US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has recently reached out to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to urge the militant group Hamas to participate in upcoming peace talks. These indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are scheduled to take place in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday, thanks to US intervention.

India and Qatar recently engaged in discussions about a potential purchase of 12 second-hand Qatari Mirage-2000-5 fighter jets. The talks took place in New Delhi, where a Qatari team presented the current condition of these aircraft to Indian officials.

Under-pressure India football coach Igor Stimac was non-committal about his future with the team after it crashed out of the 2026 World Cup qualification race following a controversial 1-2 loss to Asian champions Qatar

President Joe Biden has expressed his desire to broker a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas by next Monday. Talks are underway in Qatar, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, aimed at easing tensions and facilitating aid to Gaza, where millions are facing food shortages.

"Had a wonderful meeting with PM @MBA_AlThani. Our discussions revolved around ways to boost India-Qatar friendship," Modi said in a post on X after the meeting. Earlier, the external affairs ministry said Modi held "fruitful" talks with the prime minister of Qatar.

Expressing joy and gratitude over returning home and being reunited with his family after spending months in captivity in the tiny gulf nation, he also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian government for their release.

Speculation that Shah Rukh, who enjoys massive popularity in Qatar and recently met the country's prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in Doha during an event, played a role in the release of the jailed Indians was rife on Tuesday.

Modi said he was looking forward to meeting Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, “under whose leadership Qatar continues to witness tremendous growth and transformation”.

The individuals released have been identified as Captains (retired) Navtej Gill and Saurabh Vasisht, Commanders (retired) Purnendu Tiwari, Amit Nagpal, SK Gupta, BK Verma, and Sugunakar Pakala, along with sailor Ragesh.

The eight Indian nationals had been detained in Qatar since October 2022, facing allegations of spying on a submarine program. They were initially sentenced to death by a Qatari court, with the specific charges yet to be officially disclosed.

“The renewal is at ‘significantly’ lower price than the current deal, at current prices India will save about USD 0.8 per million British thermal unit at the renewed terms, this translates into savings of USD 6 billion over the contract period”, sources said

A Qatar Court has commuted the death sentence given to eight former Indian Navy personnel in an alleged case of espionage, the External Affairs Ministry said on Wednesday.