Neymar, Mbappe join PSG team mates in Qatar

Beach volleyball stars Karla Borger and Julia Sude say Qatar is "the only country" where players are forbidden from wearing bikinis on court.

Sheikha Asma Al Thani, a Qatari royal is chasing her dream of becoming the first woman from the Middle East to complete the Explorers Grand Slam of summiting each continent's highest peaks and reaching the earth’s poles. Arriving in Kathmandu, Nepal on April 1, Sheikha Asma is expected to start her ascent in mid May.

Born in Qatar, Tala Abujbara didn’t even know what rowing was until she got to university in the States, but this summer, she will be representing the gas-rich nation in Tokyo in the women's single sculls event. Being a lone rower in a country mostly known for its desert landscape, aiming for a spot at the Olympics under the Qatari flag meant adapting from rowing in a team of eight to being on her own on the water.

Neymar says he and Lionel Messi are "rivals" now, as Brazil and Argentina prepare for Saturday's Copa America final. Like Brazil's Pele and Diego Maradona of Argentina before them, neither Messi nor Neymar has ever won the Copa. That statistic will change for one of them in the dream final at Rio de Janeiro's iconic Maracana stadium.

The world's street elite competed at a skatepark in front of the Eiffel Tower at the Place du Trocadero on Wednesday (August 18). The skateboarders showcased their skills in front of a crowd of around 3,500 including Paris St Germain and Brazil forward, Neymar who was cheering on his friend and compatriot, Leticia Bufoni who won the women's competition. Japan's Aori Nishimura finished second with Charlotte Hym of France in third. All three competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Qatar has longstanding ties with the Taliban. While this approach is criticized by some, others benefit from the country's contacts. Qatar's main interest is to cement its position as a regional mediator.

Just days ago, Beheshta Arghand made history by becoming the first female Afghan journalist to interview a Taliban official live on television -- now she's a refugee overcome by emotion appealing for help.

Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani says his country is working with Taliban to reopen Kabul airport "as soon as possible", during a joint press conference with his British counterpart Dominic Raab in Doha.

At a compound set to host attendees of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a few hundred Afghan refugees await their fate, hoping they will be accepted in Europe or America. Some like Ahmad Wali Sarhadi, who hasn’t spoken to his wife and five children since he left them behind in Kandahar, have no idea what lies ahead.

Qatar is considered one of the countries with the most influence over the hard-line Islamist group. Meanwhile, Taliban forces in Kabul have been ordered to wear uniforms, after fighters harassed and beat people.

According to Doha, over 230 Afghan, US and European nationals were aboard the Qatari flight, the fourth to evacuate citizens since the end of the US mission in Afghanistan.

Qataris voted for 30 out of the 45-member council that will approve general state policies — but will have no say in the setting of defense, security or economic policy.