Former emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, dies at 74

Qatar's former emir, who revolutionised Qatar out of its Bedouin background to a ​regional powerhouse, has died at the age of 74, the nation's Amiri Diwan, its top government body, said on Sunday, Reuters reported. 

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani ruled Qatar from 1995 ​to 2013, before abdicating to his son Sheikh ​Tamim, the current leader of the gas-rich Gulf ⁠country.