Habib Toumi

The sweltering heat gripping Qatar has forced several fishermen, especially ‘solo’ boat operators, to stay indoors.

A representative of a fishermen’s group in Ruweis said that it was the first time in recent years that intense heat has forced “solo” boat operators in large numbers not to go to work.

“This time the hot spell seems to last longer than in the previous years,” said a fisherman.

Usually, such severe heat conditions set in by mid July and last until the end of August. “However, our problems seem to have started at least one month earlier than usual,” Francis Selvaraj, a member of a Ruweis-based fishermen’s group, said. continue reading…

The heat wave gripping the Middle East has hospitalized labourers working under the scorching sun, broken down electricity substations, taken power stations to their ominous limits and caused lethal protests.

However, weathermen said that while people should take all precautionary measures, they should not panic and should learn to deal with the situation. In Kuwait City, the minister of electricity and water said that people should worker together to address the difficult situation and not turn it into a self-serving political issue.

In Bahrain, officials from the Meteorology Directorate said the weather might have exceeded normal averages, but it should not be a source for concern.

“We had last week temperatures of more than 42C on a few occasions, but they quickly came back to under 40C thanks to shamaal, the northerly wind. When this wind blows, the weather is cooler,” one official said. “What we are witnessing today is a heat wave affecting the region, but people should not panic. The temperature today is 38 degrees Celsius, down from 46 degrees Celsius on Sunday,” he said. “The northerly wind has helped bring it down and we hope that the weather will remain fine.” continue reading…

Tunisia’s labour union is pushing for allowing public sector employees to take five-month maternity and six-day paternity leaves.

Under the proposal to be submitted to the government as part of collective bargaining, expecting mothers should be given one month before the due delivery date and two months off after giving birth regardless of whether the baby was alive or still born.

Mothers will also be given two extra months, although they would receive only half of their salaries.

Fathers will be given six days off instead of the existing one day following the birth of their baby, the labour union said. continue reading…

Fatima Al Hawwaj

A Bahraini lawyer who was one of the first women to contest in the parliamentary elections said that she would not run again this year.

“The Islamists’ domination has resulted in a crippled lower chamber that serves only one ideology and does not represent other tendencies,” Fatima Al Hawwaj said. “The current members of the lower chamber do not want lawyers with them because their interests are politically-motivated and not related to legislation,” she said.

Sunni and Shiite Islamists have 32 of the 40 seats in the lower chamber, with 17 MPs from Al Wefaq (Shiite), eight from Al Asala (Salafis) and seven from the Islamic Menbar (Muslim Brotherhood). The composition of the 2010-2014 is not likely to be changed, most observers said, citing the strong power of religious societies on common people. continue reading…

Palestinian filmmaker Hany Abu Assad has been appointed President of the Jury for the 2010 Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF) on October 26-30 2010.

Abu Assad will be the first Jury President of the festival launched last year and will preside over DTFF’s Arab Film Competition awarding prizes for Best Arab Film and Best Arab Filmmaker.

His 2006 film Paradise Now, about two Palestinian men preparing for a suicide attack in Tel Aviv, won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign language film in 2006, the Golden Calf for best Dutch film, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. continue reading…

Qatar will this weekend host a forum on the effects of “low” television channels on young people.

According to organizers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) cultural forum on June 26-30, the meeting will discuss how some channels are “intellectually destroying, morally corrupting and financially abusing young people in the region.”

“The theme of the forum is in line with the message launched by Shaikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned, wife of Qatar’s emir, to encourage media freedom but without challenging laws and moral values and exploiting people financially,” the organizers said. continue reading…

Qatar Charity (QC) has launched a QR 4 million ($1,065,000) project to improve the lives of 65,000 people affected by the crisis in Darfur.

The project, to be funded equally by QC and the Qatari government, seeks to provide food security and relief aids and to develop the Southern and Western provinces of Darfur.

“The project aims to develop socially and economically the rural areas in Darfur and to decrease the level of poverty,” Nasser Al Kaabi, QC board member, said at a press conference in Doha marking the launch of the project.

The focus will be on funding income-generating agricultural projects, according to the foundation. continue reading…

Bahrain has told its ministers to reduce the frequency of their travels abroad to avoid wasting people’s time and hurting their interests.

Prime Minister Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa has instructed all ministers to limit their official visits abroad and to reduce the number of delegation members taking trips, Shaikh Ahmad Bin Atiyatallah Al Khalifa, the minister of cabinet affairs, said on Sunday afternoon after the weekly session.

“The decision is to ensure that the interests of people are not stalled or delayed. The Prime Minister said that the minister and his top assistants cannot be out of the ministry at the same time to ensure the permanent presence of decision makers,” he said.  continue reading…

Kuwaiti lawmakers on Sunday said that the government should shorten summer working days by two hours in a bid to save electricity and avoid an ominous crisis that would affect thousands of homes.

The MPs who held an extraordinary session to debate the looming power crisis said that government offices and establishments should open half an hour earlier, at 7 am, but close at noon, two hours and a half before the current timing.

Angry lawmakers also called in a series of recommendations for the formation of an investigation committee.

“It is about time we started holding those who have been causing electricity crises accountable for their abuses,” MP Khalid Sultan said. “We need to have a parliamentarian committee to investigate what has been going on,” he said during the heated debate. continue reading…

Bahrain has told its ministers to reduce the frequency of their travels abroad to avoid wasting people’s time and hurting their interests.

Prime Minister Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa has instructed all ministers to limit their official visits abroad and to reduce the number of delegation members taking trips, Shaikh Ahmad Bin Atiyatallah Al Khalifa, the minister of cabinet affairs, said on Sunday afternoon after the weekly session.

“The decision is to ensure that the interests of people are not stalled or delayed. The Prime Minister said that the minister and his top assistants cannot be out of the ministry at the same time to ensure the permanent presence of decision makers,” he said.   continue reading…