Ex-Qatari emir Khalifa dies

By Ahmed al-Masri

DOHA (AA) – Qatar’s former ruler Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al-Thani died Sunday at the age of 84, according to a statement released by the Royal Court.

The court announced a three-day mourning period over the former emir’s death and state TV cut from its regular programming, airing Quranic recitations.

The former ruler is the grandfather of the current Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. He ruled the tiny Gulf state from 1972 until 1995 when he was ousted by his son in a bloodless palace coup.

Khalifa oversaw a rapid modernization of the country, seizing on its vast reserves of natural gas that have turned the nation into one of the world’s richest per capita.