Author: Saleem el-Salik

Manchester United are anticipating formal takeover offers from prospective buyers from the Middle East, Asia & USA ahead of a mid-February deadline. Glazer family open to offersExpecting formal bids by mid-FebruarySir Jim Ratcliffe is also keeping a close eyeWHAT HAPPENED? Since the Glazer family announced that they will “explore strategic alternatives” at Old Trafford with “new investment into the club, a sale or other transactions” being considered, there has been no shortage of speculation about the next potential buyer. THE BIGGER PICTURE: The Telegraph reports that Manchester United have received serious enquiries from the Middle East, Asia & USA and…

Middle East and North African states have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts and benefits to British parliamentarians, according to a database published this week. “Westminster Accounts”, a compilation of figures launched on Monday by Sky News and Tortoise Media, showed that Qatar was among the highest donors of “gifts and benefits” to members of parliament since the last general election in December 2019, spending around £267,990 ($325,078). Bahrian and the United Arab Emirates each spent more than $5o,000 each. Pro-Israel groups also featured in the figures, including the Conservative Friends of Israel, who gave a sizeable £116,700…

The United States has become the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas alongside Qatar. Bloomberg reported today that the lighting fast increase in U.S. LNG shipments abroad had brought it on par with the world’s largest exporter per cargo-tracking data compiled by the news agency. Both countries, Bloomberg said, exported 81.2 million tons of the superchilled fuel last year. What’s more, the U.S. could have topped Qatar if it weren’t for the fire that shut down the Freeport LNG facility in mid-2022 and kept it shut down for the remainder of the year. With Freeport LNG, total U.S. LNG…

A third of the world is expected to go into a recession this year amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and a slowdown in major economies, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned on Sunday, though economists told Doha News Qatar’s economy will likely continue to expand. Speaking to CBS, the IMF’s Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva offered a bleak view of the new year, warning that it will be “tougher than the year we leave behind.” “We expect one-third of the world economy to be in recession,” Georgieva told CBS’s ‘Face the Nation’. Explaining this year’s economic forecast, the IMF official…

Qatar ranked first among 50 of the world’s top destinations for foreign direct investment (FDI), as the Gulf state boasting a positive economic outlook for this year despite warnings of a looming recession. The findings were published in a new report by fDi Intelligence titled “FDI Standouts Watchlist 2023”, which said that Qatar leads the top 10, followed by India and Morocco. Offering a promising view on Qatar’s FDI this year, the report said Doha’s FDI recorded a 70% annual growth between 2019 and 2022, with a possible 2.4% increase in 2023. It noted that inflation is also not expected…

Doha: The Ministry of Public Health announced new travel requirements for all travelers (citizens, residents, and visitors) coming from China to Qatar as of Tuesday evening, January 3, 2023. All travelers coming to the State of Qatar from China, regardless of vaccination or immunity status, must present a negative PCR result taken within 48 hours of the time of departure to the State of Qatar, the Ministry of Public Health indicated. The updated COVID-19 policy is a temporary measure that has been made to safeguard the passengers coming to Qatar and the community against the virus, with China currently experiencing…

The Qatar government paid for Wales’ First Minister to stay in a five-star hotel during his visit for the World Cup, it has been revealed. Mark Drakeford, Wales’ economy minister Vaughan Gething and four officials were put up for three nights in the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Doha, according to a response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by BBC Wales. It revealed the host nation provided the accommodation, board, and transport to these individuals as part of a hospitality package offered to all delegates and their travelling parties attending the football tournament. The first minister of Wales was…

The General Directorate for Drug Control and the Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority conducted the operation. (SPA) RIYADH: Authorities in Saudi Arabia thwarted an attempt to smuggle over 3 million amphetamine tablets into the Kingdom, the General Directorate for Drug Control said on Wednesday. Maj. Mohammed Al-Nujaidi, the spokesman for the Kingdom’s anti-drug authority, stated that during a “security follow-up of drug smuggling and promotion networks targeting the security of the Kingdom and its youth,” authorities managed to thwart an attempt to smuggle 3,049,451 tablets of amphetamine hidden inside compartments of a truck. Al-Nujaidi said the operation was done in…

Users are advised to access official websites to avoid falling for online fraud The authorities have warned residents to beware of fake messages claiming to be from major courier companies. The UAE Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) on Tuesday posted a message on social media alerting residents of a scam that makes users click on links to pay for delivery charges. The authority has urged residents not to click or interact with any such links, and to only connect with official websites for any services to avoid falling for online traps. According to TDRA, necessary action has been…