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Elizabeth Shackelford, Tribune News ServiceSuddenly, artificial intelligence is everywhere we look. Three years ago, I had no exposure to it personally, but now it tries to auto-populate my emails, shows up at the top of
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Stories about the impact of climate change can be told from across the world, yet despite greater awareness, global emissions keep rising, as the World Economic Forum (WEF) website explains. This gap between awareness and
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The decision to include Demi Moore on the jury of the Cannes Film Festival is truly commendable (“Demi Moore joins Cannes Festival jury,” May5, Gulf Today website). With a career spanning more than four decades,
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The IPL-26 is turning out to be a lacklustre show. Two of the top stars MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma are not playing. They are being missed. Only Virat Kohli is mesmerising the crowds with
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I didn’t expect, when I walked into the new headquarters of QBC for a field visit, that the scene would be quite this intense.Screens streaming live numbers from New York, London, Tokyo and Frankfurt — all at once. An editorial team tracking opening bells minutes apart. Correspondents reporting from some twenty-one financial capitals around the world. And cameras carrying all of it in 4K HDR — said to be a first in the world for economic broadcasting.In that moment, I understood that what was happening was not simply the launch of a new channel. It was a statement: Qatar is taking its seat at the table where the global economy is discussed — not as a subject written about, but as a voice that writes.When I asked about the names behind the achievement, one of the leaders smiled quietly and said: “Don’t mention our names. Don’t mention the officials. You are free to write about the achievement — but we are not the story.”I respected his decision, and the decision of those with him. I will not name them here, even though everyone — near and far — already knows who they are, and even though naming them would add nothing to what is already known.But what does deserve to be named is the culture behind that quiet refusal: work in silence, and let the work serve the country, not your name. This is an authentic Qatari ethic — one that an entire generation of leaders was raised on, and one that today’s young Qataris and Arabs in this newsroom are inheriting. I watched them moving cameras, drafting bulletins, tracking markets minute by minute. Behind every shot on a QBC screen, someone has chosen to stay behind it.It is no accident that this is happening here.Qatar did not stumble into media through a back door. It built its presence one institution at a time, one specialty at a time.The story began with Qatar Radio, broadcasting on shortwave in the 1960s. Then came Al Jazeera, which redefined Arab news and made Doha a capital no global media conversation could afford to skip. Then Al Kass Sports, offering the Arab world a model of specialized sports journalism. Then beIN Sports, which turned Qatar into a global player in broadcasting rights stretching from European stadiums to Asia and the Americas.And now QBC completes the arc — Qatar’s first economic channel speaking to the world in the world’s language. It is the product of years of patient work by the Qatar Media Corporation, which once again demonstrates that investing in media is not a luxury that comes after development. It is one of its pillars.But many will still ask: Why an economic channel? Why now? And why from Qatar?The answer needs no theory. It only needs you to look around.When the summer heat in Madrid climbs past 40°C, and air conditioners hum in every home from Lisbon to Berlin, the gas cooling those homes begins its journey from our fields. When a cargo plane lifts off from Frankfurt, when a container ship transits the Strait of Hormuz, when a fuel truck rolls along a highway in Asia — in every one of those moments, what happens in the Gulf has a direct effect on price, on speed, on access.This is not exaggeration. This is daily life, lived:The Gulf is an energy source no global economy can breathe without. Its sovereign wealth funds are an investment engine in the world’s major financial capitals. Its ports and airports are arteries of maritime, air and overland transport.Those who live this reality are the ones with the most right to tell its story. Not the ones to have the story told about them.This is the role QBC steps in to play. Not just another channel on the menu, but a serious effort to bring the economic narrative back to its natural home. Because the one who produces the energy has the right to explain its price. The one who manages sovereign wealth has the right to speak about its destination. And the one who sits along one of the world’s most strategic energy corridors has the right to be heard in any reading of that corridor.At the end of my visit, I watched the ringing of the bell.That ritual every market in the world knows, from New York to Tokyo, announcing the start of a new session. It was not a passing gesture. It was an announcement that Doha has decided to take its place in this global rhythm — not as a listener, but as part of its sound.I left the building that day certain that what I had seen was not a passing experiment. This is a channel born at the right moment, in the capital of media, from an institution that knows what it is doing and why.From Doha, the story begins. And the world will be listening.
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China’s carmakers are hunting for their own “Yaris moment” - the kind of locally tailored breakthrough that helped Toyota conquer Europe — as they race to turn booming exports into lasting overseas growth. After early attempts that largely involved exporting China-designed cars with minor tweaks, automakers are now re-engineering vehicles from the ground up for foreign buyers, driven as much by fierce margin pressure at home as by opportunity abroad. China’s overcrowded domestic market has been locked in a bruising price war for years, leaving many manufacturers struggling to make money. Overseas markets, by contrast, offer room to grow — and to charge more — if Chinese brands can persuade consumers they understand local tastes. Major carmakers including BYD, Chery, Changan, SAIC’s MG brand and FAW’s premium Hongqi all have models in the pipeline designed specifically for export markets — from small hatchbacks for Europe to pickup trucks for Australia and Mexico. At home, Chinese automakers cram cars with technology and sell them cheaply to compete. In Western markets such as Europe, they can often sell at double the price and still undercut established brands. At the Beijing Auto Show in late April, Hongqi unveiled a small “global SUV” targeted for sale in 80 countries. But the vehicle was primarily designed for urban European buyers, design chief Giles Taylor told Reuters. “That’s the reason why that car exists,” Taylor said. BYD’s Dolphin G hatchback was designed specifically for Europe and will launch in June. Stella Li, the electric vehicle maker’s No. 2 executive, said the model was critical because hatchbacks account for more than 40% of new car sales in parts of southern Europe - a segment that barely exists in China. “If we don’t have the right car in this sector, we lose,” Li told Reuters. For many Chinese carmakers, exports are a matter of survival as analysts predict consolidation will thin an industry crowded with more than 100 manufacturers. Vehicle sales in China are expected to remain flat or decline. That excess capacity has already helped make China the world’s largest vehicle exporter, overtaking Japan in 2024. Gartner analyst Pedro Pacheco described the push to design cars for export as Chinese automakers’ “Yaris moment”, referring to Toyota’s Yaris hatchback, designed in Europe for European buyers and credited with helping the Japanese carmaker gain a foothold on the continent after its 1999 launch. Analysts say matching regional preferences will increasingly determine success as European rivals respond to Chinese competition. “Just competing on price works first time around,” said Phil Dunne, a managing director at consultancy Grant Thornton Stax. “But the Europeans are fighting back on cost.” He added: “The Chinese need to take it to the next level,” by designing cars in Europe for Europeans. For Europe, that also means going smaller. Chery, China’s biggest vehicle exporter, is heavily skewed towards SUVs, which accounted for 2.3mn of the 2.8mn vehicles it sold globally in 2025. But Ivan Dulanovic, head of design at Lepas - Chery’s new international brand - said a Europe-focused hatchback, the Lepas 2, is in development. “We have recognised a need in the market,” he said, “and we are tackling that.” SAIC’s MG also plans an MG2 hatchback for Europe where consumers “don’t like huge cars”, design chief Jozef Kaban said. BYD aims to roll out more Europe-specific models and has told investors it wants half of sales to come from overseas by 2030. Jetour, an SUV brand owned by Chery, designed its first fully electric car - the compact TX - with European buyers in mind, said Jetour International President Ke Chuandeng. Its upcoming F700 pickup will target markets such as Australia and Brazil and will launch in Mexico ahead of China, he said. A Jetour TX SUV at the company’s booth at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition (Auto China), in Beijing, China, recently. (Reuters/File Photo)
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Under the patronage of HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani, University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST) is set to graduate more than 1,200 students at a ceremony later this month. The graduation, scheduled for May 19, will see around 550 male and 650 female students receive degrees across a range of programs and disciplines. UDST President Dr Salem Al-Naemi told QNA that the PM’s patronage reflects strong support for applied education and its role in developing national talent. He described the event as both a recognition of students’ achievements and a milestone marking their transition into the workforce, adding that it also highlights the university’s position as a leading national institution in applied education. More than 200 students from the graduating class are expected to be honoured for academic excellence, underlining what officials say is a high level of achievement among graduates. This year’s cohort includes the first graduates from several newly introduced programs, including digital communication and media production — developed in collaboration with Qatar Media Corporation — as well as construction engineering and a number of postgraduate degrees such as artificial intelligence, cognitive cybersecurity and process safety. Research projectsDr Al-Naemi noted that some graduates have already begun launching start-ups or contributing to applied research projects in partnership with industry and strategic organizations. The university currently enrolls more than 9,000 students from over 86 nationalities, with Qatari students making up around a quarter of the student body, reflecting what officials describe as a diverse and internationally oriented academic environment. Speaking to QNA about UDST’s most prominent achievements over the past two years, Dr Al-Naemi said that the university has launched several new academic programs aligned with labour market needs across various fields, these include: the Executive Master of Health Administration, the Master of Science in Midwifery, in addition to both a Bachelor and Diploma programs in Animal Health and Veterinary Sciences. This was accompanied by strengthening applied education through developing advanced laboratories and simulation centers, launching the Center of Excellence for Sustainability and Food Security, and Qatar’s first Maritime Training and Simulation Centre, as well as including STEM and TVET programs in internal scholarship programs under the “Tomouh” initiative, spearheaded by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, he added. Dr Al-Naemi said that the university’s success was also evident in its participation in international conferences and exhibitions such as in the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, in addition to the Shell Eco-Marathon Europe and Africa 2025 regional competition held in Poland, where UDST’s Wolves Racing Team secured 2nd place in the Autonomous Urban Concept category. Moreover, UDST made progress in obtaining local and international academic accreditations, with the Department of Healthcare Professions at the Ministry of Public Health officially approving the “Pharmacy Technologist” title for UDST’s Pharmacy Technology program graduates. Conducted in partnerships with government and industrial entities to ensure a direct impact on society and the economy, the UDST president said that the university saw a notable growth in applied scientific research linked to national priorities, such as sustainability, renewable energy, food security, health technology, and digital transformation. UDST enjoys an extensive network of 81 local and 52 international partners including government entities, national institutions, major industrial and technology companies, as well as global universities and research centers, with these partnerships providing students with practical training opportunities, developing joint academic programs, conducting applied research, aligning educational outcomes with labour market needs, and promoting innovation, Dr Al-Naemi added. On the university’s ranking, the UDST president said that it is among the leading institutions locally in the field of applied education, focusing on excellence in teaching quality, applied research, graduate employability, innovation, and entrepreneurship. UDST is making steady progress in regional and international rankings, something that reflects both the academic and industrial communities’ confidence in the university, he said. Designed to support outstanding and high-achieving students, UDST scholarships include those for top academic performers, Qatari students in national programs, and student-athletes, Dr Al-Naemi added, these scholarships contribute to enhancing equal educational opportunities, attracting talented individuals, supporting the quality of higher education in Qatar, and focusing on strategic fields aligned with national priorities. Vocational educationWith regard to vocational, technical, and specialized education secondary schools in Qatar, the UDST president said that the university views these types of schools positively for their role in preparing students academically and professionally, however, he noted that admission to UDST is not automatic for these schools’ graduates, rather, it depends on the admission criteria for each program. The Ministry of Education and Higher Education and UDST are in constant co-ordination to ensure the alignment between secondary education outcomes and the university’s requirements, as to facilitate students’ transition to higher education, providing them with orientation programs and guidance to support their academic choices, he said. When asked about UDST’s distinction, reputation, and standing locally and internationally, Dr Al-Naemi attributed the university’s success to UDST’s applied education approach, modern academic programs aligned with market needs, its adoption of the latest technologies and digital transformation in education, its strong public and private sector partnerships, its high-quality graduates that are well prepared for the job market, in addition to UDST’s multicultural educational environment that fosters innovation and creativity. UDST contributes directly to achieving the Qatar National Vision 2030 by preparing qualified national cadres in vital fields, supporting a knowledge-based economy, and enhancing innovation and applied research, said Dr Al-Naemi in his remarks to QNA. The university aligns its programs with the Third National Development Strategy, through its focus on sustainability and digital transformation and by supporting priority sectors such as energy, healthcare, and technology, all the while fulfilling its role as a driver of human and economic development in Qatar, he concluded.
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If you take the long view, America’s economic outlook is pretty bleak. Like a lot of rich countries, it is overwhelmed by debt it has no plans to reduce. Even more troubling is its aging
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Stephen L. Carter, Tribune News ServiceHere’s one of those remarkable coincidences: Immediately after the president and first lady called for late-night host Jimmy Kimmel to be kicked off ABC’s air after he made a cruel
