News

Qatar stocks slumped yesterday due to heavy selling pressure. The index of the Doha Securities Market (DSM) was down by 2.89 percent, or 153.31 points, to 5,150.07.

While female registration at the basic education level in Qatar increased to 94% in 2006 from 88.5% in 1991, the rate of female students registering for the post-secondary education fell from 39.8% in 1991 to 33.2% in 2006, a report issued by the Saban Center for Middle East Policies at the Brookings said.

Up to 9,000 new apartments are due to be completed in Qatar by next year, easing supplies and bringing rents spiralling down by up to 25 percent, it was reported on Tuesday.

THE current market situation calls for stringent regulation and scrutiny to ensure that only credible real estate developers enter the market, an expert suggested.

A business delegation from London headed by The Lord Mayor of the City of London Ian Luder is arriving here tomorrow for a three-day visit as part of a wider visit to the Gulf. The 35-strong delegation will hold high-level meetings with Ministers as well as representatives of the Qatar Financial Centre Authority, the Qatar Investment Authority and the Qatar British Business Forum.

A pregnant woman who worked with a bank as a cashier is accused of misappropriating funds to the tune of QR490,000. She lost her job, as a result she is now facing trial. The woman and her husband are busy mobilising the huge sum to pay off the bank, although she told Al Sharq that she had been framed and did not misappropriate funds.

Qatar is all set to formulate fresh guidelines for pet care. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Urban Planning (MMAUP) has appointed an international expert in the field to asses the situation in Qatar and submit a proposal.

With the emergence of scams on social networking sites meant to steal data and money from Internet surfers, Qtel has expressed keenness in combating these threats.

Around 9,000 new apartments, most of them in the upcoming towers in and around West Bay, are likely to be available in Qatar by next year considerably easing supplies and house rentals, say property market sources.