Queen Accepts Helping Hand from Emir of Qatar
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Queen accepted a helping hand from the Emir of Qatar after welcoming him to Windsor Castle at the start of a three-day state visit intended to cement Britain’s trade links with the Gulf state.

After watching a march past of Household Cavalry and Royal Horse Artillery soldiers, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani guided the Queen down a short flight of steps from a dais.

The Emir, who flew to London with his consort, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missned, one of his three wives, will also meet David Cameron in Downing Street as part of the Government’s drive to strengthen trade with Qatar and other Gulf emirates.

Qatar, a British protectorate until 1971, is a key energy supplier to the UK, and is eventually expected to provide up to one fifth of the country’s gas supply in the form of liquefied natural gas, which is shipped to a terminal in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire.

It is also a major investor in the UK, with high-profile assets including the Harrods department store in London, which the Qatari Royal family bought in May for £1.5billion. >>> Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter | Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Alleged Enslaver, the Emir of Dubai, seeks Bush’s Assistance to Get Lawsuit Against Him in Miami Dismissed
KUWAIT TIMES: MIAMI: The Emir of Dubai has sought President George W Bush's help in getting US courts to dismiss a child-slavery lawsuit against him, according to court papers filed recently. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktum, ruler of Dubai and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates nation of which the city is part, wrote Bush in February about the lawsuit. The suit was filed in December by a group of parents charging the Emir of enslaving thousands of children to breed, train and ride camels for the racing circuit.

Warning that the lawsuit was "causing an unnecessary interference" in US-UAE relations, and recalling that the UAE is "a key partner in the global war against terrorism," the Sheikh asked for Bush to get involved in the case. "I would therefore appreciate your personal attention to ensuring the United States government's support for dismissal of the entire case," wrote the Emir of Dubai in a two-page letter that his defense lawyers presented in court on May 25. He said the lawsuit "may complicate our ongoing and already effective efforts to resolve the issues addressed in the litigation." Dubai emir asks Bush to dismiss slavery suit (more)

Mark Alexander