Newsletter: City Pulse Doha Design Doha puts craft center stage Also this week: Qatar Boat Show, Fadel Chaker and coffee at Al Hazm. By Reve Chaaban In Doha reporting on culture
Qatar becomes largest buyer of LNG from US amid Hormuz disruption QatarEnergy has agreed to purchase up to 7 million metric tons per year of US LNG through long-term contracts signed this month. Qatar
Qatar locks in US LNG through 2054 as it looks beyond Hormuz The Gulf state agreed to buy up to 4 million tons of US liquefied natural gas annually through 2054. Qatar
Turkey says Qatar Eurofighter jet deal still on track despite Iran war Ankara expects Doha to submit a draft sales contract for the fighter jets, as Turkey seeks to acquire aircraft that can be delivered sooner than its newly ordered Eurofighters. Turkey
Analysis Gulf oil exports are back, but how durable is recovery? By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Qatar to vote on ditching legislative council elections as Gulf states balk at representative rule Qatar's first legislative council election was held in October 2021, a year before it hosted the FIFA World Cup, but the Gulf state now looks poised to roll back citizens' involvement in the legislative process. Qatar
Qatari emir in Germany to boost economic ties According to the German chancellery, Scholz will host the emir at Meseberg Castle, with the meeting focusing on deepening energy, trade and regional security ties. Qatar
Gulf governments silent as Iran, proxies mourn Hamas' Yahya Sinwar Regional governments have not commented on Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar’s killing by Israeli forces in Gaza, but Iran and its proxy groups mourned his death, vowing that the resistance against Israel will continue. Palestine
Gulf sovereign investors unshaken by Middle East wars but opt for global markets Gulf Cooperation Council investors accounted for 40% of deals made by sovereign investors globally in 2023 and 2024. United Arab Emirates
Analysis After Al Jazeera office closure, what's next for press freedom in Israel? The closure of the Ramallah Al Jazeera office came after the office in Jerusalem was shut down by order of the Israeli government last May. By Mazal Mualem In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics
Pezeshkian in Qatar as Iran pushes to revive nuclear deal, isolate Israel Coming just a day after Tehran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel, Iran is expecting the visit to serve as a multifaceted initiative, helping shape its future standing in the volatile landscape and boost prospects of sanctions relief to salvage its battered economy. Iran
Middle East airlines alter, axe flights following Iran missile attack on Israel Late on Tuesday, Iran launched more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel in what it said was in retaliation for last Friday’s assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the chief of Lebanon-based militia Hezbollah. Lebanon
Qatar to join US visa-free travel list in first for Arab country Qatar is set to become the second Middle Eastern country, behind Israel, to join the US Visa Waiver Program. Qatar
Analysis Race for historic Middle East Olympics is on post-Paris Regional players are ready to make their case for the 2036 games but face a crowded field of bidders. By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Qatari FM meets Araghchi, Pezeshkian in Iran amid Gaza cease-fire talks The visit is the Qatari premier’s first to Iran since 2022, and it coincides with renewed efforts to reach a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Iran
Analysis Qatar rivalry, security concerns drive UAE thaw with Afghanistan’s Taliban The UAE has formally acknowledged a Taliban-appointed representative, making it only the second country, after China, to do so. By Sabena Siddiqui In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran