An impromptu stopover in Qatar for a university lecture led to a surprising ‘perpetual contact’ for Hongkonger Jack Lau to spearhead the state’s drive into new cutting-edge science and technology.

Israeli PM Netanyahu has said he will use new powers to stop ‘terrorist channel’ Al Jazeera being shown in Israel. Al Jazeera said ‘disgraceful’ attacks had been carried out against the channel.

Afghan carpets like watercolours, candles that tell the Palestinian story, a meshing of old and new – Arab Design Now is the centrepiece of a biennial in Doha that announces Qatar as a design destination.

Mediators have been engaged in weeks of behind-the-scenes talks over the war that has killed thousands and left many people starving.

Israel warned that it will push on with its offensive during the Muslim holy month, including in the far-southern Rafah area.

Time is ‘not in our favour’, said Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, a key mediator in the Gaza truce negotiations.

South Africa asked the World Court to consider whether Israel’s plan to extend its offensive into the city required additional emergency measures.

The planned purchase garnered controversy when it was announced last year, as lawmakers said the second-hand jets were too old. Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto had defended it as necessary.

Israel said it was examining Hamas’ response to a plan to halt nearly four months of fighting in Gaza.

The capital of Qatar, Doha is a blend of ancient and modern, with a bazaar dedicated to falconry, and a museum of Islamic art.

Deal could bring respite to some of the roughly 100 hostages who remain in captivity, as well as to Palestinians in Gaza in desperate need of aid.

A WhatsApp group of football fans from across the planet help each other buy tickets for the World Cup, Euros - and the 2023 Asian Cup starting today - and share tips on things like hotels and bars.

The US secretary of state will also visit Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt for a week of diplomacy on Israel’s war in Gaza.

Democrats on oversight committee release findings after multi-year investigation, accusing 2024 Republican front-runner of violating US Constitution.

Egyptian sources say both Hamas and Islamic Jihad refused to offer any concessions beyond the possible release of more hostages seized in the October 7 attack.

Ratcliffe’s company Ineos will also take on management of Manchester United’s football operations and invest US$300 million in the club to try to revive its fortunes.

Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah, 86, died on Saturday. Foreign leaders and envoys paid their final respects, including the Saudi crown prince and the rulers of Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan.

The PM has come under more pressure after it was revealed that Israeli troops had accidentally killed 3 captives who approached them with a white flag.

The coup directly preceded Qatar’s spectacular shift to liquefied natural gas, powering its ascent to heavyweight status on the diplomatic world stage.

Russia has been accused of forcibly deporting thousands of Ukrainian children from schools, hospitals and orphanages in parts of the country controlled by its forces.

In recording shown by Israel’s public broadcaster Kan, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar said: ‘We will do this everywhere, in Gaza, in the West Bank, in Lebanon, in Turkey, in Qatar’.

A 4-day ceasefire deal promises some relief for 2.3 million Palestinians in the besieged enclave after weeks of Israeli bombardment.

Though the agreement is said to include a four or five day ceasefire, the PM vowed that the war would continue until Israel achieved all its goals.

Negotiators are working to seal a Qatari-brokered deal for the release of some of the 240 hostages taken by the Islamist militants. US President Joe Biden said on Monday he believes a hostage deal is close.

Meanwhile, Qatar’s PM said a potential deal to free hostages seized by Hamas on October 7 hinges on ‘minor’ practical issues, while Israel’s ambassador to the US was hopeful some captives could be released ‘in coming days’.

As hundreds streamed to Egypt’s Rafah border crossing, desperate to escape the shattered Palestinian territory amid the devastating war, there were reports a refugee camp hit Tuesday was struck again Wednesday.

Israeli ground forces pushed deeper into Gaza, advancing in tanks and other armoured vehicles on the territory’s main city and freeing a soldier held captive by Hamas militants.

The charges against the men, arrested in Doha in August 2022, have not been made public. They worked for a Gulf-based firm that supports the aerospace, security and defence sectors.

The mother and daughter, kidnapped from Nahal Oz kibbutz, are the first abductees to be freed since Hamas gunmen burst into Israel on October 7.