[Produced with Reuters colleagues Jonathan Saul and Maha El Dahan and published here December 19, 2022]
LONDON/DUBAI/BEIRUT, Dec 19 (Reuters) – Using a low-profile fleet of ships under U.S. sanctions, Syria has this year sharply increased wheat imports from the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea that Russia annexed from Ukraine, a sign of tightening economic ties between two allies shunned by the West.
Continue reading[Produced with Reuters colleagues Orhan Coskun and Laila Bassam and published here on December 2, 2022]
BEIRUT/ANKARA, Dec 2 (Reuters) – Syria is resisting Russian efforts to broker a summit with Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan, three sources said on Friday, after more than a decade of bitter enmity since the outbreak of Syria’s civil war.
Continue reading[Published here on November 29, 2022]
BEIRUT, Nov 29 (Reuters) – The head of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Tuesday he still feared a Turkish ground invasion despite U.S. assurances and has demanded a “stronger” message from Washington after seeing unprecedented Turkish deployments along the border.
Continue reading[Produced with Reuters colleague Charlotte Bruneau and published here on November 28, 2022]
DOHA, Nov 28 (Reuters) – The first World Cup in the Middle East has become a showcase for the political tensions crisscrossing one of the world’s most volatile regions and the ambiguous role often played by host nation Qatar in its crises.
Continue reading[Produced with Reuters colleagues Martin Petty and Charlotte Bruneau and published here on November 25, 2022]
AL RAYYAN, Qatar, Nov 25 (Reuters) – Iran’s national soccer team sang during the playing of their national anthem at their second World Cup match against Wales on Friday having refrained from doing so in their opening game earlier this week in apparent support for protesters back home.
Continue reading[Published here on November 24, 2022]
DOHA, Nov 24 (Reuters) – A hummus recipe and cashier countertop are the only surviving elements of the original ‘Beirut’ restaurant, which opened its doors in Qatar in 1960 and has since tracked the capital Doha’s metamorphosis from dusty outpost to hosting soccer’s World Cup.
Continue reading[Produced with Reuters colleague Charlotte Bruneau and published here on November 21 2022]
DOHA, Nov 20 (Reuters) – Taking selfies from the stands and sitting on the grassy pitch, thousands of migrant workers gathered in a Doha stadium to watch the opening match of the first World Cup in the Middle East.
Continue reading[Published here on November 21, 2022]
DOHA, Nov 21 (Reuters) – Arab soccer fans at the first World Cup in the Middle East are shunning Israeli journalists in Qatar trying to interview them, illustrating challenges facing wider “warm peace” ambitions two years after some Gulf states forged formal ties with Israel.
Continue reading[Produced with Reuters colleague Andrew Mills and published here on November 20, 2022]
AL KHOR, Qatar, Nov 20 (Reuters) – Qatar’s ruler opened the World Cup on Sunday with a call for people of all races and orientations to put aside their differences, speaking as the host nation faced a barrage of criticism over its treatment of foreign workers and LGBT rights.
Continue reading[Produced with Reuters colleague Andrew Mills and published here on November 19, 2022]
DOHA, Nov 19 (Reuters) – A group of Arab friends living in Qatar’s capital Doha met up over cocktails and snacks last week, exchanging opinions as they flicked through profiles of gay men on dating apps Tinder and Grindr.
Continue reading
MAYA GEBEILY 