Doha residents and citizens expressed shock and “anger” on Wednesday, a day after Israel led an attack on Qatari soil that killed six, including a local security official.
For many, it was business as usual, as people went about their regular workday. The roads were relatively clear of traffic, although some areas were fenced off, with members of the Lekiywah – Qatar’s internal security force – guarding certain landmarks.
The overall mood was subdued, however, as more details on the incident came to light. “I honestly cannot believe that another diplomatic state did that,” said Qatari citizen Ali Al Kubaisi. "We are shocked, we are angry."
Mr Al Kubaisi had gathered to spend the night with family on Tuesday evening after they’d heard the news. “We thought there was going to be a second wave,” he told The National. “The first thing we think of is the people in Gaza … it’s these conflicting feelings that we’ve been through something, but our people are going through much worse at this time.”
He added that the feeling on the ground was very different after the Iran missile strike on Al Udeid Air Base in June. “This time is really huge because there is blood, it’s a residential area, it’s out of nowhere,” said Mr Al Kubaisi. “The worst part of it is no one is calling it a terrorist attack. That’s how we feel. We need to say things as it is.”
A sense of genuine anger
Marc Owen Jones, a professor at Northwestern University in Qatar, who was leading a panel discussion at the time of the strike, said: "We heard a bunch of bangs and we thought it was the microphone popping.
"Only after the talk did we check our phones and realise something was going on. We weren’t sure if it was real, as we saw it on X, so I wasn’t sure if it was disinformation. I’m used to that.
"When I realised it happened, I was surprised. Israel crossed another red line. While they’ve done that before, this was a new low on a new level so I was just a bit shocked," Mr Jones said.
"The shock [changed into] anger and outrage. I felt so furious they were able to do that… You just feel destabilised … I don’t feel afraid and I don’t feel scared as I would if I were somewhere like Gaza.
"It made me really angry at the world, at the system, that they were able to do it and get away with it. And obviously sad when I realised people died, innocent people died. It made me reflect on the fact that it feels like there’s no justice when it comes to Israel."
The Doha campus of the US educational institution had sent out stay-in-place orders on Tuesday afternoon after Israel claimed responsibility for the attacks. A calling tree was activated to ensure the safety of their employees and visiting guests.
Pakistani content creator Sana, who calls Doha her “second home” after spending 13 years in the city, said she kept her children home from school today.
“The feelings are very mixed right now,” she told The National. “The situation seems unpredictable and the fear is real … Not knowing what comes next, or how countries will act, makes it even scarier. Hoping for clarity soon and praying we all come out of this confusion safely.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
US households add $601bn of debt in 2019
American households borrowed another $601 billion (Dh2.2bn) in 2019, the largest yearly gain since 2007, just before the global financial crisis, according to February data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank.
Fuelled by rising mortgage debt as homebuyers continued to take advantage of low interest rates, the increase last year brought total household debt to a record high, surpassing the previous peak reached in 2008 just before the market crash, according to the report.
Following the 22nd straight quarter of growth, American household debt swelled to $14.15 trillion by the end of 2019, the New York Fed said in its quarterly report.
In the final three months of the year, new home loans jumped to their highest volume since the fourth quarter of 2005, while credit cards and auto loans also added to the increase.
The bad debt load is taking its toll on some households, and the New York Fed warned that more and more credit card borrowers — particularly young people — were falling behind on their payments.
"Younger borrowers, who are disproportionately likely to have credit cards and student loans as their primary form of debt, struggle more than others with on-time repayment," New York Fed researchers said.
If you go
Flight connections to Ulaanbaatar are available through a variety of hubs, including Seoul and Beijing, with airlines including Mongolian Airlines and Korean Air. While some nationalities, such as Americans, don’t need a tourist visa for Mongolia, others, including UAE citizens, can obtain a visa on arrival, while others including UK citizens, need to obtain a visa in advance. Contact the Mongolian Embassy in the UAE for more information.
Nomadic Road offers expedition-style trips to Mongolia in January and August, and other destinations during most other months. Its nine-day August 2020 Mongolia trip will cost from $5,250 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, two nights’ hotel accommodation in Ulaanbaatar, vehicle rental, fuel, third party vehicle liability insurance, the services of a guide and support team, accommodation, food and entrance fees; nomadicroad.com
A fully guided three-day, two-night itinerary at Three Camel Lodge costs from $2,420 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, accommodation, meals and excursions including the Yol Valley and Flaming Cliffs. A return internal flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad costs $300 per person and the flight takes 90 minutes each way; threecamellodge.com
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More coverage from the Future Forum
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
The%20Roundup
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Results
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 1,000m, Winner: Hazeem Al Raed, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 85,000 (D) 1,000m, Winner: Ghazwan Al Khalediah, Hugo Lebouc, Helal Al Alawi
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,400m, Winner: Dinar Al Khalediah, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi.
6.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Faith And Fortune, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Only Smoke, Bernardo Pinheiro, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: AF Ramz, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi.
8pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner: AF Mass, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
The years Ramadan fell in May
More on Quran memorisation:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence
- Steve Baker
- Peter Bone
- Ben Bradley
- Andrew Bridgen
- Maria Caulfield
- Simon Clarke
- Philip Davies
- Nadine Dorries
- James Duddridge
- Mark Francois
- Chris Green
- Adam Holloway
- Andrea Jenkyns
- Anne-Marie Morris
- Sheryll Murray
- Jacob Rees-Mogg
- Laurence Robertson
- Lee Rowley
- Henry Smith
- Martin Vickers
- John Whittingdale