A CHRISTIAN man and a Muslim woman escaped jail for having illicit relations after he converted to Islam and the couple married.

DOHA • Qatar is projected to become the richest country in the world in terms of GDP per capita income, which was estimated at $76,000 in 2007, according to a report released by the International Bank of Qatar (IBQ)

A Bangkok-bound Qatar Airways flight was diverted to Mumbai early yesterday after a passenger misbehaved on board, an airport official here said.

Many commuters who do not have their own vehicles prefer to hire 'taxis' that are illegally operated here by some private car owners.

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.