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Energy ministers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq, the three largest members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), have gathered in the Saudi capital Riyadh for the U.N. MENA climate week. The UAE will host the COP28 climate summit scheduled to take place in Dubai between Nov. 30 and Dec. 12. He has argued for a more inclusive COP that brings the oil and gas industry into the climate debate and allows it to be part of the solution through decarbonisation initiatives. Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman also said the industry should not be stigmatised and the world still needed hydrocarbons. "There is a case for us to be in oil and gas," he told the audience.

Persons: Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Ueslei Marcelino, Jaber, Suhail, Mazrouei, Sultan al, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Aziz El Yaakoubi, Pesha Majid, Maha El, Toby Chopra, Barbara Lewis Organizations: UAE Industry, Amazon, REUTERS, UAE, Energy, United Arab, Organization of Petroleum Exporting, UAE Energy, Saudi Energy, Thomson Locations: Hangar, Belem , Para State, Brazil, RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Saudi, Riyadh, UAE, Dubai, OPEC, COP28

☆ Adaptation must be "front and centre" of climate agenda, UAE's COP28 president-designate says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsRIYADH, Oct 8 (Reuters) - The president designate of COP28, to be held in the United Arab Emirates later this year, Sultan Al Jaber, said on Sunday that adaptation must be "front and centre" of the climate agenda. Adaptation means investing in ways to adapt to climate change like early warning systems, food systems and crop yields. The COP28 summit is scheduled to take place in Dubai between Nov. 30 and Dec. 12. Jaber was a controversial pick to lead the summit because his country is an OPEC member and a major oil exporter. He has argued for a more inclusive COP that brings the oil and gas industry into the climate debate.

Persons: Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Ueslei Marcelino, Sultan Al Jaber, Jaber, ” Jaber, Maha El Dahan, Aziz El Yaakoubi, Rachna Uppal, Toby Chopra Organizations: UAE Industry, Amazon, REUTERS, Rights, United Arab, Thomson Locations: Hangar, Belem , Para State, Brazil, Rights RIYADH, United Arab Emirates, Derna, MENA, Saudi, Riyadh, Dubai, OPEC

☆ Sheikh Ahmad, brother file cases against IOC at CAS over election
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah leaves a courthouse after the verdict for a trial for forgery in connection with arbitration, in Geneva, Switzerland, September 10, 2021. Sheikh Ahmad was banned from the IOC for three years in July after it found he had an "undeniable impact" on Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) elections in which his brother, Sheikh Talal Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, was appointed president. CAS confirmed both Sheikh Ahmad and Sheikh Talal had filed separate cases against the IOC at the Switzerland-based court. Sheikh Ahmad, a former OCA president, travelled to Bangkok ahead of the OCA election in July and was in the city when it took place, which was "interpreted as interference in the election process" by the IOC's ethics commission. Sheikh Ahmad denied all the charges in the case and appealed the conviction.

Persons: Sheikh Ahmad Al, Fahad Al, Ahmed Al, Denis Balibouse, Fahad, Sheikh Ahmad, Sheikh Talal Fahad Al, Ahmad Al, Sheikh Talal's, Sheikh Talal, India's Randhir Singh, Singh, Sheikh Ahmad's, Ian Ransom, Peter Rutherford Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, International Olympic Committee, Sport, Olympic Council of Asia, IOC, OCA, Asian Games, Thomson Locations: Sabah, Geneva, Switzerland, Rights HANGZHOU, China, Fahad Al, Bangkok, India's, Swiss, Hangzhou

☆ Climate Forward Live Event Discussing the Threats of a Rapidly Warming Planet
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Adam Pasick | The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

PinnedThe Times climate event will feature interviews and sessions with speakers including (clockwise from upper left) Ajay Banga, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Marie Kondo, Bill Gates, Michael R. Bloomberg and Ebony Twilley Martin. The Climate Forward live event is bringing together some of climate’s most vital newsmakers to share ideas, work through problems and answer tough questions about the threats presented by a rapidly warming planet. The former vice president noted that the United Nations had appointed a top oil executive, Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber of the United Arab Emirates, to lead this year’s global climate talks. “That’s just, like, taking the disguise off,” Mr. Gore said at The New York Times’s Climate Forward event in Manhattan. “It’s enough already.”Expert journalists from across The Times’s newsroom are providing critical analysis of the remarks by guests at the Climate Forward event, who include world leaders, activists, scientists and corporate executives.

Persons: Ajay Banga, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Marie Kondo, Bill Gates, Michael R, Ebony Twilley Martin, ”, Al Gore, Sultan Ahmed al, Jaber, “ That’s, ” Mr, Gore, “ They’ve, “, We’ll, Bill Gates Bill Gates, Paul Allen, Melinda Gates, Ajay Banga Ajay Banga, David Malpass Organizations: Bloomberg, United Nations, United Arab, The, Microsoft, Melinda Gates Foundation, Energy, World Bank, Mastercard Locations: New York City, United Arab Emirates, York, Manhattan, Banga

"The move from fossil fuels to renewables is happening – but we are decades behind," Guterres said at the start of the one-day summit. "We must make up time lost to foot-dragging, arm-twisting and the naked greed of entrenched interests raking in billions from fossil fuels." Those not invited to speak were the world's two top polluters - the United States and China – though U.S. Special Envoy on Climate Change John Kerry was in the audience. "This climate crisis is a fossil fuel crisis," he said, drawing applause from the heads of state and others in the room. "Climate change is a top priority for my administration," Thavisin told the gathering, his country having recently created a climate change ministry.

Persons: Antonio Guterres, Mike Segar, Guterres, John Kerry, China's U.N, William Ruto, Ruto, Gavin Newsom, Srettha Thavisin, Thavisin, Sultan Ahmed al, Jaber, COP28, Mia Mottley, Ursula von der Leyen, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Valerie Volcovici, Katy Daigle, Howard Goller Organizations: United Nations, General Assembly, REUTERS, Companies Allianz, General, United Arab Emirates, Thailand's, FINANCE, Security Council, Allianz, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Fund, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, COP28, Dubai, Brazil, Canada, Pakistan, South Africa, Tuvalu, United States, China, California, UAE, Barbados, Ukraine

☆ As Junta Tightens Grip, Niger Is Being Strangled by Sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Elian Peltier | More About Elian Peltier | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Since a military coup in Niger this summer, work days for Ahmed Alhousseïni have been consumed with calls from increasingly worried clients and colleagues asking the same questions. An executive for a leading food importer in Niger, Mr. Alhousseïni said one recent morning that he had spent his weekend hunting for cooking oil in Niamey, the capital city, with no luck. After mutinous soldiers seized power in Niger, West African countries froze financial transactions, closed their borders with Niger and cut off most of its electricity supply in an effort to pressure the generals into restoring constitutional order. Sanctions and other penalties are now strangling Niger’s economy, with food prices and shortages growing and many medicines becoming increasingly scarce. “Closing Niger’s borders is like depriving us of air,” said Mr. Alhousseïni, the managing director of Oriba Rice.

Persons: Ahmed Alhousseïni, Alhousseïni, Gen, Abdourahmane, haven’t, ”, Oriba Rice Locations: Niger, Niamey, Ghana, Senegal, West

Relatives of those still missing told CNN they are terrified. Here’s what we know so far:Where did the flood hit? Morgues are stacked to capacity and dead bodies have been left on the sidewalks outside, Osama Aly, spokesperson for the Emergency and Ambulance Service in Libya, told CNN Tuesday. Analysts have said that climate forecasts gave warnings days before the storm hit Libya, but that authorities in the east did not act quickly enough. Tamer Ramadan, head of international Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Libya, told CNN Tuesday that the issue of rival governments in Libya doesn’t affect their operations.

Persons: “, Areej’s, Emad Milad, ” Milad, Osama Aly, Muammar Gaddafi, Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, Khalifa Haftar, Osama Hamad, Esam Omran, Reuters Derna, Ahmed Al, Mismari, ” Al, Al, Tamer Ramadan, ”, Jamal Alkomaty, Daniel, ” Karsten Haustein Organizations: CNN —, Authorities, United Nations ’ International Organization for Migration, CNN, Emergency, Ambulance Service, UN, of National Unity, GNU, Libyan National Army, Reuters, Arabiya, Federation of Red, Red Crescent Societies, Leipzig University, Science Media Center Locations: Derna, Libya, Tobruk, Benghazi, NATO, Tripoli, Egypt, UAE, Turkey, Italy, Algeria, Libya’s, Greece, Germany

☆ ‘We knew ahead of time’: A decade of turmoil left Libya unprepared for natural disasters
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Split between two rival administrations since 2014 and having failed to hold presidential elections, Libya faces an uphill battle when it comes to severe natural disasters. Planet Labs PBC/AP Planet Labs PBC/AP Satellite images show Derna, Libya on September 2, before the flooding, left, and after the dams collapsed, right. Responding to criticism regarding lack of preparedness by the LNA, Al-Mismari said that in such situations, 50% of the responsibility falls on authorities (LNA) and 50% falls on citizens. Turkey, which backs the Tripoli government, also said it is mobilizing personnel and supplies to assist authorities in eastern Libya. Tamer Ramadan, head of international Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Libya, told CNN Tuesday that the issue of rival governments in Libya does not affect their operation.

Persons: Storm Daniel, Khalifa Haftar –, ”, Anas El Gomati, Moammar Gadhafi, Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, Haftar, Jalel Harchaoui, ‘, ’, Harchaoui, Gomati, Osama Hamad, Osama Aly, ” Aly, “, Al Hurra, Jamal Alkomaty, ” Harchaoui, Ahmed al, Mismari, Al, ” Gomati, there’s, Ramadan, ” Ramadan Organizations: CNN, Planet Labs PBC, AP Planet Labs PBC, AP, ISIS, Libya –, Sadeq Institute, NATO, Libyan National Army, Royal United Services Institute, Emergency, Ambulance Service, Twitter, Analysts, United Nations, United, United Arab Emirates, Civil Protection Department, Federation of Red, Red Crescent Societies Locations: Libya, Split, Libyan, Derna, Greece, Morocco, “, Tripoli, Benghazi, “ Libya, London, Cyrenaica, tatters, Derna’s, Al, Italy, Egypt, Russia, United Arab, Algeria, Turkey

Thousands of people have been killed in Libya in the flooding caused by heavy rains that devastated parts of the country this weekend, a disaster exacerbated by the collapse of two dams in the coastal city of Derna, aid agencies said on Tuesday. Tamer Ramadan, head of the Libya delegation for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said the death toll from the flooding was expected to reach thousands in coming days. Speaking to reporters at a U.N. briefing via videoconference from Tunisia, he said 10,000 people were missing, and that those figures were based on reports from the Libyan Red Crescent on the ground. A Libyan ambulance and emergency services department said least 2,300 people had died and more than 5,000 were missing after heavy rainfall over the weekend in the northeast of Libya swelled waters over riverbanks, sweeping away homes and cutting off roads. The collapse of the dams, south of Derna, deepened the disaster after they unleashed water that swept through the city and carried “entire neighborhoods” into the sea, Ahmed al-Mismari, a spokesman for the Libyan National Army, the dominant political force in the area, said in a televised news conference on Monday.

Persons: Tamer Ramadan, Ahmed al Organizations: International Federation of Red, Red Crescent Societies, Crescent, Libyan National Army Locations: Libya, Derna, videoconference, Tunisia, Libyan

☆ A zero-carbon 5G network is set to power a new Saudi resort, and it opens to travelers later this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Chris Stokel-Walker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Six Senses Southern Dunes resort has the first 5G network powered by 100% renewable energy. And The Red Sea project in Saudi Arabia promises to be no different when the hospitality hub is completed. And the company behind The Red Sea project, Red Sea Global, has partnered with the Saudi telecommunications provider Zain KSA to cover that. Building a sustainable 5G network wasn't straightforwardHowever, 5G networks are traditionally highly energy-intensive. Recognizing that 5G can be a power drain, the companies redesigned how the 5G network worked.

Persons: Ahmed Ali Alsohaily, Ali Alsohaily, I'm, Zain KSA, Al Alsohaily Organizations: 5G, Service, Sea, Zain, Sea Global Locations: Wall, Silicon, Saudi Arabia, Saudi

☆ Nonprofit sued by Elon Musk's X claps back: It's 'straight out of the authoritarian playbook'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Gabriel Rivera | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Elon Musk's X Corp. sued a nonprofit, alleging it made false claims about harmful content on Twitter. The nonprofit's CEO, Imran Ahmed, said the lawsuit was "straight out of the authoritarian playbook." The nonprofit that Elon Musk's X Corp. sued on Monday isn't holding back in its criticism of the billionaire. "Elon Musk didn't like the reflection he saw in the mirror, and so he sued the mirror," Ahmed wrote on X. Advertisers left in part due to rising concerns about hate speech and misinformation circulating on Twitter under Musk's direction.

Persons: Elon, Imran Ahmed, Ahmed, Musk, X Organizations: Elon Musk's X Corp, Twitter, Morning, Center

Baghdad, Iraq CNN —Condemnation grew in Iraq after a 300-year-old minaret, viewed as a heritage site by the Ministry of Culture, was demolished in the southern city of Basra on Friday. Built in 1727, the 11-meter Siraji minaret, was demolished to create road expansion following complaints of traffic around the mosque, Basra Governor Assad Al Eidani said in a televised interview with Al Taghyeer news channel on Friday. He added that the leveling was a necessary step for road expansion in a growing city experiencing traffic jams. Local residents and government officials were left furious with the decision to proceed with the demolition. A resident of Basra, Ahmed Ali Ibrahim, told CNN that the people of the city “are in pain” over the demolition of the historic minaret.

Persons: Basra Governor Assad Al Eidani, Al, Al Eidani, Ahmed Al Badrani, Ahmed Ali Ibrahim, ” Ibrahim Organizations: Iraq CNN, Ministry of Culture, Iraq’s, CNN Locations: Baghdad, Iraq, Basra, Basra Governor

[1/2] A view of rubble that remains at the site of the historic Siraji Mosque that was demolished for the expansion for a road in Basra, Iraq July 16, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed AtyBASRA, Iraq July 16 (Reuters) - The demolition on Friday of a 300-year-old minaret of a mosque in Iraq's southern city of Basra to make way for road expansion has enraged locals, religious and cultural authorities who condemned it as a further erosion of Iraq's cultural heritage. Built in 1727, the 11-metre (36 ft) Siraji minaret and its mosque were toppled by a bulldozer at dawn on Friday morning, its brown mud-brick spire with turquoise ornaments disappearing in a cloud of dust. Basra resident Majed al Husseini said, standing by the rubble of the mosque. The Sunni endowment did not respond immediately to a Reuters request for comment.

Persons: Mohammed Aty BASRA, Majed al Husseini, Ahmed al, Badrani, Mosul's Al, Nuri, Basra Governor Asaad Al Eidani, Mohammed Munla, Munla, Timour Azhari, Emelia Sithole Organizations: REUTERS, Islamic, Reuters, Islamic State, Thomson Locations: Basra, Iraq, Iraq's, Mesopotamia, Islamic State, Baghdad, Basra Governor

The cold calls and text messages started arriving on Jan Van Winckel’s phone a couple of months ago, and they have not stopped. They come at a rate of about 10 a day, he said, a steady stream of hope-you’re-wells and long-time-no-speaks from old acquaintances, archived contacts, friends of friends of friends. That is what makes him valuable to agents, brokers and executives pinging his phone, over and over, all asking for the same thing: an introduction to a Saudi club president, a connection to an official at the Saudi Pro League, the phone number of someone, anyone, who might be able to help them stake their claim in soccer’s new gold rush. In the first week of June, Saudi Arabia’s soccer authorities and its sovereign wealth fund announced an audacious plan to transform the game in the kingdom: The Public Investment Fund, they announced, would take control of four of Saudi Arabia’s most prominent teams, and hundreds of millions of dollars would be made available to buy some of the game’s biggest stars. And in that moment, even before the first checks were cut, the Pro League became one of the most appealing destinations in the world.

Persons: Jan Van Winckel’s, Van Winckel Organizations: United Arab, Saudi Pro League, Public Investment Fund, Saudi, Pro League Locations: United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Saudi

☆ Iraq plants mangrove forest to fight climate disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Essam Al-Sudani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BASRA, Iraq, June 29 (Reuters) - As Aymen al-Rubaye plants mangrove seedlings in the sprawling tidal flats of southern Iraq, the black smoke rising over the skyline behind him shows the ecological damage that he is toiling to undo. Rubaye, an agricultural engineer, is working for a project started by Iraqi government bodies and a United Nations agency to grow up to 4 million mangrove trees in the Khor al-Zubair mudflats region, located near major oil fields. The tidal flats south of Basra are a baking landscape of water, salt, mud and hazy sky, riven by channels that Rubaye and his team navigate by boat. [1/5]Engineer Ayman Al-Rubaie, 47, plants mangrove trees in the wooded areas of the Shatt Al-Arab River, in Basra, Iraq June 21, 2023. Mangrove plants "can resist these harsh conditions we are passing through" without needing irrigation water, Rubaye said.

Persons: pats, Ayman Al, Essam, Rubaye, Ahmed Albaaj, Angus McDowall, Peter Graff Organizations: United, World Bank, REUTERS, United Arab Emirates, Thomson Locations: BASRA, Iraq, United Nations, Khor, Basra, . Southern Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab

☆ Kuwait forms cabinet with new oil minister, finance minister re-appointed
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, June 18 (Reuters) - Kuwait formed a new government on Sunday naming Saad Al Barrak as oil minister to replace Bader Al-Mulla and reappointing Finance Minister Manaf Abdulaziz Al Hajri. Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who was re-appointed as prime minister last week, formed the new cabinet announced in a decree carried by the state news agency KUNA. The Gulf Arab state also named a new defence minister, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah. The outgoing government had resigned following parliamentary elections held earlier this month in the Gulf OPEC oil producer. Reporting By Andrew Mills and Ahmed Tolba; Writing by Andrew Mills; Editing by Andrew Heavens and David EvansOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Saad Al Barrak, Bader Al, Mulla, Manaf Abdulaziz Al Hajri, Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al, Ahmad Al, Sheikh Ahmad Al, Fahad Al, Ahmed Al, Andrew Mills, Ahmed Tolba, Andrew Heavens, David Evans Organizations: reappointing Finance, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Kuwait, Sabah, Gulf OPEC

☆ Iraq to pay $2.76 billion in gas and electricity debt to Iran
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BAGHDAD, June 10 (Reuters) - Iraq has agreed to pay about $2.76 billion in gas and electricity debt to Iran after receiving a sanctions waiver from the United States, a senior Iraqi foreign ministry official said. Due to decades of conflict and sanctions, Iraq is dependent on imports from Iran for a lot of its gas needs. However, U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil and gas have hampered Iraq's payments for imports, putting it in heavy arrears and leading Iran to retaliate by cutting gas flows regularly. Iran has been unable to access billions of dollars in assets in several countries due to U.S. sanctions. The United States has insisted that oil-rich Iraq, the OPEC group's second-largest producer, moves towards self-sufficiency as a condition for its exemption to import Iranian energy, yet Baghdad has struggled to do so.

Persons: Fuad Hussein, Antony Blinken, Ahmed Al, Sahhaf, Hussein, Yahya Al, Ahmed Rasheed, Amina Ismail, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: U.S, Riyadh Conference, Reuters, Iraqi Foreign Ministry, Commercial Bank of Iraq, United, OPEC, Dubai, Thomson Locations: BAGHDAD, Iraq, Iran, United States, Iraqi, Riyadh, Baghdad

☆ Saudi Arabia Relishes a Triumph That Transcends Sports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Vivian Nereim | Ahmed Al Omran | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When a Saudi-backed upstart golf league began recruiting high-profile players from the top U.S. circuit, the American tour’s commissioner lamented a “foreign monarchy that is spending billions of dollars in an attempt to buy the game of golf.”The commissioner, Jay Monahan, who heads the PGA Tour, sniped at players who left for the new league, LIV Golf, hinting at the stain that the Saudi government’s human rights violations would leave on them. But on Tuesday, Mr. Monahan sat smiling with the head of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund to announce that the PGA Tour and LIV Golf were forming what promises to be a lucrative partnership. “I recognize that people are going to call me a hypocrite,” Mr. Monahan said later. “But circumstances do change.”The deal, if it goes forward, represents an enormous victory for Saudi Arabia and its de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in a bid to become a major player in global sports, giving the kingdom considerable sway over the game of golf. But the significance of the moment transcends sports, as Saudi Arabia under Prince Mohammed seeks greater political influence in the Middle East and beyond.

Persons: Jay Monahan, sniped, LIV Golf, Monahan, LIV, “, Mr, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prince Mohammed Organizations: PGA Locations: Saudi, Saudi Arabia

After two years of sniping, lawsuits and ill will, the major men’s golf tours agreed to merge on Tuesday. The PGA Tour, which runs golf in North America; the PGA European Tour, which is known as the DP World Tour and holds events in much of the rest of the world; and the upstart LIV Tour agreed to merge their operations. The Saudi sovereign wealth fund, which spent billions to launch the LIV Tour, will invest in the new company, and the governor of that fund will become its chairman. The LIV Tour started last year and offered big-name players from the other tours huge sums to jump ship. Many players and officials of the PGA Tour were sharply critical of LIV, both for dividing the golf world and for associating with the Saudi government and its poor human rights record.

Persons: Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, Cameron Smith, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, LIV, ” Organizations: PGA European, LIV, PGA Locations: North America, Saudi

Karim Benzema, one of soccer’s best players and a fixture at the Spanish giant Real Madrid for more than a decade, has agreed to join the Saudi champion Al-Ittihad on a three-year contract that will make him the latest prize acquisition for a kingdom rapidly expanding its ambitions and influence in sports. The decision by Benzema, a 35-year-old French striker, to move to Saudi Arabia was confirmed by Al-Ittihad on Tuesday after days of rumors. Benzema’s arrival will come only months after a different Saudi club lured another star, the Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo, with one of the richest contracts in soccer history. Among the other marquee players said to have been targeted by the Saudi league is Lionel Messi, who led Argentina to the World Cup title in December in Qatar. The salaries offered to the players are some of the largest in sports history, according to interviews with agents, Saudi sports officials and consultants hired to execute the project.

Persons: Karim Benzema, Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi Organizations: Al, Saudi, Investment Fund Locations: Real Madrid, Saudi, Ittihad, Saudi Arabia, Portuguese, Argentina, Qatar

☆ Middle Eastern investors are pouring money into US media, sports, and entertainment — here are the 9 most active players and their key leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Lucia Moses | Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Investors in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates are pouring money into Western media and entertainment. Sovereign funds and other entities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE are pouring millions into US media and entertainment, and they're finding plenty of takers. The channels for money from Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Middle East are complex. Insider broke down the key entities — their owners, leaders, and high-profile investments and joint ventures — in the top three Middle Eastern nations pouring money into US entertainment and media. It describes itself as the largest media company in the Middle East and North Africa and runs one of the largest TV news channels, Al Arabiya.

Persons: Jamal Khashoggi's, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, —, WME, Jimmy Finkelstein's, Abu Dhabi's, It's, Yasir Al, Rumayyan, Waleed bin Ibrahim Al Ibrahim, Sam Barnett, Peter Smith —, Christina Wayne, SRMG, Mohammed bin Salman, Alrashid, Johnny Depp, Jeanne du Barry, Sharon Stone, Bruno Mars, Luca Guadanigno, Vince McMahon's, Turki Al, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Dayel, Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al, Mahmoud, Peter Chernin, Nasser Al, Germain, BeIN, Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad, Khalifa Al, Vincent, Asghar Farhadi's Oscar, Nart Bouran, JAF, Jeff Zucker, Graydon Carter's, it's, Semafor, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Mansour, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber Organizations: United, Sovereign, Saudi, Washington Post, Saudi Crown, Endeavor, UFC, IMI, Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation, Public Investment Fund, Saudi Aramco, Newcastle United, English football, PGA, MBC, Shahid, Netflix, Vice Media, Variety, MBC Group's, Antenna Group, Cineflex Studios, NBCUniversal International, Amazon, AMC, Saudi Research, Media, Publicly, Red Sea, Cannes, Penske Media Corporation, Bloomberg Media, Vince McMahon's WWE, country's General Entertainment Authority, Development, Cultural Development Fund, George Washington University, American University . Qatar Qatar Investment, Qatar Investment Authority, Providence, BeIN Media, Paris Saint, Miramax, Paramount, Doha Film, Doha Film Institute, H.E, Hollywood Reporter, United Arab Emirates Abu, Investment Authority, UAE, Abu, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Hollywood, Dubai Studio, Dubai Media City, National Geographic, BBC News, International Media Investments International Media Investments, National, CNN, Sky News Arabia, Reuters, JAF Communications, Grid, RedBird Capital Partners, Punchbowl News, New York Times, Manchester City, The, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Locations: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Saudi, East, North Africa, Al Arabiya, Netherlands, Greece, Dubai, Jeddah, SRMG, Riyadh, Doha, Europe, Americas, ViacomCBS, Qatari, Thani, Abu Dhabi

☆ Former CNN Chief Jeff Zucker Has a New Job at RedBird IMI. What Is It?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Benjamin Mullin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Since leaving CNN a year ago, Jeff Zucker, the network’s former president, has been on the hunt for deals, flush with $1 billion in backing from big investors in the worlds of media and finance. In addition to Mr. Zucker, the key players in the new venture, known as RedBird IMI, are Gerry Cardinale, the chief executive and founder of RedBird, and Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, an Emirati government minister who has spearheaded many of IMI’s investment conversations in the United States. Mr. Cardinale is the chief investment officer of RedBird IMI, and Mr. Al Jaber is chairman. RedBird is committing $250 million to the venture, and IMI has agreed to commit the remaining $750 million. The men gathered to discuss business last fall in a suite overlooking a Formula 1 racetrack in Abu Dhabi.

Persons: Jeff Zucker, Zucker, Gerry Cardinale, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Cardinale, Al Jaber, RedBird Organizations: CNN, RedBird Capital Partners, International Media Investments, United Arab, IMI Locations: United Arab Emirates, United States, Abu Dhabi

☆ Saudi Soccer League Creates Huge Fund to Sign Global Stars
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Tariq Panja | Ahmed Al Omran | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the deals involved were private. League officials also did not respond to requests for comment about the plans. The project comes on the heels of a surprisingly strong performance by Saudi Arabia at last year’s men’s World Cup in Qatar. The team’s run included a stunning victory over the eventual champion, Argentina, which stoked pride on the Saudi streets and in the halls of power in Riyadh. The project’s goal is not so much to make the Saudi league an equal of century-old competitions like England’s Premier League or other top European competitions, but to increase Saudi influence in the sport, and perhaps boost its profile as it bids for the 2030 World Cup.

Persons: Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema, Garry Cook, Cook Organizations: Saudi, Real Madrid, British, Nike, Manchester City, United Arab Emirates, League, England’s Premier League Locations: Argentina, French, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Saudi, Riyadh

☆ Jordan royals marry into Saudi family with ties to MBS
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Celine Alkhaldi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The bride is related to Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), through her mother, who hails from the prominent Al-Sudairi family. Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein and Rajwa Alseif sit during the wedding ceremony in Amman, Jordan on Thursday. Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II of Jordan and Miss Rajwa Alseif. Ties between Saudi Arabia and Jordan have recently thawed after years of tension. During a trip to Jordan last year, MBS was quoted by Saudi media as saying that he was keen to “push relations [with Jordan] to a new phase.”

Persons: CNN —, Prince, Princess, Jill Biden, Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II, Alseif, Jordan, Crown Prince, Rajwa, Mohammed bin Salman, Prince Hussein, Rajwa Alseif, AP Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, King Abdulaziz, Hussa bint Ahmed Al, Katb Al, Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II of Jordan, Miss Rajwa Alseif Organizations: CNN, Syracuse University, Crown, Royal Hashemite Court, AP Saudi Arabia’s, Miss, Royal Hashemite, AP, MBS Locations: Saudi, Wales, Zahran, Jordanian, Amman, New York, Jordan's, Amman , Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Jerusalem, Russia, Jordan

☆ Lionel Messi apologizes to Paris Saint-Germain and teammates following unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Matt Foster | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Lionel Messi apologized to Paris Saint-Germain and his teammates on Friday after taking an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia and missing training earlier in the week. “I wanted to make this video after everything that’s been happening,” Argentina’s World Cup-winning captain said in an Instagram story. The 35-year-old’s trip to Saudi Arabia meant he missed the team’s Monday training. “We welcome visitors from all around the world to experience a unique trip to Saudi Arabia and its hospitality.”Messi himself posted a promotion for Saudi tourism on his Instagram six days ago: “Who thought Saudi has so much green? Messi’s contract with the French capital’s premier football club expires on June 30, and his trip to Saudi Arabia comes amid multiple reports that the 35-year-old won’t stay at the Parisian club.

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