[Produced with Reuters colleague Charlotte Bruneau and published here on November 28, 2022]
DOHA, Nov 28 (Reuters) – The first World Cup in the Middle East has become a showcase for the political tensions crisscrossing one of the world’s most volatile regions and the ambiguous role often played by host nation Qatar in its crises.
Continue reading[Produced with Reuters colleagues Martin Petty and Charlotte Bruneau and published here on November 25, 2022]
AL RAYYAN, Qatar, Nov 25 (Reuters) – Iran’s national soccer team sang during the playing of their national anthem at their second World Cup match against Wales on Friday having refrained from doing so in their opening game earlier this week in apparent support for protesters back home.
Continue reading[Published here on November 24, 2022]
DOHA, Nov 24 (Reuters) – A hummus recipe and cashier countertop are the only surviving elements of the original ‘Beirut’ restaurant, which opened its doors in Qatar in 1960 and has since tracked the capital Doha’s metamorphosis from dusty outpost to hosting soccer’s World Cup.
Continue reading[Produced with Reuters colleague Charlotte Bruneau and published here on November 21 2022]
DOHA, Nov 20 (Reuters) – Taking selfies from the stands and sitting on the grassy pitch, thousands of migrant workers gathered in a Doha stadium to watch the opening match of the first World Cup in the Middle East.
Continue reading[Published here on November 21, 2022]
DOHA, Nov 21 (Reuters) – Arab soccer fans at the first World Cup in the Middle East are shunning Israeli journalists in Qatar trying to interview them, illustrating challenges facing wider “warm peace” ambitions two years after some Gulf states forged formal ties with Israel.
Continue reading[Produced with Reuters colleague Andrew Mills and published here on November 20, 2022]
AL KHOR, Qatar, Nov 20 (Reuters) – Qatar’s ruler opened the World Cup on Sunday with a call for people of all races and orientations to put aside their differences, speaking as the host nation faced a barrage of criticism over its treatment of foreign workers and LGBT rights.
Continue reading[Produced with Reuters colleague Andrew Mills and published here on November 19, 2022]
DOHA, Nov 19 (Reuters) – A group of Arab friends living in Qatar’s capital Doha met up over cocktails and snacks last week, exchanging opinions as they flicked through profiles of gay men on dating apps Tinder and Grindr.
Continue reading[Published here January 28, 2022]
Staff at Qatar Airways who vent work worries online say the state carrier is retaliating with legal threats and job cuts – part of a growing corporate trend to monitor and muzzle employees who dare speak out.
Advocates say the carrier’s attempts to silence employees and delete critical posts – be it in private or public forums – contravenes staff rights to privacy and free expression.
Continue reading[Published here January 27, 2022]
Pilots at Qatar Airways say the state-owned airline is under-counting their work hours and ignoring complaints of fatigue – a safety breach that hurts staff health and risks passenger lives.
The testimony demonstrates how worker abuse extends even to the Gulf nation’s high-skill industries, as Qatar Airways (QA) tries to minimise crew downtime.
Continue reading[Published here June 3, 2021]
BEIRUT, June 3 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – With perfect prose, sizzling sarcasm and a host of anonymous accounts, Malcolm Bidali has waged a one-man social media campaign to improve working conditions for migrant labourers in Qatar for nearly a year.
“It kind of makes me feel like Batman or Superman. You can say the things you want to say, with your own voice and your own style,” said Bidali, 28, speaking to the Thomson Reuters Foundation from Doha.
Continue reading
MAYA GEBEILY 