https://www.scmp.com/rss/324567/feed Several Arab nations (including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt and Yemen) abruptly cut diplomatic ties with Qatar on June 5, 2017. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Kuwait announced a new government on Sunday, its seventh in three years of deep political crisis between parliament and the executive. Despite being the only Gulf Arab state to have an elected government, Kuwait remains mired in political turmoil that has stalled reforms in one of the world’s largest producers of crude oil. The previous government resigned in January, just three months after first taking office. 1MDB scandal: Kuwait sentences alleged Malaysian mastermind Jho Low in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3216496/kuwait-announces-its-seventh-government-three-years-political-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3216496/kuwait-announces-its-seventh-government-three-years-political-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Apr 2023 19:06:58 +0000 The leader of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) made a surprise visit on Monday to Qatar as it is hosting the World Cup – his first since leading a years-long four-nation boycott of Doha over a political dispute that poisoned regional relations. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who also serves as the ruler of Abu Dhabi, made the trip at the invitation of Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the state-run WAM news agency reported. “The visit builds on the existing brotherly... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3202123/uae-leader-makes-surprise-visit-qatar-after-years-long-four-nation-boycott-doha?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3202123/uae-leader-makes-surprise-visit-qatar-after-years-long-four-nation-boycott-doha?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Dec 2022 09:17:53 +0000 Qatar has played a central role in the evacuation of Afghans after the Taliban takeover. An estimated 40 per cent of the more than 110,000 evacuees flown out from Kabul by the United States and its allies over the past few weeks have passed through Qatar’s Al-Udeid airbase before flying on to third countries, including Germany. Qatar itself airlifted 1,500 people on the request of international organisations and secured safe passage to the airport for 3,000 people, with the Qatari ambassador... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3147041/qatar-key-player-post-us-afghanistan-can-it-be-bridge-taliban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3147041/qatar-key-player-post-us-afghanistan-can-it-be-bridge-taliban?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Aug 2021 11:00:21 +0000 The Netherlands national team protested in support of human rights in Qatar ahead of Saturday’s 2022 World Cup qualifier match against Latvia after similar gestures from Norway and Germany’s players. Frank de Boer’s side went out onto the pitch at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam wearing T-shirts with the message “Football supports CHANGE”, aimed at the Gulf state which is hosting next year’s finals. Qatar has faced criticisms for its treatment of migrant workers, many of whom are involved in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3127290/netherlands-players-aim-human-rights-protest-qatar-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3127290/netherlands-players-aim-human-rights-protest-qatar-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Mar 2021 18:45:26 +0000 Qataris began entering Saudi Arabia on Saturday via a border crossing that was opened just days after a deal was reached to end a years-long regional diplomatic dispute. Leaders of three Gulf countries – Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain – as well as Egypt signed a declaration with Qatar on Tuesday at an annual Gulf summit, ending a rift that lasted for three-and-a-half years. On the eve of the summit, Saudi Arabia agreed to reopen its air, sea and land borders with Qatar... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3117091/qataris-begin-entering-saudi-arabia-border-crossing-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3117091/qataris-begin-entering-saudi-arabia-border-crossing-years?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Jan 2021 20:43:47 +0000 Saudi Arabia and its allies have restored full relations with Qatar, Riyadh said on Tuesday after a landmark summit, ending a damaging rift that erupted in 2017. Four nations, led by Saudi, cut ties and transport links with Qatar in June that year, alleging it backed radical Islamist groups and was too close to Riyadh’s rival Iran – allegations Doha denied. Saudi said that the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt were joining it in re-establishing ties with Qatar, whose ruler was greeted with... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3116528/saudi-crown-prince-greets-qatar-emir-summit-opens-door-end?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3116528/saudi-crown-prince-greets-qatar-emir-summit-opens-door-end?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Jan 2021 10:41:20 +0000 Saudi Arabia will open its land, air and sea borders with Qatar on Monday evening, a Gulf official said, dramatically easing a years-long diplomatic rift on the eve of a summit of regional leaders. The step comes as part of efforts to resolve the dispute that has split Qatar from its neighbours since 2017, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Sabah said in a statement on Qatar-based television channel Al Jazeera. The details have been hammered out before the annual Gulf Cooperation... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3116422/saudi-arabia-opens-borders-qatar-gulf-rift-eases?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3116422/saudi-arabia-opens-borders-qatar-gulf-rift-eases?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Jan 2021 19:30:29 +0000 British football fan Ali Issa Ahmad has filed a complaint with Fifa through his lawyers regarding his alleged treatment at the AFC Asian Cup in the UAE in January. The 26-year-old Sudanese-British dual national from Wolverhampton was wearing a T-shirt with the Qatar flag on it at the Qatar vs Iraq Asian Cup game on January 22. Following the game, he claims, he was accosted by a group of men claiming to be police officers and the T-shirt was ripped off him. He said he was also racially abused. He... https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3018290/asian-cup-2019-british-fan-appeals-fifa-claiming-torture-uae-police?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3018290/asian-cup-2019-british-fan-appeals-fifa-claiming-torture-uae-police?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Jul 2019 03:42:52 +0000 As more countries turn towards clean energy, the geoeconomic impact of natural gas as a fuel has become second only to that of oil. Over the past decade, the global demand for this carbon-free energy source has risen considerably and one major buyer is China. The third largest global market for natural gas, China has implemented government policies to replace the use of coal as fuel and millions of households are switching over to clean energy. Consequently, China’s market for gas expanded by a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/3012002/chinas-growing-demand-clean-energy-and-natural-gas-sparks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/3012002/chinas-growing-demand-clean-energy-and-natural-gas-sparks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 May 2019 03:30:05 +0000 Qatar accused the United Arab Emirates Wednesday of a “campaign of violence and hatred” against its citizens, urging the International Court of Justice to quash a case brought by Abu Dhabi. The Gulf states are locked in a battle at the UN’s top court, where the UAE on Tuesday asked judges to stop Qatar “severely aggravating” a two-year-old crisis between Doha and other countries in the oil-rich region. Qatar’s lawyers however hit back, saying in fact it was Abu Dhabi who continued with... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3009414/qatar-accuses-uae-violence-and-hatred-world-court-hague?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3009414/qatar-accuses-uae-violence-and-hatred-world-court-hague?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 May 2019 12:24:43 +0000 Qatar’s Doha Tower, a spiked cylinder that glows orange at night, won an award when finished in 2012 amid a Gulf-wide property boom, but today about half of its 46 floors are empty. The office tower, now a familiar part of the capital’s high-rise skyline, has run foul of what real estate brokers, bankers and analysts say is an oversupplied Qatar property market ahead of the 2022 World Cup that mirrors a real estate downturn in the wider Gulf region after a drop in oil prices. Qatar has the added... https://www.scmp.com/property/international/article/2186647/qatars-property-market-faces-reality-check-ahead-world-cup?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/property/international/article/2186647/qatars-property-market-faces-reality-check-ahead-world-cup?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Feb 2019 12:02:17 +0000 The surprise move by Qatar to quit Opec next month might seem a minor flap, even though Qatar has been a member of the oil cartel since 1961 (“Qatar to quit Opec amid tensions with Saudi Arabia”, December 3). Indeed, its oil minister, Saad al-Kaabi, says the decision is not linked to the ongoing economic boycott imposed by Saudi Arabia and its allies, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt. Yet questions abound: what does this mean for Opec’s future? Will this departure affect oil prices?... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2179775/qatar-leave-opec-smart-business-move-plays-its-core-strength?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/2179775/qatar-leave-opec-smart-business-move-plays-its-core-strength?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Dec 2018 05:01:59 +0000 A Saudi official hinted on Friday the kingdom was going ahead with a plan to dig a canal that would turn the neighbouring Qatari peninsula into an island, amid a diplomatic feud between the Gulf nations. “I am impatiently waiting for details on the implementation of the Salwa island project, a great, historic project that will change the geography of the region,” Saud al-Qahtani, a senior adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said on Twitter. The plan, which would physically separate the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2162326/saudi-arabia-hints-it-going-ahead-historic-project-turn-qatar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2162326/saudi-arabia-hints-it-going-ahead-historic-project-turn-qatar?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Sep 2018 02:41:26 +0000 The UN’s top court on Monday ordered the United Arab Emirates to protect the rights of Qatari citizens, wading into a bitter year-long crisis triggered when Gulf countries snapped ties with Doha. Judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague narrowly ruled in a provisional but binding decision that the UAE must allow families which include Qatari members, to be reunited, and that Qatari students must be given the chance to complete their education in the Emirates. Saudi Arabia,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2156577/un-court-orders-uae-protect-rights-qataris-wake-diplomatic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2156577/un-court-orders-uae-protect-rights-qataris-wake-diplomatic?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Jul 2018 05:04:41 +0000 Ministers from all 22 Arab League states, including isolated Qatar, will meet for the first time in a year in Beijing next week as China steps up its engagement with the Middle East. The officials will be in the Chinese capital on Tuesday for the China-Arab States Ministerial Meeting, which will be opened by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut commercial and diplomatic ties with Qatar more than a year ago over Qatar’s alleged support for Iran,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2154148/top-level-china-forum-bring-qatar-back-arab-league?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2154148/top-level-china-forum-bring-qatar-back-arab-league?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jul 2018 13:30:45 +0000 A Bahraini court acquitted the head of the Shiite opposition of all charges on Thursday in his trial for alleged spying for regional rival Qatar, a judicial source and activists said. Sheikh Ali Salman, head of Bahrain’s largest – and now banned – Shiite opposition group Al-Wefaq was found not guilty along with two of his aides, who were tried in absentia, a judicial source said on condition of anonymity. Groups including the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, and the Bahrain Centre for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2151862/bahrain-opposition-leader-cleared-spying-qatar-having-been?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2151862/bahrain-opposition-leader-cleared-spying-qatar-having-been?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Jun 2018 09:54:40 +0000 There aren’t that many visitors at the “Breath and Life” exhibition on ancient traditional Chinese medicine at Doha’s sprawling Katara Cultural Village. It’s Ramadan, the middle of the day and 44 degrees outside – there aren’t that many visitors anywhere in the Qatari capital. It will pick up later in the day, an attendant tells me, as many are drawn especially by the free diagnosis offered by Chinese practitioners at the show. China is just what the doctor ordered for Qatar after its neighbours... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2149915/china-pillar-strength-qatars-fightback-against-arab-blockade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2149915/china-pillar-strength-qatars-fightback-against-arab-blockade?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Jun 2018 03:47:59 +0000 Qatar is aiming to capitalise on China’s fast growing demand for natural gas as well as its expanding overseas investment and infrastructure pushes as the Gulf state tries to cushion the blows from a blockade by its neighbours.  Qatari Energy and Industry Minister Mohammed bin Saleh al-Sada said Qatar was the world’s top supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and would increase production by about 30 per cent by 2024 to meet projected demand, particularly from East Asia. “We expect China will... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2142795/crisis-hit-qatar-looks-china-fresh-natural-gas-demand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2142795/crisis-hit-qatar-looks-china-fresh-natural-gas-demand?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Apr 2018 07:00:17 +0000 Saudi Arabia could consider a proposal to dig a maritime canal along the kingdom’s border with Qatar, turning the peninsula-nation into an island and transforming its only land border into a military zone and nuclear waste site, state-linked Saudi newspapers reported on Monday. The project has not been given official approval and faces many obstacles. Still, the proposal signals a new low in the 10-month-old feud between Qatar and a quartet of nations that includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2140985/gulf-feud-hits-new-low-proposal-make-qatar-island?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2140985/gulf-feud-hits-new-low-proposal-make-qatar-island?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Apr 2018 17:41:17 +0000 The United Arab Emirates on Monday claimed that Qatari fighter jets intercepted one of its commercial airliners in international airspace on the way to Bahrain, an allegation promptly denied by a Doha official. The UAE’s two major airlines declined to immediately comment. The claim could further escalate tensions between Qatar and the four Arab nations that have been boycotting it for months, among them the UAE, home to the world’s busiest international airport. It also follows two complaints by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2128348/uae-says-qatar-fighter-jets-intercept-commercial-flight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2128348/uae-says-qatar-fighter-jets-intercept-commercial-flight?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Jan 2018 11:03:37 +0000 There’s a silver lining for Asian countries in the six-month old crisis in the Persian Gulf that pits a UAE-Saudi-led alliance against Qatar. That is as long as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates shy away from attempting to harness their financial muscle to shore up lagging international support for their diplomatic and economic boycott of the idiosyncratic oil- and gas-rich state. Asian nations, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines, whose... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2121480/why-qatar-boycott-could-be-boon-asian-countries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2121480/why-qatar-boycott-could-be-boon-asian-countries?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Nov 2017 02:47:29 +0000 China on Thursday vowed to strengthen its cooperation with Saudi Arabia at a time when the Middle Eastern kingdom is facing a political shake-up at home, and heightened tensions with Lebanon and Iran. No matter how the international and regional situation changed, China’s determination to deepen strategic cooperation with Saudi Arabia would not change, President Xi Jinping told Saudi King Salman in a telephone conversation, according to a report by China’s state broadcaster CCTV. “China supports... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2120272/china-vows-boost-ties-saudi-arabia-amid-growing-turmoil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2120272/china-vows-boost-ties-saudi-arabia-amid-growing-turmoil?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Nov 2017 14:00:00 +0000 Lebanese politicians and bankers believe Saudi Arabia intends to do to their country what it did to Qatar – corral Arab allies into enforcing an economic blockade unless its demands are met. Unlike Qatar, the world’s biggest supplier of liquefied natural gas with a population of just 300,000, Lebanon has neither the natural nor financial resources to ride it out, and people there are worried. Up to 400,000 Lebanese work in the Gulf region, and remittances flowing back into the country, estimated... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2119785/lebanon-fears-saudi-arabia-could-impose-economic-blockade-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2119785/lebanon-fears-saudi-arabia-could-impose-economic-blockade-it?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Nov 2017 03:59:59 +0000 Malaysia on Monday rolled out the red carpet for Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, who is on his first trip abroad since a diplomatic crisis erupted in June between his nation and four Arab countries. Sheikh Tamim, who arrived in Kuala Lumpur late on Sunday, was given a 21-gun salute at a state welcoming ceremony in parliament. He also inspected a guard-of-honour during the ceremony attended by Malaysia’s king, Prime Minister Najib Razak and cabinet ministers. Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2115536/malaysia-rolls-out-red-carpet-embattled-qatars-emir?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2115536/malaysia-rolls-out-red-carpet-embattled-qatars-emir?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Oct 2017 06:32:10 +0000 Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Tuesday renewed a call for “unconditional dialogue” to end a political crisis pitting Qatar against four Arab states while US President Donald Trump said he expected the dispute to be resolved quickly. Speaking from the podium of the 193-member United Nations General Assembly, Sheikh Tamim renewed the call “for an unconditional dialogue based on mutual respect for sovereignty”. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2111938/trump-meets-qatars-emir-and-predicts-row-neighbours?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2111938/trump-meets-qatars-emir-and-predicts-row-neighbours?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Sep 2017 22:33:09 +0000 Saudi Arabia on Saturday suspended any dialogue with Qatar, accusing it of distorting facts soon after a phone call between the rulers of both countries offered hope of a breakthrough in the three-month-old Gulf crisis. Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to express interest in talks, state media from both sides said, in the first public engagement between the leaders after the US president offered to mediate in the crisis. Saudi Arabia... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2110476/who-said-what-saudi-arabia-suspends-dialogue-qatar-after-high?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2110476/who-said-what-saudi-arabia-suspends-dialogue-qatar-after-high?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Sep 2017 08:40:30 +0000 A Saudi-led bloc of Arab states hostile to Qatar on Friday took aim at Kuwaiti mediation and maintained a tough line even after US President Donald Trump offered to help resolve the crisis. Saudi Arabia as well as the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut ties with Qatar in June, accusing it of bankrolling Islamist extremist groups and of being too close to Iran. They also shut down air, maritime and land links and imposed economic sanctions on Qatar. The gas-rich emirate denies the claims... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2110381/saudi-led-bloc-maintains-hard-line-against-qatar-despite-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2110381/saudi-led-bloc-maintains-hard-line-against-qatar-despite-us?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Sep 2017 10:31:50 +0000 More than 1.7 million Muslims from around the world have arrived in Saudi Arabia for the start of the annual haj pilgrimage this week. Once in Mecca – the site of Islam’s holiest place of worship – they will be reminded that the ruling Al Saud family is the only custodian of this place. Large portraits of the king and the country’s founder hang in hotel lobbies across the city. A massive clock tower bearing the name of King Salman’s predecessor flashes fluorescent green lights at worshippers... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2108820/saudi-arabia-continues-control-haj-pilgrimage-what-does-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2108820/saudi-arabia-continues-control-haj-pilgrimage-what-does-it?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Aug 2017 10:34:29 +0000 Qatar restored full diplomatic relations with Iran early Thursday, disregarding the demands of Arab nations now locked in a regional dispute with the energy-rich country that it lessen its ties to Tehran. In announcing its decision, Qatar did not mention the diplomatic crisis roiling Gulf Arab nations since June, when Qatar found its land, sea and air routes cut off by its neighbours over Doha’s policies across the Middle East. However, the move comes just days after Saudi Arabia began promoting... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2108096/qatar-restores-full-diplomatic-ties-iran-snub-arab-neighbours?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2108096/qatar-restores-full-diplomatic-ties-iran-snub-arab-neighbours?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Aug 2017 06:15:36 +0000 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 boycott of their fellow US ally. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt blacklisted nine charity and media organisations and nine individuals “directly or indirectly linked... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2104034/gulf-tensions-rise-saudi-arabia-and-its-allies-unveil-qatar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2104034/gulf-tensions-rise-saudi-arabia-and-its-allies-unveil-qatar?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Jul 2017 08:20:16 +0000 Qatar’s emir called on Friday for dialogue to resolve a political crisis pitting his country against four Arab states, saying any talks must respect national sovereignty, but the call was unlikely to end the rift. In his first speech since four Arab countries severed ties with Doha, a defiant Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said life was continuing as normal despite what he described as an unjust “siege”. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties and imposed sanctions on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2103688/qatars-ruler-calls-talks-resolve-differences-gulf-neighbours?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2103688/qatars-ruler-calls-talks-resolve-differences-gulf-neighbours?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Jul 2017 22:20:15 +0000 The Trump administration tossed aside its aversion to mediating a weeks-long Persian Gulf dispute on Monday, as the top US diplomat flew to the region hoping to forge a deal between Qatar and its neighbours at the negotiation table. The new approach isn’t without diplomatic risk, thrusting America into the middle of an Arab squabble at a time President Donald Trump had hoped the US allies would be uniting against terrorism. On his first foray into shuttle diplomacy since becoming secretary of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2102084/tillerson-corral-qatar-and-bickering-neighbours-hopes-shuttle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2102084/tillerson-corral-qatar-and-bickering-neighbours-hopes-shuttle?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Jul 2017 19:15:15 +0000 Qatar on Sunday announced it was establishing a committee to pursue compensation claims potentially worth billions of dollars over the country’s “blockade” by Gulf states. Attorney General Ali bin Fetais al-Marri said the Compensation Claims Committee would deal with cases including major companies, such as Qatar Airways, and individual Qatari students who have been expelled from the countries where they were studying. “This committee will receive all claims, whether from the public sector,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2101917/qatar-pursues-siege-compensation-firms-and-citizens-affected?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2101917/qatar-pursues-siege-compensation-firms-and-citizens-affected?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Jul 2017 11:48:08 +0000 Saudi Arabia and Arab allies that have cut ties with Qatar began talks in Egypt on Wednesday on the Gulf diplomatic crisis, after Doha said their demands were impossible to meet. The four Arab nations, which also include the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, accuse Qatar of supporting extremism, a charge which it denies. They gave the isolated emirate an extra 48 hours to meet their ­ultimatum after an initial 10-day deadline passed on Sunday. Saudi Arabia said early on Wednesday that the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2101321/saudi-arabia-prepares-meet-allies-after-qatar-dismisses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2101321/saudi-arabia-prepares-meet-allies-after-qatar-dismisses?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Jul 2017 03:08:31 +0000 Qatar appeared defiant as Saudi Arabia and its allies Monday extended a deadline for Doha to accept a series of demands to lift a de facto blockade. Their demands include Doha ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, the closure of Al-Jazeera television, a downgrade of diplomatic ties with Iran and the shutdown of a Turkish military base in the emirate. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt gave Doha 10 days to comply with their 13 demands, with the ultimatum due to expire... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2100992/qatar-defiant-saudi-led-bloc-extend-deadline-48-hours-resolve?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2100992/qatar-defiant-saudi-led-bloc-extend-deadline-48-hours-resolve?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Jul 2017 02:59:07 +0000 Qatar on Friday called on its ally the US to play a “vital role” in resolving an escalating dispute between the Gulf emirate and its neighbours. Last month, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic ties and transport links with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism, a charge Doha denies. “The American role is vital as all parties to the conflict are allies of Washington,” Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said. Kuwait, another Gulf... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2100841/qatar-urges-us-intervention-resolve-gulf-crisis-turkey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2100841/qatar-urges-us-intervention-resolve-gulf-crisis-turkey?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jul 2017 03:25:34 +0000 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday welcomed ­Qatar’s dismissal of a sweeping list of demands from Saudi Arabia and its allies in an escalating crisis and said the ultimatum was “against international law”. “We welcome [Qatar’s position] because we consider the ­13-point list against international law,” Erdogan was quoted as ­saying by the state-run Anadolu news agency. Erdogan, who spoke to reporters after morning prayers at an Istanbul mosque, said the demands on its embattled... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2099880/erdogan-slams-disrespectful-gulf-states-over-calls-close?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2099880/erdogan-slams-disrespectful-gulf-states-over-calls-close?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jun 2017 07:53:39 +0000 Arab consumers of news and commentary were upset this week to find out that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt are demanding the closure of Al-Jazeera and its affiliate stations. The Kuwaiti leadership delivered a 13-point list of demands made by the four countries that have imposed a blockade on Qatar on charges that it supports terrorism. Condition No. 6 on the list called for the closure of Al-Jazeera Satellite Network and its affiliates, while No. 11 calls for the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2099795/why-arab-states-are-wrong-demand-qatar-shut-down-al-jazeera?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2099795/why-arab-states-are-wrong-demand-qatar-shut-down-al-jazeera?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jun 2017 02:22:02 +0000 Faced with a sweeping set of demands, Qatar has insisted it can indefinitely survive the economic and diplomatic steps its neighbours have taken to try to pressure it into compliance, even as a top Emirati official warned the tiny country to brace for a long-term economic squeeze. Given 10 days to make a decision, Qatar did not immediately render judgment on the specific concessions demanded of the tiny Persian Gulf nation, which include shuttering Al-Jazeera and cutting ties to the Muslim... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2099794/they-are-bullies-gulf-crisis-deepens-after-qtars-neighbours?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2099794/they-are-bullies-gulf-crisis-deepens-after-qtars-neighbours?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jun 2017 01:58:08 +0000 Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries that have cut ties to Qatar issued a steep list of demands Thursday to end the crisis, insisting that their Persian Gulf neighbour shut down the Al-Jazeera news channel, cut back diplomatic ties to Iran and close down a Turkish military base in Qatar. In a 13-point list — presented to the Qataris by Kuwait, which is helping mediate the crisis — the countries also demand that Qatar sever all ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and with other groups including... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2099649/neighbours-want-qatar-shut-down-al-jazeera-among-tough?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2099649/neighbours-want-qatar-shut-down-al-jazeera-among-tough?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jun 2017 03:48:54 +0000 Saudi Arabia and its allies have drawn up a list of demands to be presented to Qatar, the United States said on Wednesday, as President Donald Trump discussed the regional crisis with new Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The latest moves came as Washington stepped up its efforts to resolve the thorny row between Qatar -- home to the biggest US air base in the Middle East -- and its neighbours, led by Riyadh. “We hope the list of demands will soon be presented to Qatar and will be... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2099434/saudis-and-allies-compile-list-demands-resolve-crisis-qatar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2099434/saudis-and-allies-compile-list-demands-resolve-crisis-qatar?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jun 2017 19:31:20 +0000 China and Iran have conducted a joint naval exercise near the ­strategic Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf amid rising tensions in the region. The official IRNA news agency said the drill on Sunday included an Iranian warship and two ­Chinese destroyers, a logistics ship and one helicopter. The Chinese flotilla went to Oman after the naval exercise, state-run Xinhua reported. The Iranian navy assigned its Alborz destroyer, a helicopter and about 700 personnel to the ­exercise. Why Qatar... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2098898/china-and-iran-carry-out-naval-exercise-near-strait?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2098898/china-and-iran-carry-out-naval-exercise-near-strait?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jun 2017 23:03:09 +0000 The recent row between Qatar and its Arab neighbours puts a big question mark over the feasibility of Beijing’s plans to promote connectivity and build a China-centred trade network among Eurasian countries. The diplomatic rift will interrupt Beijing’s efforts to manage its multitrillion-dollar projects under the Belt and Road Initiative, as the crisis in the Gulf region might mark the beginning of a new round of chaos, and perhaps military conflicts, in the wider Middle East. On June 5, Saudi... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2098337/how-qatar-crisis-could-turn-disaster-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2098337/how-qatar-crisis-could-turn-disaster-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jun 2017 03:45:45 +0000 Fifa president Gianni Infantino was greeted in China this week with the pomp and circumstance of an official state visit, even afforded the honour of being allowed to lean uncomfortably towards president Xi Jinping in the overstuffed chairs of Beijing’s Great Hall of the People. China’s state media gave the meeting massive prominence – although to be fair, any time Xi opens his mouth it dominates their headlines. Official reports parroted “avid football fan” Xi’s bland remarks about “promoting... https://www.scmp.com/sport/soccer/article/2098655/china-unlikely-pinch-footballs-world-cup-2022-crisis-hit-qatar-it-cant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/soccer/article/2098655/china-unlikely-pinch-footballs-world-cup-2022-crisis-hit-qatar-it-cant?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jun 2017 08:45:19 +0000 The United States agreed a US$12-billion warplane sale to Qatar and began manoeuvres with its military on Thursday, reaffirming support for the emirate in the throes of a diplomatic crisis with its neighbours. A deal for the “state-of-the-art” F-15 fighters was signed by Qatar in Washington, which has sent conflicting signals to its long-time ally in the crisis that has seen Saudi Arabia and its allies impose sweeping sanctions on the emirate. Last week, US President Donald Trump expressed... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2098582/us-affirms-support-qatar-f-15-jet-sale-and-naval?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2098582/us-affirms-support-qatar-f-15-jet-sale-and-naval?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jun 2017 19:00:45 +0000 Gulf aviation officials met on Thursday to discuss the airspace standoff resulting from the Arab world’s biggest powers decision to cut ties with Qatar, prompting Doha to invoke a 1944 international agreement to try to ease the logjam. Qatar has asked the United Nations aviation agency, International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), to intervene after its Gulf neighbours closed their airspace to Qatar flights, but some sources were sceptical about finding a quick solution. ICAO, which... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2098581/qatar-and-gulf-arab-foes-raise-airspace-row-un-agency?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2098581/qatar-and-gulf-arab-foes-raise-airspace-row-un-agency?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jun 2017 18:00:30 +0000 The decision to host the 2022 football World Cup in Qatar has been steeped in controversy, and just when you thought it could not become any more contentious, it did. The recent cutting of diplomatic ties with the small Gulf nation by several of its neighbours has led to fevered speculation that world football’s showcase tournament might be moved elsewhere. This is not only wishful thinking among Qatar’s sternest critics, but also somewhat premature (the 2022 World Cup is still more than five... https://www.scmp.com/sport/soccer/article/2098450/how-world-cup-became-political-football-qatar-crisis-fuels-calls-change?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/soccer/article/2098450/how-world-cup-became-political-football-qatar-crisis-fuels-calls-change?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jun 2017 06:17:22 +0000 Qatar’s national team could face disciplinary action from Fifa after players warmed up for a World Cup qualifier against South Korea in T-shirts showing support for the country’s emir. The players prepared for the crucial game in Doha wearing white shirts emblazoned with a profile portrait of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. The image has become a widely-used symbol of defiance by Qataris in response to the current diplomatic crisis in the Gulf which has seen Saudi Arabia, the United Arab... https://www.scmp.com/sport/soccer/article/2098235/qatar-risk-fifa-action-after-t-shirt-protest-amid-diplomatic-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/soccer/article/2098235/qatar-risk-fifa-action-after-t-shirt-protest-amid-diplomatic-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jun 2017 03:15:03 +0000 Qatar has asked the United Nations’ aviation agency to intervene in an airspace rights’ dispute with three Gulf states following an escalating diplomatic row and trade blockade, two sources familiar with the matter said. Qatar has sent a letter to the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) governing council in an effort to resolve the dispute after Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain closed their airspace to Qatari flights. The Gulf state has indicated that it will ask the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2098162/qatar-asks-un-aviation-body-resolve-gulf-flight-route-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/2098162/qatar-asks-un-aviation-body-resolve-gulf-flight-route-row?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jun 2017 11:29:53 +0000 Qatar’s World Cup preparations continue “as normal” and organisers remain confident that stadium construction deadlines will be met, a source close to the 2022 tournament said. Despite the country being at the centre of a diplomatic crisis which has seen Qatar cut off politically – and economically – from neighbouring Gulf countries, organisers were unworried, said the source. “I think, for us, it’s business as usual, we have to continue as normal,” said the source. “In any construction project... https://www.scmp.com/sport/soccer/article/2098051/qatar-says-world-cup-plans-continue-normal-despite-diplomatic-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/soccer/article/2098051/qatar-says-world-cup-plans-continue-normal-despite-diplomatic-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jun 2017 03:32:54 +0000