Up to 30 feared dead after ship capsizes off Qatar capital Doha in rough Persian Gulf waters

September 10th, 2009 200 missing after Sierra Leone boat capsizesFREETOWN, Sierra Leone — More than 200 people, including many schoolchildren returning from holidays, were missing and feared dead Thursday, a day after a wooden boat capsized at sea, authorities said. Thirty-nine passengers have been rescued so far off the coast of the West African nation, said Naval Lt.

August 31st, 2009 MANAMA - A traditional wooden ship with Indian crew sailing from the United Arab Emirates toward Bahrain was the target of the first act of sea piracy reported in Persian Gulf waters in years, according to details of the attack that emerged Sunday. The Bahraini dhow was intercepted Friday night by another ship with an armed crew, security sources said.

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 2nd, 2009 KATHMANDU - Twenty-nine people, including 13 Indians and 12 Nepalis, are feared to have perished in a ship capsize off Doha Port in Qatar after searches for survivors since Tuesday yielded only five bodies. Only two of the bodies have been identified so far, Nepal's foreign ministry told IANS.

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 OKHA - A Saudi merchant ship named Al-Jawaz-e-Karam was reported missing and feared sunk about 12 nautical miles off the Okha port in the deep waters of the Arabian sea in western Gujarat Thursday morning. "The upper layer disturbance over the Arabian sea had led to cyclonic conditions off the Okha coast (since Wednesday), in which two merchant ships, both bearing a Saudi flag - Al-Hussani and Al-Jawaaz-e-Karam - were caught in the mid-sea in the early hours (Thursday)," a senior coast guard official told IANS.

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 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 25th, 2009 DOHA - Doha taxi drivers know when someone asks to be dropped at the City Centre mall in the Qatari capital, they've got some serious money to spend. It happens all the time.

May 9th, 2009 Americans Padgett, Felix cruise to wins in QatarDOHA, Qatar — Travis Padgett and Allyson Felix of the United States won the men's 100 meters and women's 400 at the Qatar Super Grand Prix on Friday. Padgett equaled the year's best time of 10 seconds, pushing Jamaica's Michael Frater to second in 10.15 and Britain's Marlon Devonish to third.

April 28th, 2009 Qatar eyes stake in Germany's PorscheCAIRO — Qatar is in discussions about the possibility of buying a stake in Germany automaker Porsche AG, the country's prime minister said in the latest indication the energy rich Persian Gulf nation is pushing ahead with its growth and investment plans despite the global recession. Sheik Hamad bin Jassem Al Thani was quoted Tuesday by the country's Al-Arab newspaper as saying that discussions and meetings are ongoing with the luxury sports car maker, but no decision had been reached.

April 27th, 2009 US envoy on Iran policy to visit GulfWASHINGTON — The State Department is sending its special envoy for the Persian Gulf to the region to discuss international diplomatic efforts to persuade Iran to abandon its suspected quest for nuclear weapons. It will be the first trip to the region for Dennis Ross since he was named to the position in late February.

January 23rd, 2009 DOHA - A solid back nine with three birdies saw India's top golfer Jeev Milkha Singh finish the third round in two-under 70 to move up to tied 31st with one more round to go in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters golf tournament here Saturday. Meanwhile, Jyoti Randhawa shot an even par 72 to drop from 25th to 36th.

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.