Qatar

Biden tells emir he will make Qatar major non-NATO ally

President Joe Biden promised Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, on Monday that he will soon designate Qatar as a major non-NATO ally, granting special status to a key…

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Qatar seeks EU guarantees emergency gas stays within EU

Gas producer Qatar is asking the European Union to restrict resales of gas outside the bloc if it wants Qatar and other major gas suppliers to provide emergency supply in…

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Qatar could reroute some gas to Europe with U.S. mediation

LONDON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Qatar will need help from the United States to persuade Doha's natural gas buyers to reroute some supplies to Europe in case a Russia-Ukraine conflict…

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COVID-19 infections rise again across Gulf states

DUBAI, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Coronavirus infections have started rising again across the six Gulf Arab states after months of low or falling figures, data from health ministries showed on…

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Arab Cup stress tests Qatar 2022 World Cup preparations

As the final whistle ended the game between Tunisia and Oman, two soccer-mad Brazilian fans set out for the next match of the Arab Cup which was due to start in 90 minutes…

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Hamilton on pole in Qatar with Verstappen second

DOHA (Reuters) -Seven times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton put his Mercedes on pole position for the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix with a stunning display of dominance under the…

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Qatar’s ruler says citizenship laws to be amended, slams excessive tribalism

Qatar's ruling emir on Tuesday warned the Gulf state against excessive tribalism he said endangered national unity, proposing a plan to promote equal citizenship through changes to legislation that has…

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Qatari women unsuccessful in first legislative elections

Voters chose none of the 26 women who stood for election in Qatar's first legislative elections on Saturday, disappointing candidates who had wanted to lend a voice for women and…

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UPDATE – Qatar’s first legislative elections see 44% voter turnout

DOHA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Qataris voted on Saturday in the Gulf Arab state's first legislative elections for two-thirds of the advisory Shura Council, a process that has stirred domestic…

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UPDATED: Qatari official says Kabul airport 90% operational, expects gradual reopening

Afghanistan's Kabul Airport is about 90% ready for operations but its re-opening is planned gradually, a Qatari official said, speaking on the tarmac on Thursday. Reopening the airport, a vital…

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Blinken denies Taliban blocking Americans from leaving Mazar-i-Sharif

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken denied on Tuesday reports that the Taliban had blocked Americans attempting to fly out of of a northern Afghan city, but said the group had not…

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Britain’s Raab, in Qatar, cites need to engage with Taliban

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Thursday there is a need to engage with the Taliban on Afghanistan, but Britain has no immediate plans to recognise their government. Raab…

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Qatar offering COVID vaccines to Afghanistan evacuees yet to transit

Qatar is offering COVID-19 vaccines to evacuees from Afghanistan who are temporarily staying in the Gulf Arab state, which has been facilitating global evacuation efforts since the Taliban seized Kabul,…

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Qatar urges Taliban to cease fire at meeting in Doha

DUBAI (Reuters) - Qatar said it had urged the Taliban to cease fire and pull back their offensive in Afghanistan during a meeting between the Qatari foreign minister and a…

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‘Can we have two golds?’ – Barshim, Tamberi sign off the Olympic Moment

TOKYO (Reuters) -Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim added Olympic gold to his list of accolades in the men's high jump in Tokyo on Sunday - and persuaded organisers to let him…

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Barshim and Tamberi agree to share high jump gold

Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim added a coveted Olympic gold to his list of accolades in the men's high jump in Tokyo on Sunday, but he had to share the medal…

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Gulf economies seen rebounding this year but some forecasts scaled back

The economies of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council are expected to return to growth this year, a quarterly Reuters survey showed on Thursday, but half are seen expanding less than…

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Qatar orders private health centres to halt non-urgent services

Qatar's cabinet on Wednesday ordered a halt to non-urgent medical services at private health facilities as of April 2 as coronavirus cases rise in the Gulf Arab state, state news…

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Saudi Crown Prince discusses Green Initiative with Arab leaders

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called the leaders of Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, and Sudan to discuss a massive regional tree-planting project, state news agency (SPA) reported early on…

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Qatar tightens global gas market grip with bold expansion moves

Qatar Petroleum, the world's top liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer, is cranking up the pressure on high-cost rivals with bold expansion plans that will boost supplies over the coming decade and potentially push…

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6,500 migrants have died in Qatar working on World Cup Projects

The fast-paced infrastructural process towards the World Cup in Qatar has already claimed the lives of more than 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka during…

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Bayern fume over seven-hour delay to departure for Qatar

BERLIN (Reuters) - Bayern Munich on Saturday were left fuming after a seven-hour delay to their departure to Qatar for the Club World Cup, when Berlin's airport refused to give…

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Qatar and Saudi Arabia to resume direct flights

Qatar Airways and Saudi Airlines will resume flights between Doha and Riyadh from Monday in a reopening of airspace as part of a political rapprochement in a three-year-old dispute. Qatar…

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Trade, transport could resume within a week with Qatar, UAE says

Trade and transportation could resume between Qatar and boycotting countries within a week, the United Arab Emirates' minister of state for foreign affairs said on Thursday. Saudi Arabia and its…

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From embargo to embrace, Saudi Arabia pushes Gulf detente

Embracing Qatar’s ruler, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince pushed a deal to end a row with Doha at a Gulf summit on Tuesday to try to strengthen an Arab alliance against…

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Qatar, Saudi Arabia ‘agree to open airspace, land and sea border’ – Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera - Saudi Arabia, Qatar agree to open airspace, land and sea border, Kuwait’s foreign ministry announced on Monday. The state-run Kuwait News Agency reported the announcement, saying that Saudi…

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Resolution of bitter dispute between Qatar and Saudi Arabia within reach

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Friday a resolution to a bitter dispute with Qatar seemed "within reach" after Kuwait announced progress towards ending a row that Washington says hampers…

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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visits Qatar

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet negotiators from both the Afghan government and the Taliban during his visit to Qatar’s capital, Doha, on Saturday. This comes as President…

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Afghan peace talks to open in Doha, 19 years after 9/11 triggered war

Talks between the Afghan government and Taliban insurgents start in Qatar’s capital Doha on Saturday with the goal of bringing an end to nearly two decades of a conflict that…

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EU welcomes Qatar legal reforms ‘removing excessive control’ over migrant workers

The EU welcomed legal reforms introduced by Qatar yesterday. In a statement, the EU said it welcomed changes that would see the end of the migrant workers being required to…

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Libya, Turkey and Qatar sign military cooperation deal

The Libyan Deputy Defense Minister Salah Al-Namroush has agreed with the Turkish and Qatari Defense Minister; Hulusi Akar and Khaled Al Attiyah respectively, to sign tripartite deal for military cooperation…

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Qatar allows citizens and permanent residents to travel and return anytime

Qatar on Wednesday relaxed restrictions aimed at controlling the novel coronavirus, allowing citizens and permanent residency holders to travel outside the country and return at any time, and residents outside…

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Qatar to further ease coronavirus curbs as infections pass peak

Qatar aims to further ease coronavirus curbs from July 1, allowing the limited reopening of restaurants, beaches and parks, as infections have passed their peak and the rate was subsiding,…

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Gulf coronavirus infections surpass 400,000

The number of novel coronavirus cases in the six Gulf Arab states has doubled in a month to over 400,000, as the region’s two biggest economies this week fully lifted…

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Qatar Airways to lay off some pilots, cut wages

Qatar Airways will lay off some pilots and reduce the salaries of others by as much as a quarter due to the impact of the global coronavirus pandemic, according to…

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Qatar Airways to resume services to Venice and expand flights to Dublin, Milan and Rome

Qatar Airways announced it will be resuming services to Venice, Italy starting from 15 July 2020. The popular tourist destination and major arts and cultural centre will become the airline’s…

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Greece suspends Qatar Airways flights due to CoVid-19 contagion among passengers

Greece on Tuesday announced they were suspending flights to and from Qatar until mid-June, after 12 out of 91 passengers in a Qatar Airways flight that landed in Athens on…

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Wear a mask or face jail in Kuwait and Qatar

Kuwait and Qatar both announced they would start jailing people or fining them thousands of dollars for failing to wear a mask to combat the novel coronavirus. Kuwait's health ministry…

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Qatar Airways planning significant job cuts

Qatar Airways is planning to cut a significant amount of jobs due to the travel disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and told cabin crew to prepare for redundancies, according…

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Qatar reports its first coronavirus case

Qatar’s health ministry reported on Saturday the first case of coronavirus infection in the country. The patient is a 36 year-old Qatari who returned recently from Iran, the ministry said…

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Iran concedes de-escalation ‘only solution’ to end crisis with US

Iran signalled Sunday it favours a de-escalation after 10 days of heightened tensions with the United States during which both sides fired missiles and Tehran accidentally shot down a passenger…

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Photo Gallery – Liverpool ends 2019 as World Champions after winning FIFA Club World Cup

European champions Liverpool have capped off a successful football year in dramatic style by lifting their first FIFA Club World Cup trophy, with a nail-biting 1-0 victory in extra time…

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Qatar FM says early talks with Saudi Arabia have broken stalemate

Qatar’s foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said recent talks have broken a protracted stalemate with Saudi Arabia and that Doha was open to studying demands by its rivals…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Doha, Qatar

An aerial view of high-rise buildings emerging through fog covering the skyline of Doha, as the sun rises over the city, in Doha, Qatar. Photo: EPA/YOAN VALAT

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Photo story: Refuelling over Southwest Asia

Handout photos made available by the US Air Force shows a US F-15C Eagle, based out of Al Udeid Base in Doha, Qatar, approaching a 28th Expeditionary Air Refuelling Squadron…

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Qatar says French missile found among arms seized in Italy was sold 25 years ago

Qatar said that a French missile once owned by Qatar’s military and found among a huge arsenal of weapons seized in Italy was sold by Qatar 25 years ago to…

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EU warns US not to stop Qatari owned Air Italy from flying in and out of the USA

The Financial Times reports how Air Italy, a relatively small Italian airline has become the latest source of tension in the increasingly frayed relationship between the EU and the Trump administration, after officials…

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Michel Platini released from custody

The banned ex-Uefa chief Michel Platini was released from custody today after hours of questioning in connection with a criminal investigation into the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to…

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Platini arrested over 2022 FIFA World Cup award to Qatar

Michel Platini, the former president of Uefa and head of European football, has been arrested over the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. He was taken into…

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PSG chief Al-Khelaifi charged with corruption

Paris Saint-Germain chief Nasser Al-Khelaifi was on Thursday charged with corruption over the bidding process for this year's world athletics championships in Doha, judicial sources said. Al-Khelaifi, who is also…

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Qatar’s foreign minister calls for arms embargo against Haftar

Qatar’s foreign minister has called for an effective arms embargo against eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar and for his troops to withdraw from areas they have occupied, Italian daily La…

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Arab leaders issue renewed call for establishment of Palestinian State

Arab leaders meeting in Tunis have issued a renewed call for the establishment of a Palestinian state and condemned a move by the United States to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the…

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European Commission signs aviation agreement with Qatar

The European Commission and the State of Qatar initialled an aviation agreement, the first such agreement between the EU and a partner from the Gulf region. The agreement will upgrade…

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Celebration in Arab world as Qatar wins Asian Cup

Football fans across the Arab world have celebrated Qatar's historic AFC Asian Cup win as an "Arab victory" after the Gulf country beat four-time champions Japan 3 -1 in the…

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Qatar prepares for 2022 World Cup, increasing beer price by 100 percent tax

Qatar has introduced a 100 per cent tax on alcohol, doubling prices overnight. The tax came into effect on New Year’s Day in the conservative Gulf state, which will host…

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Tuesday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Your morning briefing brings you a review of the main news and headlines from Malta, Europe and the World. Quote of the DayChange happens when you extend your…

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Qatar to quit OPEC

Qatar will quit Opec from next year, a group that it has been a part of since 1961, the country’s energy minister said on Monday. Saad al-Kaabi told reporters the…

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