city Doha: Last News

David Beckham has said the Qatar World Cup will be a "platform for progress" amid backlash for his backing of the event's controversial location.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has hit back at criticism of Qatar’s human rights record in an extraordinary press conference in Doha, the day before the World Cup kicks off in the Middle East. 

A Scots man locked up in Iraq for the past two months will have to wait for his homecoming after his flight home was delayed.

Under the clear Arabian nights of the Qatari deserts, you don’t need a telescope to see the full majesty of the heavens above.

Qatar World Cup organizers have issued an apology to Danish broadcaster TV2 after journalists were “mistakenly interrupted” during a live broadcast from a Doha street where Qatari officials threatened to break their camera. 

Days out from the start of FIFA’s soccer World Cup in Qatar, things are taking a turn for the surreal.

Warsaw March 5, 2014. A 19-year-old Andy Robertson is taking his first steps as a full Scotland international in a friendly arranged ahead of the World Cup.

A post shared by Joe Lycett (@joelycett)“You’re the first premiership footballer to do shoots with gay magazines like Attitude, to speak openly about your gay fans, and you married a Spice Girl, which is the gayest thing a human being can do.”Joe went on: “But now it’s 2022. And you signed a reported £10m deal with Qatar to be their ambassador during the FIFA World Cup.“Qatar was voted as one of the worst places in the world to be gay.“Homosexuality is illegal, punishable by imprisonment and, if you’re Muslim, possibly even death.”Joe told David that, as he had “always talked about the power of football as a force for good”, he wanted to give him “a choice”.He revealed: “If you end your relationship with Qatar, I’ll donate this £10,000 of my own money, as a grand for every million you’re reportedly getting, to charities that support queer people in football.“However, if you do not, by midday next Sunday [20 November] I will throw this money into a shredder just before the opening ceremony of the World Cup and stream it live on a website I’ve registered called benderslikebeckham.com.”Joe added: “Not just the money, but also your status as a gay icon will be shredded.

Sir Rod Stewart says he knocked back an offer of $1million (£845,000) to perform in Qatar because of their human rights record.

A West Lothian singer and former X Factor contestant is joining the likes of Robbie Williams and Calvin Harris in playing gigs at the Fifa World Cup in Qatar.

Glastonbury Festival‘s fire-breathing Arcadia spider for celebrations during the football tournament this autumn.Live music performances including DJ sets will run in situ with the spider, which has become a firm fixture for electronic music at Glastonbury over the last decade.According to the Daily Mail, organisers of this year’s World Cup in Qatar have rented the 50-tonne, fire-breathing metal structure that Glastonbury itself hires annually from the Bristol-based Arcadia company for the tournament. No further details, however, on when it will be in place nor who is playing live inside the spider have been shared.The publication has reported further that a “well-placed source” suggested that the Arcadia spider may be one of the few zones in which alcohol is permitted to be drunk including at the stadiums and in the ‘Fan Zone’.

Naman Ramachandran BAFTA and Digital Cinema Media (DCM) have partnered on a cinema campaign, which premieres Aug. 19 across the U.K., to inspire the next generation of creative talent by showcasing the diverse range of skills and knowledge that goes into making award-winning films, games and television.

It may be Maša Marković’s first year as head of industry at the Sarajevo Film Festival, but for the long-time festival staffer, it’s business as usual.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorThe Match Factory will launch sales on the debut film by Ehab Tarabieh, “The Taste of Apples Is Red,” at the Toronto Film Festival, where the film will be premiering in the Discovery section. Tarabieh’s previous short films have won several prizes, including Best Short Film at Doha Tribeca Festival for “The Forgotten” (2012) and a nomination for a European Academy Award for “Smile and the World Will Smile Back” (2015).

Naman Ramachandran Factual content specialist Zinc Media Group has fundraised £5 million ($6.1 million) and is using £2.1 million of it towards acquiring award-winning production company The Edge Picture Company, which operates from its bases in London, Doha, Vancouver and Paris. The rest of the cash will be invested in talent, potential IP, and in future acquisitions and collaborations.

With the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup coming up, FIFA is facing scrutiny for endorsing hotels that discriminate based on sexuality.As ticket sales skyrocket for this year’s FIFA World Cup, organizers are attempting to crack down on endorsed hotels that violate their contracts by discriminating against guests. FIFA has required all official list accommodations to welcome guests – including LGBTQ people – in a “non-discriminatory manner” or face being removed from their official list.The World Cup will be held in Qatar from November 21 to December 18.FIFA’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy said that no discrimination would be occurring at the soccer competition.

A mum was forced to go endure the Manchester Airport queueing nightmare TWICE after her flight was grounded for over 24 hours. The woman says she was sat on the plane for over four hours and was offered only a chicken wrap before herself and her fellow passengers were told to get off and spend the night in a hotel.

Scotland will be in their first World Cup Finals draw since the 1998 tournament today in Qatar and it's 40 years since the Scots were at the centre of the most farcical draw in football history.

Tim Cahill insists Australia are suffering without Ange Postecoglou at the helm.

The letter 'Z' has been seen daubed on the side of Russian tanks as Vladimir Putin's troops launched their invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.

Manori Ravindran International EditorMia Wasikowska will take on the lead role in “Little Joe” director Jessica Hausner’s cult thriller “Club Zero,” Variety can reveal.The Australian actor will portray an unusual schoolteacher in Hausner’s second English-language film, which begins shooting in the U.K. and Austria in July.Wasikowska was most recently seen in Mia Hansen-Løve’s Cannes-premiering film “Bergman Island.”In “Club Zero,” Wasikowska’s teacher takes a job at an elite school and forms a strong bond with five students — a relationship that eventually takes a dangerous turn.Discussing the film at the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra event last year, Hausner described the film as “a lot about eating,” relating to eating disorders and “eating behaviors.” This will be Hausner’s sixth feature.