Page 28 - Qa News Today

France has carried out an evacuation mission in Afghanistan, taking 258 Afghans as well as 11 French, some 60 Dutch nationals and an unspecified number of people linked to them out of the country, a French foreign ministry spokeswoman said on Friday.

In stark contrast to crude oil, natural gas appears to be largely immune to the potential impact of the new Omicron coronavirus variant, with prices in all three major regions trading more on expectations around winter supply and demand.

Saudi and Qatari indexes extended gains on Thursday, supported by higher oil prices as investors adjusted positions ahead of an OPEC+ decision on supplies, while markets in the United Arab Emirates were closed for a public holiday.

Turkey on Thursday accused Cyprus of violating its continental shelf by awarding an exploration license in the Mediterranean to Exxon Mobile and Qatar Petroleum [RIC:RIC:QATPE.UL], adding it will not allow unauthorised exploration in its jurisdiction.

Saudi Arabian shares were little changed in morning trade on Thursday as investors kept to the sidelines after the state news agency said the kingdom had reported its first case of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.

Most stock markets in the Gulf rose in early trade on Wednesday, rebounding from a sell-off triggered by comments from Moderna's chief executive that existing COVID-19 vaccines would be less effective against the new Omicron variant.

A U.S. delegation led by the special representative for Afghanistan, Thomas West, held talks with senior Afghan Taliban representatives in Qatar on Monday and Tuesday, the U.S. State Department said.

Most stock markets in the Gulf ended higher on Wednesday, tracking a wider rebound in oil prices and equities after a selloff triggered by worries that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus could resist existing vaccines.

Vietnam's largest conglomerate Vingroup is in talks with investors, including Qatar's sovereign fund and BlackRock , to raise about $1 billion in equity for its car unit, three sources aware of the matter said.

Brazilian food processor BRF wants to persuade the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) to remain a partner in TBQ Foods and maintain its 40% stake in the company, according to a BRF executive.