Photo ban of Qatar emir's daughter sparks 'threats'

Press photographers were banned from taking pictures of the Tour of Qatar presentation when royal officials attempted to prevent the daughter of the country's emir being snapped. An AFP reporter, who was at Friday's event, also saw spectators being ordered to destroy their own pictures. If they didn't, they "would be in serious trouble", they were warned. One of the daughters of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the emir of the gas-rich Gulf state, had been invited to take part in the awards ceremony podium on the Doha Corniche for the race which had been won by Britain's Mark Cavendish. Media organisations were told they would be supplied with official pictures taken by a photographer of the al-Thani entourage, but five hours after the end of the race, photographs had still not been delivered.