When the Spanish conquered South America and its rich mines in the 16th century, their noblemen built so many churches it was said they had discovered the magic formula for turning gold into stone.
Qatar has celebrated two conquests of its own this month. The first was its groundbreaking win of the right to hold the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The second was the achievement of 77 million tonnes per year of liquefied natural gas (LNG) capacity, after output increased by five times since 2003.
Qatar is now the world's largest exporter of LNG, which is simply gas chilled to minus 162°C so that it becomes a liquid and can be easily transported by ship. It is, of course, the wealth from Qatar's North Field, the world's largest gas accumulation, that will bankroll the US$65 billion (Dh238.74bn) of World Cup construction - carbon-neutral stadia with solar air conditioning, a new bridge to Bahrain, a rail and metro network and 140 new hotels.
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