Page 42 - Qa News Today

Most stocks in the Gulf region rose in early trade on Sunday, with the Saudi index leading the way while Qatar bucked the trend with a 0.2% decline.

The Taliban will ask Qatar for technical assistance in operating Kabul airport, Qatari based Al Jazeera news channel reported on Friday citing a source in the Islamist movement.

Formula One published a revised calendar for the remainder of the season on Saturday with the number of races dropping from a record 23 to 22 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Qatar expected to debut.

President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday France was holding preliminary discussions with the Taliban about the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and the possible evacuation of more people from the country.

Qatar is a central player in the Afghanistan crisis. Doha hosted talks between the United States and the Taliban that preceded the current mess and has been central to helping organisations secure safe passage from Kabul. There’s an argument for the tiny gas-rich emirate to get further involved by advancing funds.

The Taliban have told Germany that Afghans with legal documents will be able to travel on commercial flights beyond the Aug. 31 cut-off date after which evacuations from Kabul airport will no longer be allowed, a senior German diplomat said on Wednesday.

Major stock markets in the Gulf mostly rebounded on Sunday, after declining in the previous session, but falling oil prices continued to weigh on Saudi Arabia where the benchmark index extended losses.

U.S. military aircraft conducting evacuation flights from Kabul will land in Germany on Friday, the Pentagon said.

More than 18,000 people have been flown out of Kabul since the Taliban took over Afghanistan's capital, a NATO official said on Friday, pledging to redouble evacuation efforts as criticism of the West's handling of the crisis intensified.

The Taliban called on Afghanistan's imams to urge unity when they hold their first Friday prayers since the Islamist group seized control of the country, as protests against the takeover spread to more cities on Thursday, including the capital, Kabul.