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Dear
Welcome to our first newsletter! In this email we give a news update, add some links to some of our best new content this month and offer details of our latest competition. Visas - Qatar should now be accepting hotel visas as usual after the end of the UN development conference. However, former residents who worked in Qatar during the last two years may be refused entrance if they do not have an NOC (No Objection Certificate.)
Jobs and Economy - Inflation fell slightly to below 15%. A Saudi Investment Bank predicted that growth will fall to ten percent next year, and inflation to 9%. Some residents are worried about their jobs, but Filipinno President Arroyo is promised another 37,000 Qatar jobs for Filipinnos. This may be of little consolation to the staff of Rydges, which shut down this month. Many have been refused NOCs, some have been booked plane tickets home despite having made their own way here in the first place, and others claim they are being pressured into low paying jobs - despite better offers from other hotels.
QV News - In January we will be moving our forum to QatarChatter.com after a code failure brought the whole site down for 24 hours in December - a horrible experience which we don't want to repeat. There will also be a new look and a number of new features.
This month David Chaddock covered Recruitment in Qatar, and in a great first article for Qatar Visitor Yousra looked at the frenzied Eid Preparations that took place in Qatar prior to the feast of sacrifice - and at just what Qatar women wear beneath their Abaya. Finally, on the day after the first rain of the year, Frances Gillespie looked at the Desert Flowers and Wild Life that enjoy the brief Qatar winter.
Next month's articles will include information on buying property in Qatar by David Chaddock and a look at Qatar Rock Art by Frances Gillespie, while Jean Rasbridge will be sharing her love of the Arabian Horse with us. Shabina will be exploring the newly opened Qatar Pearl development and Mohana will be writing about Qatar cookery.
If you would like to see your own work featured in Qatar Visitor please don't hesitate to get in contact with us!
Congratulations to David who won our last competition - we'll be in touch with you shortly to arrange delivery. This month Goods from Japan is sponsoring our competition, which is open only to subscribers to our newsletter.
All you have to do is answer these three questions (follow the links to find the answers).
To enter the competition, just reply to this email with the subject line QV competition. We will select one winner who will receive a Japanese Toyosaka Tea Set worth over $100.
Next month we will be having a photography competition sponsored by Photomatrix, with the winning photographs being published in the Peninsula. Sponsors
We couldn't provide all the articles that we do without the help of the sponsors. This month we'd like to say thanks to Ginkosai Hotel in Japan and our very new sponsor QatCom.com, Qatar's Yellow Business Pages. Finally
Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to sending you our next email newsletter, but until then... Goodbye!
Philip |
What's new in images...
 The desert should soon be blooming after this month's rains.
Despite the global smoking ban, shisha smoking continues apace in Qatar.
Yousra gets all hennad up during the Eid Frenzy.
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