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DOHA, Qatar—A World Cup staged in one desert city by a first-time host with little experience of major sporting events was always going to be a high-wire act—even with the financial might of a petrostate prepared to spend $220 billion to make it work. Halfway through, the tournament is unfolding as a functional, if occasionally stressed, event. Qatar, a Middle Eastern country the size of Connecticut, hasn’t stumbled even as its population swells with more than two million fans expected over the course of the month.

☆ American Arrested in Dubai at Risk of Deportation to Egypt
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Stephen Kalin | Chao Deng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DUBAI—An American citizen arrested recently on a visit to the United Arab Emirates faces possible extradition to his native Egypt after criticizing Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and calling on Egyptians to protest in videos he made while living in the U.S.Sherif Osman, 46, an Egyptian-American dual national, was one of a handful of Egyptians abroad urging people to organize demonstrations during a United Nations climate summit in November held in the Egyptian beach city of Sharm El Sheikh and attended by world leaders including President Biden.

☆ Flooding in Saudi Arabia Kills Two, Stirs Rare Public Anger
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Cars piled up in a street after they were washed away by heavy rains in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah. Municipal workers in Saudi Arabia’s second-largest city rushed to pump water and clear damage Friday after flooding from torrential rains killed at least two people and stirred rare public anger with the government. More than 7 inches of rain fell in Jeddah within six hours on Thursday, according to the desert kingdom’s National Center for Meteorology, the highest amount recorded in 13 years. The flat terrain and high water table along that part of the Red Sea coast make it particularly vulnerable to flooding.

☆ World Cup Fans in Qatar Wearing Rainbow Colors Face Harassment
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DOHA, Qatar—World Cup fans wearing the rainbow, a symbol of gay pride and rights, have faced harassment in Qatar despite assurances by FIFA officials that everyone would be welcome in the conservative Muslim country during the tournament. Stadium security asked some Wales fans with rainbow bucket hats, including former soccer player Lauren McAllister, to remove them on Monday evening ahead of the game against the U.S. “We will continue (to) stand up for our values,” Ms. McAllister later tweeted with a rainbow emoticon.

☆ 'Boomerang CEOs' don't always work out; Disney hopes this one bucks trend
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( David Randall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

NEW YORK, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Can Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) bank on another hit sequel? That appears to be the hope behind the company's surprise decision to bring back former chief executive Bob Iger to replace Bob Chapek. During his first tenure from 2005 to 2020, Disney's annualised shareholder returns were more than 14%, well above its rival Comcast Corp (CMCSA.O) and the broader stock market, and in total in that period the stock rose more than 400%. Yet there are reasons to think that Disney may have made the right decision in bringing back Iger, Bingham said. “I think this is a game-changer," said Stephanie Link, chief investment strategist and portfolio manager at Hightower Advisors, about Disney.

☆ Some World Cup Lodging in Qatar—Tents and Shipping Containers—Gets Mixed Reviews
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Stephen Kalin | Donna Abdulaziz | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DOHA, Qatar—At the World Cup, where host country Qatar spent $220 billion of its vast wealth building infrastructure to accommodate a monthlong surge of visitors, not everyone is having a luxury experience. Inside a pop-up village north of Doha, fans who paid more than $100 a night are sleeping in white tents that heat up as daytime temperatures approach 90 degrees with only a fan for cooling—and are battered at night by howling winds. Shared toilets and showers offer little privacy and are missing towels. Brown water sometimes comes out of the tap, so visitors resort to buying bottled water.

☆ Biden Administration Says Saudi Crown Prince Has Immunity in Khashoggi Trial
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Biden administration told a U.S. court that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ’s status as a sitting head of government shields him from a civil lawsuit brought by the fiancée of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Mr. Khashoggi, a former royal insider who criticized Prince Mohammed’s policies in Washington Post columns, was killed in 2018 and his body dismembered by Saudi agents during a visit to the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate where he was seeking papers needed to marry Hatice Cengiz, a Turkish citizen.

DOHA—With days to go, Qatar is bracing for a soccer World Cup unlike any global event before it, as a crowd of rowdy soccer fans two-thirds the size of its entire population descends on a capital with scant Western tourism experience. The multibillion-dollar extravaganza, which begins Nov. 20, will be the first FIFA World Cup in the Middle East, the first in a conservative Muslim country and the first hosted in and around a single city, Doha.

Chinese President Xi Jinping at The Great Hall of People in Beijing in October, he is planning to visit Saudi Arabia next month, according to people familiar with the matter. Chinese leader Xi Jinping is planning to visit Saudi Arabia before the end of the year, according to people familiar with preparations for the trip, as Beijing and Riyadh seek to deepen ties and advance a vision of a multipolar world where the U.S. no longer dominates the global order. Officials are completing the details for a summit between Mr. Xi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that would underline Beijing’s growing influence in the Middle East, where the U.S. long reigned supreme, and growing links between the oil-rich Saudis and Washington’s top global rivals.

☆ What Saudi Arabia’s Biggest Bank Wants With Credit Suisse
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Stephen Kalin | Margot Patrick | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Credit Suisse’s soon-to-be-largest investor is keen on gaining access to the lender’s industry specialists and new tools . REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File PhotoDUBAI–Saudi Arabia’s largest bank will soon be the biggest investor in Credit Suisse AG and wants to bring the Swiss lender deeper into the kingdom’s booming financial markets while expanding ties to rich Middle Easterners. “We think it would be synergistic to both sides if we could get them more involved in the Saudi market,” Saudi National Bank Chairman Ammar al-Khudairy said.

☆ Ukraine’s Patchwork Air Defense Faces New Threat From Cheap Iranian Drones
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Stephen Kalin | Michael R. Gordon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ukraine is relying on a hodgepodge of air-defense systems to counter the Russian threat from the sky that has intensified with Moscow’s use of drones that Ukraine and Western governments say have been supplied by Iran. Kyiv has pleaded for more air-defense help from the U.S. and other Western backers. The top U.S. military officer, Gen. Mark Milley , and other allied officials have promised to help Ukraine acquire additional systems and connect them into an integrated network. But that assistance is coming slowly, leaving Ukraine vulnerable to continued attacks from drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.

☆ Israeli Business in Saudi Arabia Emerges From Shadows at Investment Conference
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Israeli businessmen addressed Saudi Arabia’s flagship investment conference this week, in a clear but subtle sign of burgeoning commercial ties and Israel’s growing acceptance in the kingdom despite the two countries still having no formal relations. The Middle East’s shifting dynamics were on display inside the marble halls of Riyadh’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel, host of the Future Investment Initiative, where businessmen in kippahs, the brimless cap worn by religious Jews, could be seen shaking hands with Saudis in traditional white robes.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Wall Street executives, European bankers and Asian business leaders are arriving here Tuesday for the Saudi kingdom’s flagship investment conference, in a sign that a diplomatic spat with the U.S. isn’t turning off global investors from a petrostate with a roaring economy and growing geopolitical power. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Jamie Dimon and David Solomon , head of Goldman Sachs Group Inc., are high-profile speakers at the conference, known colloquially as Davos in the Desert and officially as Future Investment Initiative. CEOs of the world’s biggest investment firms have also come, including Blackstone Inc.’s Stephen Schwarzman .

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—An unwritten pact binding the U.S. and Saudi Arabia has survived 15 presidents and seven kings through an Arab oil embargo, two Persian Gulf wars and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Now, it is fracturing under two leaders who don’t like or trust each other. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman , the kingdom’s 37-year-old day-to-day ruler, mocks President Biden in private, making fun of the 79-year-old’s gaffes and questioning his mental acuity, according to people inside the Saudi government. He has told advisers he hasn’t been impressed with Mr. Biden since his days as vice president, and much preferred former President Donald Trump, the people said.

☆ Where Architects Go to Test Their Wackiest Ideas
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Rory Jones | Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

An airport designed to resemble a desert mirage. An island shaped like a dolphin, with coral-reef buildings. An offshore oil platform revamped into an amusement park, with a roller coaster and bungee jumping. For architects, Saudi Arabia has become Shangri-La, a place to test their wildest and wackiest ideas.

☆ Saudi Arabia Rejects U.S. Allegations of Siding With Russia in Ukraine War
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

RIYADH—Saudi Arabia is pushing back after the Biden administration threatened to retaliate for last week’s major oil-production cut by Saudi-led OPEC and its Russia-led allies, as Washington’s quarrel with a major Middle East partners deepens. In a statement early Thursday, the kingdom rejected U.S. allegations that it has taken Russia’s side in the Ukraine war, and reiterated that the output-cut decision taken by the 23-member group collectively known as OPEC+ was motivated purely by economic considerations.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Days before a major oil-production cut by OPEC and its Russia-led allies, U.S. officials called their counterparts in Saudi Arabia and other big Gulf producers with an urgent appeal—delay the decision for another month, according to people familiar with the talks. The answer: a resounding no. U.S. officials warned Saudi leaders that a cut would be viewed as a clear choice by Riyadh to side with Russia in the Ukraine war and that the move would weaken already-waning support in Washington for the kingdom, the people said.

☆ Ukraine’s Zelensky Vows to Protect Citizens as Russian Annexation Looms
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

KYIV, Ukraine—President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to protect Ukrainians now living under the threat of prolonged Russian rule as Moscow prepares to annex parts of four regions in the east and south of the country after a series of staged referendums. Ukrainian forces are meanwhile trying to push further into areas currently occupied by Russian forces, undermining the Kremlin’s goal of placing swaths of the country under its permanent control. But after a lightning offensive that liberated some 3,500 square miles of territory in recent weeks, there are signs that the Ukrainian military is now encountering stronger resistance from Russian units in some areas after they regrouped further east.

☆ Russia Expands Use of Iranian Combat Drones in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

KYIV, Ukraine—Ukraine shot down more than a dozen Iranian combat drones across the front lines this week as Russia expands the use of a foreign weapons system that Ukrainian commanders say has inflicted serious damage on their forces. In his nightly address on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country’s antiaircraft forces had shot down Iranian drones in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region and the southern city of Odessa, including the nearby Pivdennyi port, used for exporting grain.

The crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich , and a jet-set Ukrainian negotiator played key roles in months of talks that led to the release of more than 250 prisoners by Russia and Ukraine this week in a broader deal involving Turkey, according to U.S. and Saudi officials and others familiar with the negotiations. Mr. Abramovich personally accompanied 10 prisoners, including British and American detainees captured by Russia in Ukraine, on a private jet that took them to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from Russia earlier this week, Saudi officials said. Other people familiar with the situation confirmed Mr. Abramovich’s involvement.

☆ Saudi crown prince meets with Turkish officials- SPA
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterSaudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looks on during a signing ceremony at the Maximos Mansion, in Athens, Greece, July 26, 2022. REUTERS/Louiza VradiSept 24 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Turkey's Finance Minister Nureddin Nebati and Ibrahim Kalin, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman and chief foreign policy adviser, in Jeddah on Saturday, Saudi state news agency SPA reported. Turkey is hoping for a currency swap deal with Saudi Arabia, after it established one with the United Arab Emirates earlier this year. read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Nayera Abdallah Editing by Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich , and a top Ukrainian negotiator played key roles in months of talks that led to the release of more than 250 prisoners by Russia and Ukraine this week in a broader deal involving Turkey, according to U.S., Ukrainian and Saudi officials and others familiar with the negotiations. Mr. Abramovich personally accompanied 10 prisoners, including British and American detainees captured by Russia in Ukraine, onto a private jet that took them to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from Russia earlier this week, Saudi officials said. Other people familiar with the situation confirmed Mr. Abramovich’s involvement.

EuropeInvestigators say they found signs of torture on some of the hundreds of bodies buried in a forest at the edge of Izyum, which was recaptured this month.

BusinessThe Russian steel magnate, who was sanctioned by the U.S., the European Union and the U.K. following the invasion of Ukraine, is exploring options to restructure ownership of his businesses to ease the burden of Western sanctions, according to people familiar with the matter.

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