Newsletter: City Pulse Doha Qatar celebrates heritage at Darb Al Saai Also this week: Football heritage at Katara, Kadim Al Sahir on stage and candlelit tributes at MIA By Reve Chaaban In Doha reporting on culture
Newsletter: Gulf Saudi Arabia, Qatar turbocharge strategic coordination Saudi Arabia and Qatar unveiled sweeping agreements — including a flagship high-speed rail link — that mark their most ambitious push yet to deepen strategic coordination. By Francesco Schiavi In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance
Mideast funds back Paramount's $108B Warner Bros. takeover bid Netflix appeared to have won a weeks-long bidding war with Paramount and Comcast, securing a $72 billion equity deal for Warner Bros. Discovery's TV, film studios and streaming assets, but Monday's $108 billion bid changes the calculus. Saudi Arabia
Analysis Differences over Hamas, Turkey and Iran overshadow Netanyahu-Trump summit When Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu meets US President Donald Trump in Washington, expect him to focus on Hamas' disarmament and rail against Turkey taking part in the international stabilization force in Gaza. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Newsletter: City Pulse Doha Museum honoring M.F. Husain opens in Doha By Reve Chaaban In Doha reporting on culture
Analysis Trump’s Muslim Brotherhood move reignites Israel’s battle over Raam By Rina Bassist In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs
Egypt may find Gaza more appealing without Haniyeh Although tensions between the Egyptian authorities and Hamas were expected to escalate amid reports that Egypt had banned Hamas head Ismail Haniyeh from returning to Egypt and subsequently to Gaza, Egyptian analysts expect relations to be more relaxed in Haniyeh's absence. Qatar
Will Israel go through with plan to develop Gaza gas field? Amid reports about talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority to import gas to the territories, sources say the PA intends to get gas to operate Gaza’s power plant and solve its acute power crisis. Qatar
Ex-Foreign Affairs chairwoman Ros-Lehtinen embraces UAE lobby Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is the only ex-lawmaker currently registered as a foreign agent for the United Arab Emirates. United Arab Emirates
Don't believe media buzz about Arab buying spree in Turkey The Turkish press often trumpets enormous flows of Arab money into Turkey, but the data paint a different picture. Qatar
How Malaysia is becoming Hamas' gateway to Asia Hamas will participate in Malaysia’s Islamic Summit, another indication of the growing ties between the two. Saudi Arabia
Mideast rivalries plague fledgling Muslim summit in Malaysia Tensions between Riyadh and Tehran are dogging a summit set to debut this week in Kuala Lumpur. Saudi Arabia
Is Turkey about to lose its only ally in the Gulf? As Qatar's crisis with its Gulf neighbors de-escalates, Ankara is concerned about losing its valuable ally. Legacy: Gulf
Underlying tensions still restrict full GCC reconciliation While Qatar has been reinvited to the GCC party, the UAE appears to be spoiling for the role of party pooper. Saudi Arabia
A first: Hamas partakes in presidential elections Hamas has announced that it is seeking a consensus candidate for the presidential elections, raising questions about the possibility of agreeing with Fatah on a name. Qatar
Gulf donors drawn into controversy over foreign influence at US campuses Six US universities are under investigation for allegedly failing to report $1.3 billion in gifts and contracts from Middle Eastern and other foreign sources. Saudi Arabia
Israeli singers form bridge to Arab countries Israeli Middle Eastern music is popular in various parts of the Arab world, where it forms a bridge through a common musical heritage. Kuwait
Turkey sees greater partnership with Qatar than is apparent Turkey's commercial gains from its partnership with Qatar have been modest and the media fanfare over fresh bilateral accords is hard to comprehend. Saudi Arabia
