British Charg・d'Affaires and Head of Mission Roddy Drummond yesterday welcomed the London signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Armed Forces of Qatar and the British Armed Forces.

Arab human rights activists have urged the setting up of a permanent human rights committee under the aegis of the GCC General Secretariat. This call was made at the end of the five-day Regional Programme for Human Rights Activists held at the Millennium Hotel here.

LONDON • Gulf Arab oil producers are unlikely to decide on a new deadline to launch a single currency until next year as the 2010 target for monetary union becomes “difficult”, Bahrain’s central bank governor said yesterday.

UNITED NATIONS • Although Doha's hotels were slightly less full during the first quarter of 2008 than against the same period last year, the outlook for tourism in Qatar remains positive, according to a new UN report.

QNB, the country’s largest bank by assets, has reported a healthy 54% growth in first half net profit to QR1.86bn.

THREE Qatar University students have made a documentary on the inflationary pressures in Qatar, particularly the impact of the rising rents, as part of their graduation project.

FOREIGN investment in Qatar leapt to $1.79bn in 2006 from $252mn in 2000, the Qatar Statistics Authority (QSA) said in a report released yesterday.

AS part of its summer campaign, Qtel will introduce from tonight “Late talkers”, a promotion aimed at winning postpaid, prepaid and landline customers.

LONDON: Rafael Nadal dethroned five-time champion Roger Federer as king of Wimbledon yesterday with an epic 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-7 (8/10), 9-7 win in one of the greatest Grand Slam finals of all time.

Thousands evacuated after Doha Jadeed blaze