Category: Business News

Qatar is reported to have filed an official complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO), aimed at challenging an ongoing trade boycott by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and United Arab Emirates.

The formal step would mark the first step in the WTO’s dispute process.

It means the countries would have to sit down with Qatar to negotiate.

But if a settlement can’t be reached within 60 days, the dispute would go to a WTO-appointed panel.

Reuters news agency first reported that the complaint had been filed.

The WTO told the BBC it had not received any information so could not confirm the report.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) cut ties with their Gulf neighbour on 5 June, saying it supports terrorism. They also gave Qatari citizens 14 days to leave their territory and banned their own citizens from travelling to or residing in Qatar.

Qatar strongly denies the allegation and has rejected a list of conditions for the lifting of sanctions.

Egypt also cut diplomatic ties with Qatar but did not impose restrictions on its 180,000 citizens living there. Yemen, the Maldives and Libya’s eastern-based government later followed suit.

In addition, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt closed their airspace to Qatari aircraft, and said foreign airlines would have to seek permission for flying over Qatar.

The oil-rich state has long practised an ambitious foreign policy with different priorities to its neighbours but there are two key issues which have angered its neighbours in recent years.

One is Qatar’s support for Islamist groups. Qatar acknowledges that it has provided assistance to some, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, but denies aiding militant groups linked to al-Qaeda or so-called Islamic State (IS).

The other key issue is Qatar’s relations with Iran, with which it shares the world’s largest gas field. The Shia Muslim power is Sunni Muslim-ruled Saudi Arabia’s main regional rival.

A three-day strike by Bank of England support staff will go ahead from Tuesday after talks at the conciliation service Acas ended without agreement, the Unite union said.

Employees are unhappy about a below inflation pay rise of 1%.

Protestors are planning to gather outside the Bank of England building wearing masks of Governor Mark Carney.

It will be the first time for over 50 years that staff at the Bank of England have been on strike.

Unite members at the Bank of England working in the maintenance and security departments will be taking part in the strike.

In addition, staff in the Bank of England “parlours” which are meeting rooms on the ground floor of the Bank’s building in Threadneedle Street will walk out. The staff are involved in a variety of work including security and catering as well as conducting visitors around the bank.

A Bank of England spokesperson said the Bank had been told that the industrial action called by Unite would begin at midnight for three days.

“The Union balloted approximately 2% of the workforce,” the statement said.

“The Bank has plans in place so that all essential business will continue to operate as normal during this period. The Bank has been in talks with Unite up to and including today and remains ready to continue those talks at any time.”

The last time Bank of England staff went on strike was in the late 60s and involved print workers in Debden, who were employed by the Bank of England at that time,

Unite said the dispute centred on the “derisory” pay settlement that the bank had imposed on staff without the union’s agreement. It was the second year running that staff had received a below inflation pay offer, it said.

Inflation was 2.6% last month, according to official figures.