Saudi football diplomacy: ‘In owning a club, there’s fast-track public relations that operates in sports’
The wish is for Saudi to become a tourist destination, hosting elite events such as boxing, golf and esports. It all forms part of Saudi Vision 2030, a government programme designed by MBS to diversify the economy before natural resources – and the world’s dependency on them – expire. A thriving entertainment sector to suit the needs of its young population is also high on the agenda.
Premier League owners: In buying English football clubs Abu Dhabi and its brands have become part of UK image
Manchester City’s was a takeover that pushed us towards the very modern term of “sportswashing” but it has yielded more than just reputational improvements in a part of the world where Amnesty International says freedom of expression is unduly restricted.
Hindenburg Research: Our report released January 2023 identified Adani as the largest corporate con in history
It is unclear whether Gautam or Sagar Adani will appear in court, as they could try to get the indictment dismissed without appearing in the United States. Gautam Adani’s whereabouts are unclear, and none of the defendants are in custody, a spokesperson for US Attorney Breon Peace in Brooklyn said.
Kenya’s President Ruto quashes three mega-dollar tenders controversially awarded to Adani Group
Adani Energy Solutions in October signed a 30-year, $736 million public-private partnership deal with the Kenya Electrical Transmission Company. A court suspended the contract in the same month after questions were raised about the transparency of the controversial deal.
While regulators’ verdict in UK is pregnant women don’t need Covid vaccines, US endorses it
On its Covid-19 vaccine pregnancy page, the CDC warns that pregnant women are “more likely to get very sick from Covid-19” than other people. It also says they are more likely to need hospitalisation, intensive care, the use of a ventilator and experience complications such as preterm birth or stillbirth.
Billionaire Gautam Adani of India’s Adani Group charged in US with bribery, bond slump
In early Asian trading on Thursday, Adani dollar bonds slumped, with prices down between 3-5 cents on bonds for Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone. The falls were the largest since the Adani Group came under a short-seller attack in February 2023.
Hours after Ukraine hit Russia with US-supplied ATACMS, it followed with UK Storm Shadow cruise missiles
The Storm Shadows have a range in excess of 250 kilometres (155 miles) and would give Ukraine the ability to hit targets far deeper into Russia than before.
African health activists worry Trump presidency means a return of abortion ‘gag rule’, unsupportable pregnancies
Even NGOs in countries that outlaw abortion, such as Zimbabwe, are affected. Population Services Zimbabwe, for instance, closed its outreach clinics during Trump’s first term after losing funding due to its association with MSI Reproductive Choices.
Top Russian officials reveal Putin’s willing to discuss Ukraine peace if Kyiv abandon ambitions to join Nato
While Moscow claims the four regions as wholly part of Russia, defended by the country’s nuclear umbrella, its forces on the ground control 70-80 per cent of the territory with about 26,000 square kilometres still held by Ukrainian troops, open-source data on the front line shows.
Tension builds between Washington and Moscow as US embassy in Ukraine closes over fears of air attack
Russia had been warning the West for months that if Washington allowed Ukraine to fire US, British and French missiles deep into Russia, Moscow would consider those NATO members to be directly involved in the war in Ukraine.
