Harrods sold

[River-Rat]

The department store Harrods has been sold for a fee of around £1.5bn, the BBC can confirm.
Owner Mohammed Al Fayed has agreed to sell the exclusive west London store to Qatar Holdings.
The deal was signed in the early hours of 8 May and should be announced within the next few hours, BBC business correspondent Joe Lynam said.
A colourful and controversial figure, Mr Al Fayed acquired Harrods in 1985 following a £615m takeover bid.
Reports in March had suggested that the Gulf-based investor had approached Mr Al Fayed about a possible deal.
Mr Al Fayed's UK business interests include the Premiership football club Fulham FC and a recent rich list put his fortune at £650m.


He waged a 10-year campaign to prove that Princess Diana and his son Dodi were murdered in a conspiracy.
Despite living in Britain for decades, the multi-millionaire businessman has repeatedly been refused a UK passport.
After his first passport refusal, Mr Al Fayed revealed he had paid two Conservative ministers - Neil Hamilton and Tim Smith - to ask questions related to his interests, in the House of Commons. Both left the government in disgrace.
He claimed another political scalp in Jonathan Aitken, the cabinet minister who resigned after the Harrods boss revealed he had been staying free at the Ritz in Paris at the same time as Saudi arms dealers.