Tag Archives: Qatar

Qatari Royal Secretly Invested $50 Million In Newsmax

The Washington Post reports: A member of the Qatari royal family invested roughly $50 million in Newsmax, according to documents and representatives for the media company and the royal, in a moment of acute Middle East tensions during the Trump administration. The investment bolstered a key conservative media outlet at a time when Qatar was facing intense diplomatic pressure from …

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Feds: Sen. Bob Menendez Also Took Bribes From Qatar

Bloomberg News reports: US Senator Bob Menendez took bribes to help Qatar and a New Jersey developer seeking millions of dollars from a Qatari investment fund, prosecutors said in a revised indictment of the New Jersey Democrat. The indictment Tuesday alleges Menendez accepted bribes of cash and gold bars from developer Fred Daibes, who was seeking the Qatari fund investment. …

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REPORT: Four-Day Israel-Hamas Truce Starts Tomorrow

Reuters reports: Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas will start a four-day truce on Friday morning with a first group of 13 Israeli women and child hostages released later that day, mediators in Qatar said. The agreement – the first in a brutal, near seven-week-old war – would begin at 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and involve a comprehensive …

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US To Stop Iran From Accessing $6 Billion Account

The Washington Post reports: U.S. officials and the Qatari government have agreed to stop Iran from accessing a $6 billion account for humanitarian assistance in light of Hamas’s attack on Israel, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo told House Democrats on Thursday, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the private remarks. The decision not …

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Bags Of Money: Qatar Accused Of Bribing EU Officials

The Daily Beast reports: Four European Union leaders have been charged with participation in a criminal organization, money laundering and corruption, tied to alleged bribes from FIFA World Cup host Qatar. Raids on diplomats’ homes in Brussels and Strasbourg, where the E.U. parliament meets, uncovered “bags of money.” Greek EU vice president Eva Kaili—who is languishing in a Belgium jail …

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Reporter Who Wore Rainbow Shirt Dies At World Cup

Yahoo Sports reports: Grant Wahl, a prominent U.S. soccer journalist with previous experience working for CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated, died in Qatar on Friday, according to his wife and U.S. Soccer. Wahl, who was 48, had been in Qatar working as an independent journalist through his Substack “Fútbol with Grant Wahl.” Yahoo Sports soccer reporter Henry Bushnell was present …

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Man With Rainbow Flag Runs Onto World Cup Pitch

Mediaite reports: A World Cup match between Portugal and Uruguay was brought to a halt on Monday when a spectator took to the field, running and waving a rainbow flag. The interruption came after the second half kickoff. Images captured of the protester showed he was also wearing a blue shirt with the Superman emblem and the message “SAVE UKRAINE.” …

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Qatar Eliminated In Earliest Exit For World Cup Host

The Associated Press reports: World Cup host Qatar was eliminated on Friday, just six days and two matches into the tournament. Qatar can’t advance to the knockout round after losing to Ecuador in the opener and to Senegal on Friday. It was the earliest exit by a host nation in the World Cup’s 92-year history. Qatar’s fate was sealed after …

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FIFA Bans Crusades Cosplayers From World Cup Games

The Daily Beast reports: English soccer fans have been banned from dressing up as knights in shining armor ahead of Friday’s World Cup match against the U.S. in Qatar because the outfits are considered offensive to Muslims. British supporters have dressed up as St. George—the patron saint of England—at international sports tournaments for at least two decades. But international soccer …

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Trump Junior Defends Qatar’s Anti-LGBTQ Laws

Raw Story reports: Donald Trump Jr. defended World Cup host Qatar’s civil rights violations in a Thanksgiving Day rant. Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, where same-sex acts are punishable by up to three years in prison, and players and fans have been prohibited from wearing arm bands declaring their support of LGBTQ people. Qatar has imposed restrictions on media coverage …

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German Team Defies FIFA In Pro-LGBTQ Protest

The Guardian reports: Germany’s players placed hands over their mouths and wore rainbow stripes on their warm-up tops and boots in a powerful statement of defiance against FIFA before their Group E match against Japan. Their message was reinforced by the German interior minister, Nancy Faeser, who also wore a OneLove armband, which promotes tolerance, diversity and LGBTQ+ rights, as …

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Blinken Rips FIFA Over Ban On Rainbow Armbands

The Associated Press reports: America’s top diplomat on Tuesday criticized a decision by FIFA to threaten players at the World Cup with yellow cards if they wear armbands supporting inclusion and diversity. Speaking alongside his Qatari counterpart at a news conference, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it was “always concerning … when we see any restrictions on freedom …

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FIFA Forces Team Captains To Drop Rainbow Armbands

ESPN reports: The captains of England, Wales, Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands will not wear the ‘OneLove’ anti-discrimination armband in their World Cup opening games after confirmation that their captains would be given yellow cards if they took part in the initiative. The announcement came just before their World Cup campaigns were scheduled to start. The national federations said …

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Qatar Bans Alcohol Sales In World Cup Stadiums

Bloomberg News reports: The organizers behind the World Cup in Qatar have banned the sale of alcohol within the stadiums, dramatically reversing a decision to allow Anheuser-Busch InBev NV to sell Budweiser beer. The decision will likely result in moving concession stands serving alcohol even further away from the stadiums. The tournament, typically the world’s largest sporting event and a …

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Team USA Adds Rainbow Stripes To World Cup Crest

The Daily Mail reports: The United States’ men’s national team have made a huge statement at the World Cup in Qatar by redesigning their crest to incorporate the rainbow flag, in a bid to show solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. The tournament, which starts on Sunday and sees the US play their opener against Wales on Monday, has been hugely …

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Qatar World Cup Official Bashes “Damaged” Gays

Reuters reports: A Qatar World Cup ambassador has told German television broadcaster ZDF that homosexuality was “damage in the mind”, as the Gulf state prepares to host the global tournament in less than two weeks. Khalid Salman addressed the issue of homosexuality, which is illegal in the conservative Muslim country. “They have to accept our rules here,” Salman said. “(Homosexuality) …

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World Cup Captains Seek To Wear Rainbow Armbands

The Associated Press reports: FIFA came under pressure Wednesday from several European soccer federations who want their captains to wear an armband with a rainbow heart design during World Cup games in Qatar to campaign against discrimination. France and Germany, the last two World Cup champions, were among eight of the 13 European soccer teams going to Qatar who joined …

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World Cup Host Qatar Urged To End Gay Death Penalty

The Associated Press reports: Qatar’s ambassador to Germany was urged Monday to abolish his country’s death penalty for homosexuality at a human rights congress hosted by the German soccer federation two months before the Middle East country stages the World Cup. Fan representative Dario Minden switched to English to directly address the Qatari ambassador, Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Saud Al …

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Retired General Quits Think Tank Amid FBI/Qatar Probe

Axios reports: Former Marine Gen. John Allen, the president of the prestigious Brookings Institution, resigned from his post on Sunday amid a federal investigation into his role in a foreign lobbying campaign on behalf of Qatar, Axios has confirmed. Allen was placed on leave by the Brookings Institution last week after the FBI reportedly seized his electronic data for the …

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Think Tank Places Retired General On Leave After FBI Launches Probe Into Alleged Illegal Lobbying For Qatar

The Associated Press reports: The prestigious Brookings Institution placed its president, retired four-star Marine Gen. John Allen, on administrative leave Wednesday amid a federal investigation into his role in an illegal lobbying campaign on behalf of the wealthy Persian Gulf nation of Qatar. Brookings’ announcement came a day after The Associated Press reported on new court filings that show the …

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