QATAR GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Washington Latin Students Make Connection in Qatar  [Jun 8]
“When Martha Cutts, head of Washington Latin Public Charter School, asked her students if anyone was interested in Arabic language and culture classes, she thought five or six kids might raise their hands.   Instead, she heard from 175.  Of those students, 75 eighth- and ninth-graders ended up enrolling in the Arabic program, which is offered at the school through the Qatar Foundation International, an organization aimed at opening connections between the United States and Qatar and helping U.S. and Qatari students learn about each other. Over spring break, 16 Washington Latin students went to Qatar, a small country on the Persian Gulf near Saudi Arabia, to meet kids their age and see the country, along with students from a school in Boston.  It was an eye-opening experience for the U.S. and Qatari students, since most of them knew only what they’d seen on the news or in movies..”  [Complete Report]

QATAR GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Help Educate Children in Gaza, Qatar Emir’s Wife Tells International Agencies  [Jun 7]
“Shaikha Mouza Bint Nasser Al Misnad, wife of Qatar’s emir and Unesco Special Envoy, called upon international agencies to help Palestinian children and youth in Gaza with their education.  “The right to an education is a human right. Today, schoolchildren and university students in Gaza and the West Bank are not able to fully exercise their right to an education,” Shaikha Mouza said. “As Special Envoy to Unesco for Basic and Higher Education, I call on all international agencies to focus their attention on lifting the blockade of Gaza to ensure the rights of Palestinian children and youth,” she said in a statement carried by Qatar News Agency (QNA).  Shaikha Mouza, an active international figure, said the lethal incident in which Israeli forces killed activists on a humanitarian mission in support of Palestinians should be used to lift the blockade of the Gaza Strip..”  [Complete Report]

QATAR GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Qatar Minister Joins Protest Rally Against Israel [Jun 6]
“Qatar’s minister of culture, arts and heritage was among hundreds of citizens and residents who staged a rally to protest against Israel for its deadly raid on Gaza-bound ships carrying humanitarian aid.  Hamad Bin Abdul Aziz Al Kuwari, in an emotional speech, praised the activists on the ships, saying that the largest international organisations had not been able to do what they did.   ”Efforts to break the Israeli siege must continue,” the minister said, quoted by Qatari daily The Peninsula.  Speakers at the rally said that the murder of nine aid workers in the Israeli raid had taken place in international waters..”  [Complete Report]

Qatar Court to Hear Cases of 97 Detained Bahraini Fishermen  [Jun 6]
“A Qatari court on Monday will decide the fate of 97 Bahrain-based fishermen in Doha’s custody for allegedly entering the country’s waters illegally.  According to Bahraini human rights activists, 31 Bahrainis and 66 Asians will be tried by a court in Rayyan, in the western part of Doha, amid hopes that the Qatari authorities would allow them to go home after paying fines.  One of the detainees, Adel Al Taweel, has been held for one month now after he was shot for failing to heed warning shots by Qatar’s coastguards to leave Qatari waters.  The 37-year-old Bahraini was treated at a local hospital, but the authorities did not release him despite the arrival of a medical team and a human rights delegation from Bahrain to repatriate him.  Ahmad Khalil, the father of three fishermen held in Qatar, said that he was looking forward to being reunited with them..”  [Complete Report]

Qatar to Bear the Cost of Taking Israel to ICJ  [Jun 6]
“Putting its weight behind the decision of fellow Arab states to take Israel to the ICJ for its botched aid fleet raid that killed nine activists, Qatar has said it would meet all the expenses to be incurred on the legal proceedings.  Qatar has also said it would fund a worldwide media campaign to expose Israel, its blockade of the Gaza Strip and the aggression it has been perpetrating in the territory, a report in ‘The Peninsula Daily’ said.  According to the report, Secretary-General of the Arab League Amr Moussa said that Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani, has assured the League of the country’s moral and financial support on the above issues.  At Qatar’s behest the foreign ministers of Arab League member countries met in Cairo on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the Israeli raid and its Gaza blockade.  “We heartily appreciate Qatar’s commitment to meeting the expenses of taking Israel to court for the crime (the flotilla attack) and launching a global media campaign to expose the Israeli blockade of and aggression in Gaza,” Moussa was quoted as saying by the paper..”  [Complete Report]

QATAR GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]Qatar Agrees to Supply LNG  [Jun 5]
“Qatar has agreed to supply 500 million cubic feet (MMCF) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Bangladesh.  This assurance came from the Gulf country during a meeting with a Bangladesh delegation led by Energy Secretary Mohammad Masbahuddin that returned home yesterday after a four-day visit to Qatar.  “We had a successful discussion with top officials of the Qatar’s state-owned petroleum agency. They showed a positive indication to supply about 500mmcf liquefied gas to meet our deficit,” said a member of the delegation.  Bangladesh has been experiencing nagging gas crisis that hit hard the country’s industry and other business and also power generation. The present production is now estimated at 1,900mmcf against the demand of more than 2,400mmcf. To meet the daily deficit of 500mmcf, the government moved to import LNG on suitable terms of price and transportation..”  [Complete Report]

PM Meets Prime Minister of Qatar  [Jun 5]
“Prime Minister David Cameron has met his Qatari counterpart today.  Mr Cameron and Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al Thani held talks on a range of topics including Gaza and Sudan.  A Downing Street Spokesman said:  “The Prime Minister met His Excellency Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al Thani, the Prime Minister of Qatar for over one hour at Chequers this morning.  “They discussed the strong bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and Qatar and look forward to strengthening those ties. They discussed the regional situations in Gaza and Iran. They also spoke about the latest situation in Sudan and Eritrea, where the Prime Minister welcomed Qatar’s continued leadership.”..”  [Complete Report]

QATAR GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports

Saudi Businessman Offers 1,000 One-Riyal coins to Doha Museum [Jun 4]
“A Saudi businessman has offered a collection of 1,000 silver Saudi one-riyal coins to the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha.  The businessman, Bassam Omar Salama, said that the collection was part of 3 million Saudi one-riyal coins minted in the United States in 1944 at the request of King Abdul Aziz Bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud.  In a letter he sent to the museum on the occasion, Salama said he had received 3,000 silver Saudi one-riyal coins and was gifting 1,000 of them to the Museum of Islamic Art in recognition of its role in preserving rare Islamic collections, Qatar News Agency reported.  Bassam said that he recovered the money from a cargo with three million silver Saudi one-riyal coins shipped to the port of Ras Tannoura, in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region, during World War II.  However, the ship, SS John Barry, never made it to the port after it was torpedoed by a German U-boat in the Arabian Sea more than 185km off Oman in August 1944 and sank in waters so deep that no one thought she could ever be salvaged.  “The treasure remained underwater until 1994 when a team of my friends financed an operation to recover the treasure with the aid of the US government..”  [Complete Report]

Qatar 2022 Gathers Momentum  [Jun 4]
“The leader of Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid tells World Football Insider the Gulf state’s campaign has gathered momentum.  Qatar was ranked second behind England in WFI’s World Cup Bid Power Index published last week, with Russia in third spot and USA fourth. Australia dropped out of the top four from the No.2 position they occupied in the February edition.  Commenting on the bid power index, Qatar bid CEO Hassan Al Thawadi told INSIDER: “We are involved in a race with strong competition, so this kind of positive recognition for our bid and hosting concept demonstrates how far we have come over the past year.  “We are delighted that the Qatar offer is being welcomed, understood and supported. Players and fans will benefit from our compact hosting concept, enabling them to stay in the same base throughout the entire competition.”..”  [Complete Report]

Wealthy Qatar Tries to Build Niche as Conflict Mediator [Jun 4]
“Sudanese rebel leaders, far from the war in Darfur, whiled away their free time in recent months smoking fruit-flavoured waterpipes and dining at all-you-can-eat buffets in Doha luxury hotels as peace talks wore on.  Their stay is on gas-rich Qatar’s tab, part of government efforts to boost the tiny Gulf Arab state’s credentials as the mediator-of-choice in regional and international conflicts.  “Qatar is a good place for negotiation, because the climate here is good for it. They are not seeking to benefit from the negotiation, unlike Chad and other neighbouring countries,” said Hassan al Sadig, a negotiator from Darfur’s main rebel group who was staying at the Doha Movenpick.  Qatar, sitting in the shadow of top oil exporter and political rival Saudi Arabia, has endeavoured to cut a unique profile as a diplomatic arbiter and peace broker in recent years, interceding in conflicts from Lebanon to Yemen and, most recently, Darfur..”  [Complete Report]

Royal Dutch Shell Imports 2nd LNG cargo at $5.2/mmBtu  [Jun 4]
“Royal Dutch Shell has imported its second spot shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) this fiscal, industry sources said.  Shell yesterday received a LNG cargo from Qatar at its Hazira import facility in Gujarat, they said.  QatarGas, a natural gas company of Qatar, sold the shipment to Petronet at about $5.20 per million British thermal units. This price is before levy of 5 per cent customs duty, regasification charges, local taxes and margins.  Shell India’s spokesperson could not be contacted immediately for comments.  The company had imported a cargo at $4.93 per mmBtu in early April.  Petronet LNG, the company that operates nation’s only other operational LNG import facility at Dahej, in Gujarat, has not imported any shipment from the spot market since December.  The flooding of gas from Reliance Industries’ eastern offshore KG-D6 field, coupled with no spare capacity in GAIL India’s pipeline network that transports gas to users in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, had cramped out spot LNG purchases..”  [Complete Report]

Firm Appeals Against The Qatari Investment At Astakos  [Jun 4]
“Engal energy appealed to Greece’s energy watchdog against the decision to grant Qatar a licence to create a 1010MW power unit.  Qatar had said it would incest some invest 3 bil. euro to create a LNG terminal and an unit that will produce electric power in the Astakos Naval Industrial Zone (NAVIPE) in the western part of Greece.  Qataris were granted a licence in 15 days, a record time.  Engal said it had also submitted a request to create a biomass unit in the area.  The firm notes that RAE, the energy watchdog, should have evaluated the two applications in a comparable way..”  [Complete Report]

QATAR GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Qatar Idles LNG Ships as Year-End Gas 18% More  [Jun 3]
“Qatar, the world’s biggest producer of liquefied natural gas, is idling at least eight tankers in the Gulf of Oman as prices for year-end delivery exceed those for next month by 18 percent.  The Qatar Liquefied Gas Co. vessels have a combined capacity of 1.8 million cubic meters (63.6 million cubic feet), enough to supply the U.K. for more than a month. The ships are off the United Arab Emirates, and their depth in the water signals they have full or partial cargoes, ship-tracking data from AIS Live Ltd. compiled by Bloomberg show.  Natural gas for July delivery was up 3.3 percent at $4.572 a million British thermal units at 11:38 a.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange. December futures were at $5.39, meaning producers can earn more by selling later in the year, when cold weather spurs demand for heating fuel..”  [Complete Report]

Vodafone Wants Virgin Out of Qatar  [Jun 3]
“Vodafone Qatar is demanding that the country’s telecom regulator force Virgin Mobile out of the market or cough up damages for allegedly changing conditions of its licence.  Late last month, Vodafone Qatar said it was considering legal action against ictQATAR for allowing Virgin into the market as a third provider, calling it a breach of Vodafone Qatar’s licence agreement.   Vodafone became Qatar’s second mobile operator after obtaining their licence in 2007, breaking Qtel’s monopoly in Qatar.  Virgin however signed a partnership deal with Qtel earlier this year that allows Qtel to offer a prepaid mobile service under the Virgin brand.  In response to Vodafone’s claims, ictQATAR said it was ready to investigate and take action against any company that was offering public telecom services without a licence..”  [Complete Report]

QATAR GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
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Qatar Calls for Probe  [Jun 2]
“Qatar has urged the UN Human Rights Council to issue a resolution condemning Israel’s attack on the Gaza-bound Freedom aid flotilla and calling for an investigation into the incident.  It called for the immediate release of all the detainees and injured activists and for their repatriation with the help of the UN and the International Red Cross. In a speech delivered by Abdullah Falah al-Dosari , Qatar’s permanent delegate at the UN Geneva headquarters, Qatar also urged Israel to allow the entry of all medical, food and construction supplies on the flotilla to the Gaza Strip and for lifting the siege on the area..”  [Complete Report]

Minor Reshuffle in Qatar Cabinet [Jun 2]
“Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani reshuffled his cabinet on Tuesday, replacing one minister and appointing another in a ministerial post that was vacant since the death of its last holder.  Official QNA news agency reported that the emir appointed Sheikh Jassim bin Abdulaziz Al Thani as Minister of Business and Commerce.  The post has remained vacant since last minister Sheikh Fahd bin Jassim Al Thani was killed in a car accident on April 30, 2009, with International Cooperation Minister Khalid bin Mohamed al- Attiyah running the portfolio since then.  The emir also appointed Dr. Ghaith bin Mubarak al-Kuwari as Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs who will replace Sheikh Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Marri..”  [Complete Report]

Injaz Al-Arab Board Convenes in Qatar [Jun 2]
“Injaz Al-Arab, a non profit organization that prepares and inspires the Arab youth to succeed in a global economy, met in Qatar this week to host its bi-annual meeting for board members, where they learnt more about the operation in the country and highlighted regional achievements.  Operating in 13 countries across the Middle East and North Africa region, Injaz al-Arab – an affiliate of Junior Achievement World Wide – is a confederation of national operations collaborating with corporate volunteers and Ministries of Education to provide experiential education and training to Arab youth in work readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship..”  [Complete Report]

QATAR GROK Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]

Qatar Plans to Secure Food Supplies Domestically  [Jun 1]
“Qatar is placing the emphasis on home-grown agricultural production over foreign farmland buys as it seeks to increase its food security, a top food supply official told Reuters on Tuesday.  Farming in the Gulf region is a challenge due to extreme heat, limited water supplies and high soil salinity. Despite the obstacles, Qatar and some other Gulf states are investing in technology that would help secure food supplies domestically.  “Qatar’s priority right now is to put in place the resources to enhance domestic production,” said Mahendra Shah, director at the Qatar National Food Security Program (QNFSP), a state entity established in 2008 to set the policy strategy for the securing food supplies.  Food price rises as commodities ran up to record highs in 2008 sent a shock through the Gulf, one of the world’s biggest food importing regions, and sent governments on a quest to secure future food supplies and defend against future inflationary rises in the prices of basic foodstuffs.  Only a tenth of Qatar’s around 65,000 hectares of arable land is being used for agriculture due to lack of fresh water supplies..” [Complete Report]

Qatar Condemns Israel [Jun 1]
“HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani yesterday condemned Israel’s deadly raid against a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, branding it an “act of piracy”.  The crimes that were committed at dawn today… remind all of us that there is an unjust blockade” in place against Gaza, the Emir told the 10th Doha Forum, calling for an end to the lockdown imposed by Israel.  “All those who speak of justice and freedom and democracy are now required to do something to break this blockade,” said Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa..”  [Complete Report]

South Korea Denies New LNG deal with Qatar [Jun 1]
“outh Korea’s energy ministry and state-run Korea Gas Corp Tuesday denied a media report that it had struck a new LNG import deal with Qatar.       The report quoted Seoul’s energy ministry as saying that Kogas has
agreed to buy an additional 2.1 million mt/year of LNG from Qatar’s RasGas. “The report is false. We have no such a deal,” said an official at the knowledge economy ministry. Kogas also denounced the report as “wrong”.  “We are consistently seeking new deals with LNG producers, including Qatar, as part of securing stable supplies, but we have no new deal with Qatar,” said the official..” [Complete Report]

Al Jazeera Accepts Resignations of Female Presenters  [Jun 1]
“Al Jazeera satellite channel has accepted the resignations of five female presenters who clashed with management over several issues, ranging from alleged harassment to dress code, a London-based Arab newspaper has reported.  “Al Jazeera, in line with its policy of rejecting arm-twisting, has accepted the resignation of the five rebellious presenters,” an official from the pan-Arab station said, quoted by Al Quds Al Arabi on Tuesday.  Jumana Nammour, Lina Zahr Al Deen, Jullinar Mousa, Nawfar Afli and Luna Al Shibl were among a group of eight women working for the Doha-based pan-Arab channel who had filed a complaint to protest against “repeated offensive public remarks” by an official from Al Jazeera about “clothes and decency”.. ..Ayman Jaballah, the deputy editor in chief, whose attitudes were cited by the women presenters in their petition as a major cause for their resignation, was appointed head of “Al Jazeera Live,” one of the station’s channels.  An ad-hoc investigation committee set up by Al Jazeera to look into the presenters’ petition had cleared Jaballah of the harassment complaint, saying that his attitudes and behaviour were within his prerogatives and that he did not make any remarks that could harm the presenters’ reputation..”  [Complete Report]

Qatar to Sell 5 Billion Riyals of Local Bonds at 6.5%  [Jun 1]
“Qatar, holder of the world’s third- largest natural gas reserves, will sell 5 billion riyals ($1.4 billion) of eight-year bonds as the Gulf nation seeks to develop a domestic debt market.  The securities will pay a coupon rate of 6.5 percent, Finance Minister Yousef Kamal told reporters in Doha today. Qatar sold 8.4 billion riyals of 10-year notes in June at 6.55 percent, according to Bloomberg data. The government also plans to offer 5 billion riyals of Islamic debt in the local market, Kamal said yesterday. Qatar is spending billions of dollars diversifying its economy and plans to invest in infrastructure projects, the international oil and gas industry, and sports and cultural attractions. The sale is the first from the Gulf nation since it raised $7 billion from international debt markets in a multi- tranche sale in November..” [Complete Report]

Qatar to invest in Macedonia  [Jun 1]
“The office of the Qatar Emir will receive some twenty projects related to investments in construction of hotels, shopping centres, filling stations and petrol depot in Macedonia by the end of June.  This has been agreed by Macedonian President Dorde Ivanov and Emir of Qatar Hamad bin Kalifa Al Tani at the meeting held within the framework of the 10th Forum in Doha.  They concluded that economic relations should focus on the cooperation between the two countries. The Emir of Qatar will personally entrust Qatar investment organs with the task of dealing with investment possibilities in Macedonia for the purpose of enhancing political and economic relations. Furthermore, the Emir plans to open Qatar embassy in Macedonia..”  [Complete Report]