BUSINESS | Page 1 SPORT | Page 1 Qatar take on Iran in crucial INDEX DOW JONES QE NYMEX QATAR 2-11, 28 COMMENT 26, 27 REGION 11 BUSINESS 1-8, 12-16 WC Ooredoo posts record 20,661.30 10,395.98 48.16 ARAB WORLD 11, 12 CLASSIFIED 9-11 -6.71 -89.55 -0.08 INTERNATIONAL 13-25 SPORTS 1-8 data revenue growth qualifi er -0.03% -0.85% -0.17% Latest Figures published in QATAR since 1978 THURSDAY Vol. XXXVIII No. 10401 March 23, 2017 Jumada II 24, 1438 AH GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals Emir chairs investment council’s meeting FM takes part in meeting of In brief global coalition to defeat ISIS QNA Washington QATAR | Services 6mn transactions E the Foreign Minister of Qatar via Metrash2 app Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrah- HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the Chairman of the Supreme Council for Economic Aff airs and Investment, chaired the council’s second meeting of 2017 Hman al-Thani participated yester- Around 6mn transactions have been which was held at the Emiri Diwan yesterday. HH the Deputy Emir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani, vice-president of the council, attended the meeting along with day in the Ministerial Plenary for the Glo- accomplished through the Metrash2 HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, Prime Minister and Interior Minister and the council’s executive member, and members of the council. HE the Finance bal Coalition Working to Defeat ISIS, after application, the Ministry of Interior Minister and secretary-general of the council Ali Sherif al-Emadi said the council discussed topics on its agenda and took the appropriate decisions. It also reviewed the receiving an invitation from US Secretary (MoI) has said. Through a series of latest developments related to investment and energy aff airs. of State Rex Tillerson. posts on Twitter, the MoI said visa The meeting covered the latest devel- services completed through the app opments of Syria and Iraq. amounted to 2.5mn, while 1.5mn exit The participants also exchanged views permits were issued using the app on ways that can permanently defeat ISIS. and there were 453,000 residency Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), permit-related transactions as well. the Foreign Minister said that interna- Also, about 1.5mn traff ic services tional counter-terrorism eff orts and the were completed through Metrash2 ones specifi cally targeting ISIS cannot and 2,600 community police succeed unless the main reasons for ex- services were provided through the tremism are dealt with. Four dead, 20 hurt He said that the political, econom- app. In all, around 8mn queries have ic, and social conditions, as well as the been completed through Metrash2 shocking human rights violations were until now, the MoI informed, adding nurturing the suitable environment for that the number of app subscribers terrorism to grow. had reached 328,000. “Metrash2 Today’s meeting was the fi rst time since provides the convenience of December 2014 that all 68 members of the obtaining MoI services 24/7 on your in London attack coalition took part. mobile phone with least eff ort and Meanwhile, HE the Foreign Minister time,” the MoI said. Reuters bers of the public, also including three Tobias Ellwood, a junior Foreign Of- also participated yesterday in the Paris London police offi cers. fi ce minister, was pictured attempting group meeting on Syria at the French em- “A car then crashed near to parlia- to resuscitate a man lying unconscious, bassy in Washington. ment and at least one man, armed with reported to be the stabbed policeman. The meeting reviewed developments in our people were killed and at a knife, continued the attack and tried Prime Minister Theresa May chaired Syria and means of co-operation to reach a least 20 injured in London yes- to enter parliament,” Rowley said. a meeting of the government’s crisis settlement for the Syrian crisis. Fterday after a car ploughed into Reuters reporters inside parliament response committee. The minister stressed the need to reach pedestrians and an attacker stabbed a during the attack heard loud bangs and “The thoughts of the PM and the a comprehensive political solution in Syria policeman close to the British parlia- shortly afterwards saw the knifeman government are with those killed and to save it from the threat of disintegration. ment in what police called a “maraud- and the stabbed policeman lying on injured in this appalling incident, and Foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, ing terrorist attack”. the ground in a courtyard within the with their families,” her offi ce said in a France, Jordan, UAE and Turkey took part. The dead included the assailant and gates of parliament. statement. the policeman he stabbed, while the A Reuters photographer saw at least London Mayor Sadiq Khan said Chances of rain again other two victims were among those a dozen people injured on the bridge. there would be additional police offi c- hit by the car as it tore along Westmin- His photographs showed people ers on the city streets to keep London- There are chances of rain and thunder ster Bridge before crashing into rail- lying on the ground, some of them ers and visitors safe. once again in the country from this evening, ings just outside parliament. bleeding heavily and one under a bus. “We stand together in the face of and strong winds are also expected today, “We’ve declared this as a terrorist in- A woman was pulled alive, but with those who seek to harm us and destroy the Qatar Met department has said. The cident and the counter-terrorism com- serious injuries, from the Thames, the our way of life. We always have, and we weather offi ce has also issued a warning mand are carrying out a full-scale in- Port of London Authority said. always will. Londoners will never be for thundershowers, windy conditions and vestigation into the events today,” Mark Three French schoolchildren aged 15 cowed by terrorism,” he said. high seas in off shore areas. On Tuesday, Rowley, Britain’s most senior counter- or 16 were among those injured in the Parliament’s lower House of Com- the Met department had said the country terrorism offi cer, told reporters. attack, French offi cials said. mons, which was in session at the British police off icers stand on duty would experience another spell of unstable “The attack started when a car was Several members of parliament time, was suspended. outside the Carriage Gates entrance weather and rain – heavy and thundery driven over Westminster Bridge, hit- (MPs) and senior offi cials were caught In a telephone call with May, Presi- of the Houses of Parliament in London at times - from this evening until Monday ting and injuring a number of mem- up in the chaos. dent Donald Trump off ered Britain the yesterday. evening. Page 8 full co-operation and sup- port of the United States, the Qatar condemns UK parliament attack White House said. US Secretary of State Rex Qatar condemned yesterday the attack as all criminal acts that contradict Tillerson condemned the at- which took place near the Houses with humanitarian principles and tack as “horrifi c acts of vio- of Parliament and led to the death of international law. The statement also lence”. two and a number of others suff ering stressed Qatar’s support to the UK German Chancellor An- injuries. The Foreign Ministry released government in all the measures it takes to gela Merkel and Nato Secre- a statement yesterday stressing maintain the country’s security. It off ered tary-General Jens Stolten- Qatar’s rejection of violence in all its condolences to the families of the victims, berg were among foreign forms regardless of its motives as well wishing the injured a speedy recovery. leaders who expressed shock and solidarity. Qatar-UK business forum to facilitate bilateral trade By Pratap John Qatar-UK relationship and a very conference in one way or another. Chief Business Reporter strong sense of partnership. Just like And nothing like this has happened trade goes two ways to Qatar and between the UK and Qatar before. the UK… at the same time partner- That’s what makes it special.” he Qatar-UK Business & In- ship goes two ways – what we want The other thing, he said that vestment Forum in London to see prosperity and security of the makes the forum special “is the way Tand Birmingham later this UK and Qatar,” Sharma said. we are really drilling down on the ar- month will facilitate an increase in He said what makes the event eas of co-operation.” the bilateral trade between the two special “is the very high level of sen- “For the UK, it is very important countries, which currently stands at iority and the breadth of the partici- that we will have a real and tangible more than £5bn a year, said British pation.” partnership in areas of co-opera- ambassador Ajay Sharma. On the Qatari side, HE the Prime tion.” “We want Qatar to invest more Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nass- On the fi rst day of the forum in in the UK – in diff erent ways. We British ambassador Ajay Sharma er bin Khalifa al-Thani will lead the London, Qatar will showcase what are encouraging Qatari investment speaking to journalists at the British delegation, which comprises six it has to off er. On the second day in outside of real estate into urban re- embassy in Doha yesterday. ministers, top offi cials and lead- Birmingham, Britain will showcase generation, infrastructure, energy ing fi gures from the Qatari business what it has to off er Qatar – invest- and science and innovation.