DIDN'T Arianna Huffington realise what she was getting into when she decided to launch HuffPost Arabi? In the first three weeks it has certainly been attracting attention, but mostly of the wrong sort.
The new Arabic-language website was born amid a show of bravado from Ms Huffington. Avoiding "… Read more
Archive: qatar
3rd July 2015
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Sheikha Mozah, wife of Qatar's former emir, returned to the spotlight this week when previously-confidential emails were released by the US State Department.
The emails reveal that while Hillary Clinton was… Read more
2nd July 2015
A GNRD supporter at the UN Human Rights Council accused Norway's public prosecutor of racism
In recent statements the Global Network for Rights and Development (GNRD) has portrayed itself as an organisation struggling to "forge a genuine international will to combat terrorism" – in the face of… Read more
6th September 2014
Loai Mohammed Deeb: ran a university from his home
The Scandinavian University, established in Norway in 2007 and closed three years later, boasted of having 175 professors and more than 300 lecturers, plus a wide range of courses stretching from engineering and economics to sharia and Islamic… Read more
4th September 2014
Two British men have been reported missing after travelling to Qatar to investigate the treatment of Nepalese migrant workers there. The assumption is that the Qatari authorities did not like what they were doing, and arrested them.
Migrant workers in Qatar, especially in the construction industry… Read more
22nd January 2014
When uprisings toppled the leaders of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya in 2011, other Arab regimes trembled. But not Qatar. Brimming with self-confidence, Qatar – perhaps alone among the Arab states – viewed the upheaval as an opportunity rather than cause for alarm.
"Qatar's regional posture went into… Read more
11th November 2013
Following an eight-day fact-finding visit to Qatar a UN investigator has called for an end to the restrictive sponsorship system for employing expatriate workers.
François Crépeau, the UN’s special rapporteur on migrants’ rights, said Qatar should make it easier for migrants to change employers… Read more
25th June 2013
The Emir of Qatar's abdication this morning (see text of his speech) is widely seen as a milestone – and rightly so. It breaks the long-standing Arab tradition of leaders who cling to power until the drop, or are forcibly removed from office.
Sheikh Hamad came to power in 1995, removing his… Read more
28th May 2013
The Villaggio shopping mall in Qatar, which proclaims itself as Doha's "newest and the largest family entertainment destination", was designed with an Italian theme. At the end of one corridor there's a gondola and behind it a large fresco depicting Venice.
Visitors often stop by the gondola to… Read more
30th October 2012
Verbal duelling between poets is an ancient Arabian tradition dating back to pre-Islamic times. Saad Abdullah Sowayan describes its customary form:
"A duelling match involves two poets ... The first poet steps forward and improvises two verses in which he greets the assembled audience and ... at… Read more
ARAB ART ONLINE: Susan Hefuna: Al Sabr Gamil (Patience is Beautiful) 2007. Ink stained on wood 140 x 170 cm. More information | Click to enlarge
