Qatar

The adoption of a human rights declaration by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that was designed to shield wealthy Gulf monarchies, including 2022 World Cup host Qatar, from criticism by human rights and trade union activists is likely to increase pressure on the sports-focused Gulf state to significantly alter its controversial migrant labor system.

Ankara wants to repair its relationship with Cairo, but Egypt needs to take steps "to end human rights violations" against its people, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said, noting there has been attempts to establish a dialogue between two countries.

Turkey’s bilateral ties with Egypt could “normalize if the country properly returns to democracy, if the Egyptian people’s free will is reflected in politics and social life,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç said.

Egyptian and Qatari intelligence officials met in Cairo to discuss a possible reconciliation as part of Saudi efforts to broker an end to the 18-month standoff over Doha's support of the Muslim Brotherhood, security sources said.

Qatar and Turkey, whose bilateral and regional cooperation has become remarkably more visible in recent years, have taken yet another assertive step to deepen their bilateral relations, signing a series of agreements in Ankara, including a joint memorandum to found a "Supreme Strategic Committee."

Two months after donors pledged $5.4 billion to help rebuild Gaza after the war between Israel and Hamas, Palestinian, U.N. and other officials say barely 2 percent of the money has been transferred.
   

By Nikos Roussanoglou

Greek shipowners have invested a total of 1.44 billion euros in acquiring 11 liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers so far this year, according to a report in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal.

As his first 100 days in office show, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has certainly lived up to his words of being a “sweating president,” as he had claimed before he was voted in as Turkey’s first ever directly elected president in August.

Saudi football clubs warn that a Labor Ministry-imposed quota system for Saudi nationals will disadvantage clubs by preventing them from hiring foreign talent Mounting anger among Saudi football clubs at their subjugation to quotas - designed to encourage employment of Saudi nationals and reduce dependence on foreign labor - illustrates the problems encountered by wealthy Gulf countries in bal

Islamic banking is growing faster than its conventional counterpart but is focused in a few core markets and risks missing an opportunity to build a global footprint, the EY consultancy said in a report Dec. 2.