Qatar announces natural gas deals
Dubai, United Arab Emirates Qatar’s state-run petroleum company and two international oil companies signed deals Sunday worth a total of about $19 billion to develop liquefied natural gas for European and American markets.
Qatar Petroleum and Exxon Mobil Corp. announced the launch of a $12.8 billion liquefied natural gas project that aims to ferry gas to Britain for the next 25 years.
Qatar Petroleum officials dubbed the Exxon Mobil deal the world’s largest-ever such effort and largest energy financing, involving $7.6 billion in investments from 57 institutions including Islamic banks.
2 Romanians arrested on Web fraud charges
Timisoara, Romania Two Romanians have been arrested on charges they were part of a crime group that defrauded dozens of people in Europe and the United States with bogus Internet sales, police said Sunday.
The two, 23-year-old Ionut Laurentiu and 20-year-old Viorel, were accused of defrauding customers in Europe and the United States. Police said the ring offered cars for sale on the Web, receiving advances and shipping fees without delivering the cars.
Belfast man’s killing fuels demonstration
Belfast, Northern Ireland Hundreds of people gathered Sunday to protest the killing of a Belfast man whose death has pitted the Irish Republican Army against its Catholic support base.
The family of victim Robert McCartney urged those involved in the murder to surrender to authorities. The perpetrators are believed to be IRA members.
The IRA said Saturday it was expelling three members it blames for the knife slaying. The Jan. 30 attack outside a Belfast pub has fueled unusual Catholic hostility to the underground organization.
Illegal Indonesians face end of amnesty
Port Klang, Malaysia Thousands of illegal Indonesian workers rushed today to leave Malaysia on the final day of an amnesty to avoid caning and imprisonment in a police crackdown the government vowed will be merciless and widespread.
About 1,000 men and women jostled to buy tickets aboard one of five ships sailing for Indonesia’s Sumatra island. Another 1,000 lined up at a hall to register for berths on two Indonesian naval ships that would carry them to Java, south of Sumatra.