QATAR GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Cagamas, Malaysia Airports, Qatar Islamic: Islamic Bond Alert [May 31]
“The following borrowers are expected to sell Islamic bonds, which use asset returns to pay investors to comply with the religion’s ban on interest.  Global sales of so-called sukuk increased to $20.2 billion last year from $14.1 billion in 2008, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. They climbed 10 percent to $6.1 billion so far this year.  CAGAMAS BHD.: The Malaysian national mortgage company plans to sell as much as 10 billion ringgit ($3.1 billion) of a new type of Islamic bond that would be acceptable to investors in the Middle East, said Chief Executive Officer Steven Choy. Cagamas is developing the new sukuk with Saudi’s Al-Rajhi Bank, which will subscribe to some of the notes to be issued this month, he said..”  [Complete Report]

Qatar Had Talks With Partner Over Stake in Citigroup  [May 31]
“Qatar considered acquiring a stake in Citigroup Inc. and held talks with a partner over buying shares in the U.S. company, the country’s finance minister said.  “It was only just exploring our interest, not more than that,” Finance and Economy Minister Youssef Kamal said at the World Economic Forum Global Redesign Summit in the Qatari capital, Doha, today. He declined to say whether Qatar was still interested in the stake and didn’t name the partner involved in the negotiations.  Qatar, holder of the world’s third-largest natural-gas reserves, seeks to diversify its economy from oil and gas by international investments in other areas.  The Qatar Investment Authority, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, owns stakes in financial institutions including Credit Suisse Group AG and Barclays Plc. The fund bought Harrods Ltd. department store in London this month and a stake in Volkswagen AG last year..”  [Complete Report]

Qatari Watchdog Tells Vodafone to File Complaint [My 31]
“Qatar’s telecom watchdog yesterday told Vodafone Qatar to file a complaint with it if the company had concerns about the entry of Virgin into the market.  The regulator was responding to a threat of legal action from Vodafone Qatar, which believes Virgin’s entrance into the gulf state is a violation of the conditions of its licence – bought at a cost of 7.7bn riyals (£1.5bn). Virgin has signed a partnership with Qatar Telecommunications to launch Virgin Mobile Qatar in a brand licensing deal..”  [Complete Report]

QATAR GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Al Jazeera Anchorwomen Quit in Clothing Spat [May 30]
“Five female news presenters at the pan-Arab Al Jazeera satellite television channel have resigned over conflicts with management over dress code and other issues, a journalist there said on Sunday.  “This collective resignation is not motivated just by the growing pressure on the presenters concerning their dress code, which was evoked by the media,” said the journalist, who asked not to be identified.  “The conflicts run much deeper,” the journalist added. The news presenters who have reportedly quit are Jumana Namur, Lina Zahr Al Deen, Lona Al Shibel, Julnar Mousa and Nofar Afli.  The Al Hayat newspaper reported on Sunday that they had resigned in the past few days after petitioning management in January over repeated criticism from a top company official for allegedly not being conservative enough in their dress.  Management of the Doha-based channel told AFP it would issue a response later..”  [Complete Report]

Qatar Shares Advance on Optimism Drop Overdone  [May 30]
“Qatar stocks rose, leading Gulf Arab markets higher, on speculation this month’s decline may have been overdone as economic growth picks up and global markets rallied as concerns over Europe’s debt crisis eased.  Industries Qatar, the second-biggest petrochemicals maker in the Middle East, surged the most in more than two months. In Abu Dhabi, Emirates Telecommunications Corp., the phone company known as Etisalat, gained after its long-term corporate credit rating was raised by Standard & Poor’s. Qatar’s QE Index gained 2.1 percent, the most May 10, to 6,825.89, trimming the decline for the month to 9.6 percent. The Bloomberg GCC 200 Index, which tracks 200 equities in the region, lost 0.3 percent. Egypt’s EGX 30 Index surged 2.8 percent to 6,517.43.  “We continue to focus on international markets and oil, which were generally higher over the Thursday to Friday period,” said Ali Khan, head of cash-equity trading at Dubai- based Arqaam Capital Ltd. “Qatar was the worst performing market in the region month-to-date.”..”  [Complete Report]

QATAR GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Israel Rejects Qatari Proposal to Restore Diplomatic Ties [May 29]
“An Israeli newspaper said that the Israeli government has rejected recently two proposals from Qatar to restore diplomatic relations and let Israel reopen an office in the country’s capital, Doha. Qatar and Israel have a recent history of cooperation and the small Gulf Kingdom had believed diplomatic relations would continue their amiable relationship.  According to a Ha’aretz report last week, which quoted a senior source in Jerusalem as saying that in return for renewed diplomatic relations, the Qataris demanded that they be allowed to carry out a series of reconstruction projects in the Gaza Strip and to import the necessary construction materials. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman were unwilling to agree to this, the official reportedly said..”  [Complete Report]

Qatar Patient With its $19bn Jewel  [May 29]
“Royal Dutch Shell and its partner Qatar Petroleum have started commissioning the world’s biggest natural gas project, a gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant valued at US$19 billion (Dh69.73bn) that will mostly produce a type of ultra-clean diesel fuel.  But the expected commercial debut of the huge Pearl GTL project by the end of this year will take place against the backdrop of a world awash with transportation fuels, especially diesel.  The global recession hit just as Middle Eastern and Asian oil refiners were undertaking major capacity expansions geared towards diesel, the fuel that is usually derived from crude oil and powers lorries, trains and the lion’s share of industrial heavy lifting. Where there once were diesel shortages, there is now overabundant supply.  Enter Pearl, apparently on a miscue..”  [Complete Report]

Qatar in talks with Lebanon to supply LNG [May 29]
“According to Lebanon this Week published by Byblos Bank, Qatar’s Energy Ministry indicated that it is in talks to supply Lebanon with 3 million tons of liquefied natural as (LNG).  A study commissioned by the World Bank from consultants Poten & Partners indicated that liquefied natural can offer important support to Lebanon’s energy sector over the medium to long term by significantly reducing power generation costs.  It estimated Lebanon’s needs at 1.5 million to 2 million tons per year by 2020, and encouraged authorities to move quickly to secure LNG supply. It identified Qatar, Algeria, Yemen and Egypt as the key potential LNG sources given their supply availability and geographic proximity to Lebanon.  It said Lebanon could secure long term prices of around $7 per million British Thermal unit in the current surplus market conditions, and that Lebanon would not have to pay an additional country-specific risk premium..”  [Complete Report]

US$100m Doha Cables is Qatar’s First Cable Maker  [May 29]
“Doha Cables LLC, Qatar’s first cable manufacturer, has been launched officially in the Messaieed Industrial City. The company is a subsidiary of Senyar Industries, a 50:50 joint venture between Aamal Company QSC and Elsewedy Cables, an integrated cable and electrical products manufacturer.  Initial contracts are in place to supply a number of new customers, including Kahramaa (Qatar’s general electricity and water corporation), Ashghal (Qatar’s public works authority), Qatar Petroleum, ABB and Siemens.  The new plant is expected to make a material contribution to the future industrialisation of Qatar by helping to meet the increasing demand for cables, driven by the country’s rapid infrastructure development..”  [Complete Report]

QATAR GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Al Zayanis Nomination Expected to Ease Bahrain-Qatar Tension [May 28]
“Bahrain has named Abdul Lateef Bin Rashid Al Zayani as the next secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The nomination announced late on Thursday is expected to put an end to a long and mostly silent dispute between Bahrain and Qatar, which had threatened to mar their relations and undermine the six-member GCC alliance. “The decision to nominate Al Zayani came in response to a letter His Majesty King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa received from King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques,” Bahrain News Agency (BNA) said. “The letter was handed over by Prince Mutib Bin Abdullah Al Saud, deputy commander for executive affairs of the Saudi National Guard. Bahrain highly values King Abdullah’s mediation and efforts to further enhance relations and strengthen mutual co-operation among GCC countries,” the news agency said. Al Zayani, a major-general who heads Bahrain’s public security, is scheduled to succeed incumbent secretary-general Abdul Rahman Al Atiyyah on April 1, 2011. His nomination will be officially confirmed at the next GCC summit in Abu Dhabi, the capital where the alliance was formed in 1981..”  [Complete Report]

Qatar Airlines Challenges SAS routes [May 28]
“Business travellers to Asia can look forward to 5-star treatment if they fly with Qatar Airways, which has just opened a direct route from Copenhagen’s Kastrup Airport to Doha. Qatar spokesman Paul Johannes said the airline was banking on pulling in customers due to the many Scandinavian-owned businesses located in Asia. The airline is hoping its luxury offerings of a separate business class terminal at its new airport in Doha with a spa and massage room, gourmet restaurants and top-notch play and care areas for children will lure non-economy class flyers to choose it over Scandinavian Airlines. Although the new luxury airport will not open until next year, Qatar Airways is making use of the city’s current airport with four weekly flights from Copenhagen..”  [Complete Report]

China, Kingpin in Africa, Turns to Mideast [May 28]
“China is negotiating with the Persian Gulf state of Qatar to sell an additional 10 million tons of liquefied natural gas a year, on top of the 5 million it already buys. This is part of Beijing’s drive to establish strategic energy links with Middle Eastern states as it has done in mineral-rich Africa over the last few years, challenging U.S. dominance of the oil-rich strategic region since World War II. Slowly, China is expanding its political and economic footprint across the region, with deals in Saudi Arabia, which now exports more oil to Asia than it does to the United States, and, among other projects, railroad contracts worth $2 billion in energy-rich Algeria. “China is … forging strong ties with regional powers and gradually challenging U.S.-Israeli dominance,” says Iranian analyst Richard Javad Heydarian..”  [Complete Report]

QATAR GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Prisoner Release Eases Relations  [May 27]
” Observers hope that the Qatari decision to release Saudi prisoners will herald a new chapter in their ties.  Hours after they were released from a Qatari prison where they had been confined for more than 14 years, the former Saudi prisoners sat with King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz in his palace in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.  The ex-detainees, from the Ghufran clan of Al Murrah tribe, wanted to express their deep gratitude to King Abdullah for securing their release, Saudi News Agency said.  “They were received by King Abdullah on the same day when they were allowed to go home following a request for their release from the King to his brother the Emir of Qatar,” the agency said.  In their address to King Abdullah, the ex-detainees paid rich tribute to his “generous and benevolent act that put back smiles on the faces of dozens of Saudi families after 14 years of sadness over the imprisonment of their relatives for more than 14 years.”  Earlier, Saudi Arabia’s king thanked Qatar’s Emir Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani for responding positively to his request to release Saudi citizens who had been held by Doha since 1996 for their alleged role in a failed coup..”  [Complete Report]

Vodafone Takes On Legal Fight Over Virgin in Qatar  [May 27]
“The world’s biggest mobile telecoms company by revenue, Vodafone, has taken ‘legal action’ against Qatar’s telecommunications regulators because of a licence granted to Virgin Mobile Qatar.  Vodafone own 23% of the shares of its Qatar company, with another 23% of shares owned by the Qatar Foundation.  The remaining 54% are publicly traded shares.  The company are arguing that regulators have given Virgin Mobile (who are owned in entirety by Qatar Telecom) the right to commence mobile services this month without issuing the proper licence to do so and this has had a detrimental affect on their shareholders, the bulk of which are ‘individual Qataris’ who total some 82,000 people.   The operator states that its original contract, agreed with the Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology, had terms which did not allow for another ‘mobile service provider’ to enter the market until a ‘proposed sector review’ had taken place..”  [Complete Report]

Saudi Arabia to Mediate in Bahrain-Qatar Row  [May 27]
“Saudi Arabia has offered to mediate in a row between fellow Gulf states Qatar and Bahrain which has led to arrests of Bahrain-based fishermen by Qatar, a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) official said on Thursday.  Analysts say tension has been high since Bahrain nominated Mohammad al-Mutawa, a former Bahraini information minister said to be disliked by Doha, as the next secretary general of the GCC, a six-member regional bloc.  Saudi King Abdullah has offered to mediate in the nomination dispute, an official at the GCC Secretariat told Reuters, declining to be named. “This is important because it paves the way for Saudi mediation in the issue of the Bahraini sailors held by the Qataris,” he said.  The two countries have long had strained ties despite settling a territorial dispute in 2001. Tensions escalated after Bahrain said Qatar’s coast guard shot and wounded on May 8 a Bahraini fisherman who had entered Qatari waters..”  [Complete Report]

QATARGROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Qatar Said to Mull Treasury’s Citi Shares  [May 26]
“The Qatar Investment Authority, a sovereign wealth fund, has displayed interest in acquiring some of the stake in Citigroup owned by the United States Treasury, The Financial Times said, citing people familiar with the matter. The interest the authority is showing in Citi, which received a government bailout after crisis losses of $50 billion, goes against a trend of cash-rich state funds avoiding investments in banks — generally because of past losses in the sector, The FT said.  The authority, however, made profitable investments in Credit Suisse and Barclays while the crisis was under way and is looking to purchase a part of the Treasury’s 27 percent stake in Citi, people familiar with the matter told the newspaper..”  [Complete Report]

Qatar Negotiating With German Institution Over Partnership  [May 26]
“Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheik Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabor Al Thani said Wednesday the Gulf Arab state was in talks with a German institution over a partnership deal.  “We are talking to a German institution to be a partnership,” Al Thani said at a press conference alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is visiting the gas-rich state Wednesday and Thursday on a whistlestop tour of the Gulf this week to promote trade and business relations.  The Qatari prime minister said that the Persian Gulf state, which earlier in the month bought flagship London department store Harrods, was also “discussing an opportunity in Europe”, without giving further details. Qatar is pouring its vast hydrocarbon revenues into buying overseas assets to diversify its economy away from oil and gas. Its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority controls an estimated $60 billion worth of assets and has stakes in the London Stock Exchange and U.K. bank Barclays..”  [Complete Report]

Vodafone Qatar Says to Sue Regulator Over Virgin  [May 26]
“Cellphone network operator Vodafone Qatar said on Wednesday it is taking legal action against Qatar’s telecoms regulator, after it allowed Virgin Mobile’s entry, saying it represents a third service provider.  The firm, a unit of Vodafone, said in a statement it saw Virgin Mobile’s entry as a violation of the conditions to its licence, which cost shareholders 7.7 billion Qatari riyals, and the telecoms law in Qatar.  Earlier in May, Virgin Group signed a partnership with Qatar Telecom (Qtel) to launch Virgin Mobile Qatar in a brand licensing agreement to offer a prepaid mobile phone service.  “We are taking legal action for the damages this has caused our shareholders,” said Chairman Sheikh Abdulrahman Bin Saud al-Thani in a statement..”  [Complete Report]

Qatar-based News Broadcaster Al-Jazeera Arrives in the Balkans [May 26]
“Qatar-based international news broadcaster Al-Jazeera will have a new headquarters in Sarajevo, from where it said it will cover the whole Balkans Peninsula for regional-based news, Bulgarian media reported on May 26 2010.  Al-Jazeera representatives will arrive in the Bosnian capital city the week beginning May 31 when they will finalise the takeover of the local television channel Studio 99 and set up their own television network in its place. Studio 99 has been rumoured to be facing closure since the turn of the year. Eventually the takeover became all but imminent, reports said.  The Qatar company is said to have completed the deal worth 160 000 euro, according to information, released by local media.  For the moment, however, the takeover is not confirmed by the official website of Al-Jazeera itself. Spokespersons for the television network channel have also declined to comment, when approached by Radio Free Europe.  Reportedly, the new television channel in southeastern Europe will be called Balkan Al-Jazeera..” [Complete Report]

Qatar Steps Up Arrests of Bahraini Fishermen  [May 26]
“Qatar has stepped up arrests of Bahrain-based fishermen in recent weeks and will put dozens of sailors on a mass trial next month, a Bahraini rights group said on Wednesday, as tensions rose between the Gulf Arab neighbours. The two countries have long had strained ties despite settling a territorial dispute in 2001. Tensions escalated after Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior said Qatar’s coast guard shot and wounded on May 8 a Bahraini fisherman who had entered Qatar’s waters.  “The arrests became more after May 8. Since then, every two days or so they arrest fishermen,” said Faisal Fulad, the general secretary of the Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society who says he has met the fishermen in Qatari prisons..”  [Complete Report]

QATAR GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Doha to Host Turkish Film Festival [May 25]
“A Turkish film festival will be held next week in Qatar in a new indication of the growing interest of the Arab world in drama from its non-Arabic speaking Muslim neighbour.  The films to be screened at the First Doha Turkish Film Festival on June 6-9 will feature actors and actresses popular in the Arab world, organisers said.  Film directors, programmers and producers will also attend the festival and the public will have the opportunity to meet them.  The festival, held with the support of the Turkish government, includes 15 films that include My Father and My Son, The White Angel, Waiting for Heaven, Three Monkeys and Vision Tele.  Panel discussions by experts and commentators will be held on the sideline, Qatari daily Gulf Times reported on Monday.  Turkish drama has since 2008 become popular in the Arab world, due mainly to the use of colloquial Arabic instead of the classical Arabic voice-overs used for Spanish-language soap operas. The names of all the characters were also changed into Arabic..” [Complete Report]

Allawi in Qatar to Discuss Iraq Situation [May 25]
“Head of Al Iraqiya List Iyad Allawi affirmed that Iraq is going through a critical stage noting that his visit to Qatar is aimed to put Arab leaders in the loop of the situation in Iraq.  Efforts to form the new government are ongoing, Allawi said expecting final results after 10 days. That’s when talks will turn into negotiations over the new government, he added.  Turkish Sabah Newspaper revealed meanwhile that Allawi has visited Turkey for the second time in less than a month as he visited Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ahmad Davudoglu.  Following his visit to Turkey, Allawi said he will meet Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki and ask him to keep Iran out of interference in Iraq.  Iranian interference does not serve the application aimed to form the government, he added..”  [Complete Report]

Bahrain Wants Qatar to Free 107 Fishermen  [May 25]
“Bahrain on Sunday called for the repatriation of 107 Bahraini professional and amateur fishermen held by Qatar. “The ministers of interior and municipalities and agriculture have been tasked by the government to monitor the conditions of the Bahraini fishermen held in Qatar and to coordinate with their counterparts in Doha to ensure their safe return home,” a government spokesman said following the weekly session.  A Bahraini delegation should be formed and sent to Qatar to work with the competent authorities on the issue, the government said.  Both ministries should also ensure that similar incidents should not be repeated.  Ten days ago, Adel Al Taweel, a Bahraini fisherman was shot by Qatari coastguards for allegedly entering Qatari waters illegally. The wounded sailor was subsequently taken to hospital amid promises that he would be allowed to go home in a few days.  However, the authorities later said that they would put him on trial for illegally entering the country..”

http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidGN_24052010_250514

Leading Qatari Firms Featured at New York Mena Conference  [May 25]
“Vodafone Qatar, QNB and Qatar Telecom featured at the third Mena (Middle East and North Africa) investment conference that began yesterday in New York.  “Across the Mena region, around $800bn of investments are currently planned in energy, water, healthcare, transportation, housing, banking and education,” said Beltone Financial, the organiser of the Mena conference. Altogether, these diverse investments would raise the quality of the region’s infrastructure to new levels and offer significant opportunities for the private sector. The Mena region’s power generation capacity will have to double, requiring an investment of around $140bn, it said, adding planned spending on water in the region totalled $46bn..”  [Complete Report]

QATAR GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Settlement Found Under Qatar Sand by Lampeter Academic  [May 24]
“A Welsh academic has revealed how he discovered a Middle East settlement buried under sand for about 125 years. Dr Andrew Petersen first became aware of a possible settlement after finding masonry and pottery at Ras Al-Sharig in Qatar.  He thought something might be there after reading sources naming a town called Rubayqa.  “But we certainly weren’t prepared for the scale of the find,” said the expert from the University of Wales, Lampeter.  The haul includes the remains of a fort, a mosque, several industrial and domestic buildings, and 100 kilos of pottery and artefacts..”  [Complete Report]

Qatar May Export Just 6 Million mt/year of LNG to US: Attiyah  [May 24]
“Qatar may end up exporting just 6 million mt/year of LNG to the US after diverting as much as 20 million mt/year to other countries, Qatari oil minister Abdullah al-Attiyah said in an interview published Monday, without giving a firm timeline on when those figures would be reached.     Attiyah said that Qatar “may divert 12-20 million mt/year” away from the  US market. “This means our gas exports to the US would remain in the range of 6 million mt/year,” he said in the interview, published by the Middle East Economic Survey.  To date, Qatari LNG exports to the US have been well below those levels, reaching just 60,000 mt in 2008 and 260,000 mt in 2009. But last year the country commissioned several new LNG production trains, with more to follow this year, and much of that output had been sold under contracts to US buyers..”  [Complete Report]

Qatar Signs $576m Infrastructure Contracts  [May 24]
“Qatar’s Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has signed contracts worth QR2.1bn ($576m) as the Gulf state continues to invest in its infrastructure.  The deals were inked with various companies for a total of five projects including the Doha and Rayyan Sewerage lines phase 1 (Mesaimeer), phase 2 (Ain Khalid), Doha South Sewerage Treatment Works expansion phase 2, Al-Ruwais Port expansion works and renovation of Qatar Radio and Television Corporation Complex. The biggest project to be awarded was the QR781.7m expansion work on the Al Ruwais Port on the northern tip of the peninsula, Gulf Times reported on Monday..”  [Complete Report]

Tourist Arrivals in Qatar Set to Touch 1.8mn by 2014  [May 24]
“Tourist arrivals in Qatar is expected to reach 1.8mn by 2014 with business visits projected to grow at an average 11.9% over 2009-14, according to Euromonitor.  While the global economic crisis saw international tourist nights decline from 1.2mn to 0.95mn from 2007 to 2009; the total number of tourist arrivals to Qatar increased from 0.96mn to 1.1mn over the same period, it said.  “Particularly promising is the growing number of tourists coming from outside the Middle East. Qatar has become a more popular destination for Europeans, who accounted for 16.3% of arrivals in 2004 but represented 33.1% of visitors by 2009,” it said.  Euromonitor also said many large Qatari companies and financing vehicles were looking to invest in the tourism sector, which however, is not a major contributor to the economy as Qatar’s tourist receipts of $0.7bn in 2009 trailed Bahrain and the UAE ($1.1bn and $7.2bn respectively).  However, tourism expenditure is growing and Qatar has attracted tourists in the meeting, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) market, hosting more than 80 events in 2009..”  [Complete Report]

QATAR GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Qatar Charity Completes Construction of Kosovo’s Second Largest Mosque [May 23]
“Qatar Charity has completed the construction of Kosovo’s second largest mosque at a cost of QR 1.4 million ($385,000).  “The mosque consists of three floors and includes special classes for teaching the Holy Quran and Arabic language,” Mahmoud Abbas, Qatar Charity’s representative in Kosovo said.  “The mosque, built on an area of 800 square meters, can accommodate 9,000 worshippers,” he said.  Charity work also focused on orphan sponsorship, income-generating projects and seasonal projects in partnership with the Kosovo’s Social Association Maqboula (Acceptable), Mahmoud said.  A comprehensive sponsorship of 900 orphans includes covering their health, education, sports and recreational activities.  Under a plan to empower economically the orphans, the charity, in cooperation with Maqboula, assisted 50 families with income-generating projects such as milky cows, groceries and car workshops..”  [Complete Report]

Qatar Stocks Tumble to 2-Month Low on $70 Oil  [May 23]
“Qatari shares tumbled to the lowest level in two months, leading a decline in Gulf Arab markets, as oil prices closed near a low for the year and European stocks fell last week on concern economic growth may slow.  Industries Qatar, the second-biggest petrochemicals maker in the Middle East, dropped to the lowest since August and National Bank of Kuwait also declined. Gulf Finance House EC, a Bahrain-based investment bank, retreated to the lowest in at least six years. Qatar’s gauge lost 1.5 percent to 6,974.96, the lowest since March 15. The Bloomberg GCC 200 Index, which tracks 200 equities in the region, fell 1 percent at 14:48 in Dubai. Kuwait’s Combined Group Contracting Co. advanced.  Crude oil has tumbled 19 percent this month and closed at $70.04 a barrel on May 21..”  [Complete Report]

Qatar’s New Aluminium Smelter Eyes Peak Output on Back of Stable Prices  [May 23]
” With global aluminium prices expected to hold at the $2,000 (Dh7,346) a tonne-plus level through the year, Qatar’s newly commissioned giant smelter is aiming to make a perfect pitch.  It was last month that the $5.7 billion Qatalum plant was formally commissioned with an annual installed capacity of 585,000 metric tonnes of premium quality aluminium ingots.  Since then, shipments have already been made to clients in Europe, Southern Asia and the Far East, as well as to Saudi Arabia.  In fact, Qatalum which expects to touch peak production before the year is out sees a significant buildup in its prospects among a regional clientele over the medium term.  “Certainly, the growth of regional markets especially in the construction industry is fuelling and increasing the appetite for aluminium,” said Jan-Arve Haughan, Qatalum chief executive officer..”  [Complete Report]

QATAR GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Doha Film Institute to build film industry in Qatar [May 16]
“Qatar has launched the Doha Film Institute (DFI), an establishment seeking to build a sustainable film industry in Qatar with strong links to the international film community. ìFilms can do more than just entertain. They can educate, inspire and unite communities and we want to nurture and support filmmakers as we continue to grow Qatar as a cultural hub for film,î Shaikha Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, DFI founder and board chairwoman, said. The institute was launched at the Cannes International Film Festival amid promises that it would expand the scope of Qatarís international film ambitions. DFI will be dedicated to film appreciation, education, financing, production and building a long-term sustainable film industry in Qatar..” [Complete report]

China’s CNPC, QP to sign Qatar energy deal [May 16]
“Royal Dutch Shell, China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) and Qatar Petroleum (QP) are expected to sign an exploration and production deal for Qatar Block D on Sunday, a Qatari official said. A statement, obtained by Reuters before a signing ceremony, said Shell would hold a 75 percent equity stake, with CNPC holding the remainder. The 30-year deal, which includes a five-year exploration period, covers onshore and offshore exploration for natural gas and its production in the block, the statement said..” [Complete report]