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☆ Qatar re-evaluates key mediator role in Middle East conflict on concerns of ‘political exploitation’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is greeted by Qatari officials upon his arrival in Doha, Qatar, Friday Oct. 13, 2023. Qatar is reconsidering its role as cease-fire broker between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, the Gulf state's prime minister said, expressing concerns that Doha's mediation has been subject to "political exploitation." In a late-Wednesday statement, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani "lamented the political exploitation by some politicians with narrow interests, marketing their electoral campaigns through the defamation of Qatar's role." Since October, the Hamas-governed Gaza Strip has been ravaged by a retaliatory war campaign carried out by Israel. "Hamas has also sought to use its intermediary Qatar – which has long helped finance, back, and house the terrorist organization – to exact greater concessions from Israel.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Steny Hoyer, Hoyer Organizations: Hamas, Gulf state's Locations: Doha, Qatar, Israel, Palestinian, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al, Maryland, Hamas, Gaza

☆ UAE's Masdar to develop 150 MW solar project in Angola
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, known as Masdar, is planning to develop a 150 megawatt solar power project in Angola to provide renewable energy to 90,000 homes and support economic growth, including jobs, the UAE state news agency WAM said on Saturday. Angola’s Ministry of Energy and Water and Masdar, the Gulf state's clean energy developer, signed a concession agreement to build and operate the ground-mounted solar power project in the Quipungo region of southern Angola, the statement said. The project is part of a wider commitment made by Masdar this year to develop 5 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy projects across Angola, Uganda and Zambia. "Africa has what it takes to become the world’s renewable energy powerhouse," Sultan Al Jaber, COP28 president, said in the statement. Angola wants to increase its national electrification to around 60% by 2025; less than half of the population has access to electricity at present, the statement said.

Persons: WAM, Sultan Al Jaber, Rachna Uppal, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, United, United Arab Emirates, Angola’s Ministry of Energy, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Abu Dhabi, Angola, UAE, United Arab, Quipungo, Uganda, Zambia, Africa

☆ Britain's King Charles to push for global action on climate in COP28 speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Countries, however, are divided over the future of fossil fuel - the burning of which is the main cause of climate change. The monarchy has been under pressure to reduce its carbon footprint, though emissions have decreased under King Charles. King Charles will be among world leaders attending the climate talks, known as COP28, in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. King Charles is attending on behalf of the British government and following an invitation from the host nation, the UAE. On Thursday, King Charles met with Gulf state's president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at the COP28 summit site.

Persons: Britain's King Charles, King Charles, Rishi Sunak, Narendra Modi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Charles, Alexander Cornwell, Josie Kao Organizations: Carbon, United Arab, Organization of, Petroleum, United, United Arab Emirates, Britain's, India's, Gulf state's, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Dubai, United Arab, UAE, United Kingdom, France

☆ Biden and Xi are glaringly absent from the UN's climate summit. That doesn't bode well for the world.
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

World leaders are gathering in the UAE for the COP28 climate change summit. But President Joe Biden and Xi Jinping of China will be absent. But the leaders of the world's biggest polluting nations — President Joe Biden and China's leader Xi Jinping — will be conspicuous by their absence. AdvertisementA man walks past a COP28 sign during the United Nations climate summit in Dubai on December 1, 2023. Xi and Biden are doing little to signal their commitment to sharing the burden of reducing the climate crisis equally by not attending the summit, say critics.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi, King Charles, Pope Francis, Xi Jinping, LUDOVIC MARIN, Biden, Kamala Harris, John Kerry, Xie Zhenhua, Tom Evans, Evans, Sultan Al Jaber, Kerry Organizations: Service, United Arab Emirates, White, Sunday, US, Democratic, APEC, BBC, Climate, Business, Sierra Club Locations: UAE, China, United Nations, Dubai, Biden's, Xi, San Francisco

☆ How Qatar swayed Israel and Hamas to make a truce work
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Andrew Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

It was necessary to clarify all the points in the agreement and make sure they meant the same thing to Israel and Hamas, a source briefed on the negotiations said. Qatar's foreign ministry told reporters that Hamas and Israel negotiated in Doha until "the early morning" of Nov. 23 and agreed on a plan to implement the truce deal the next day. Qatari negotiators shepherded Israel and Hamas to agree on exactly where in Gaza Israeli tanks would be stationed during the truce. Israel vets all financial transfers Qatar makes to Palestinians in Gaza, Qatari sources have said. Despite proximity to Hamas officials, Qatari negotiators did not speak directly to the group's leaders in Gaza, but through its representatives based in Doha.

Persons: Qatar’s, Abdullah Al Sulaiti, Imad Creidi, Qatar's, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Sheikh Mohammed, David Barnea, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, shepherded Israel, Al Shifa, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Joe Biden, Sheikh Tamim, Mehran Kamrava, We've, Al Sulaiti, I've, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Matt S, Dan Williams, David Gauthier, Frank Jack Daniel Organizations: Hamas, National Command Centre, REUTERS, Rights DOHA, Qatari, Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, U.S . Department of State, U.S, Gaza, Bild, Palestinian, Georgetown University, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Doha, Qatar, Palestinian Territories, Egypt, Gaza, Moscow, London, Hamas, U.S, Russia, Gulf, Berlin, Syria, Qatari, Cairo, Washington, Jerusalem

☆ Britain's King Charles to Push for Global Action on Climate in COP28 Speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Persons: Britain's King Charles, King Charles, Rishi Sunak, Narendra Modi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Charles, Alexander Cornwell, Josie Kao Organizations: Reuters, Carbon, United Arab, Organization of, Petroleum, United, United Arab Emirates, Britain's, India's, Gulf state's Locations: DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Dubai, United Arab, UAE, United Kingdom, France

☆ Israel-Hamas war live updates:
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Bahrain said on Thursday that the Gulf state's ambassador to Israel had returned home and the Israeli ambassador in Manama had left the kingdom "a while ago," confirming an earlier statement by parliament linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict. The statement did not clarify whether that meant the Israeli ambassador had been expelled. Israel had earlier said it received no word of any such actions, saying its relations with Bahrain were "stable." "The cessation of economic relations was also decided," it said, without making clear who had made the decision. Relations between Israel and Bahrain are stable."

Persons: Israel, — Organizations: Gulf, Hamas, Representatives Locations: Bahrain, Israel, Manama, Gaza

☆ UAE and South Korea complete talks for bilateral trade deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Rachna Uppal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Trade and investment ties between the Gulf state and South Korea have been steadily advancing; in the first half of 2023, bilateral non-oil trade reached $3 billion, similar to the same period last year, but up 21% over 2021, a statement said. South Korea was one of the first countries with which the Gulf state launched talks for a CEPA in 2021. Three months later however, the Asian state revived dormant Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks with the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council bloc, of which the UAE is a member. "We resumed talks with Korea earlier this year as we were both keen to conclude a deal and advance our respective economic agendas," Thani Al Zeyoudi, UAE minister of foreign trade, told Reuters, adding the GCC FTA talks remained ongoing. It has said it does not mix politics with trade, when asked whether the Israel-Gaza conflict would have an impact on the Gulf state's trade deal with Israel.

Persons: Yeo Han, koo, Zeyoudi, Rachna Uppal, Sharon Singleton Organizations: South Korean Trade, United Arab Emirates Minister, State for Foreign Trade, United Arab, . Trade, Korea Electric Power Corporation, Gulf Cooperation Council, Reuters, Israel, Thomson Locations: State for Foreign Trade Thani, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, DUBAI, South Korea, Gulf, Abu Dhabi, Korea, UAE, Thani, Zeyoudi, Israel, Turkey, India, Indonesia, Gaza

☆ UAE to set up investment ministry, PM says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, July 3 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will set up a new federal ministry of investment to develop the Gulf state's investment strategy both globally and domestically as it contends with growing economic competition from neighbours. The Gulf states, largely dependent on hydrocarbons for revenue, all have plans underway to diversify their economies and sources of income. The ministry's aims would include stimulating the investment environment in the UAE and to make the UAE's legislation and procedures more competitive to attract global investment, Sheikh Mohammed said. The UAE will also set up a Financial Stability Council to monitor risks, and deal with financial crises to further its objectives of becoming a major global financial centre. Foreign direct investment into Saudi Arabia was about 30 billion riyals ($8 billion), based on data from the Saudi investment ministry.

Persons: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al, Mohammed Hassan Al Suwaidi, Sheikh Mohammed said, Sheikh Mohammed, Rachna Uppal, Nayera Abdallah, David Goodman, Jane Merriman Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Twitter, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, UAE, Maktoum, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Saudi

☆ Bahrain signs deals to invest $1.3 bln in UK economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

July 3 (Reuters) - Bahrain has signed a memorandum of understanding for strategic investments and collaborations with Britain that will see the Gulf state's private sector invest 1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion) in Britain, the Bahraini crown prince's social media account said on Monday. The investments will be through Bahraini sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat, Investcorp, GFH Financial Group, and Osool Asset Management, the twitter account of the crown prince of Bahrain said. ($1 = 0.7881 pounds)Reporting by Yousef Saba and Omar Abdel-Razek Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yousef Saba, Omar Abdel, Mark Potter Organizations: Bahraini, GFH Financial, Osool Asset Management, Thomson Locations: Bahrain, Britain

DOHA, June 20 (Reuters) - Qatar is set to secure its second large gas supply deal with a Chinese state-controlled company in less than a year, sources familiar with the deal told Reuters on Tuesday. CNPC also will take an equity stake in the eastern expansion of Qatar's North Field liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, the sources said. In an identical deal, QatarEnergy sealed a 27-year supply agreement with China's Sinopec in November for 4 million tons a year. The state-owned Chinese gas giant also took an equity stake equivalent to 5% of one LNG train of 8 million tons a year capacity. Tuesday's deal, first reported by the Financial Times, will be QatarEnergy's third deal to supply LNG from the expansion to an Asian buyer.

Persons: CNPC, QatarEnergy, China's Sinopec, Saad, QatarEnergy didn't, Andrew Mills, Maha El, Kanjyik Ghosh, Kim Coghill, Christopher Cushing Organizations: DOHA, Reuters, China National Petroleum Corporation, Financial Times, LNG, Thomson Locations: Qatar, China, Arab, Asia, Ukraine, Europe, finalising, QatarEnergy, United States, Australia, Doha, Maha, Maha El Dahan, Dubai, Bengaluru

☆ Singapore's Whampoa Group to set up digital bank HQ in Bahrain
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, May 18 (Reuters) - Singapore's Whampoa Group, an investment firm with stakes in global tech firms, will set up the headquarters of its new digital bank in Bahrain, the Gulf state's Economic Development Board (EDB) said on Thursday. The bank aims to launch at the end of this year, the EDB said. The island state has been actively trying to expand its fintech and finance industry to diversify and strengthen its non-oil economy. "We were impressed by Bahrain's solid reputation in the financial services sector, transparent regulatory framework, and ongoing pledge to collaborate and innovate," Whampoa Group CEO Shawn Chan said. Writing by Lisa Barrington; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kuwait sets June 6 date for legislative elections, state news agency reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KUWAIT, May 3 (Reuters) - Kuwait on Wednesday set June 6 as the date for its legislative elections, state news agency Kuna reported, two days after the Gulf state's parliament was dissolved by royal decree. The parliament was only reinstated in March based on a Constitutional Court ruling following a previous dissolution. The OPEC member has seen prolonged bickering between the government and the elected parliament that has hampered fiscal reforms. The June 6 date was agreed by the council of ministers on Wednesday and referred to Kuwait's Crown Prince, Kuna reported. Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah had said last month the legislature would be dissolved and new parliamentary elections would be held in the coming months.

☆ World Cup going from compact to super-sized in 2026
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The last time Mexico (1986) and the United States (1994) hosted a World Cup there were 24 teams. The 32-team World Cup in Qatar has a total of 64 matches, completed in 29 days, and, for now, the 2026 finals will be 80 games over 32 days. More matches, however, would mean more television rights money and, as the World Cup brings in some 90% of FIFA's revenue, its leaders will be tempted. The World Cup in Qatar has earned $7.5 billion in rights and sponsorship revenue, one billion more than the 2018 finals in Russia, FIFA said last month. One sponsor almost certainly looking forward to 2026 is Budweiser, the official beer of the World Cup, who had the taps at stadiums turned off by Qatari officials just days before the start.

☆ Lawmakers explain why they went to Qatar for the World Cup despite human rights concerns: 'There are no perfect countries'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Qatar's hosting of the 2022 World Cup has been controversial, given the country's human rights record. The congresswoman also suggested that the 2026 World Cup may prompt similar conversations about human rights abuses in North America. "We are slated to host the World Cup next with Mexico and Canada," she said, referring to the 2026 World Cup. "The spotlight of the World Cup has caused Qatar to make a lot of important reforms to their employment law." According to Human Rights Watch, LGBTQ people have been subjected to arbitrary arrests and ill-treatment in detention.

☆ UAE president visits Qatar in sign of warming ties
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DOHA, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) president arrived in Qatar on Monday on the first such visit since Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies ended a boycott of Doha nearly two years ago. Qatar is currently hosting soccer's World Cup,The visit "is another step towards strengthening Gulf solidarity and joint action," Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said on Twitter. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt early last year ended a 3-1/2 year embargo of Qatar, but ties between Doha and Abu Dhabi have not warmed at the same pace as those with Riyadh and Cairo, which re-established diplomatic ties with Doha. UAE National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan visited Doha twice as part of Abu Dhabi's push to manage regional differences. Abu Dhabi, like Manama, has not appointed an envoy to Doha, but restored travel and trade links between the UAE and Qatar.

☆ Europe makes sharp U-turn from green energy - Qatar energy minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Sept 29 (Reuters) - QatarEnergy CEO and state minister for energy Saad al-Kaabi said on Thursday that skyrocketing energy prices are "weighing painfully" on the global economy, dampening support for the transition to green energy. "Sadly, the growing economic burden has fizzled the euphoria over the series of energy transition plans, causing severe erosion in public support for reducing carbon emissions," Kaabi told a liquefied natural gas (LNG) conference in Japan. "Many countries particularly in Europe which had been strong advocates of green energy and carbon-free future have made a sudden and sharp U-turn. Analysts estimate Europe will need to import around 200 million tonnes of LNG over the next decade to phase out Russian gas. Kaabi stressed the need to invest in cleaner and renewable energies, including natural gas, to drive capacity and baseload capabilities.

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