News stories I’m following this week …

• Photos: Protests erupt in support of Iranian woman who died in police custody. (Los Angeles Times)

• How Qatar Quietly Became a Diplomatic Power. (The National Interest)

• Turkey Shocks With Another Rate Cut Despite Raging Inflation. (Bloomberg)

• Qatar FM says lack of Iran nuclear deal making Middle East 'more dangerous'. (The New Arab)

• Chinese tech a mixed blessing in the Middle East. (Asia Times)

• Qatar Says Talks With Germany on LNG Contracts Ongoing. (Bloomberg)

• Trump’s Billionaire Pal on Trial for Secret Foreign Lobbying. (The Daily Beast)

• Biden struggles to keep up with Trump on Abraham Accords. (Washington Examiner)

• Jamal Khashoggi’s wife to sue NSO Group over Pegasus spyware. (The Guardian)

• Lebanon banks will remain shut indefinitely after ‘heists’. (Al Jazeera)

• Sheba signs innovation agreement with Bahrain hospital. (The Jerusalem Post)

• Sensitive offshore gas field key to Israel's energy strategy. (Al Monitor)

• Billionaire Abramovich Met Saudi Prince for Russia-Ukraine Prisoner Exchange. (Bloomberg)

• Tunisia ‘on road to autocracy’ after arrest of opposition leaders. (The Times)

• The EU's upcoming ban on Russian crude could shift 1 million barrels a day to these 7 nations next year, energy researcher says. (Business Insider)

• Middle East Shakes Russian Dominance of European Diesel Market. (Bloomberg)

• Despite Biden's assurances, Middle East militaries are buying their own weapons to take on Iran at sea and in the air (Business Insider)

• Turkey sells battle-tested drones to UAE as regional rivals mend ties. (Reuters)

• Russia, Ukraine Swap Prisoners in Deal Brokered by Turkey, Saudi Arabia. (The Wall Street Journal)

‘In other news’ …

• Qatar Has Given the Metropolitan Museum of Art a ‘Generous’ Gift to Supercharge Its Islamic Art Department. (Artnet News)

• Political Upheaval Is Biggest Threat To Airline Industry, Says Qatar Airways CEO. (Forbes)

• Egypt unveils 3,200-year-old sarcophagus of "royal secretary". (CBS News)

• Qatar and Iran ink ‘largest ever saffron export’ deal. (DohaNews)

• Qatar to welcome all fans at World Cup 'without discrimination'. (Daily Sabah)

• Fans can access urgent medical care for free at HMC during World Cup (ILoveQatar)

• Visit Qatar: An immersive tour of the FIFA World Cup 2022 host nation (Al Jazeera)

On Social-Media …

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker speaks to CNBC’s Hadley Gamble at the IATA World Financial Symposium in Doha about the aviation industry’s recovery post-pandemic and the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine ahead of Qatar’s World Cup.

NPR @NPR

Women in Iran are burning their hijabs and cutting their hair to protest the death of Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old died days after she was arrested by Iran's notorious "morality police."

n.prWhy Iranian women are burning their hijabs after the death of Mahsa AminiAmini, 22, died Friday, several days after she was arrested in Tehran by the country’s “morality police” for violating hijab laws. Her death has sparked outrage and protests across the country.

6:15 AM ∙ Sep 22, 2022

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UK in Qatar 🇬🇧🇶🇦 @ukinqatar

"إن مشاعر الصداقة والتقدير التي حظينا بها في الدوحة تعكس العلاقات المُشرّفة التي تجمع بين بلدينا منذ أمد بعيد" - جلالة الملكة الراحلة الملكة إليزابيث الثانية أثناء زيارتها إلى دولة قطر عام 1979.

6:09 PM ∙ Sep 18, 2022

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The UK Embassy tweeted out a video of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Qatar in 1979.

Dr Andreas Krieg @andreas_krieg

#Qatar's foreign minister reminds us that #LNG negotiations with #Germany are actually commercial negotiations between RWE/Uniper and Qatar Energy - nonetheless there've been massive interventions by the German government often obstructing negotiations

bloomberg.comBloomberg - Are you a robot?

7:07 AM ∙ Sep 21, 2022

Fury grows in Iran over death of woman in custody ..

In other ‘posts’ …

National Council on US-Arab Relations @NCUSAR

Pope Francis is studying a possible visit to Bahrain in November

apnews.comPope studying Bahrain visit, looking at February for AfricaABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis is studying a possible visit to Bahrain in November and said Thursday he is looking to reschedule his trip to South Sudan and Congo for February. Francis told reporters en route home from Kazakhstan that his strained knee ligaments still hadn’t healed and t…

1:39 PM ∙ Sep 16, 2022

“Soft Power” Corner:

This week We Showcase A Poem By Imru' al-Qais (501-565 AD) :

How many a day, a night I'd spend
with a woman, stark as a statue outlined,
her face aglow as she turns to her mate
like softly radiant candle light;
her breast like the flare of a generous fire
by chilled men lit in the desert at night
in the wind come roving across the hills,
north, south, at the caravan staging posts.