inspection...
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Anonymous asked: Any news on what is happening with the Al Maha Sofitel building in West Bay? Rumor is that it is sinking...tear down or repair, and when??
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Join us! We're holding our first community meeting...
Hi all,
We’ve finalized plans for Monday’s community meeting. Please join us at 6:30pm at the Grand Hyatt Doha, which has been kind enough to sponsor us and yes, provide some snacks!
Please spread the word and RSVP here if you’re coming.
We look forward to meeting you and discussing how to take Doha News to the next level!
-Shabina & Omar
PS: What would you like to...
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“In the future, no doubt, there will be a great, breakout Arab comedian who will...”
– Peter Savadnik, journalist, in a New York Times magazine article about Qatar’s emerging comedy scene and its future potential.
The piece, which discusses the founding and growth of Standup Comedy in Qatar, is truly an enjoyable and entertaining read about the struggles the group has endured...
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Latest Qatar University criticism highlights...
Qatar University has come under fire once again for its admissions policies and the standards it sets for students, which critics are saying is too high.
In a letter published in Thursday’s Al Sharq, some 19 members of QU’s Academic Council have urged the government to look into the university’s state of affairs, saying too much of the decision-making there is in the hand of...
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Qatar steps up plans to establish labor unions...
In a nod to trade unions calling for a boycott of the 2022 World Cup due to labor rights violations, Qatar is ramping up plans to establish the country’s first union, media reports state.
Arabian Business reports:
“Planning for the World Cup is not restricted to construction and infrastructure improvements but includes addressing workers’ rights,” Hussein Al Mulla,...
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“Doha is too small, too hot, and too expensive to bid for the Olympics. The...”
– Paul Kelso, chief sports reporter for the Telegraph, in a piece explaining the International Olympic Committee’s rationale behind cutting Doha from the 2020 bid campaign.
The IOC cited numerous technical reasons for cutting Doha, including the heat, concerns over athletes’ health and...
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'Rough draft' of Kanye West's Qatar film premieres...
Rapper Kanye West’s new 30-minute short film “Cruel Summer,” described as a seven-screen art installation, has premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival.
Containing footage taken during a hush-hush and frantic shoot in Qatar last month, the film stars Kid Cudi as a car thief who falls for a blind Arabian princess, media reports state.
It was shown on seven screens...
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Doha, Baku fail to make 2020 Olympic bid shortlist
Doha will not be the host of the 2020 Olympics, the International Olympic Committee has announced.
Per analyst predictions, the IOC has decided to cut Doha and Baku before it enters the final decision-making phase, officials announced in a press conference held Wednesday evening (early Thursday morning for us) in Quebec City.
That means Tokyo, Madrid and Istanbul will vie for hosting rights...
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Move to set salary caps for teachers in... →
As the government considers setting salary caps for its public (independent) schools, critics warn that the move could make it difficult to attract the most qualified candidates to Qatar.
The increasing cost of living here and the difficulty of supporting family members are among the other concerns raised.
The Peninsula reports:
Critics also say that if the pay packages of Independent...
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“In Qatar, women can usually communicate only with men who are family members....”
– Matthew Hall, reporter, in a Sydney Morning Herald story about tech tea parties that help women in the developing world stay connected despite “cultural issues.”
In the latest example of how journalists egregiously, woefully, incorrectly report on Qatar, Hall includes the country as...
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Qatar MET: Strong winds to kick up dust all week
It’s dusty outside! And it will be all week.
Expect strong winds and low visibility on the roads through Saturday, the Qatar Meteorology Department has said, advising people to take care:
It is worth noting that this period called locally “Al- bawareh” which starts from the end of May to beginning of July and the windwill be mainly North-westerly moderate to fresh speed, but strong...
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Olympic Committee to announce 2020 bid finalists...
UPDATE: Doha and Baku did not make the cut. Read more here.
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Five cities, including Doha, are waiting with bated breath today to hear what the International Olympic Committee is calling “the most difficult decision we have ever had to take with regard to a shortlist.”
Analysts are predicting that Baku and Doha are most likely to get cut as the IOC narrows down the list of five...
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New Egyptian film project about Sheikha Mozah...
A new book-to-film adaptation about the life of Qatar’s first lady is sparking controversy in Egypt, where Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser once studied, media reports have said.
Concerned that the film, dubbed a “social drama,” will disturb relations between Egypt and Qatar, several members of the Egyptian Parliament have already submitted a request at the National Assembly calling...
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Doha News community meeting next week
Dear loyal Doha News readers,
It’s been over a year since we’ve launched our news site, and your response has been truly amazing.
As our eyes and ears, we’d like to meet you and get to know you a little better, as well as help you get to know us better too.
So, we’re planning a community meeting to exchange ideas, concerns, and just hear your thoughts about what we do...
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Vodafone: Nearly half of Qatar's population now...
Vodafone-Qatar has grown its customer base by 11 percent over the past year to some 837,000 people as of March 31, the company has said.
That translates to 47 percent of Qatar’s population, says Vodafone, which attributes its growth to several promotions and network enhancements:
“We’re proud of the continued growth of our customer base, which has been supported by the completion...
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Guest post: Al Million's new maroon-roofed Karwas...
More taxis are set to hit the streets of Qatar next month, Karwa’s first franchise partner Al Million Services and Contracting Company has said.
Doha News contributor Ramy Khalaf interviewed Al Million to find out how their taxis will be different than what’s already on the road.
By Ramy Khalaf
Al Million expects to introduce some 300 new taxis in Qatar next month, which will...
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Pearl-Qatar developer to 'aggressively' expand its... →
Hospitality Development Company, a subsidiary of The Pearl-Qatar’s developers UDC, says it is going to be rolling out brands it manages across the Middle East, starting with Megu and Pampano restaurants opening in Dubai.
The Dubai restaurants deal is nearly finalized, HDC General Manger Walid Maalouf is quoted by Hotelier Middle East as saying, while negotions are under way on two...
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Qtel in hot water with ictQatar following...
Complaints over what appear to be extra charges for Hala BlackBerry users have caught the eye of ictQatar and prompted Qtel to refund some customers.
Users may be noticing extra charges for their data usage because Qtel just began enforcing their data limits, the company has said.
In a statement, Qtel said it upgraded its network to provide a new SMS alert service that lets customers know when...
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Rapper Kanye West to premiere Qatar film at Cannes →
Kanye West is expected to premiere a new short film shot in Qatar at this week’s Canne’s International Film Festival in France, media reports state.
“Cruel Summer,” which was set in Qatar and produced in association with the Doha Film Institute, will be shown on May 23 on Palm Beach. After that, it will be open for viewing by the public for two days.
West was spotted...
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“The situation in our country isn’t so serious and doesn’t merit such treatment....”
– Adnan Mansour, Lebanon’s Foreign Minister, urging GCC nations to reconsider discouraging their citizens to leave his country or not travel there.
On Saturday, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised citizens not to travel to Lebanon for the time being due to “the unstable security...
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MET: Yesterday hottest day of the year so far,...
Doha residents who were brave enough to go out yesterday experienced the hottest day of the year so far, with the temperature hitting 47C (117F) by noon, the Qatar Meteorology Department has said.
Saturday was also apparently one of the hottest days in May in over a quarter-century, just shy of the record in 1986, when the mercury reached 47.7C, the MET said.
The Peninsula reports:
However,...
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IKEA update: Developer says 'significant progress'...
The construction of Doha Festival City, a 6bn QAR retail and entertainment complex, is “on target” with Qatar’s first IKEA store expected to open by the end of the year.
It’s developers issued a statement today saying:
Doha Festival City… has made significant progress and is on target for scheduled completion of the first phase following its ground breaking in...
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Iran threatens to sue Google after it drops... →
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has threatened to take legal action against Google after the search engine dropped the name “Persian Gulf” from its Google Maps, instead leaving the waterway between Iran and Arab states nameless, state TV reports.
According to Reuters:
“One of the seditionist acts taken as part of the soft war against the Iranian nation has been Google’s...
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To tip or not to tip? Driver's training students...
Doling out small gifts and cash tips to driver’s training instructors in Qatar is now becoming a “necessary evil” to get a quality education, Gulf Times reports.
Expats are at odds over the practice, which most training schools say is prohibited, despite solicitations from instructors.
Some learners complained that tipping trainers constitute an extra burden on them, and...
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New Doha International Airport E-Gates designed by...
Looks pretty high-tech!
Now if only Qatar offered E-gate for children…
alainkapatashungu:
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Qataris deal with fallout of extravagant spending
Despite huge salary hikes for nationals last August, it appears the majority of Qataris remain in debt, an article in the Financial Times has said.
By some measures, Qatar is the world’s richest country. But its citizens have a tendency to spend extravagantly, and three-quarters of Qatari families are in debt because of this, according to the 2011 National Development Strategy.
Most owe...
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Don't try this at home: Man picnics on Emiri...
The seat of Qatar’s government is an imposing building, surrounded by a vast green lawn and several pointy steel rods.
In that sense, the Emiri Diwan is not unlike the American White House, notes Leon Kaye, founder of sustainability website GreenGoPost.com.
Except, of course, strolling across the White House lawn - or even giving the president’s home a funny look - could land...