HMC/Facebook

Officials at one of Qatar’s busiest hospitals are warning of longer wait times over the next few weeks as they prepare to transition away from paper-based patient records.

When its system goes live tomorrow, the hospital will join a handful of other facilities here in which doctors can access patient records through a computer, instead of a file cabinet.

The benefit of having an electronic file is that records could be shared more easily between healthcare providers, so that new patient histories don’t have to be taken during each visit.

But setting up the system will likely take time at Women’s Hospital, which sees about 500 out-patients daily and handles some 18,000 births a year.

Paul Goyette/Flickr

Appointment delays will stem from a few factors, officials said. Firstly, appointments are expected to run a bit longer due to the extra time needed to register each patient into the system.

Additionally, staff will be getting acclimated to using the new electronic records.

The Peninsula reports that Women’s Hospital may cope with delays by shifting some outpatients to Al Wakrah or Al Khor hospitals. However, the emergency services at Women’s Hospital are expected to remain unaffected.

The newspaper quotes Dr. Nish Patel, Chief Executive Officer of Women’s Hospital, as saying:

“We have started contacting patients who have appointments for next week to keep them informed that they may experience some delay. The weekend is going to be crucial and everything will be back to normal in the second week.”

Healthcare improvements

Women’s Hospital is the latest public healthcare facility in the country to move over to a new Clinical Information System (CIS).

Al Khor Hospital and Al Daayen Clinic implemented the system earlier this year, and Al Gharafa Primary Healthcare Center and Al Gharafa Walk-In Center adopted it last month, Hamad Medical Corp. said in a statement.

Record digitization is part of Qatar’s National Health Strategy – a five-year plan that goes from 2011-2016.

Kathea Pinto/Flickr

It outlines several ways that the country can work to cope with increasing demand and pressure on health services. According to one recently released report, Qatar’s healthcare sector is one of the fastest growing in the region.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) announced that it was rolling out an electronic birth certificate process across public hospitals here, in which parents could apply for the documents inside the hospital in which their children were born, instead of going to the SCH.

In another effort to reduce paperwork and improve patient care, the SCH is also talking about rolling out a national e-complaint system. Under this online service, patients could report medical errors or grievances for investigation.

Thoughts?

(The post Qatar Women’s Hospital warns of delays as it moves to e-filing system is from Doha News.)

Supplied

Paramedics rush to the accident site outside Doha College West Bay.

In an incident that many parents have described as “their worst nightmare,” a Doha College primary school student was hit by a car while crossing the street to get to school yesterday morning.

The girl had been walking with her mother and younger sibling from their car toward the school gate at around 7:30am when a silver Honda CR-V struck her.

The family was taken to the hospital by ambulance, and released hours later after receiving treatment.

It is not clear if the driver is a Doha College parent.

The accident comes weeks into the school year, and follows repeated warnings from head teachers across Doha to parents, to drive carefully in and around school campuses and be more mindful of pedestrians.

Letter to families

In a letter to parents yesterday about the accident, Doha College Principal Mark Leppard said:

“We have continually been requesting a far more vigilant approach to driving round the college, both at our West Bay and Al Waab campuses, and it saddens me that some individuals have not taken this advice and adopted a more respectful attitude towards driving in and around the college campus.”

Lord Jim/Facebook

Leppard urged members of the school community to take stock of their individual actions, and asked that they ensure they “drive with due care and attention,” avoid talking on mobile phones or speeding, and park in a safe and careful manner to reduce the chance of any future accidents.

He also requested that parents “ensure they cross the road in a safe manner to further reduce the risk of accidents.”

And in an appeal to help improve safety around the school, Leppard called on parents and members of the school to work as a community to report dangerous incidents, adding, “we all need to challenge poor driving behavior.”

City-wide problem

As traffic increases in Doha, and many schools suffering from a shortage of parking spaces, other principals have also been urging their parents to be more careful when driving, parking and walking to and from school.

Yesterday, Doha British School Principal Terry McGuire also issued a traffic warning in his weekly newsletter sent out to parents. He said:

“I must remind you that the welfare of our pupils is our highest priority. Whilst drop-off and pick-up is much improved, there are still many parents and drivers who, despite repeated warnings and appeals, are still acting in a way that is creating a danger for others.

I will be relentless in the pursuit of those whose actions cause danger to the children.”

Some schools are also in talks with public works authority Ashghal to help improve the road layout in their surrounding areas with safety features such as more speed bumps and marked crossing points.

Fatal accident

This is not the first time that a pupil has been hit by a car outside a Qatar school. In October 2009, five-year-old Dana Sakr died after she was struck by a car as she crossed the road outside the Lebanese School in West Bay.

Supplied

Dana Sakr

According to a safety investigation by Northwestern University in Qatar journalism students, the police report issued at the time stated the cause of the accident was “ignorance and lack of attention, (and) driving with an expired training license.”

At the time, the 26-year-old driver was jailed for four days until he paid a QR10,000 fine, and his expired training license was taken from him for three months.

The NU-Q report added that several measures were taken outside the school to safeguard against other tragedies:

“Dana’s death precipitated changes in the Qatari school system. A security guard controls traffic in the area where The Lebanese School in Qatar, Qatar International School and Lycee Voltaire, Qatar’s French school, are located. Speed bumps, street lines, traffic signs and road divisions have been added to prevent traffic accidents in school areas.”

Protecting pedestrians

The proportion of pedestrian fatalities as a figure of overall road deaths fell from 32 percent in 2008 to 28 percent in 2012 here, according to figures in a report submitted by Qatar to the UN earlier this year.

Kyle McDonald

But this is still some way short of Qatar’s goal of reducing pedestrian mortalities to 17 percent of road deaths by 2016.

Earlier this year Ashghal announced that it had issued QR600 million worth of road safety upgrades, including new pedestrian overpasses, better street signage and construction of additional lanes.

Improving safety in school zones was listed as a the top priority, as the authority aims to safeguard pedestrians in Qatar.

The country’s infrastructure faces multiple pressures, as the population continues to soar, with thousands of cars joining the roads each month. Meanwhile, there is increasing demand for more schools to be built to meet ease the pressure on waiting lists.

Thoughts?

(The post Qatar parents urged to challenge bad driving after child struck by car is from Doha News.)

Muhammad Kamran Qureshi/Flickr

Qatar’s Ministry of Interior (MOI) went on a security gear shopping spree this week, signing deals to purchase millions of riyals worth of equipment at a Doha trade show.

Government officials inked agreements to buy new fire trucks, high-tech ID cards and surveillance technology systems at Milipol Qatar. During the biannual exhibition, several companies sell internal state security products, and some 6,600 attendees flocked to the Doha Exhibition Center to observe the wares over three days last week.

309 million riyals worth deals signed during the 3 days of #MilipolQatar2014, another QAR 20mn deals are planned to be announced soon.

— Milipol Qatar (@MilipolQatar) October 22, 2014

For exhibitors, one of the main draws was an opportunity to outfit some of the massive infrastructure projects in Qatar with security gear. A Milipol brochure for example highlighted the need to “enhance security levels in the Qatar passport department” and protect sensitive industrial sites such as the 2022 World Cup stadium sites and the new Doha Port.

It also mentioned opportunities to sell equipment for use in “fighting terrorism” to Qatar Rail and Qatar’s Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya).

In recent years, government authorities have publicly displayed some of their most high-tech monitoring equipment, such as scanners used to detect drugs and explosives at Hamad International Airport and surveillance cameras that help monitor the flow of traffic.

While such tools are common in major cities around the world, little is known about the Qatar government’s specific capability or procedures for responding to large-scale incidents within its borders.

For example, some observers were taken aback at the sight of four buses filled with riot police officers responding to a brawl at Sheraton Hotel during renovations earlier this year.

Similarly, it’s unclear how authorities monitor the activities of residents, beyond isolated snapshots such as a Wikileaks report that showed the Qatar government has purchased software that can secretly monitor emails and other forms of online communication.

Shopping list

The deals disclosed between Qatar authorities and at Milipol vendors appear to be for more benign purposes. In a closing press conference, MOI said it finalized purchases totaling QR309 million (US$84.86 million). The ministry’s Twitter feed said this includes (aggregate contract values in parenthesis):

• 39 firefighting vehicles and rescue equipment (QR94.5 million);
• 474 MOI vehicles (QR52.8 million);
• Network infrastructure and related programs (QR38.5 million);
• Development and maintenance of an Airbus Defense & Space communications system (QR36.6 million);
• 20 search and rescue boats (QR34 million);
• A deal with Salam Security for several surveillance systems and programs (QR22.4 million);
• Smart ID cards (QR9.9 million); and
• 11 traffic radars and 10 truck weigh bridges (QR3.8 million).

MOI officials said that a further QR20 million worth of contracts to buy security devices, military equipment and radars would be closed in the coming weeks.

Road safety

Some of the equipment already in use across Qatar was also on display at Milipol.

That includes an advanced road radar that’s been installed in Ras Laffan and expected to be rolled out along the Dukhan Highway as well as the Corniche and the road leading to the airport, according to the Gulf Times.

In recent years, authorities have said various radar systems have been installed along the country’s roads, including devices designed to catch drivers who overtake other motorists on the right as well as technology that monitors a vehicle’s speed between two points along a road.

External security

While Milipol is focused on products and services for domestic use, it comes at a time when Qatar is also strengthening its military might to ward off external threats.

U.S Pacific Command

Earlier this year, the Qatar Armed Forces signed artillery deals worth QR87 billion with more than 20 defense contractors at the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition.

The Gulf country is also working toward building its own Patriot missile defense system through an estimated $2 billion (approx. QR7.3 billion) deal with US weapons maker Raytheon Corp.

The system is expected to be installed by December, making Qatar the fourth Gulf country to operate the missile defense system.

Thoughts?

(The post MOI closes security deals worth QR309 million at Milipol Qatar is from Doha News.)

Francisco Anzola/Flickr

A hand-sketched map from 1823, showing the first-ever recorded rendering of Qatar’s coastline; a British official’s notes from 1782 about rival tribes in Zubarah and Bahrain that make the first mention of Qatar; and a letter from the son of then-Emir Sheikh Jassim bin Muhammad Al Thani confirming his father’s death in 1913.

These are some of the gems from Qatar’s past that have been unearthed following the world’s largest digitalization of historical records on the Gulf Arab states and Iran, which have just gone online for the first time at the Qatar Digital Library.

Included in the archives are maps, manuscripts, sound recordings, photographs and archival material, all free for public and academic use.

The initiative is part of a 10-year collaboration between Qatar Foundation, Qatar National Library and the British Library in London, which began in 2012 and ultimately will see half-a-million documents digitized and made available online.

Qatar Digital Library

Letter from the Political Agent at Bahrain to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire regarding the state of Sheikh Jasim bin Muḥammad Al Thani's health, dated July 13, 1913.

It will take three years and $14 million to digitize the catalogue of documents, a cost being borne by QF.

The online archives include 475,000 pages from the UK’s India Office records, which previously were only accessible to those intrepid enough to navigate 14km of shelves on the subject at the British Library in London.

The material also includes 25,000 medieval Arabic scientific manuscripts, from the British Library’s own collection.

In contrast to some of the earlier records that start from the mid-18th century, the archives also feature contemporary material, including sound recordings of musicians performing traditional Qatari songs.

Transforming understanding

It is hoped that making these documents more widely available will spark renewed interest in studying the Gulf, both from academics inside the region and internationally.

Dr. James Onley, senior lecturer in Middle Eastern History at the UK’s Exeter University and editor of Journal of Arabian Studies, said in a statement:

“This is a major milestone in the study of these countries. Now anyone can access the region’s fascinating past from anywhere.

“This easy access will enable scholars around the world to discover new things and write new histories that will expand, and ultimately transform our understanding of the region.”

India reported to the British government through the India Office between 1858 and 1947. According to the BBC:

“The India Office did not only administer India, it also exercised colonial rule over an area stretching west as far as Aden. That’s why the files cover Persia and Arabia.”

Some 125,000 documents have already been uploaded to the site, with the rest set to be there by the end of the year. Many chart the relationship between Qatar and Britain over the past 300 years.

Qatar’s records

The first mention of Qatar in the records dates back to Oct. 5, 1782, when the East India Company’s Resident (political emissary) at Bushire, Iran, reported to his colleagues in Bombay of an attack by the Utubi (Bani Utbah) tribe of Zubarah against the Al Madkhur of Bahrain, during the course of which “several lives were lost on both sides.”

Qatar Digital Library

Letter to William Hornby, President and Governor, Council at Bombay, from Edward Galley, Resident at Bushire, dated Oct. 5, 1782.

Some 40 years later in 1823, the earliest records in the India Office files of a map of Qatar’s coastline appeared with a hand-sketched map of El Biddah – one of the early settlements in what is now Al Bidda district of central Doha.

Qatar Digital Library

Detail from the trigonometrical plan of the harbour of El Biddah on the Arabian side of the Persian Gulf.

According to the explanatory note by Dr. Mark Hobbs, a Gulf history specialist at the British Library:

“From the decks of the Discovery and Pysche, the British officers saw El Biddah as groups of houses tightly clustered around two forts, many of which had been damaged the previous year, when the East India Company’s brig Vestal bombarded the town, as punishment for its inhabitants’ alleged involvement in piracy.”

Before that, Qatar was believed to be part of Bahrain, and the peninsula does not feature in earlier maps of the region.

Of social and cultural interest are the documents relating to the death of the then-Emir Sheikh Jassim bin Muhammad Al Thani in 1913, following what is believed to have been a stroke.

The archive features a letter from his son Abdullah to the British political agent in Bahrain, Major Arthur Prescott Trevor, confirming his father’s passing, followed by a number of intelligence reports about the “considerable fortune” Sheikh Jassim had left.

This included pearls, camels and horses in addition to money that he bequeathed in legacies not only to his family, but also to his servants and slaves.

Qatar Digital Library

Letter from the Political Agent at Bahrain informing the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf of the death of Sheikh Jāsim bin Muḥammad Āl Thānī, dated July 26, 1913.

In addition to the original letters, manuscripts, maps and drawings, the site features contextual reports written by British Library experts, to help readers understand the background story to and relevance of many of the items.

The portal also includes contemporary audio-visual material, such as photographs and video clips taken by Rolf Killius, the British Library’s curator of oral and musical cultures, which record sea shanties and other traditional songs, performed in 2013 by local musician Khalid Johar and others.

Speaking at a press conference this week, QF President Saad al Muhannadi said that other international libraries, including German’s Berlin Library, have also been approached to discuss establishing similar partnerships, but that these have yet to be confirmed, Qatar Tribune reports.

Thoughts?

(The post With launch of online Gulf archives, Qatar’s history now an open book is from Doha News.)

Peter Kovessy

A pet store, barber shop and food outlet Bread and Bagels are among nearly three dozen new retailers being added to the ground floor of City Center Mall.

The mall, located in West Bay, is currently one of Qatar’s largest shopping centers, alongside Villaggio Mall, although both will soon be dwarfed by several new retail properties under construction.

Joerg Harengerd, City Center’s director, told Doha News that he expects most of the new stores to launch by early 2015, subject to Civil Defense approvals. The first, a Crocs footwear retailer, has already opened.

Peter Kovessy

“It’s a mix of many kinds of shops … (although it is) more service-oriented,” Harengerd told Doha News in an interview this week.

The lower level of the mall is divided into two distinct enclosed sections, separated by an ice rink in the center of the shopping center, and has several access points to the parking garage.

When Doha News visited the shopping center earlier this week, marketing graphics identifying the retailers covered many of the temporary walls that shielded the concourse from the construction fit-outs taking place in the future stores.

The new retailers include:

West side (below Carrefour)

• Ahli Bank
• Al Salahi / Fancy Rose (jewelry);
• Axiom Telecom;
• Beauty Box (hair and nails salon);
• Costa Coffee;
• DHL (shipping);
• In No Mind (home decor);
• K Corner (footwear);
• Marian Tailors;
• Mr. Quality (key cutting and watch repairs);
• Occhiali (eyewear); and
• Qatar Islamic Bank.

East side (near the new taxi bay)

• Albayt Alasil (honey and olive oil products);
• Al Dar for Exchange Works (money transfer / foreign exchange);
• Al Jaber Opticians;
• Axa (insurance);
• Bread and Bagels;
• Pets & More;
• Qatar-UAExchange (money transfer / foreign exchange);
• Tavola (houseware);
• Technical Care Center (mobile phone repair); and
• The Barber.

Some of the businesses already operate inside City Center, and appear to be relocating. This suggests that the mall will see more new retailers on its upper floors once the relocations are complete.

Harengerd said the new stores were constructed using space from the enclosed parking garage without losing any vehicle stalls.

Competition

The new stores will add roughly 10,000 square meters of leasable space to City Center’s existing 130,000 square meters, which is currently fully rented, Harengerd said.

While City Center is among the largest shopping malls in the country for now, that will change in the coming years.

Mall of Qatar

Mall of Qatar rendering.

Both the Mall of Qatar in Al Rayyan, past Education City, as well as Doha Festival City, which includes the Ikea off Al Shamal Road, will dwarf City Center and Villaggio in size when they are completed.

Analysts have forecast that Qatar will actually see an oversupply of retail space when these and several other properties – including North Gate Mall, Tawar Mall and Gulf Mall – open in the coming years.

At this year’s Cityscape Qatar real estate conference, a retail consultant working on the Mall of Qatar project predicted that the country’s newer shopping centers would be able to fill their stores, but would succeed at the expense of older properties.

“Some of the original shopping centers have already lost market share,” said Phil McArthur, managing director of McArthur+Co.

Naming The Mall and City Center as examples, he said many of Doha’s original retail hubs “are going to have a real challenge” competing.

But City Center’s Harengerd disagrees.

Qatar Rail

“Location-wise, we have a big advantage,” he said, noting that the shopping center will have a connection to the under-construction Doha Metro.

There are also several high-rise residential towers under construction in the West Bay / Dafna area, which will likely increase the number of potential shoppers who can reach City Center by foot.

Harengerd predicted that many Qatar residents would visit the new malls when they open out of curiosity, but eventually return to their regular shopping habits.

“People will try them, experience them and come back,” he said.

Thoughts?

(The post Qatar’s City Center mall to expand with 35 new ground-level stores is from Doha News.)

Anywalls.com

To help support the Russian-speaking community in Qatar, a new organization has announced plans to hold events and open a cultural center here sometime in the next few months.

During its inaugural meeting yesterday, leaders of the Organization of Russian Compatriots (ORC) in Qatar told local media that outreach efforts were important, given the number of new Russians who move here each day.

Speaking to the Qatar Tribune, Alla Smirnova, a member of the ORC’s coordinating council, said:

“It’s important for everyone to have others around who share their values, culture and traditions, and we hope that our organization will help a lot of people to communicate, and make their lives easier, because it’s sometimes hard to be far from one’s country and culture.”

There are about 2,500 to 3,000 Russians in Qatar, and more than 7,000 Russian-language speakers, the Russian Embassy in Doha’s Second Secretary Alexey Kocheshkov told the newspaper.

ORC

Many of these speakers hail from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, and Armenia, “each of whom are familiar with Russian traditions, culture and more importantly the language,” Gulf Times reports.

Once the center is open, the plan is to begin holding events to celebrate national holidays and cultural events, officials said.

In a statement, organizers added that the meeting, which included a discussion about activities related to sports, children’s education, art and culture, business development and other issues, marked an “important milestone in the history of Russian speaking community in Qatar and will elevate the activities of the community to a new higher level.”

Diplomatic ties

Qatar-Russia relations have been on and off since the late 1980s, when the two established official missions in each other’s countries.

Qassim Rahmatullah/Peninsula

In 2012, hundreds of Qatar residents protested outside of the Russian embassy here after the country vetoed a UN resolution to condemn Bashar Al Assad’s regime.

At the time, the Russia’s UN ambassador denied reports circulating on the internet that the country threatened to “wipe Qatar off the map.”

But more recently, ties between Doha and Moscow have been growing stronger, bolstered in part through economic deals.

In May for example, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) agreed to invest $2 billion in Russia, following several other investments made last year, including a stake in Russian bank VTB.

Thoughts?

(The post Russians in Qatar eying opening of new cultural center by year-end is from Doha News.)

Daniel Epstein/Flickr

In her latest column for the Expat Telegraph, Doha News editor-at-large Victoria Scott focuses on the life skills needed to settle comfortably into Qatar.

Figuring out to plan (way) in advance, network with new people and pack/unpack with swiftitude are among the more obvious ones.

But another critical skill expats need is a sense of good humor, said Scott, who has lived here for five years.

“Life is so much easier if you stop swimming against the tide,” she argues, meaning that while one cannot control the pace of bureaucracy here, or the heavy traffic or many other things, residents can at least temper their expectations and adjust their own reaction to such challenges.

Chantelle D'Mello

Scott continues:

“It really is worth remembering to smile. One of the aspects of Qatari society I admire most is their friendliness and hospitality, and this is just as true over the counter at a government office as it is in a majlis. If you’re desperate to get your paperwork done, you are much more likely to get a positive response if you’re warm and friendly, rather than walking up to the desk with conflict in your eyes.

The fluid nature of bureaucratic processes in Qatar has two sides. Whilst you may be caught out by changes, and infuriated by your many pointless journeys around town, you may also be able to take advantage of the pliability of the rules. This isn’t the UK, where “computer says no” – this is Qatar, where a smiling manager drinks tea with you, and might bend the rules if he feels you’re genuine and return his warmth.”

Other tips to decrease stress while living in Doha include managing expectations – “never expect to achieve anything on the first attempt” – and always keeping a file of important documents on hand.

“There’s nothing like being asked to produce your grandmother’s birth certificate and actually being able to bring it out with a flourish and a victorious smile,” Scott jokes.

How do you cope with stress in Qatar? Thoughts?

(The post Opinion: Adjusting to life in Qatar means having a good sense of humor is from Doha News.)

Good Sunday morning, all! To jumpstart your week, here a few photos of movement in and around Doha, as part of new weekly photo feature.

These are all taken from our Flickr Pool. If you’d like your photos to be featured, please submit them to our pool, tweet at us, or send to them us on Facebook.

They should be taken in Qatar, recently if possible.

(The post PHOTOS: Qatar in motion is from Doha News.)

QFA

Beating a losing streak that lasted more than 30 years, Qatar’s national under-19 football team claimed its first AFC U-19 Championship title this week after a 1-0 victory over DPR Korea in Thursday’s final in Yangon, Myanmar.

The team received a hero’s welcome last night when they returned to Qatar.

According to Doha Stadium Plus, this is the first time in 34 years that the team even qualified to play in the finals.

The publication continues:

“The latest achievement has much relevance as the current group of players will form the nucleus of the Qatar team at the ’22 World Cup. It will also boost Qatar’s confidence of staging a successful World Cup.

For any edition, a good performance by the host nation is crucial and the boys’ good show should delight the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, for Qatar’s low ranking has been a tool for critics.”

For those who haven’t been keeping up with the matches, @vatyma explained all in a recent post titled “How the Qatar youth team captured our hearts (and won the tournament).”

We republish it here, with her permission:

Qatar’s Under 19 team hadn’t qualified for the Under 20 FIFA Youth World Cup since 1981 in Australia. In Myanmar the team had the chance to reach next year’s finals in New Zealand if they finished in the top 4.

From the moment they walked on to the stage

To their undefeated run to the final

To Afif’s little dance number

..and then there’s Moez

@Vatyma

Who can do things like this

And simply shrug it off

This is what the crowd looked like when they faced Myanmar

Via @vatyma

And yet they kept on going, from victory to victory

To taking a moment from all the madness to pray

No one expected them to win

But they stopped history from repeating itself by qualifying for the youth World Cup when they beat China in a 4–2 quarterfinal victory

The underdogs from Qatar

Via @vatyma

A team that played its heart out

via @vatyma

via @vatyma

via @vatyma

And won our hearts in the process

via @vatyma

#Annabi all the way

via @vatyma

Congrats, guys! Thoughts?

(The post Qatar U-19 football team ‘underdogs’ win first AFC championship (GIFS) is from Doha News.)

MOI Qatar/Facebook

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

Traffic police in Qatar will soon be provided new tablets to help them report and record road accidents more quickly and easily.

The handheld devices, which will be issued to all traffic departments across the country in the coming month, would enable police to record all the relevant information about an accident while onsite, including taking photographs of the cars.

Lubaib Gazir

This should mean that those involved in the accidents would no longer need to go to the police station to fill out paperwork afterwards – often a confusing, hours-long ordeal for those who have never been in an accident in Qatar.

The Qatar Tribune reported that officers would also be able to send those involved in the accident a copy of the report via email or text message.

Additionally, the software used would enable police called to the scene to check the history of the drivers, including whether they have any violations recorded against them.

The new technology was unveiled by the Ministry of Interior’s (MOI) General Directorate of Information System following last week’s Milipol military expo, which saw Qatar confirm QR309 million of deals during the three days.

As part of Milipol, the MOI also said it had signed a QR3.8 million contract with Eshhar Security Services to supply 11 traffic radars (speed cameras) and 10 truck weigh bridges.

Coping mechanisms

Qatar’s roads are growing increasingly crowded, with more than 8,400 new cars being added to the streets each month. That growth is not expected to slow down anytime soon, with the population forecast to climb from nearly 2.2 million people now to some 2.5 million by 2016.

Mindful of the ensuing traffic congestion, Qatar’s authorities have begun to work harder to enforce existing laws.

Earlier this summer for example, MOI reminded drivers that in the event of minor accidents, they should not leave their cars in the middle of the road and wait for police – as had been the previous practice. Instead, motorists should move their vehicles to a safe place nearby that doesn’t other block other traffic before calling police.

Failure to move the vehicles could result in QR1,000 of fines and three points on the driver’s license.

MOI Qatar/Facebook

The Traffic Department has also been taking a tougher line to tackle common problems such as double parking, when it announced last week that those parked illegally risk having their car towed.

And in June, MOI warned motorists who try to illegally overtake from the right at roundabouts and intersections also face their cars being towed and a fine imposed. In the first month this was introduced, around 100 cars a day were seized by police.

Unmarked police patrols have also been sent out to traffic black spots, including Al Waab, the Expressway and C-Ring road in an attempt to catch and write up motorists who regularly break the traffic rules.

Meanwhile, MOI has been using social media to remind residents of basic road rules that could help reduce the number of traffic accidents on the nation’s roads each month.

Know the limits – look for signs, especially at junctions, Remember, speed limits are a maximum, not a target. #َQatar #MoI_Qatar

— Ministry of Interior (@MOI_QatarEn) October 11, 2014

Earlier this year, a report from Qatar University’s Road Safety Studies Center found that traffic accidents cost Qatar QR17.6 billion over the past six years.

This figure included the bill for emergency and ongoing care for the injured, and value of damaged property as well as any resulting insurance and legal costs.

Thoughts?

(The post New tech to save time for motorists involved in Qatar road accidents is from Doha News.)

Shabina S. Khatri

In an unexpected move, a Qatar prosecutor has asked the nation’s appeals court to only uphold the sentences handed to two men convicted in last year’s murder of British teacher Lauren Patterson.

In March, Doha’s lower criminal court sentenced Badr Hashim Khamis Abdallah al-Jabar to death and ordered Mohamed Abdallah Hassan Abdul Aziz to serve three years in prison for helping al-Jabar burn Patterson’s body, as well as damaging and erasing evidence.

Via Alison Patterson

Badr Hashim Khamis Abdullah Al-Jabar

The death penalty has not been carried out in Qatar in more than a decade, although the sentence is still handed out by the country’s courts.

Patterson, 24, went missing briefly last October, and was last seen alive in a car with the defendants.

The prosecutor told the lower court that al-Jabar took her to a home he used for sexual trysts with women, “conquered her body,” and killed her by stabbing her twice.

Patterson’s smoldering remains were found by a Qatari hunter a day later.

Previously, the Patterson family’s defense attorney had expressed hope that the prosecutor would seek a harsher penalty for Abdul Aziz.

Via Alison Patterson

Mohamed Abdallah Hassan Abdul Aziz

Following the lower court trial, mother Alison Patterson told the media that “justice was served” in the case of Al-Jabar, but that she was deeply upset with Abdul Aziz’s lighter sentence.

“At no time did he choose to help my daughter or report the murder. In fact he did the contrary; he helped (Al-Jabar) dispose of Lauren’s body in the most callous and barbaric way.”

Confusion

Today’s session was brief, with defense lawyers once again asking the judge for comprehensive records from two phones belonging to al-Jabar, particularly calls between him and Patterson’s ex-boyfriend.

Handout photo

The lawyer alleged that al-Jabar called Patterson’s ex-boyfriend several times just before she died in October.

The judge, who rejected that request during the last appellate hearing in June, is expected to rule on it again when the case resumes next month. A verdict date is also expected to be decided then.

Speaking to Doha News, Alison Patterson, who does not live in Qatar but flew here to attend today’s session, expressed dissatisfaction with today’s proceedings:

“I am disappointed that we have got to come back on Nov. 23. We had hopes as a family that today’s hearing would bring some kind of closure for us all. Everyone is still struggling to come to terms with what has happened to Lauren.

There is a feeling of not fully understanding anything that happens in the court. At the last hearing we were led to believe that the defense’s request regarding (alleged) calls made by the first defendant to Lauren’s ex-boyfriend were irrelevant as it does not change what he did.”

Alison Patterson said the cost of coming to Qatar to attend the court hearings has placed her under significant financial stress, to the point that she may be forced to sell her home. She added that her extended absences from the UK is also taking an emotional toll on her other children.

The family, along with Lauren Patterson’s friends, recently marked the one-year anniversary of her death at a church in her hometown of West Malling in the UK. Following a service, a single white dove was released in memory of the young woman.

The same day, a tree was also planted outside a school in Luxembourg where the British teacher used to work, Alison Patterson said. Several friends and former work colleagues visited the tree to pay their respects and lay flowers.

“She was a very popular and much-loved person,” she said.

Here in Doha, friends of Lauren Patterson released several sky lanterns into the sky to mark the solemn anniversary.

Thoughts?

(The post Qatar prosecutor won’t seek harsher sentence for Patterson defendant is from Doha News.)

QAPCO

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

As Qatar continues to up spending on domestic real estate and infrastructure projects, the state and its Gulf neighbors are facing a warning to reduce expenditures as oil prices fall.

In a meeting of GCC finance ministers and central bank governors in Kuwait yesterday, the head of the International Monetary Fund said that oil prices, which have fallen approximately 25 percent since the summer, “increases the urgency for fiscal consolidation.”

SCDL

Al Bayt (Al Khor) Stadium rendering

IMF managing director Christine Lagarde’s comments come as construction on the Doha Metro, Msheireb Downtown redevelopment and several World Cup football stadiums ramps up.

While these and other mega-projects, such as the Pearl-Qatar and various highways, have helped diversify the country’s economy away from hydrocarbons, many of the developments are being paid for by the government.

Qatar relies more on exports of natural gas than oil, but prices of the two commodities are correlated. The IMF estimates that Qatar needs oil prices to stay above US$77.60 a barrel to continue running a budget surplus.

Brent oil futures closed Friday at $86.13, while a basket of prices among OPEC nations ended at $81.67 a barrel. The drop in prices has been attributed to less demand due to predictions of weak global economic growth.

Gadget Dan/Flickr

Qatar typically takes lower oil prices into account when setting its annual budget, which often results in revenues coming in much higher than predicted. For its most recent budget, Qatar assumed oil would sell for $65 a barrel.

But higher-than-expected expenses have eroded that cushion in recent years. In 2013-14, government expenditures were more than 9 percent, or QR21 billion ($5.78 billion), higher than budgeted, according to the Qatar Central Bank (QCB).

This means that lower natural resource revenues could present challenges for Qatar’s government, which reportedly rescheduled 15 percent of its development projects earlier this year among rising costs, among other hurdles.

Where Qatar get its money

The exact impact of declining oil prices on Qatar’s public finances is unclear. The country has diversified its sources of revenue and could likely tap debt markets and borrow more money if needed.

A growing share of government revenue is coming from investment income as well as Qatar’s 10-percent corporate tax, according to a recent report by Qatar National Bank.

Omar Chatriwala

From 2013-14, income from oil and gas made up 56.3 percent of the government’s revenues, which totaled QR346 billion ($95.2 billion), according to the QCB. Investment income made up 29.7 percent.

According to Kuwait’s state news agency, the IMF’s Lagarde said Gulf countries could mitigate the risks posed by declining oil prices through replacing across-the-board subsidies with measures targeted at those who are most in need.

“That is a good way to re-orientate public spending,” she said.

Kuwait has repeated this message to other GCC members and has also called for reductions in government wages to help cap public spending.

In Qatar, there’s been no public suggestion by officials that the country is considering a reduction in subsidies or has plans to clamp down on government salaries and wages, which climbed 19.7 percent in 2013-14.

Handout

But in one of his first national addresses, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani promised to cut the fat in government.

While no figures have officially been disclosed, the budgets of the Qatar Museums and the Doha Film Institute, among other organizations, are believed to have been drastically reduced.

Elsewhere in the Gulf, Oman appears to already be moving in this direction. The country’s minister for financial affairs told Reuters on the sidelines of the weekend’s meetings that declining oil prices will push Oman to likely start cutting state subsidies next year.

Thoughts?

(The post Qatar’s finances to take hit from falling oil prices is from Doha News.)

Supplied

Ben Chris Rivera, Joyce Rivera and their one-year-old son, Arclian Zirc III

An 18-year-old Qatari man who had no driver’s license or car insurance may now face criminal charges in connection with the deaths of five Filipinos after a car accident near Hamad International Airport over Eid Al Adha.

A traffic department report shared by the Philippines ambassador with local media stated that the unnamed man was found to be driving with “excess speed, driving with no license (and) causing the death of more persons.”

Supplied

The young man’s Land Cruiser smashed into a family’s Nissan Pathfinder as it was parked on the side of the road on the Corniche-Al Wakrah highway on Oct. 6.

The Nissan then burst into flames, burning the passengers inside.

The tragedy sparked a heated debate among residents on social media about road safety in Qatar, with many asking what it would take for authorities to crack down on bad drivers.

Speaking to the Peninsula, Ambassador Crescente Relacion also said the speeding driver’s car insurance had also expired on Aug. 6 – two months before the accident.

Moreover, the driver had racked up 44 traffic violations in the 13 months from Aug. 22, 2013 to Sept. 26, 2014, Relacion said, quoting details from the Ministry of Interior’s General Administration of Traffic report on the incident.

Incident

Supplied

Saudi residents Marilou Cal and Joyce Gelli.

Bencris Rivera (36), his wife Joycelyn Torres Rivera (38) and one year-old son Arclian Zirc Torres Rivera were killed in the accident, along with two friends of the child’s aunt – Saudi residents Marilou Cal (24) and Joyce Gelli (27).

The family had been taking a tour of Doha and had stopped in a short-term parking bay on the highway to view the new airport. They were getting back into the car when it was hit from behind by the Land Cruiser.

According to the MOI’s report, the Pathfinder was thrown 104 meters down the road from the impact of the collision, while its passengers were still inside.

The Pathfinder then hit a curb, which caused the vehicle to burst into flames.

The five Filipinos died at the scene. The child’s aunt, Suzette Rivera-Baclor, was thrown from the car but survived the accident with injuries. The accident report notes:

“Driver A (the indictee) was driving his vehicle near Hamad International Airport towards East sticking to left track of road.

(The driver) hit with front cabin of his vehicle B (where the victims were) which was on the side road thereby it led to fringing of both vehicles to a distance of 104 metres approximately continuing to left side once again hitting to curbs leading to smoldering of vehicle B with five persons inside who died on the spot and injury of the other one inside the smoldered vehicle.

The indictee driver had some injuries and was given aid by Hamad Emergency. It was found that the indictee driver had no driving licence and the accident triggered the abovementioned damages.”

Bodies repatriated

Relacion confirmed that the bodies of all five deceased have now been repatriated. The body of Joyce Geli was returned to the Philippines on Friday, while the bodies of the other four were sent back the day before.

Before the repatriation, a relative of Bencris from the US and two brothers of Jocelyn from the Philippines had traveled to Qatar to process paperwork including insurance claims and lease agreements for the victims’ accommodation and cars, the Peninsula reported.

Relacion said: “They want to seek justice, meaning whatever punishment the law provides for the person concerned should be meted to out to the person.”

Shabina S. Khatri

He added that the embassy has appointed a lawyer to assist the family with the criminal aspects of the case.

According to Qatar law, the family of each of the deceased will receive QR200,000 in blood money (compensation). They also have the option to file further civil damages on top of that amount.

The Philippine Ambassador also called on the government to launch a road safety campaign.

“I also hope that the MoI would launch a vigorous campaign that would really inculcate the culture of safety among the public,” he told Gulf Times.

The embassy did not respond to repeated requests for comment from Doha News.

Thoughts?

(The post Official: Driver who struck, killed Filipino family had no license is from Doha News.)

Elysia Windrum

Mount Kilimanjaro climbers

Six women made history this month after becoming the first female Qataris to successfully summit the world’s tallest free-standing mountain in a bid to raise money for Gaza.

They and six other Qatari and expat male climbers raised some QR2 million during the campaign to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, money that will go toward Gaza’s education system under Reach out to Asia (ROTA).

During a press conference yesterday, the climbers’ discussed their experiences, focusing on the challenges they faced and what the women in particular hoped people would take away from their accomplishment.

The team also included two assistants and Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Thani, who was the first Qatari to climb and raise the country’s flag at Mount Everest’s peak and has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro twice.

The climbers’ names are: Maryam Al Thani, Asma Al Thani, Noor Al Thani, Bashaer Al Mulla, Dana Al-Anzy, Aisha Al-Naama, Mohammed Al-Naama, Yacoub Alyacoub, Nasser Bin Marzook, Bader Elmadani, Mohammed Fakhro and Yazan Abughaida.

Female empowerment

Sheikh “Moe” Al Thani, who led the climb, closed his speech by posing a question to the female Qatari climbers, saying:

“Girls, what do you have to say to other Qatari girls to help push and motivate them to do something like this?”

Climber Dana Al-Anzy, a 19 year-old student at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and member of ROTA’s Youth Advisory board, responded on behalf of the women, saying:

“The fact that we’re the first Qatari females says a lot about our expectations. The support really kept us going. There was support from society that we were unaware of and it empowered us and we (climbers) all empowered each other.

Yes, we did have people who discouraged us too and we did suffer from that. We also suffered physically and mentally. It was tough. But it was the real support we had and our determination that kept us going.”

The ROTA-backed climb took place some two months after Al Thani led seven Qataris – three women and four men - in a charity endeavor in Brazil.

Backed by Vodafone-Qatar, the seven youths trekked through the Amazon before arriving at the remote village of Ararinha to rebuild a school.

Vodafone Qatar

However, footage of the girls not wearing the traditional abaya and headscarf while abroad angered many locals. Some also expressed upset at the idea of a mixed-gender trip.

Though many residents continued to show their support for the girls, the ensuing online cultural debate caused such a stir that Vodafone abruptly withdrew its support halfway through the effort.

However, the company has said that it would continue to fund the team under contractual obligation.

Touching upon the ongoing community debate about culture and local identity, Mt. Kilimanjaro climber Al-Anzy said yesterday:

“I don’t believe in male and female segregation. It’s about success and support. I don’t believe in female to female favoritism either. We’ve passed that. It’s not necessary. All of us made it, six by six, together. No one turned back. We had one focus only — the summit. I am so proud of all of us and hopefully, you will see a lot more of us in the future.”

Prior to the climb, Al-Anzy was reported by the Peninsula as saying she hoped her involvement would “motivate other women to pursue their dreams and ambitions, regardless of the obstacles and battles they face in our society.”

“I want to promote the culture of social responsibility across borders and allow people’s horizons to expand beyond the limits of what surrounds them,” she added.

Struggles

Dana Al-Anzy/Instagram

Once the team reached the top, Al-Anzy posted an Instagram message explaining some of the challenges she and her teammates faced during the five-day climb.

She added that public support had kept her going despite twisting her wrist and being oxygenated at 4,600 meters after finding it hard to breathe.

Also yesterday, fellow climber 26 year-old Mohammed Fakhro explained that dealing with the altitude was much tougher than the team imagined:

“It was very difficult to breathe with the altitude. Every 12 hours we had to keep taking medication to help us adapt, but that medication itself has side-effects, mostly headaches and dehydration if you don’t drink enough water. Regardless, we climbed six to seven hours a day over the five-day climb to the top. When we reached the top it was -15C.”

While enthusiasm was high with hundreds of locals wanting to sign up for the charity endeavor, experienced climber Al Thani said that none of the volunteers had climbing or fundraising experience – nor did they know what they were getting themselves into.

“You should have seen the number of bags at the airport. People were thinking they were going to live in Tanzania, not climb it,” Al Thani joked.

With just two and a half months before their flight, the selected team trained five to six times a week, mainly at Aspire, and creativity sessions were held in order to think of ways to fundraise.

Mohammed Fakhro/Instagram

This particular challenge was the first time Al Thani had organized a group campaign for charity.

Throughout the 5,895 meter (19,341 feet) climb, everyone got out of their comfort zones and everyone suffered, Al Thani said.

One climber was afraid of heights, one was throwing up the whole way up to the summit and one had frostbite.

Some also struggled as they were physically slower than their teammates, but everyone kept going, according to Al Thani, who said:

“The team kept going not only because they were climbing for themselves or for our country, but for something greater. They were climbing for Palestine. For Gaza. Those kids are going to get a better education.”

Thoughts?

(The post Qatari Kilimanjaro climber: We’re past gender segregation is from Doha News.)

Omar Chatriwala

Several top medical officials from across the Gulf meeting in Doha this week are calling for new regulations to curb the use of shisha usage in the region, including outlawing smoking in public places.

Tawfik A.M. Khoja, the director-general of the GCC Health Ministers’ executive board, suggested to the Gulf Times that such a ban would reduce the social appeal of using shisha.

“Users tend to smoke with friends in cafes and other public places,” he said. “There should be policies banning the use of shisha in public places, which may help prevent and reduce shisha smoking.”

Such a move made be a tough sell in Qatar, where smoking shisha is a popular pastime and past restrictions have been met with resistance.

Andy Hayes/Flickr

Late last year for example, managers of Souq Waqif implemented and then quickly withdrew rules that forced restaurants and cafes to set aside half of outdoor seating areas for non-smoking customers.

Managers of such establishments complained that the new rules didn’t make sense, as there would be queues of people waiting to smoke shisha while tables in the non-smoking sat empty.

Warning signs urged

In addition to calling for a public smoking ban, the GCC health professionals participating in the International Conference on Waterpipe Smoking discussed ways of reducing the appeal of shisha smoking.

That includes a GCC-wide ban on showing shisha use on TV programs, where it is often glamorized as a way of reducing stress, Khoja was quoted as saying.

“The extensive use of shisha in television programmes such as dramas and serials has a great impact among youngsters. Such indirect promotion of shisha is very common,” he said.

Vox Cinema/Facebook

It’s not clear how such restrictions would work in a country such as Qatar, where most television shows are produced in other countries. According to the World Health Organization, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates already have indirect bans in place on showing tobacco products on TV and/or in films.

Additionally, doctors want smokers to be more aware of the ill effects shisha use has on the body by forcing cafes to post signs warning patrons of the health risks of using a hookah.

Since 2012, GCC countries have required graphic warning labels to be displayed on cigarette and shisha packages – something tobacco companies attempted to pressure Qatar authorities into removing due to their apparent effectiveness in deterring customers.

10 times worse than cigarettes

However, Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Al Mulla, head of the smoking cessation clinic at Hamad Medical Corp. (HMC), said many smokers still have the mistaken belief that shisha carries fewer health risks than cigarettes.

While he told The Peninsula that he favors an indoor smoking ban, he also said that more research is needed on the health effects of shisha:

“Many people think shisha is less dangerous. But it can be 10 times (more) harmful than cigarettes. We need to do more research to prove that it’s harmful and put more policies in place to control shisha smoking,” he said.

Last month, HMC doctors announced a study on the specific health impact of shisha smoking on local residents. Specifically, researchers wanted to learn how the popular regional pastime affects heart, blood vessels and the respiratory system of daily shisha users who have never smoked cigarettes.

Specific statistics on the prevalence of shisha use in Qatar are not kept, although local health officials say that 37 percent of local residents above the age of 15 smoke some form of tobacco.

Thoughts?

(The post Doctors push for stricter shisha regulations in Qatar is from Doha News.)

Jun Ong/Flickr

The number of tourists visiting Qatar in the first half of the year rose seven percent to 1.42 million, even as the volume of visitors from the country’s most important market stagnated.

While Asia is among the fastest growing markets for local tourism officials, it’s Gulf nationals – particularly from Saudi Arabia – that have consistently made up the largest segment of tourists to Qatar.

In the first half of 2014, GCC residents represented 38 percent of the visitors to Qatar, according to newly released data from the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA).

Qatar Museums Authority

However, in absolute terms, the number of GCC citizens coming here was nearly flat, rising slightly more than half a percentage point to 536,264 compared to the same period a year earlier.

In contrast, the number of expats living in the Gulf who visited Qatar jumped nearly 14 percent to 205,006 individuals.

Collectively, Gulf citizens and expats living in the Khaleej made up slightly more than half of all visitors to Qatar from January to June 2014. The rest were tourists from other countries.

Focus on Europeans

GCC residents will likely remain an important source of tourists in the coming years due to Gulf countries’ proximity, as well as the attraction of a common culture and language.

Local tourism authorities have previously said that while they want the number of visitors from the GCC to continue increasing, they are aiming to attract more tourists from elsewhere in the world at an even faster rate.

Europeans make up the largest group of non-Gulf leisure tourists to Qatar, followed by holiday visitors from Asia, which grew 18.2 percent in the first half to 163,847.

In general, tourists from further abroad have a greater economic impact on a destination. They tend to spend more nights in hotels and are more likely to shop, eat out at restaurants and visit paid-admission attractions.

Over the past several months, Qatar appears to have been exerting considerable effort in courting European travelers.

QTA

QTA has set up satellite offices in London as well as in Paris, where several full-size outdoor billboards – featuring players from football club Paris Saint-Germain in front of iconic Qatar landmarks – have been erected.

More recently, QTA opened an office in Berlin to promote Qatar to German-speaking European residents.

Those efforts, however, did not translate into a surge of additional European leisure tourists to Qatar during the first six months of 2014. Taking into account those who obtained a joint Qatar-Oman visitor’s visa, those numbers increased marginally, from 189,691 visitors to 192,137.

Separately, the number of business travelers was up 17.1 percent in the first half of 2014, with virtually every originated region showing an increase.

Long road

Qatar’s goal is to attract between 6.7 million and 7.4 million tourists annually by 2030, more than five times the current total.

An industry strategy report released in February laid out plans to make Qatar a more attractive destination by focusing promotional and funding efforts on tourism products and services on several key areas.

They include sports, education, authentic Qatari and Arab cultural experiences as well as the country’s “sun and beach” assets, among others.

The government is also looking to improve the country’s tourism-related offerings where it feels the private sector is coming up short.

Kamran Hanif/Flickr

This includes revamping Qatar’s tourist dhows, which QTA previously called “limited, unregulated and often not up to international standards. There is no one to provide tourists with a properly insured and quality assured water experience.”

Earlier this year, however, QTA along with Civil Defense and the Public Transport Affairs Department introduced new licensing requirements for dhows aimed at increased passenger safety.

In a statement, QTA said it hoped that a higher caliber of dhow operators and vessels would help showcase Qatar’s nautical heritage, as well as bolster the country’s image as a maritime destination.

“While popular locally, only (a) very few international travel and tour operators will actually book or recommend dhows to their clients, due to safety and insurance concerns. QTA believes that once these standards are in place the tourist dhows will benefit greatly as the international industry begins to recommend them.”

Thoughts?

(The post Rise in Asian visitors pushes tourist arrivals to Qatar up 7 percent is from Doha News.)

Omar Chatriwala

With reporting from Riham Sheble

In yet another delay, a new judge has been appointed to preside over the Villaggio Mall fire appeal hearings.

During the first hearing since the summer break, the judge asked lawyers yesterday to restate their primary arguments so he could be brought up to speed on the case.

The move has upset some of the relatives of the 19 people killed in the fire, who say they have watched the appeal drag on for more than 11 months.

Speaking to Doha News, Abdelmasseih Antonios, who lost his two-year-old daughter Evana in the May 2012 blaze, said:

“I am surprised that after all this time and postponement of hearings, a new judge has been appointed to preside over the case which means starting from scratch. They should pick up from where the former panel left off.”

Delays

Last June, a lower court found five people guilty of involuntary manslaughter for their roles in the fire, which claimed the lives of 13 children, four daycare center employees and two firemen.

Gadget Dan / Flickr

The convicted individuals include Villaggio’s chairman, its manager, the co-owners of the improperly licensed Gympanzee nursery and the bureaucrat who gave the child care center its business permit.

Though the defendants were ordered to serve five to six years in jail, all remain free pending the outcome of the appeal. That process got underway last November, and was immediately hit with delays after two of the defendants initially failed to show up.

The case resumed in January – gaps in trials are common in Qatar, where court hearings do not generally run on consecutive days – but was postponed again in June after defense lawyers requested more time to cross-examine witnesses.

When they marked the two-year anniversary of their loved ones’ deaths in May, many of the victims’ families said they were not hopeful for a speedy end of the case.

Some have received blood money compensation over the deaths, as ordered by the lower court, while others’ cases remain tied up in disputes. Meanwhile, high costs have prompted some families to cease legal representation altogether.

Oral arguments

Yesterday, the new presiding judge opened the hearings by pledging to put the case back on its correct procedural course and began by inviting the defense lawyers to make oral statements outlining why they were appealing the primary verdict.

Chantelle D'mello

They responded by saying the deadly Villaggio blaze was just like any other fire in Qatar, except that it received sensationalized media coverage. The co-owners of Gympanzee, according to their lawyer, were victims themselves and not perpetrators.

Meanwhile, lawyers for the two Villaggio Mall officials argued that the shopping center was safe and that the incident was caused by employees of a Nike store who stored merchandise improperly, as well as Civil Defense first responders whose actions while fighting the fire made the tragedy worse.

In response to those arguments, another of the victim’s relatives expressed disbelief:

“I can’t believe … lawyers are calling this a case of media propaganda. They said that fires are an ordinary thing that happen everywhere, everyday. I really can’t believe it,” said Raghda Sharabati, who lost her three-year-old daughter Hana in the fire.

A request by the prosecutor to have the defense lawyers’ statements be considered closing arguments and a verdict date be set was denied.

Shabina Khatri

Instead, the judge scheduled the next court date for Dec. 21, which would be the last opportunity for lawyers to submit requests for additional evidence or witnesses to be included in subsequent hearings.

It is not unusual for new judges to be appointed to long-standing cases in Qatar, depending on the judicial terms of their predecessors. But the delays this causes in the system can be daunting for many.

In an email to Doha News, Martin Weekes, whose two-year-old triplets Lillie, Jackson and Willsher were killed in the fire, said:

“It is frustrating and completely illogical that a judge could be changed part way through a trial process simply for administrative purposes. It’s just yet another example of how inhumanely the process is for the victims and their families.”

Future appeal sessions are expected to review footage of the fire shot by three television stations, as well as photos of the scene taken by criminal and forensic investigators.

Additionally, the court is looking for reports on decorations in the mall by the Italian manufacturer, an American laboratory and Qatar’s public works authority, Ashghal.

Espionage case

A separate high-profile case was also scheduled to appear before an appellate court yesterday and had to be postponed after the imprisoned defendants failed to appear for their hearing.

Three Filipino men were convicted of espionage earlier this year for passing along military and economic secrets to their home government. One received the death sentence, while the other two men were given life sentences in prison.

The Philippines government denies the charges, and the men are appealing their conviction.

However, they were not brought to the courthouse from prison, forcing the judge to reschedule the hearing for Dec. 21. No explanation for the defendants’ absence was given.

Thoughts?

(The post Villaggio fire appeal may ‘start from scratch’ after new judge appointed is from Doha News.)

Lesley Walker

Construction is coming to another busy Doha road this month, as Qatar Rail advances on plans to roll out a new Al Sadd St. metro station.

Shopkeepers and restauranteurs said they have received notices from the rail company that they will be closing different sections of Al Sadd over the next three years, starting Oct. 15.

Many have expressed dismay about the plans, saying the works would cost them a number of customers and millions of riyals in business.

The construction will mean the removal of the service road and parking adjacent to a section of shops and restaurants at the western end of Al Saad St., near the junction with Jawan Street.

While some work in the area is already underway and hoardings have already been erected near the road, the latest closures have yet to take effect.

Under the plans, the hoardings would be moved to stand just over one meter from the shop fronts, making it impossible for vehicles to park in the area, or even drive up to drop off customers. A short passage will remain for pedestrians to access the stores.

According to the details of the Qatar Rail letter, the program of construction for the station was due to begin on Oct. 10, with deep excavation works in the area scheduled to start on May 7, 2015.

Metro plans

Al Saad station will be one of 11 stations on Doha Metro’s Gold Line, which will run West-East from Villaggio mall, under Al Waab street, along Al Saad street and eventually through to the northern end of the former Doha airport’s runway.

In April, a consortium led by Greek-based Aktor won a $4.4 billion contract for the line’s design and build, with a completion date set for August 2018.

Other lines that would cover the 37 stations open to passenger traffic by 2019 include Hamad International Airport, the Msheireb Downtown Doha project, Education City, West Bay and Lusail, where passengers can transfer to light-rail vehicles that will connect up to Al Khor.

Loss of business

Once one of the busiest commercial streets in the city, Al Sadd St. is home to many decades-old shops and eateries that are regarded by many residents as Doha institutions.

One of them is Al Khaima Arabic restaurant, which has been operating in the same location for nearly 30 years.

Lesley Walker

Speaking to Doha News yesterday, the general manager, who asked not to be named, said he feared for the future of the eatery:

“We are a very popular restaurant – we have nearly 1,100 customers a day, on average, and lots of regulars who have known us for years.

But when these works start, there will be no parking, nowhere for people even to be dropped off. It will be like a highway outside our door. How can our customers get to us – by parachute or helicopter, and land on the roof?”

The manager estimated that the upcoming diversions would cost him up to QR4 million a year in lost business, particularly from customers who used the take-away service.

When asked how he felt about the construction, he added:

“I am very sad, not only for my business or income but for my customers. I hope some will still come to us, although they will have to park very far away and walk. But some will not come back – they will go to other restaurants that are easier to get to.

We will have to adapt. Maybe we will do more deliveries, maybe we will try to open another branch, although that is very expensive.”

Further down the street, Al Khan Textile tailors has also been operating for nearly 30 years.

Speaking to Doha News about the upcoming diversions, Manager Abdul Rashid said:

“If this street really does get closed like they say, then this will be a big problem for us. How will my customers get to me?

“We have been here a long time - we are a famous shop in Doha and we have many VIP customers. They will not want to park and walk in the dust to reach here.”

Also yesterday, the owner of a menswear store who asked not to be named said he was conferring with shop keepers in the area to discuss a way forward that would enable the businesses in the street to keep operating.

“We are taking some steps. Maybe we can reach a compromise, although I am not totally hopeful,” he told Doha News.

C-Ring works

The latest planned works are yet another blow to businesses in the surrounding area, many of which are already struggling as Ashghal continues its overhaul of C-Ring Road.

Aric DiLalla

The public works authority has taken steps to mitigate the impact on businesses on the stretch of C-ring between Radisson Blu (Ramada) signal and Al Mana Towers by providing temporary parking and pedestrian walkways.

But business owners told Doha News that the construction on the busy road had put off many of their customers, with footfall down to just a couple of customers on a Thursday afternoon for one Arabic sweet shop by Al Mana Towers.

Thoughts?

(The post Al Sadd St. shopkeepers despair over upcoming road closures is from Doha News.)

Contrary to what some may think, Qataris do not have the market on thobes. In his latest #Q-Tip, I Love Qatar co-founder Khalifa Saleh Al Haroon explains that many locals would actually be honored to see expats dressed in the long, flattering attire.

He said:

“It means you’re embracing our culture – you’re accepting the way we dress and you also want to experience the way Qataris dress.”

But, Al Haroon also advises residents who plan to don thobes to not do so for the first time on Halloween, as that may be taken the wrong way by the local community.

An ideal day to try on a thobe, he added, is National Day, which is celebrated each year on Dec. 18.

To get an idea on how traditional dress varies from Gulf country to country, check out a guide to thobes in the region here.

Do you own any Qatari-style attire? Thoughts?

(The post VIDEO: I Love Qatar answers, can foreigners wear thobes? is from Doha News.)

In his inaugural trip to the UK as head of Qatar, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrived in London last night, amid media scrutiny there of the country’s UK investments and support for armed groups in Syria.

The Emir is likely to use his three-day visit to the UK to paint a more positive picture of the country among British leaders and the broader public.

After keeping a relatively low public profile during his first year in power, the Emir made a pair of foreign media appearances in September by appearing a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and then sitting down for a one-on-one interview with CNN.

In both appearances, the Emir conveyed a consistent message: Qatar is working hard to improve its human rights record and does not support ISIL.

During his trip to the UK, Sheikh Tamim is scheduled to visit Queen Elizabeth II and, separately, meet with Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday.

London portfolio

Qatar, through its sovereign wealth fund, is a high-profile investor in the UK capital, particularly in real estate. In the past, British media have dubbed Qatar’s former emir “The landlord of London,” while others have run features under variations of the headline, “How Qatar bought Britain.”

George Rex / Flickr

Such sentiments are likely to increase as the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) finalizes its £1.1 billion (QR6.45 billion) purchase of the HSBC Tower in Canary Wharf from a Korean pension fund.

The deal – the UK’s largest for a single building – will add another prominent British landmark to QIA’s property portfolio, which already includes the 87-story Shard, Olympic Village and upmarket department store Harrods.

Qatar’s UK holdings have become lightning rods in recent months in discussions over the Gulf country’s role in Syria.

Yukiko Matsuoka/Flickr

For example, in response to a perception that Qatar is allowing individuals here to fundraise for armed groups in Syria and Iraq, some British residents attempted to organize a boycott of Harrods.

Funding allegations

Meanwhile, opposition politicians in the UK have publicly urged the prime minister to discuss Qatar’s role in restricting the flow of funds to groups such as ISIL when he meets with the Sheikh Tamim.

Speaking to the Telegraph this week, Conservative member of parliament Stephen Barclay said:

“There is clear evidence that Qatari nationals have been instrumental in the financing of Sunni terror groups and the Prime Minister should not avoid tackling this issue head on with the Emir.”

Crown Copyright 2013

At the same time, Cameron is expected to push for additional investment by Qatar in the UK, and discuss ways to deepen the defense relationship between the two countries. This includes selling more British military gear to Qatar, which was recently made a “priority market” for UK weapon manufacturers.

The UK is also hoping Qatar buys BAE Systems’ Typhoon fighter jets as the Gulf country upgrades and expands its air force. Additionally, the UK was reported to have participated in last week’s Milipol internal security trade show in Doha for the first time.

Sheikh Tamim arrived in London after attending the funeral of Total CEO Christophe de Margerie in Paris on Monday. Following his trip to the UK, the Emir will make a state visit to China from Nov. 2 to 4, according to that country’s foreign ministry.

Thoughts?

(The post Emir makes first official visit to UK is from Doha News.)