The credit card in general is an unfamiliar system to the Islamic jurisprudence. It is impossible to categorize the credit card wholly under any of the well-known contracts in the Islamic jurisprudence -- this is because it constitutes a number of contracts which merge together to give such an unprecedented system. As a result of this, Islamic scholars could not reach unanimity on the question of the validity of the credit card in Islam.

The strong dusty winds that lashed the country since midnight on Monday are expected to continue until Friday, says the Meteorology Department.

A regional workshop on finding the right balance between effective counter-terrorism measures and full respect of fundamental freedoms and human rights opened at the InterContinental Hotel yesterday.

The president and chief executive officer of Raymond Weil, Olivier Bernheim, yesterday said the company is planning to expand its business here and is looking for a place to open its second store in the country.

A Qatar investor wants to buy the historic Gdynia shipyard in Poland, whose strikes in the 1970s led to the birth of Solidarity in neighbouring Gdansk and helped bring down communism in Poland, the daily Polska reported yesterday.

Ikea, the Swedish furniture chain, is planning to expand into Oman and Qatar with a new store in each country, the company’s operations and project manager in Dubai said on Monday.

Inflation in Qatar may come down to seven percent in 2010, the Bank of America – Merrill Lynch has said in a new report.

Abu Dhabi contractor National Projects & Construction is targeting a AED2bn ($544.5m) contract in Qatar, and is hoping to sell shares to the public within two years, its general manager said.