A cousin of Qatar’s ruler has lost a court battle with another branch of the nation’s royal family over a 17th century diamond.
The dispute concerning the 70-carat Idol's Eye diamond was between art collector Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani and relatives of late culture minister Sheikh Saud bin Mohammed Al Thani.
Sheikh Saud, who was minister of culture between 1997 and 2005, was one of the world's most prolific art collectors and bought the Idol's Eye in the early 2000s.
Shortly before his death in 2014, Sheikh Saud lent the diamond to QIPCO, a Qatari private investment company whose chief executive is Sheikh Hamad.
The agreement gave QIPCO the option to buy the diamond with the consent of Elanus Holdings, a company linked to Sheikh Saud's relatives. Elanus is ultimately owned by the Liechtenstein-based Al Thani Foundation, whose beneficiaries are Sheikh Saud's widow and three children.
A complex legal battle began when QIPCO said a 2020 letter sent by the Al Thani Foundation's lawyer amounted to an agreement to sell the diamond for $10 million. Elanus insisted the letter was sent by mistake.
QIPCO asked the High Court in London to order Elanus to sell it the gem but Judge Simon Birt dismissed its case on Thursday.
In his ruling, the judge set out the history of the diamond, which he said was thought to have been discovered in a mine at Golconda in southern India, though he admitted that “is not complete or certain”.
It is also said to have been owned at one point by the 34th Ottoman sultan, Abdul Hamid II.
It was acquired by New York gem dealer Harry Winston in 1946, at which time it was probably set in its current setting, a platinum diamond necklace and pendant, itself containing 152 diamonds with a combined estimated total weight of 47.30 carats.
The two sides had disagreed over how much the gem is worth, with Elanus lawyers saying in court filings that an expert had valued the diamond at around $27 million.
Sheikh Hamad is a leading figure in British horse racing and has had senior members of the Royal Family, including King Charles III and the late queen, Elizabeth II, as guests at his home.
He also launched a legal claim against a fine arts company after paying $5.2 million for two ancient statues that he later claimed to be worthless modern fakes.
Sheikh Hamad bought a marble bust for $3m from a Swiss dealer. The bust was said to be Alexander the Great portrayed as Heracles, the son of Zeus, king of the Greek gods.
The 30cm-high bust was described as being more than 2,000 years old. But four years after buying the statue, the Qataris concluded that it was a modern piece and “more or less worthless”, according to London’s High Court.
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
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Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers Henderson, Johnstone, Pickford, Ramsdale
Defenders Alexander-Arnold, Chilwell, Coady, Godfrey, James, Maguire, Mings, Shaw, Stones, Trippier, Walker, White
Midfielders Bellingham, Henderson, Lingard, Mount, Phillips, Rice, Ward-Prowse
Forwards Calvert-Lewin, Foden, Grealish, Greenwood, Kane, Rashford, Saka, Sancho, Sterling, Watkins
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
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- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
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- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
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