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GENEVA (AP) — The near certainty that Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 men's World Cup unites two of the most influential men in world sports: the leader of soccer's governing body and the kingdom's crown prince. In the case of Saudi Arabia, U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi was slain inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018. The men’s World Cup should earn Switzerland-based FIFA more than $10 billion in almost entirely tax-free revenue. “Mohammed bin Salman wants Saudi Arabia to be a hub of anything and everything,” Middle East expert James Dorsey said. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic and FIFA canceled the planned June 2021 relaunch in China of its Club World Cup event.

Persons: Gianni Infantino, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, sportswashing, Jamal Khashoggi, Prince Mohammed, Infantino, King Salman, Prince Mohammed's, “ Abraham, ”, Donald Trump, ” Infantino, Mohammed's, Cristiano Ronaldo, “ Mohammed bin Salman, James Dorsey, Greece —, —, Australia –, they’ve, James Johnson, “, Yasser Al Misehal –, – Organizations: GENEVA, FIFA, Australia, Qatar, White House, “ Abraham Accords, United Arab, Soccer, Newcastle, Russia, Saudi, ” Football Australia, ” FIFA, FIFA Council, Fox News Locations: Saudi Arabia, Persian, Saudi, U.S, Istanbul, Riyadh, Switzerland, Gulf, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Europe, Swiss, China, Qatar, United States, Canada, Mexico, Egypt, Greece, Africa, South America, Asia, Oceania, Saudi Arabian, Australia

☆ How Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman went from pariah to pragmatic diplomat
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is trying to transform the oil-rich Persian Gulf kingdom. AdvertisementAdvertisementSaudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is on a mission to transform his country. Billboards show portraits of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) and his father and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz. US President Joe Biden (L) being welcomed by Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) at Alsalam Royal Palace in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on July 15, 2022. President Joe Biden gives Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a handshake at the G20 summit this September.

Persons: Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he's, —, Prince Mohammed didn't, King Salman, Fahda bint Falah, Saud, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz, AAMIR QURESHI, Muhammad bin Nayef, Prince Mohammed, Rash, Chris Doyle, GIUSEPPE CACACE, Doyle, he'd, Jamal Khashoggi, Emmanuel Macron, Joe Biden, Prince Mohammed a, Grant Shapps, Vladimir Putin's, Sanam Vakil, Biden, Evelyn Hockstein, Vakil, Duaa, Pierre Crom, Dhainy, Prince Organizations: Service, Saudi, King Saud University, Saudi Arabian Crown, Guardian, Ritz, Carlton, Council, Arab, CIA, Royal, Anadolu Agency, Bloomberg, Washington, Chatham House, Associated Press, Fox News, European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, MBS, United Nations, Getty Images, Human Rights Locations: Saudi, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Riyadh, British, Istanbul, Jeddah, Ukraine, Iran, China, Israel, East, North Africa, Delhi, Neom, The Hague, Netherlands, Getty Images Saudi Arabia

☆ Saudi Arabia and the UAE are battling to become the Middle East's economic superpower
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Saudi Arabia's crown prince is shaking up his economy in a move escalating its UAE rivalry. In March, Saudi Arabia unveiled Riyadh Air , a new airline serving as an alternative to the UAE's Emirates and Etihad Airways. If you want to do business with Saudi Arabia or Saudi state-owned entities, you've got to base your regional HQ in Saudi Arabia." "Saudi Arabia sees the separation project in Yemen as a way to let the Houthis control the north and therefore have a more-threatening border at the south of Saudi Arabia." Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERSHow far the rivalry between the two nations goes largely depends on Saudi Arabia's actions.

Persons: Saudi Arabia's, Mohammed bin Salman, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, MBZ, Obama, You've, Kristian Ulrichsen, Rice, Sheikh Mohamed, Prince Mohammed, Sheikh Mohamed —, —, Leon Neal, Shaybah, Ulrichsen, Sheikh Zayed, Sultan Al Nahyan, Abu, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Neom, Abishur Prakash, Jorg Greuel, Abdullah Alaoudh, Prakash, you've, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed, Ludovic Marin, Mohammed's, Jamal Khashoggi, Biden, Baker Institute's Ulrichsen, Alaoudh, wouldn't Organizations: United Arab Emirates, UAE, Service, Baker Institute, Saudi, UAE —, Qatar, Dubai, United, Freedom Initiative, UAE's Emirates, Etihad Airways, Saudi Public Investment Fund, Newcastle United FC, English Premier League, Manchester City, Saudi Crown, Getty, Ritz Carlton, Saudi Royal Court, REUTERS, Saudi Aramco, United Nations Locations: Saudi, Wall, Silicon, Saudi Arabia, East, Washington, London, UAE, Persian, Al Ain, British, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, United Arab, Riyadh, Manchester City . Saudi Arabia, New Delhi, Istanbul, Yemen, Iran, Saudi Arabia's, Bandar, Ukraine

☆ Vision 2030 is Saudi Arabia's grand plan to future-proof its oil-based economy. Experts say it's a huge risk.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Vision 2030 is Saudi Arabia's grand plan to transform its economy and reduce its reliance on oil. The centerpiece of Vision 2030 is Neom, which includes a $1 trillion megacity known as The Line. But time is ticking: Seven years after announcing Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia has reached the midway point of its timeline, with just seven years left to the finish line. That said, much of this is being financed by the Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia's powerful sovereign wealth fund, which manages assets worth about $700 billion. NeomA key factor that could determine this project's success involves Saudi Arabia's changing appeal to the West.

Persons: Saud, who's, Simon Mabon, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, McKinsey —, —, Gerald Feierstein, Barack Obama, Feierstein, Richard Callis, Prince Mohammed, Yasir Othman al, Mabon, Prince Mohammed's, there's, Muslimi, they're Organizations: Foreign Policy Center, Saudi Royal Court, REUTERS, Saudi Crown, McKinsey, Middle East Institute, Public Investment Fund, Saudi, SoftBank's Vision, Newcastle United soccer, Newcastle United FC, Saudi Aramco, International Monetary Fund, Chatham House, Neom, United, Bloomberg, Amnesty International Locations: Saudi, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, London, NEOM, Bandar, Yemen, Ukraine, Riyadh, Jeddah, they're, United Arab Emirates, Neom

☆ Saudi Arabia's cold-blooded crown prince keeps winning
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Joe Ciolli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The recent PGA-LIV golf merger is the latest example of growing Saudi influence on sports. Originally viewed as a deep-pocketed but unserious distraction from the PGA Tour, they effectively muscled into the picture through sheer financial willpower. The new PGA Tour might look a whole lot like the old one, except with a far wealthier outside party controlling the purse strings. And that's kind of been the Saudi strategy as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has expanded his influence over multiple sports worldwide. Detailed below are the six recent high-profile examples of how the Saudi PIF keeps winning:

Persons: Mohammed bin Salman, LIV, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prince Mohammed's, Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi PIF Organizations: Saudi Public Investment Fund, Morning, PGA, LIV, PGA Tour, English Premier League team, Saudi, league, Prince, CIA Locations: England, Saudi, Saudi Arabia

☆ Biden is trying to lure Saudi Arabia's crown prince away from China with lucrative promises, despite once threatening to make him a 'pariah'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The US has replaced its threats with lucrative contracts for the crown prince as part of a high stakes power game being waged over dominance of the region. Biden last weekend dispatched his national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, to Saudi Arabia, for discussions with Saudi officials. Last year, Crown Prince Mohammed and Xi agreed to deepen their cooperation across a range of economic and security issues. Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud at the royal palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 8, 2022. "It is important to note that Saudi Arabia is not seeking to burn its bridges with the United States.

☆ Saudi Arabia's Neom is a $500B futuristic city being built in the desert — but it could morph into a surveillance dystopia
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Bill Bostock | Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Saudi Arabia is building a futuristic mega-city called Neom deep in a desert bordering the Red Sea. But critics fear that sophisticated technology could be used to surveil residents. Saudi Arabia hopes to build a futuristic mega-city 33 times the size of New York City from scratch. It's called Neom, a planned 16-borough city on the Red Sea coast in the northwestern Saudi province of Tabuk. As Insider reported, they believe that the Saudis could be preparing to use sophisticated Chinese surveillance technology to tightly monitor and control Neom's residents.

☆ The Saudi crown prince wants to build a trillion-dollar utopia in the desert. His deals with China reveal a darker vision.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

It's part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's modernizing vision of the country. But behind the outlandish plan, developed by Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, is a much darker reality. Crown Prince Mohammed appears keen to replicate those projects on a grander scale. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman announces a zero-carbon city called "The Line" to be built at NEOM in northwestern Saudi Arabia, January 10, 2021. It appeared to be the beginning of a fruitful partnership for Crown Prince Mohammed.

☆ Biden promised a reckoning when Saudi Arabia crossed him. 3 months later, it is clear he's backed down.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

President Joe Biden had pledged to hold Saudi Arabia to account over cutting oil supplies. It came after Saudi Arabia and Russia cut oil supplies, sparking inflation fears. In concert with Russia, Saudi Arabia had cut oil production, an economic kick in the shin for the US just in time for the midterm elections. Three months later, Saudi Arabia and its crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, remain unpunished. Cafiero noted a series of other developments he said had focused minds in both the US and Saudi Arabia on common interests.

☆ How Saudi Arabia's crown prince snubbed Biden repeatedly to forge ties with authoritarian China and Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In 2022, Saudi Arabia sought closer ties with Russia and China. Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend the G20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires, on November 30, 2018. Analysts say that US criticism of Saudi Arabia's human-rights record and its suppression of domestic dissent infuriate Riyadh. Crown Prince Mohammed has more affinity with the ideology of fellow strongmen Xi or Putin than with the US, said Alterman. "Saudi Arabia, China, and Russia all believe in the model of 'authoritarian stability'.

Dec 6 (Reuters) - A federal judge in Washington on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by the fiance of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi against Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, citing President Biden's grant of immunity. U.S. District Judge John Bates suggested he was reluctant to throw out the lawsuit but had no choice given the Biden administration's decision. Biden was criticized for fist-bumping the crown prince on a visit to Saudi Arabia in July to discuss energy and security issues. The White House said Biden had told Prince Mohammed that he considered him responsible for Khashoggi's killing. He had traveled to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain papers he needed to marry Cengiz, a Turkish citizen.

RIYADH, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia expects to post a second consecutive budget surplus in 2023, though down 84% from this year as an uncertain global economic outlook and lower crude prices look set to weigh on the top oil exporter's revenues. Spending is slightly lower than 1.132 trillion riyals this year. Revenues are expected at 1.13 trillion riyals, down from 1.234 trillion riyals in 2022 as oil prices are seen falling from this year's high levels. Public debt is seen falling 3.5% to 951 billion riyals next year, or 24.6% of GDP. Government reserves at the Saudi Central Bank are estimated to reach 399 billion riyals at the end of next year, the finance ministry said.

☆ U.S. court dismisses suit against Saudi crown prince in Khashoggi killing
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receives U.S. President Joe Biden at Al Salman Palace upon his arrival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 15, 2022. Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, had written critically of the harsh ways of Prince Mohammed, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler. The U.S. intelligence community concluded the Saudi crown prince ordered the operation against Khashoggi. The Biden administration already had spared Prince Mohammed from government penalties in the case, again citing sovereign immunity. Rights groups and Saudi exiles argued that sparing Prince Mohammed from accountability in Khashoggi's killing would give the crown prince and other authoritarian rulers around the world a green light for future abuses.

☆ Judge dismisses lawsuit over Khashoggi's murder after the Biden administration backed immunity for MBS
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( John Haltiwanger | Ashley Collman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A judge dismissed a suit against Mohammed bin Salman in connection to Jamal Khashoggi's death. The decision came just weeks after the Biden administration contended that the Saudi ruler, often referred to as "MBS," should be granted immunity. "Accordingly, the claims against bin Salman will be dismissed based on head-of-state-immunity," Bates added. A declassified intelligence report released by the Biden administration last year explicitly implicated MBS in Khashoggi's killing. On the campaign trail, Biden pledged to make the oil-rich kingdom a "pariah" over Khashoggi's murder.

Prince Mohammed was not seen at the match but had been front and centre at the tournament opening on Sunday. It was also a sweet moment for host Qatar, facing intense criticism over human rights in the conservative Muslim country. "The fact that the World Cup is in Qatar and we're Arabs - it gives us a lot of energy and excitement." TOLERANCEBefore the match kicked off, the issue of tolerance arose at a news conference between Qatar's foreign minister and his American counterpart. The Gulf Arab state, which denies discrimination and points to labour reforms enacted, welcomes everyone, its Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said.

☆ U.S. moves to shield Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Khashoggi killing
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Biden administration declared Thursday that the high office held by Saudi Arabia's crown prince should shield him from lawsuits for his role in the killing of a U.S.-based journalist, a turnaround from Joe Biden's passionate campaign trail denunciations of Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the brutal slaying. The State Department on Thursday called the administration's decision to try to protect the Saudi crown prince from U.S. courts in Khashoggi's killing "purely a legal determination." The State Department cited what it said was longstanding precedent. Saudi officials killed Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The U.S. intelligence community concluded Saudi Arabia's crown prince had approved the killing of the widely known and respected journalist, who had written critically of Prince Mohammed's harsh ways of silencing of those he considered rivals or critics.

☆ Khashoggi's fiancée says the slain journalist 'died again' after Biden argued for MBS to have immunity in lawsuit over the murder
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Azmi Haroun | John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The fiancée of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi criticized the Biden administration on Thursday. argued that the Saudi Crown Prince deserves immunity, per international law. Hatice Cengiz said Khashoggi "died again" as a result of the US position on Prince Mohammed. "I'm not going to meet with MBS," Biden told reporters in June. Khashoggi's fiancée also criticized the meeting between Biden and MBS, sharing a tweet captioned, "What Jamal Khashoggi would tweet today."

☆ Saudi Arabia launches bid to attract $10 billion in supply chain investment
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

RIYADH, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's crown prince on Sunday launched an initiative to attract investments in supply chains to and from the kingdom, with an aim of raising an initial 40 billion riyals ($10.64 billion). The initiative by Prince Mohammed bin Salman will include allocating about 10 billion riyals in incentives for supply chain investors, state news agency SPA reported, without elaborating. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe latest supply chain initiative includes establishing a number of special economic zones, said a statement on SPA that also referred to ongoing "legislative and procedural" reforms. Prince Mohammed's Vision 2030 plan aims to modernise Saudi Arabia and wean its economy off oil revenues. ($1 = 3.7580 riyals)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Moataz Mohamed in Cairo; Editing by William Maclean and Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Analysis: Saudi prince's Ukraine mediation signals 'useful' Russia ties - analysts
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Aziz El Yaakoubi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

With Prince Mohammed's mediation, Russia on Wednesday released 10 foreigners it had captured in Ukraine, including five Britons and two Americans. He denied the Crown Prince had become involved to rehabilitate his reputation. U.S. citizens Alexander Drueke, 39, and Andy Huynh, 27, both from Alabama, are expected to leave Saudi Arabia within days, officials said. But Saudi Arabia has shown little readiness to join the effort to isolate Russia. U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Prime Minister Liz Truss thanked the Saudi crown prince for his role.

☆ Everything to know about Neom, the futuristic city project in Saudi Arabia critics fear could be a surveillance dystopia
▼ + stars: | 2019-09-23 | by ( Bill Bostock | Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Saudi Arabia is building a futuristic mega-city called Neom deep in a desert bordering the Red Sea. But critics fear that sophisticated technology could be used to surveil residents. Saudi Arabia is building a futuristic mega-city 33 times the size of New York City from scratch. It's called Neom, a planned 16-borough city on the Red Sea coast in the northwestern Saudi province of Tabuk. As Insider reported, they believe that the Saudis could be preparing to use sophisticated Chinese surveillance technology to tightly monitor and control Neom's residents.

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