Middle East > Qatar

Qatar

Capital: Doha ; GDP growth (annual %) 2016 : 2.2 %

Qatar Airways transit business in jeopardy

Qatar Airways has made Doha a world hub in just a few years, but barring it from Gulf states' airspace threatens its position as a major transcontinental carrier, experts say.

Along with its Gulf peers -- Dubai's Emirates Airlines and Abu Dhabi's Etihad -- Qatar's national carrier has captured a sizable portion of transit travel, capitalising on the Gulf's central geographic location.Experts say barring Qatar's national airline from Gulf states' airspace threatens its position as major transcontinental carrier.
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Abu Dhabi says Gulf air embargo only applies to Qatar firms

The air embargo imposed on Qatar only applies to airlines from Qatar or registered there, the United Arab Emirates Civil Aviation Authority said Tuesday.Embargo bans all Qatari aviation companies, aircraft registered in Qatar from landing or transiting through airspace of UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain.

Saudi Arabia and Bahrain issued identical statements on the air embargo, which came into result at the same time as Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Manama broke off relations with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of supporting "terrorism".
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Qatar plans to boost gas production by 30%

Energy-rich Qatar said Tuesday it plans to increase natural gas production by 30 % over the next several years, as it faces pressure from its neighbours in a diplomatic crisis.

Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the chief of Qatar Petroleum, told a press conference that the emirate intends to raise production to 100 million tonnes of natural gas a year by 2024.
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Key Facts: Full name: The State of Qatar
Population: 1.6 million (UN, 2010)
Area: 11,437 sq km (4,416 sq miles)
Major language: Arabic
Major religion: Islam
Life expectancy: 79 years (men), 78 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 Riyal = 100 dirhams
Main exports: Oil, gas
GNI per capita: n/a
Internet domain: .qa
International dialling code: +974

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interview

Climate change laws around the world
2017/05/14
There has been a 20-fold increase in the number of global climate change laws since 1997, according to the most comprehensive database of relevant policy and legislation.

The database, produced by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and the Sabin Center on Climate Change Law, includes more than 1,200 relevant policies across 164 countries, which account for 95% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

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Qatar Year in Review 2016
2017/04/16
Stability and consolidation were Qatar’s watchwords in 2016, as the government continued to make long-term investments in national infrastructure at a time of restricted economic increase in the region.

Marked improvements

In its October 2016 “World Economic Outlook” statement, the IMF estimate that Qatar’s GDP increase for the year would come in at 2.6%, down from 3.7% in 2015, as high national spending continued in a wider context of lower energy prices.

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Qatar Year in Review 2014
2015/03/31
Despite falling oil prices, the economy in Qatar maintained a steady rate of expansion throughout 2014, with targets of even additional robust increase this year, fuelled by the non-hydrocarbon sector.

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Shell drops $6.5bn Al Karaana
2015/01/16
Royal Dutch Shell has scrapped plans for a $6.5bn petrochemicals project with Qatar Petroleum, citing “the current economic climate prevailing in the energy industry”, the oil major said on Wednesday.
The Al Karaana project, an 80:20 joint venture between Qatar Petroleum and Shell, would have produced 2m tonnes a year of petrochemicals products, largely intended for Asian markets.

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Dr Raghavan Seetharaman, CEO of Doha Bank
2016/12/25
Qatar needs to speak up and share its achievements with the rest of the world, states Dr Raghavan Seetharaman, CEO of one of its leading financial institutions, Doha Bank. Speaking to The Worldfolio, he looks at the country’s strengths, ambitions and expanding international links, inclunding the significant impact Doha Bank continues to have on the country’s development, particularly though its green innovations and SME support.

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Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker
2013/01/14
Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker Interviewed By Robeel Haq

Formerly this year, a staggering 18.8 million passengers from 100 different nationalities voted for their favourite airline, the results of which were announced at the prestigious Skytrax World Airline Awards. Speculation had been mounting for several months about the potential winner, with Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Asiana Airlines hot favourites to reclaim the title, having collected the award in 2008, 2009 and 2010, respectively.

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