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In a last minute U-turn, two days before the tournament's opening match, international soccer governing body FIFA said on Friday that alcoholic beer would not be sold at Qatar's World Cup stadiums. Now fans can only consume beer at the FIFA Fan Festival in Doha. "Not having alcohol is not good because the World Cup it's a party of the world," said Brazilian fan Julio Cesar, wearing a felt hat in his country's colours. The 2022 World Cup is the first edition of the tournament held in a conservative Muslim country with strict controls on alcohol, the consumption of which is banned in public. For the fans unfazed by Qatar's dire human rights record, the absence of beer at World Cup venues has proven a major disappointment.

The running of the World Cup is the only opportunity that Qatar sees for redemption," said Marc Owen Jones, an associate professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University. "The markers of a successful World Cup would be as a nation-branding exercise, to position Qatar as an important sports hub in the Middle East and the wider Arab world," he said. 'HYPOCRISY'The first Middle Eastern country to host the World Cup, Qatar hailed it as a regional milestone when it was awarded the tournament in 2010. "The reasons given for boycotting the World Cup do not add up. Pressing back against its criticism, Qatar points to labour reforms aimed at protecting migrant workers from exploitation and says the system is a work in progress.

☆ Take Five: Black Friday test
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

1/GOING SHOPPINGWith concerns that the U.S. economy may be on the verge of a recession, a key test of consumer demand arrives on Nov. 25, when retailers launch "Black Friday" sales - a day traditionally marked by long lines of shoppers eager to pounce on discounts. Soaring inflation and surging interest rates could test buying appetite. The dollar index, meanwhile, peaked at a 20-year high of 114.78 in September and has been falling ever since. Reuters Graphics3/BLEAK OUT THEREThe International Monetary Fund says the global economic outlook is even gloomier than it was a month ago. Preliminary readings of business activity in November from a number of economies could answer the question in the coming days.

☆ Qatar World Cup: 'Our dreams never came true.' These men helped build Qatar's tournament, now they are struggling to survive.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Aimee Lewis Pramod Acharya Sugam Pokharel | Aimee Lewis | Pramod Acharya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +31 min

It will be a historic event, the first World Cup to be held in the Middle East, but one also mired in controversy. He had dreamed of watching World Cup matches from the rooftop of the hotel he had helped build. In Qatar, migrant workers can now change jobs freely without permission from their employer. However, a number of European federations have issued a joint statement saying they would campaign at the tournament on human rights and for a migrant workers center and a compensation fund for migrant workers. The motto for Qatar’s bid team in 2010 was ‘Expect Amazing.’ In many ways, this year’s World Cup has replicated that maxim.

☆ Beer to cost nearly $14 per half-litre inside Qatar's main World Cup fan zone - source
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Andrew Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The beer maker will also serve beer within the ticketed perimeter surrounding each stadium, where the beer price is "to be confirmed," said the source, who declined to be named. "We recognise there is an issue with price," Qatar 2022 Chief Executive Nasser Al Khater said in 2019. At the FIFA Club World Cup held in Qatar that year a half-litre of beer cost around $6.50. Qatar's World Cup organisers, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, would not confirm the price of beer served inside the fan zone when contacted on Tuesday. "Pouring times and number of pouring destinations remains the same across all eight World Cup stadiums," the spokesperson said in a statement.

☆ Fans book 90,000 nightly rooms in group stage of Qatar World Cup, more available - organiser
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DOHA, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Fans have booked accommodation in more than 90,000 rooms, tents, apartments, villas and portacabins on each of the peak days of the World Cup in Qatar, organisers said Wednesday, adding that at least 25,000 rooms are still available. After the tournament, Qatar will donate the portacabins to "poor countries" to be used as houses, Al-Jaber said. Qatar is expecting 1.2 million visitors during the month-long tournament, with the peak number expected between Nov. 24 and 28, during the busy group stage. On average, fans will spend seven nights in Qatar, Al-Jaber said. Some fans will stay in 1,000 modern tents on a man-made island north of Doha, Al-Jaber said.

CNN —Qatar FIFA World Cup ambassador and former footballer Khalid Salman has said homosexuality is “damage in the mind,” in an interview with German broadcaster ZDF on Monday. As many people are expected to travel to Qatar for the World Cup, “let’s talk about gays,” Salman said. Qatar will host the FIFA World Cup 2022 from November 20 until December 18. Earlier this month, football’s world governing body FIFA urged nations participating in the 2022 World Cup to focus on football when the tournament kicks off. The countdown clock for the World Cup during the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar on December 15, 2021 in Doha.

The 2022 World Cup kicks off on November 20 and runs through December 18 in the Gulf state. Khalifa International Stadium — The Khalifa International Stadium was the first of the Qatar 2022 World Cup venues to be completed. The Khalifa International Stadium was the first of the Qatar 2022 World Cup venues to be completed. It officially opened on May 19, 2017, and can hold 48,000 fans after being expanded for the World Cup. Neoscape Al Thumama Stadium — The 40,000-seat Al Thumama Stadium will host matches up to the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup.

☆ Exclusive: Thousands of workers evicted in Qatar's capital ahead of World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Andrew Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

World soccer's governing body FIFA did not respond to a request for comment and Qatar's World Cup organisers directed inquiries to the government. "DELIBERATE GHETTO-ISATION"Around 85% of Qatar's three million population are foreign workers. Most were in neighbourhoods where the government has rented buildings for World Cup fan accommodation. He said labourers who built up the infrastructure for Qatar to host the World Cup were being pushed aside as the tournament approaches. (This story has been refiled to clarify that apartment blocks being emptied are in the same areas in Doha where visiting soccer fans will stay during World Cup, in the lead paragraph.)

☆ Dubai, Tel Aviv and beyond: CNBC names the best hotels for business travel in the Middle East
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-04 | by ( Monica Buchanan Pitrelli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

CNBC Travel and the market data firm Statista today release a ranking of the "Best Hotels for Business Travelers" in the Middle East. From Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv, here is the full list of the winners in the Middle East in PDF format — complete with final scores — some of which are highlighted below. Alternatively, you can search by city or country using the table here:Abu DhabiRosewood Abu Dhabi Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi — Yas Island Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island W Abu Dhabi — Yas Island Beach Rotana ResidencesRosewood Abu Dhabi Source: Rosewood Abu DhabiRosewood Abu Dhabi is the brand's only hotel in the United Arab Emirates. AnkaraAlegria Business Hotel Holiday Inn Ankara — Cukurambar Ankara Atli Hotel Ankara HiltonSA Occidental Ankara The Alegria is all business — as befits its name. It has the amenities that business travelers value — an on-site restaurant, bar and patisserie — all just a few miles from Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport.

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