DOHA: CIA director Bill Burns is expected in Doha to meet with Qatar‘s prime minister for “emergency” discussions on mediation in the Israel-Hamas war, a source with knowledge of the talks told AFP Sunday.The source, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, said Burns was on his wayContinue Reading
President Joe Biden has reached out to the leaders of Egypt and Qatar, urging them to pressure Hamas into negotiating a hostage deal with Israel. This move comes after Biden’s call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to intensify efforts towards achieving a cease-fire in the ongoing conflict in Gaza.Continue Reading
The family of a gay man jailed in Qatar after responding to a fake message on the dating app Grindr have called upon Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to assist in his release ahead of an upcoming court hearing. Qatar Airways staffer Manuel Guerrero, 44, was taken into custody on FebruaryContinue Reading
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron will host Qatar‘s ruling Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in Paris later this week where the two will discuss the ongoing crisis in Gaza, said Macron’s office on Monday. Al-Thani will arrive in Paris for the talks on Tuesday, which the French presidency saidContinue Reading
KABUL: Herbert Fritz, an 84-year-old Austrian far-right activist who was detained in Afghanistan last May, has been released by the Taliban. The Austrian government confirmed Fritz’s safe arrival in Doha, Qatar, with the help of the Qatari government. Fritz had been arrested for ignoring Austria’s travel advisory against visiting Afghanistan,Continue Reading
RAFAH: Qatar said it was appalled Wednesday by leaked remarks made by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in which he criticised the country’s mediation efforts with Hamas, complicating already arduous negotiations meant to halt the hostilities in exchange for a hostage release.In a meeting with families of hostages held by Hamas,Continue Reading
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has hit back at criticism over his meeting with former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce just weeks before the airline submitted plans by rival carrier Qatar to boost local flights should be rejected. Asked about what was discussed at the November 2022 meeting, Mr Albanese called theContinue Reading
The release of Anthony Albanese’s diary confirms that he had a meeting with then-Qantas boss Alan Joyce weeks before the national carrier submitted that a bid by rival airline Qatar Airways to boost its local services should be rejected. The diary’s release follows a 16-month pursuit of its contents, withContinue Reading
GAZA/JERUSALEM: A senior Egyptian official said on Monday that Egypt and Qatar were close to reaching a deal to extend a truce between Israeli and Hamas forces in Gaza by two days, continuing a pause in seven weeks of warfare that has killed thousands and laid waste to the PalestinianContinue Reading
The Israel-Hamas war is set to be the most violent in a generation. And its fallout could be global. So how can we tell if things are beginning to spiral out of control? According to Atlantic Council analyst and former White House National Security Council advisor Kirsten Fontenrose, these thingsContinue Reading