Ramesh Mathew

29 missing after ship goes down
A ship operated by a UAE-based group sinks about two nautical miles off Doha coast early yesterday
By Ramesh Mathew
Staff Reporter

Some 29 people were missing after a vessel operated by a UAE-based group capsized about two nautical miles off Doha coast early yesterday, a spokesman for Qatar’s Ministry of Interior said.
According to official sources, five persons were rescued and one body was recovered while search for the remaining people continued late into the night.
Of the 35 people on board, 24 were employees of HBK Power Cleaning, a Doha-based company. The remaining comprised nine crew members and two employees of a catering company.

Mowasalat has issued a stern warning to its drivers who behave rudely towards passengers

By Ramesh Mathew/Staff Reporter

Mowasalat has warned its taxi drivers of dire consequences if the company has received any complaints against their misbehaviour or rude behaviour towards the passengers.

Speaking to Gulf Times yesterday, the company’s business development director Ahmed al-Ansari said those who faced any problem with drivers should bring it to the attention of the company without delay.
Al-Ansari said this in response to a complaint registered by a Western expatriate woman against a driver, who, she said despite her numerous pleas, had indulged in rash driving along the Corniche a few days ago.

By Ramesh Mathew
MOWASALAT has begun bus services to the Barwa Housing complex at Mesaimeer.
The company’s business development director, Ahmed al-Ansari, yesterday said services to Mesaimeer, which houses the Barwa Housing complex, had begun since a week. The area houses more than 1,000 residential units. A number of offices are slated to be set up in the new neighbourhood.
As a first step, Mowasalat has extended bus route No.12, which currently operates from the Central bus terminus to the Medical Commission, to the Barwa housing complex.
“We have also taken into account the possibility of more people frequenting the area in coming days in view of a number of new churches being established there,” said al-Ansari.

Gulf Times
01 February 2009

Qatar sees decline in population
By Ramesh Mathew
THERE was a fall of more than 15,000 people in Qatar’s population as on December 31, 2008, compared to figures of November 30 last year, according to data furnished by Qatar Statistics Authority (QSA).
The QSA put Qatar’s population on December 31 as 15,53,729 against 15,69,174 on November 30, 2008.
The QSA has not attributed any specific reason for the fall in the country’s population.
According to the authority, the country’s population as on October 31 was 15,41,130.
The country recorded 14,720 births in 2008 while there were 1,750 deaths in the same year.
According to the December 31 figures, there were only 3,50,348 (approximately 29.11%) females in the country.

Deposit for hiring Lanka housemaids
By Ramesh Mathew
THE Sri Lankan embassy has introduced a refundable deposit of QR2,000 for recruiting housemaids from the Asian country.
An embassy official said the system had come into effect from January 15 for all contracts for employing housemaids from Sri Lanka. “It is being done to ensure that in the event of any problem being faced by maids at their sponsors’ place, their rights are protected,” he said.
The official said it was the duty of the mission to ensure that the maids received their salaries on time and their working conditions were proper. “The deposit thus collected from the sponsor stands as a guarantee to protect her interests,” he said.