Human rights advocate Princess Basmah and her daughter were imprisoned without charge in 2019Saudi authorities have released a princess and her daughter who had been detained without charge for nearly three years.Princess Basmah bint Saud bin Abdulaziz…
Tigrayans deported by Saudis ‘forcibly disappeared’ in Ethiopia – rights group
Thousands of Tigrayan migrants abused and deported from Saudi Arabia are forcibly detained in Ethiopia, Human Rights Watch saysThousands of Tigrayans are being deported from Saudi Arabia and held in secret detention sites in Ethiopia, according to Huma…
Saudi women’s rights activist sues three US intel operatives over hacking for UAE
Loujain al-Hathloul says actions of men on behalf of the UAE led to her iPhone being hacked and to her imprisonment and tortureLoujain al-Hathloul, the prominent Saudi women’s rights activist, has filed a lawsuit against three former US intelligence an…
TamatemGames raises $11M Series B led by PUBG maker Krafton
Jordan-based mobile game publisher TamatemGames announced today it has raised $11 million in a Series B led by KRAFTON, a South Korean game developer behind PUBG, marking its first investment in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Venture Souq, Endeavor Catalyst and existing investors also participated in the round. The Series B round brings its total […]
Newcastle United sale is a new low in football’s corruption by money | Letters
The Premier League may soon regret allowing the takeover, writes Joe McCarthy, while Michael McCarthy says it shows how little power fans have. Michael Herron believes money has rotted the game and Dr Chris Haughton suggests a visit to Saudi Arabia by …
Jailed Saudi aid worker’s sister hits out at Newcastle takeover
Sentence of 20 years for alleged critic of regime was upheld a day after controversial football deal was sealedThe sister of a Saudi aid worker jailed for tweeting criticism of the regime has spoken of her shock and anger after the Saudi-led takeover o…
Newcastle fans speak of suffering but what about actual suffering in Saudi Arabia? | Jonathan Wilson
Supporters sang about getting their club back but it is hard to imagine a way it could be more profoundly taken awayThere used to be a sport over there.Football has never been pure. There have always been the rich looking to improve their reputations b…
Amanda Staveley: ‘Newcastle is a fantastic gem that needs buffing up’
The director who will run the club said she understands the questions on human rights and takes them seriouslyAmanda Staveley has spent sufficient time in Middle Eastern souks to be able to spot a precious stone hiding, unpolished, amid a sea of replic…
Saudi aide accused of directing Khashoggi murder edges back to power
Saud al-Qahtani, aide to Mohammed bin Salman, hailed as patriot on pro-government social mediaThree years after the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi royal court adviser accused of directing the murder is being quietly reintroduced by pro-gov…
The Saudi takeover of Newcastle United is a symptom of England’s political failures | David Goldblatt
We shouldn’t single out football fans: the country has long since made its peace with the power of capital, whatever its originsFootball, no longer merely the national game, is England’s political theatre. The way in which the spasm of fan protest stop…