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Tag: Saudi Arabia

  • Israel’s rightward shift leaves its new Arab allies in an awkward spot | CNN

    Israel’s rightward shift leaves its new Arab allies in an awkward spot | CNN

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    Editor’s Note: A version of this story appears in today’s Meanwhile in the Middle East newsletter, CNN’s three-times-a-week look inside the region’s biggest stories. Sign up here.


    Abu Dhabi, UAE
    CNN
     — 

    It was a rare embrace between one of Israel’s most controversial politicians and an Arab ambassador. Itamar Ben Gvir and the United Arab Emirates’ Ambassador to Israel Mohamed Al Khaja clutched each other’s hands in a warm greeting in Tel Aviv in early December.

    “Birds of a feather flock together,” wrote a columnist in Israel’s left-leaning Haaretz newspaper, arguing that the Abraham Accords, which saw Israel gain recognition from four Arab states including the UAE in 2020, did little to moderate Israel’s position on the Palestinians. Ben Gvir, he said, was “a superstar in the UAE.”

    Israel on Thursday swore in what is likely to be the most right-wing government in its history, led by six-time Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Ben Gvir, an extremist who has been convicted for supporting terrorism and inciting anti-Arab racism, became national security minister. Bezalel Smotrich, who supports abolishing the Palestinian Authority and annexing the West Bank, became finance minister.

    Both politicians were invited to national day celebrations in December hosted by the UAE and Bahrain, which were among the nations that normalized relations with Israel, along with Morocco and Sudan in 2020.

    “The Emirates are here to show that unity equals prosperity,” Al Khaja was cited by the Times of Israel as saying at his country’s national day celebration, where he was photographed with Ben Gvir. “We will continue to use diplomacy to deepen connections through friendship and mutual respect.”

    The public embrace of figures that are hated in the Arab world – and are divisive within Israel itself – is a rare gesture on the part of Arab states that have normalized relations with Israel.

    Egypt and Jordan, who recognized Israel in 1979 and 1994 respectively, have had what observers have called a “cold peace” with Israel.

    In his phone call to congratulate Netanyahu on returning as prime minister, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi “emphasized the need to avoid any measures that would lead to tension and complicate the regional situation.” Jordan’s King Abdullah II warned in a CNN interview last month that his nation was “prepared” for conflict should the situation change at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque, of which he is the custodian.

    The rightward direction of Israeli politics puts Israel’s new Arab partners in an awkward position regarding the Palestinian cause, which remains a central issue among Arab publics.

    “It is awkward not just for us (in the UAE), but for everybody, in America, and all over the place,” Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a political science professor in the UAE, told CNN. “It is a dilemma, but the way to deal with it is just to wait and see.”

    An opinion poll by The Washington Institute for Near East Policy in July 2022 showed that support for the Abraham Accords had dropped in Gulf countries to a minority view, including the UAE and Bahrain, where more than 70% of the public views the agreement negatively. The data however also showed that around 40% of people in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain support maintaining business and sporting ties with Israel.

    The normalizing states appear to be cognizant of that. On Friday, all four Arab states continued the tradition of supporting the Palestinians at the United Nations by voting at the General Assembly to seek the International Criminal Court’s opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. Netanyahu called the vote “despicable.”

    But Israeli media has reported that behind the scenes, the Emiratis have also been sending messages of concern to Netanyahu about the inclusion of extremists in his government. Ahead of the Israeli elections, UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed warned Netanyahu against including Ben Gvir and Smotrich in his government, the Times of Israel reported, citing a senior official. Axios, which first reported the news, said Netanyahu didn’t respond.

    The move would be a rare case of one of Israel’s Arab partners showing a preference for the country’s domestic politics.

    The UAE foreign ministry didn’t respond to CNN’s request for comment.

    Israeli analyst Zvi Bar’el wrote in Haaretz that the December move to embrace Ben Gvir may have been linked to Abu Dhabi’s desire to steer Israeli policy, adding that it made the UAE “the Arab country with the greatest influence on the new Israeli government.”

    The effectiveness of the UAE’s diplomacy within Israel remains to be seen. So far, Israel’s extremist minister seems unrestrained.

    Less than a week since he was sworn in, Ben Gvir made a controversial visit to the al-Aqsa mosque compound escorted by Israeli police on Tuesday. The mosque, which lies in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem, is in an area known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif. It is the third holiest site for Muslims and the holiest for Jews, who know it as the Temple Mount. Under current arrangements, non-Muslims aren’t allowed to pray there and Ben Gvir wants to change that.

    The UAE “strongly” condemned Ben Gvir’s visit without naming the minister, and called for the need to respect Jordan’s custodianship of the holy site. It later joined China in calling for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council on the matter.

    “However unhappy they (Bahrain and the UAE) might be towards the emergence of Israel’s most right-wing government, it’s clear that they’ve chosen to air these concerns privately, and have stopped short of letting them stand in the way of what they see as an important strategic relationship,” Elham Fakhro, a research fellow at the Centre for Gulf Studies at the University of Exeter, England, told CNN.

    But the UAE has said earlier that the more friendly ties with the Arab world weren’t a green light for Israel to expand its territory. In June 2020, Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE ambassador to the United States, warned Israel that its relations with Arab nations would suffer if there is any “illegal seizure of Palestinian land.”

    Abdullah, the professor from the UAE, said that Abu Dhabi may have some leverage over Israel that it may use privately at times, but added that ultimately “everybody knows that nobody today has any leverage over Israel. Even America.”

    Still, the UAE-Israel relationship is not everlasting, he said. “This relationship is going to be dictated by the UAE… When it doesn’t serve the interest of the UAE… it can collapse at any time.”

    With additional reporting by Nadeen Ebrahim

    Turkey’s ruling party mulls bringing elections ‘slightly’ forward

    Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK Party is considering a “slight change” on the date of elections scheduled for mid-June, Reuters cited AK Party spokesman Omer Celik as saying on Monday. Since the date of the elections corresponds with the summer holiday season, the party is evaluating bringing it “slightly forward,” he said.

    • Background: Turkey’s parliamentary and presidential elections are scheduled to be held on June 18, and Erdogan previously said elections would be held in June. The date change would not amount to snap elections, Celik said.
    • Why it matters: The elections are set to take place as Turkey faces soaring inflation and an economic downturn that could hurt Erdogan’s prospects for re-election. But the government has of late tried to win back voter support through populist moves including wage hikes, retirement benefits, social aid, energy and agriculture support.

    Amnesty condemns Iran for upholding protester death sentence

    Amnesty International on Monday condemned the Iranian supreme court’s decision to uphold the death sentence of protester Mohammad Boroughani, who according to Iranian state media is accused of stabbing a security guard during a protest.

    • Background: Boroughani will be executed under the “moharebeh law,” or waging war against God, the state-aligned Tasnim news agency said. Prior to the supreme court’s confirmation of the sentence, he was sentenced to death by a revolutionary court during a group trial in Tehran presided by notorious judge Abolghasem Salavati, Amnesty said.
    • Why it matters: The protester is among 26 others identified by Amnesty last month as being at risk of execution in connection to the country’s nationwide protests. Iran has already carried out two protest-related executions over the past months of unrest. CNN has verified that at least 43 detainees are facing execution. The situation has drawn strong criticism from several European countries, including Germany, France and Britain.

    Iran’s judiciary indicts two French nationals and a Belgian for espionage

    Iran has indicted two French nationals and a Belgian for espionage and working against the country’s national security, Reuters reported, citing the semi-official Student News Network on Tuesday. The agency did not give the names of the three or say where or when they were indicted.

    • Background: Belgium’s justice minister said last month that Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele had been sentenced to 28 years in prison in Iran for what he called a “fabricated series of crimes.” Iranian media aired a video in October in which two French citizens appeared to confess to spying. The video sparked outrage in France, which said the detainees were “state hostages.”
    • Why it matters: A total of seven French citizens are being held in Iran, France’s foreign minister said in November. Iran has accused foreign adversaries of fomenting the wave of unrest that erupted three months ago. The protests mark one of the boldest challenges to the country’s leadership since its 1979 Islamic Revolution and have drawn in Iranians from all walks of life.

    Regional: #HalaRonaldo (Hello, Ronaldo)

    Soccer fans in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states are celebrating the arrival of famed Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo in Riyadh, who touched down in the kingdom on Tuesday ahead of his unveiling ceremony with the Al Nassr Football Club.

    Twitter was flooded with images of Ronaldo wearing the club’s yellow and blue colors, smiling on large billboards in the Saudi capital. Memes showed “sheikh Ronaldo” dressed in Arab attire, and another showed him wearing a jersey with the “Just do it” slogan for his sponsor Nike crossed out and replaced with “inshallah” – God-willing in Arabic.

    A magazine in Saudi Arabia even put out ads for a full-time “Ronaldo correspondent,” Esquire magazine reported.

    “Welcome to the greatest player in the world,” tweeted one Saudi user, sharing a video of a framed photograph of Ronaldo holding his Al Nassr jersey.

    “The streets of Riyadh welcome Ronaldo,” tweeted one Kuwaiti social media influencer, saying Saudis are lucky their country has become home to such a high-status player.

    The celebrations quickly faded for some, however, when a video showing Ronaldo mistakenly refer to his new home as “South Africa” on Tuesday went viral. “So, for me it’s not the end of my career to come in South Africa. This is why I wanna change. And to be honest I don’t really worry about what the people say,” the soccer star said at a press conference in Riyadh on Tuesday.

    Some joked that Ronaldo accepted a large sum to play in Saudi Arabia only to get the country’s name wrong.

    Al Nassr FC announced on December 30 that the footballer was joining their team, tweeting a photo of Ronaldo in its jersey. The 37-year-old was a free agent and immediately available due to his high-profile break-up with Manchester United last month.

    By Nadeen Ebrahim

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  • Cristiano Ronaldo signs with Saudi Arabian club

    Cristiano Ronaldo signs with Saudi Arabian club

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    Cristiano Ronaldo, one of soccer’s greatest players ever, has signed a deal to play for a Saudi Arabian club. While financial terms of the contract were not disclosed, sources told CBS Sports last month that soccer club Al Nassr had offered the 37-year-old Ronaldo a staggering three-year contract worth $225 million.

    The club made the announcement Friday, posting a photo of the Portuguese star holding up his new No. 7 Al Nassr jersey.

    “I’m thrilled for a new experience in a different league and a different country, the vision that Al Nassr has is very inspiring,” Ronaldo said in a statement. “I’m very excited to join my teammates, and to help the team achieve more success.”  

    Al Nassr described the signing as “history in the making.”

    “This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves,” the club wrote.

    It has been a tumultuous few months for Ronaldo. In November, just prior to the start of the Qatar World Cup, Ronaldo parted ways with Premier League giants Manchester United following a very public spat with the club. He accused Manchester United of “betraying” him, while also saying he had “no respect” for head coach Erik ten Hag.

    The controversy surrounding Ronaldo continued to swirl into the World Cup, when he was controversially pulled from the starting eleven by Portugal coach Fernando Santos ahead of the team’s Round of 16 match against Switzerland over his negative reaction to being substituted in Portugal’s final group game against South Korea. Ronaldo came on as a second-half substitute during Portugal’s shocking 1-0 quarterfinal loss to Morocco. Ronaldo, who was never won a World Cup, was in tears as he exited the pitch. 

    Ronaldo is the only player to score in five World Cups. He also holds the record for the most goals in international football, with 118, and the most goals for both club and country, with 819. 

    On Thursday, following news of the death of Brazilian soccer legend Pelé at the age of 82, Ronaldo paid tribute to Pelé writing that “a mere ‘goodbye’ to the eternal King Pelé will never be enough to express the pain that the entire football world is currently embracing. An inspiration to so many millions, a reference yesterday, today and forever.”  

    Tre’Vaughn Howard


    trevaughn-howard.jpg

    Tre’Vaughn Howard is a producer and journalist for CBS News, focusing on international and culture stories.

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  • Taliban minister defends ban on women’s university studies

    Taliban minister defends ban on women’s university studies

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    KABUL, Afghanistan — The minister of higher education in the Taliban government on Thursday defended his decision to ban women from universities — a decree that had triggered a global backlash.

    Discussing the matter for the first time in public, Nida Mohammad Nadim said the ban issued earlier this week was necessary to prevent the mixing of genders in universities and because he believes some subjects being taught violated the principles of Islam. He said the ban was in place until further notice.

    In an interview with Afghan television, Nadim pushed back against the widespread international condemnation, including from Muslim-majority countries such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar. Nadim said that foreigners should stop interfering in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.

    Earlier on Thursday, the foreign ministers of the G7 group of states urged the Taliban to rescind the ban, warning that “gender persecution may amount to a crime against humanity.” The ministers warned after a virtual meeting that “Taliban policies designed to erase women from public life will have consequences for how our countries engage with the Taliban.” The G7 group includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union.

    Nadim said universities would be closed to women for the time being, but that the ban could be reviewed at a later time.

    A former provincial governor, police chief and military commander, Nadim was appointed minister in October by the supreme Taliban leader and previously pledged to stamp out secular schooling. Nadim opposes female education, saying it is against Islamic and Afghan values.

    In Afghanistan, there has been some domestic opposition to the university ban, including statements of condemnation by several Afghan cricketers. Cricket is a hugely popular sport in Afghanistan, and players have hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.

    Despite initially promising a more moderate rule respecting rights for women and minorities, the Taliban have widely implemented their interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, since they seized power in August 2021.

    They have banned girls from middle school and high school, barred women from most fields of employment and ordered them to wear head-to-toe clothing in public. Women are also banned from parks and gyms. At the same time, Afghan society, while largely traditional, has increasingly embraced the education of girls and women over the past two decades.

    Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday that the ban was “neither Islamic nor humane.”

    Speaking at a joint news conference with his Yemeni counterpart, Cavusoglu called on the Taliban to reverse their decision.

    “What harm is there in women’s education? What harm does it do to Afghanistan?” Cavusoglu said. “Is there an Islamic explanation? On the contrary, our religion, Islam, is not against education, on the contrary, it encourages education and science.”

    Saudi Arabia, which until 2019 enforced sweeping restrictions on women’s travel, employment and other crucial aspects of their daily lives, including driving, also urged the Taliban to change course.

    The Saudi foreign ministry expressed “astonishment and regret” at Afghan women being denied a university education. In a statement late Wednesday, the ministry said the decision was “astonishing in all Islamic countries.”

    Previously, Qatar, which has engaged with the Taliban authorities, also condemned the decision.

    In the capital of Kabul, about two dozen women marched in the streets Thursday, chanting in Dari for freedom and equality. “All or none. Don’t be afraid. We are together,” they chanted.

    In video obtained by The Associated Press, one woman said Taliban security forces used violence to disperse the group.

    “The girls were beaten and whipped,” she said. “They also brought military women with them, whipping the girls. We ran away, some girls were arrested. I don’t know what will happen.”

    Several Afghan cricketers called for the ban to be lifted.

    Player Rahmanullah Garbaz said in a tweet that every day of education wasted was a day wasted in the country’s future.

    Another cricketer, Rashid Khan, tweeted that women are the foundation of society. “A society that leaves its children in the hands of ignorant and illiterate women cannot expect its members to serve and work hard,” he wrote.

    Another show of support for female university students came at Nangarhar Medical University. Local media reported that male students walked out in solidarity and refused to sit for exams until women’s university access was reinstated.

    Girls have been banned from school beyond the sixth grade since the Taliban’s return.

    In northeastern Takhar province, teenage girls said the Taliban on Thursday forced them out of a private education training center and told them they no longer had the right to study. One student, 15-year-old Zuhal, said the girls were beaten.

    Another, 19-year-old Maryam, said while crying: “This training center was our hope. What can these girls do? They were full of hope and coming here to learn. It is really a pity. (The Taliban) have taken all our hopes. They closed schools, universities, and the training center, which was very small.”

    ———

    Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser contributed from Ankara, Turkey.

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  • EV maker Lucid closes $1.5 billion raise from the Saudi public wealth fund and other investors

    EV maker Lucid closes $1.5 billion raise from the Saudi public wealth fund and other investors

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    Lucid Motors CEO Peter Rawlinson claps after ringing the opening bell at the Nasdaq MarketSite as Lucid Motors (Nasdaq: LCID) begins trading on the Nasdaq stock exchange after completing its business combination with Churchill Capital Corp IV in New York City, July 26, 2021.

    Andrew Kelly | Reuters

    Electric vehicle maker Lucid Group said Monday that it has completed a planned $1.5 billion equity offering. The company first announced the offering in November, when it reported its third-quarter results.

    Lucid raised the majority of that cash, about $915 million, via a private sale of nearly 86 million shares to an affiliate of its largest investor, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. The remaining $600 million was raised via a traditional secondary stock offering, in which Lucid sold an additional 56 million shares.

    The funding round was structured to keep the Saudi public wealth fund’s stake in Lucid at its previous level, about 62%.

    Lucid plans to use the proceeds to “further strengthen its balance sheet and liquidity position,” the company said in a statement.

    Lucid had about $3.85 billion in cash as of September 30, its most recent report.

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  • 5 key takeaways from Xi’s trip to Saudi Arabia | CNN

    5 key takeaways from Xi’s trip to Saudi Arabia | CNN

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    Editor’s Note: A version of this story appears in CNN’s Meanwhile in today’s Middle East newsletter, a three-times-a-week look inside the region’s biggest stories. Sign up here.


    Abu Dhabi
    CNN
     — 

    Years of progressing ties between oil-wealthy Saudi Arabia and China, an economic giant in the east, this week culminated in a multiple-day state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Riyadh, where a number of agreements and summits heralded a “new era” of Chinese-Arab partnership.

    Xi, who landed on Wednesday and departed Friday, was keen to show his Arab counterparts China’s value as the world’s largest oil consumer, and how it can contribute to the region’s growth, including within fields of energy, security and defense.

    The trip was widely viewed as yet another snub to Washington, which holds grievances toward both states over a number of issues.

    The United States, which has for more than eight decades prized its strategic alliance with Saudi Arabia, today finds its old partner in search of new friends – particularly with China, which the US worries is expanding its sphere of influence around the world.

    While Saudi Arabia was keen to reject notions of polarization or “taking sides,” it also showed that with China it can develop deep partnerships without the criticism or “interference” for which it has long resented its Western counterparts.

    Here are five key takeaways from Xi’s visit to Saudi Arabia.

    During Xi’s visit, Saudi Arabia and China released a nearly 4,000-word joint statement outlining their alignment on a swathe of political issues, and promising deeper cooperation on scores of others. From space research, digital economy and infrastructure to Iran’s nuclear program, the Yemen war and Russia’s war on Ukraine, Riyadh and Beijing were keen to show they are in agreement on most key policies.

    “There is very much an alignment on key issues,” Saudi author and analyst Ali Shihabi told CNN. “Remember this relationship has been building up dramatically over the last six years so this visit was simply a culmination of that journey.”

    The two countries also agreed to cooperate on peaceful uses of nuclear energy, to work together on developing modern technologies such as artificial intelligence and innovate the energy sector.

    “I think what they are doing is saying that on most issues that they consider relevant, or important to themselves domestically and regionally, they see each other as really, really close important partners,” said Jonathan Fulton, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank.

    “Do they align on every issue? Probably not, but [they are] as close as anybody could be,” he said.

    Xi Jinping, who landed on Wednesday and departed Friday, was keen to show his Arab counterparts China's value as the world's largest oil consumer.

    An unwritten agreement between Saudi Arabia and the US has traditionally been an understanding that the kingdom provides oil, whereas the US provides military security and backs the kingdom in its fight against regional foes, namely Iran and its armed proxies.

    The kingdom has recently been keen to move away from this traditional agreement, saying that diversification is essential to Riyadh’s current vision.

    During a summit between China and countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Riyadh, Xi said China wants to build on current GCC-China energy cooperation. The Chinese leader said the republic will continue to “import crude oil in a consistent manner and in large quantities from the GCC, as well as increase its natural gas imports” from the region.

    China is the world’s biggest buyer of oil, with Saudi Arabia being its top supplier.

    And on Friday, the Saudi national oil giant Aramco and Shandong Energy Group said they are exploring collaboration on integrated refining and petrochemical opportunities in China, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

    The statements come amid global shortages of energy, as well as repeated pleas by the West for oil producers to raise output.

    The kingdom this year already made one of its largest investments in China with Aramco’s $10 billion investment into a refinery and petrochemical complex in China’s northeast.

    China is also keen to cooperate with Saudi Arabia on security and defense, an important field once reserved for the kingdom’s American ally.

    Disturbed by what they see as growing threats from Iran and waning US security presence in the region, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbors have recently looked eastward when purchasing arms.

    Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Arab counterparts pose for a group photo during the China-Arab summit in Riyadh on December 9, 2022.

    One of the most sacred concepts cherished by China is the principle of “non-interference in mutual affairs,” which since the 1950s has been one of the republic’s key ideals.

    What began as the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence between China, India and Myanmar in 1954 was later adopted by a number of countries that did not wish to choose between the US and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

    Today, Saudi Arabia is keen to adopt the concept into its political rhetoric as it walks a tightrope between its traditional Western allies, the eastern bloc and Russia.

    Not interfering in one another’s internal affairs presumably means not commenting on domestic policy or criticizing human rights records.

    One of the key hurdles complicating Saudi Arabia’s relationship with the US and other Western powers was the repeated criticism over domestic and foreign policy. This was most notable over the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, the Yemen war and the kingdom’s oil policy – which US politicians accused Riyadh of weaponizing to side with Russia in its war on Ukraine.

    China has had similar resentments toward the West amid international concerns over Taiwan, a democratically governed island of 24 million people that Beijing claims as its territory, as well as human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other ethnic groups in China’s western Xinjiang region (which Beijing has denied).

    The agreed principle of non-interference, says Shihabi, also means that, when needed, internal affairs “can be discussed privately but not postured upon publicly like Western politicians have a habit of doing for domestic political purposes.”

    For both China and Saudi Arabia, not interfering in one another's internal affairs presumably means not commenting on domestic policy or criticizing human rights records.

    During his visit, Xi urged his GCC counterparts to “make full use of the Shanghai Petrol and Gas Exchange as a platform to conduct oil and gas sales using Chinese currency.”

    The move would bring China closer to its goal of internationally strengthening its currency, and would greatly weaken the US dollar and potentially impact the American economy.

    While many awaited decisions on the rumored shift from the US dollar to the Chinese yuan with regards to oil trading, no announcements were made on that front. Beijing and Riyadh have not confirmed rumors that the two sides are discussing abandoning the petrodollar.

    Analysts see the decision as a logical development in China and Saudi Arabia’s energy relationship, but say it will probably take more time.

    “That [abandonment of the petrodollar] is ultimately inevitable since China as the Kingdom’s largest customer has considerable leverage,” said Shihabi, “Although I do not expect it to happen in the near future.”

    John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, said the US is

    The US has been fairly quiet in its response to Xi’s visit. While comments were minimal, some speculate that there is heightened anxiety behind closed doors.

    John Kirby, the strategic communications coordinator at the US National Security Council, at the onset of the visit said it was “not a surprise” that Xi is traveling around the world and to the Middle East, and that the US is “mindful of the influence that China is trying to grow around the world.”

    “This visit may not substantively expand China’s influence but signal the continuing decline of American influence in the region,” Shaojin Chai, an assistant professor at the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, told CNN.

    Saudi Arabia was, however, keen to reject notions of polarization, deeming it unhelpful.

    Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud stressed that the kingdom is “focused on cooperation with all parties.”

    “Competition is a good thing,” he added, “And I think we are in a competitive marketplace.”

    Part of that drive for competitiveness, he said, comes with “cooperation with as many parties as possible.”

    The kingdom feels it is important that it is fully engaged with its traditional partner, the US, as well as other rising economies like China, added the foreign minister.

    “The Americans are probably aware that their messaging has been very ineffective on this issue,” said Fulton, normally “lecturing” partners about working with China “rather than putting together a coherent strategy working with its allies and partners.”

    “There seems to be a big disconnect between how a lot of countries see China and how the US does. And to Washington’s credit, I think they are starting to realize that.”

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  • China’s Xi to visit Riyadh as Saudi Arabia seeks to expand international reach

    China’s Xi to visit Riyadh as Saudi Arabia seeks to expand international reach

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    Chinese leader Xi Jinping

    Getty Images

    Chinese President Xi Jinping will be in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to attend the first China-Arab States Summit and the China-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Riyadh, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in China.

    The visit, which will span three days, followed an invitation from Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, and will be attended by other Arab heads of state.

    “Close relations between the two countries were initiated 80 years ago, encompassing various aspects of cooperation and development,” the official Saudi Press Agency said in a statement Tuesday.

    Saudi Arabia was the largest oil importer for China in 2021, accounting for 17% of the Asian giant’s oil imports.

    “The optics of a hospitable kingdom welcoming Xi and inviting host of US partners in the Middle East will prove important,” Eurasia Group’s analysts wrote in a note.

    “Saudi Arabia will adopt a similar model to US President Joe Biden‘s visit last July, presenting itself as the regional hub for heavyweight geopolitical meetings,” they said.

    Strained U.S.-Saudi relations

    “Riyadh sees a geopolitical order that is largely in flux, with an opportunity to enhance its leverage in the international system,” Eurasia said.

    Saudi’s leadership has assessed that its interests are served through broadening the kingdom’s international partnerships, they said, adding that it includes relations with “the UK, France, Germany, Greece, and Spain on the European side, Russia on the energy front, and many Asian countries on the economic front.”

    Expect ‘pomp and circumstance’

    Eurasia expects Xi’s visit to be “full of pomp and circumstance” and the tone likely to be “much more positive.”

    “Nevertheless, the relationship still has a long way to go if it is to become as deep and nuanced as Saudi-US ties,” the analysts stated.

    Despite ongoing U.S.-Saudi tensions, Riyadh still views Washington as its preferred security partner, Eurasia elaborated.

    “However, Saudi Arabia will seek to enhance its military ties with China and other global arms suppliers as U.S. congressional obstacles to weapons sales have created concerns in the kingdom.”

    In a separate study by Eurasia, more than two-thirds of respondents — nearly 70% of the 2,000 voting-age Americans surveyed — say they oppose continued U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

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  • When China and Saudi Arabia meet, nothing matters more than oil | CNN Business

    When China and Saudi Arabia meet, nothing matters more than oil | CNN Business

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    Hong Kong
    CNN Business
     — 

    Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting Saudi Arabia this week for the first time in nearly seven years, during which he is expected to sign billions of dollars of deals with the world’s largest oil exporter and meet leaders from across the Middle East.

    The visit is a sign that China and the Gulf region are deepening their economic relations at a time when US-Saudi ties have crumbled over OPEC’s decision to slash crude oil supply. As Xi wrote in an article published in Saudi media, the trip was intended to strengthen China’s relations with the Arab world.

    China is Saudi Arabia’s biggest trading partner and a source of growing investment. It’s also the world’s biggest buyer of oil. Saudi Arabia is China’s largest trading partner in the Middle East and the top global supplier of crude oil.

    “Energy cooperation will be at the center of all discussions between the Saudi-Chinese leadership,” said Ayham Kamel, head of Eurasia Group’s Middle East and North Africa research team. “There is great recognition of the need to build a framework to ensure that this interdependence is accommodated politically, especially given the scope of energy transition in the West.”

    Governments around the world have committed to drastically cutting carbon emissions over the coming decades. Countries such as Canada and Germany have doubled down on renewable energy investments to expedite their transition to net-zero economies.

    The United States has significantly increased domestic oil and gas output since the 2000s, while accelerating its transition to clean energy.

    The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February has triggered a global energy crisis that has left all countries racing to shore up supplies. And the West has further scrambled the oil markets by slapping an embargo and price cap on the world’s second biggest exporter of crude.

    Energy security has also increasingly become a key priority for China, which is facing significant challenges of its own.

    Last year, bilateral trade between Saudi Arabia and China hit $87.3 billion, up 30% from 2020, according to Chinese customs figures.

    Much of the trade was focused on oil. China’s crude imports from Saudi Arabia stood at $43.9 billion in 2021, accounting for 77% of its total goods imports from the kingdom. That amount also makes up more than a quarter of Saudi Arabia’s total crude exports.

    “Stability of energy supplies, in terms of both prices and quantities, is a key priority for Xi Jinping as the Chinese economy remains heavily reliant on oil and natural gas imports,” said Eswar Prasad, a professor of trade policy at Cornell University.

    The world’s second largest economy is heavily reliant on foreign oil and gas. 72% of its oil consumption was imported last year, according to official figures. 44% of natural gas demand was also from overseas.

    At the 20th Party Congress in October, Xi stressed that ensuring energy security was a key priority. The comments came after a spate of severe power shortages and soaring global energy prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    As the West shunned Russian crude in the months that followed the invasion, China took advantage of Moscow’s desperate search for new buyers. Between May and July, Russia was China’s No. 1 oil supplier, until Saudi Arabia regained the top spot in August.

    “Diversity is a key ingredient for China’s long-term energy security because it cannot afford to put all of its eggs in one basket and turn itself into a captive of another power’s energy and geostrategic interests,” said Ahmed Aboudouh, a nonresident fellow with the Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council, a research institute based in DC.

    “Although Russia is a source of cheaper supply chains, nobody can guarantee, with utmost certainty, that the China and Russia relationship will continue to shore up 50 years from now,” Aboudouh said.

    The Saudi Press Agency cited Saudi energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman as saying Wednesday that the kingdom would remain China’s “credible and reliable partner in this field.”

    Saudi Arabia also has strong motivations to deepen energy ties with China, according to Gal Luft, co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security.

    “The Saudis are concerned about losing market share in China in the face of a tsunami of heavily discounted Russian and Iranian crude,” he said. “Their goal is to ensure China remains a loyal customer even when the competitors offer [a] cheaper product.”

    Oil prices have fallen back to where they were before the Ukraine war on fears of a sharp global economic slowdown. The extent to which the Chinese economy can pick up pace next year will have a huge bearing on how bad that slump will be.

    Beyond security of supply, Saudi Arabia could offer Beijing another prize with bigger geopolitical ramifications.

    Riyadh has been in talks with Beijing to price some of its oil sales to China in the Chinese currency, the yuan, rather than the US dollar, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Such a deal could be a boost to Beijing’s ambitions to expand the Chinese currency’s global influence.

    It would also hurt the long-standing agreement between Saudi Arabia and the United States that requires Saudi Arabia to sell its oil only for US dollars and to hold its reserves partly in US Treasuries, all in return for US security guarantees. The “petrodollar system” has helped preserve the dollar’s status as the top global reserve currency and payment medium for oil and other commodities.

    Although Beijing and Riyadh never confirmed the reported talks, analysts said it was logical that the two sides would be exploring the possibility.

    “In the near future, Saudi Arabia could sell some of its oil and receive revenues in Chinese yuan, which makes economic sense as China is the kingdom’s top trading partner,” said Naser Al Tamimi, senior associate research fellow at ISPI, an Italian think tank on international affairs.

    Some believe it’s already happening, but that neither China nor the Saudis want to highlight it publicly.

    “They know too well how sensitive this issue [is] for the United States,” said Luft. “Both parties are overexposed to the US currency and there is no reason for them to continue to conduct their bilateral trade in a third party’s currency, especially when this third party is no longer a friend of either.”

    Xi’s visit could mark another step “in the erosion of the dollar’s status” as reserve currency, he added.

    Nonetheless, there are limits to the growing ties between Riyadh and Beijing.

    “The Biden administration’s approach to the Middle East has concerned the Saudis, and they see a growing relationship with China as a hedge against potential US abandonment and a tool for leverage in negotiations with the United States,” said Jon B. Alterman, director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington DC-based think tank.

    The Biden administration has reoriented its policy priorities with a focus on countering China. At the same time, it has indicated its intention to downsize its own presence in the Middle East, sparking worries among allies there that the United States may not be as committed to the region as it used to be.

    “All that being said, Chinese-Saudi ties pale in both depth and complexity to Saudi-US ties,” Alterman said. “The Chinese remain a novelty to most Saudis, and they are additive. The United States is foundational to how Saudis see the world, and how they have seen it for 75 years.”

    Despite the possibility of shifting to yuan transactions, it’s too early to say Saudi Arabia would ditch the dollar in pricing its oil sales, analysts said.

    Eurasia Group’s Kamal believes it’s “highly unlikely” that Saudi Arabia would take such a step, unless there is an implosion on the US-Saudi relationship.

    “In essence there could be discussion on pricing of barrels to China in yuan, but this would be limited in size and probably only correspond to bilateral trade volumes,” he said.

    Prasad from Cornell University said countries like China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia are all eager to reduce their dependence on the dollar for oil contracts and other cross-border transactions.

    “However, in the absence of serious alternatives and with few international investors willing to place their trust in these countries’ financial markets and their governments, the dollar’s dominant role in global finance is hardly under serious threat,” he said.

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  • Chinese President Xi Jinping lands in Saudi Arabia amid tensions with US | CNN

    Chinese President Xi Jinping lands in Saudi Arabia amid tensions with US | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Chinese President Xi Jinping landed in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh on Wednesday for a multiple-day visit, China’s official news agency Xinhua reported, amid frayed ties between the two countries and the United States.

    Saudi state TV showed Xi walking down the steps of his presidential aircraft at King Khalid International Airport, where he was received by Saudi Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, governor of the Riyadh region, and Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Saudi foreign minister.

    A purple carpet was rolled out for the Chinese president, and canons were fired.

    The visit will include a “Saudi-Chinese summit,” a China-Arab and a China-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) previously reported.

    Rumors of a Chinese presidential visit to the US’ largest Middle East ally have been circulating for months as the nations have solidified their ties, possibly to Washington’s dismay.

    The trip comes against the backdrop of a number of disagreements harbored by the US toward both Beijing and Riyadh, including grievances about oil production, human rights and other issues.

    But Saudi Arabia’s grand reception of the Chinese president is only emblematic of the magnitude of their growing relationship, specifically around oil, trade and security. The two countries are expected to sign deals worth more than $29 billion during this week’s visit, according to SPA.

    China is today Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner, with the value of the kingdom’s exports to China having exceeded $50 billion last year, constituting more than 18% of Saudi Arabia’s total exports in 2021. Bilateral trade between the two states is more than $80 billion dollars, SPA reported.

    Saudi Arabia has also traditionally been China’s top oil supplier, with Saudi barrels making up around 17% of total Chinese oil imports as of last year, according to the Saudi-backed Arab News.

    While the kingdom remains a key supplier for its Chinese partner, oil relations may have been slightly on edge this year as sanctioned Russia pours its discounted barrels into the Asian market.

    Apart from oil exports, Saudi Arabia has this year ramped up its Chinese investments, which culminated in Aramco’s whopping $10 billion dollar investment into a refinery and petrochemical complex in China’s northeast.

    These close ties have been years in the making as both countries have sought to diversify their security and energy sources, experts say.

    “Now it is the height of the bilateral relations between the two since their establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992,” Shaojin Chai, an assistant professor at the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, told CNN.

    “They become closer as both sides need each other in many areas: energy transition, economic diversification, defense capacity building for KSA and climate change, to name just a few,” said Chai, referring to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and adding that “the diversification of security risk entails KSA including rising China in its hedge.”

    While China and Saudi Arabia’s friendship has blossomed over the decades, they seem to have become closer as both find themselves in precarious positions in regard to the US.

    A strong American ally for eight long decades, Saudi Arabia has become bitter over what it perceives to be waning US security presence in the region, especially amid growing threats from Iran and its armed proxies in the Middle East.

    An economic mammoth in the east, China has been at odds with the US over Taiwan, the democratically governed island of 24 million people that Beijing claims as its territory despite never having controlled it.

    US President Joe Biden has repeatedly vowed to help Taiwan in the event of an attack by China, which has not ruled out the use of force to “reunify” with the island.

    The thorny topic has gravely aggravated a precarious relationship between Washington and Beijing, who are already competing for influence in the volatile Middle East.

    China has also been cementing its ties with other Gulf monarchies, as well as with US foes Iran and Russia.

    “If they’re signaling anything to the rest of the world, I suspect it’s mainly that they are two important countries with a deep, interest-based relationship,” said Jonathan Fulton, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank.

    “At a time when negative perceptions of China dominate in much of the West, Xi will be lavishly welcomed in Saudi Arabia, the most important Arab state, the most important country in global Islam, and a major actor in global energy markets,” Fulton told CNN.

    “And the Saudis can show that they remain important to extra-regional powers, even if their relationship with Washington is rocky,” he added.

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  • World Cup fans find booze at hotels, Qatar’s 1 liquor store

    World Cup fans find booze at hotels, Qatar’s 1 liquor store

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    DOHA, Qatar (AP) — In a dusty neighborhood on the outskirts of Qatar’s capital, guards stand duty at a gated compound ringed with razor wire, carefully checking passports and permits before allowing anyone inside. But this isn’t a prison or a high-security area associated with the ongoing World Cup.

    It’s the liquor store.

    Rigid limits on alcohol are a fact of life in this conservative Muslim nation on the Arabian Peninsula, which follows the same strict Wahhabi interpretation of Islam as its neighbor Saudi Arabia. Soccer fans coming to Qatar for the World Cup got a taste of that just before the tournament as authorities cancelled beer sales at stadiums.

    Yet corks continue to be popped in luxury boxes at games. Fans are filling pints from beer towers at dozens of hotel bars, lounges and nightclubs with liquor licenses. Sales of $14 Budweisers at Doha’s FIFA Fan Zone continue unabated.

    “Not to say that you need alcohol to fuel your life, but it’s a good time,” said Ed Ball, an American who created an online map for imbibers in Doha to find bars. “The idea being passed around that you can’t drink in Qatar is wrong. There are places.”

    In addition to the bars, there’s the liquor store where non-Muslim residents and visitors can shop after applying for a government-issued license. Located next to an Indian school in Doha’s dusty Abu Hamour neighborhood, it is run by the Qatar Distribution Co., a state-owned enterprise under the umbrella of Qatar Airways, which holds exclusive rights to distribute alcohol and pork in the country.

    The store — currently the only one selling liquor in Qatar — operates on an appointment system, harkening back to the strict coronavirus regulations that governed this country prior to just before the World Cup.

    On a recent visit, guards twice checked an Associated Press reporter’s identifications and appointments. Razor wire tops the compound’s high walls, which bar the public from a peek inside. Signs warn that any abuse aimed at the guards can result in an alcohol license being revoked. Empty silver-colored beer kegs are piled up in the parking lot.

    At the end of a chlorine-scented walkway, customers reach the entrance to the store. Inside, the shelves and stands are stocked with bottles of wine largely running from $12.50 up to $45. A liter of Absolut vodka goes for $42, while a liter of Jack Daniels whiskey sets a shopper back $70. A 24-pack of standard Budweiser cans costs nearly $52.

    A small section of the store offers frozen pork pepperoni pizzas, slabs of bacon, Spam and cans of pork and beans.

    Customers filled their carts or carried bottles and cans in their hands, checking against shopping lists or texting family members to double check what was needed. Several wore FIFA passes for the tournament around their necks.

    Outside the shop, a 31-year-old British woman who works as a school teacher in Qatar, filled the trunk of her car. She declined to offer her name, given the connotations drinking can carry in Qatari society, but dismissed criticism surrounding drinking and the tournament.

    “It’s really not that big of a deal,” she said of the licensing system in Qatar. “It’s like going to the supermarket — for alcohol.”

    She added that she thought the restrictions on sales for the matches also made sense. “I’m British. I know what it’s like to to be around drunk people all the time.”

    Across the wider Persian Gulf, alcohol remains banned in Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the sheikhdom of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. Drinking alcohol is considered haram, or forbidden, in Islam. Imams point to a verse in the Quran calling wine “the work of Satan.”

    But the region as a whole has a long history with alcohol, itself an Arabic word. The 8th century poet Abu Nawas even was known for his “khamriyyat,” or “wine poems.”

    Both alcohol and pork face a 100% import duty. Qatar says it uses the tax revenue to improve health care, infrastructure, education and other public services.

    Visitors are not allowed to bring alcohol into the country. Many hotels are dry and prohibit guests from bringing alcohol to their rooms.

    Even with those restrictions, Qatar sold 23.2 million liters of alcoholic drinks in 2021, according to data from Euromonitor International. Though dwarfed by the United Arab Emirates’ 115 million liters sold in the same period, Qatar’s numbers show a 14.6% growth as the pandemic waned.

    Meanwhile, Ball’s online map of bars in Qatar has been viewed over 875,000 times. An accompanying Twitter account shows him downing two pints of beer in 10 seconds.

    “For me, drinking is just like eating. It just goes along with the culture,” Ball told the AP after returning home to Seattle, where he works for Boeing Co. “I know it’s not part of Qatar … but it’s also part of the World Cup. One of the biggest sponsors is Budweiser so it just goes to show you it kind of goes hand in hand.”

    Bars in Qatar typically scan IDs of those heading in, with many working on a voucher system during the tournament to make sure fans spend at least certain amount.

    On Saturday night, a group of Russians screamed expletives at the U.S. team during its match with the Netherlands as they downed shots and posed for photographs with servers at Doha’s Irish Harp.

    Dermot O’Callaghan, a 66-year-old soccer fan from Dublin, Ireland, enjoyed a much calmer pint at the bar, swaying along to the Cuban band Chicas Melao.

    “It’s very enjoyable, you can get a drink here if you want in the evenings,” O’Callaghan said. “You do have a cohort of fans roaming around, looking for a drink.”

    ___

    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

    ___

    Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.

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  • World Cup fans overcome strict hurdles to find booze in Qatar

    World Cup fans overcome strict hurdles to find booze in Qatar

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    In a dusty neighborhood on the outskirts of Qatar’s capital, guards stand duty at a gated compound ringed with razor wire, carefully checking passports and permits before allowing anyone inside. But this isn’t a prison or a high-security area associated with the ongoing World Cup.

    It’s the liquor store.

    Rigid limits on alcohol are a fact of life in this conservative Muslim nation on the Arabian Peninsula, which follows the same strict Wahhabi interpretation of Islam as its neighbor Saudi Arabia. Soccer fans coming to Qatar for the World Cup got a taste of that just before the tournament as authorities cancelled beer sales at stadiums.

    Yet corks continue to be popped in luxury boxes at games. Fans are filling pints from beer towers at dozens of hotel bars, lounges and nightclubs with liquor licenses. Sales of $14 Budweisers at Doha’s FIFA Fan Zone continue unabated.

    “Not to say that you need alcohol to fuel your life, but it’s a good time,” said Ed Ball, an American who created an online map for imbibers in Doha to find bars. “The idea being passed around that you can’t drink in Qatar is wrong. There are places.”


    Ecuador fans erupt in “We want beer” chants during opening match against Qatar

    00:11

    One state-owned liquor store

    In addition to the bars, there’s the liquor store where non-Muslim residents and visitors can shop after applying for a government-issued license. Located next to an Indian school in Doha’s dusty Abu Hamour neighborhood, it is run by the Qatar Distribution Co., a state-owned enterprise under the umbrella of Qatar Airways, which holds exclusive rights to distribute alcohol and pork in the country.

    The store — currently the only one selling liquor in Qatar — operates on an appointment system, harkening back to the strict coronavirus regulations that governed this country prior to just before the World Cup.

    On a recent visit, guards twice checked an Associated Press reporter’s identifications and appointments. Razor wire tops the compound’s high walls, which bar the public from a peek inside. Signs warn that any abuse aimed at the guards can result in an alcohol license being revoked. Empty silver-colored beer kegs are piled up in the parking lot.

    At the end of a chlorine-scented walkway, customers reach the entrance to the store. Inside, the shelves and stands are stocked with bottles of wine largely running from $12.50 up to $45. A liter of Absolut vodka goes for $42, while a liter of Jack Daniels whiskey sets a shopper back $70. A 24-pack of standard Budweiser cans costs nearly $52.


    World Cup kicks off amid mounting pressure over Qatar’s LGBTQ views

    04:16

    “Not that big of a deal”

    A small section of the store offers frozen pork pepperoni pizzas, slabs of bacon, Spam and cans of pork and beans.

    Customers filled their carts or carried bottles and cans in their hands, checking against shopping lists or texting family members to double check what was needed. Several wore FIFA passes for the tournament around their necks.

    Outside the shop, a 31-year-old British woman who works as a school teacher in Qatar, filled the trunk of her car. She declined to offer her name, given the connotations drinking can carry in Qatari society, but dismissed criticism surrounding drinking and the tournament.

    “It’s really not that big of a deal,” she said of the licensing system in Qatar. “It’s like going to the supermarket — for alcohol.”

    She added that she thought the restrictions on sales for the matches also made sense. “I’m British. I know what it’s like to to be around drunk people all the time.”

    Complex history

    Across the wider Persian Gulf, alcohol remains banned in Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the sheikhdom of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. Drinking alcohol is considered haram, or forbidden, in Islam. Imams point to a verse in the Quran calling wine “the work of Satan.”

    But the region as a whole has a long history with alcohol, itself an Arabic word. The 8th century poet Abu Nawas even was known for his “khamriyyat,” or “wine poems.”

    Both alcohol and pork face a 100% import duty. Qatar says it uses the tax revenue to improve health care, infrastructure, education and other public services.

    Visitors are not allowed to bring alcohol into the country. Many hotels are dry and prohibit guests from bringing alcohol to their rooms.


    Qatar accused of labor abuses of migrant workers ahead of World Cup

    03:08

    Millions of liters sold despite restrictions

    Even with those restrictions, Qatar sold 23.2 million liters of alcoholic drinks in 2021, according to data from Euromonitor International. Though dwarfed by the United Arab Emirates’ 115 million liters sold in the same period, Qatar’s numbers show a 14.6% growth as the pandemic waned.

    Meanwhile, Ball’s online map of bars in Qatar has been viewed over 875,000 times. An accompanying Twitter account shows him downing two pints of beer in 10 seconds.

    “For me, drinking is just like eating. It just goes along with the culture,” Ball told the AP after returning home to Seattle, where he works for Boeing Co. “I know it’s not part of Qatar … but it’s also part of the World Cup. One of the biggest sponsors is Budweiser so it just goes to show you it kind of goes hand in hand.”

    Bars in Qatar typically scan IDs of those heading in, with many working on a voucher system during the tournament to make sure fans spend at least certain amount.

    On Saturday night, a group of Russians screamed expletives at the U.S. team during its match with the Netherlands as they downed shots and posed for photographs with servers at Doha’s Irish Harp.

    Dermot O’Callaghan, a 66-year-old soccer fan from Dublin, Ireland, enjoyed a much calmer pint at the bar, swaying along to the Cuban band Chicas Melao.

    “It’s very enjoyable, you can get a drink here if you want in the evenings,” O’Callaghan said. “You do have a cohort of fans roaming around, looking for a drink.”

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  • Sharon Stone and Guy Ritchie Raise Eyebrows at Divisive Saudi Arabia Film Festival

    Sharon Stone and Guy Ritchie Raise Eyebrows at Divisive Saudi Arabia Film Festival

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    Stars at Saudi Arabia’s second annual Red Sea International Film Festival have had to do more than their standard promotional duties. Special guests Sharon Stone and Guy Ritchie have both defended their reasons for attending the event, which is happening in a country with a history of human rights abuses. 

    “I’m an envelope breaker, my success is to break the envelope, just like coming here,” Stone said during her hour-plus talk at the fest, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “Everyone said to me, ‘Aren’t you afraid?’ And I said, ‘I’m afraid not to know. So why don’t I go, see how it really is and I’ll tell you?’ What I’ve learned is that what everybody tells you isn’t always the way it is.”

    Elsewhere during her appearance, she addressed criticism of women’s rights in the country. “Women are not here just to serve men. Men are also here to serve women,” Stone continued. “And if we are not serving equally, then we are disrespecting our maker.” The actor also recalled controversy she faced decades ago as a spokesperson for AmFAR, stating that she had “no idea of the resistance, the cruelty, the hate, the oppression that we would face,” according to Variety. While in a nation where homosexuality is criminalized, Stone recounted how her work with the organization “really destroyed” her career for an eight-year period. “I was threatened…repeatedly,” she added. “My life was threatened, and the more it happened, the more I thought I needed to stick with it.”

    Stone capped off her speech by reflecting on her visit to Saudi Arabia. “I’m just a kid from Pennsylvania. I grew up with Amish people who drove into my driveway in their horse and buggy,” she said, according to THR. “There was no possibility for me to come to Saudi Arabia to meet you.”

    Meanwhile, Ritchie, recipient of one of the festival’s honorary awards, told THR about accepting an invite: “Whatever I can do to encourage creativity, particularly in my world of film, I’m all about that,” adding, “I’m all about encouragement and the collaboration of culture.” The director and first-time Saudi Arabia visitor also stated that “some degree of the future lies here.”

    The Red Sea Film Festival’s second edition arrives five years to the week that Saudi Arabia announced it would lift its 35-year ban on cinemas. Michael Page, deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch, told The Guardian that Saudi Arabian officials use “festivals as a reputation laundering tool, in the same way that they have used previous celebrity and sporting events to try to whitewash their quite terrible image.”

    Attendees at the festival, which runs through December 10, include Spike Lee, Priyanka Chopra, Luca Guadagnino, Jackie Chan, Henry Golding, Michelle Rodriguez, and Freida Pinto, among others. Oscar-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone, who serves as president of the jury for the international competition, said Saudi Arabia was often misunderstood, urging that “people who judge it too harshly should come to visit and see it for themselves.” Several sources told The Hollywood Reporter that “many stars had been handsomely paid to appear” at the event. (Vanity Fair has reached out to the festival for comment.)

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    Savannah Walsh

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  • Shah Rukh Khan performs Umrah at Mecca after wrapping up movie shoot in Saudi Arabia

    Shah Rukh Khan performs Umrah at Mecca after wrapping up movie shoot in Saudi Arabia

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    Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan was spotted performing Umrah at the holy shit of Mecca. On Thursday, pictures surfaced on Twitter of the actor at Mecca.

    Umrah is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca that can be done anytime.

    On Wednesday, he thanked the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Culture via Twitter for allowing a ‘smooth’ shoot schedule of his upcoming movie Dunki.

    In the video, the actor also thanked the entire cast and crew of the film and shared that it was ‘lovely’ shooting in the country. He also thanked Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture for letting them shoot at ‘spectacular locations’.

    Directed by Rajkumar Hirani, Dunki also stars Taapsee Pannu in the lead. The film was announced in April this year and is tentatively scheduled for release on December 22, 2023.

    Besides Dunki, Shah Rukh Khan has two other films in the pipeline – Jawan and Pathaan.

    SRK will be seen alongside Deepika Padukone and John Abraham in action thriller Pathaan, which is directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Aditya Chopra, and is all set for release on January 25, 2023.

    In Jawan, directed by Tamil director Atlee, Shah Rukh Khan will be sharing the screen with Nayanthara. The movie is set for release in June 2023.

    Shah Rukh Khan, whose last full-fledged movie release was nearly five years ago, made two cameos in 2022– Laal Singh Chaddha and Brahmastra.

     

     

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  • Big moments for women at the men’s World Cup | CNN Politics

    Big moments for women at the men’s World Cup | CNN Politics

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    A version of this story appears in CNN’s What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here.



    CNN
     — 

    An unexpected result of the US Men’s National Team reaching the knockout round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar is that the US Women’s National Team will get its largest collective payday, equally splitting $13 million in winnings with the men.

    It’s a big deal for American women who have long sought pay equity, and it amplifies the extreme sliding scale of women’s rights around the globe.

    Consider that this payday for US women was won when the US men’s team defeated Iran, a country where authorities are brutally tamping down protests by women who want basic human rights.

    The US Women’s National Team excels at soccer and fought hard for years for equal pay.

    The earnings they’ll split with the American men could grow if the men continue to advance in the World Cup.

    It’s the result of an unprecedented equal pay agreement finalized earlier this year. Read more about the prize money.

    FIFA pays bigger awards to the men’s tournament, which draws in more revenue to the international soccer governing body, than to the women’s. The agreement between the US men and women is unique.

    “To everyone it should indicate how big the disparity is that FIFA has made between their value of women’s soccer and men’s soccer, and this is the only way that equity could be achieved, if all parties agreed – and they did,” said Briana Scurry, a former US goalkeeper, appearing on CNN Wednesday.

    Not only did the US Men’s National Team advance to earn the payday, but they also agreed to this unprecedented pot-splitting with the top American women earlier this year.

    “These are Title IX males,” said Christine Brennan, the sports columnist and CNN analyst, referring to the US men’s team during an appearance on “CNN Tonight” on Tuesday. She was referring to the landmark 1972 law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities receiving federal funds. It has revolutionized women’s sports in the US and, Brennan argued, influenced male athletes too.

    “They weren’t raised like their dads or their grandfathers. And they have a much different outlook, not only about women’s equality in terms of pay, but these are the same men who’ve been talking about standing with the Iranian protesters,” Brennan said.

    She praised the US Soccer Federation and the Men’s National Team, who have distinguished themselves not only by advancing, but “even more so in terms of our culture and the stands they have taken.”

    Iranian women, as you’ll know from following coverage of protests in that country and at the World Cup, are fighting for basic rights.

    CNN reported on celebrations in Iran at the national team’s loss to the US. From that report:

    “I am happy, this is the government losing to the people,” one witness to celebrations in a city in the Kurdish region, who CNN is not naming for security concerns, told CNN on Wednesday.

    The Norway-based Iranian rights group Hengaw posted several videos of similar scenes. “People in Paveh are celebrating Iran’s national team lose over America in World Cup in Qatar, they are chanting ‘Down with Jash (traitors),” Hengaw said in a post.

    Meanwhile, back in Doha, Qatar, another landmark moment for women in the world’s most popular sport will come Thursday, when the first all-women refereeing team in men’s World Cup history debuts in a pivotal match between Germany and Costa Rica.

    Stéphanie Frappart, the French lead official, has already overseen matches at the top levels of European club soccer, so, “I know how to deal with it,” she said in a statement released by FIFA. This match, with a potential audience of billions, will show a woman in charge.

    If the US men and women are on the road to some sort of parity – the men still make much, much more from their clubs – there are some women in the Middle East who are just gaining access to the pitch.

    Saudi Arabia’s men’s team put in a solid show at this World Cup with their defeat of storied Argentina in the opening round. But the Saudis failed to advance past the group stage after losing to Mexico Wednesday.

    Meanwhile, women in Saudi Arabia were only allowed inside soccer stadiums in 2018, much less play.

    As Saudi Arabia weighs a joint bid to co-host the 2030 men’s World Cup, the kingdom is also in the beginning stages of building a national women’s team. It’ll surely be many years before the Saudi women can be competitive on the world stage, but simply being able to play is certainly progress.

    CNN’s Becky Anderson, who is reporting from Doha during this World Cup, talked to the German women’s team legend Monika Staab, who is coaching the nascent Saudi women’s team. She said the kingdom is developing its women through three development academies and wants to host an international tournament in 2026.

    Staab said the all-women referee team in Thursday’s match in Qatar will be a powerful symbol for Muslim women watching.

    “The women can do like the men,” Staab said on CNN International Wednesday night. “I think that is a big sign for the whole world. We in Saudi Arabia, we play football. That has a great impact on every Muslim girl who wants to play,” Staab said.

    In the US, women’s soccer has at times been a bigger draw than the men’s game.

    About 14 million American viewers watched the women’s World Cup final, featuring the winning US team, in 2019. That was more than watched the men’s World Cup final between France and Croatia in 2018, but far below the 20 million who watched the US take on England in the group stage last Saturday across Fox and Telemundo.

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  • FIFA World Cup 2022: Streaming service blocked in Saudi Arabia

    FIFA World Cup 2022: Streaming service blocked in Saudi Arabia

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    Saudi Arabia appears to have arbitrarily blocked access to the FIFA World Cup’s official streaming service, international news agency AFP reported on Sunday. The platform, Tod TV, is run by the Qatari broadcaster beIN Media Group. During a dispute between the two nations, beIN was briefly banned in Saudi Arabia but was allowed back in October 2021.

    “Due to matters beyond our control, we are experiencing an outage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is currently impacting TOD.tv, the official streaming partner of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Additional information will be provided as soon as it is available,” beIN said.

    Tod TV is the official World Cup streaming service in 24 Middle Eastern and North African countries.

    Several Saudi subscribers told AFP on Saturday that they have not been able to access the service since the World Cup began on November 20. “Sorry, the requested page is violating the regulations of the Ministry of Media,” the error message says.

    “I want my money,” one subscriber told AFP, adding that attempts to obtain a refund for the service, which costs about 300 Saudi riyals (roughly $80) per month, had been futile.

    Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia orchestrated a regional boycott of Qatar beginning in June 2017, the same month he ascended to the throne. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt severed ties with Doha over allegations that it supported extremists and was too close to Iran. 

    During the boycott, beIN Media Group was barred from operating in Saudi Arabia.

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  • Lionel Messi helps keep Argentina’s World Cup hopes alive with moment of magic against Mexico | CNN

    Lionel Messi helps keep Argentina’s World Cup hopes alive with moment of magic against Mexico | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Yet another moment of Lionel Messi magic helped salvage Argentina’s World Cup hopes at Qatar 2022 as La Albiceleste secured a much-needed victory over Mexico.

    The 2-0 win certainly wasn’t pretty, with Argentina struggling to create many clear-cut chances against a stubborn Mexico team that itself also offered very little threat going forward.

    Messi came to the fore just after the hour mark to save his team, as he has done on countless occasions, finding the bottom corner of the net with a stunning strike from outside of the box.

    After the historic defeat to Saudi Arabia in its opening Group C match, one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history, Argentina needed a win against Mexico to avoid having to beat Poland by three or more goals its the final group match in order to qualify for the knockout stages.

    Though a win against Mexico on Saturday was crucial, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni will also have wanted to see a much-improved performance as proof that the loss to Saudi Arabia was nothing more than a blip.

    However, that performance never materialized with Argentina looking stale and lifeless for much of the game.

    As Mexico chased a result, spaces began to open up in its defense with increasing regularity and Enzo Fernandez secured the win with a wonderful step over and finish into the top corner after El Tri had failed to clear its lines from a set piece.

    More to follow…

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  • Dubai airport chief says passengers top pre-pandemic level

    Dubai airport chief says passengers top pre-pandemic level

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    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Dubai International Airport passenger numbers surpassed pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels in the third quarter of 2022, the airport’s chief executive said, causing the airport to revise its annual forecast by another 1 million passengers.

    Paul Griffiths, who oversees the world’s busiest airport, told The Associated Press the annual forecast at Dubai International, or DXB, is more than 64 million. The airport saw 18.5 million passengers in the third quarter of this year, up from 17.8 million during the first quarter of 2020 — prior to and at the dawn of the pandemic.

    Most of the growth, Griffith said, comes from the traditional markets of India, the U.K., Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. He added that the end of COVID-19 testing requirements and people’s eagerness to travel have contributed to the increase.

    “Recovery is very much on the agenda and has been a phenomenon here ever since the end of the pandemic,” Griffiths said.

    The new numbers are welcome news for the tourism-driven economy of Dubai, which accounts for about 12% of the tiny nation’s GDP. A year ago in the third quarter, 6.7 million came through the airport.

    Still the figure is nowhere near the pre-pandemic milestone of 86.4 million in annual traffic logged by the airport in 2019.

    The 46 million passengers who traveled through DXB in the first nine months of this year represent 72% of the airport’s pre-pandemic levels. Griffiths says they expect to reach pre-pandemic levels annually by 2023.

    The largest share of traffic to Dubai came from India, with 6.8 million travelers, followed by Saudi Arabia, with 3.4 million travelers this year. A key growth market for travel to and from Dubai is Pakistan and the United States.

    The United Arab Emirates is home to more than 100,000 British citizens. Dubai’s main airport logged 3.2 million passengers from the U.K. up to September this year, making it the third largest share of traffic numbers.

    Around 60% of Dubai’s airport traveler figures this year represent arrivals, with the rest transiting through.

    The first World Cup in the Middle East, currently taking place in Qatar, says Griffiths, is expected to add 494,000 passengers to Al Maktoum International Airport, or DWC, during the fourth quarter of the year. Currently, 120 daily flights are operational from DWC for FIFA fans to shuttle between matches in Doha and Dubai.

    Qatar Airways has 60 daily flights to shuttle soccer fans to the tournament, while the other 60 are operated by low-cost carrier FlyDubai, he said.

    Ambitious plans to turn the airfield in Dubai’s southern desert into a mega-aviation hub, first unveiled by Dubai before the 2008 global financial crisis, have sputtered in recent years. Long-haul carrier Emirates, based in Dubai, parked many of its double-decker Airbus A380s there during the pandemic as commercial flights halted.

    Now, Griffiths says the air travel market continues to rebound around the world, with more people traveling as mobility returns to the world.

    This year, 275,000 flights went through DXB, up 159% from 2021.

    The widespread lifting of pandemic restrictions in Dubai triggered a rapid increase in air travel demand, filling Dubai’s hub. Griffiths says that has also contributed positively to the city’s economy.

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  • Lionel Messi and Argentina look to revive World Cup campaign | CNN

    Lionel Messi and Argentina look to revive World Cup campaign | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    All eyes will be on Lionel Messi and his Argentina side on Saturday as they look turn around a dreadful start to the World Cup.

    La Albiceleste were humiliated when they threw away the lead to lose 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in their opening Group G match at the World Cup.

    The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, who has yet to lift the World Cup trophy, didn’t hide from the embarrassment of Argentina’s defeat.

    When asked about the team’s morale Messi replied: “Dead.”

    It is not the first time that Argentina have lost their opening game unexpectedly.

    In 1990, Argentina was on the receiving end of the one of the greatest shocks in World Cup history, losing to Cameroon.

    However Argentina recovered to reach the final, before losing to West Germany.

    If Argentina is to emulate that 1990 run, La Albiceleste will have to get past a stubborn Mexico, led by World Cup icon Guillermo Ochoa.

    The Mexican keeper rose to fame over the last two World Cups, winning the Man of the Match award twice in 2014 with his superb shot-stopping.

    Ochoa added to his mythic status this tournament when he saved a penalty from Robert Lewandowski in Mexico’s 0-0 draw with Poland.

    Because Mexico and Poland drew, it is not quite do-or-die yet for Messi and Argentina, but they cannot afford to lose again if they want to progress from the group.

    Having beaten Argentina, Saudi Arabia has become the story of the tournament.

    The Green Falcons caused the biggest upset in the history of the World Cup by beating Argentina and after footage emerged of coach Hervé Renard’s impassioned half-time speech, they have become a surprise fan-favorite at the competition.

    The Saudis beat the biggest team in the group, but the job is certainly not done.

    Without injured midfielder Yasser Al-Shahrani their task will be much harder against a Poland side knowing it needs to pick up points, especially with a fixture against Argentina still to come

    Guillermo Ochoa is at his fifth World Cup with Mexico.

    Poland themselves are desperate to make it out of the group, not least because that hasn’t happened since 1986.

    No one wants that more than Robert Lewandowski. The striker will go down as one of the greatest goalscorers of his generation and is already both Poland’s most capped player and top scorer with 76 goals.

    However, the Barcelona forward has remarkably never scored a World Cup goal. He played in all three games in Russia 2018 but struggled as the team ended bottom of their group.

    He had a perfect chance to score in Poland’s opening Group G game against Mexico, but failed to convert his penalty.

    France take on Euro 2020 semifinalist Denmark in the most intriguing encounter of the day.

    After a sluggish start against Australia, France moved through the gears to thrash the Socceroos as Olivier Giroud equaled Thierry Henry’s record as the all-time top scorer for Le Bleu.

    Questions hung over France before its campaign due to a number of with injuries, but Les Bleus quickly dispelled any anxiety as Kylian Mbappé and co. were at their terrific best.

    Denmark won’t be a pushover, having already beaten France home and away in 2022.

    Olivier Giroud is one goal away from becoming France's all-time record goal scorer.

    The Danes, led by a fit-again Christian Eriksen, are touted by many as “dark horses” for the World Cup. But the team struggled against Tunisia despite coming inches wide from winning when Andreas Cornelius managed to miss the ball when he had a tap-in.

    Saturday’s first match is between Tunisia and Australia.

    The Socceroos got off to a terrific start against France taking the lead, before falling apart against the world champion.

    And they will back themselves to get a win against Tunisia in a match where both teams need victory if they want to make it out of the group.

    Tunisia vs. Australia: 5 a.m. ET

    Poland vs. Saudi Arabia: 8 a.m. ET

    France vs. Denmark: 11 a.m. ET

    Argentina vs. Mexico: 2 p.m. ET

    US: Fox Sports

    UK: BBC or ITV

    Australia: SBS

    Brazil: SportTV

    Germany: ARD, ZDF, Deutsche Telekom

    Canada: Bell Media

    South Africa: SABC

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  • ‘I’m waiting for someone to wake me up,’ says Saudi sports minister after remarkable win over Argentina | CNN

    ‘I’m waiting for someone to wake me up,’ says Saudi sports minister after remarkable win over Argentina | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    A day after Saudi Arabia’s historic win against Argentina at the Qatar World Cup, the Kingdom’s sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal says he’s “waiting for someone to wake me up.”

    “It’s been an unbelievable result. The team played really well, they prepared for three years for this day, the coach (Hervé Renard) did an amazing job,” Prince Abdulaziz told CNN’s Becky Anderson in Doha on Wednesday as he reflected on Saudi Arabia’s 2-1 win, which is viewed as the biggest ever World Cup upset.

    “There’s harmony and a really good feeling within the team … they fought from the heart to deliver something.”

    Celebrations for the remarkable victory continued well into the evening on Tuesday and early Wednesday.

    The fan zone area was imbued with the color green as people waved the Saudi flag with pride. Saudi and Arab fans alike were chanting, singing and dancing in euphoria. One fan called it a “huge occasion for the Arab world.”

    “I feel absolutely amazing,” a Saudi fan told CNN. “It was a beautiful game. We beat them with Messi! Argentina actually one of the favorites to win the game, they were unbeaten, 36 games. But guess who beat them? Saudi Arabia!”

    Assem Al Rajihi, another Saudi fan said: “In this tournament, it is in Qatar, which is a nearby country, a country we love. I think many of the fans are coming from close countries, so I think the atmosphere is very close to us. The culture is there, so we are motivated to do our best.”

    That sentiment was echoed by Prince Abdulaziz, who told CNN that the celebrations were not just for Saudi Arabia, but for the entire Arab and Muslim world.

    This Saudi victory is much more than David beating Goliath.

    On Tuesday, an image of Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani did the rounds on social media, along with a photo of him smiling next to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – scenes that would’ve been unthinkable just 18 months ago.

    In 2017, Riyadh – along with three other Arab nations – cut off diplomatic and trade ties, shut down its borders and closed their airspace, accusing Doha of supporting extremist groups, allegations which it still denies.

    Today, that rift is well and truly over, and Saudi Arabia clinching its biggest football win on Qatari soil is testament to that.

    Prince Abdulaziz said that leading up to the World Cup, many teams typically receive a lot of criticism for their performance and training, including Saudi Arabia, but that after Tuesday’s success, “nobody can say anything” about the Green Falcons.

    Those Green Falcons lined up against Argentina with 11 players based in the Saudi Pro League and even featured substitute Haitham Asiri who plays in Saudi Arabia’s second division.

    Alongside hosts Qatar, Saudi Arabia is the only team to only have a squad made up of entirely domestically based players.

    Saudi Arabia's Salem Al-Dawsari plays his club football for Asian Champions Al-Hilal.

    “We’ve invested a lot in sports the last couple of years, and this showcases the results … we are really restructuring sports in the Kingdom as an ecosystem, and how to make it as professional as anywhere else in the world, because we know Saudis are passionate about sports,” said Prince Abdulaziz.

    “When I started in the Olympic committee, we had 30 federations. Today, we have 97 federations in different sports … that showcases that the country is active.

    “We are doing these things for the people in the country, and it’s benefiting us big time socially, economically on every level,” added Prince Abdulaziz.

    There has been criticism directed to Saudi Arabia for sportswashing as an effort to soften the country’s image. Asked whether he believes those remarks are laced with a vein of racism, the minister concurred.

    “A bit, and maybe also ignorance. People that don’t know Saudi Arabia, have never been to Saudi Arabia, go out and talk about it as if they’ve lived there for 30 years, 40 years. So I always tell people, come to Saudi. Come and see Saudi.

    “See what it is, see the people, meet the people. Look at what the country is doing for the future of the people in Saudi, then you can criticize as much as you like,” he said.

    In honor of the team’s historic win, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ordered a national public holiday for a day on Wednesday.

    Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United and is now looking for a new club.

    Manchester United announced Tuesday that Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave the club immediately by mutual agreement.

    Asked by CNN if the 37-year-old football legend would be playing in Saudi Arabia next season, the minister said: “I don’t know.”

    “I read the same thing you read in the news, and we see a lot of things about Saudi Arabia being mentioned in the news, especially when there’s big money around it but I don’t know anything about what his future plans are,” he continued.

    Becky Anderson followed up by asking Prince Abdulaziz if he would like to see Ronaldo play in Saudi, and he replied, “Why not?”

    “We have a strong league. We have in each team seven foreign players, and one on the bench and we are looking to increase that. Our teams play in the top level of Asia, and football is strong in Saudi.”

    Manchester United’s owners have also announced their intention to explore the sale of the iconic club. Asked if Saudi Arabia would put in a bid, similar to its takeover of Newcastle United last year, Prince Abdulaziz didn’t confirm nor deny.

    “Everything is possible these days, but I don’t know about the facts of these reports honestly. We look at all opportunities, like everything else, and we think we believe that these opportunities come once in a lifetime, and we have to take advantage of that in everything we do.”

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  • FIFA World Cup in Qatar: Know about host nation, opening match, squads, ticket prices, and more

    FIFA World Cup in Qatar: Know about host nation, opening match, squads, ticket prices, and more

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    World Cup 2022 in Qatar: The wait is almost over for the world’s biggest sporting event. Fans eagerly waiting for the FIFA World Cup 2022, which would kick off on November 20 and culminate on December 18, can now count the remaining hours at their fingertips. Qatar is the first country in the Middle East country, and second in Asia, after Japan and South Korea, to host the prestigious sporting event.

    Also, for the first time in its 92-year history, the tournament is taking place in November and December rather than in the middle of the year as Qatar is one of the hottest nations in the world.  

    Qatar: The host

    The selection of Qatar as the host country of the 2022 World Cup was done in 2010. As per reports, the country has spent a whopping $300 billion on the tournament’s preparations. It has developed highways, hotels, recreation areas, and six new football stadiums and upgraded two along with training sites at an estimated cost of up to $10 billion to accommodate world-class players. The stadiums where the matches will be played are Al Bayt Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Lusail Stadium, Ras Abu Aboud Stadium, Education City Stadium, and Al Janoub Stadium, to hold the tournament. With 80,000 seats, Lusail Iconic Stadium is the largest stadium of the upcoming world cup.

    Also read: Who will win the 2022 FIFA World Cup? Brazil is the favourite, Messi may score most goals

    Qatar’s investment has caught everyone’s eye as it is much higher as compared to other hosts. Picture this: Russia spent $11.6 billion spent for the FIFA World Cup in 2018, Brazil invested $15 billion in 2014, South Africa shelled out $3.6 billion in 2010. Before that, Germany spent $4.3 billion in 2006, Japan $7 billion in 2002, France $2.3 billion in 1998, and the US $500 million in 1994.

    Besides, the host country was in the middle of many controversies starting from the ban of beer sales inside the stadiums, its strict rules on homosexuality, and lastly, serious abuse and mistreatment of migrant workers who built the tournament’s infrastructure.

    Match details 

    Thirty-two countries will be taking part in football’s biggest event. This tournament will kick start with a Group A match between hosts Qatar and Ecuador on November 20. The opening game will be played at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, while the final match takes place on December 18 at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail.

    Groups and leagues

    The 32 countries have been divided into eight groups with four teams each. There will be group matches, followed by knockout matches, quarterfinals, semifinals and the final to crown the champions on December 18.

    The groups are:  

    GROUP A: Qatar (hosts), Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands.

    GROUP B: England, Iran, United States, Wales.

    GROUP C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland.

    GROUP D: France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia.

    GROUP E: Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan.

    GROUP F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia.

    GROUP G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon.

    GROUP H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea.

    Ticket prices

    Pricing on tickets depends on a variety of factors such as who is playing, the stage of the tournament, and more. As per FIFA, nearly three million tickets have been sold across the eight stadiums in Qatar. The tournament is expected to deliver record revenue for the organising body, much more than what it had earned ($5.4 billion) in Russia. The total ticket revenue is estimated to be about $1 billion, as per news reports.  

    There are 4 categories in the tickets:

    Category 1 is the highest-priced ticket and is located in prime areas within the stadium.

    Category 2 and Category 3 are tickets that are placed in seating areas within the stadium that offer a less optimal view of the action.

    Category 4 is tickets within the stadium that are reserved exclusively for residents of Qatar.

    The estimated base ticket prices are as follows:

    Match Cat. 1   Cat. 2 Cat. 3 Cat. 4
    Opening Match $618 $440 $302 $55
    Group Matches $220   $165 $69  $11
    Round of 16  $275 $206 $96 $19
    Quarterfinals Matches $426 $288 $206 $82
    Semifinals Matches $956 $659 $357 $137
    Third-Place Match $426 $302 $206 $82
    Final Match $1607 $1003 $604 $206

     Tournament format

    The tournament will start off with group-stage matches, where only the top two teams from each of the eight groups survive. Following this, 16 group-stage teams will advance to the single-game knockout stages — Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and final — where the winner moves on and the loser goes home.  

    The knockout matches, if end without any results, will be decided on extra time, penalty kicks, sudden death methods, if necessary, to determine the victor.

    Schedule:

    Group stage: Nov. 20-Dec. 2

    Round of 16: Dec. 3-6

    Quarterfinals: Dec. 9-10

    Semifinals: Dec. 13-14

    Third-place match: Dec. 17

    Final: Dec. 18

     

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  • U.S. moves to shield Saudi crown prince in journalist killing

    U.S. moves to shield Saudi crown prince in journalist killing

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    The Biden administration declared Thursday that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince should be considered immune from a lawsuit over his role in the killing of a U.S.-based journalist, a turnaround from Joe Biden’s passionate campaign trail denunciations of Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the brutal slaying.

    GettyImages-1052813442.jpg
    Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in the Saudi capital Riyadh on October 23, 2018.

    FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images


    The administration said the senior position of the crown prince, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler and recently named prime minister as well, should shield him against a suit brought by the fiancée of slain Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and by the rights group Khashoggi founded, Democracy for the Arab World Now.

    The request is non-binding and a judge will ultimately decide whether to grant immunity. But it is bound to anger human rights activists and many U.S. lawmakers, coming as Saudi Arabia has stepped up imprisonment and other retaliation against peaceful critics at home and abroad and has cut oil production, a move seen as undercutting efforts by the U.S. and its allies to punish Russia for its war against Ukraine.

    The State Department on Thursday called the administration’s call to shield the Saudi crown prince from U.S. courts in Khashoggi’s killing “purely a legal determination.”

    The State Department cited what it said was longstanding precedent. Despite its recommendation to the court, the State Department said in its filing late Thursday, it “takes no view on the merits of the present suit and reiterates its unequivocal condemnation of the heinous murder of Jamal Khashoggi.”

    Saudi officials killed Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. They are believed to have dismembered him, although his remains have never been found. The U.S. intelligence community concluded Saudi Arabia’s crown prince had approved the killing of the widely known and respected journalist, who had written critically of Prince Mohammed’s harsh ways of silencing of those he considered rivals or critics.

    The Biden administration statement Thursday noted visa restrictions and other penalties that it had meted out to lower-ranking Saudi officials in the death.

    “From the earliest days of this Administration, the United States Government has expressed its grave concerns regarding Saudi agents’ responsibility for Jamal Khashoggi’s murder,” the State Department said. Its statement did not mention the crown prince’s own alleged role.

    Mr. Biden as a candidate vowed to make a “pariah” out of Saudi rulers over the 2018 killing of Khashoggi.

    “I think it was a flat-out murder,” Biden said in a 2019 CNN town hall, as a candidate. “And I think we should have nailed it as that. I publicly said at the time we should treat it that way and there should be consequences relating to how we deal with those — that power.”

    But Mr. Biden as president has sought to ease tensions with the kingdom, including bumping fists with Prince Mohammed on a July trip to the kingdom, as the U.S. works to persuade Saudi Arabia to undo a series of cuts in oil production.

    Khashoggi’s fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, and DAWN sued the crown prince, his top aides and others in Washington federal court over their alleged roles in Khashoggi’s killing. Saudi Arabia says the prince had no direct role in the slaying.

    “It’s beyond ironic that President Biden has singlehandedly assured MBS can escape accountability when it was President Biden who promised the American people he would do everything to hold him accountable,” the head of DAWN, Sarah Leah Whitson, said in a statement, using the prince’s acronym.

    Mr. Biden in February 2021 had ruled out the U.S. government imposing punishment on Prince Mohammed himself in the killing of Khashoggi, a resident of the Washington area. Mr. Biden, speaking after he authorized release of a declassified version of the intelligence community’s findings on Prince Mohammed’s role in the killing, argued at the time there was no precedent for the U.S. to move against the leader of a strategic partner.

    The U.S. military long has safeguarded Saudi Arabia from external enemies, in exchange for Saudi Arabia keeping global oil markets afloat.

    “It’s impossible to read the Biden administration’s move today as anything more than a capitulation to Saudi pressure tactics, including slashing oil output to twist our arms to recognize MBS’s fake immunity ploy,” Whitson said.

    A federal judge in Washington had given the U.S. government until midnight Thursday to express an opinion on the claim by the crown prince’s lawyers that Prince Mohammed’s high official standing renders him legally immune in the case.

    The Biden administration also had the option of not stating an opinion either way.

    Sovereign immunity, a concept rooted in international law, holds that states and their officials are protected from some legal proceedings in other foreign states’ domestic courts.

    Upholding the concept of “sovereign immunity” helps ensure that American leaders in turn don’t have to worry about being hauled into foreign courts to face lawsuits in other countries, the State Department said.

    Human rights advocates had argued that the Biden administration would embolden Prince Mohammed and other authoritarian leaders around the world in more rights abuses if it supported the crown prince’s claim that his high office shielded him from prosecution.

    Prince Mohammed serves as Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler in the stead of his aged father, King Salman. The Saudi king in September also temporarily transferred his title of prime minister — a title normally held by the Saudi monarch — to Prince Mohammed. Critics called it a bid to strengthen Mohammed’s immunity claim.

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