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The Gulf-Qatari Classic Car Association launched the sixth edition of the Qatar Luxury Classic Cars Contest & Exhibition 2025 at The Pearl Island yesterday, featuring some of the world’s rarest vintage vehicles.The expanded showcase, held under the honorary patronage of Qatar Museums (QM) Chairperson HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, was inaugurated by prominent Qatari businessman and philanthropist HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani. He is also the chairman of Al Faisal Holding, and the founder of the Al Faisal Global Foundation for Culture and Knowledge. He was joined by Ahmed al-Hammadi, director general of the General Retirement and Social Insurance Authority and Chairman of United Development Company (UDC).Running until November 23 at Medina Centrale, the event is held under the direct supervision of the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens (FIVA) and displays an array of classic vehicles from Qatar and across the GCC.HE Sheikh Faisal lauded the exhibition as a major milestone, driven by record-breaking regional participation for the second year running. He stressed that the extensive national support highlights Qatar’s resolve to protect its engineering history.“We are proud of the distinguished status this event has achieved regionally and globally. It has become a platform that brings together classic car enthusiasts, supporting institutions, and audiences passionate about industrial and engineering heritage. These events are not just about displaying cars — they tell stories of innovation, design, and history, enriching Qatar’s cultural identity,” he said in a press statement.Organisers noted that a competition will select the top cars across five categories, covering models from pre-1947 to 1995, with three winners in each category. Additional awards will recognise standout vehicles for authenticity, heritage preservation, and overall excellence. For the first time, winners will receive both financial and in-kind prizes.Sheikh Nawaf bin Nasser bin Khalid al-Thani, Board Member of the association, stated that every edition aims to deliver added value by selecting the finest classic cars for display.Engineer Abdullatif Ali al-Yafei, secretary-general and Board Member, added: “The sixth edition of the event has witnessed broad participation from the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries, representing 40% of the total participating vehicles.”Qatar Museums CEO Mohammed Saad al-Rumaihi noted that this marks the first official presence of the Qatar Auto Museum in the exhibition, highlighting the institution’s role in showcasing cultural history and the artistic value of automobiles. This includes a remarkable display of the 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen, linking the exhibition to the origins of the modern automotive era.UDC CEO Yasser al-Jaidah stated that hosting the event at The Pearl Island adds a prestigious dimension to the island’s lineup of high-profile cultural and luxury experiences. He stressed that the exhibition offers a unique opportunity for visitors to view some of the world’s rarest classic vehicles in an environment that blends heritage with elegance.Hussain Omar Alfardan, CMO of Alfardan Automotive, stressed that sponsoring the event aligns with the group’s strategy to support Qatar’s growing passion for classic cars. He noted that this interest represents an appreciation of artistic and historical value. He also highlighted the aim of building a community around this passion and contributing to the economic and tourism sectors through sustainable events.Meanwhile, organisers added that Daam’s sponsorship of the exhibition underlines its dedication to preserving national heritage and cultivating cultural awareness. By supporting such initiatives, the fund seeks to deepen community engagement and foster intergenerational connections that honour Qatar’s enduring legacy.

Qatari businessman and philanthropist His Excellency Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani led the inauguration of the sixth edition of the Qatar Luxury Classic Cars Contest & Exhibition 2025 at The Pearl Island Wednesday.He was joined by officials of the Gulf-Qatari Classic Car Association. Running until November 23 at Medina Centrale, the event displays an array of classic vehicles from Qatar and across the GCC.

His Excellency the Governor of the Qatar Central Bank Sheikh Bandar bin Mohammed bin Saoud al-Thani, who is also the Chairman of the Qatar Financial Markets Authority met Paul Atkins, Chairman of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) here Thursday. During the meeting, they exchanged views on a range of topics of mutual interest, and discussed ways to enhance bilateral co-operation in relevant fields, the QCB said.

Market EyeThe Qatar Stock Exchange was back in the negative terrain with its key index plummeting more than 143 points on an across the board selling pressure. The Gulf institutions were seen increasingly net profit takers as the 20-stock Qatar Index tanked 1.33% to 10,607.96 points, although it touched an intraday high of 10,750 points.The telecom and industrials counters witnessed higher than average selling pressure in the main market, whose year-to-date gains truncated to 0.35%. About 83% of the traded constituents were in the red in the main bourse, whose capitalisation eroded QR9.03bn or 1.4% to QR633.74bn, mainly on large and midcap segments.However, the foreign institutions were increasingly bullish in the main market, which saw as many as 0.02mn exchange traded funds (sponsored by AlRayan Bank and Doha Bank) valued at QR0.07mn trade across 23 deals. Both local retail investors and domestic funds were also increasingly net buyers in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the rise.The Islamic index was seen declining faster than the other indices of the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills. The Arab individuals were increasingly net buyers in the main bourse, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds. The Total Return Index shed 1.33%, the All Share Index by 1.25% and the All Islamic Index by 1.49% in the main market.The telecom sector index plunged 4.66%, industrials (1.77%), banks and financial services (0.97%), consumer goods and services (0.77%), transport (0.59%), insurance (0.42%) and real estate (0.3%). As many as eight stocks gained, while 43 declined and one was unchanged.Major shakers in the main market include Ooredoo, Gulf Warehousing, QLM, Inma Holding, Widam Food, Doha Bank, Qatar Islamic Bank, QNB, Qatar Oman Investment, Mannai Corporation, Baladna, Industries Qatar, Gulf International Services, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Estithmar Holding, Qamco and Vodafone Qatar. In the juniour bourse, Techno Q saw its shares depreciate in value. Nevertheless, Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance, Dukhan Bank, Dlala, Beema and Nakilat were among the movers in the main market.The Gulf institutions’ net profit booking expanded significantly to QR1.75bn compared to QR7.86mn the previous day. However, the foreign funds turned net buyers to the tune of QR1.45bn against net sellers of QR17.68mn on Wednesday. The local retail investors’ net buying increased considerably to QR143.08mn compared to QR12.31mn on November 19.The domestic institutions’ net buying strengthened substantially to QR142.35mn against QR14.02mn the previous day. The Arab individual investors’ net buying grew noticeably to QR9.5mn compared to QR4.93mn on Wednesday. The foreign retail investors were net buyers to the extent of QR1.86mn against net sellers of QR5.28mn on November 19.The Gulf individuals turned net buyers to the tune of QR1.39mn compared with net profit takers of QR0.43mn the previous day. The Arab funds had no major net exposure for the fourth straight session. The main market saw trade volumes more than double to 298.99mn shares and value jump more than five-fold to QR2.53bn on 17% growth in deals to 33,003. In the venture market, a total of 0.09mn equities valued at QR0.19mn changed hands across 13 transactions.

His Excellency the Governor of the Qatar Central Bank, Sheikh Bandar bin Mohammed bin Saoud al-Thani took part in a high-level panel titled 'Global updates and progress in cross-border payments', held during the 2025 Middle East and Africa Innovation Summit, organised by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in Riyadh.The event was held under the theme 'Resilient finance, innovative future'. The session, which addressed new challenges and opportunities posed by technological innovation in the financial sector, featured the participation of Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England and chair of the Financial Stability Board; Eddie Yue, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, and Jameel Ahmad, Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, along with the session moderator, Pablo Hernández de Cos, General Manager of the BIS.

The Supreme Judicial Council participated in the "Mediation: The Future of Dispute Resolution" conference in the Sultanate of Oman, joining experts and specialists in mediation and dispute-settlement mechanisms.The Council's delegation included HE President of the Investment and Trade Court, Judge Khalid bin Ali Al Obaidli, along with Judges Nasser Al Khelaifi, Saad Al Mohannadi, and Munira Al Qahtani; as well as Administrative Director of the Court of Appeal, Mubarak Al Sahouti.The conference explored recent developments in mediation and its role in strengthening access to justice and easing the burden on courts. Participants also reviewed international experiences in developing alternative dispute-resolution methods.Speaking on the sidelines of the event, HE Judge Khalid bin Ali Al Obaidli highlighted the importance of taking part in specialized legal forums, noting Oman's commitment to advancing the mediation framework.He said the Council's participation reflects the strong judicial ties between the two countries and the desire to learn from the latest global practices in the field. Exchanging expertise, he added, helps improve the efficiency of judicial work and enhances the quality of dispute resolution across the region.Al Obaidli also noted that the participation of the Council's judges underscores its commitment to keeping pace with modern legal developments and supporting initiatives aimed at strengthening justice and streamlining dispute-resolution procedures through effective and timely mechanisms.

His Excellency Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi met on Wednesday with Ambassador of the Republic of El Salvador to the State of Qatar, Milton Eduardo Acevedo, on the occasion of the end of his tenure.HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs thanked the Ambassador for his efforts in supporting and strengthening bilateral relations, wishing him success in his new duties.

The State of Qatar participated in the 17th meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee for the Council of Arab Health Ministers, in preparation for the 63rd regular session of the Council of Arab Health Ministers and its Executive Office, scheduled to be held during the period of Dec. 17-18.Qatar's delegation was headed by First Secretary at the Permanent Delegation of Qatar to the League of Arab States Ali Hussein Al Jarhab.The meeting agenda included several important health topics, foremost among them supporting the health sector in the State of Palestine, the successful and pioneering experiences of the Arab member states in the health fields, the follow up on developments regarding Arab strategies concerned with benefiting from the Arab health competencies of migrants in support of the health sectors in the Arab region 2026-2030, developing primary health care and family medicine 2026-2030, and making public health services available in the context of asylum and displacement in the Arab region.The meeting also addressed reports from various bodies of the Council of Arab Ministers of Health, namely: the Arab Authority for Blood Transfusion Services, the Arab Board of Health Specializations, and the Arab Center for Authorship and Translation of Health Science. It also followed up on the resolution issued by the Arab League Summit regarding investment in health human resources, and the resolution issued by the Arab League's Economic and Social Council regarding promoting the right to family planning in Arab countries, and analyzing the challenges and opportunities associated with declining fertility rates.The meeting addressed the unified statement of the Council of Arab Health Ministers before the 79th session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva in May 2026, which is scheduled to be delivered by the Minister of Health of the Kingdom of Bahrain, in addition to the first Arab Ministerial Forum for Health and Environment, the establishment of a regional Arab center for applied epidemiology, the follow-up on the work of the Arab Coordination Mechanism for Disaster Risk Reduction, the unification of Arab efforts to combat drugs, in addition to discussing financial matters related to the Arab Health Development Fund.The committee is scheduled to submit its recommendations on the topics on its agenda to the Executive Office, and then to the 63rd regular session of the Health Ministers' Council, to take the necessary decisions regarding them.

His Excellency Speaker of the Shura Council Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim met Wednesday with Chairperson of Turkiye-Qatar Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye Hulusi Akar, who is currently visiting the country.During the meeting, they reviewed cooperation relations and discussed ways to develop parliamentary partnership and enhance coordination on issues of common interest in order to strengthen bilateral relations between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Turkiye.

Qatar Chamber (QC) announced the formation of a Sub-committee for Travel and Tourism Agencies, operating under its main Tourism and Exhibitions Committee.This came during a meeting of QC's Tourism and Exhibitions Committee headed by HE Member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Committee, Sheikh Hamad bin Ahmed bin Abdulla Al-Thani, with the attendance of other committee members.The sub-committee is tasked with addressing the most important challenges facing the travel and tourism agencies, coordinating closely with the main Tourism and Exhibitions Committee to solve the obstacles, and to identify the most important views of travel and tourism agencies owners on ways to develop the tourism sector.During the meeting, HE Sheikh Hamad bin Ahmed bin Abdulla Al-Thani said that the formation of the sub-committee aims to overcome the difficulties facing travel and tourism agencies and to coordinate, via QC, with the concerned authorities in the country to resolve these obstacles.He noted that the sub-committee will be a unified platform for coordination and cooperation among travel and tourism agencies, which will significantly streamline the main committee's work in identifying proposals in order to raise it to the relevant authorities, stressing QC's keenness to support the private tourism sector and enhance its contribution to developing the tourism sector and raising the efficiency of tourism services in Qatar.

The State of Qatar participated in the work of the 41st Plenary Meeting of the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF), held in Manama in the Kingdom of Bahrain, with the participation of representatives from member states and regional and international organizations concerned with combating money laundering and terrorist financing.  Qatar's delegation was headed by HE Head of the Qatar Financial Information Unit and Member of the National Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Committee Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Mubarak Al-Thani. The delegation also included Acting Secretary-General of the National Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Committee Mohammed Sareea Al Kaabi, as well as several other members of the committee.  The meeting was attended by senior officials from member and observer groups of countries and regional and international organizations specializing in combating money laundering, terrorist financing and arms proliferation. The meeting is an opportunity to strengthen and unify regional and international efforts to protect the region's economic systems from the risks of these crimes and reduce their impact on other areas.  The 41st MENAFATF meeting included a specialized workshop on exchanging experiences on the current mutual evaluation round and the mechanism for implementing the latest Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards, with the participation of Malaysia and Latvia. The two countries presented their practical experiences in preparing and implementing mutual evaluation rounds, as well as highlighting key lessons learned in applying the updated FATF standards. The workshop contributed to strengthening knowledge exchange among member states and supporting their efforts to enhance the effectiveness of their anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing systems.  MENAFATF honored the State of Qatar in recognition of its efforts and outstanding contribution to supporting the group's work over the past two years.  The award was received by the Acting Secretary-General of the National Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Committee Mohammed Sareea Al Kaabi.  This recognition reflects Qatar's active role in strengthening regional cooperation and developing capabilities in combating money laundering and terrorist financing. It also recognizes Qatar's tangible initiatives during the past period, most notably hosting the 9th edition of the MENAFATF Typologies and Capacity Building Workshop in 2024, which saw the participation of more than 250 specialists in the field of combating money laundering and terrorist financing.In this context, it was decided that the State of Qatar would host two workshops as part of the group's training plan for 2026, continuing its active role in supporting capacity-building programs and strengthening partnerships between member states.  The State of Qatar affirmed its continued commitment to enhancing the readiness of its national system in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 and the international FATF standards, as well as early preparation for the upcoming evaluation process scheduled for 2028, by continuing to develop legislation, supervision and operational procedures to ensure the highest levels of effectiveness in combating money laundering and terrorist financing.  

The third round of political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar and the Kyrgyz Republic was held on Wednesday in Bishkek.The Qatari side was headed by HE Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi, while the Kyrgyz side was headed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan Temirbek ErkinovDuring the round of consultations, the two sides reviewed bilateral cooperation relations and ways to support and enhance them.The session was attended by HE Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Kyrgyz Republic Ali bin Jaber Al Marri and HE Director of Asian Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Al Johara bint Yousef Al Obaidan Fakhro, and the accompanying delegation.