[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[Produced with Reuters colleague Riham Alkousaa and published here on November 18, 2022]
DOHA/BERLIN, Nov 18 (Reuters) – Syrian lawyer Amrou Sabahi had hoped to spend his first World Cup at the heart of the action, working behind the scenes at the stadiums in Qatar, the first Arab country to hold the crowning event of soccer.
But when the tournament kicks off on Sunday, the 27-year-old will be watching from Spain, where he lives as a refugee, after his application to attend the Cup, was rejected.
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
MAYA GEBEILY 