Tag Archives: Doha

The Taliban didn’t take the Afghan capital — they were invited, says the man who issued the invitation. In an Associated Press interview, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai offered some of the first insights into the secret and sudden departure of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani — and how he came …

The United States and Qatar have agreed that Qatar will represent the diplomatic interests of the United States in Afghanistan, a senior US official told Reuters, an important signal of potential direct engagement between Washington and Kabul in the future after two decades of war. Qatar will sign an arrangement …

Qatar’s diplomatic point man on Afghanistan said Tuesday countries should engage the country’s new Taliban rulers, warning that isolation could lead to a wide-reaching security threat, as happened when al-Qaeda used the country as a base to plot the 9/11 attacks. Mutlaq bin Majed al-Qahtani, Qatar’s special envoy for counterterrorism …

FIFA is in talks with Qatari authorities about scrapping the mandatory vaccination requirements for next year’s World Cup. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani announced in June that it would require any fans wanting entry into next year’s tournament to be fully inoculated against the …

Qatar’s emir approved laws on Thursday for the Gulf Arab state’s first legislative election in October when Qataris will elect two-thirds of the advisory Shura Council, his office said. The election, plans for which were first approved in a 2003 constitutional referendum, is being held before the capital Doha hosting …

Fifteen diplomatic missions call for ‘urgent end’ to offensives, hours after the Doha meeting failed to agree on a ceasefire. Fifteen diplomatic missions and the NATO representative in Kabul have joined hands to urge the Taliban to halt military offensives across Afghanistan, just hours after a peace meeting in Doha …

This comes amid a recent surge in violence in Afghanistan following the start of the withdrawal of international troops from the country in line with an agreement reached between the Taliban* and the US in Doha last year. The delegations of the Afghan government and the Taliban issued a joint …

The Taliban have been emboldened by the NATO troop withdrawal and – with peace talks in Doha deadlocked – appear to be pressing for a full military victory. The Taliban said on Friday it has seized control of 85 percent of territory in Afghanistan, a declaration government officials dismissed as …

The European Union’s envoy for Afghanistan said on Wednesday time was running out for Afghan peace negotiations and more needed to be done to boost the discussions as international forces withdraw from the war-torn nation. The Afghan government and Taliban negotiators have met in Qatar’s capital Doha over the past …

Qatar will seek to host the 2032 Olympic Games, it said on Monday, joining a crowded field and raising questions about scorching summer temperatures and underwhelming attendances at past events. India, Australia’s Queensland state, the Chinese city of Shanghai and a potential joint bid between South and North Korea are …

Qatar has made wearing a face mask compulsory for everyone who steps outside their home, with violators facing jail time and fines of up to $55,000. The move comes as the number of reported novel coronavirus cases in the Gulf country jumped by another 1,733 on Thursday. Cabinet mandated the …

If rumors about a coup in Qatar this week turn out to be true, who could benefit from it and what would the possible consequences for the region be? Social media users may have seen recent footage of an alleged attempted coup d’etat in Qatar – footage rife with shooting …

Qatar is reportedly expected to acquire submarines from Italy and turn into the first Gulf Arab country to operate those watercraft. The American business magazine Forbes reported that a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Italian company Fincantieri, Europe’s largest shipbuilder, covers the “supply of cutting-edge naval vessels and submarines” …

Authorities in Oman have reportedly uncovered a network of spies working for the United Arab Emirates, as the two Arabic Gulf Arab states are involved in a Cold War-like conflict amid an ongoing Riyadh-led diplomatic and trade boycott against Doha. Lebanese Arabic-language daily newspaper al-Akhbar, citing informed sources who requested …

The foreign minister of Qatar said on Wednesday that Washington’s decision not to extend sanction waivers on Iranian oil exports would harm countries that rely on the supplies. The United States has demanded that buyers of Iranian oil stop purchases by May 1 or face the prospect of sanctions, ending …