News / UK and world by Press Association July 24, 2018, 12:48 pm FacebookTwitterLinkedInWhatsAppEmail Sign up to our Daily newsletter Theresa May has made a pitch to help bring football home – to Qatar. The Prime Minister raises the prospect of UK work on the 2022 World Cup to the Gulf state’s leader Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani as he arrived for talks in Downing Street. Qatar will host the Cup in four years time after controversially being chosen by Fifa. It will be the first time it has been held in a northern hemisphere winter so players avoid games in the brutal Qatari summer heat, where temperatures can reach 50C (122F). Speaking as the Emir arrived in Downing Street, Mrs May said they would discuss mutual trade defence and security matters as part of the two nations’ “historic and close friendship”. She added: “Now that the World Cup in Russia is completed, all eyes are on Qatar for 2022. “We look forward to … [Read more...] about Theresa May makes bid to help bring football home … to Qatar
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Vietnam U19s to play in Qatar ahead of AFC finals
The Vietnamese squad will compete with the U19s of Uruguay, Ivory Coast and Qatar. The friendly tournament is seen as a good opportunity for the national team to gain experience before flying to Indonesia to take part in the 2018 AFC U19 Championship finals, he said. The 2018 AFC U19 Championship finals are set to get underway from October 18 to November 4 in Indonesia, drawing the participation of 16 teams. Vietnam’s U19 squad are in Group C with the U19 teams of Australia, the Republic of Korea and Jordan. The top four teams of the tournament will qualify for the 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup scheduled to take place in Poland next year. In 2016, under the guideline of head coach Hoang Anh Tuan, Vietnam’s U19s progressed to the semi-final round of the AFC U19 Championship and won a ticket to compete in the FIFA U20 World Cup. VOV Related news U19 Vietnam defeats U19 Philippines, leading Group A Vietnam U19 draws with Thailand U19 in AFF tournament … [Read more...] about Vietnam U19s to play in Qatar ahead of AFC finals
Qatar Airways adapts to regional political dispute, may avoid making a loss
By Sarah Young FARNBOROUGH, England (Reuters) – Qatar Airways’ chief executive said the airline was adapting to a regional political dispute that has prevented it flying some routes, and that those restrictions would not necessarily push it into the red for the current financial year. “There is a possibility that we will post also a loss in our current financial year, but it’s only a possibility,” Akbar al-Baker told reporters at the Farnborough Airshow on Monday. The airline lost access to 18 cities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, and Bahrain in mid-2017, when those four countries cut ties with Qatar after accusing it of supporting terrorism. Qatar denies the allegation. The restrictions mean the company is set to post what al-Baker has said will be “a very large loss” for the financial year ended March 2018, but it has not been published yet. Al-Baker said this would be made public in the coming weeks. But for the … [Read more...] about Qatar Airways adapts to regional political dispute, may avoid making a loss
FIFA’s Samoura says Russia sets bar high for Qatar 2022 World Cup
MOSCOW (Reuters) – FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura said on Wednesday that Russia’s staging of the soccer World Cup had set the bar high for Qatar, the tournament’s next hosts in 2022. “I feel for Qatar, because (Russia) has set the bar very, very high,” Samoura, referring to the next World Cup in four years’ time, said at a meeting with Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the upper house of Russia’s parliament. Samoura asked Matviyenko to convey to Russian President Vladimir Putin FIFA’s “profound appreciation for everything that he has done to make it possible for the world to watch the beautiful game.” “I’d like to express to Russia the dear, heartfelt thanks of FIFA,” Samoura said. The tournament has left visitors with good memories, Samoura said, adding that she thought the doping level has been at record lows. Russia is hosting the tournament for the first time, in 12 stadiums spread across 11 cities … [Read more...] about FIFA’s Samoura says Russia sets bar high for Qatar 2022 World Cup
Qatar to raise multi-billion dollar loan for Typhoon jets – sources
DUBAI (Reuters) – The government of Qatar is raising a multi-billion dollar loan for the purchase of Eurofighter Typhoon combat jets, two sources familiar with the deal said. The financing, which according to one of the sources is around $4 billion, will be backed by export credit agencies. Qatar entered into a 5 billion pound ($6.62 billion) contract with British defence group BAE Systems <BAES.L> in December last year for the purchase of 24 Typhoon combat aircraft. “The new Typhoons will advance Qatar’s strategic efforts towards stability. The method and mechanism of payment has not been decided yet,” a Qatari official told Reuters. BAE, Europe’s biggest defence contractor, said in December that the contract was subject to “financing conditions and receipt by the company of first payment, which are expected to be fulfilled no later than mid-2018”. The Eurofighter Typhoon accounted for nearly a third of BAE Systems’ sales in 2016. … [Read more...] about Qatar to raise multi-billion dollar loan for Typhoon jets – sources