Qatar

Two students working on a computer

Texas A&M is shutting down its Qatar campus amid charges of a disinformation campaign

In the two decades since Texas A&M opened a campus in Doha, there have been plenty of challenges, including ongoing conflicts in the region. The school also faced criticisms because it operated under the autocratic Qatari government and censorship is common. But the partnership brought in millions of dollars and the campus flourished. So, Qataris were stunned when the Texas A&M Board of Regents voted to close the school in part because of "instability" in the region.

Texas A&M is shutting down its Qatar campus amid charges of a disinformation campaign
Argentinian players celebrate after winning penalty shootout during the World Cup final soccer match between Argentina and France at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. 

Argentina hailed World Cup champions after dramatic win

Argentina hailed World Cup champions after dramatic win
A giant inflatable copy of the trophy is displayed prior to the start of the World Cup group A soccer match between Qatar and Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, Nov. 20, 2022.

Qatar opens World Cup with lavish half-hour ceremony

Qatar opens World Cup with lavish half-hour ceremony
Branding is displayed near the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, in Doha, Qatar, March 31, 2022.

Qatar treatment of migrant workers under spotlight again ahead of World Cup

Qatar treatment of migrant workers under spotlight again ahead of World Cup
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is shown looking to his right while walking and wearing a dark face mask with a solider stands in the distance.

US top diplomats visit Persian Gulf to reassure allies

US top diplomats visit Persian Gulf to reassure allies
A group of six men are shown holding guns and wearing military fatigues with the domestic departure entrance to the Kabul airport.

Qatar says it's not clear when Kabul airport will reopen

Qatar's top diplomat said Thursday that experts are racing to reopen Kabul's airport but warned it was not clear when flights would resume.

Qatar says it's not clear when Kabul airport will reopen
Soldiers are shown standing guard near a barbed-wire fence with a larger crowd of people shown standing and waiting.

Taliban announce 'amnesty,' urge women to join government

The Taliban declared an "amnesty" across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed a day after deadly chaos gripped the main airport as desperate crowds tried to flee their rule.

Taliban announce 'amnesty,' urge women to join government
Woman in blue outfit holding up her arms

Women in Afghanistan push for rights and more representation amid ongoing talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban

Afghan women and other minorities fear losing impact in negotiations as US troops begin to pull out of the country.

Women in Afghanistan push for rights and more representation amid ongoing talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban
Smoke plumes from airstrikes in Gaza.

Israel and Hamas agree to ceasefire

Israel and Hamas agree to ceasefire in Gaza after more than a week of fighting.

Israel and Hamas agree to ceasefire
A group of schoolboys are escorted by Nigerian military and officials following their release after they were kidnapped last week, Dec. 18, 2020, Katsina, Nigeria.

344 schoolboys return home in northwestern Nigeria; Milley meets with Taliban in Doha; Pence gets vaccine on TV

Several hundred schoolboys abducted in northwestern Nigeria have been freed. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley held an unannounced meeting with Taliban officials in Doha, Qatar. And, outgoing US Vice President Mike Pence received a COVID-19 vaccine on live television.

344 schoolboys return home in northwestern Nigeria; Milley meets with Taliban in Doha; Pence gets vaccine on TV
Several members of the Taliban negotiating delegation are shown seated in chairs spaced several feet from each other in a large room.

Taliban welcome Trump tweet promising early troop withdrawal

The Afghan Taliban on Thursday welcomed a tweet from President Donald Trump in which he promised to have the last of US troops out of Afghanistan by Christmas.

Taliban welcome Trump tweet promising early troop withdrawal
President Donald Trump points as Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden listens during the first presidential debate, Sept. 29, 2020, at Case Western University and Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Foreign observers see rancorous US debate; Kuwait swears in new emir; UK, Canada impose sanctions on Lukashenko

Around the globe, observers of US politics noted after last night’s chaotic presidential debate that Americans are enmeshed in a painful and personal contest, Kuwait's new emir, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah, was sworn in Wednesday by parliament, and the UK and Canada imposed sanctions on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and seven other government officials.

Foreign observers see rancorous US debate; Kuwait swears in new emir; UK, Canada impose sanctions on Lukashenko
Delegates attend talks between the Afghan government and Taliban insurgents in Doha, Qatar, Sept. 12, 2020.

Afghan women negotiating with the Taliban say they feel ‘heavy responsibility’

For the first time in two decades, members of the Afghan negotiating team are officially meeting with the Taliban to work out a peace agreement. There are only four women on the team, and they say they carry a heavy responsibility on behalf of women in their country.

Afghan women negotiating with the Taliban say they feel ‘heavy responsibility’
Protesters with old Belarusian national flags march during a rally protesting the recent presidential election, Minsk, Belarus, Sept. 13, 2020.

Lukashenko meets with Putin; Indian parliament convenes for first time in 6 months; Afghan peace talks kick off

The authoritarian president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, arrived at the Russian resort city of Sochi on the Black Sea coast to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. India’s parliament convened for the first time in six months, as new cases of the coronavirus increased by over 90,000 in just a day. Also, the Afghan government and the Taliban began peace talks in Doha, Qatar.

Lukashenko meets with Putin; Indian parliament convenes for first time in 6 months; Afghan peace talks kick off
India's Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, left, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi pose for a photo on the sidelines of a meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Moscow, Russia, Sep

India and China pull back from the brink; intra-Afghan talks to begin; Germany and Russia investigate Navalny case

In a meeting in the Russian capital Thursday, the foreign ministers of India and China have agreed their troops should disengage from a precarious standoff. Pompeo says long-awaited negotiations between opposing parties from the war in Afghanistan will undoubtedly be “contentious.” And Germany’s Justice Ministry has approved Russia’s request for German state prosecutors to assist in Russia’s own investigation into the Navalny poisoning.

India and China pull back from the brink; intra-Afghan talks to begin; Germany and Russia investigate Navalny case