The Qatari authorities have accused Saudi Arabia of jeopardising the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca of Qatari pilgrims by refusing to guarantee their safety. Saudi Arabia and its allies have been boycotting Qatar since June 5, accusing it of backing extremist groups and of ties to Shiite Iran, in the region’s worst diplomatic crisis in … Read more
Qatari authorities have accused Saudi Arabia of jeopardising the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca of Qatari pilgrims by refusing to guarantee their safety. Saudi Arabia and its allies have been boycotting Qatar since June 5, accusing it of backing extremist groups and of ties to Shiite Iran, in the region’s worst diplomatic crisis in years. … Read more
Like many her age, Bahraini teenager Ritaj Amin, 13, likes listening to American pop idol Charlie Puth on her phone, reading books, and wearing nail polish. This week though, as the youngest competitor at the world championships in Budapest, Amin has been rubbing shoulders with swimming greats like US superstar Katie Ledecky, and South Africa’s … Read more
Qatar refuses to bow to Saudi-led demands to “outsource” its foreign policy to resolve the Gulf crisis, its government spokesman told AFP in an interview. Sheikh Saif bin Ahmed Al-Thani, who holds ministerial rank, accused Doha’s adversaries in the crisis — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt — of meddling in … Read more
Qatar’s foreign minister on Thursday accused Gulf neighbors and Egypt of “stubbornness” in their ongoing diplomatic dispute and said the United Nations should step in to help resolve the crisis. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York to discuss tensions after Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates … Read more
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Wednesday he wants to expel Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera from Israel amid tensions over a sensitive Jerusalem holy site. “The Al-Jazeera channel continues to incite violence around the Temple Mount,” Netanyahu wrote in a Facebook post, referring to the Haram al-Sharif compound in Jerusalem, known to Jews as the … Read more
Journalists and human rights activists on Tuesday denounced “threats” by Saudi Arabia and its allies against Qatari media organisations, including satellite news broadcaster Al-Jazeera. Regional kingpin Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt broke ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of fostering extremism and later issuing 13 demands, including Al-Jazeera’s closure. … Read more
Saudi Arabia and its allies unveiled a “terrorist” blacklist on Tuesday of 18 organisations and individuals suspected of links with Islamist extremism that they said had ties with regional rival Qatar. The move by the four Arab governments came despite mounting international pressure to compromise in their weeks-old boycott of their fellow US ally. Saudi … Read more
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said his visit to the Gulf region made a contribution to easing the crisis surrounding Ankara’s ally Qatar, but indicated that more time was needed to end the standoff. Erdogan visited Saudi Arabia and Kuwait at the weekend before heading to Qatar earlier Monday for talks with Emir … Read more
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Doha ON Monday as part of a Gulf tour aimed at defusing a dispute between Turkey’s ally Qatar and neighbouring Arab states. Erdogan was greeted by Qatari ruler Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in Doha ahead of their first face-to-face talks on the Gulf crisis, state news … Read more
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan began on Sunday a key visit to the Gulf region aimed at defusing the standoff around Turkey’s ally Qatar, saying no one had an interest in prolonging the crisis. Erdogan arrived in Jeddah to meet the Saudi leadership before heading to Kuwait, and on Monday to Qatar for his first face-to-face … Read more
Prolonging the crisis in the Gulf sparked by the isolation of Qatar is not in the interest of anyone, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday as he embarked on a key visit to the region. “No-one has any interest in prolonging this crisis any more,” said Erdogan before leaving Istanbul airport on the two-day … Read more
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Friday he was satisfied with Qatar’s efforts to resolve a diplomatic crisis that has pitted it against Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries. Speaking ahead of a meeting with Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, the foreign minister of Oman, which has remained neutral in the dispute, Tillerson noted … Read more
Qatar’s ruler said Friday that the Gulf emirate is ready for talks to resolve a diplomatic crisis with a Saudi-led bloc so long as his country’s sovereignty is respected. “We are open to dialogue to resolve the outstanding problems,” so long as Qatar’s “sovereignty is respected,” Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani said in his … Read more
Qatar’s ruler said Friday that the Gulf emirate is ready for dialogue to resolve a diplomatic crisis with a Saudi-led bloc so long as his country’s sovereignty is respected. “We are open to dialogue is respected,” Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani said in his first public comments since Saudi Arabia and its allies severed … Read more
Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, is to address the nation Friday night in a televised speech, the first since Saudi Arabia and its allies severed ties with the emirate. The official QNA news agency, quoting the emir’s office, said Sheikh Tamim would deliver his speech at around 1900 GMT to address “the future … Read more
Qatar announced on Thursday changes to its anti-terror legislation, one of the controversial issues at the core of the crisis between Doha and its neighbours who accuse it of backing extremists. The decree from Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani establishes two national lists for individuals and terrorist entities and sets out the requirements for … Read more
Qatar on Thursday accused the United Arab Emirates of being behind the “hacking” of its national news agency that triggered one of the worst Gulf crises in years. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic ties with Qatar on June 5 and imposed a slew of sanctions on the emirate, including the closure … Read more
Saudi Arabia said Thursday that Qataris wanting to perform this year’s hajj will be authorised to enter the kingdom for the pilgrimage, despite a diplomatic spat between the two countries. In a statement, the Saudi hajj ministry said Qataris and residents of the Gulf emirate could join the pilgrimage as they were already “electronically registered … Read more
Bahrain has slapped terrorism charges on an activist who tweeted criticism of the government’s treatment of women, Amnesty International said Wednesday. Ebtisam al-Saegh was accused of “using human rights work as a cover” to communicate with the Geneva-based Al Karama foundation, and of undermining Bahrain’s “status abroad”, Amnesty reported. She was detained after retweeting a … Read more