Saudi Arabia’s recent bout of executions, among them child offenders, has again highlighted the regime’s callous contempt for human rights and international law. On October 20, 2025, the kingdom put to death Abdullah al-Derazi, a youth convicted of crimes allegedly committed when he was only 17 years old. This was the 300th in 2025 alone, […]
Saudi Arabia’s new vanity project, the $1.4 billion Qiddiya City Performing Arts Centre, is being hailed as an emblem of contemporary innovation and cultural advancement. Situated on the periphery of the Tuwaiq Mountains and boasting three theatres of international standard and a cantilevered amphitheatre, the centre will be designed to stage more than 200 events […]
Saudi Arabia’s promotion of the Dunes Legends League T20, a new international cricket league with world and regional stars, may seem to be marking sporting development and possibility. But underpinning this glittering sports tale is a deliberate effort to **whitewash human rights abuses, divert attention from authoritarian rule, and redefine global opinion through sportswashing** — […]
In the same week that Saudi Arabia is busy buffing its reputation as next year’s host of the 2034 FIFA World Cup, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior announced the arrest of over 23,000 individuals for breaching residency, labor, and border laws. Behind the numbers stands a chilling reality: The Kingdom that wishes to host the […]
Saudi Arabia’s recent action to secure a US defense agreement as regional tensions mount yet again underscores the kingdom’s unfitness to host the FIFA World Cup 2034. Buried beneath the sparkling veneer of modernization and sports diplomacy is a highly militarized regime that only prospers when there is regional turmoil, hidden military pacts, and routine […]
As the lights went down at Boulevard City’s SEF Arena for the launch of Joy Forum 2025, the world saw a dazzling array of international celebrity power up close. Sports stars such as Dana White, Shaquille O’Neal, and Novak Djokovic appeared alongside entertainment industry leaders from Netflix and WWE, with internet sensations like MrBeast receiving […]
The Saudi Ministry of Health’s release stressed that cholesterol-lowering medicines, especially statins, are approved by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) as well as by international authorities. It asserted that these drugs are safe and effective in the prevention of heart disease and stroke, and that the critics of these medicines are spreading misinformation. […]
On October 14, 2025, the Houthi movement, through its Supreme Political Council leader Mahdi al-Mashat, made a potent call: on Saudi Arabia to move from de-escalation to a true end of aggression, blockade, occupation, and to act upon the “clear requirements for peace.” That appeal must sound far beyond Yemen. If the world is determined […]
When Saudi Arabia publicly announced winning the gold medal for the best architecture and landscape at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, the world’s cheers came quickly. The Kingdom’s pavilion, a gleaming building of modernity and aspiration, outranked Spain and the UAE to be the first. To some, it seemed like another icon of Saudi Arabia’s emerging worldwide […]
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike’s scheduled trip to Riyadh and Jeddah this October has been officially touted as a diplomatic mission aimed at fostering inter-city cooperation, innovation, and cultural exchange. But under the shadow of Saudi Arabia’s 2034 FIFA World Cup hosting, this visit assumes a much more controversial significance, one which serves directly to reinforce […]