Newsletter: City Pulse Doha Rethinking fashion in Doha Also this week: waterfront coffee at Jasper's and live experimental art performances at GubGub Studios By Reve Chaaban In Doha reporting on culture
Saudi stocks hit 2026 high, bucking global war-driven volatility The kingdom's stock market climbed to its highest level of the year on Wednesday, with the kingdom’s equities now far outperforming the S&P 500 and other global and regional indices. Saudi Arabia
IMF slashes Mideast outlook by nearly 3 points as Iran war hits economies The International Monetary Fund cut gross domestic product forecasts for the Middle East and North Africa, with the fallout from the conflict exposing stark divergences between the region’s energy exporters and importers. Iran
Newsletter: City Pulse Doha The school that shaped a nation Also this week: UV glow shooting at Alhadaf and Qatar Reads at Doha Festival City By Reve Chaaban In Doha reporting on culture
Analysis How fast can Gulf energy production rebound after US-Iran ceasefire? By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Newsletter: City Pulse Doha Fire Station reopens with Chung Seoyoung show By Reve Chaaban In Doha reporting on culture
How this royal portrait boosted Qatari national identity A sense of national identity has been growing steadily in Qatar since the Saudi-led blockade began in June 2017, and it seems as though an image of the Qatari emir has helped it along the way. Qatar
Privatization of Turkish military factory draws strong criticism The lease of the Turkish military’s prominent tank factory to the private company BMC has stirred fierce criticism. Qatar
Israel uses Qatari grant to pressure Hamas In the wake of the military escalation between Israel and the Gaza Strip, Israel has frozen the third transfer of the Qatari grant to Gaza, thus breaching understandings reached with Hamas. Qatar
Iran plays Hamas card ahead of Israeli elections Hamas insists on Qatari money; Iran offers training for Palestinian factions; Russia wrestles with its limits in Syria; UAE leads GCC rapprochement with Damascus. Legacy: Gulf
Gulf states slowly warm to Damascus Gulf states are turning their backs on supporting armed groups in Syria and preparing to re-engage the government in Damascus. Legacy: Gulf
Can Qatar help Hamas without embarrassing Netanyahu? The Qatari emissary asked the Hamas leadership to give him and Israel time to come up with creative ways to transfer the Gaza aid money without causing public opinion in Israel to explode. Qatar
Abbas attacks Netanyahu for letting Qatari funds into Gaza Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says Israel is aiding attacks on its own people by acting as a conduit for money to reach Hamas. Qatar
Qatar deal expected to boost Palestinian trade As part of Doha's continued efforts to boost the Palestinian economy, the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry signed a cooperation agreement with the Palestinian Trade Center in a bid to strengthen their partnerships. Qatar
Is Qatar's Gaza airport plan a step too far? Qatar’s ambassador to the Palestinian territories recently revealed that he has discussed with Israel the idea of building an airport in besieged Gaza. Qatar
Turkey's defense industry still striving for self-sufficiency Turkey has made significant strides in developing its defense industry during the past four years, but it is still being held back by its dependence on other countries' goods and technologies. Qatar
Hamas goes on offense in West Bank Palestinian protests continue in Ramallah over Israeli incursions. Saudi Arabia
What will 2019 have in store for dysfunctional GCC? The Gulf Cooperation has essentially been split in, with Qatar, Kuwait and Oman resisting the actions of Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman and the UAE's Mohammed bin Zayed. Legacy: Gulf