International hotel chain Marriott has confirmed the opening of three new hotels in Doha, Qatar.

The company debuted its Renaissance, Courtyard and Executive Apartment brands for in Qatar October 4, adding nearly 600 rooms to the capital city in two skyscrapers.

The hotels are located in two 48-storey skyscrapers, part of the Doha City Center Mall complex, a huge shopping and tourism complex in Doha’s West Bay district.

Qatar surpassed Luxembourg as the world’s richest nation in 2010 and is set to pull away with wealth that’s almost twice that of the US.

The IMF’s Chart of the Day shows Qatar’s gross domestic product per capita at $88,221 in 2010, beating Luxembourg for the top spot.

The figure may reach $111,963 by 2016, surpassing Luxembourg’s $94,621 and Singapore’s $70,992, the IMF said.

Financially troubled Greece has put a ton of state assets up for sale, including some of its famous islands.

One interested buyer is Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the ruling Emir of Qatar, who wants to acquire two islands in the Ionian Sea, including Skorpios Island.

The private island formerly belonged to famed Greek shipping billionaire Aristotle Onassis and was the site of his wedding to Jackie Kennedy in 1968.

Kicking off the 2011 ATP World Tour, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal played the most unique round of tennis ever , in the waters outside of Doha, Qatar.

The tennis stars faced off on a floating court in Doha Bay Sunday, just ahead of the first tournament of the year, the Qatar Open.

The two players were said to have not displayed their regular smashing power as the court was wet. Federer and Nadal only volleyed the tennis ball during the match.

Mohammed Al Fayed has sold London department store Harrods to the Qatari royal family’s investment company for a reported £1.5bn ($2.3bn).

The Egypt-born tycoon acquired the business in Knightsbridge following a £615m takeover in 1985.

Ken Costa, an adviser to the deal with Qatar Holdings, said Mr Al Fayed was retiring “to spend more time with his children and grandchildren”.

Indian carpet made of pearls and gems today fetched a record $5.5 million at the first series of auctions held by Sotheby’s in the Gulf state of Qatar.

The 5-foot-8-inch by 8-foot-8-inch Pearl Carpet of Baroda had been commissioned in 1865 by the Maharajah of the former Indian state of Baroda, possibly as a gift for the tomb of the prophet Mohammed at Medina, said Sotheby’s.

The carpet, with more than 1 million natural Basra seed pearls, had never been offered before at auction and was expected to fetch at least $5 million, said Sotheby’s.