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Uber CEO Travis Kalanick resigns

June 21, 2017

SAN FRANCISCO — Travis Kalanick has resigned as CEO of Uber, the ride-hailing company he helped found. Kalanick stepped down late on Monday Pacific time, after receiving a letter from some of the largest investors in the company. The letter, titled “Moving Uber Forward,” asked that [...]

Barclays Four Former Top Executives Charged With Fraud Over Fundraising With Qatari Investors

June 20, 2017

Bank, ex-chief executive and three others accused, marking first time any top bankers have faced charges over financial crisis The Serious Fraud Office has charged Barclays, its former chief executive and three other former top executives with fraud over the way it raised billions of pounds from [...]

Qatar Airways CEO Warns of ‘Lasting Wound’

June 20, 2017

The CEO of Qatar Airways says the blockade imposed on his country by its Gulf neighbors “will leave a lasting wound.”. PARIS (AP) — The CEO of Qatar Airways said Monday that the blockade imposed on his country by Gulf neighbors “will leave a lasting wound” and that he [...]

No negotiation until sanctions dropped, says Qatari foreign minister

June 20, 2017

Qatar will not negotiate with Gulf states that have cut economic and travel ties with it unless they reverse their sanctions, its foreign minister has said. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said on Monday that Qatar had still not received any demands from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab [...]

Analysis: The New Assertive Generation of Gulf leaders at heart of Qatar rift

June 20, 2017

(Reuters-) Two years after launching headfirst into a conflict in Yemen that has no end in sight, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have astonished the world again, this time with a severe boycott of neighboring Qatar. Like the Yemen war, which has killed more than 10,000 people, the rift [...]

Qatar signs $12 billion deal to buy F-15 jets from US

June 15, 2017

Qatar’s Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday the country signed a deal to buy F-15 fighter jets from the United States for $12 billion. The deal was completed despite the Gulf country being criticized recently by U.S. President Donald Trump for supporting terrorism. “Secretary of [...]

Qatar can defend economy and currency, finance minister tells CNBC

June 12, 2017

Qatar can easily defend its economy and currency against sanctions by other Arab states, Qatari finance minister Ali Sherif al-Emadi told CNBC television in an interview broadcast on Monday. He added that the countries which had imposed sanctions would also lose money because of the damage to [...]

Gulf crisis threatens Qatar Airways transit business: experts

June 12, 2017

Dubai (AFP) – Qatar Airways has made Doha a global hub in just a few years, but barring it from Gulf states’ airspace threatens its position as a major transcontinental carrier, experts say.Along with its Gulf peers — Dubai’s Emirates Airlines and Abu Dhabi’s Etihad [...]

Who Are the Corporate Winners and Losers of the Saudi, UAE lead blockade with Qatar

June 11, 2017

June 11, 2017, 12:36 PM GMT+3 Sanctions against Qatar may hurt U.A.E. construction companies Qatar Airways is set to be one of the biggest losers With Qatar increasingly isolated from its Gulf neighbors in an escalating geopolitical crisis, the economic and financial implications are starting to [...]

Saudi Blockade Forges Fear, Mettle In Qatar’s Capital

June 11, 2017

DOHA, QATAR: Hanan bought extra suitcases on Friday. The Egyptian doctor, who has lived in this energy-rich nation for four years, had already gone to her bank and transferred some of her savings to Egypt. And she went to her children’s schools to get their academic records. She’s [...]

Saudi King calls for acknowledging humanitarian needs of Saudi -Qatar families

June 11, 2017

In a move considering the circumstances of their nationals married to Qatari citizens, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain established measures to provide humanitarian assistance to this sector of society. According to the national news agencies in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain, the decision was [...]

Russia urges dialogue in Qatar-Gulf dispute

June 10, 2017

Russia called Saturday for dialogue to resolve a dispute between Qatar and its Gulf neighbours, as Riyadh and its allies welcomed US President Donald Trump’s demand that Doha stop funding extremist groups. Rights group Amnesty International warned of “heartbreak and fear” suffered [...]

US officials scramble to limit Donald Trump diplomatic damage over Qatar tweets

June 7, 2017

Government agencies sought to mitigate the impact of president’s lambasting, restating existing policy and playing down the significance of the tweets. Donald Trump tweets support for blockade imposed on Qatar The US state and defence departments have scrambled to limit the diplomatic damage done [...]

Some Sri Lankan banks stop buying Qatar Riyal

June 6, 2017

Some Sri Lankan banks stopped buying Qatar Riyal QARLKR=R on Tuesday, saying their counterpart banks in Singapore advised them not to accept the currency a day after the Arab world’s biggest powers cut ties with Qatar. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on Monday [...]

Iran, Qatar voice support for Saudi after Mecca suicide bombing

June 24, 2017

Tehran (AFP) – Both Iran and Qatar on Saturday voiced support for Saudi Arabia over a suicide bombing near Islam’s holiest site in Mecca despite their severed ties. “Iran… as always expresses its readiness to assist and cooperate with other countries to confront these [...]

Qatar says Saudi-led list of demands not ‘reasonable’

June 24, 2017

Doha (AFP) – Qatar said Saturday that a 13-point list of demands made by Saudi Arabia and its allies impinged on its sovereignty and failed to meet US expectations they be “reasonable”. The four Arab governments delivered the demands to Qatar through Kuwait on Thursday, more than [...]

Landslide buries mountain village in SW China, fears for 141 people

June 24, 2017

(Reuters) – Fears grew for 141 people missing in China after a landslide buried their mountain village in southwestern Sichuan province on Saturday, with reports that only three survivors had been pulled out of the mud and rock hours after the calamity struck. The landslide swept over 46 [...]

Five London tower blocks evacuated over fire safety fears

June 24, 2017

London (AFP) – Residents of 800 London flats were hurriedly evacuated Saturday due to fire safety fears over their tower blocks’ external cladding, after urgent testing prompted by the deadly Grenfell Tower inferno.The cladding on the five Chalcots Estate towers is similar to that used [...]

Suicide bomber targeting Mecca hurts six: Saudi police

June 23, 2017

Riyadh (AFP) – Six foreign pilgrims were hurt on Friday in Saudi Arabia when a suicide bomber targeting Islam’s holiest site of Mecca blew himself up, the Interior Ministry said.The incident happened around the Grand Mosque, where hundreds of thousands of worshippers gathered for early [...]

Qatar’s neighbors issue long list of demands to end crisis

June 23, 2017

Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations that have cut ties to Qatar issued a long list of demands Thursday to end the crisis, insisting that their Gulf neighbor shut down Al-Jazeera, scale back ties to Iran and close a Turkish military base in Qatar. In a 13-point list issued to Qatar, the Arab nations [...]

UAE has secret torture prisons in Yemen, US involved in interrogations – AP

June 23, 2017

The UAE operates a network of ‘black sites’ in war-torn Yemen, where terrorist suspects are abused and tortured, an AP investigation has found. US personnel have been involved in at least some interrogations, agency sources said.There are at least 18 clandestine prisons across southern Yemen [...]

AP Analysis: Saudi Shakeup, Qatar Crisis Show a Gulf on Edge

June 22, 2017

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — There was a time when the mention of the Persian Gulf brought to mind images of pampered societies ruled by aging monarchs content to preside quietly over their oil money and fantastical skyscrapers while the U.S. kept the peace. Not anymore. A sudden royal shake-up [...]

Qatar Airways wins ‘Airline of the Year’ award 2017

June 20, 2017

PARIS (CNNMoney) – For Qatar Airways, it was the best of times and it was the worst of times. During a glitzy awards ceremony Tuesday at the Paris Air Show, Qatar Airways was named “Airline of the Year” by the international air transport ratings group, Skytrax. The award comes as [...]