Saudi Arabia is to host the first face-to-face talks on Saturday between the warring armies in Sudan, after several ceasefires broke down.
A joint US-Saudi statement welcomed the start of “pre-negotiation talks” in Jeddah between the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). On Friday reports spoke of continuing clashes in Khartoum.
The Sudanese army says the talks aim to address humanitarian issues.
There has been no official RSF comment.
The army confirmed it had sent envoys to Jeddah to engage in the talks, which the UN and aid agencies have been pressing for, faced with a dire humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
Nearly three weeks of heavy fighting have killed hundreds of people and displaced nearly 450,000 civilians. Of that total, the International Organization for Migration says, more than 115,000 have sought refuge in neighbouring countries.
Sudan’s army commander Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan – the de facto Sudanese president – is engaged in a bitter power struggle with RSF leader Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti.
The statement from the US and Saudi governments said they “urge both parties to take in consideration the interests of the Sudanese nation and its people and actively engage in the talks towards a ceasefire and end to the conflict, which will spare the Sudanese people’s suffering and ensure the availability of humanitarian aid to affected areas”.
The joint statement also expressed hope for “an expanded negotiation process that should include engagement with all Sudanese parties”.
A Unicef spokesman, James Elder, said the conflict’s first 11 days alone had killed an estimated 190 children and wounded 1,700 – and those figures were just from health facilities in Khartoum and Darfur. “The reality is likely to be much worse,” he said.
The intensity of the fighting has prevented much-needed aid deliveries getting through.
So far Gen Burhan and Hemedti, who led an Arab militia in the brutal Darfur conflict, have shown little readiness to reach a peace settlement.
Lionel Messi, the captain of Argentina, has been given a two-week suspension by Paris Saint-Germain for making a trip to Saudi Arabia this week without the club’s consent.
The trip followed the French club’s home defeat by Lorient on Sunday, in which Messi played the full 90 minutes.
Messi will not train or play for PSG during the period of his suspension.
It is understood the 35-year-old asked permission to make the journey to carry out commercial work but was refused.
Lionel Messi: Why dream return to Barcelona looks very unlikely
Messi, who has also been fined by the club, has a role as a tourism ambassador for Saudi Arabia.
The World Cup winner’s two-year contract with PSG expires this summer.
Barcelona vice-president Rafael Yuste claimed in March that the Spanish club were in contact with Messi about a return to the Nou Camp.
Messi has scored 31 goals and contributed 34 assists in 71 games in all competitions for PSG, and won the Ligue 1 title last season.
He is set to miss matches against Troyes and Ajaccio as PSG, five points clear with five games to go, look to clinch a ninth league title in 11 seasons.
‘Messi’s PSG career effectively over’ – Analysis
Simon Stone, BBC Sport
Lionel Messi has taken a decision that effectively calls time on his Paris St-Germain career.
Yes, they have three games left after Messi’s suspension has been completed and there is work remaining to secure another Ligue 1 title, but PSG are on a different course now – and it does not involve Messi, who less than five months ago achieved the crowning glory of his stellar career by lifting the World Cup.
PSG do not view their actions as being anything extraordinary. In their minds they are effectively punishing an employee who has gone somewhere else on a work day miles away from where he is supposed to be.
But they also feel it is a statement about the future direction of the club, which they are adamant will be around younger players. It is also confirmation of their zero-tolerance approach to discipline.
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In order to visit Saudi Arabia, where he is an ambassador for that country’s bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, the 35-year-old attacker had to first get approval from two senior PSG officials.
Messi reportedly spoke to the club’s administration before Campos and Galtier did, and they agreed to allow the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner to travel to Riyadh. This is according to PSG Talk.
Messi’s move has reportedly enraged the club’s supporters, who are frustrated with PSG because players can do whatever they want without regard for the institution.
Messi is set to become a free agent in the summer when his current PSG contract expires, and Saudi top team, Al Hilal, are one of the teams interested in signing the Argentine.
UEFA declares Messi’s UCL titles
Meanwhile, Daily Post reports that UEFA has declared that Lionel Messi has won the Champions League only three times in his career.
Messi has been part of the Barcelona team since 2004 and played a pivotal role in Barcelona’s Champions League victories in 2009, 2011, and 2015 but not in their 2006 success.
Barcelona’s hopes of reuniting with Lionel Messi this summer have suffered a significant setback. As previously reported by Sports Brief, the Catalan club had been hoping to bring back their record goal-scorer, who left to join Paris Saint-Germain in 2021. However, the club has failed to convince La Liga about the viability of their financial plan.
Barcelona is currently facing financial difficulties and has been trying to cut costs while still trying to sign Messi. But La Liga, which oversees the financial fair play of all clubs in the league, has expressed doubts that Barcelona will be able to meet their demands and targets.
Leo leaves Barca, shed tears at send off ceremony
According to reports, Barcelona’s viability plan aimed to reduce the club’s wage bill by €200 million and make savings of €300 million. The club’s failure to meet these targets has raised concerns about their ability to comply with financial fair play regulations.
The failure of Barcelona to secure Messi’s return could have far-reaching consequences for the club, given the importance of the player to the team’s success over the years. Messi, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, scored a total of 672 goals in 778 appearances for Barcelona.
His departure from the club last year was seen by many as the end of an era.
Barcelona’s financial difficulties have been exacerbated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has hit the club hard in terms of lost revenue. The club’s wage bill, which was already one of the highest in Europe, has been further inflated by the signing of several high-profile players in recent years.
The club’s attempts to cut costs have included the departures of several key players, including Luis Suarez, Ivan Rakitic, and Arturo Vidal. However, the club’s efforts to reduce its wage bill have been hampered by the high salaries of some of its remaining players, including Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho.
Barcelona has also been trying to raise funds through player sales, with the likes of Samuel Umtiti, Miralem Pjanic, and Junior Firpo all rumored to be on the chopping block. However, the club has struggled to find buyers for these players, who are all on high salaries.
The failure of Barcelona to bring back Messi is likely to be a major disappointment for fans of the club, who had been hoping to see their star player return to the Camp Nou. However, it remains to be seen what impact this will have on the team’s fortunes on the pitch.
Barcelona’s current squad is still packed with talented players, including the likes of Griezmann, Coutinho, and Frenkie de Jong. The club also has a number of promising young players, such as Pedri, Ansu Fati, and Ilaix Moriba.
However, the loss of Messi will undoubtedly be felt by the team, both in terms of his on-field contributions and his influence in the dressing room. The 33-year-old Argentine forward was not only the club’s all-time top scorer but also its talismanic leader, who inspired his teammates with his passion and commitment.
Despite the setback of failing to sign Messi, Barcelona remains one of the biggest clubs in world football, with a rich history and a loyal fanbase. The club will be hoping to bounce back from its recent financial difficulties and re-establish itself as a major force in the sport.
Foreign nationals looking to flee the turmoil by sea now frequently go through Port Sudan on passenger ships bound for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
But despite the huge numbers trying to get out, there are some who are making their way back to the war torn country so they can be with their families.
One passenger said: “Death will find us anywhere, it is important we are with our families.”
Warring factions trying to seize control of the east African nation of Sudan have plunged the country into chaos with at least 400 dead and thousands displaced.
Water and food are in short supply.
One woman told how she had left her one-and-a-half year old child at home while she went on a pilgrimage to Mecca.
“I’m suffering a lot ’til I found a ticket,” she said.
At Port Sudan hundreds of displaced people from all over the world were waiting to try and leave on a ferry.
A woman, who was also displaced by the Syrian war, said “We are suffering. Even in Syria we didn’t see war like this.”
The violence is a result of a struggle for power between two powerful generals and their armies: Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, who leads the Sudanese armed forces, and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces.
TheNigerian government has said that its efforts to evacuate thousands of students and civilians stuck in the crisis-hit Sudan were hindered by “a few logistical delays.”
The fighting in the country entered its 12yh day on 27 April with over 500 people killed and at least 3,700 wounded, according toUN agencies.
Nigerian government critics accuse officials of undue delay in evacuating her nationals, especially students, out of the north-east African country.
To date, some 5,500 Nigerians are stranded in Sudan, Nigeria’s foreign ministry says.
“When there is [a] problem of this nature people are only agitated because they want to see the final result,” Ezekiel Manzo, an official of the Nigeria Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), tells The Africa Report of the government’s evacuation efforts.
“This thing, it has a process. One is the crisis itself. It broke out [and] there was no preparation or planning for the crisis. Secondly, this is a crisis that is internal, within the country, and the people that are the arrowheads of this crisis are the leaders of the country.”
Nigerian government has been having sleepless nights following the ongoing crisis in Sudan.
Our officials are doing a lot, coordinating with the Embassy in Khartoum, the Sudanese and Ethiopian governments trying to ensure the safety of the large number of our citizens there. pic.twitter.com/nZTgQVxata
— Garba Shehu (@GarShehu) April 23, 2023
Nations evacuate nationals
The latest crisis in Sudan erupted on 15 April following a disagreement between the country’s two most powerful military forces, the SAF (Sudan Armed Forces) led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and paramilitary RSF (Rapid Support Forces) led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemeti.
The crisis triggered a large-scale evacuation of foreign nationals from the country. As of 25 April, several EU and Middle East countries, including China, the UK, and the US launched emergency evacuation operations for their citizens.
On Tuesday, the first batch of stranded Indians left Port Sudan for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, aboard INS Sumedha. The Indian foreign ministry said 278 people were onboard.
The Netherlands carried out a fourth evacuation operation on Monday night, moving a total of around 100 Dutch nationals and 70 others, from 14 different nationalities, out of Sudan.
The US government says it evacuated its diplomats and their families on 23 April.
Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, said the West African country began evacuation plans at the same time as those who had already evacuated their nationals.
“The advantage that these people have is that the US, Italy, [or] France, don’t have 5,000 citizens in Sudan,” Onyeama told Channels Television on 23 April.
“There is also a risk that they took. The US helicopters… they have a naval base close by, they have those kinds of resources and evidently, they were ready to take certain risks to move those helicopters and other things in there and pull their people out.
“If we did the same, we would be being very selective. Because 100 people out of 5,500, who do you take?” Heading to Egypt
As of 25 April, Nigerian officials say buses have been hired to move nationals to Sudan’s border with Egypt. From there, they will bring them to the southern Egyptian cities of Aswan and Luxor where they would be airlifted to Nigeria.
A student told Nigeria’s Arise Television on Tuesday that they are “really pained” over the government’s slow pace of evacuation.
“Other countries are evacuating their nationals, they are eager, they are showing that care, they are valuing their lives. But for us, our own country is full of excuses, that there is no money, and it’s going to cost a lot. Is it that the money is more valued than the 4,000 lives of Nigerian citizens living in Sudan?”
💥
Nigerian students at the registration point in #Sudan waiting to the convey to Egypt Before Airlifting to Nigeria.🍁 pic.twitter.com/FIgpqc6YCe
— يامير™🍁 (@Sheikh_Ameer_O1) April 26, 2023
On Tuesday, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, head of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, shared on Twitter a receipt showing the payment of N150m ($330,000) for the hiring of buses for the evacuation of the students.
Onyeama later told journalists on Wednesday that the actual amount spent on hiring 40 buses for the evacuation is $1.2m.
“Of course you know, because of the risks involved and so many other things, a lot of people are going to also take advantage, you’re going to hike up the price. We saw that the French convoy was attacked and so forth. It was difficult procuring these buses. But we had to do it because you know, Nigerians’ lives matter to us.”
Sources, however, told The Africa Report that the Nigerian government would have to sort out the issue of security escorts for the buses before the evacuation.
“There must be [an] arrangement for security to accompany the buses to the border of Egypt. Then from Egypt, the military of Egypt will now take over from there and accompany them to Aswan,” says a source who preferred not to be named because he was not authorised to speak about it. “The buses are going to be moving in convoys and Aswan is like 45 hours or so from Khartoum, by road.”
Dabiri-Erewa did not respond to phone calls and messages requesting comments. But she posted a photo of the buses, taken at nightfall, and added that the Nigerian government had sorted out “a bit of some logistics delay.”
It’s late in the night . Will get a clearer view in the morning . But in that dark shot are buses that will convey Nigerian students to nearby borders in Egypt . More buses are arriving. A bit of some logistics delay but all now sorted by @nemanigeria and the Nig mission,Sudan pic.twitter.com/AYUGCPfF6u
— Abike Dabiri-Erewa (@abikedabiri) April 25, 2023
Airline’s offer
On Monday, Nigerian carrier, Air Peace Airlines, offered to airlift Nigerian citizens in Sudan free of charge if they are taken to a safe, neighbouring country.
“If they are moved to Kenya or Uganda or any other country, we will move in to get them out,” Allen Onyema, the airline’s CEO said in a statement. “Some parents have started calling on us to help. We are ready to do this again and again.”
Manzo says the government had already assembled Nigerians in a holding area in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, awaiting their conveyance to Aswan.
“It is from Aswan that Air Peace will go and lift because many people are saying that Air Peace is ready to carry Nigerians but that the authorities are not allowing it. Do we own Sudan? We don’t own Sudan?
“Air Peace cannot land in Sudan as we speak. They will have to go to a safe location and that is Aswan.”
On Wednesday, Onyema told Arise Television that the first batch of the stranded Nigerians would be flown out of Egypt on Friday.
Despite his age, Cristiano Ronaldo is unquestionably one of the best athletes in his field.
LeBron James, Lewis Hamilton, Thiago Silva, and Eliud Kipchoge are just a few athletes who have managed to keep their fitness levels at their highest peaks alongside Ronaldo.
It comes as no surprise that the majority of his accomplishments occurred after he turned 30.
Ronaldo has hit the ground running in Saudi Arabia, as he aims to win the league title in his maiden season with Al-Nassr.
Age always has a funny way of catching up with a person and one has to devise ways to remain at an optimum level. For the 38-year-old, hitting the gym constantly has always done the trick.
However, fans noticed something else when Ronaldo recently uploaded a picture of himself in the sauna on his Instagram story. Hawk-eyed followers spotted the five-time Ballon d’Or winner had his toenails painted black.
Upon a quick glance at his social media pages, where his toenails are often visible, it was established this was not a one-time coincidence: the veteran regularly has his toenails painted.
Why Ronaldo paints toenails black
It has already been determined, this is likely not for aesthetic reasons. Black toenails are a phenomenon often seen with MMA fighters or boxers including the legendary Mike Tyson at one point.
German publication, BILD additionally adds that ‘many top athletes do this to protect their nails from fungi and bacteria when they are stuck in sweaty shoes for hours’.
There is no doubt the Portuguese icon has taken several initiatives to ensure his longevity.
At this rate, he might have at least five more years in the tank, before he called it quits on an illustrious career that has taken him to the top in five countries.
Why Argentine turned down Al-Nassr
It was earlier reported that Ricardo Antonio Mohamed opening up about his decision not to take up the head coach role at Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.
The Saudi Pro League side axed Rudi Garcia recently on the back of a poor run of form and replaced him for now with U19 coach, Dinko Jelicic on an interim basis.
Mohamed, who currently manages UNAM Pumas in Mexico, claimed he turned down an opportunity to coach Al-Nassr despite four attempts made by the club.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has reported that a plane carrying rebel prisoners of war has departed Saudi Arabia heading for Yemen while Saudi inmates are scheduled to be released later in the day.
The flights on Saturday are a part of a massive, multi-day exchange involving up to 900 prisoners that takes place in the midst of peace talks that have raised expectations for an end to Yemen’s eight-year-old war between the Houthi rebels, who are supported by Iran, and a Saudi-led coalition.
Before the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr the following week, 318 inmates were moved on four planes on Friday between the rebel-held city of Sanaa and the government-controlled Aden.
120 Houthi rebel captives were on board Saturday’s aircraft from the southern Saudi city of Abha, which took off around 9am (06:00 GMT) and was bound for Sanaa, according to ICRC public affairs and media adviser Jessica Moussan.
Mohammed al-Darwi, a Houthi prisoner freed in the swap, said to Al Jazeera while standing on the tarmac at Sanaa International Airport: “We are happy to return to Sanaa after we were in the prisons of the enemy.”
📢 Day 2 of release operation update: Our first plane carrying 120 former detainees has taken off from #Abha#SaudiArabia and is en route to #Sanaa, accompanied by @ICRC teams. Stay tuned for more updates! pic.twitter.com/JK8v8R6KW3
— ICRC for the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (@ICRC_kw) April 15, 2023
At least three buses brought the prisoners onto the tarmac at Abha airport, which has previously come under attack from Houthi drones and missiles.
Wheelchairs were positioned near the buses to take some of the prisoners to the plane.
Sixteen Saudis and three Sudanese were expected to be transferred from Sanaa to Riyadh later on Saturday.
Sudan is part of the Saudi-led coalition and has provided ground troops for the fighting.
In addition, 100 Houthis were to be flown on three flights to Sanaa from al-Makha (Mocha) on the Red Sea coast, a town held by the coalition-backed government.
The prisoner exchange is a confidence-building measure coinciding with an intense diplomatic push to end Yemen’s war, which has left hundreds of thousands dead from the fighting as well as knock-on effects such as food shortages and lack of access to healthcare.
Path to peace?
Analysts say eight years after mobilising a coalition to crush the Houthis, the Saudis have come to terms with the fact this goal will not be met and are looking to wind down their military engagement.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was a 29-year-old defence minister when the war began, has since become the kingdom’s de facto ruler and is keen to focus on his sweeping “Vision 2030” domestic reform agenda.
The Saudi exit strategy appears to have taken new impetus from a landmark rapprochement deal announced with Iran last month.
“This [the prisoner swap] is the first concrete result of not only the Omani mediation, but also the Iran-Saudi agreement which is beginning to bear fruit in Yemen and elsewhere in the region,” Nabil Khoury, former US deputy chief of mission in Yemen, told Al Jazeera.
The China-brokered agreement calls for the Middle East heavyweights to fully restore diplomatic ties following a seven-year rupture, and has the potential to remake regional ties.
Saudi Arabia is also pushing for the reintegration into the Arab League of Iran ally Syria, more than a decade after its suspension over President Bashar al-Assad’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests.
On Friday, the kingdom, which once openly championed al-Assad’s removal, hosted top diplomats from eight other Arab countries in the Red Sea city of Jeddah for talks on Syria. It issued a statement highlighting the “importance of having an Arab leadership role in efforts to end the crisis”.
Returned Houthi prisoners pray on the tarmac upon arrival at Sanaa International Airport [Mohammed Huwais/AFP]
In Yemen, active combat has reduced over the past year following a United Nations-brokered truce that officially lapsed in October but has largely held.
A week ago, a Saudi delegation travelled to Sanaa, held by the Houthis since 2014, for talks aimed at reviving the truce and laying the groundwork for a more durable ceasefire.
The delegation, led by Ambassador Mohammed al-Jaber, left Sanaa late on Thursday without a finalised truce but with plans for more talks, according to Houthi and Yemeni government sources.
Even if Saudi Arabia manages to negotiate a way out of the war, fighting could flare up again among the different Yemeni factions.
“Saudi Arabia has been struggling to draw down its military involvement in Yemen and … seeks a long-term sustainable peace that will allow it to focus on its economic priorities,” said Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House.
“Yet, despite its intention, it will be the longtime broker, investor and conflict guarantor of Yemen.”
Speaking from Washington, DC, former Yemeni detainee Hisham al-Omeisy agreed while the average Yemeni is desperate for peace, a real end to the war may be a long way still.
“A lot of people think that the end of the war will happen in a few weeks or months. I would caution against that,” he told Al Jazeera.
“It [peace] will take at least a year or two because the conflict is not just between the Houthis and the Saudis. It’s protracted and polarised with many parties and factions inside Yemen that need to be brought into an inclusive, holistic, and comprehensive [peace] process.”
Herve Renard, who is expected to be approved as the head coach of France’s women’s team, has announced his resignation to Saudi Arabia.
Before the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand later this year, Renard, whose contract as the coach of Saudi Arabia would have expired in 2027, will take command of the French team.
The 54-year-old will take over as Les Bleues coach in place of Corinne Diacre. She has previously won the Africa Cup of Nations as a coach.
Diacre resigned from her position amid a player exodus regarding her leadership style and team dynamics.
In a statement on social media, the Saudi national team said: “The Saudi Arabian Football Federation Board of Directors has agreed on the contract termination of the Head Coach of the Saudi National Team Mr Herve Renard upon his request.
“A legal settlement has been reached to end the contract between the two parties.
“The President and Board of Directors of SAFF wish for Mr Renard every success in his future career.”
Renard took the post in 2019 and guided Saudi Arabia to their second successive World Cup finals, becoming the foreign-born manager with the most wins in the nation’s history.
He led Saudi Arabia to a shock 2-1 win over eventual champions Argentina in their first group game in Qatar, but defeats to Poland and Mexico meant they failed to reach the knock-out rounds.
Renard oversaw a 2-1 friendly defeat to Bolivia on Tuesday and later posted on social media: “Having been the coach of the national team of Saudi Arabia is a great pride for me.
“Since August 2019, I had the chance to be an integral part of the life of this beautiful country. I have seen this team grow alongside me and achieve a fabulous World Cup and this fantastic and unforgettable win against Argentina.
“Very proud to have been able to show to the world the progress and a good image of Saudi football. It’s time for me to fly to another horizon but with these memories engraved in me.”
Cristiano Ronaldo, the star of Al-Nassr, is currently living it up in Saudi Arabia following his comeback to form, but less than a year ago, he and his partner Georgina Rodriguez were forced to deal with the tragic loss of their son, Angel, during childbirth.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez began dating in 2016 after they crossed paths at the Gucci store in Madrid where she had previously worked as a sales assistant.
With Ronaldo, the Spanish model has three biological children and three stepchildren. The sons Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. and Mateo, as well as the daughter Eva Maria, are Rodriguez’s stepchildren.
She had twins in April 2022 after giving birth to her biological daughter Alana Martina in 2017.
“Every time I went to the gynecologist’s at night I had nightmares because I was worried about what position they would be in, what the delivery would be like, if it would be a Caesarean section. I was very afraid at each ultrasound. I felt very tense because I’d had three previous miscarriages and I came home in pieces.”
She also revealed that she didn’t immediately tell her children that Angel had passed away, instead saying he would be born a little later than his sister. She explained how she dealt with their loss:
“They were born on Easter Monday. The most-awaited moment arrives and your heart stops. Bella was born strong and healthy but a piece of my heart shattered.
She admitted that the formerReal Madrid player told their children the truth:
“You ask yourself how you’re going to carry on. I wasn’t prepared to accept or recognise what had happened to me and I wasn’t ready to tell my children about it. As I still had a belly, I told them that Angel was still going to wait a bit to be born, until Cris told them that Angel was in Heaven. That was a dose of reality.”
Since their tragic loss, Ronaldo and Rodriguez have started to find happiness with the rest of their children in Saudi Arabia following the Portuguese’s move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr in January.
Georgina Rodriguez,the partner of Cristiano Ronaldo, broke down when she retold the story of how her infant son passed on last year.
The couple agonisingly lost a child last year in one of the lowest moments of their lives.
She was due to give birth to twins, but only one – the girl – survived.
Appearing in the second season of her Netflix documentary, I am Georgina, Rodriguez is expected to shed more light on the incident when the series officially debuts on March 24.
In the trailer, a picture of her holding the surviving baby, Bella Esmeralda sends her into a whirlwind of emotions. She admits that her adorable baby girl gives her the strength to carry on.
“Life is hard. Life continues. I have reason to carry on and be strong,” Rodriguez said, as quoted by the Sun.
The 29-year-old model also thanks Ronaldo for his immense contribution during their trying times. “Cris encouraged me massively to carry on with all my commitments. He said: ‘Carry on with your life. It’s going to do you good’.
” The first season of the TV series had six episodes. Rodriguez relocated to Saudi Arabia after Ronaldo signed for Al-Nassr, following the termination of his contract at Manchester United.
Inside Ronaldo’s chapel
Sports Brief also reported onRonaldo revealing how his ritual of speaking to his late father and son inspires him to become a better human being. The Al-Nassr captain is widely considered one of the greatest footballers to have graced the sport thanks to his impressive achievements.
Despite being on the wrong side of 38, Ronaldo has not lost his passion and continues to aspire for greatness even in the twilight of his career.
He was recently adjudged the Saudi Professional League’s Player of the Month for February after notching eight goals in only four games.
Aramco, the world’s largest oil company based in Saudi Arabia, declared a record annual net profit of $161.1 billion for 2022 on Sunday. This is a rise of 46% from the previous year due to higher energy prices, bigger sales volumes, and improved margins for refined goods.
The gains come after comparable reports from worldwide competitors BP, Shell, Exxon Mobil, and Chevron in February, most of which reported record profits for the previous year.
Oil prices fluctuated significantly in 2022, rising on geopolitical concerns throughout the conflict in Ukraine and falling on decreased demand from China, the world’s major importer, and concerns about a slowdown in the economy.
“Given that we anticipate oil and gas will remain essential for the foreseeable future, the risks of underinvestment in our industry are real – including contributing to higher energy prices,” Aramco’s chief executive Amin Nasser said in the results statement.
To address those challenges, the company is not only focused on expanding oil, gas and chemicals production, but also investing in new lower-carbon technologies with potential to achieve additional emission reductions, Nasser said.
Aramco’s capital expenditure rose 18% to $37.6 billion in 2022 and the company said it expects this year’s spending to be around $45.0 billion to $55.0 billion including external investments.
Aramco declared a dividend of $19.5 billion for the fourth quarter, an increase of 4% from the previous quarter.
Its board also recommended to issue bonus shares, with eligible shareholders receiving one share for every 10 shares owned.
Free cash flow reached a record of $148.5 billion in 2022, compared to $107.5 billion in 2021.
The 24-year-old player was rewarded for his outstanding 2022 season with his club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and his odyssey into world cup history with the Moroccan national squad.
In Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh, some of the biggest names in the movie industry, sports and entertainment from the region and beyond gathered for the Joy Awards on Saturday (Jan.21).
Hakimi’s club won last week’s exhibition match against Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.
Despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2 goals for the Saudis, Hakimi teammates secured a 5-4 victory.
The Joy Awards are considered one of the largest ceremonies to honour artistic achievements of the Arab world, featuring more than 13 awards that are handed to nominated female and male celebrities.
The event is hosted by the General Entertainment Authority in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
An official confirmed that a Saudi real estate tycoon who bid $2.6 million at auction got a ticket to see Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi square off in a friendly.
A select team made up of players from Ronaldo’s new team Al Nassr and their Saudi rivals Al Hilal will meet Messi’s Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday in Riyadh.
Ronaldo won’t have played any football in the kingdom since joining Al Nassr on a deal that extends through 2025 and is worth more than 200 million euros ($214 million), according to sources close to the club.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner will play his first Saudi Pro League game on Sunday for Al Nassr.
Turki al-Sheikh, a Royal Court advisor and the president of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, proposed a charity auction for an unique ticket that would come with benefits including access to the players’ locker rooms and opportunity for photos with them to promote Thursday’s friendly.
The auction ended at 11:30 p.m. (20:30 GMT) on Tuesday with bids starting at 1 million Saudi riyals ($266,000).
The winning bid of 10 million riyals ($2.6 million), made by Mushref al-Ghamdi, was subsequently revealed by Al-Sheikh on Twitter.
“Congratulations, you deserve it, and may God reward you with good,” Sheikh said.
The national charity initiative Ehsan is expected to benefit from the auction’s revenues.
Along with Messi, other PSG players expected to participate on Thursday include Kylian Mbappe of France and Achraf Hakimi, who helped Morocco become the first Arab and African team to advance past the quarterfinals of the World Cup last year in Qatar.
Salem al-Dawsari, who scored the winning goal in the Green Falcons’ shocking victory over Argentina in the World Cup group stage, is a member of the Saudi national team.
After being selected captain of the Riyadh ST XI for an exhibition game against Lionel Messi’s Paris St. Germain, officials revealed on Monday that Cristiano Ronaldo would play in Saudi Arabia for the first time since joining Al Nassr.
In the most recent installment of the storied international soccer rivalry, the 37-year-old Portuguese will captain a group of players from the Saudi clubs Al Hilal and Al Nassr against Messi’s PSG.
Salem Al-Dawsari, who scored in the shocking World Cup group-stage victory over Argentina, and Saud Abdulhamid are both included in the starting lineup for Saudi Arabia.
The eagerly awaited match, for which more than two million online tickets were reportedly requested, will occur on Thursday in Riyadh.
An auction that is scheduled to expire on Tuesday has already attracted bids of more than 10 million riyals ($2.66 million) for a VIP “Beyond Imagination” ticket to the game.
After receiving a one-match ban from the English Football Association for kicking a fan’s phone out of his hand in April, Ronaldo missed Al Nassr’s opening two domestic matches.
The Portuguese forward joined the Arab squad earlier this month with a contract that will last until 2025 and is worth, according to the media, more than €200 million.
When Al Nassr plays Al Ettifaq on Sunday, Ronaldo will make his professional debut in the Saudi Pro League.
After years of tension, the Iranian foreign minister expresses optimism that diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia can be repaired through dialogue.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian expressed optimism that talks between the two regional rivals could lead to the restoration of diplomatic ties between Riyadh and Tehran.
In response to protesters attacking the Saudi embassy in Tehran after Riyadh executed Shia leader Nimr al-Nimr, Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran in January 2016.
Amir-Abdollahian expressed his optimism that “diplomatic missions or embassies in Tehran and Riyadh will reopen within the framework of dialogue that should continue between the two countries” at a news conference in the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Friday.
Amir-Abdollahian told a news conference in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on Friday that he hoped “diplomatic missions or embassies in Tehran and Riyadh will reopen within the framework of dialogue that should continue between the two countries”.
Iran and Saudi Arabia back opposing sides in several conflicts in the Middle East region, including in Syria and Yemen, where Tehran has supported the Houthi rebels.
Since April 2021, Iraq has hosted five rounds of fence-mending meetings between the two sides, but the talks have stalled in recent months, and no meetings have been publicly announced since April 2022.
Iran wields influence in political life in Lebanon and Iraq, where it also supports armed groups.
On Friday, Amir-Abdollahian met with officials including his counterpart Abdallah Bou Habib and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
In a meeting with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, the pair discussed “possible threats arising from the formation of a government of corrupt people and extremists” in Israel, according to a statement from the Tehran-backed group.
Israel in late December inaugurated the most right-wing government in its history, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The move has sparked fears of heightened tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, and of a potential military escalation in the occupied West Bank, where daily raids and violence by the Israeli army are a common occurrence.
‘Dialogue’
Abdollahian also hailed a potential rapprochement between Iranian ally Syria and Turkey, after their defence ministers met last month.
Syria’s pro-government Al-Watan newspaper said Amir-Abdollahian would visit Damascus on Saturday.
“We are happy with this dialogue that is taking place between Syria and Turkey,” Amir-Abdollahian said.
“We believe that this dialogue should have positive repercussions benefitting these two countries.”
Ankara had long backed rebels opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
But after more than a decade of war that has seen Damascus claw back territory with Russian and Iranian support, ties between Syria and Turkey have begun to thaw.
In late December, Syrian and Turkish defence ministers held landmark negotiations in Moscow – the first such meeting since 2011.
Assad had said on Thursday that a Moscow-brokered rapprochement with Turkey should aim for “the end of occupation” by Ankara of parts of Syria.
The defence ministers’ meeting is to be followed by talks between the three countries’ top diplomats, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday.
The mooted reconciliation has alarmed Syrian opposition leaders and supporters who reside mostly in the northern parts of the war-torn country under Ankara’s indirect control.
A six-month truce set the tone for 2022, with Yemen’s warring parties largely avoiding direct conflict. With that deal falling apart, what will 2023 bring?
When 2022 began, and with war raging in his home country Yemen, Abdu felt that there was only one way for him to make money and help his family.
The 25-year-old packed his bags, left the Yemeni capital Sanaa, and headed north.
“Out of despair, I decided at the start of the year to travel to Saudi Arabia to find work,” Abdu said, with a deep sigh as he remembered his trip to the kingdom, Yemen’s richer neighbour, which had also spent several years conducting air attacks across Yemen in support of the government.
Abdu did not apply for a work visa because he could not afford it. Like many others, he instead turned to smugglers to reach his destination, the southern Saudi city of Khamis Mushait, 12 hours away.
“I arrived there in the second week of January [2022]. I found a job as a shepherd. And I started receiving 1,500 Saudi riyals ($399) monthly,” Abdu told Al Jazeera.
But only three months after Abdu’s arrival in Saudi Arabia, his own expectations for how the year would pan out for Yemen were upended.
In April, the Iran-allied Houthi rebels, who control Sanaa and other major population centres in Yemen’s north, and the Yemeni government agreed to a United Nations-sponsored truce. Saudi air attacks also stopped. The war largely receded, frozen and temporarily out of sight. Life, to a relative degree, improved.
The truce held for six months, despite repeated violations. Fuel ships arriving at the Houthi-controlled Hodeidah port quadrupled. Commercial flights to and from Sanaa International Airport resumed for the first time since 2016, enabling thousands of passengers, mainly patients and students, to fly abroad, or return home.
According to Save the Children, conflict-attributable child fatalities dropped by 34 percent and displacement was roughly halved.
It meant that Abdu was able to think of the previously unthinkable – the possibility that he might be able to prosper financially in Yemen.
“I called my father after I heard the news of the ceasefire, and he was glad that fuel ships were going to arrive and that air attacks would stop,” Abdu recalled, explaining that for his father, a bus driver, the prospect of lower fuel prices and a more plentiful supply meant the chance to finally make more money.
And so, with 12,000 Saudi Riyals ($3,191) from his work in Saudi Arabia in his back pocket, Abdu has returned to Yemen. His plan is to buy a minibus and stay in Sanaa, joining his father as a bus driver.
Truce falls through
So far, Abdu has no regrets. He feels the situation in Sanaa is better than when he left; the fighting remains largely stopped and fuel is available.
Nonetheless, he still worries about a possible renewed outbreak of violence or a new fuel crisis.
That possibility is not far-fetched.
In October, UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg failed to get the Houthis to agree to renew the truce, despite agreement from the Yemeni government, and there was no extension.
While there has not been a return to all-out war, the Houthis have conducted drone attacks on the al-Dhabba oil terminal in the government-controlled Hadramout governorate, raising alarm and drawing a rebuke from the UN.
Ultimately, according to the Yemeni political researcher and author Adel Dashela, long-term stability in Yemen remains unattainable.
As the new year begins, he predicts three scenarios for Yemen.
“The regional powers may unanimously push Yemen’s warring sides to negotiate a lasting peaceful solution. But such a scenario is far-fetched given the Houthi stubbornness and the southern separatists’ inflexibility,” Dashela said, referring to the Southern Transitional Council, which, while officially part of the Saudi-led coalition that backs the government, has fought against government forces in the past and is in de facto control of the port city of Aden.
The second scenario is the perpetuation of the status quo, with the Houthi group ruling the north while the government and the secessionists control the south. “This seems less violent,” Dashela said. “However, it will expand and tighten the influence of the militant groups in the country.”
The breakout of an all-out war is the third scenario. “This is the most dangerous direction and will further devastate Yemen,” believes Dashela. “All indicators show that peace will not be fulfilled easily given the conflict’s complexity and the regional players’ hegemony.”
It is a scenario that leaves the lives of millions of Yemenis hanging in the balance.
For now, Abdu still believes that he made the right decision to come back to Yemen.
“The warlords can keep negotiating for months or years,” he said. “I don’t mind, I would just hate to see a war or fuel crisis.”
“2022, the good year, is over,” he added. “We don’t know what 2023 holds.”
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author’s, and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana
Cristiano Ronaldo had a slip of tongue while speaking on his decision to join the Saudi team during his official unveiling with Al Nassr on Tuesday.
Instead of mentioning he is playing for Saudi Arabia, he rather said, “South Africa.”
He left Manchester United on Friday and signed with Al Nassr as a free agent.
“The football is different, so for me it’s not the end of my career to come to South Africa. This is why I want to change, and to be honest I’m really not worried about what people say,” Ronaldo told the media as he was presented at the Riyadh club.
A Tennessee family is looking for answers after their beloved dog Bluebell was sent to Saudi Arabia, not Nashville, due to a reported airline mishap.
Per a report from local Nashville outlet WSMV, Madison Miller and her family were making a move from London to Tennessee, complete with Bluebell. However, upon arrival at the Nashville International Airport, they were shocked to find that the five-year-old dog had not arrived with them. In fact, Miller said she and her husband were first met with the wrong dog.
The airline the family used was British Airways, with their departure flight originating at Heathrow Airport in London. Once in Nashville, the family says they were informed that officials’ “best guest” was that Bluebell had instead been sent to Saudi Arabia. Several days later, the family was notified that Bluebell had finally made it to Nashville after the extended debacle.
Although relieved to have Bluebell back with them at home, the family has since said that the dog is exhibiting abnormal behavior due to being “horrified” by the days-long mess.
When reached for comment on Wednesday, a rep for Heathrow Airport instead directed Complex to airline officials. Complex has since reached out to British Airways for additional comment. This story may be updated.
A statement credited to an IAG Cargo rep and included in multiple subsequent reports stated that the company has remained in contact with the family “to resolve the situation.” At the time of this writing, additional information on a possible resolution had not been made public.
When reached for comment on Wednesday, an IAG Cargo spokesperson shared the same aforementioned statement, which can be read in full below:
“We are very sorry for the recent error that occurred during Bluebell’s trip to Nashville. We take the responsibility of caring for people’s loved animals seriously and are investigating how the redirection happened. Whilst Bluebell’s route was longer than it should have been, we ensured she was on the first flight back to Nashville from London Heathrow. During her time with us she received refreshments frequently and had time outside to stretch her legs – including regular walks and eight hours with the team at the Heathrow Animal Reception centre who cared for her. Despite these measures, we understand that this has been an upsetting situation for Bluebell and her owners, and remain in contact with them to resolve the situation.”
A sixth round of direct bilateral discussions that could take place at the level of foreign ministershas been postponed due to a number of factors.The Iranian foreign minister said after meeting his Saudi counterpart in Jordan that Saudi Arabia is open to having more conversations with Iran.Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian claimed in an Arabic tweet posted on Wednesday that he spoke on the sidelines of an Iraq-focused conference in Jordan on Tuesday with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud as well as other counterparts from the region and from France.
“The Saudi minister assured me of his country’s readiness to continue dialogue with Iran,” he wrote.
Amirabdollahian did not disclose more details, and Saudi officials have yet to comment publicly.
The two regional rivals cut diplomatic ties in 2016 after a crowd stormed the Sunni-majority kingdom’s embassy in Tehran following the execution of a prominent Shia leader.
Since April 2021, Iraq has hosted five rounds of direct talks between the two, the latest of which came in April this year. A sixth round has been anticipated for months, with speculation that it could for the first time happen at the level of foreign ministers, but there have been several roadblocks.
For one, Iraq, which has mediated between the two sides, has been undergoing its own political turmoil, with current Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani coming into power in October following infighting that ultimately saw the Iran-backed Coalition Framework emerge on top.
On the other hand, Iran has significantly intensified its rhetoric against Saudi Arabia, accusing it of bankrolling media channels that, according to Tehran, have “incited terrorism” during the country’s unrest since nation-wide protests began in mid-September.
The apparent meeting between the foreign ministers in Jordan is a sign that neither side wants to shut the door to dialogue completely, but should not raise expectations for immediate tangible results either, according to Hamidreza Azizi, a fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.
“The renewed mutual suspicions and increased threat perceptions make a real breakthrough in diplomatic relations very unlikely,” he told Al Jazeera, adding that the empowerment of factions close to Iran in Iraq makes Baghdad’s role as mediator more difficult as well.
“In such circumstances, the best outcome the two sides may achieve in the short term is to maintain a minimum of their diplomatic communication channels and try to manage the tensions. In that sense, I don’t think we should expect a new round of talks at the level of foreign ministers or any type of rapprochement.”
In the longer term, Azizi said things would depend on the domestic situation in Iran and Tehran’s relations with the West.
“At the moment, the Saudis seem to be comfortable with the fact that the Iranian government is under enormous pressure domestically and internationally and is in no rush to give any concessions for resuming normal relations with Tehran.”
Azizi said a potential direct or indirect military assault by Iran on Saudi assets would signal a “game-changer” for bilateral and regional ties.
Separately, in a speech on Tuesday, Esmaeil Qaani, the commander of the Quds Force, which is the foreign operations arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), suggested Saudi Arabia was an extension of US efforts in the region.
“The main enemies are the criminal US and the Zionist regime [Israel],” he said. “The rest, like the criminal Saudi Arabia, are dregs and are not even worth being considered enemies.”
Qaani delivered the remarks during an event held to mark the first anniversary of the death of Hassan Irloo, the country’s top envoy to war-torn Yemen, who died after contracting COVID-19. Tehran had accused Saudi authorities of refusing to cooperate in time to secure his air transfer, something which they denied.
Tehran backs the Houthi rebels in the war in Yemen, while Riyadh backs the Yemeni government.
Tehran and Baghdad, on the other hand, have also seen increased tensions in bilateral relationsas the IRGC has launched multiple rounds of artillery, missile and drone attacks on northern Iraq since September, in an effort to target “secessionist terrorist” Kurdish groups based there.
Iran accuses them of smuggling weapons into its territory with the aim of using them during the country’s unrest. Iraqi Prime Minister al-Sudani visited Tehran last month and met Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi to discuss the issue.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinpingwith a glamorous reception in Riyadh on Thursday, as the two countries make preparations for a series of summits that will mark an “epoch-making milestone” in Chinese-Arab relations.
Saudi state television broadcast a grand ceremony in which bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler known as MBS, received the Chinese leader at Al-Yamamah Palace. The premises were adorned with Chinese and Saudi Arabian flags, and members of the Saudi Royal Guard lined up with swords and played music.
In contrast to US President Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia earlier this year, the two leaders smiled warmly and posed for photos.
Shortly afterwards, China and Saudi Arabia signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement that includes a number of deals and memoranda of understanding, including on hydrogen energy, on coordination between the kingdom’s Vision 2030 and China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and with regards to direct investment, reported the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA), without providing details.
Xi landed in the capital Riyadh on Wednesday, where he was received by Saudi Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Riyadh Region, and Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs. Saudi military jets accompanied the Chinese president’s aircraft, a purple carpet was rolled out upon his arrival and canons were fired.
US President Joe Biden’s welcome is widely perceived to have been less glamorous. The American president was received in July by the governor of Mecca and the Saudi ambassador to the US in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah. Biden met MBS in Jeddah, where they exchanged a fist-bump that made global headlines and defined what ultimately became a frigid visit.
The official welcoming ceremony for the Chinese president at the Palace of Yamamah in Riyadh on Thursday. Royal Court of Saudi Arabia/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Bin Salman welcomes the Chinese leader to Riyadh. Saudi Press Agency/Reuters
Saudi and Chinese state media have this week been keen to promote the close ties shared by their governments. Saudi state TV replayed clips of past meetings between Chinese and Saudi officials, narrating the two countries’ warm relationship, which they say spans more than eight decades.
In a signed article published Thursday in the Saudi newspaper Al Riyadh, Xi said that his visit to the kingdom this week “will usher in a new era in China’s relations with the Arab world, with Arab states of the Gulf and with Saudi Arabia.”
“The Arab world is an important member of the developing world and a key force for upholding international fairness and justice,” Xi wrote, adding that “the Arab people value independence, oppose external interference, stand up to power politics and high-handedness, and always seek to make progress.”
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman fist bumps US President Joe Biden upon his arrival at Al Salman Palace, in Jeddah in July. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout/Reuters
In the article titled “Carrying Forward Our Millenia-old Friendship and Jointly Creating a Better Future,” Xi said that China and Arab states will “continue to hold high the banner of non-interference in internal affairs, firmly support each other in safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity, and jointly uphold international fairness and justice,” in a nod to US diplomacy, whose ties with the Saudis have crumbled over OPEC’s decision to slash crude oil supply.
Saudi Arabia’s energy minister also stressed that Saudi-Chinese relations are “witnessing a qualitative leap” and that the kingdom “will remain China’s credible and reliable partner” with regards to oil, SPA reported.
The Chinese foreign ministry said Wednesday that the China-Arab States Summit “will be an epoch-making milestone in the history of China-Arab relations,” and that “President Xi’s state visit to Saudi Arabia will elevate the China-Saudi Arabia comprehensive strategic partnership to a new height.”
On Wednesday, Saudi and Chinese companies signed 34 investment deals covering several sectors, reported SPA, including in the fields of green energy, information technology, cloud services, transportation, logistics, medical industries, housing and construction.
No monetary value was announced for the deals, but SPA previously reported that the two countries are expected to sign deals worth more than $29 billion during this week’s visit.
Xi’s visit to Saudi Arabia comes amid frayed ties between the two countries and Washington, which harbors a number of grievances towards the two states over oil production, human rights and other issues.
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.
The White House said it was “not a surprise” that Xi is traveling around the world and to the Middle East. “We’re mindful of the influence that China is trying to grow around the world,” said John Kirby, the strategic communications coordinator at the US National Security Council.
Lovers of Sudanese dates are taking part in the 4th International Dates Festival which opened its doors in Khartoum, on Wednesday, November 30.
The festival started at the Friendship Congress Hall under the auspices of the Sudanese Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Organisers say it is aimed to increase the international recognition of Sudanese dates and to develop production, marketing and exports. About 250 farmers from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Mauritania, Jordan and Saudi Arabiaare taking part in the festival.
With an annual production of about 330,000 tons and a date palm population of about 8 million, Sudan ranks number 8 in the list of top date producing countries of the world according to the International Society for Horticultural Science.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been given a once-in-a-lifetime contract to play for a Saudi Arabian club following his departure from Manchester United.
At the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the forward, who is now 37 years old, is now playing for Portugal.
As Ronaldo prepares to make history by becoming the first male footballer to score in five straight World Cups, CBS Sports reports that Al Nassr FC of Saudi Arabia has made him a whopping $225 million three-year offer. The agreement is said to go into effect following the World Cup.
Ronaldo has shown a strong desire to play solely at the top level available in Europe. Ronaldo was given a contract that will essentially pay him $75 million a year. According to reports, discussions started in the summer, and the team is now waiting for Ronaldo to make up his mind.
One of the most prosperous clubs in Asia and Saudi Arabia is Al Nassr FC.
The club has a total of nine league championships. According to reports, Ronaldo has also being pursued by their rival Al Hilal.
The football player’s post-World Cup plans are still unknown. Cristiano Ronaldo has not yet offered any commentary.
Fans in Saudi Arabiahave been unable to watch all of the World Cup after a streaming service was blocked by the country’s government.
Tod TV, owned by Qatar-based broadcaster beIN SPORTS, holds the rights to the tournament In Saudi with 22 matches free-to-air.
But 42 can only be watched via a streaming service, that was blocked an hour before the opening ceremony.
The Saudi Media Ministry told viewers the service violated regulations.
Saudi Arabia came from behind to beat two-time winners Argentina 2-1 in their opening match in what is one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history.
Tod has written to advertisers on its platform explaining that it is “experiencing an outage which is currently impacting” its service.
The service also sent a message to viewers saying the situation was due to “matters beyond our control”.
Subscribers have complained on social media about the issue.
Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, draped the Saudi flag over his shoulders at the Argentina match
This comes nearly two years after Saudi Arabia and three other Arab states announced an end to a diplomatic dispute with Qatar. As part of the row, Qatar had filed a complaint against Saudi Arabia for blocking beIN and refusing to take action against alleged piracy of its content, which the Saudis denied. The dispute was resolved last year.
This week the Saudi Sports Minister told BBC Sport that Qatar had done an “amazing job” with the World Cup, and that it could help strengthen ties between the two countries.
“We’re neighbours, everyone has issues and we have to overcome these issues and use such an event to showcase that people are willing to work together,” he added.
The rulers of the two countries – the Emir of Qatar and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia – have appeared together at two matches.
BBC Sport has contacted Fifa and the Saudi Media Ministry for comment, while BeIN declined to comment.
A bold and brilliant Saudi Arabia pulled off one of the World Cup’s biggest shocks as they came from behind to stun two-time winners Argentina in a fantastic Group C opener in Lusail.
Ranked 51st in the world, Saudi Arabia could have been done and dusted in the first half as Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Argentina had three goals ruled out for offside.
But Saudi Arabia flipped the game on its head in a stunning 10-minute period after half-time, Saleh Al-Shehri levelling with a low effort and Salem Al Dawsari firing them ahead to spark pandemonium in the stands.
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Having shown their ruthlessness at one end, the Green Falcons demonstrated a ruggedness at the other, holding a stellar Argentina front line at bay to secure only their fourth World Cup win in history and throw the group wide open.
Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina came into the tournament among the favourites, on the back of a 36-game unbeaten run that included winning the 2021 Copa America.
They now have it all to do to keep alive their hopes of a first global triumph since 1986 and give Messi a fitting ending to what is very likely his World Cup swansong.
They face Mexico on Saturday, while Saudi Arabia take on Poland.
Argentina head to their first World Cup since Diego Maradona’s death but the Albiceleste great will be there in spirit.
That was the message from Maradona’s former agent Guillermo Coppola at the opening of CONMEBOL’s ‘Tree of Dreams’ in Doha to celebrate South America’s rich football heritage.
Lionel Scaloni’s side are among the pre-tournament favourites in Qatarahead of Tuesday’s Group C opener against Saudi Arabia, searching for a first World Cup crown since a Maradona-inspired triumph in 1986.
There has not been a South American winner of FIFA’s top tournament since Brazil in 2002, but Coppola hopes that will change for Argentina in their first outing since Maradona passed in November 2020.
“This is going to be the first World Cup that [Maradona] is not physically with us,” said the 74-year-old. “But Diego will always be with us.
“The most precious good for Diego was the football. It wasn’t life, which is the most precious good that human beings have.
“It wasn’t freedom – to be able to decide and to do – which is the second one, the freedom for him was the ball.
“Where a ball rolls there is Diego, do not forget this, when you see a ball rolling say, there is Diego.”
2.5% of all fouls committed in World Cups between 1982 and 1990 were on Diego Maradona@oilysailor pays tribute to a player who took the hits but kept on producing magical moments ⬇️https://t.co/UWhXJ4Vor7
Argentina ended a 28-year wait for major silverware by beating Brazil in the 2021 Copa America final.
That makes this the first World Cup they enter as champions of South America since USA 94 and former Argentina captain Javier Zanetti expects his country to come out fighting as a unified group.
Speaking alongside World Cup winners Oscar Ruggeri and Mario Alberto Kempes, Zanetti added: “It means a lot to have a united, consolidated, solid group.
“I trust that Argentina is a group that came to Qatar knowing well what they want.”
While Zanetti, now Inter vice-president, acknowledged the ill-timing of the November World Cup, he has little doubt Argentina will hit the ground running.
“We cannot know about the physical condition because this World Cup is atypical,” the 49-year-old continued.
“It is being played in November and many consecutive games were played recently, so there is a lot of fatigue.
“But in general, I trust that players and national teams will arrive in good condition.”
Lionel Messi begins his World Cup campaign on Tuesday against Saudi Arabia, whose head coach is looking forward to the challenge.
Herve Renard’s men face Argentina in their Group C opener and the experienced French coach insists his team are not just in Qatar to make up the numbers.
All six of Messi’s goals at previous World Cupshave been scored in the group stages, while he has netted 12 times in 19 games for Paris Saint-Germain this season.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Renard said: “Cristiano [Ronaldo] and Messi are football legends and thanks to them, football is different. It’s an honour to be here and play against them.
“When there’s a fight you have to be one hundred per cent motivated to beat the best. That’s the beauty of sport. In sport, there can always be surprises.
“We have to be ready. Above all, we have to be very good in all three games, not only against Argentina. All three are equally important.”
10 – Lionel Messi’s fewest games in a Top 5 European Leagues campaign to deliver 10 assists :
Saudi Arabia will come up against Mexico and Poland after taking on the Albiceleste in what appears an incredibly challenging task for Renard’s men in Group C.
While conceding it is unlikely Saudi Arabia will qualify, Renard insisted his team – ranked 51st in the FIFA rankings, one place below hosts Qatar – will “fight against the forecasts”.
“We love it when they forget about us from the outside,” he said. “We like this, that they consider us the smallest team. It doesn’t matter to us. It’s justified if we take into account the FIFA ranking.
“I don’t think we’ll go to the next round but we’re here to fight against the forecasts. In the World Cup, there are surprises and that is the mentality we have.”
A donation of 50 tonnes of date fruits by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been made to the Government of Ghana to reinforce friendship and collaboration between the two countries.
The guardian of the two holy mosques of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, King Salma Bin-Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, made the donation through the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia.
Over the past few years, Ghana has benefited from the symbolic gift, making this the 10th time the country has received one by royal decree.
Date fruit is a traditional and ancient Muslim and Arabic fruit that is valued for its health benefits.
It has its origins in the religious teachings of the Prophet Mohammed and is traditionally recognised as a usual food item during Ramadan.
Members of the Islamic religion regard it as one of the fruits of paradise, denoting life and expansion.
Dates are a traditional and ancient fruit of Muslim and Arabic heritage that is highly regarded to promoting good health.
During Ramadan, dates are consumed by Muslims as a symbol of the expansion of life.
This belief is based on the religious teachings of the Prophet Mohammed.
The United States says threats are concerning, and that it will defend Saudi Arabia and other Middle East allies.
The United States has responded to reports of threats from Iran against Saudi Arabia by saying it is concerned and will not hesitate to respond if necessary.
“We are concerned about the threat picture, and we remain in constant contact through military and intelligence channels with the Saudis,” the National Security Council said in a statement on Tuesday. “We will not hesitate to act in the defence of our interests and partners in the region.”
The Wall Street Journal newspaper first reported on Saudi Arabia sharing the intelligence with the US earlier on Tuesday.
Neither Saudi Arabia nor Iran has commented on the matter publicly.
Iran has alleged, without providing evidence, that Saudi Arabia and other rivals have been behind anti-government protests that have been ongoing in the country since mid-September.
In October, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned Saudi Arabia to tone down coverage of the protests in Iran by Farsi-language satellite news channels, including Iran International, a Saudi-backed satellite television channel based in London.
“This is our last warning because you are interfering in our internal affairs through these media,” Major-General Hossein Salami said. “You are involved in this matter and know that you are vulnerable.”
The heightened concerns about a potential attack on Riyadh come as the Biden administration criticises Tehran for its crackdown on the protests and condemned it for sending hundreds of drones – as well as technical support – to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine.
One of the officials who confirmed the intelligence sharing to the Wall Street Journaldescribed it as a credible threat of an attack “soon or within 48 hours”. No US embassy or consulate in the region has issued alerts or guidance to Americans in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere in the Middle East based on the intelligence. The officials were not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Asked about reports of the intelligence shared by the Saudis, Brigadier General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said US military officials “are concerned about the threat situation in the region”.
“We’re in regular contact with our Saudi partners, in terms of what information they may have to provide on that front,” Ryder said. “But what we’ve said before, and I’ll repeat it, is that we will reserve the right to protect and defend ourselves no matter where our forces are serving, whether in Iraq or elsewhere.”
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said America was “concerned about the threat picture,” without elaborating.
Strained relations
The latest concerns come at a time of strained relations between Riyadh and Washington after the Saudi-led OPEC+ alliance last month decided to cut oil output targets, which raised fears of a gasoline price spike in the US.
The US and Saudi Arabia blamed Iran in 2019 for being behind a big attack in eastern Saudi Arabia, which halved the oil-rich kingdom’s production and caused energy prices to spike. The Iranians denied they were behind the attack.
The Saudis have also been hit repeatedly in recent years by drones, missiles, and mortars launched by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Saudi Arabia formed a coalition to battle the Houthis in 2015 and has been internationally criticised for its air attacks in the war, which have killed thousands of civilians.
In recent weeks, the Biden administration has imposed sanctions on Iranian officials for the brutal crackdown on demonstrators after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September after her arrest by Iran’s morality police. The administration has also hit Iran with sanctions for supplying drones to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine.
At least 288 people have been killed and 14,160 arrested during the protests, according to the group Human Rights Activists in Iran. Demonstrations have continued, even as the feared paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has warned Iranians to stop.
Mothers from the US, Canada, the UK, and other western countries, are fighting to get their children out of Saudi Arabia after marriage breakdowns to Saudi nationals. A campaigner says many don’t get the help they need from their own governments.
At first, all seemed fine when American mum, Carly Morris, arrived in Saudi Arabia with her five-year-old daughter, Tala. The child’s Saudi father, whom she had married and later divorced during his seven-year scholarship in the USA, had persuaded her to come for a short visit. He had arranged a thirty-day visa for them both so that his parents could meet their granddaughter for the first time.
Carly’s holiday mood first took a knock on checking into the hotel her ex-husband had booked for her and Tala. Their room had no windows or internet access and her mobile phone would not work there. Though Carly says she soon had much more to worry about.
“The week after we arrived he asked for my passport and my birth certificate so that he could start processing her [Tala] exit permit. Though what he really did, I later found out, was he transferred her to Saudi citizenship.”
Dual citizenship is not recognised in Saudi Arabia so from this point on Tala, who had been born and raised in America, was considered a Saudi citizen only. This meant that under the country’s male guardianship system she could not leave the country unless her Saudi father agreed. It was soon clear that this was the last thing he would do.
Carly says her Saudi ex-husband began collecting Tala each morning and not bringing her back until late in the evening. Left alone all day in her basic hotel room with little money she relied on boxes of food he would leave for her. Finally, after nearly two years of appealing to him to take their daughter home, Carly began writing to members of the US congress and others who she hoped might help her.
This, she says, angered her former husband.
“When he found that I was reaching out to people outside of the kingdom asking for help, he abducted my daughter for a period of two months. He and his family fled their home even. During that time he filed for custody of her.”
In the papers filed as part of the custody proceedings, the father denied having abducted Tala.
After failing to get any constructive replies from American politicians, Carly wrote to the White House for help. She never heard back but her hopes nonetheless soared when the US President, Joe Biden, visited Riyadh in July. That effort too came to nothing, along she insists with appeals to US Embassy staff in Riyadh.
Back in America, Carly’s increasingly worried mother, Denise White, has come to believe that Saudi economic and political importance means US diplomats are reluctant to act. The Gulf kingdom is one of the world’s biggest oil producers, which gives it powerful political leverage, especially during the current energy crisis.
Speaking from her home in California, Mrs White says she is deeply concerned about her granddaughter’s lack of education, after being told that Tala has not been to school once in the past three years.
Carly has also voiced fears about the psychological impact on Tala of being caught in the middle of a custody battle in a country far from her home.
“I can’t get her to speak to anyone when social affairs people come here. She will not speak to any strangers. If I try to do video for my family she hides from the camera. I’m really worried about her socially at this point.”
IMAGE SOURCE, BETHANY ALHAIDARI Image caption, Bethany Alhaidari, from the Human Rights Foundation, says dozens of women are in the same situation as Carly
Statistics compiled by the US-based Human Rights Foundation show that Carly is one of nearly 50 American mothers fighting to get their children out of Saudi Arabia after marrying Saudi nationals. That is in addition to many from Canada, the UK, and other Western countries.
The foundation’s Bethany Alhaidari, who herself spent two years trying to get a Saudi exit visa for her daughter, says none have been successful over the past year. Many, she insists, simply don’t get the help they need from their own governments.
“There tends to be a sentiment, even in the US government, of ‘You did this to yourself, you should have known better. So I feel like we face a wall a lot of times with that attitude.”
The US embassy in Riyadh told the BBC that the welfare of US citizens was the “highest priority” of the state department and that the embassy was in regular contact with Carly and in touch with the Saudi government.
After a long court battle Carly was finally given custody of Tala, but told not to leave the Saudi city she is staying in, never mind the country itself. With no funds of her own, she says she had become a kind of prisoner within her own four walls.
“At that point, I had gone two years not even stepping outside. I sat inside this hotel every single day. Not one person has seen my face… not one person has knocked on my door”.
IMAGE SOURCE, BETHANY ALHAIDARI Image caption, Bethany Alhaidari says it took her two years to get her daughter back
Since speaking out on this issue Carly has been accused by Saudi authorities of “disrupting public order”, with the prosecution seeking a jail term as punishment.
She is also facing another even bigger new worry. Well before meeting her husband, Carly had converted to Islam and she insists her beliefs have never wavered since. But just days after she won back custody of her daughter, her ex-husband’s father officially accused her of denouncing her faith and insulting Saudi Arabia and all Muslims. Still unable to bring her daughter back home she also now faces a potential death sentence but pins much of the blame on herself.
“I was warned. Many people told me like, do not to enter that country. If you enter you will never get your daughter back. And I didn’t listen to the warnings… and I’m here in this situation three years later”.
The Saudi authorities and Carly’s ex-husband have been approached for comment but have not yet responded.
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Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has defended the club’s decision to return to Saudi Arabia for a warm-weather training camp, saying it was made from a “purely footballing backdrop”.
The Magpies will travel to Riyadh from 4-10 December during the Premier League’s break for the World Cup, and will play Al-Hilal in a friendly.
A Saudi-backed takeover of the club was completed in October 2021.
The club previously travelled to Saudi Arabia in January.
“We’ve made a football decision. We’ve looked at the World Cup break, what’s the best thing for the team,” said Howe.
“The best thing for the team, I believe, is to take the team away like you would in pre-season, away from distractions, a chance to really train the group, enhance the team spirit with hopefully some good weather, so that’s what we’ve done.
“We’ve made it from a purely footballing backdrop.”
Newcastle’s ownership model has been controversial since Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) took over at the club last year, with human rights groups saying the move is an attempt to ‘sportswash’ the country’s image.
Upon taking an 80% stake in the club, Newcastle’s owners had to provide “legally-binding assurances” to the Premier League that the state would not control the club despite Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also being the chair of PIF.
In the summer, a pre-season friendly with Mainz went ahead despite fans of the Bundesliga club protesting that Newcastle was a “vehicle for asserting the interests of a regime that tramples on human rights”.
After their trip to Saudi Arabia at the start of the year, Newcastle won five of their next six matches and the club hope the upcoming trip will have a similar effect.
“When you look back to last year, our decision to go there and the benefit it had for the team and the results on our return were really good, so we got a few positive connotations from that,” added Howe.
“Going back to our trip last year, the weather was very good, the facilities were first class, we were able to spend some quality time together to bond the group and really focus our energies on our battle to stay in the division.
“The team spirit off the back of that trip was very, very good. Obviously we have that positive experience to fall back on and it’s helped with our decision this time.”
Politicalanalysts say Lesotho’s mining magnate Sam Matekane – whose new party has won the most seats in parliamentary elections – captured the imagination of young voters, and those jaded with the country’s broken politics.
He is a political novice but is well regarded in business circles, having made his money in the diamond, construction and transport industries.
But it is Mr Matekane’s philanthropy that the people of Lesotho took notice of, especially in the last few years.
He has built a state-of-the-art school in rural areas and has funded the education of many children from impoverished communities.
Mr Matekane launched the Revolution For Prosperity (RFP) party earlier this year.
Its impressive electoral performance comes at a time when hundreds of thousands of Basotho are facing food shortages, unemployment is on the rise and there have been allegations of widespread corruption in government.
While campaigning Mr Matekane promised to make these areas a priority should he win.
Some are seeing the RFP’s electoral success as a warning to older parties not just in Lesotho but also in other parts of Africa that they risk dying if they do not deliver.
analysts say Lesotho’s mining magnate Sam Matekane – whose new party has won the most seats in parliamentary elections – captured the imagination of young voters, and those jaded with the country’s broken politics.
He is a political novice but is well regarded in business circles, having made his money in the diamond, construction and transport industries.
But it is Mr Matekane’s philanthropy that the people of Lesotho took notice of, especially in the last few years.
He has built a state-of-the-art school in rural areas and has funded the education of many children from impoverished communities.
Mr Matekane launched the Revolution For Prosperity (RFP) party earlier this year.
Its impressive electoral performance comes at a time when hundreds of thousands of Basotho are facing food shortages, unemployment is on the rise and there have been allegations of widespread corruption in government.
While campaigning Mr Matekane promised to make these areas a priority should he win.
Some are seeing the RFP’s electoral success as a warning to older parties not just in Lesotho but also in other parts of Africa that they risk dying if they do not deliver.
Relatives of 10 Egyptian men say they have been sentenced for up to 18 years in jail in Saudi Arabia for trying to organise a remembrance event for the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.
The men, all from Egypt’s Nubian minority, had organised similar events there without a problem.
But in December 2020 they were charged with establishing an association without a licence and showing solidarity with the Muslim Brotherhood – designated a terrorist organisation in Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Amnesty International, which has campaigned for their release, has denounced the proceedings as a “travesty of justice”.
Relatives of 10 Egyptian men say they have been sentenced to up to 18 years in jail in Saudi Arabia for trying to organise a remembrance event for the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.
The men, all from Egypt’s Nubian minority, had organised similar events there without a problem.
But in December 2020 they were charged with establishing an association without a licence and showing solidarity with the Muslim Brotherhood – designated a terrorist organisation in Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Amnesty International, which has campaigned for their release, has denounced the proceedings as a “travesty of justice”.
The Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) has urged the Kenyan governmentto ban employment agencies in the country from sending migrant workers to Saudi Arabia.
Their request comes after a viral video appeared to show a Kenyan woman breastfeeding dogs in the Gulf country.
The authenticity of the video is yet to be verified.
But speaking to reporters on Sunday, Cotu Secretary-General Francis Atwoli said the woman, who had left a two-month-old baby in Kenya, was compelled by her employer to breastfeed the puppies.
“I want to appeal to the administration to go the way the first government under former President Mwai Kibaki did. He banned all employment agencies in Kenya,” Mr Atwoli said.
COTU boss Atwoli speaks after Kenyan records herself while “breastfeeding dogs in Saudi Arabia”, wants employment agencies banned in Kenya. #NTVatOnepic.twitter.com/r9sgcVvH7i
The union leader asked President William Ruto to stop the “indirect slavery” of Kenyan migrants and negotiate for their welfare with the gulf countries.
High unemployment rates in Kenya has prompted young people to migrate to gulf countries in search of jobs as domestic workers and labourers.
Many migrants have reported mistreatment in the Middle East and most recently in Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.
The government of Kenyahas been urged by the Central Organization of Trade Unions (Cotu) to ban employment agencies that transport migrant workers to Saudi Arabia.
This is in response to a viral video that purported to show a Kenyan woman breastfeeding dogs in the Gulf country.
The BBC has not verified the authenticity of the video.
But speaking to reporters on Sunday, Cotu Secretary-General Francis Atwoli said the woman, who had left a two-month-old baby in Kenya, was compelled by her employer to breastfeed the puppies.
COTU boss Atwoli speaks after Kenyan records herself while “breastfeeding dogs in Saudi Arabia”, wants employment agencies banned in Kenya. #NTVatOnepic.twitter.com/r9sgcVvH7i
“I want to appeal to the administration to go the way the first government under former President Mwai Kibaki did. He banned all employment agencies in Kenya,” Mr Atwoli said.
The union leader asked President William Ruto to stop the “indirect slavery” of Kenyan migrants and negotiate for their welfare with the gulf countries.
High unemployment rates in Kenya has prompted young people to migrateto gulf countries in search of jobs as domestic workers and labourers.
Many migrants have reported mistreatment in the Middle East and most recently in Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia.
Prince Mohammed’s decision to strengthen relations has alarmed allies, but he has long admired the Russian leader.
hey both started wars in neighbouring countries, hold significant sway over energy markets, are known to brook no dissent, and covet spots in history. Russia’s embattled president, Vladimir Putin, and Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, seem to have a lot in common.
Nearly eight months into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, relations between Riyadh and Moscow are at a high point. As much of Europe, the US and the UK double down on attempts to combat an ever more menacing Russian leader, Prince Mohammed has instead chosen to deepen ties.
An Opec+ meeting in Vienna on Wednesday is the latest landmark in a growing relationship that is increasingly defying the demands of Riyadh’s allies and appearing to give Putin comfort at a critical juncture in the war. Both countries are likely to seek to raise oil prices by cutting global supply by 1-2m barrels a day.
Such a move would follow widespread disruption to gas supplies to Europe caused by the warand predictions of a worsening energy security crisis as the northern winter approaches. It would also alienate Washington, an ally that has tried to recruit Riyadh to the cause of decreasing supply pressures by opening valves to its enormous reservoirs.
Instead, Joe Biden finds himself staring down a partner in the Middle East whom he had personally visited during the summer as the extent of the supply crisis became apparent. Biden walked away empty-handed and, as a result, faces the uncomfortable prospect of taking high bowser prices to midterm elections. Perhaps more importantly for the US president, a rise in oil prices could be seen as helping fund Putin’s war effort.
“Previous Saudi administrations would have been much more sensitive to the US’s feelings and to messaging, even though they would likely do the same thing,” said Robin Mills, the chief executive of Qamar Energy. “Saudi has pretty much always done what it wanted in oil regardless of favours to the US but it usually sugar-coated it. Not this time.”
Another sign of a deepening bond between Moscow and Riyadh emerged last month when, in a rare moment of global diplomacy, Saudi diplomats secured the release of international prisoners, including five Britons, captured during fighting inside Ukraine. The optics were stark, and appeared sanctioned by Putin to give Riyadh a moment on a world stage; here were Saudi diplomats a long way from home brokering a deal that had nothing obvious to do with the Middle East.
“This was a gift from Putin to MBS,” said a British official familiar with the political dynamics. “Putin wanted it to happen, and he wanted it to seem as though the Saudis had achieved this through diplomacy.”
After four years of global fallout from the assassination of the Saudi dissident and journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Prince Mohammed’s security aides in Istanbul, the heir to the Saudi throne is in the midst of a global comeback. His attempts to position the kingdom as a regional power and global mover are among the 37-year-old’s core goals. Saudi officials have not condemned Putin’s invasion, and nor has Moscow weighed into Saudi Arabia’s invasion of Yemen over the past five years – a war that has left its eastern neighbour impoverished and in ongoing need of significant aid.
NGOs warned this week that the non-renewal of a ceasefire in Yemen would exacerbate the suffering of millions. Widespread destruction and humanitarian suffering in Ukraine, meanwhile, have not been a focus of Saudi discourse. Prince Mohammed seems unperturbed by Putin’s recommitment to blood and soil nationalism and a bid to reclaim the lost glories of the Soviet Union. There have, in fact, been frequent signs that he would like to emulate the veteran Russian tyrant, with a blood and oil nationalism of his own.
In 2016, when Prince Mohammed was still deputy defence minister, the then 30-year-old summoned British diplomats, among them senior MI6 officers, to Riyadh. The sole purpose of the meeting was to seek the UK’s advice on how to deal with Putin.
“He was fascinated by him,” one of the Britons told the Observerseveral years later. “He seemed to admire him. He liked what he did.”
In the years since Prince Mohammed has come to emulate the man he studied.His crackdown on dissent has strong echoes of the Russian leader and so does the nascent emergence of a Saudi police state – built on Arab nationalist foundations and secured by controlling dissenters, co-opting oligarchs and consolidating a power base.
Both men have been further united in recent months by their dislike of Biden, whose administration has led the push to arm the Ukrainian military and forced the Russian army into a series of humiliating retreats. Biden had also led the push to sideline Prince Mohammed, who had taken pleasure in a US leader traveling to Jeddah with cap in hand and leaving empty-handed.
“Putin sees this as new world order stuff, and thinks he can bring MBS along with him,” said the British official. “The Saudis sit on a very powerful asset in oil, which still has a strategic role to play. Don’t write off carbon as a political tool for decades. MBS knows the optics of being seen to help out Putin, but he doesn’t care. Neither are progressive liberals. They see leadership through the same lens.”
President Joe Biden is “disappointed” that the Saudi-led OPEC+ oil cartel agreed to cut output by 2 million barrels per day, the White House said Wednesday, as the threat of rising gas prices, looms weeks ahead of critical midterm elections.
The decision by the grouping of major oil producers rebuffed heavy lobbying from US administration officials and prompted Biden to say he was concerned about the move. It reversed a small increase in output OPEC+ announced shortly after Biden visited Saudi Arabia for a conference in July.
Still, the White House insisted that the visit was not a “waste of time,” even as it sharply criticized the decision to cut production.
“The President is disappointed by the shortsighted decision by OPEC+ to cut production quotas while the global economy is dealing with the continued negative impact of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine,” said two of Biden’s top aides, national security adviser Jake Sullivan and National Economic Council Director Brian Deese, in a statement.
“At a time when maintaining a global supply of energy is of paramount importance, this decision will have the most negative impact on lower- and middle-income countries that are already reeling from elevated energy prices,” the two advisers wrote.
The administration will “consult with Congress on additional tools and authorities to reduce OPEC’s control over energy prices,” the statement read, without specifying which actions are under consideration to dampen the oil cartel’s sway.
Slashing oil production just ahead of November’s midterm elections poses a potential political problem for the President, who has touted this summer’s decreasing gas prices as he works to promote his agenda. The average gas price has been rising nationally again in recent days, according to AAA.
Departing the White House on Wednesday, Biden said he was concerned about the possibility of a significant cut to production.
“I need to see what the detail is. I am concerned, it is unnecessary,” he said in response to a question about the OPEC+ decision as he departed the White House for Florida, where he was set to tour storm damage.
The international cartel of oil producers held a critical meeting Wednesday, where energy ministers decided to slash production by 2 million barrels per day, the biggest cut since the start of the pandemic.
For the past several days, Biden’s senior-most energy, economic and foreign policy officials had been lobbying their foreign counterparts in Middle Eastern allied countries including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to vote against cutting oil production.
When he visited Saudi Arabia in July, Biden sought to make clear it wasn’t solely to ask the oil-rich kingdom to increase its oil output. After decrying the regime’s human rights record as a candidate, Biden fist-bumped the powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who US intelligence has said masterminded the murder of Saudi journalist and US resident Jamal Khashoggi.
Speaking on Fox News shortly after the decision was announced, National Security Councilcommunications coordinator John Kirby said the oil cartel was “adjusting back their numbers down a little bit” after making a small increase after Biden’s visit.
“OPEC+ has been saying and telling the word they’re actually producing 3.5 million more barrels than they actually are. So in some ways this announced decrease really gets them back into more alignment with actual production,” Kirby said, noting there hadn’t yet been dramatic shifts in the price of oil.
“We have to see how it plays out over the long term,” he said.
Kirby said Biden’s visit to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for a regional conference “was not about oil.”
“It was about larger national strategic and national interest goals throughout the region to try to foster a more integrated cooperative region,” he said.
Giovanni Reyna is expected to return to action within 10 days despite suffering a muscle strain on international duty, handing the United States a welcome boost ahead of the World Cup.
Reyna was substituted during the first half of the USA’s goalless draw with Saudi Arabia earlier this week, after which it was revealed he had suffered from “muscle tightness”.
His exit from that match – his country’s final friendly ahead of November’s trip to Qatar – set alarm bells ringing, particularly given Reyna missed much of last season with similar muscle injuries.
But Borussia Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic moved to allay fears of another long-term absence on Thursday, stating: “Gio has a strain and will be out for seven to 10 days. We hope he is available to play following the Sevilla game on Wednesday.”
Terzic was also able to offer a positive update on Marco Reus’ fitness after the BVB captain was injured in a 1-0 win over local rivals Schalke earlier this month.
“In Marco Reus’ case, the injury is fortunately not as bad as first feared,” Terzic added. “We hope he will be able to slowly ease his way back into team training after the weekend.”
Dortmund have won five and lost two of their first seven Bundesliga games this campaign to trail surprise leaders Union Berlin by two points.
UPDATE: Gio Reyna was experiencing muscle tightness and came out of the match as a precaution. https://t.co/GET8j1zGc1
“The crown prince… already supervises the main executive bodies of the state on a daily basis, and his new role as prime minister is within that context,” the official said.
Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the royal court, tweeted that Mohammed bin Salman’s promotion “formalises his actual role and eliminated previous protocol issues of seniority with other heads of government”, adding: “He ranks now as a head of government de jure, not just de facto.”
The king, who has been admitted to hospital twice this year, will continue to chair the cabinet meetings he attends.
The decree named another of his sons, Prince Khalid bin Salman, as the new defence minister. A third, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, remains in the key role of energy minister in the world’s biggest oil exporter.
Few people outside Saudi Arabia had heard of Mohammed bin Salman before his father became king in 2015.
He has won plaudits for some of the social and economic reforms he has overseen in the conservative Gulf kingdom, including lifting the ban on women driving and seeking to diversify the economy away from oil.
But he has also been heavily criticised for pursuing a war in Yemen that has caused a humanitarian catastrophe and for cracking down on dissent, with hefty prison sentences handed down even for critical social media posts.
The prince’s international reputation suffered significant damage after the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent critic of his policies, was killed by Saudi agents at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. US intelligence agencies concluded that he had approved an operation to capture or kill Khashoggi, but he denied any involvement.
A surge in global oil prices triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has seen the prince re-embraced by Western leaders in recent months, with US President Joe Biden visiting him in Jeddah in July despite having once vowed to make Saudi Arabia “the pariah that they are” over Khashoggi’s murder.
According to a statement from the ministry, the liberated inmates included citizens of the United States, the United Kingdom, Croatia, Morocco, and Sweden. It further stated that a plane transporting the convicts had landed in the kingdom.
“The relevant Saudi authorities received and transferred them from Russia to the kingdom and are facilitating procedures for their respective countries,” the statement said.
The ministry did not identify the prisoners. A Saudi official said they were five Britons, two Americans, a Croatian, a Moroccan, and a Swedish national.
British Prime Minister Liz Truss hailed the release of the British nationals on Twitter as “hugely welcome news” after “months of uncertainty and suffering for them and their families.”
British lawmaker Robert Jenrick said Aiden Aslin was among those released. He was captured earlier this year and then sentenced to death by a court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), one of Russia’s proxies in eastern Ukraine.
Russia also released U.S. citizens Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27, a family representative told Reuters on Wednesday.
The pair, both from Alabama, were captured in June while fighting in eastern Ukraine where they went to support Ukrainian troops resisting Russia’s invasion.
Large numbers of foreigners have traveled to Ukraine to fight since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion. Some of them have been caught by Russian forces, along with other foreigners in the country who say they were not fighters.
Reuters could not immediately establish if the released group included Britons Shaun Pinner and Morocco-born Brahim Saadoun who were also captured and sentenced to death in Donetsk.
A Swedish citizen, captured at the port city of Mariupol and facing a possible death sentence under the laws of the DPR, was among those released, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde confirmed.
“I can confirm that the Swede who in May was taken into custody by Russian forces is free and on his way to Sweden,” Linde told Swedish news agency TT on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Prince Mohammed has maintained close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, including within the framework of the OPEC+ oil producers group, despite heavy pressure from Washington, Riyadh’s traditional ally, to isolate Russia.
Both Ukrainian and Russian forces have captured hundreds of enemy fighters since thestart of the conflict, with a handful of prisoner exchanges having taken place.
The head of the U.N. human rights mission in Ukraine said earlier this month that Russia was not allowing access to prisoners of war, adding that the U.N. had evidence that some had been subjected to torture and ill-treatment that could amount to war crimes.
Russia denies torture or other forms of maltreatment of POWs.
Two U.S. veterans who volunteered to help defend Ukraine against Russia’s invasion and were featured captured by the Russian-backed forces in June have been released, according to their family members.
Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh, both from Alabama, were believed to be the first Americans to be detained since the war began in February. Drueke and Huynh were freed following a prisoner exchange brokered by Saudi Arabia, ABC News reported.
“We are thrilled to announce that Alex and Andy are free,” a joint statement from their families via Facebook read. “They are safely in the custody of the US embassy in Saudi Arabia and after medical checks and debriefing they will return to the States.”
Alexander J. Drueke and Andy Huynh.Alexander J. Drueke/Facebook; Courtesy the Black Family
“We deeply appreciate everyone’s prayers and especially the close communication and support of our elected officials, Ukrainian Ambassador Markarova, and our members of the US embassies in Ukraine and Saudi Arabia and the US Department of State,” the statement continued.
Drueke’s aunt Dianna Brown Shaw tells PEOPLE that Drueke and Huynh are “spending the night in [the] hospital, they’re in Saudi Arabia, they’re getting fluids and having their vitals monitored, just to make sure they are healthy enough to travel, nothing seemed to be amiss with either of them, they seemed to be okay, just tired, you know, dehydrated.”
“We are hoping they would be released in the morning, and then we can make arrangements to get them home,” she adds.
Two U.S. veterans who volunteered to help defend Ukraine against Russia‘s invasion and were featured captured by the Russian-backed forces in June have been released, according to their family members.
Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh, both from Alabama, were believed to be the first Americans to be detained since the war began in February. Drueke and Huynh were freed following a prisoner exchange brokered by Saudi Arabia, ABC News reported.
“We are thrilled to announce that Alex and Andy are free,” a joint statement from their families via Facebook read. “They are safely in the custody of the US embassy in Saudi Arabia and after medical checks and debriefing they will return to the States.”
Alexander J. Drueke and Andy Huynh. Alexander J. Drueke/Facebook; Courtesy the Black Family
“We deeply appreciate everyone’s prayers and especially the close communication and support of our elected officials, Ukrainian Ambassador Markarova, and our members of the US embassies in Ukraine and Saudi Arabia and the US Department of State,” the statement continued.
Drueke’s aunt Dianna Brown Shaw tells PEOPLE that Drueke and Huynh are “spending the night in [the] hospital, they’re in Saudi Arabia, they’re getting fluids and having their vitals monitored, just to make sure they are healthy enough to travel, nothing seemed to be amiss with either of them, they seemed to be okay, just tired, you know, dehydrated.”
“We are hoping they would be released in the morning, and then we can make arrangements to get them home,” she adds.
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Shaw also tells PEOPLE that Drueke’s mother, Lois, was able to speak to him after receiving a call from the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia Wednesday morning and confirmed that Huynh was also able to get in touch with his fiancée, Joy Black, around the same time.
As for when her nephew and Huynh are expected to arrive in the U.S., Shaw says “we are hoping within the next two, three days.”
The release of Drueke and Huynh and eight other foreign prisoners of war — including British, Swedish, Moroccan, and Croatian citizens — originated from “mediation efforts” by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday, per ABC News.
Rep. Robert Aderholt of Alabama shared a picture via Twitter of Drueke and Huynh stepping out of a plane as they safely landed in Saudi Arabia.
After learning about their release, Aderholt tweeted that his office “is working to get more information from the State Department about the health of these men and when they will return to their families in the U.S.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also expressed his gratitude to Saudi Arabia and Ukraine for their efforts to secure the freedom, saying in a statement that the U.S. “is appreciative of Ukraine including all prisoners of war, regardless of nationality, in its negotiations,” the Associated Press reported.
“Drueke and Huynh were serving in the Ukrainian Army when the unit they were assignedto came under heavy fire on June 9,” Drueke’s aunt Shaw previously said in a statement via Facebook. “The families first learned the men were missing in action on June 13, and received evidence of their captivity two days later.”
Huynh cited the fact that 18 year olds were being drafted into the Ukrainian Army as the primary reason he volunteered, and acknowledged that “it wasn’t my problem” but that it “broke my heart.” His remarks came in his local newspaper, The Decatur Daily, before flying to the war-torn country in April.
Huynh enlisted in the Marines when he was 19 but was not involved in any active combat. He was born and raised in California and moved to Alabama two years ago to be with his fiancée, the paper reported.
Drueke also joined the army at the age of 19 after the 9/11 terrorist attack and believed his training in the military would help contribute to the Ukrainians in fighting the war against Russia, per the AP.
The U.S. Department of State and Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The Russian attack on Ukraine is an evolving story, with information changing quickly. Follow PEOPLE’s complete coverage of the war here, including stories from citizens on the ground and ways to help.
Shaw also tells PEOPLE that Drueke’s mother, Lois, was able to speak to him after receiving a call from the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia Wednesday morning and confirmed that Huynh was also able to get in touch with his fiancée, Joy Black, around the same time.
As for when her nephew and Huynh are expected to arrive in the U.S., Shaw says “we are hoping within the next two, three days.”
The release of Drueke and Huynh and eight other foreign prisoners of war — including British, Swedish, Moroccan, and Croatian citizens — originated from “mediation efforts” by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday, per ABC News.
Rep. Robert Aderholt of Alabama shared a picture via Twitter of Drueke and Huynh stepping out of a plane as they safely landed in Saudi Arabia.
The family of Andy Huynh has informed my office that he and Alex Drueke have been freed from their captivity in Ukraine. My office is working to get more information from the State Department about the health of these men and when they will return to their families in the U.S.
After learning about their release, Aderholt tweeted that his office “is working to get more information from the State Department about the health of these men and when they will return to their families in the U.S.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also expressed his gratitude to Saudi Arabia and Ukraine for their efforts to secure the freedom, saying in a statement that the U.S. “is appreciative of Ukraine including all prisoners of war, regardless of nationality, in its negotiations,” the Associated Press reported.
“Drueke and Huynh were serving in the Ukrainian Army when the unit they were assigned to came under heavy fire on June 9,” Drueke’s aunt Shaw previously said in a statement via Facebook. “The families first learned the men were missing in action on June 13, and received evidence of their captivity two days later.”
Huynh cited the fact that 18 year olds were being drafted into the Ukrainian Army as the primary reason he volunteered, and acknowledged that “it wasn’t my problem” but that it “broke my heart.” His remarks came in his local newspaper, The Decatur Daily, before flying to the war-torn country in April.
Huynh enlisted in the Marines when he was 19 but was not involved in any active combat. He was born and raised in California and moved to Alabama two years ago to be with his fiancée, the paper reported.
Drueke also joined the army at the age of 19 after the 9/11 terrorist attack and believed his training in the military would help contribute to the Ukrainians in fighting the war against Russia, per the AP.
The U.S. Department of State and Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Saudi Arabia says Russia has released 10 prisoners of war captured in Ukraine, following mediation by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, including from Morocco.
The other citizens are from the United States, Britain, Sweden and Croatia.
They have not yet been named.
A Saudi statement said they had been transferred from Russia to Saudi Arabia.
It did not say if Ukraine had released Russian prisoners in return.
Earlier we reported that 10 foreign prisoners who were caught in Ukraine, were released following mediation by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to the Saudi foreign ministry.
Prime Minister Liz Truss revealed that five Britonsare among those released.
Ms Truss tweeted: “Hugely welcome news that five British nationals held by Russian-backed proxies in eastern Ukraine are being safely returned, ending months of uncertainty and suffering for them and their families”.
She thanked Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Saudi Arabia for their efforts to secure their release.
A 65-year-old man from Saudi Arabia recently became the talk of the town after it was revealed that he married no less than 53 different women in his search for emotional “stability”.
Abu Abdullah married his first wife when he was only 20 years old. She was six years his senior, and for a time, she was all he needed. They had children together and everything was going well, but then problems started appearing in his life and he decided to marry again.
At the age of 23, he informed his wife that he planned to take a second wife and became a polygamist. Then, as problems started arising before his two spouses, he took on a third wife, and then a fourth. However, things only got worse, so he divorced his first and second wives, and then did the same with the third and fourth, as they had also started arguing. But his quest for stability continued.
The 65-year-old told Arabic daily Sabq that he has so far married a total of 53 women, with his shortest marriage only one night. However, he insisted that none of them was a joke; they were all traditional weddings. Apparently, all he was trying to do was find a woman who would make him happy in his life, but his marriages kept failing.
Although he didn’t reveal whether he finally found “the one”, Abu Abdullah said that he is now married to one woman and does not plan to remarry ever again. Most of his wives have been Saudi, but he did marry one foreign woman on a work trip that lasted a few months.
Abu Abdullah’s story recently went viral in South Arabia, sparking a heated debate among those who praised him for his adventurous lifestyle, and those who consider what he did wrong and refer to him as “the polygamist of the century.”
Turkish club Hatayaspor have completed the signing of Ghana winger Christian Atsu on a one-year deal.
The 30-year-old has completed a sensational move back to Europe after leaving Saudi Arabia outfit Al-Raed at the end of the season.
The Ghana international is returning to mainstream Europe for the first time in a year since leaving Newcastle United.
Atsu struggled at in the gulf and has decided to move back to Europe.
Hatayaspor have the option to renew the deal for an additional year.
“We signed a 1+1 year contract with experienced right and left winger Christian Atsu, who previously played for clubs such as Everton, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Porto and Malaga.
“The signing ceremony was attended by our Honorary President, Hatay Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Assoc. Dr Lütfü SavaÅŸ.â€
“We welcome Christian Atsu and wish him endless success with our burgundy and white jersey,†the club announced.
Atsu has 254 club appearances under his belt and has 30 assists to go along with 23 goals.
The winger has won 64 caps for Ghana, with nine assists and 10 goals.
The 30-year-old has completed a sensational move back to Europe after leaving Saudi Arabia outfit Al-Raed at the end of the season.
The Ghana international is returning to mainstream Europe for the first time in a year since leaving Newcastle United.
Atsu struggled at in the gulf and has decided to move back to Europe.
Hatayaspor have the option to renew the deal for an additional year.
“We signed a 1+1 year contract with experienced right and left winger Christian Atsu, who previously played for clubs such as Everton, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Porto and Malaga.
“The signing ceremony was attended by our Honorary President, Hatay Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Assoc. Dr Lütfü SavaÅŸ.â€
“We welcome Christian Atsu and wish him endless success with our burgundy and white jersey,†the club announced.
Atsu has 254 club appearances under his belt and has 30 assists to go along with 23 goals.
The winger has won 64 caps for Ghana, with nine assists and 10 goals.
A family is in pain and grief after their family member died three weeks after travelling to Saudi Arabia to work as domestic help.
However, after a week on the job, according to information obtained by the family, she was forced to donate her kidneys to one of her ailing bosses, which she bluntly refused.
She was forced to donate her kidneys to her boss’s sick child, which she initially refused, calling her husband and telling him what was going on and how her life was in danger when her boss forced her to donate her kidneys for his child donate, even after saying no and declining she would not donate her kidneys.
Her husband then tried to reach her by phone but was unable to reach her. The husband, named Juma, did not hear from his wife again, only to be informed by her friend that she was gone. According to the employer, Rose Atieno, the deceased, was taken to hospital after falling while cleaning windows.
She was pronounced dead and her body was sent to Kenya just so her family could see surgical procedures and patched wounds on her abdomen. Her family mourns her loss even though she refused to donate her kidneys, it was forcibly taken from her.
She went to Saudi Arabia in search of greener pastures, but her body was sent back to her family.
Our deepest condolences to the bereaved family and I think it is high time our ladies stop rushing to Arab countries to work as maids, and they are put to work instead of getting killed.
Authorities in Saudi Arabia have confiscated 47 million amphetamine pills that were hidden in a flour shipment, in an operation described as the biggest one-time drug smuggling attempt in terms of narcotics seized.
The pills were confiscated at a warehouse after arriving through the dry port of the capital Riyadh, the Saudi Ministry of Interior said in a statement on Wednesday.
The ministry said the seizure was the biggest one-time drug smuggling attempt in terms of narcotics seized.
Saudi’s GDNC tracked the shipment and raided the warehouse, arresting six Syrian and two Pakistani nationals on suspicion of smuggling the drugs.
“The suspects were arrested and faced legal measures and were referred to the public prosecution,” the statement said.
The GDNC did not name the drug seized or where it arrived from.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) previously said “reports of amphetamine seizures from countries in the Middle East continue to refer predominantly to tablets bearing the Captagon logo.”
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Captagon was originally the brand name for a medicinal product containing the synthetic stimulant fenethylline. Though it is no longer produced legally, drugs carrying the Captagon name are regularly seized in the Middle East, according to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction.
The counterfeit Captagon tablets contain amphetamine as well as other chemicals, according to the UNODC.
After footage surfaced online that appeared to show security personnel abusing young girls at an orphanage, Saudi authorities claim they have launched an investigation.
The unverified video appears to show officers in plainclothes searching the Social Education House in Khamis Mushait.
A police officer strikes the screaming girl with a belt as one official appears to pull her along the ground by her hair.
The circumstances and the timing of the incident were not clear, but a Twitter user who claimed she edited the videos wrote that the girls had been staging a “strike against corruption and injustice” after they “demanded their rights from the orphanage and were rejected”.
She later posted photographs showing what she said were bruises some of the girls had sustained in the raid and alleged that a senior official had threatened them if the videos were not taken down from social media.
Human rights activists and dissidents expressed outrage at the footage after it emerged on Tuesday night, while the hashtag “Khamis_Mushait_Orphans” began trending on Twitter in Saudi Arabia.
The UK-based rights group ALQST said the footage was “disturbing” and that Saudi authorities “must hold the perpetrators accountable”.
The opposition National Assembly Party, which is composed of exiled dissidents, condemned the “vicious attacks” and demanded, “the protection of girls in shelters and orphanages in order to let them exercise their basic rights”.
The governor of the southwestern Asir region said in a statement on Wednesday that he had formed a committee to investigate the footage and that its findings would be referred to the competent authorities.
US-based human rights group Dawn reported this week that a Saudi woman had been sentenced to 45 years in prison over social media posts criticizing the kingdom’s leaders.
Court documents showed that Nourah bint Saeed al-Qahtani was convicted of “using the internet to tear the social fabric” and “violating public order by using social media”, it said.
Another Saudi woman, Leeds University Ph.D. student Salma al-Shehab, was jailed for 34 years over her Twitter activity earlier this month.
Usyk reclaimed his unified heavyweight titles after beating the British via split decision on Sunday, August 21, 2022.
Joshua in his speech after the loss said: “I was studying Ukraine and all the champions from your amazing country. I’ve never been there. What’s happening there, I don’t know but it’s not nice,” as quoted by bbc.com.
He then proceeded to express his disappointment about losing the rematch by questioning how Usyk won.
“You’re not strong, how did you beat me? Because of skills. I had character and determination.”
Anthony Joshua had one judge score 115-113 in his favour in the close contest while the remaining two judges scored 115-113 and 116-112 for Oleksandr Usyk.
