Latest / Spoken News / Former emir of Qatar Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani dies at the age of 74.

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Former emir of Qatar Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani dies at the age of 74. · Spoken News

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  Speaker 1: Welcome to spoken News. I'm a computer. Former Emir of
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  Qatar Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani dies at the age
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  of seventy four. Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani was Amir
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  of Qatar from nineteen ninety five until his abdication in
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  twenty thirteen. He was also Prime Minister of Qatar from
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  nineteen ninety five to nineteen ninety six. Hamad received his
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  education in Qatar before attending the United Kingdom's Royal Military
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  Academy Sandhurst. After graduating in nineteen seventy one, he held
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  several senior posts in the Katar Armed Forces, including as
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  Chief of Staff and Minister of Defense. Hahmad seized power
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  from his father, Khalifa bin Hammad al Thani in a
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  bloodless palace Kudi Atah in nineteen ninety five. During his
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  eighteen year rule, he promoted the development of Qatar's natural gas,
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  in particular liquefied natural gas, which reached seventy seven million
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  tons in annual production. This made Kata the richest country
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  in the world per capita, with the average income in
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  the UK the country being eighty six United States dollars
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  four hundred forty a year per person. As Amir of Qatar,
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  Hamad ruled the country as an absolute monarch with supreme
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  authority over all branches of state power, and no political
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  parties were allowed. During his reign, several sports and diplomatic
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  events took place in Katar, including the two thousand and
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  six Asian Games, twenty eleven AFC Asian Cup, twenty twelve
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  UN Climate Change Conference, Dohar Agreement, FATA Hamas Dohar Agreement,
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  and the decision to hold the twenty twenty two FIFA
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  World Cup in the country. He established the Katar Investment Authority.
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  By twenty thirteen, it had invested over one hundred billion
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  dollars around the world, including the Shad Barclays Bank, Heathrow Airport,
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  Harrod's Parisan, Germain, FC, Volkswagen, Siemens and Royal Dutch Shell.
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  Hammad's investment strategy is credited with Katar becoming the first
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  Arab and Muslim country to host the FIFA World Cup.
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  Qatar began hosting two U S military bases while also
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  maintaining relations with An Iran. Hamad sought closer ties with
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  both Iran and Israel compared to his father's approach. Hamad
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  founded news media group Al Jaziri in nineteen ninety six,
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  which became known as the first news channel in the
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  Arab world to provide critical coverage of Arab governments, though
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  it has avoided criticizing Qatar's own government. He also played
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  a part in negotiations between the US and the Taliban.
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  In June twenty thirteen, Hahmad, in a brief televised address,
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  announced that he would hand power to his fourth son,
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  Tamim bin Hamad Alfani, who was born to his second wife,
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  Mosa bin Nasa. Following his abdication, he became known as
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  the Father Emir in Qatari terminology. He is credited with
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  setting the foundation of the modern Qatari state, including the
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  adoption of its first permanent constitution and holding municipal elections,
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  for presiding over a massive expansion in state revenue and
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  national wealth due to LNG exports, and for his sweeping economic,
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  cultural and social reforms which contributed to Qatar's reis on
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  the international stage. The Emir of Qatar, officially the Amir
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  of the State of Qatar, is the monarch and head
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  of state of Qatar. The Amir is also the commander
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  in chief of the armed forces and guarantor of the Constitution.
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  The emir holds the most powerful position in the country,
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  controlling all branches of state power, and has a prominent
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  role in foreign relations. The emirs are members of the
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  al Thani family, whose origins are in the Banu Tamim,
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  one of the largest tribes in the Arabian Peninsula. The
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  current Amir is Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, who succeeded
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  on the twenty fifth of June twenty thirteen. That's it
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  for now. See the episode notes for Wikipedia sources and licensing.
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  Thank you.