Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 FIFA World Cup — a controversial pick

1:07pm December 11, 2024

FIFA's selection of Saudi Arabia to host the World Cup was celebrated in the kingdom but criticized by human rights groups, who fear residents, visitors and migrant workers will be at risk of abuse.

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Hundreds of Muslim pilgrims died in heat-stricken Hajj

9:20pm June 21, 2024

by Aya Batrawy

Collective prayers and struggles are core to Islam's Hajj, but heat took a toll this year: Hundreds died and thousands sought treatment for heat exhaustion.

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Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018. Five years on, there has been little accountability — and human rights groups say that has implications for free expression around the world.

5 years after Khashoggi's murder, advocates say the lack of justice is dangerous

1:51pm October 02, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in October 2018. Those involved in his killing have largely avoided consequences, and Saudi Arabia continues to crack down on its dissidents.

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World News

Saudi man sentenced to death for tweets in harshest verdict yet for online critics

12:07pm August 31, 2023

by Aya Batrawy

A retired teacher in Saudi Arabia a death sentence for his tweets criticizing the country's leadership to just a handful of followers, according to rights advocates and his family.

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Members of the media watch Russia's President Vladimir Putin address via videolink the 2023 BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023.

World News

Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are among 6 nations set to join the BRICS economic bloc

4:39am August 24, 2023

by The Associated Press

Iran and Saudi Arabia are among 6 nations invited Thursday to join the BRICS bloc of developing economies. United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Egypt and Ethiopia are also set to join the bloc from 2024.

This is a locator map for Yemen with its capital, Sanaa.

World News

Ethiopia to investigate report of killings of its nationals at the Saudi-Yemen border

12:20am August 23, 2023

by The Associated Press

The Ethiopian government said it will investigate a report of killings of hundreds its nationals at the Yemen-Saudi border. A Saudi government official rejected the Human Rights Watch report.

The circuitous journey by Chinese Muslims reflects the extraordinary means China is undertaking to surveil and stop its citizens from making the Hajj — as well as the equally resourceful ways believers circumvent them.

China makes it harder for its Muslim citizens to go to Mecca, or anywhere else

8:26am August 17, 2023

by Emily Feng

Chinese Muslims take roundabout trips for their Hajj pilgrimage, trying to circumvent China's tightened surveillance at every turn — and possible arrest on their return, pilgrims and tour leaders say.

Muslim pilgrims pray around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday.

Standing where Prophet Muhammad gave his final sermon, 2 million Muslims perform Hajj

2:16pm June 27, 2023

by Aya Batrawy

This is the largest pilgrimage since 2019, after which the Hajj was dramatically curbed due to coronavirus restrictions that limited the pilgrimage to just a few thousand people.

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South African golfer Charl Schwartzel plays a last shot during the LIV Golf Invitational Series in St. Albans, England, in June 2022. The launch of the series rocked the world of golf by setting up rival leagues.

In a stunning move, PGA Tour agrees to merge with its Saudi-backed rival, LIV Golf

3:08pm June 06, 2023

by Emily Olson

The merger will end all pending litigation between the parties, mending a burgeoning split in men's professional golf that remade the game in the last year.

Women walk past the closed Iranian embassy in the diplomatic quarter of the Saudi capital Riyadh, on April 11.

World News

Iran reopens its embassy in Saudi Arabia as the Gulf rivals restore ties

12:18pm June 06, 2023

by Aya Batrawy

The reopened embassy could ease travel between the two countries as they work to resume direct flights, increase trade and restore business ties.