Karim Benzema – taking the money and running into the box.
AP Photo/Hussein Malla
French soccer star Karim Benzema will join Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League, and others may follow.
Michael Reynolds/EPA and Saudi Press Agency/AP via AAP
Today’s big sport story is LIV Golf, but Saudi Arabia’s involvement in sport will generate many more money-driven, politics-heavy headlines.
Sudanese protesters in Khartoum.
Mahmoud Hjaj/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
An African-led process would take into account complex regional dynamics – which would lead to a better and more stable peace agreement.
A Houthi fighter patrols an area during Yemen’s civil war.
Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images
Yemen’s brutal civil war has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. But a recent Beijing-brokered rapprochement between two regional powers could unlock a path to peace.
Yahya Arhab/EPA
After eight years of bombs, missiles, destruction and hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths, it is the Yemeni people who have lost the most in this war.
Saudi Arabia has moved closer to China as an ally.
Associated Press/Alamy
Saudi Arabia is edging closer to China and away from the US, says an expert.
Augusta, home of The Masters – golf’s first major championship of the year.
Slusing/Shutterstock
But is it a fair way to build sporting influence?
Saudi Arabia, to the surprise of many, chose China to broker its deal with Iran in March 2023.
Chinese Foreign Ministry/Anadolu Agency via Getty Image
Saudi Arabia’s choice of China to broker its deal with Iran surprised many, but is consistent with its foreign policy agenda.
China’s president Xi met with the King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud in 2017.
Reuters/Alamy
Chinese leadership of a peace deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia, adds to their power in the region.
Opening the doors to Russia and China’s perception.
Getty Images
The setting was grand, so too was the plan. But behind the peace plan put forward by China and welcomed by Russia, is the question, what do both nations seek?
From Beijing with friendship? It’s complicated.
Xinhua/Alamy Stock Photo
Detente between Tehran and Riyadh will not magically solve all the political and sectarian tensions in the Middle East.
Marco Cappelletti/OMA/Islamic Arts Biennale
The celebrated South African architect Sumayya Vally is the artistic director of the exhibition.
Landing geopolitical punches.
REUTERS/Alamy Stock Photo
The Gulf state has an insatiable appetite for sporting glory.
A saltier Red Sea could threaten its marine life.
Dudarev Mikhail/Shutterstock
Jordan is planning a major desalination plant on the Gulf of Aqaba – but will it damage nearby marine ecosystems?
President Xi Jinping with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud in December.
Xinhua/Alamy Stock Photo
The region is well placed to satisfy China’s huge oil needs.
Ethiopian migrants stranded in Saudi Arabia arrive at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2021.
Minasse Wondimu Hailu/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
More than half a million Ethiopian migrants have been deported from Saudi Arabia since 2017.
President Joe Biden holding court at COP27.
UPI/Alamy
A look back at what the COPs have actually achieved.
Bosaso has become a major export hub since security improved in Somalia’s Puntland region.
Mohamed Abdiwahab/AFP via Getty Images
A modern port raises Puntland’s stake within the fragmented political landscape of Somalia and prevents traders from seeking alternatives.
Thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets to protest the death of Mahsa Amini.
AP Photo/Emrah Gurel
Imposing restrictions on women has been a way for many countries to demonstrate to the world what policies they want to pursue.
Girls chant religious slogans while celebrating Mawlid al-Nabi in Karachi, Pakistan in 2021.
AP Photo/Fareed Khan
The Wahhabi school of Islam has spread throughout the world, along with its disapproval of the holiday.