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DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Qatar denied on Thursday that it plans to quit the Gulf Cooperation Council as it prepares to mark three years of isolation led by the regional bloc’s heavyweight Saudi Arabia. However, the gas-rich state cautioned that the effort by three of the GCC’s six members to isolate Doha economically and politically meant people in the region were “doubting and questioning” the organization. Rumors of Qatar’s imminent departure from the GCC, founded […]
DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Qatar has made wearing a face mask compulsory for everyone who steps outside their home, with violators facing jail time and fines of up to $55,000. The move comes as the number of reported novel coronavirus cases in the Gulf monarchy jumped by another 1,733 on Thursday, a single-day record for the Gulf state. Cabinet mandated the wearing of face masks “upon leaving the house for any reason” except when “alone […]
DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Qatar will bar entry to arriving air passengers except for citizens from Wednesday, the government said as it announced a $23 billion economic stimulus in response to the new coronavirus. The country is the worst affected in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with 401 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Sunday. It has not reported any fatalities but has closed universities, schools, gyms, and cinemas as well as canceling many public […]
DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — The number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases in Qatar jumped by 238 to 262 on Wednesday, the health ministry said, warning that they were likely a result of community transmission. Qatar, which now has the most cases in the Gulf, has not reported any fatalities but has closed universities and schools, canceled many public events including the MotoGP and banned travelers from 14 countries entering the country. “The Ministry of Public […]
(Eagle News)–Philippine Airlines has cancelled all its flights between Manila and Doha in light of Qatar’s temporary entry restrictions as a precaution against the novel coronavirus. PAL said the following flights are cancelled until March 15: PR 684 / 685 Manila – Doha – Manila (Mon / Wed / Thu / Fri / Sun) “You have the option to request for rebooking/rerouting or refunding of your confirmed ticket on or before March 28, 2020,” PAL […]
by Gregory WALTON DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Talks between Doha and Riyadh to resolve a two-year regional spat have stalled, Qatar’s foreign minister said, after a flurry of diplomacy late last year raised hopes the damaging rift was being healed. Saudi Arabia, along with its allies the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, cut all diplomatic, trade and transport ties with Qatar in June 2017. The four governments accused Doha of backing radical Islamists, including […]
DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Qatar scrapped mandatory exit permits for migrant domestic staff and other groups on Thursday, as part of efforts to boost rights for guest workers amid scrutiny of its record. Previously all foreigners working permanently in the gas-rich country required authorization from bosses to leave, but now only military personnel will routinely require such a dispensation. Qatar has made a series of reforms to its employment regulations since being selected to host […]
DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Malaysia’s 94-year-old Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad again raised the prospect on Saturday that he could stay in office beyond 2020, declining to give a definitive pledge to step down. Mahathir returned to power last year after dealing a historic election defeat to the corruption-plagued coalition that he once led and which had been in power for six decades. Mahathir led Malaysia for more than two decades before his retirement in […]
by Gregory Walton DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Qatar announced plans Wednesday to scrap key aspects of its controversial “kafala” labor rules, including the requirement for some workers to obtain employers’ permission to change jobs and exit permits to leave the country. Qatar has made a series of reforms to its employment regulations since being selected to host the 2022 World Cup, which set motion a vast construction program employing foreign workers. Rights groups have long […]
DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — World number one Novak Djokovic won another gruelling battle in Doha on Thursday to continue his unbeaten start to the year and progress to the Qatar Open semi-finals. The Serb came from a set down, just like in his previous match, to beat Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a match lasting almost two hours. Djokovic will play Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut in Friday’s semi-final, who beat three-time Grand Slam […]
DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Qatar, the world’s largest exporter of liquified natural gas, will run its first budget surplus in three years in 2019 due to higher energy prices, a government statement said Thursday. The surplus will reach 4.3 billion Qatari riyals ($1.2bn, 1 billion euros) because of an expected sustained rise in prices. The statement also said Qatar would delay plans to introduce a value-added tax (VAT), initially anticipated for this year. But it […]
by Abdul Hadi Habtor Agence France Presse RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Qatar’s emir skipped a summit in Saudi Arabia on Sunday with fellow Arab Gulf leaders whose boycott of the small but energy-flush neighbour has sparked a major regional diplomatic row. Riyadh is hosting the annual gathering as crises rumble on over the 18-month-old dispute with Doha, the war in Yemen and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul. […]
