Doha, Qatar - Qatar has emerged as the leading player in the Middle East tourism sector, boasting an impressive 147% increase in tourist arrivals during the first half of 2024 compared to pre-pandemic levels, as reported by UN Tourism. This growth positions Qatar ahead of its regional competitors, with Saudi...

Lebanon's health ministry said more than 700 were injured on Monday in the worst toll by far in nearly a year of cross-border clashes with Israel, while Iran warned Israel of "dangerous consequences". The United Nations has also expressed concerns about Israeli escalation against Lebanon.

Doha, Qatar -- A large new solar plant planned in Qatar will double the Gulf emirate's previously projected renewable energy capacity by 2030, Qatari Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi announced on Sunday. The photovoltaic farm, which will be built in the Dukhan area some 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of the capital...

Qatar agreed on Monday to supply Kuwait with 3 million tons per annum (mtpa) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for 15 years, the second such deal since 2020 as Kuwait imports the fuel to help meet rising demand for power generation, Asharq Al-Awsat online daily reported. The state-owned QatarEnergy and...

Doha, Qatar - Top US diplomat Antony Blinken appealed Tuesday to Hamas urgently to accept a ceasefire plan to ease suffering in Gaza but also entered a public spat with Israel as he capped a new round of shuttle diplomacy. The US secretary of state closed his ninth wartime trip to...

Egyptian, Qatari and US mediators have been seeking to finalize details of a framework initially outlined by Biden in May, and which he said Israel had proposed. But months of talks have so far failed to pin down the details of a truce and hostage release deal. The mediators said...

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told several Middle Eastern counterparts in recent days that "this ceasefire deal is of vital importance, that we need to do everything we can to get it done, and that escalation is in no one's interest", State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said on Wednesday.

Biden called King Abdullah II of Jordan, which helped down Iranian drones and missiles in an earlier showdown in April, while Blinken called top officials in Qatar and Egypt, the key intermediaries seeking a ceasefire in the 10-month Israel-Hamas war.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Wego, the leading travel app and largest online travel marketplace in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), has reported a significant increase in travel interest to India in the first half of 2024. Data from January to June 2024 shows a 40.71% year-on-year rise in...

Haniyeh was laid to rest in Lusail, north of the capital Doha, following funeral prayers at the Gulf emirate's largest mosque attended by thousands of people. he burial was restricted to a small number of people including one of Haniyeh's daughters, Sara, who shared a video on social media showing her...

A source with knowledge of the talks said last week that Israel's return with extra demands was "a recurring theme" in the process and Israel had "moved the goalposts" with three new requests. On Monday evening Netanyahu's office said "Hamas leadership is preventing an agreement" and denied Israel had made changes to...

"A four-way meeting between Egyptian officials and their American and Qatari counterparts, in the presence of Israel's intelligence chief, will be held in Rome on Sunday to reach an agreement on a truce in Gaza," Al-Qahera news, which has links to Egyptian intelligence, reported on Friday, citing a "senior official"...

Several reconciliation bids have failed, but calls have grown since the Hamas October 7 attacks on Israel set off the Gaza war, with violence also soaring in the West Bank where Fatah is based. China hosted Fatah and Hamas in April but a meeting scheduled for June was postponed.

Hamas has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deliberately stepping up battles in Gaza City and far-southern Rafah to thwart a ceasefire agreement.

Mediators Egypt and Qatar were due to host new talks this week, according to officials, as the bloodiest-ever Gaza war raged on into its 10th month.

Hospitality industry revenue in Qatar is expected to witness the highest growth rate in GCC until 2028, Alpen Capital has said in a report. Qatar’s hospitality sector is projected to rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11% (from $0.9bn in 2023 to $1.5bn in 2028). The growth...

In a new diplomatic push, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel and key regional partners Egypt, Jordan and Qatar from Monday on his eighth Middle East trip since the war began, the State Department said.

"The government of Israel has said that they are going to release more information about this strike, including the names of those who died in it. We expect them to be fully transparent in making that information public," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

Qatar, with the United States and Egypt, has been engaged in months of negotiations over details for a ceasefire in Gaza. But except for a seven-day break in hostilities beginning in November that led to the release of more than 100 hostages, the mediation efforts have not stopped the fighting.

Qatar will supply four million tons of gas a year under the deal, QatarEnergy said in a statement, without disclosing the cost of the agreement. "We look forward to further enhancing our relationship with CPC... and to further demonstrate our unwavering commitment to our customers and partners around the world," said...

Hamas had told mediators it "cannot agree to a deal that doesn't that does not secure... a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and the achievement of a serious, real captive exchange deal", he said.

Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani delivered on May 15 the opening speech of the fourth edition of Qatar Economic Forum (QEF), Powered by Bloomberg, Zawya reported. He stated that as Qatar is moving towards a comprehensive digital...

Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday said the movement will be involved in deciding post-war rule in Gaza along with other Palestinian factions. "We say that the Hamas movement is here to stay ... and it will be the movement and all national (Palestinian) factions who will decide the post-war rule in...

Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi, who is also chief executive of QatarEnergy, said the state-owned giant had secured sales of 25 million tons of liquified natural gas (LNG) in the past year and expected to be "signing more this year."

"There is no clarity how to stop the war from the Israeli side. I don't think that they are considering this as an option... even when we are talking about the deal and leading to a potential ceasefire," Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told the Qatar Economic Forum.

"The negotiating delegation left Cairo heading to Doha. In practice, the occupation (Israel) rejected the proposal submitted by the mediators and raised objections to it on several central issues," Hamas said in a message to other Palestinian factions, adding it stood by the proposal.

Egypt's state-linked Al-Qahera News reported that mediators from Qatar, the United States and Egypt were meeting with a Hamas delegation.

Mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the United States have been waiting for Hamas to respond to a proposal that, according to details released by Britain, would halt fighting for 40 days and exchange hostages for Palestinians held by Israel. Hamas has been calling for a permanent ceasefire.

Doha, Qatar – The Autonomous e-Mobility (AEMOB) Forum, a groundbreaking initiative in the realm of sustainable transportation, announced its final program and speakers lineup on Tuesday. Under the patronage of Jassim Saif Ahmed Al-Sulaiti, Minister of Transport, and in partnership with the Ministry of Transport (MOT) of Qatar, the forum...

The region's luxury goods market was worth US$ 10.52 billion in 2023, with long-term growth expected, reaching US$ 13.70 billion by 2028.

Flooding hit many areas of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital, and cut off major roads, snarling traffic and leaving cars stranded.

The strike came as talks in Cairo aimed at a ceasefire and a hostage release deal dragged on without signs of a breakthrough. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Haniyeh, who is based in Qatar, suggested the strike was an attempt to shift Hamas's negotiating stance, but insisted it would not work.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had no indication of an "imminent" Israeli assault on the city, the last in the Gaza Strip yet to be the target of a ground invasion and where around 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering.

In its efforts toward sustainable transportation, the German embassy is the first diplomatic representation in Doha to utilize an electric vehicle as a staff car.

AEMOB Forum will be held in Qatar from April 30 to May 2

According to reports in US media, Burns would meet in the Egyptian capital with Mossad chief David Barnea, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Egypt's intelligence chief Abbas Kamel. The talks in Cairo would focus on freeing hostages held in the Gaza Strip by Hamas fighters.

"We have to think seriously about doing it this semester," Sanchez told a group of Spanish journalists accompanying him on a tour of three Middle East countries Sanchez had said on March 9 he would propose that parliament vote in favor of this recognition by the end of the current...

Doha, Qatar-- Qatar is looking to develop "plans and strategies" to streamline procedures and regulations in order to solve solve all obstacles facing the sector and align its development with the state's overall progress. This was stated by Chairman of Qatar Tourism Saad bin Ali bin Saad Al Kharji at...

Dubai, UAE - As China's outbound tourism steadily rebounds from the pandemic's impact, the Middle East is emerging as a preferred destination for Chinese travelers, alongside traditional hotspots like Thailand and Malaysia. Data from online travel agencies including Ctrip, Tongcheng, Tuniu, Mafengwo, and Zuzuche indicates a significant rise in Chinese...

Doha, Qatar - Mediator Qatar said on Tuesday that talks between Hamas and Israel on a Gaza truce and hostage release are continuing, despite the warring parties trading blame over the lack of headway. Foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said the talks were "ongoing", adding there had not been "any development...

He also points out the necessity of leveraging parliamentary diplomacy to avert wars and conflicts, through mediation and good offices that lead to reconciliations and peace agreements, highlighting the Qatar's neutral and credible mediation efforts, which have earned it the confidence of the international community.

All 14 other members voted in favor of the resolution which "demands an immediate ceasefire" for Ramadan. The resolution calls for the truce to lead to a "lasting, sustainable ceasefire" and demands that Hamas and other groups free hostages.

Doha, Qatar -- Qatar's Industrial Production index (IPI) in January 2024 reached 108.7 points, an increase of 4 percent compared to December 2023 and an increase of 5.5 percent compared to January 2023. The Planning and Statistics Authority has issued the press release of industrial production index for January 2024,...

The Israeli prime minister's office said that Benjamin Netanyahu approved an Israeli delegation led by Mossad head David Barnea to go to Qatar" on Friday. Barnea was in Doha Monday but flew back home after talks were restarted following failed efforts to secure a truce before the holy month of...

The Central Bank of the UAE kept the Base Rate for the Overnight Deposit Facility (ODF) steady at 5.40%, aligning its monetary policy closely with that of the US Federal Reserve. In Qatar, the Central Bank has also decided to keep its deposit, lending, and repo rates unchanged at 5.75%,...

Doha, Qatar - Qatar and Turkey announced partnership in reuniting wounded Palestinians from the Gaza Strip with their relatives in Doha. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that a number of the wounded are receiving treatment in Turkey, while their relatives undergoing treatment in Qatar. The reunification will enable the...

Ismail Haniyeh said that the Israeli actions at Al-Shifa Medical Complex "confirm their intent to obstruct the recovery of life in Gaza and dismantle essential aspects of human existence." He said deliberate targeting of government officials in Gaza illustrates "their efforts to sow chaos".

"The situation of hunger, starvation and famine is a result of Israel’s extensive restrictions on the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid and commercial goods, displacement of most of the population, as well as the destruction of crucial civilian infrastructure," UN human rights chief Volker Turk said.

During the proposed truce, Gaza militants would release about 42 hostages seized during the October 7 attack that triggered the war in Gaza, the official said, requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks. The official said that between 20 and 50 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails would...

Doha, Qatar - The women returning to the workforce following a career break have the potential to contribute nearly US$385bn to the GDP across nine countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. says a PwC Middle East’s survey. 82% of these women believe that they can progress...