London, United Kingdom | AFP | London luxury department store Harrods said Saturday it was taking down a statue of the late Princess Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed and returning it to former owner Mohamed Al Fayed. Al Fayed commissioned the bronze statue, which shows his son and Diana …
Read More »Qatar allows full ownership for foreign investors
Doha, Qatar | AFP | Qatar has approved legislation allowing 100-percent ownership for foreign investors in most sectors of the economy in a bid to boost non-energy revenues, the government said on Thursday. The move comes at a time of political crisis in the Gulf, with Qatar under an economic and …
Read More »Qatar emir, seeking new markets, starts West Africa tour
Dakar, Senegal | AFP | Qatar’s emir landed in Senegal on Wednesday at the start of a six-nation tour of West Africa as Doha seeks out new markets after Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries cut ties with the wealthy emirate. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani’s is expected to visit …
Read More »Qatar signs $8-bn deal to buy 24 Typhoon fighters from UK
Doha, Qatar | AFP | Qatar signed a multi-billion-dollar deal Sunday to buy 24 Typhoon fighters from Britain, its second major defence agreement this week, which comes during the worst political crisis in the region for years. The $8-billion (6.8-billion-euro) deal was signed in Doha by Qatar’s Defence Minister Khalid …
Read More »Qatar unveils World Cup’s first ‘reusable’ stadium
Doha, Qatar | AFP | Qatar on Sunday unveiled the design for what it claims is the World Cup’s first ‘reusable’ stadium, the seventh of eight expected venues that will stage games during the 2022 tournament. Ras Abu Aboud is a 40,000 seater stadium that will be built on Doha’s …
Read More »UAE and Qatar stake billions in ‘soft power’ showdown
Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | The opening this week of the glittering Louvre Abu Dhabi museum marks the latest stage in a multi-billion-dollar “soft power” showdown between energy giants Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Culture, media and sports have turned into battlegrounds for branding and global recognition. “There …
Read More »Qatar emir meets ally Erdogan in first foreign trip since crisis
Ankara, Turkey | AFP | Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on Thursday held talks in Turkey with the emirate’s chief ally President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in his first visit abroad since the start of a diplomatic crisis with Saudi Arabia. Erdogan hosted the emir for the talks at his …
Read More »Saudi says Qatar blocks planes from transporting pilgrims
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Qatar has blocked Saudi planes from transporting hajj pilgrims, Saudi state media said Sunday, after Riyadh reopened the border despite a major diplomatic crisis roiling the Gulf. Riyadh last week reopened its land border with Qatar and allocated seven flights of the Saudi national carrier …
Read More »Saudi king orders reopening of Qatar border to pilgrims
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Saudi Arabia on Thursday ordered the reopening of its border with Qatar to Muslim pilgrims, a move which Doha said was welcome but too little to heal relations between the feuding Gulf neighbours. The Salwa border crossing, also known as Abu Samrah, a key passage …
Read More »Qatar offers visa-free entry to 80 nationalities
Doha, Qatar | AFP | Lebanon is the only Arab country in the list published at the end of the news conference, although the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council of which Qatar is a member already allows freedom of movement by its nationals. Nationals of 33 countries will now be authorised to …
Read More »