Newsletter: City Pulse Doha Fireworks, feasts and festivals: Doha’s NYE 2026 Also this week: Open-air cinema nights, global sneaker art and festive concerts By Reve Chaaban In Doha reporting on culture
Analysis Gulf finance hubs race to expand as hedge funds flock to Dubai, Abu Dhabi The Gulf’s top financial hubs have posted another strong year in 2025, with the UAE spearheading a regional push to attract hedge funds, asset managers, crypto and fintech firms as regional neighbors target growth of their own. By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Analysis Trump has upper hand over Netanyahu, but is it enough for Gaza? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been stalling on the implementation of the second phase of President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, but at the end of the day, Trump has much more leverage over Netanyahu. By Rina Bassist In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs
Newsletter: City Pulse Doha I. M. Pei’s architectural legacy comes to Doha Also this week: Global marching bands at Katara, Arab Cup celebrations, and National Day festivities By Reve Chaaban In Doha reporting on culture
Newsletter: City Pulse Doha Qatar celebrates heritage at Darb Al Saai By Reve Chaaban In Doha reporting on culture
Newsletter: Gulf Saudi Arabia, Qatar turbocharge strategic coordination By Francesco Schiavi In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance
What it would cost Abbas to reconcile with Dahlan Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is being pressured by a group of Arab states to reconcile with former Fatah member Mohammed Dahlan and by Qatar not to do so. Qatar
Why the PA wants to stay on good terms with Qatar The Qatari ambassador to Palestine stayed in the Gaza Strip for three weeks, holding banquets, visiting various institutions and making donations, with mixed reactions from Palestinian factions. Qatar
Why were 3,000 Gazans excluded from Qatari grant to pay salaries? Hamas is accusing the Ramallah government of tampering with the list of Gazan government workers who were supposed to receive payment as part of a recent grant from Qatar. Qatar
Gazans rejoice as Qatar vows to pay one month of full salaries Qatar has announced that it will provide about $31 million to the Gaza Strip, enough to cover one month's salary for Gaza's civil servants, who hope the aid will bypass the banks to avoid deductions for outstanding debts. Qatar
Did Egypt obstruct Qatar's efforts for Fatah-Hamas reconciliation? The latest Palestinian reconciliation efforts between Fatah and Hamas hosted by Qatar have failed, but the reason may have come from outside the talks. Qatar
Can Saudis ease Egypt-Qatar tension after Al Jazeera death sentences? Saudis want to bridge the divide between Qatar and Egypt so that its Sunni coalition can focus on Iran. Saudi Arabia
Why are some Palestinians upset over Nakba commemoration? The organizers of this year's Nakba commemorations faced harsh criticism for their celebratory events on what is typically a solemn occasion. Qatar
Erdogan, Davutoglu shed tears for Gaza, but do little else Turkey as well as the oil-rich Gulf states have still not fulfilled their pledges to help with the reconstruction and development of Gaza. Legacy: Gulf
Saudi-Iran rivalry spills into UN Human Rights Council While Iran was unhappy with the renewal of Ahmed Shaheed’s mandate as special rapporteur for Iran, it appears to be even more irritated over how Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar voted in favor of the measure at the UN Human Rights Council. Saudi Arabia
How united is the GCC? While Gulf states may all be united under the Gulf Cooperation Council name, their individual policies on foreign intervention vary greatly. Saudi Arabia
Why Iran wants Hamas to apologize Hamas representatives remain busy trying to repair relations with Egypt and Iran while not offending anyone in the Gulf. Legacy: Gulf
