Afghanistan and Pakistan say they will respect a ceasefire mediated by Qatar and Turkey.

An appeals court in Qatar has overturned the conviction of Remy Rowhani, leader of the country’s small Baha’i community.

Local hospitals report at least 31 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.

A British couple held in Afghanistan for more than seven months on undisclosed charges have arrived back in the U.K. after being released by the Taliban.

The Taliban have released a British couple held in Afghanistan for over seven months on undisclosed charges.

Israeli forces have launched a new ground offensive in Gaza City, with heavy strikes reported across the area.

Israel and the United States have shown a unified front amid international anger over Israel’s airstrikes on Hamas leaders in Qatar and its bombardment of Gaza City.

Qatar's prime minister has denounced Israel as Arab and Muslim foreign ministers are meeting to discuss a unified response to Israel's attack on Doha.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he will be seeking answers from Israeli officials about how they see the way forward in Gaza following Israel's attack on Hamas operatives in Qatar that has upended efforts to broker an end to the conflict.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Qatar’s prime minister Friday before he visits Israel this weekend.

Qatar’s prime minister has accused Israel of not caring about the hostages in the Gaza Strip with its attack on Hamas leaders in Doha.

Qatari security forces and emergency fire personnel have surrounded the site of an Israeli attack on Hamas’ political leaders who had gathered in the capital of the energy-rich Middle East country to consider a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The leader of the small Baha’i community in Qatar has been sentenced to five years in prison on charges alleging that posts on Baha’i social media accounts “cast doubt on the foundations of the Islamic religion."

President Donald Trump has hosted Bahrain's crown prince and Qatar's prime minister at the White House.

The Pentagon has acknowledged that an Iranian ballistic missile hit Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in June during an Iranian attack after President Donald Trump downplayed the assault.

Iran has retaliated for the U.S. attacks on its nuclear sites by targeting Al Udeid Air Base, a sprawling desert facility in Qatar that serves as a major regional military hub for American forces.

President Donald Trump grew impatient with how long it was taking to finish new planes to serve as Air Force One, so he started to look for other options.

Donald Trump is the most powerful and famous person on the planet, and the American president is at the helm of the biggest economy and the strongest military.

President Donald Trump’s trip to Qatar is off to a flying start.

President Donald Trump has met with interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia.

President Donald Trump is urging Qatar to use its influence over Iran to persuade the country’s leadership to reach an agreement with the U.S. over its rapidly advancing nuclear program.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer says he will hold up all Justice Department nominations on the Senate floor until he gets more answers about the free Air Force One replacement that President Donald Trump says would be donated by Qatar.

President Donald Trump is ready to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a gift from the ruling family of Qatar during his trip to the Middle East this coming week, and U.S. officials say it could be converted into a potential presidential aircraft.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office is once again ensnared in scandal after police arrested two of his close associates this week on suspicion of accepting money from Qatar to promote a positive image of the Gulf Arab state in Israel.

Syria’s new foreign minister has met with his Qatari counterpart and Qatar’s prime minister in Doha on Sunday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s weeklong trip to the Middle East ended as expected without a cease-fire breakthrough for Gaza, but talks are being revived.

Palestinian officials say an Israeli strike on a school where displaced people were sheltering in the central Gaza Strip has killed at least 17 people.

President Joe Biden’s top Middle East adviser on Tuesday held talks in Doha with senior Qatari leaders on the ongoing efforts to complete a cease-fire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.

Thousands of mourners have converged around the flag-draped coffin of Hamas’ slain political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, in the emirate of Qatar as the fallout from his death in an alleged Israeli attack surged with breathtaking speed.

Lebanon's caretaker economy minister says the country's rulers, fuel companies and private electricity providers have blocked an offer by gas-rich Qatar to build three renewable energy power plants to ease the crisis-hit nation’s decades-old electricity crisis.

The enduring image of the 2022 World Cup was Lionel Messi holding aloft soccer’s biggest prize in Qatar's spectacular Lusail Stadium.

Key mediator Qatar says Hamas’ response to the latest plan for a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages was “generally positive.”.

President Joe Biden has spoken with his Egyptian and Qatari counterparts ahead of a trip by his CIA director meant to press toward a deal to secure the release of more hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a pause to fighting in Gaza.

Newly unsealed Justice Department court records say two well-connected political consultants provided false information about lobbying work on behalf of a wealthy Persian Gulf country during the Trump administration.

A four-day cease-fire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas will begin Friday morning, a day later than originally planned.

Israel’s Cabinet has approved a cease-fire agreement with the Hamas militant group that would bring a temporary halt to a devastating war that has continued for more than six weeks.

One year after Qatar hosted the men’s World Cup, the gas-rich emirate and soccer body FIFA have been urged by human rights group Amnesty International to do more for migrant workers.

Qatar's Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani is withdrawing his offer to buy Manchester United, a person with knowledge of the process told The Associated Press.

A person with knowledge of the sale tells The Associated Press the Qatar Investment Authority is buying a roughly 5% stake of Monumental Sports & Entertainment as part of a $4.05 billion deal.

A leading anti-discrimination group in soccer says there is an “urgent crisis” in the game because of racial and offensive abuse.

The supreme leader of the Taliban met in Afghanistan with Qatar’s prime minister this month.

Manchester United as reported a net profit of 6.3 million pounds in its second quarterly fiscal results.

A Swiss newspaper says a spying operation on behalf of World Cup host Qatar bugged a 2017 hotel meeting between FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Switzerland’s then-attorney general.

A Qatar-based bid for Manchester United has been confirmed with Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani promising to rid the iconic soccer club of debt and return it to its former glories.

An Italian court has ruled that a suspect in a big corruption scandal linked to the European Parliament can be handed over to Belgium.

When it comes to soccer, money can buy the world.

Lionel Messi has led Argentina to its third World Cup title by beating defending champion France in a penalty shootout.

French President Emmanuel Macron is about to jet off to Qatar for the second time in a week, despite broad concerns about the emirate’s human rights and environmental record.

In many ways, the service at the Catholic Church of Our lady of the Rosary feels like a standard Sunday Mass.

Morocco coach Walid Regragui says the only regret he has about the team’s loss to France in the semifinals is conceding so early in the match.

Hundreds of Moroccan fans have waited outside Al Janoub Stadium for a chance to score a free ticket to the country's World Cup semifinal game against France.

The State Department says the body and possessions of soccer journalist Grant Wahl have been repatriated to the United States after his death last week while covering the World Cup in Qatar.

FIFA official Arsène Wenger has taken a shot at World Cup teams who tried to make political statements in Qatar.

The camel batted her eyelashes and flashed a toothy smile for the television cameras at the Mzayen World Cup.

A protester ran onto the field carrying a rainbow flag and wearing a blue Superman T-shirt that said “SAVE UKRAINE” on the front and “RESPECT FOR IRANIAN WOMAN” on the back during a World Cup match between Portugal and Uruguay.

The Welsh soccer federation said FIFA has offered assurances that fans wearing rainbow symbols will be allowed at Friday’s World Cup game against Iran.

Germany’s players covered their mouths for their team photo before their opening World Cup match in an apparent rebuke of FIFA’s clampdown on plans to wear armbands to protest discrimination in host nation Qatar.

Discriminatory chants allegedly by Ecuador fans at the World Cup opening game led FIFA to open the first disciplinary case of the tournament.

FIFA’s threat of on-field punishment for players has pushed World Cup teams to back down.

The last-minute decision to ban the sale of beer at World Cup stadiums in Qatar is the latest example of some of the tensions that have played out ahead of the tournament.

The question of where to get a drink, a fixture at sporting events around the world, in the conservative country has been top of mind for many fans since Qatar banned the sale of beer in stadiums in a stunning about-face.

FIFA says it has earned record revenues of $7.5 billion in the four years of commercial deals tied to the World Cup in Qatar.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has delivered a one-hour tirade on the eve of the World Cup’s opening match and then spent about 45 minutes answering questions from media about the Qatari government’s actions and a wide-range of other topics.

Fans are pouring into Qatar to watch and be part of the first World Cup in the Middle East.

Qatar has banned the sale of beer at World Cup stadiums.

Budweiser beer stands at the eight World Cup stadiums are being moved aside to less prominent spots just days before the games start.

Migrant laborers who built Qatar’s World Cup stadiums often worked long hours under harsh conditions and were subjected to discrimination, wage theft and other abuses.

The outspoken CEO of Qatar Airways has lashed out at critics of his country hosting the upcoming FIFA World Cup, saying his nation will “always rub salt into the wound” of its adversaries.

An ambassador for the World Cup in Qatar has described homosexuality as a “damage in the mind” in an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF only two weeks before the opening of the soccer tournament in the Gulf state.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is facing criticism after telling gay soccer fans heading to the World Cup in Qatar that they should show some “compromise” and "be respectful of the host nation.”.

The first World Cup in the Middle East is only one month away.

A top FIFA official says it wants to help workers in Qatar get compensation for being injured while building projects for the World Cup.

Fans going to the World Cup in Qatar must show a negative COVID-19 test when they arrive as part of the host nation’s rules to combat COVID-19.

Organizers of the World Cup in Qatar have finalized a policy to serve beer with alcohol to soccer fans in the Muslim-majority country.

The World Cup in Qatar could start one day earlier than scheduled.

The state-owned oil and gas company Qatar Energy says it is joining a new industry initiative aiming to reduce nearly all methane emissions from their operations by 2030.

There’s a push for the cities awarded games for the 2026 World Cup to commit to livable wages, and equitable hiring and worker protection.

FIFA has received 3 million ticket requests for the World Cup final in Qatar and high demand to attend some of its biggest group-stage games.

A senior Qatari leader overseeing security for the World Cup has told The Associated Press that rainbow flags could be taken from supporters.

On the eve of the World Cup draw, Qatar's chief organizer says “nobody accepts any sort of suffering" that his country has tried to prevent with changes to labor laws.

Qatar is the next stop on the global tour of major sports events to nations led by autocratic governments who are often decried by human rights activists.

President Joe Biden on Monday designated Qatar a major non-NATO ally, a largely symbolic honor but one that was meant to convey his administration’s gratitude for the tiny Persian Gulf nation’s assistance during last year’s U.S. evacuations in Afghanistan and assistance in ending last year’s Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Biden announced the designation during a meeting with the ruling leader of Qatar at the White House on Monday.

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince is in Qatar for the first time since the kingdom rallied other Arab states to end their yearslong rift and embargo on the tiny Persian Gulf country.

Lebanon’s president has discussed his country’s economic meltdown and an unprecedented diplomatic crisis between Beirut and Persian Gulf nations with the Emir of Qatar.

The eight stadiums for the 2022 Qatar World Cup — all within a 30-mile radius of Doha — are now largely complete.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton says Formula One is “duty bound” to raise awareness of human rights issues as the series closes its season in the Middle East.

The Gulf nation of Qatar has agreed to represent U.S. interests in Afghanistan following the closure of the American embassy in Kabul in late August.

Bayern Munich fans have been stepping up their public criticism of the club for its ties to World Cup host Qatar.

Qatar’s foreign minister says isolating Afghanistan and its new Taliban rulers “will never be an answer.”.

Al Thani's arrival in the kingdoms ancient desert city of Al-Ula on Tuesday was broadcast live on Saudi TV. Saudi Arabia announced the reopening of its airspace and borders with Qatar earlier this week. National carrier Qatar Airways said it had started to reroute some flights through Saudi airspace, with the first flight cruising over Saudi skies from Doha to Johannesburg, South Africa on Thursday night. The four Arab states severed commercial and diplomatic ties with Qatar in 2017, accusing the country of cozying up to Iran and financing extremist groups in the region, charges that Doha denies. The boycott only pushed Qatar closer to Iran, for instance by forcing Qatar Airways to change routes through Iranian skies.

FILE - In this June 8, 2017 file photo, Al-Jazeera staff work at their TV station in Doha, Qatar. Citizen Lab, which has been tracking NSO spyware for four years, tied the attacks “with medium confidence” to the Emirati and Saudi governments, based on their past targeting of dissidents at home and abroad with the same spyware. Prior to Sunday’s report, NSO’s spyware has repeatedly been found deployed to hack journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders and dissidents. “It’s not only very scary, but it’s the holy grail of phone hacking,” said Bill Marczak, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab. The Citizen Lab researchers connected the hacks to previously identified Pegasus operators in attacks attributed to Saudi Arabia and the UAE over the last four years.

(Doha News via AP)DUBAI – Qatar said Friday it referred officials at its international airport to prosecutors for possible charges after women aboard Qatar Airways flights faced forced vaginal examinations following the discovery of an abandoned newborn baby. The statement comes as the Australian government has expressed outrage and union workers have threatened not to service Qatar Airways aircraft in Sydney over the Oct. 2 incident. Australia also represents a crucial route for Qatar Airways, the state-owned long-haul carrier based at Hamad International Airport in Doha. In a statement, Qatar's Government Communication Office described the abandoning of the baby as the “attempted murder” of the child. The government denounced the searches as inappropriate and beyond circumstances in which the women could give free and informed consent.

Under pressure after Australia condemned the searches, Qatar said it had begun an investigation into the treatment of the women who were taking Qatar Airways Flight 908 on Oct. 2. Qatar offered no immediate explanation of how officials decided to perform invasive vaginal examinations on the women. Hamad International Airport is the main hub for state-owned long-haul carrier Qatar Airways. In Qatar, like much of the Middle East, sex outside of marriage is a criminal act. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he expected a Qatari government investigation of the examinations to be shared with his government “very soon.”“It was appalling.

The women, including 13 Australians, were examined at Hamad International Airport on Oct. 2 after Qatar Airways Flight 908 to Sydney was delayed. Wolfgang Babeck, who was returning home to Australia on the flight, said women were taken from the plane regardless of their age. Qatar Airways and the Qatari government did not respond to questions from the AP on Monday. Qatar, a small, energy-rich country on the Arabian Peninsula, is home to state-owned Qatar Airways, which along with Etihad and Emirates leverages its location to be a major hub for East-West travel. Its modern Hamad International Airport serves as the base for Qatar Airways’ operations and soon will funnel travelers into the country for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, in Washington. From left, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Vice President Mike Pence, Trump, Jared Kushner and U.S. special envoy for Iran Brian Hook. "The Trump administration is eager to see this dispute resolved and to open Qatar’s air and land borders currently blocked by other Gulf states. The four countries cut ties to Qatar on June 5, 2017, just after a summit in Saudi Arabia in which Gulf leaders met with President Donald Trump. They say the crisis stems from Qatar’s support for extremist groups in the region, charges denied by Doha.

DUBAI New labor rules in the energy-rich nation of Qatar effectively dismantles the country's long-criticized kafala employment system, a U.N. labor body said Sunday. The minimum wage rule requires employers to pay allowances for housing and food as well if they don't provide those for their workers. Qatar, whose citizens enjoy one of the worlds highest per-capita incomes due to its natural gas reserves, partially ended the kafala system in 2018. That system ties workers to their employers, who had say over whether they could leave their jobs or even the country. Rights activists long have criticized the kafala system as allowing abuses of those foreign workers.