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A placard with the Canadian flag rests on the ground covered in oil as demonstrators protest against the Keystone XL Pipeline and the Alberta tar sands.
Oil Politics

Is Oily Econo-Politics Behind Saudis’ Crude Canadian Diplomacy?

Saudis and UAE Paid Extras to Protest Qatar in Attempt to Spoil Emir’s UK Visit

According to emails sent to prospective members of the “rent-a-mob” by a company called Extra People, participants would be paid $25 to protest from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm outside the gates of Downing Street during a meeting between the Arab ruler and U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May.

An Anti Qatar protest in London as Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrives in the UK, July 23, 2018. Photo | Twitter

LONDON -- Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been accused of paying extras through a talent agency to protest the London visit of the emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in an attempt to depict the Gulf country’s ruler as a figure loathed by the British public. The emir is hoping to promote ties with friendly countries amid a

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UN Court: UAE Violated Qatar Nationals’ Basic Rights

The International Court of Justice demanded that Qatari nationals should be given access to judicial services in the UAE.

A traditional dhow floats in the Corniche Bay of Doha, Qatar. Saudi media reported, April 9, 2018, a proposal to dig a maritime canal along the kingdom's closed border with Qatar, turning the peninsula-nation into an island and further isolating it. Saudi Arabia's state-linked Sabq and al-Riyadh newspapers carried nearly identical reports on Monday saying that the so-called Salwa Marine Canal project would be funded by Saudi and Emirati investors and carried out by Egyptian developers. (AP/Saurabh Das)

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) today issued a provisional ruling for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to immediately reunite Qatari families and end its racial discrimination against them. The UAE, joined Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt in levying an air, land and sea blockade against Qatar over terrorism and extremism allegations in June

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Qatar is About to Become an Island: Saudis Launch Massive Canal Project to Cut off Neighbor

The project will reportedly be funded entirely but UAE and Saudi private investors, and it will be interesting to see if it actually comes to fruition.

King Salman of Saudi Arabia, right, welcomes Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani upon his arrival to Riyadh Airbase before the opening of Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 5, 2015. (Saudi Press Agency/AP)

It almost sounds too insane to be believed, but Saudi Arabia's move to further isolate neighboring Arab rival Qatar by literally turning it into an island is but the latest in an intense year long feud between the two countries that has already produced its fair share of bizarre headlines. Tiny but ultra-wealthy Qatar is a peninsula which shares

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Saudis Threaten Military Response if Qatar Deploys Russian Anti-Aircraft Missiles

Qatar has a history of purchasing arms from the United States, not Russia. But as hostility from U.S. allies increased, Qatar has had few places to turn.

A traditional dhow floats in the Corniche Bay of Doha, Qatar. Saudi media reported, April 9, 2018, a proposal to dig a maritime canal along the kingdom's closed border with Qatar, turning the peninsula-nation into an island and further isolating it. Saudi Arabia's state-linked Sabq and al-Riyadh newspapers carried nearly identical reports on Monday saying that the so-called Salwa Marine Canal project would be funded by Saudi and Emirati investors and carried out by Egyptian developers. (AP/Saurabh Das)

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA -- Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has threatened to take military action against Qatar if the nation follows through with plans to install a Russian S-400 anti-aircraft defense system. The Saudi king penned a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron, expressing his concern over negotiations between Qatar and Russia: The kingdom

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Saudi Arabia: Qatar Should Send Troops to Syria, Pay for US Military Presence

Saudi Arabia lashed out at its former ally, Qatar, saying it should foot the bill for the US occupation of Syria.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson listens during a press conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Ahmed Al-Jubeir, Oct. 22, 2017, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (AP/Alex Brandon)

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Adel al-Jubeir, has said that Qatar should pay for the presence of U.S. military forces in Syria, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on April 24. Jubeir’s statement was allegedly based on remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump during a joint press conference with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. SPA

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Executive Who Oversaw Iraq ‘Black Ops’ Hired to Produce Anti-Qatar Propaganda

The former CEO of propaganda producer, Bell Pottinger USA, was given over $500,000 to produce a six-part film linking Qatar with global terrorism.

Qatar: A Dangerous Alliance

A veteran of Pentagon propaganda operations was hired last year by a Dubai-based company to create a film accusing Qatar of links to terrorism, the Bureau can reveal. Charles Andreae, whose firm Andreae & Associates was contracted to produce the film, used to work for PR firm Bell Pottinger. Whilst at Bell Pottinger, he helped oversee a $500

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