UAE, Qatar most competitive countries in Middle East

August 15th, 2009 Qatar acquire 17% Porsche stakeDOHA, Qatar — Qatar Holding has announced it will acquire a 17 percent stake in Volkswagen AG, which is merging with Porsche, in a deal that will exceed $10 billion. This comes after the Porsche and Piech families said it will sell a 10 percent stake of their shares to the Gulf company.

July 31st, 2009 THRISSUR - Kerala-based South Indian Bank (SIB) is close to signing a partnership agreement with a major commercial bank in Qatar, a senior SIB official said Friday. Talks on the agreement are fast progressing and the deal would be announced shortly, the official told IANS on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak on the matter.

July 27th, 2009 HYDERABAD - City-based 160by2.com, one of the leading free SMS service providers in the country, has launched a service for its customers to send free text messages to and from the Middle East. "The first-of-its-kind service is open to all internet users in India and enables free SMS connectivity to mobiles in these countries and vice versa.

July 1st, 2009 MUMBAI - At least three Indian crew members are among 30 reported missing after an offshore vessel sank off the Doha coast in Qatar, an Indian maritime authority said here Wednesday. The offshore vessel, Demas Victory, bearing the flag of St Vincent & the Grenadines, had six Indians in the 35-member crew when it sank Tuesday.

July 1st, 2009 DOHA - About sixteen Indians were feared to be among 30 dead in a tragic incident in which as a vessel, 'Damas Victory', hired by a Qatar based oil-firm capsized off the coast of Qatar on Wednesday. The incident took place about two nautical miles off Doha at around 6.30 am local time on Tuesday, the vessel had 35 people including 19 Indians on board.

June 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US Secretary of Defence, Robert Gates has warned that the terror threat emanating from Pakistan and Afghanistan is dangerous for the Gulf countries as well. Speaking at a conference of Defence Chiefs of 11 Gulf countries here, Gates warned that the middle-east countries cannot afford to neglect the threat posed by different extremist organizations breeding inside Pakistan and Afghanistan.

June 23rd, 2009 Geithner plans trips to Europe and Middle EastWASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will travel to the Middle East and Europe next month for a series of meetings to discuss global economic issues. The Treasury Department said Tuesday that Geithner will meet with officials in Britain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and France to discuss the global economic downturn and financial crisis before a leaders' summit of the Group of 20 nations in September in Pittsburgh.

June 19th, 2009 NYSE Euronext invests in Qatari stock exchangeLONDON — Stock exchange operator NYSE Euronext said Friday it has invested 200 million pounds in a rebranded stock exchange in Qatar, reducing the size of its planned investment in the energy-rich Persian Gulf. NYSE Euronext said that it will pick up a 20 percent stake in a joint venture to rebrand the exchange with the Qatar Investment Authority — instead of the 250 million pounds for a 25 percent stake they had announced a year ago.

June 4th, 2009 CAIRO - In a much-anticipated speech to the Muslim world from Cairo Thursday, US President Barack Obama urged Iran and other countries to abandon their nuclear weapons programmes. He acknowledged the US role in "overthrowing a democratically elected government" in Iran.

June 1st, 2009 NICOSIA - Qatar 's Dohaland firm has announced plans to develop and regenerate a 35 hectare site located in inner Doha. The project will be executed in five stages at a total cost of 5.5 billion dollars and is to be completed in 2016.

May 8th, 2009 Cuba teams with Qatar to build beach resortHAVANA — Cuba and Qatar signed an agreement Wednesday to build a $75 million, 450-room resort on a cay south of the island. The two parties will spend 14 months hammering out financing details for the five-star Gran Paraiso, or "Great Paradise," said Ghanim Bin Saad al-Saad, president of state-owned Qatar Diar Real Estate Investment Co.

February 5th, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan Friday asked the central government to help the large number of the state's diaspora who have lost their jobs in the Middle East.

January 18th, 2009 DUBAI - Members of an expatriate Indian organisation in Qatar have come together and contributed 50,001 Qatari riyals (around $13,737) to a fund created for the aid of victims in the Gaza violence. The Indian Cultural and Arts Society (Incas) has become the first expatriate organisation in that Gulf country to contribute to the Gaza Fund that was created by Qatar Charity, the largest non-government charitable organisation in Qatar.

January 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India Wednesday offered a 10 percent stake in Petronet LNG Ltd, the state-run procurer of liquefied natural gas (LNG), to Qatar. Petroleum Minister Murli Deora made the offer to visiting Qatari deputy premier and energy minister, Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, at a breakfast meeting here.

January 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Qatar will this year increase its supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to India, the nation's Oil Minister Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah said here Tuesday. Qatar will sell 'extra LNG cargoes this year', the minister told reporters on the sidelines of the Petrotech 2009 conference.