Saudi Arabia news and discussions

[wjfox]

Saudi Arabia puts 81 to death in its largest mass execution

By JON GAMBRELL
57 minutes ago

Saudi Arabia on Saturday executed 81 people convicted of crimes ranging from killings to belonging to militant groups, the largest known mass execution carried out in the kingdom in its modern history.

The number of executed surpassed even the toll of a January 1980 mass execution for the 63 militants convicted of seizing the Grand Mosque in Mecca in 1979, the worst-ever militant attack to target the kingdom and Islam’s holiest site.

It wasn’t clear why the kingdom choose Saturday for the executions, though they came as much of the world’s attention remained focused on Russia’s war on Ukraine — and as the U.S. hopes to lower record-high gasoline prices as energy prices spike worldwide. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly plans a trip to Saudi Arabia next week over oil prices as well.

The number of death penalty cases being carried out in Saudi Arabia had dropped during the coronavirus pandemic, though the kingdom continued to behead convicts under King Salman and his assertive son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency announced Saturday’s executions, saying they included those “convicted of various crimes, including the murdering of innocent men, women and children.”

https://apnews.com/article/islamic-stat ... c138525d80

[caltrek]

Saudi Crown Prince Meets British Prime Minister Johnson in Riyadh
March 17, 2022

https://www.eurasiareview.com/17032022- ... in-riyadh/

Introduction:

(Arab News via Eurasia Review) Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Riyadh on Wednesday, Saudi Press Agency reported.

Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a strategic partnership council.

The two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation in various fields and opportunities to develop it.

They also discussed regional and international issues of common interest including the latest developments in Ukraine.

Further Extract:

Johnson is on a visit to the Gulf as part of efforts to secure more oil supplies and increase pressure on President Vladimir Putin over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

[caltrek]

As Biden Mulls Trip to Saudi Arabia, Rights Group Spotlights Death Sentence of Child Defendant
by Jessica Corbett
May 30, 2022

Introduction:

(Common Dreams) Following reports that U.S. President Joe Biden may visit Saudi Arabia during his trip to the Middle East next month, a human rights group on Monday highlighted global calls to release Abdullah al-Howaiti, a young man twice sentenced to death by the country's courts.

Reprieve pointed out in a statement that United Nations experts have urged the Saudi government to annul his sentence "because he did not receive a fair trial, as credible reports that he was tortured into making a false confession when he was 14 years old were not investigated."

Sharing the statement on Twitter, the group noted that the U.S. leader is considering a trip to Saudi Arabia and encouraged Biden to review what a trio of U.N. experts has recently said in response to the case.

"From the moment police raided the Howaiti family home and dragged out 14-year-old Abdullah, the Saudi justice system has been on autopilot, punishing him for a crime he cannot have committed," said Jeed Basyouni, who leads Reprieve's work on the death penalty across the Middle East and North Africa.

"Every court knew how young he was," she continued. "Every court heard he had an alibi. Every court was told he was tortured. But they sent him to death row and kept him in a cell, when he should have been playing football with his friends."

Read more here:https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/ ... -defendant

[Tadasuke]

Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, now owns 96.18% of Japanese developer SNK (Fatal Fury, Blazing Star, Metal Slug, Samurai Shodown, King of Fighters). This is not the first time that Saudis bought shares in video game companies. The Saudis unfortunately have a bad track record with respecting human rights. Perhaps they want to diversify from oil production. In the past, SNK was purchased by a pachinko manufacturer, so it's not the first bad news concerning SNK. I hope this won't mean that their games will become worse, but the prince will get some of the money people spent on SNK's products.

Story according to Kotaku:
https://kotaku.com/snk-saudi-arabia-moh ... 1848754233

[caltrek]

United Nations Says Yemen’s Warring Parties Agree to Renew Truce
June 1, 2022

Introduction:

CAIRO (AP) — The United Nations said Thursday that Yemen’s warring parties have agreed to renew a nationwide truce for another two months. The announcement offered a glimmer of hope for the country, plagued by eight years of civil war, though significant obstacles remain to lasting peace.

The cease-fire between Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels first came into effect on April 2 — the first nationwide truce in the past six years of the conflict in the Arab World’s most impoverished nation. However, both sides have accused the other of violating the cease-fire at times.

The announcement, which is the outcome of U.N. efforts, came only a few hours before the original truce was set to expire later on Thursday.
“The truce represents a significant shift in the trajectory of the war and has been achieved through responsible and courageous decision making by the parties,” U.N. Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said in a statement.

He said he will mediate talks between the warring parties to solidify the new truce, and to eventually reach a political settlement to end the conflict.

Read more here: https://www.courthousenews.com/un-says ... ew-truce/

(The National) US President Joe Biden on Thursday welcomed the extension of a UN-brokered truce between Yemen's warring parties, and said Saudi Arabia had demonstrated “courageous leadership” by endorsing and enacting its terms.

The UN's Yemen envoy Hans Grundberg earlier announced that the existing ceasefire, which began in April on the first day of Ramadan, had been extended by two months.

Read more here: https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/ ... extension/

[weatheriscool]

US seeks full reset with Saudi Arabia, effectively moving on from the murder of Jamal Khashoggi
Source: CNN

Senior US officials have conveyed to Saudi Arabia that the US is prepared to move forward with a "reset" of the relationship, and effectively move on from the 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in order to repair ties with the key Middle East ally, senior US officials tell CNN.

The planning for a reset is a dramatic about-face for President Joe Biden, who came into office vowing to make Saudi Arabia a "pariah" over Khashoggi's murder. His administration also released an intelligence report last year that directly accused Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of orchestrating Khashoggi's killing.

But officials say Biden, who is under immense pressure to crack down on Russia and lower domestic gas prices amid inflation that's rising at the fastest pace since 1981, has set aside his moral outrage to pursue warmer relations with the Kingdom amid the dramatic global upheaval spurred by the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine.

"Both sides have decided that for the sake of achieving peace and stability in the Middle East, we need to move past it," said one senior US official, referring to Khashoggi's murder. The Saudis, for their part, consider the Khashoggi case closed—and have made that clear to the US, officials said.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/10/politics ... index.html

[caltrek]

Perspective on Saudi Heritage Tourism
June 14, 2022

Introduction:

(EurekAlert) The impact of tourism development at the Al-Hijr Archaeological Site, decreed Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, has been significant since the Saudi Vision 2030 strategy was launched in 2016, which positioned heritage tourism sites as important catalysts in the nation’s long-term transition to a post-oil economy.

Dating back to the first century BC, Al-Hijr is considered a sister site to Petra in Jordan, as both were developed by the Nabataean nomadic Arabian tribe. However, while Petra has become one of the Middle East’s most popular tourist destinations, Al-Hijr has remained on the periphery, largely due to Saudi Arabia’s strict regulations on international arrivals that only recently expanded beyond religious or business-focused travellers.

Al-Hijr is now a focus of new international tourism activity, and while the UNESCO listing helped foster local community support for tourism due to new economic opportunities, the proposed scale of development has raised numerous local concerns, including fears of ‘cultural erosion’ and unsustainable growth.

Through identifying local stakeholder perspectives on embryonic tourism development at Al-Hijr, research project lead author Abdulmohsen Alahmadi, a Masters student at Flinders University’s College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, believes the research can provide valuable recommendations to mitigate emerging concerns among wary local communities.

“It was frequently argued that the speed of tourism development could lead to ‘cultural erosion’ or irreversible changes to the customs and traditions of communities that had received limited exposure to non-domestic tourists before 2019,” says Mr Alahmadi.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/955955

[caltrek]

Despite Pleas From 9/11 Families, Trump Urges Pros to Join Saudi-Backed Golf League
by Russ Choma
July 20, 2022

Introduction:

(Mother Jones) A group of family members of 9/11 victims is asking former President Donald Trump to cancel events being hosted at his golf clubs by a controversial Saudi Arabian-backed golf competition. Trump hasn’t responded directly to the group. Instead, on Monday, he publicly urged more golfers to get involved with the LIV Golf league, which is heavily financed by the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund.

9/11 Justice, an organization of 9/11 survivors and family members, sent a letter to Trump on Sunday, pointing to Trump’s previous comments pinning blame for the terrorist attacks on Saudi Arabia and saying that it causes them anguish to know that Trump will be paid by LIV Golf to host two tournaments, including one later this month at Bedminster, the northern New Jersey club where Trump spends much of his summer.

“The 9/11 mass murder of our spouses, parents, children, and siblings left us with a lifetime of grief and pain. That pain fuels our ongoing fight to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for its role in the attacks and what they have taken from each of us,” the letter reads. “It is incomprehensible to us that a former President of the United States would cast our loved ones aside for personal financial gain.”

The Trump Organization did not respond to a request for comment, and Trump has not addressed 9/11 Justice’s concerns. But on Monday, he took to his social media startup to encourage more professional golfers to join the new league, which is embroiled in an increasingly bitter dispute with the more established PGA Tour.

Further Extract:

Explicitly set up to compete with the PGA Tour, LIV Golf has spent lavishly to lure top names from the PGA and has put up gigantic prize purses at each of its tournaments. Tiger Woods was reportedly offered close to a billion dollars to switch his allegiance but declined to do so. Most of the PGA’s other big names have similarly rejected LIV’s overtures, but some, including Phil Mickelson, have joined up. The PGA Tour has fought back, banning players who participate in LIV from competing in regular tour events.

Read more here: https://www.motherjones.com/politics ... liv-golf/

[wjfox]

Saudi Arabia win bid to host 2029 Asian Winter Games at desert megacity

Tue 4 Oct 2022 10.25 BST

Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday it has won a bid to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games at a planned mountain resort in the Gulf Arab state’s $500bn (£440bn) flagship Neom project.

The Trojena development is expected to be completed in 2026 and will offer outdoor skiing, a man-made freshwater lake and a nature reserve, according to the project’s website.

“With the unlimited support by the Saudi leadership & HRH Crown Prince to the sport sector we are proud to announce we have won the bid to host AWG TROJENA2029 as the first country in west Asia,” the Saudi sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Faisal said on Twitter.

Nadhmi al-Nasr, the Neom chief executive, said: “Trojena will have a suitable infrastructure to create the winter atmosphere in the heart of the desert, to make this Winter Games an unprecedented global event.”

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/ ... om-trojena


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IOC not consulted over Saudi plans for $500bn desert Asian Winter Games

Wed 5 Oct 2022 11.58 BST

The International Olympic Committee has said it was not consulted in the decision by the Olympic Council of Asia to pick Saudi Arabia as the hosts of the 2029 Asian Winter Games.

The choice for the 2029 Games at the OCA general assembly raised eyebrows Saudi Arabia experiencing only rare snowfall and without any winter sports infrastructure or tradition. That means all or most venues needed for this multi-sports event would have to be built from scratch.

“The IOC was not consulted about the OCA decision with regard to the Asian Winter Games and was not involved in the decision-making process,” an IOC spokesperson said. “As far as the IOC is concerned, sustainability is a key pillar of Olympic Agenda 2020+5.” The IOC’s Olympic Games' reform plan is aimed at reducing costs and the size of the Olympics to make them more attractive to potential host cities.

Saudi Arabia plans to build a mountain resort in the Gulf Arab state’s $500bn flagship Neom project. The Trojena development is expected to be completed in 2026 and will offer outdoor skiing, a man-made freshwater lake and a nature reserve, according to the project’s website.

“For the Olympic Games, the IOC made it plain in Olympic Agenda 2020+5 that there is a clear priority for existing venues. If these do not exist, the use of temporary venues is encouraged,” the IOC spokesperson said.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/ ... nter-games

[weatheriscool]

Biden administration says Saudi prince has immunity in Khashoggi killing lawsuit
Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, Nov 17 (Reuters) - The Biden administration ruled on Thursday that Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has immunity from a lawsuit over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, drawing immediate condemnation from the slain journalist's former fiancee.

Khashoggi was killed and dismembered in October 2018 by Saudi agents in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, an operation which U.S. intelligence believed was ordered by Prince Mohammed, who has been the kingdom's de facto ruler for several years.

"Jamal died again today," Khashoggi's ex-fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, said on Twitter minutes after the news became public. She added later: "We thought maybe there would be a light to justice from #USA But again, money came first. This is a world that Jamal doesn’t know about and me..!"

A spokesperson for the Saudi consulate in Washington could not be reached for comment on Thursday evening, after business hours.

-snip-


Read more: https://www.reuters.com/legal/biden-adm ... 022-11-18/

[wjfox]

Aramco: Saudi state-owned oil giant sees record income of $161bn

40 minutes ago

Saudi oil giant Aramco has announced a record profit of $161.1bn (£134bn) for 2022, helped by soaring energy prices and bigger volumes.

It represents a 46.5% rise for the state-owned company, compared with last year.

It is the latest energy firm to report record profits, after energy prices spiked following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

[...]

In a statement on Sunday, Aramco said the company results were "underpinned by stronger crude oil prices, higher volumes sold and improved margins for refined products".

Aramco's President and CEO Amin Nasser said: "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."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-64931074

[wjfox]

Hundreds of migrants killed by Saudi border guards - report

4 hours ago

Saudi border guards are accused of the mass killing of migrants along the Yemeni border in a new report by Human Rights Watch.

The report says hundreds of people, many of them Ethiopians who cross war-torn Yemen to reach Saudi Arabia, have been shot dead.

Migrants have told the BBC they had limbs severed by gunfire and saw bodies left on the trails.

Saudi Arabia has previously rejected allegations of systematic killings.

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, titled They Fired On Us Like Rain, contains graphic testimony from migrants who say they were shot at and sometimes targeted with explosive weapons by Saudi police and soldiers on Yemen's rugged northern border with Saudi Arabia.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-66545787

[Time_Traveller]

Neom: Forces 'told to kill’ to clear land for eco-city

4 hours ago

Saudi authorities have permitted the use of lethal force to clear land for a futuristic desert city being built by dozens of Western companies, an ex-intelligence officer has told the BBC.

Col Rabih Alenezi says he was ordered to evict villagers from a tribe in the Gulf state to make way for The Line, part of the Neom eco-project.

One of them was subsequently shot and killed for protesting against eviction.

The Saudi government and Neom management refused to comment.

Neom, Saudi Arabia's $500bn (£399bn) eco-region, is part of its Saudi Vision 2030 strategy which aims to diversify the kingdom's economy away from oil.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68945445

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

What an idiotic event. Why in the f*ck are people so dumb? Why not at least install some ac's and or massive pools of ice with fans around the fucking rock.

[Time_Traveller]

Saudi Arabia narrowly fails in bid to win a seat on UN human rights council

Thu 10 Oct 2024 02.52 BST

Saudi Arabia narrowly failed in its bid to win a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council, a blow to Riyadh’s efforts to boost the country’s rights reputation abroad, four years after it was rejected in a 2020 bid to join the 47-member body.

Saudi Arabia is spending billions to transform its global image from a country known for strict religious restrictions and human rights abuses into a tourism and entertainment hub under a plan its Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, launched known as Vision 2030.

Members of the Geneva-based Human Rights Council are elected by the 193-member UN general assembly in New York, in a secret ballot in geographical groups to ensure even representation.

The Asia-Pacific group, which included Saudi Arabia, was the only competitive race on Wednesday, with six candidates vying for five seats. Saudi Arabia missed out with 117 votes.

Campaigners had warned that Saudi Arabia’s election to the council would undermine its ability to demand justice for rights violations and would feel like a “slap in the face” to the many victims of the Saudi regime.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/ ... ts-council

There human rights record is atrocious and should never be part of it until they majorly improve it for their citizens.

[caltrek]

A Saudi Path to a Peaceful and Modern Middle East?
by Matthew Kaminski
December 16, 2024

Introduction:

(Politico) RIYADH — The sudden collapse of the Assad regime in Syria opens the way to a new Middle East. This path will have to go through Saudi Arabia.

A lot has to go right to realize the eternally dashed dream of a region at peace and prosperous. Including in the country that has been one of the most conservative, repressive and, despite its wealth, inefficiently run places in the region. But there’s a simple reason why Saudi Arabia might be part of the solution: The kingdom is embarked on the most radical transformation in its history. It wants to modernize its economy and society. It isn’t looking to become an Arab superpower. The most overt threat to those plans isn’t from within — dissent isn’t allowed. It is from the many sources of instability across the region, like Gaza, Syria and, above all, Iran.

The Saudi Arabia you encounter today wants these fires to be put out as soon as possible. In the meantime, it acts as if they don’t exist. As news from Syria and Gaza dominated global headlines, the conversation here focused on other matters. An ultramodern driverless metro, the world’s longest subway system, opened last week. Jennifer Lopez, in a plunging sequined body suit, headlined a fashion show/concert “ode to the female figure” put on in Riyadh by the Lebanese designer Elie Saab. Later this week, Hollywood’s glitterati are coming in for the Red Sea Film Festival. On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia won the right to host the 2034 soccer World Cup.

This, in a couple of nutshells, is today’s Saudi Arabia, as transformed with a firm hand by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Read more here: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine ... 00194287

[Powers]

A Saudi Path to a Peaceful and Modern Middle East?
by Matthew Kaminski
December 16, 2024

Introduction:

(Politico) RIYADH — The sudden collapse of the Assad regime in Syria opens the way to a new Middle East. This path will have to go through Saudi Arabia.

A lot has to go right to realize the eternally dashed dream of a region at peace and prosperous. Including in the country that has been one of the most conservative, repressive and, despite its wealth, inefficiently run places in the region. But there’s a simple reason why Saudi Arabia might be part of the solution: The kingdom is embarked on the most radical transformation in its history. It wants to modernize its economy and society. It isn’t looking to become an Arab superpower. The most overt threat to those plans isn’t from within — dissent isn’t allowed. It is from the many sources of instability across the region, like Gaza, Syria and, above all, Iran.

The Saudi Arabia you encounter today wants these fires to be put out as soon as possible. In the meantime, it acts as if they don’t exist. As news from Syria and Gaza dominated global headlines, the conversation here focused on other matters. An ultramodern driverless metro, the world’s longest subway system, opened last week. Jennifer Lopez, in a plunging sequined body suit, headlined a fashion show/concert “ode to the female figure” put on in Riyadh by the Lebanese designer Elie Saab. Later this week, Hollywood’s glitterati are coming in for the Red Sea Film Festival. On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia won the right to host the 2034 soccer World Cup.

This, in a couple of nutshells, is today’s Saudi Arabia, as transformed with a firm hand by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Read more here: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine ... 00194287

This “youth bulge” — 70 percent of Saudis are under the age of 35 —

Uh oh.

[firestar464]

You're back? What happened?

[caltrek]

The Pomp, Circumstance, Benefits, and Costs of the Trillion-dollar U.S.-Saudi Investment Summit
By Rachel Bronson
November 25, 2025

Introduction:

(Bulletin of Atomic Scientists) The Trump administration orchestrated an extraordinary welcome reception for Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) last week. Green and white Saudi flags festooned DC lamp posts, street signs, and government buildings. The two leaders took in a military flyover that included F-35 fighter jets; bands played, and Arabian horses escorted the official motorcade. Such pomp and circumstance are reserved for America’s closest allies, a message both Saudi and American leaders were comfortable conveying.

The crown prince and the president sat for not only a working meeting but later joined a lavish black-tie dinner and appeared side-by-side the next day at a US-Saudi Investment Summit. CEOs from major companies—Nvidia, Palantir, Tesla/SpaceX, Apple, and Pfizer, among others—attended the dinner and the next day’s summit. From the summit’s podium, Trump welcomed many of the attendees by name and assured the high-profile audience that he had reviewed personally all attendees and either knew, or knew of, everyone in the room. Given his comfort with the leaders of big tech, his remarks contained an air of plausibility. American officials gleefully concluded that “America is open for business.”

As a result of the meetings, the White House heralded what it contended would be a trillion dollars’ worth of deals, augmenting by $400 billion the $600 billion announced in May when the president traveled to the Gulf region. Although experts are hard pressed to replicate the math behind this vast sum, even a portion of it amounts to an astonishing level of economic commitment.

It would be easy to focus only on the thrill of the deal that this president and those surrounding him clearly felt. But to do so would miss the central role that the US administration is giving the tech sector, and artificial intelligence in particular, not just economically but geopolitically. Focusing only on the size of the various deals struck in Washington would also obscure how they align not only with Saudi Arabia’s economic development plans but also its long-term strategy of betting on the United States. This aligning of geoeconomic and geopolitical interests is reminiscent of US-Saudi relations in the late 1970s and early 1980s, at the height of the two countries’ strategic cooperation.

Read more here: https://thebulletin.org/2025/11/the-po ... -heading