Qatar

05 Dec 2022; MEMO: The President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nayhan, has made a surprise visit to Qatar at the invitation of the Emir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani. The brief trip was Bin Zayed's first to Doha since the three-and-a-half year Saudi-led embargo imposed on Qatar ended early last year. The UAE was one of a number of Gulf and other states involved in the embargo.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — In a dusty neighborhood on the outskirts of Qatar’s capital, guards stand duty at a gated compound ringed with razor wire, carefully checking passports and permits before allowing anyone inside. But this isn’t a prison or a high-security area associated with the ongoing World Cup.

It’s the liquor store.

05 Dec 2022; MEMO: Former Qatari Prime Minister Hamad Bin Jassim Al Thani yesterday warned that a new Palestinian intifada may erupt and this time it would be "fiercer than previous one which erupted 20 years ago."

He said that the increasing "brutal" Israeli practices against Palestinians could be the trigger of the new intifada.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — American soccer success in the World Cup remains a dream.

The U.S. team looked better in this year’s World Cup, but the results were the same as in 2010 and 2014. The Americans were eliminated in the round of 16 following a 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands on Saturday.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The World Cup in Qatar has become a political lightning rod, so it comes as no surprise that soccer fans’ sartorial style has sparked controversy.

Forget your classic soccer jerseys - the streets of Doha have been transformed into a chaotic runway show in terms of fashion.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Of the seven stadiums Qatar built for the World Cup, one will disappear after the tournament.

That’s what the games’ organizers have said about Stadium 974 in Doha — a port-side structure with more than 40,000 seats partially built from recycled shipping containers and steel.

Qatar says the stadium will be fully dismantled after the World Cup and could be shipped to countries that need the infrastructure. Outside experts have praised the design, but say more needs to be known about what happens to the stadium after the event.

02 Dec 2022; MEMO: German football plummeted deeper into crisis on Thursday after the national team tumbled out of the World Cup in Qatar despite a 4-2 victory over Costa Rica in their final Group E match, Reuters reports.

The 1-1 draw with Spain following their shock 2-1 opening defeat to Japan had given Hansi Flick's men some hope of advancing, but even victory against Costa Rica was not enough to prevent yet another tournament debacle, with the Germans condemned to their second straight World Cup first round exit.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Christian Pulisic is on track to play for the United States in its World Cup round of 16 match against the Netherlands on Saturday,

Pulisic left Tuesday’s final group stage match against Iran at halftime after bruising his pelvic bone in a collision with the goalkeeper while scoring in the 38th minute. The Americans won 1-0 to advance.

“It looks pretty good, but we’ll have to see him today on the pitch to get confirmation of that,” U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said before Friday’s training session.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Ghana and Uruguay meet at the World Cup on Friday in a repeat of one of the tournament’s most contentious games, and Luis Suarez still isn’t apologizing for his central role in the controversy 12 years ago.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Two of the best players on the planet go head-to-head when Lionel Messi of Argentina and Robert Lewandowski of Poland meet with World Cup implications in what is likely Messi’s final attempt to win the tournament.

That match is part of an intense Wednesday at the World Cup: Mexico could be eliminated from the group stage for the first time since 1978 and Saudi Arabi has a chance to advance after its opening-game upset over Argentina.

But the spectacle will be at Stadium 974 in Doha, where Messi and Lewandowski square off.