Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- Saudi Arabia and Qatar will host the Asian qualifying playoffs for the 2026 World Cup, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said Friday. Six teams, the third and fourth-placed sides from the recent Asian qualifiers, namely Indonesia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates,...

Australia qualified for next year's World Cup in North America while Oman ended Palestine's hopes of a first appearance at the finals with a last-gasp draw on Tuesday.

Qatar's foreign reserves rise 3.6 percent year-on-year despite a dip in bonds and treasury holdings, Iraq releases Australian and Egyptian engineers and other developments.

Doha, Qatar -- Qatar's table tennis association has warned of possible legal action as it disputes the result of a stormy leadership election for the Olympic sport's world governing body in Doha. The Qatari association, whose president Khalil Al-Mohannadi narrowly failed to dislodge Sweden's Petra Soerling as head of the...

Israel has faced growing condemnation over the humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, where the United Nations has warned the entire population faces the risk of famine after no aid was allowed to enter for more than two months.

The agreement was sealed at the presidential palace in Damascus in the presence of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and US ambassador Thomas Barrack. It aims to generate 5,000 megawatts. Syrian Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir called it a "historic moment" and a "turning point" for the country's shattered infrastructure.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has accepted the Boeing 747 that the Gulf emirate of Qatar offered to President Donald Trump for use as Air Force One, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

Washington, United States -- The World Bank on Friday said it would restart operation in Syria following a 14-year pause, after Saudi Arabia and Qatar had paid off the country's outstanding debts. The Bank's operation in Syria were halted when the civil war broke out in 2011, preventing the country...

The Istanbul meeting follows Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's warning of "irreversible" consequences if the European powers move to reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran that were lifted under a 2015 deal.

US President Donald Trump on Friday capped off a Gulf tour in Abu Dhabi that has seen the securing of multi-billion-dollar deals, a $1.4 trillion investment pledge from the UAE, as well as historic overtures to Syria and renewed optimism over an Iran nuclear deal.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday closes a Middle East tour in the United Arab Emirates as he focuses squarely on seeking deals after billions of dollars of pledges from Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

US President Donald Trump landed in Doha Wednesday after visiting Riyadh, where he urged Syria's president to normalise with Israel after offering a major boost to the war-ravaged country by vowing to lift sanctions.

In the days before the trip, the White House has played an instrumental part in hammering out a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, the release of an American hostage in Gaza and holding another round of nuclear talks with Iran.

Calling the plane a "flying palace," ABC News, which first reported the story, said the Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet gifted from the Qatari royal family would possibly be the most expensive gift ever received by the American government.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will visit Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Saturday, his ministry said, days before US President Donald Trump begins a regional tour.

Doha, Qatar -- The Trump Organization signed on Wednesday its first development deal in Qatar to build a golf course and residential villas near the capital Doha, real estate firm Qatari Diar said. Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization and the US president's son, attended the signing...

"We need to find an answer for the ultimate question: how to end this war. That's, that's basically, I think, the key point of the entire negotiations," Sheikh Mohammed added. Qatar, alongside Egypt and the United States, brokered a truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza which came into effect...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia and Qatar announced on Sunday that they would settle Syria's debt to the World Bank totaling roughly $15 million, according to a statement published by the Saudi Press Agency. Both Gulf states have played a key role in the diplomatic outreach to Syria's new...

The Palestinian militants' chief negotiator spoke out after civil defence rescuers in Gaza said new Israeli air strikes killed at least 40 people, most of them in camps for displaced civilians, as Israel pressed its offensive in the Palestinian territory.

Qatar is to renew a $60 million grant to pay the salaries of Lebanon's army and provide 162 military vehicles, the two countries said on Wednesday following Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's first official visit to the Gulf state.

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in Doha. Qatar has been a key backer of the new administration in Damascus after longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December.

"The two sides emphasized the importance of strengthening economic cooperation... they agreed to work toward a package of direct Qatari investments totaling $7.5 billion, to be implemented over the next phase," Qatari official media said, citing the statement.

Jakarta, Indonesia -- Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said Qatar is set to invest $2 billion in his country's new sovereign wealth fund as he looks to boost economic growth. Prabowo is on a five-nation tour of the Middle East, visiting the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan to...

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - When US and Iranian negotiators meet in Oman on Saturday they will be just the latest to turn to crisis mediation in the Gulf Arab states, whose wealthy rulers are increasingly seeking out the role. Oman is a long-established venue for Iranian talks, while promoting...

Dubai, UAE --  Qatar's 'Hit Show' triumphed in the 2025 Dubai World Cup's main event at Meydan, the pinnacle of global horse racing. In the $12 million Emirates Airline Dubai World Cup, Hit Show, owned by Wathnan Racing, ridden by Florent Geroux and trained by Brad Cox, prevailed over eight...

Doha, Qatar -- Qatar's general Producer Price Index (PPI) for the industrial sector for February recorded 114.01 points, showing stability compared to January, but reflecting a decrease of 0.33 percent compared to the same month in 2024. The PPI for the industrial sector is composed of four main sectors: mining...

The talks in Doha started a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to seize parts of Gaza if Hamas did not release hostages, and Hamas warned the captives would return "in coffins" if Israel did not stop bombing the Palestinian territory.

Saudi Arabia and some other Gulf Arab states are to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr holiday from Sunday but other Middle Eastern countries will not do so until Monday.

It was not immediately clear whether Trump's comments signalled further backtracking from his widely criticised proposal to take over the Palestinian territory, displacing its population to neighbouring countries.

A study by the World Economic Forum reveals that AI could replace around 85 million jobs by 2025

The plan by Muslim-majority nations has been rejected by both Israel and its key ally the United States, but has been endorsed by Britain, France, Germany and Italy.

Truce mediators Egypt and Qatar accused Israel of blatantly violating the ceasefire deal by halting the aid, a move left trucks loaded with goods lined up on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing to Gaza.

Observing fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, requiring believers to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours. Observant Muslims are also encouraged to donate to the poor.

Trump sparked a global outcry with his proposal for the United States to "take over" the Gaza Strip and to move more than two million Palestinians out of the war-devastated territory, citing Egypt or Jordan as possible destinations.

Hamas has said it would postpone the release citing Israeli violations, and hours later, Trump warned that "hell" would break loose if the Palestinian militant failed to release "all" hostages by Saturday.

Doha, Qatar -- Real estate sales contracts worth 251.25 million qatari riyals were registered with the emirate's Real Estate Registration Department at the Ministry of Justice during the period from Dec. 29- Jan 2. During the same period, the total sales contracts for the real estate bulletin for residential units...

Doha, Qatar – Qatar’s non-energy private sector recorded robust growth in the final months of 2024, according to the latest Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) data from the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) and compiled by S&P Global. The labour market was a key driver of this growth, with employment and wages...

Paris, France -- Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk's startup xAI said it had raised $6 billion from investors in its latest funding round, as it battles stiff competition in the artificial intelligence market. The firm, whose flagship product is the Grok chatbot, garnered support from US venture capitalists, chipmakers NVIDIA and...

Doha, Qatar - Qatar's prime minister said on Saturday that momentum had returned to talks aimed at securing a truce and hostage exchange deal in Gaza following Donald Trump's election as US president. The Gulf emirate, along with the United States and Egypt, had been involved in months of unsuccessful negotiations...

Doha, Qatar - Qatar has resumed its role as a mediator in efforts to secure a truce in the Israel-Hamas war following a brief suspension, a source with knowledge of the talks said Thursday. The Gulf emirate, along with the United States and Egypt, had been involved in months of unsuccessful...

London, United Kingdom - The British government said Wednesday that it has agreed to a partnership with Qatar that will see the Gulf state invest 1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion) in climate technologies. "The partnership is expected to create thousands of highly skilled jobs over its lifetime and will see the...

While developing countries paid a record US$1.4 trillion to service debts, the non-oil sectors in the GCC countries are fueling growth and diversification,

US president says ceasefire takes effect on Wednesday at 4:00 AM Beirut time, as Lebanese officials accuse Israel of trying to inflict maximum damage through a wave airstrikes in Beirut before the truce deadline.

Qatar, along with the United States and Egypt, had led months of fruitless negotiations for a truce in the Gaza war, but the Gulf state announced earlier this month it was pausing its mediation efforts. The announcement followed reports Qatar had warned Hamas that its political bureau, which the Gulf...

The Gulf emirate, which has hosted Hamas's political leadership since 2012 with US blessing, has been involved in months of protracted diplomacy aimed at ending the 13-month old war that has killed 43,552 people in Gaza.

Israel’s Mossad chief will travel to Qatar for ceasefire negotiations as Hamas signals readiness to halt fighting, contingent on Israel agreeing to withdraw from Gaza, enable aid access, and facilitate the return of displaced people.

While Israel continues to attack Gaza and Lebanon, the situation is "very scary" in Gaza Strip according to a Red Cross official. Also, Lebanese government says it got assurances that Israel will not attack Beirut international airport.

Oil prices shoot up as Biden suggests that Israel might target Iranian oil facilities, while GCC Arab states, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, reassure Iran of neutrality in the conflict between Tehran and Israel.

Iranian leadership vows strong retaliation if Israel attacks Iran as Hezbollah kills eight Israeli soldiers and destroys 3 tanks while Israel banned UN chief Antonio Guterres from entering Israel. Also, 90 people were killed in Gaza and dozens injured in fresh Israeli attacks.

Qatar Airways unveiled a bid to take a 25 percent stake in troubled airline Virgin Australia on Tuesday, a deal that could shake up Australia's Qantas-dominated market. Under the plan, Qatar would take a minority stake in Virgin for an undisclosed sum. The firms said it would spell more direct...