from the desk

March 27, 2014 will go down in the history of Qatars courts as the day they handed out two landmark verdicts. One made us rave about the justice of the court proceedings that gave a death penalty to a Qatari for raping and brutally murdering a British teacher; the other, where an American couple were sentenced to three years in jail for the murder of their adopted child, showed up glaring deficiencies in the judicial system, and underlying prejudices. What is justice when it is realised through a veil of cultural preconceptions?
It's the same prejudice that we thought the Western media were inuenced by when they looked at labour and worker issues in Qatar, and assumed the deaths and projected deaths of workers were all caused at building sites, a fact that the authorities have vehemently denied. This month the European Parliaments Ad hoc delegation on the situation of migrant workers visited Doha, and although they seemed optimistic about the direction that Qatar is taking, the fact remains that the picture that has been painted is mostly true. The opportunity has presented itself, with the 2022 World Cup, to change that picture, and it is being utilised. One step towards workers' welfare is the health insurance scheme that is being made mandatory for all residents in the country. The insurance sector in Qatar is poised for growth, and health insurance is just one of the drivers. With a compound annual growth rate of 17.9% between 2006 and 2012, Qatar is viewed as the second fastest growing insurance market in the GCC region. This month Qatar Today nds out more about this sector. Qatar looks at food safety rules very conscientiously, and restaurants being closed down by a directive from the Municipality has now become a norm. While consumers benet from this approach, the restaurant owners are usually left in the dark with no communication to support the action. Greater transparency and a new set of regulations are set to bring about changes inthe system. Our intern from Northwestern University pursues the trail. And we have plenty more interesting stories on the dearth of professionals in the oil and gas sector, the rise of the entrepreneurial mindset, activities in Doha like the fascinating talk by a media expert, and an avid enthusiast's take on Maserati. Please read on.

SINDHU NAIR