Qatar news stories on Newser

3 Nations to Send First Female Athletes to Olympics

John Johnson — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:24:22 CDT

This summer's Olympics in London may be the first in which every nation will send at least one female athlete, reports the New York Times . That's because three Muslim holdouts—Saudi Arabia, Brunei, and Qatar—are expected to grudgingly make the concession. Don't expect full teams: Saudi Arabia may send...

Best, Worst Places to Be Female

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 14:48:00 CST

With International Women's Day coming up Thursday, should we weep or rejoice? While British women will likely face 14 more elections before women equal men in Parliament, women in Qatar are far more likely to attend university than men. That said, the Independent picked its best and worse nations for...

Arab Nations Poised to Arm Syrian Rebels

Mary Papenfuss — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 03:34:06 CST

Members of the Arab League signaled this week that they're about to arm Syrian rebels. But American officials fear that strategy will thwart their more cautious approach, and could fuel a bloody, protracted civil war. Saudi Arabia and Qatar aim to aid the opposition "as soon as they can," said...

Qatar Buys Cézanne Painting for Record $250M

Matt Cantor — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:52:27 CST

Qatar's royal family has dropped $250 million on The Card Players , part of a series of classic paintings by Paul Cézanne—more than doubling the previous record sum for an artwork purchase. The sale actually occurred last year in secret, adding a key work to Qatar's collection. "You take any...

US-Taliban Talks Stumble

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:49:07 CST

Long-rumored talks between the US and Taliban officials just got started and are already faltering, MSNBC reports. Meeting in Qatar, Taliban representatives balked today at Washington's demand for a cease-fire before negotiating a prisoner swap. "Our stance is the same. We will announce a cease-fire when the foreign forces start...

Syria Warns Arab Nations: Keep Your Troops Out

John Johnson — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:03:22 CST

Syria may have begrudgingly agreed to let Arab League observers into the country, but it's not about to do the same with Arab troops. Responding angrily to the emir of Qatar's suggestion that troops intervene , Syria's foreign ministry made clear it won't stand idly by if foreign soldiers move in,...

Syrians Gunned Down in Line at Bakery

Kevin Spak — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:12:15 CST

Syrian security forces fired at random on civilians waiting in line at a bakery in Homs today, killing five of them and injuring nine others, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, as violence continues to grip the country. Security forces also raided a university dorm in Aleppo, arresting nine...

Taliban Leaders at Gitmo to Be Freed

Mary Papenfuss — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 02:25:12 CST

High-ranking Taliban leaders will be released from Guantanamo Bay as a good-faith showing in advance of planned Afghanistan peace negotiations with US officials, sources are telling the Guardian . Rumors that such a move was underfoot began circulating early last month , but preparations are now being formalized after the Afghan insurgents...

Taliban to Open Qatar Office for US Peace Talks

Kevin Spak — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 07:32:25 CST

The Taliban admitted publicly for the first time today that it is in the midst of peace talks with the US, announcing that it would open a “political office” in Qatar to conduct them. The militant organization’s statement pointedly made no mention of the Kabul-based Afghan government, however, saying that...