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Qatar

This Month

Qantas was the only party that objected to the proposed expansion by Qatar Airways.

There are plenty of dangers for Qantas in Virgin’s Qatar tie-up

The flying kangaroo says it welcomes competition – except from the Gulf airline – as investors fear the deal could cause havoc with its international division.

  • Ayesha de Kretser
Palestinians survey destruction from an Israeli air and ground offensive in Jebaliya in the Gaza Strip.

Qatar halts Gaza ceasefire talks, citing deadlock

The announcement by the Gulf state reveals the frustration about the warring parties’ failure to agree to an end to war in Gaza.

  • Adam Rasgon, Aaron Boxerman and Julian E. Barnes
Planes on the tarmac at Canberra Airport.

Virgin-Qatar tie-up could break Qantas’ grip on Canberra

Canberra Airport says the combination of Virgin and Qatar would help to end politicians’ preference for flying Qantas.

  • Ayesha de Kretser
Airports say Virgin shouldn’t cut Singapore Airlines out of flights to Europe when tying up with Qatar.

Airports say don’t cut Singapore Airlines out of Virgin-Qatar tie-up

The Australian Airports Association has warned the ACCC that passengers will lose a crucial route to Europe if the Qatar-Virgin tie-up is approved in the proposed format.

  • Ayesha de Kretser

October

Ukrainian servicemen fire towards Russian positions in Kherson region at the weekend.

Ukraine and Russia in talks about halting strikes on energy plants

An agreement would mark the most significant de-escalation of the war since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.

  • Max Seddon, Christopher Miller and Andrew England
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Up for sale: The Chrysler building is one of the most iconic skyscrapers in Manhattan.

Tussle for control of New York’s famed Chrysler Building

Legal disputes and ruthless manoeuvres are commonplace in the cutthroat world of New York real estate. Now the fate of a famous skyscraper hangs in the balance.

  • Philip Kaleta
A protester holds a sign during a demonstration calling for an hostages deal on October 17, 2024 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

What now for Netanyahu’s war?

The US says the killing of Yahya Sinwar is an opportunity to negotiate a ceasefire, but fresh militant leaders could take his place.

  • James Shotter and Neri Zilber
The Cathay Pacific Aria business class suite - with sliding privacy door - is now flying aboard just one retrofitted Boeing 777-300ER, with more retrofits underway.

Art gallery, luxury loos: Cathay’s business class goes next level

Hong Kong’s flagship carrier has unveiled its new business-class offering with an on-board art gallery, sliding privacy doors and touchless flush loos.

  • Fiona Carruthers
Qantas is running flights for free but Qatar Airways has struck a commercial agreement.

Qantas flights from Lebanon for free, while government pays Qatar

The Gulf carrier will get paid by the government for its eight flights, while the national carrier runs three for free.

  • Updated
  • Ayesha de Kretser
Neil Perry’s newly opened Song Bird will host a gaggle of Qantas executives – and the nation’s leading journalists.

Qantas to wine and dine journos the week of Aston book launch

For the national carrier, this is the oldest trick in the book.

  • Updated
  • Myriam Robin
Virgin Australia chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka and Qatar’s former boss, Akbar Al Baker have played the long game against Qantas and its former CEO Alan Joyce.

Qatar rebalances the scales in a long game of revenge against Qantas

A decade long drama between the Gulf carrier and the national carrier ultimately led to the blockbuster Virgin Australia deal, shaking up the aviation sector.

  • Ayesha de Kretser
Virgin Australia chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka says the Qatar investment will give the airline a huge boost to compete better with Qantas domestically.

Qatar Airways to buy 25pc of Virgin Australia, funding big expansion

The deal with Bain Capital will allow the Gulf carrier to effectively bypass government approvals for more flights, creating a formidable rival for Qantas.

  • Updated
  • Ayesha de Kretser
Qatar Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner business class.

What do we know about Qatar Airways?

The acquisitive operator started only two decades ago, and now flies to more countries than almost any other. But it has had its fair share of controversies.

  • Ayesha de Kretser

September

Transport Minister Catherine King has been working on a cohesive strategy for the aviation sector for more than a year. So far, little has changed.

Labor sings vastly different tunes on supermarkets and Qantas

Aviation is much more concentrated than supermarkets, yet the government seems to accept that the airline industry should remain anticompetitive.

  • Ayesha de Kretser
A police officer inspects the area around a fire after the military said it fired interceptors at a missile launched from Yemen that landed in central Israel.

Missile fired from Yemen lands in central Israel

The early-morning attack triggered air raid sirens, including at Israel’s international airport, where local media showed people racing to shelters.

  • Natalie Melzer and Ohad Zwigenberg
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Rachel Goldberg, left, and Jon Polin centre, parents of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, along with other relatives of hostages take part in a protest calling for their release in the Kibbutz Nirim, southern Israel.

Israel braced for industrial action as ceasefire pressure grows

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis demonstrated in cities around the nation on Sunday, in what appeared to be the largest protests since the October 7 attacks.

  • Updated
  • Galit Altstein and Dan Williams
People rally in Tel Aviv for a deal to be struck that would bring the remaining hostages home.

US to present Israel-Gaza ceasefire ultimatum soon

The US has been talking to Egypt and Qatar about the contours of a final “take it or leave it” deal that it plans to present to the parties in the coming weeks.

  • Yasmeen Abutaleb and John Hudson

August

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken looks arrives in Tel Aviv.

Blinken arrives in Middle East seeking Gaza ceasefire

The US secretary of state will meet on Monday with senior Israeli leaders including Benjamin Netanyahu, a senior State Department official said.

  • Humeyra Pamuk
Palestinian civilians were killed in fresh Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, according to authorities.

Deadly Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza, Lebanon despite truce talks

The new bloodshed came after the United States and its allies expressed optimism over ceasefire negotiations to end the war in Gaza.

  • Updated
  • Kareem Fahim, Mohamad El Chamaa, Suzan Haidamous, Frances Vinall and Victoria Bisset
Qatar Airways new caviar service in business class will feature on flights between Sydney and Melbourne and Doha.

Caviar in business class? Why bother with first

The luxury is typically only afforded to first class travellers, but Qatar Airways says it will offer it to customers on the 14-hour flight to and from Doha.

  • Ayesha de Kretser

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/qatar-eiv