Saudi Arabia

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Facing Opposition, Saudi Arabia Loses on Human Rights Seat

Criticism includes reputed border killings, Khashoggi's death

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia was defeated for a seat in the UN's premier human rights body Wednesday after a campaign by rights groups urging member nations to reject its bid. The General Assembly elected 18 new members to serve on the 47-nation Human Rights Council, which allocates seats to regional groups...

In Saudi Arabia, a Netflix Show Creator Is Sentenced

Abdulaziz Almuzaini's case shows conflicting state of affairs in the new Saudi Arabia

(Newser) - A dual US-Saudi citizen and celebrated animator with a Netflix deal says he's facing decades in prison in Saudi Arabia because of his art. Abdulaziz Almuzaini, the man behind Masameer , a cartoon likened to South Park, and a spinoff Netflix show Masameer County , has been publicly celebrated by the...

Maryland Couple Dies on Sweltering Pilgrimage to Mecca

Their daughter says tour company left them without food, transportation

(Newser) - Among the more than 1,300 people who died during this year's sweltering Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca was a couple from Maryland who'd made the trek to Saudi Arabia for the annual Islamic journey. "Alhaji Alieu Dausy and Haja Isatu Wurie passed away during a pilgrimage to...

More Than 1,300 Died During Hajj Pilgrimage: Saudi Arabia

Temperatures reached 117 degrees

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia on Sunday put the number of pilgrims who died in the scorching heat during this year's Hajj pilgrimage at more than 1,300. Health Minister Fahd bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalajel said on state TV that 83% of the fatalities were among unauthorized pilgrims who walked long distances in...

Heat During Hajj Turns Fatal for Pilgrims

14 are reported killed, and 17 more are missing

(Newser) - Exposure to extreme sun and heat killed 14 Jordanian pilgrims during rituals for the Hajj, a holy trip to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, Jordan's official news agency reported. Another 17 are missing. The temperatures in Mecca on Sunday was 116.6 Fahrenheit. The five-day Hajj is one of the...

One Country Carried Out 74% of 2023's Known Executions
One Country Imposed 74%
of 2023's Known Executions
in case you missed it
Jun 2, 2024 12:20 PM CDT

One Country Imposed 74% of 2023's Known Executions

With China excluded, Iran led the world last year, according to Amnesty International

(Newser) - The number of executions carried out around the world jumped to an eight-year high in 2023, largely due to a single country, according to Amnesty International . Though the number of countries delivering death penalties fell to an all-time low of 16, Amnesty logged at least 1,153 executions last year,...

Saudis Are Pushing Ahead With Desert Megaproject

But sources say plans for 105-mile-long city have been scaled back in the medium term

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia is pushing ahead with a project so big that merely building housing for construction workers will cost an estimated $5 billion—but the Neom project is not going entirely smoothly. The Wall Street Journal reports the megaproject is losing momentum amid rising costs and major blunders, including one...

Cost of Golfing Too Slow? $240K for This Guy

Adrian Meronk took his time on his final shot of the LIV Golf Jeddah tournament and paid a penalty

(Newser) - Cheaters may or may not prosper, but dawdlers apparently don't prosper nearly as much as they could. Golf.com reports the tale of semi-woe of Adrian Meronk, who took home a tidy little paycheck of $508,750 this weekend in Saudi Arabia's LIV Golf Jeddah tournament—not a...

Liquor Store Is Big News in Saudi Arabia

First one to open in more than 70 years is only for non-Muslim diplomats

(Newser) - A liquor store has opened in Saudi Arabia for the first time in over 70 years, a diplomat reported Wednesday, a further socially liberalizing step in the once-ultraconservative kingdom that is home to the holiest sites in Islam, the AP reports. While restricted to non-Muslim diplomats, the store in Riyadh...

Rory McIlroy Abruptly Ditches PGA Tour Board

Golfer made no secret of his distaste for a Saudi-funded league

(Newser) - Rory McIlroy has resigned from the PGA Tour's policy board five months after complaining of feeling " like a sacrificial lamb " in the tour's quest to obtain funding from Saudi Arabia. The four-time major winner announced his resignation in a Tuesday letter to the board shortly after...

After Latest Airstrike, Calls for End to Israeli 'War Crimes'

Arab nations condemn Israeli strike on refugee camp as groups claim use of white phosphorus

(Newser) - Dozens of people entered the Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt on Wednesday in what appeared to be the first time foreign passport holders have been allowed to leave the besieged territory since the start of the Israel-Hamas war more than three weeks ago, the AP reports. Egyptian state-run media...

Climate Change Will Make These Places Too Hot to Live

New study identifies which regions will be 'unlivable' for long stretches of time

(Newser) - As global temperatures rise, long stretches of extreme heat will make certain regions 'unlivable' for weeks at a time, a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says. The Washington Post breaks down the bleak report, which projects what temperatures will look like in...

After Defiance Over Skirt With Saudi Flag, Designer Apologizes

Mowalola Ogunlesi faced a call for a boycott

(Newser) - Mowalola Ogunlesi's initial reaction to the outcry over the miniskirt bearing the Saudi Arabian flag that she showed during London Fashion Week was not contrite. "Cry me a river," said one of the Nigerian designer's posts on X, CNN reports. "A mini skirt being an...

6 More Countries Set to Join BRICS Bloc
BRICS Bloc Is Getting
6 New Members
Aug 24, 2023 4:25 AM CDT

BRICS Bloc Is Getting 6 New Members

They include Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE

(Newser) - Iran and Saudi Arabia are among six countries that will join the BRICS bloc of developing economies as new members from 2024, South Africa's president said Thursday. United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Egypt, and Ethiopia are also set to join the bloc that is currently made up of Brazil, Russia,...

Saudi Border Guards Accused of Atrocities Against Migrants

Human Rights Watch says soldiers are murdering and torturing Ethiopians

(Newser) - A new Human Rights Watch report makes for grim reading about the border between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The organization accuses Saudi soldiers of raping, torturing, and killing African migrants trying to enter the oil-rich country, reports the BBC . HRW interviewed dozens of migrants from Ethiopia and examined photos and...

Algeria Is Latest Country to Ban Barbie

But movie has made it to cinemas in Saudi Arabia with surprisingly few changes

(Newser) - Algeria has banned the Barbie movie for supposedly "damaging morals," though plenty of Algerians have already had the opportunity to have their morals damaged: The film was released in the North African country more than three weeks ago and 24H Algerie reports that screenings have been selling out...

Women's Tennis Mulls a 'Challenging' Move

WTA CEO Steve Simon says they're considering getting into business with the Saudis

(Newser) - Like other sports, women's tennis is looking into the possibility of getting into business with Saudi Arabia. And while holding a tournament there isn't imminent, WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon said Friday that he visited that country with some players in February as part of the evaluation...

Report: Golfers Who Rejected Saudi Cash Will Get Saudi Cash

Sources say PGA loyalists will get payments to 'level up' with those who joined breakaway league

(Newser) - The bitter split dubbed "golf's civil war" ended last week with a surprise merger between Saudi Arabia's LIV Golf venture and the PGA Tour and European Tour—and insiders say the peace deal will include some Saudi money for PGA loyalists who turned down enticements to join...

Crown Prince MBS Vowed 'Consequences' for US: Report

In classified doc seen by 'WaPo,' de facto Saudi leader spouted off after Biden's own threat last year

(Newser) - Last fall, President Biden warned of "consequences" headed Saudi Arabia's way after the kingdom cut oil production, which in effect proved helpful to Russia as it continued its invasion into Ukraine. Biden later seemed to walk back his admonition in favor of trying to repair strained ties between...

Golf May Never Be the Same After Stunning Merger
PGA Chief's About-Face
Came in Secret Meeting
the rundown
Jun 7, 2023 10:25 AM CDT

PGA Chief's About-Face Came in Secret Meeting

Jay Monahan once reviled the Saudi LIV tour, but he then agreed to a stunning merger

(Newser) - A lot of words are being thrown around to describe what happened in the world of golf on Tuesday: Shocking, stunning, hypocritical (from the critics), to name a few. One thing clear, though, is that "Tuesday was unlike any other [day] in golf history," writes Brendan Quinn at...

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