Editor of WQ

Qatar operator: Free parking in first half hour not for everyone In response to confusion about paid parking rules in Qatar, a major operator has explained that a half-hour grace period only applies to motorists who cannot find a vacant space. The clarification comes following a government directive announced in April this year that sought to regulate maximum fees at parking...

QR13.7 billion spent on infra development in 2015: Ashghal The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) spent QR13.727 billion in April-December 2015, about 86.34 percent of the budget allocated for projects, for infrastructure development. The authority had spent slightly more than QR15 billion in the 2014-15 fiscal year. Ashghal President Nasser bin Ali al Mawlawi said infrastructure remains a high priority on the economic...

SC to Launch 'Generation Amazing' Project for Workers in October The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy's (SC) flagship CSR program, Generation Amazing, is set to launch in October, with the aim of upgrading the social and communication skills including leadership and confidence among construction workers in Qatar. It evoked a great response in the opening week in May, with many...

First driverless taxi hits the streets of Singapore on Thursday in a limited public trial on the streets of Singapore. Developer nuTonomy invited a select group of people to download their app and ride for free in its "robo-taxi" in a western Singapore hi-tech business district, hoping to get feedback ahead of a planned full launch of the service in...

iPhone handily beats Galaxy Note 7 in speed test, but there’s more to it The folks over at PhoneBuff published a speed comparison between the iPhone 6S and Samsung Note 7. Spoiler: the iPhone wins, by a lot. In all, it took the Galaxy Note 7 two minutes and four seconds to launch 14 apps and render a video; it took...

Qatar's financial position will remain strong over next decade Qatar, whose budget will turn back to surplus in 2017, will remain in one of the strongest fiscal positions in the world over the next decade and continue to hold massive financial buffers through its sovereign wealth fund (SWF), according to BMI. "Qatar's sovereign position will remain one of the strongest in...

"Now, the shoppers in Qatar have become more cautious. They want quality items at reasonable prices. This is where Dragon Mart fits in. Many families have shifted from buying expensive household items from branded shops to purchasing reasonably priced quality Chinese items at our mall," Yang said. The number of Qatari nationals shopping at Dragon Mart has also increased this...

Qatar buys stake in Empire State Building for $622 million Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund has acquired a nearly 10 percent stake in the company that owns the Empire State Building. In an announcement yesterday, the Empire State Realty Trust said the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) bought 29.6 million newly issued Class A common shares in the firm at $21 each –...

Al Khor Expressway Building Contract Singed in Ankara Worth QR 7.6 Billion The contract of building Al Khor Expressway, which will be built by Turkye's 'Tekfen Construction' was signed here today within the framework of joint cooperation between the governments of the State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkey. HE the Minister of Municipality and Environment HE Mohammed bin Abdullah...

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake has struck central Italy, leaving at least 21 people dead and many others trapped under rubble, reports say. "Half the town is gone," said the mayor of Amatrice, one of the worst areas affected. A family of four were feared dead in the rubble of their house in the nearby town of Accumoli. The quake hit at 03:36...

Qatar's Ranking at Global Innovation Index Remains 50, Top at Infrastructure Spending Qatar achieved a marked improvement in this year's Global Innovation Report, which showed that the country was the global leader when it comes to the ease of paying taxes, Tertiary inbound mobility and spending on general infrastructure. Qatar was the third highest-ranked Arab country and 50th overall when comparing...

Five Qatar companies listed among most valuable in GCC Woqod, Al Meera and three other Qatar firms have been named in a new shortlist of most valuable non-banking organizations in the GCC. The rankings were compiled by Marmore MENA Intelligence, which assessed Gulf companies on financial performance factors such as average profit after tax and return on equity. Two-thirds of the companies...

Boom in hospitality sector round the corner: Report Qatar's hospitality sector is set to witness strong supply expansion but slowing economic activity is expected to shift demand towards hotels offering more affordable room rates, according to a report. Moreover, with the current trough in revenue available per room, hotels in West Bay should focus more on food and beverages (F&B), which...

Work on Al Wakrah Stadium’s steel structure to begin soon Big strides are being made at the Al Wakrah World Cup stadium site, as construction on the venue’s “superstructure” progresses, organizers have said. In a statement this week, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SCDL) said substructure work has been completed. A few months earlier, organizers mentioned that the stands are...