Page 4 - Qatar

Qatar's credit rating upgraded by Moody's to match France, UAE, overtake UK

The rating company also changed Qatar's outlook from positive to stable, meaning another upgrade is unlikely in the short term

Shipments affected by Houthi assaults as vessel attacked off Yemen: Qatar

Qatar, one of the world's top exporters of liquified natural gas, warned Wednesday that its deliveries had been affected by ongoing attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on shipping over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The statement by QatarEnergy came as an explosion struck near a ship Wednesday travelling through a crucial strait near Yemen, though no damage or injuries were reported, the British military said. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion immediately fell on the Houthis. Ships carrying liquified natural gas from Qatar had been delayed previously before heading through the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. That's where the Houthi attacks have snarled shipping in a key route for Asia and the Middle East to ship cargo and energy to Europe. Qatar, which has served as a key mediator between Hamas and Israel, has yet to see any of its ships attacked, however. A statement from its state-owned Qatar Energy producer said that its production ...

Israel-Hamas war: Qatar, France send medicine for hostages in Gaza

A shipment of medicine for dozens of hostages held by Hamas was en route to Gaza on Wednesday after France and Qatar mediated the first agreement between Israel and the militant group since a weeklong cease-fire broke down in November. The medicines will be shipped through Egypt and delivered to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which will then hand them over to Hamas. Qatar said the deal also includes the delivery of additional medicine and humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the besieged coastal enclave. The deal came more than 100 days into a conflict that shows no sign of ending and which has sparked tensions across the Middle East, with a dizzying array of strikes and counterstrikes in recent days from northern Iraq to the Red Sea and from southern Lebanon to Pakistan. In Gaza, Palestinian militants are still putting up resistance across the narrow coastal strip in the face of one of the deadliest military campaigns in recent history. Some 85 per cent of the ...

QatarEnergy halts Red Sea LNG shipping amid attacks, seeks security advice

At least four tankers used to carry Qatari LNG were held up over the weekend after U.S. and British forces responded by carrying out dozens of air and sea strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen

Qatar's $450 billion sovereign wealth fund won't abandon Canary Wharf

Canary Wharf has struggled since the pandemic led to a shift to flexible working, bringing in fewer workers to populate the desks of the large office blocks that dominate its skyline

Case involving Indians in Qatar: Legal team has 60 days to appeal, says MEA

The legal team of eight jailed former Indian Navy personnel was given 60 days to appeal against the ruling by Qatar's court of appeal, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday. Last month, the Court of Appeal in Qatar commuted the death sentence handed down to the Indians and sentenced them to prison for varying durations. The verdict came weeks after the family members of the Indians filed an appeal against the earlier order by another court. The Navy veterans were on October 26 given death sentences by Qatar's Court of First Instance. Sixty days' time has been given to file an appeal against the order at Qatar's highest court, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing.

Petronet to sign deal to extend Qatar LNG imports beyond 2028: Oil secy

Petronet has a 7.5-million metric ton per year (tpy) long-term LNG import deal with Qatar and its promoters Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp and GAIL (India) Ltd has a 1 million tpy deal

Egypt floats plan to end Israel-Hamas war, create transitional govt

Egypt has put forward an ambitious, initial proposal to end the Israel-Hamas war with a cease-fire, a phased hostage release and the creation of a Palestinian government of experts who would administer the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank, a senior Egyptian official and a European diplomat said on Monday. The proposal, worked out with the Gulf nation of Qatar, has been presented to Israel, Hamas, the United States and European governments but still appeared preliminary. It falls short of Israel's professed goal of outright crushing Hamas and would appear not to meet Israel's insistence on keeping military control over Gaza for an extended period after the war. Israel's War Cabinet, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will meet later Monday discuss the hostage situation, among other topics, an Israeli official said, but would not say if they would discuss the Egyptian proposal. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the ...

Cong MP flies notice to discuss death penalty to ex-navy staff in Qatar

Tewari alleged that the central government has not even called in the Qatari Ambassador to protest the matter strongly and there is no "visible protest" by the central government

Exhaust every resource to bring back ex-Navy staff from Qatar: Adhir in LS

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday demanded that the government "exhausts every resource" to bring back the eight former naval personnel who were handed death sentences by a court in Qatar. The Indian nationals were handed the death sentence by Qatar's Court of First Instance on October 26. India described the ruling as "deeply" shocking and vowed to explore all legal options in the case. Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Chowdhury said the government should exhaust every resource to get rid of the charges against the Indian nationals convicted by the Qatari court. An appeal has already been filed against the death sentence and a higher court in Qatar has admitted the plea. The appeal has been filed by the legal team of the detained Indian nationals. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai last week and discussed the well-being of the Indian community in that ...

Cong MP gives adjournment notice to discuss death penalty to ex- navy staff

The eight former Indian Navy personnel were employees of Dahra Global, a Doha-based private defence services provider. MP Manish Tewari has filed the plea in LS during Parl winter session

PM Modi meets Qatar's ruler at COP28 amid navy veterans' death row

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Qatar's Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai on Friday, as they discussed bilateral partnership and the well-being of the Indian community in the oil-rich country. The meeting is significant as eight former Indian Navy personnel were on October 26 given death sentences by a court in Qatar and the Indian government has reportedly filed an appeal against the sentence. "On the sidelines of the COP28 Summit in Dubai yesterday, had the opportunity to meet HH Sheikh @TamimBinHamad, the Amir of Qatar. "We had a good conversation on the potential of bilateral partnership and the well-being of the Indian community in Qatar," Modi posted on X on Saturday. The Indian nationals, who worked with private company Al Dahra, were arrested in August last year reportedly in an alleged case of espionage. Neither the Qatari authorities nor New Delhi made the charges against the Indian nationals public. India had described t

'Govt making all-out efforts to bring back Navy men on death row in Qatar'

The government is making all-out efforts to bring back eight former naval personnel from Qatar, who were handed death sentences by a Qatari court, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said on Friday. "There is total support and effort being put in by the government," he said. The Navy veterans were on October 26 sentenced to death by Qatar's Court of First Instance. India described the ruling as "deeply" shocking and vowed to explore all legal options. An appeal has already been filed against the death sentence and a higher court in Qatar has admitted the plea. "The ex-naval officers in Qatar are veterans.... And we are interested in ensuring that their welfare is taken care of. I want to reassure you that the Indian government is putting all-out efforts to ensure that they are brought back," Kumar said this while responding to a question at a media briefing. The Indian nationals, who worked with private company Al Dahra, were arrested in August last year reportedly in a case of allege

Talks continue on Israel-Hamas truce as airstrikes hit Gaza, says Qatar

Mediator Qatar said Friday that efforts are continuing to renew an Israel-Hamas truce and expressed deep regret over the resumption of Israeli bombardments after a weeklong cease-fire expired earlier in the day. Israel and Hamas have traded blame, with each saying the other side violated the terms of the truce. Qatar, which has served as a mediator along with Egypt, appeared to be singling out Israel's role in the resumption of violence. Qatar's Foreign Ministry said that the continued bombing of the Gaza Strip in the first hours after the end of the pause complicates mediation efforts and exacerbates the humanitarian catastrophe in the territory. It urged the international community to move quickly to stop the violence.

Govt making efforts to bring them back: Navy Chief on ex-personnel in Qatar

Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar on Friday said the government is putting all-out efforts to bring back eight former naval personnel from Qatar, who were handed death sentence by a Qatari court. "We are working closely to ensure that their interests are looked after," Admiral Kumar said at a media briefing. "The government of India is putting all-out efforts to ensure they are brought back," he said. The Indian nationals were on October 26 given death sentence by Qatar's Court of First Instance. India described the ruling as "deeply" shocking and vowed to explore all legal options in the case. An appeal has already been filed against the death sentence and a higher court in Qatar has already admitted the plea. The appeal has been filed by the legal team of the detained Indian nationals. The Indian nationals, who worked with private company Al Dahra, were arrested in August last year reportedly in an alleged case of espionage. Neither the Qatari authorities nor New Delhi made the

Israel, Hamas agree to extend truce for two more days, free more hostages

Israel and Hamas agreed to extend their cease-fire for two more days past Monday, the Qatari government said, bringing the prospect of a longer halt to their deadliest and most destructive war and further exchanges of militant-held hostages for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. The announcement, made by Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid Al Ansary in a post on X, came on the final day of the original four-day truce between the warring sides. A fourth swap of hostages for prisoners under that deal was expected later Monday. Qatar, along with the United States and Egypt, has been the key mediator in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Israel has said it would extend the cease-fire by one day for every 10 additional hostages released. After the Qatari announcement, Hamas confirmed it had agreed to a two-day extension under the same terms. But Israel says it remains committed to crushing Hamas' military capabilities and ending its 16-year rule over Gaza after its Oct. 7

Qatar accepts India's appeal against death sentence to ex Navy officers

Qatar court admits India's appeal against death penalty to 8 ex-Navy men

A Qatari court has admitted the Indian government's appeal against the death penalty handed down to eight former Indian Navy personnel in that country, according to media reports, even as there was no official word from the Ministry of External Affairs here on Friday. The Qatari court on Thursday admitted the appeal filed by the Indian government and the next hearing is to be held soon, the reports said. Last week, India said the appeal process against the death sentence given to the eight former Indian Navy personnel by a Qatari court is under process and it was hopeful of a positive outcome from it. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said India is engaged with the Qatari authorities on the matter and the government will continue to extend all legal and consular assistance to the Indian nationals. The eight Indians were on October 26 given the death sentence by Qatar's Court of First Instance. India described the ruling as "deeply" shocking and vowed to expl

Qatar confirms release of 24 hostages held by Hamas for 7 weeks in Gaza

Qatar's Foreign Ministry has confirmed the release of 24 hostages after seven weeks of captivity in the Gaza Strip. Those released include 13 Israeli citizens, some of whom are dual citizens, in addition to 10 Thai citizens and a Filipino citizen, said Majed al-Ansari, the ministry's spokesman. Qatar was a key mediator in the hostage release. The International Committee of the Red Cross, which delivered the hostages from Gaza into Egypt, also confirmed the release. The hostages, women and children, were undergoing medical checks before they were to be transferred to Israel. They are to be taken to Israeli hospitals and reunited with their families. The hostages are the first of 50 people to be released from Gaza during a four-day truce that began Friday. Israel is to release 39 Palestinian prisoners later Friday, the first of a total of 150 Palestinian prisoners to be freed under the cease-fire. Israel declared war against Hamas after the Islamic militant group killed at least 1,2

Truce begins in Israel-Hamas war; stage set for release of hostages

A temporary truce in the Israel-Hamas war took effect early Friday, setting the stage for the exchange of dozens of hostages held by militants in Gaza for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. The halt in fighting began at 7 am local time (0500 GMT) and is to last at least four days. During the truce, Gaza's ruling Hamas group pledged to free at least 50 of the about 240 hostages it and other militants took in their deadly Oct 7 attack on Israel. In turn, Israel is to free three Palestinian prisoners for each released hostage. The releases are to take place in stages over the next four days. The truce deal was reached in weeks of intense indirect negotiations, with Qatar, the United States and Egypt serving as mediators. If it holds, it would mark the first significant break in fighting since Israel declared war on Hamas seven weeks ago. About 1,200 people were killed by Hamas attackers in Israel on Oct 7. Israel responded with a massive air and ground offensive that has devastated lar