Inside the Middle East: Qatar
Saturday 7th June at 1930 BST / 2030 CET
In June on ‘Inside the Middle East’, Michael Holmes hosts the monthly programme from Qatar.
Jim Clancy reports on how following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Emir of Qatar has given $100 million of his own money to help the victims of New Orleans and the Gulf region. ‘Inside the Middle East’ caught up with the Emir as he travels through the region to take a closer look at the impact of his donation. For U.S. citizens who were once unfamiliar with the country of Qatar, many are quickly learning about the generosity of a "king" and country so many miles away.
Also in the programme this month, Jill Dougherty reports from Baghdad, where she takes a peek at Iraq's Olympic athletes, preparing for the summer's Beijing games. Their target: to bring home some medals, and unite their fellow Iraqis. For these athletes - an archer, a Judo black belt, a sprinter among others, just getting to Beijing alive is a victory. Five or six Iraqi athletes will qualify to represent their country at the games; in spite of the danger each face, none have dropped out.
‘Inside the Middle East’ also includes a report by Ben Wedeman in Gaza. Since last year’s Israeli-imposed restrictions, fuel and energy supplies in Gaza have been extremely limited and have affected all aspects of life for Gaza’s 1.5 million residents. With no petrol for cars, no power for homes or businesses, Gazans have resorted to various and inventive methods to get around what have become very limited resources. Gaza residents have employed all sorts of home-grown technologies to get by, including the use of cooking oil to power their cars.
