CITY FOCUS: Wealthy Qatar in aggressive spending spree | Mail Online

* username: rupertbu

There is a certain irony in the oil-rich Gulf state of Qatar snapping up Britain's most famous department store.

Back in 1916 the Arab emirate was a poor British protectorate. It was a convenient staging post for buccaneers en route to colonial interests in India.

But after hitting the big time with oil and discovering the world's third-largest gas reserves, the tables have turned.