Saudi Arabia has been officially confirmed by FIFA as host of the 2034 World Cup in men’s soccer.

The Trump Organization says it has leased its brand to two new real estate projects in Saudi Arabia just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.

Eight members of the OPEC+ alliance of oil exporting countries have decided to put off increasing oil production as they face weaker than expected demand and competing production from non-allied countries — factors that could keep oil prices stagnant into next year.

Former U.S. national team captain Becky Sauerbrunn and Netherlands forward Vivianne Miedema are among more than 100 women’s soccer players who have signed an open letter protesting FIFA’s sponsorship deal with Saudi Arabian state oil giant Aramco.

In two months' time FIFA is set to confirm Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2034 World Cup.

Bob Woodward writes in his new book “War” that Donald Trump has had as many as seven private phone calls with Vladimir Putin since leaving office and that he secretly sent the Russian president COVID-19 test machines in 2020.

A former Saudi official has alleged that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman forged his father’s signature on the royal decree that launched the kingdom’s yearslong, stalemated war against Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Saudi Arabia has detailed a massive stadium building project to host the 2034 World Cup in men’s soccer.

FIFA has been urged by international lawyers to uphold its own policy and scrutinize Saudi Arabia’s human rights record before picking the kingdom to host the men’s 2034 World Cup.

President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan has met with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss what the kingdom describes as the “semi-final” version of a wide-ranging security agreement between the countries.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and the men’s professional tennis tour have agreed to a five-year partnership that includes naming rights for the ATP rankings.

Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy has arrived to Saudi Arabia and met the kingdom’s powerful crown prince to push for a peace plan and the return of prisoners of war from Russia.

Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s former White House adviser and his son-in-law, is defending his business dealings with the Saudi crown prince after leaving the U.S. government.

Key mediator Qatar says Hamas’ response to the latest plan for a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages was “generally positive.”.

Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and new Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner are slated to participate in an exhibition event in Saudi Arabia in October.

A liquor store has opened in Saudi Arabia for the first time in over 70 years.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says four key Arab nations and Turkey have agreed to begin planning for the reconstruction and governance of Gaza once Israel’s war against Hamas ends.

The near certainty that Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 men’s World Cup unites two of the most influential men in world sports.

Saudi Arabia is all but certain to host the men’s 2034 World Cup after the Australian soccer federation declined to enter the bidding contest.

Saudi Arabia has formally informed FIFA of its wish to host the men’s World Cup in 2034 in a bidding contest that increasingly looks designed for the oil-rich kingdom to win.

If Saudi Arabia could have designed a process for choosing future World Cup hosts, it might look similar to what FIFA has unveiled for the 2030 and 2034 men’s soccer tournaments.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman says in an interview with Fox News that aired Wednesday that ongoing negotiations over Israel means the prospects of normalized relations between both countries “get closer” every day but that treatment of Palestinians is “very important.”.

A Saudi court has sentenced a man to death over his posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, and his activity on YouTube.

Iran’s foreign minister has met with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as part of his visit to the kingdom, a sign of how the two countries are trying to ease tensions after years of turmoil.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has begun a three-stop tour of Persian Gulf states to raise trade and investment for Turkey’s floundering economy.

The Washington Post is reporting former AT&T Chairman Randall Stephenson has resigned from the PGA Tour policy board.

U.N. human rights experts are calling for the release of two Saudi Arabian women they say were arbitrarily detained and denied basic rights after tweeting criticism of the kingdom’s policies.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.

After years of isolation over his human rights abuses, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince is elevating his standing in the United States in part by diving into American sports, business and culture.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman amid strained relations between Riyadh and Washington.

Saudi Arabia is hosting an Arab League summit that is welcoming back Syrian President Bashar Assad after a 12-year suspension from the league.

U.S. President Joe Biden’s top national security aide has met with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince amid long-standing tensions between the White House and the kingdom.

The leaders of Egypt and Saudi Arabia have met in the Gulf kingdom in the first face-to-face discussions between the two men in months as the North African country battles a domestic economic crisis.

Saudi Arabia has freed an American citizen it had imprisoned more than a year over old tweets critical of the kingdom’s crown prince.

A Saudi sovereign wealth fund now holds 8.26% of the stock in the video game maker Nintendo, making it the largest outside investor in the Japanese gaming company.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has vowed to import more oil and natural gas from energy-rich Gulf Arab states while not interfering in their affairs.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping is meeting with Saudi Arabia’s king and crown prince while on a visit to the kingdom.

A federal judge has dismissed a U.S. lawsuit against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

A recent boost in titles for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has proven crucial to shielding him from a U.S. lawsuit in the killing of a U.S.-based journalist.

The Biden administration says Saudi Arabia's crown prince should be shielded from lawsuits over his role in the killing of a U.S.-based journalist.

Saudi Arabia has released an American woman it took into custody after she spoke out on her efforts to leave the country with her young Saudi-American daughter.

Saudi Arabia has taken into custody an American woman who has struggled for years to leave the kingdom with her daughter.

Oil giant Saudi Aramco is reporting a $42.4 billion profit in the third quarter of this year, buoyed by higher global energy prices that have filled the kingdom’s coffers but helped fuel inflation worldwide.

Saudi Arabia’s powerful 37-year-old crown prince will not attend an upcoming summit in Algeria after his doctors advised him not to travel.

The family of an American citizen arrested in Saudi Arabia says he was tortured and sentenced to 16 years in prison over tweets he sent while in the United States.

The head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is calling for freezing all U.S. cooperation with Saudi Arabia, including arms sales.

President Joe Biden is effectively acknowledging the failure of one of his biggest foreign policy gambles: a fist-bump with the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, the crown prince associated with human rights abuses.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has arrived in Saudi Arabia for the first stop of a two-day, three-country visit aimed at striking new energy deals and forging fresh alliances.

Gulf Arab countries have asked Netflix to remove “offensive content” on the streaming service, apparently targeting programs that show people who are gay and lesbian.

A Saudi court has sentenced a doctoral student and women’s rights advocate to 34 years in prison for spreading “rumors” on Twitter and retweeting dissidents.

The Biden administration has approved two massive arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to help them defend against Iran.

France’s presidency has focused on global warming, the war in Ukraine and the Iran nuclear deal in relaying details about the controversial dinner in Paris between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and French President Emmanuel Macron.

French President Emmanuel Macron has welcomed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to his presidential palace for a dinner.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is visiting Greece on his first trip to a European Union country since the killing in 2018 of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The White House says Russian officials have visited an airfield in central Iran at least twice in recent weeks to view weapons-capable drones it is looking to acquire to use in its war against Ukraine.

President Joe Biden seems to have bowed to Sen. Joe Manchin’s demand for a slimmed-down economic package.

President Joe Biden has exchanged a cordial fist bump with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but says he then raised the issue of the murder of writer Jamal Khashoggi, which U.S. intelligence has said the crown prince approved.

President Joe Biden's visit to the Middle East comes as the region is experiencing dramatic changes and struggling to address deep problems.

Israel’s prime minister has expressed hope that his country will establish formal diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has arrived in Ankara, making his first visit to Turkey following the slaying of Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul.

President Joe Biden has decided to travel to Saudi Arabia in the coming weeks and is expected to meet with the kingdom’s once-shunned crown prince.

President Joe Biden is leaning towards making a visit to Saudi Arabia — a trip that would likely bring him face-to-face with the Saudi crown prince he once shunned as a killer.

The U.S. has resupplied Saudi Arabia with Patriot antimissile interceptors in recent weeks as the Biden administration looks to ease what has been a point of tension in the increasingly complicated U.S.-Saudi relationship.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has met with the de facto rulers of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in efforts to ease gasoline prices as the West grapples with economic headwinds from Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Saudi Arabia is signaling it isn’t willing to pump more oil and won’t push for changes to an agreement with Russia and other producers that has kept a lid on oil production levels.

Saudi Arabia says it will transfer 4% of the stock in the state-run oil giant Aramco to a sovereign wealth fund.

Saudi Arabia has ordered the restoration of full diplomatic ties with Thailand and said the countries agreed to trade ambassadors.

A delegation led by South Korea’s president visiting Saudi Arabia has inked a preliminary deal to explore a project to develop a potentially cleaner form of energy.

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince has visited Qatar for the first time since the kingdom rallied other Arab states to end their yearslong rift and embargo on the tiny Persian Gulf country.

French authorities have announced that a man arrested at Paris-Charles De Gaulle Airport linked to the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was misidentified.

The Senate has rejected a bid to stop a U.S. arms sale to Saudi Arabia.

A suspect in the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been arrested in France.

Pop star Justin Bieber has performed to a packed crowd in the Saudi city of Jiddah, singing some of his most popular hits on stage to excited fans.

France’s president and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince held a joint phone call with Lebanon’s prime minister during Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the kingdom.

The sister of a man who was sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia is asking seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton to help save her brother’s life.

Saudi Arabia’s annual investment forum has drawn over a thousand participants, with big-name U.S. financiers and business leaders back on the stage three years after many stayed away following international outcry over the killing of a government critic in a Saudi consulate.

A former senior Saudi security official who helped oversee joint counter-terrorism efforts with the U.S. claims the kingdom’s crown prince once spoke of killing a sitting Saudi monarch before his own father was crowned king.

Saudi Arabia’s oil company Aramco reached a $2 trillion valuation as it hit near record levels during trading hours.

President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan is traveling to Saudi Arabia.

Top Biden administration officials have hosted a brother to powerful Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in Washington.

Press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders has put Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on its list of “predators.”.

A first round of direct talks between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran signal a possible de-escalation following years of animosity that has often spilled over into neighboring countries.

FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2019, file photo, Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company Aramco and stock market officials celebrate the debut of Aramco's initial public offering on the Riyadh Stock Market, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Aramco paid the Saudi government 30% less in taxes in 2020, the company reported Monday, March 22, 2021, as the regions largest economy grapples with the pressures of the coronavirus pandemic and low oil prices. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)DUBAI – Saudi Arabia’s state-backed oil giant Aramco paid the Saudi government 30% less in taxes in 2020, the company said in a financial report Monday, as the region’s largest economy reels from the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic and low oil prices. Even as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s aggressively pushes to diversify the economy away from oil, Saudi Arabia relies on the energy sector for 80% of its exports and two-thirds of its financial revenues. The budget deficit has widened each year since oil prices dropped in 2014, prompting the government to borrow heavily and accelerate its shift away from oil largess.

As a presidential candidate, Joe Biden promised to make a pariah out of Saudi Arabia over the 2018 murder of dissident Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi. But when it came time to actually penalize Saudi Arabias crown prince, Americas strategic interests prevailed. Biden, in an ABC News interview that aired Wednesday, discussed his administration's decision to exempt Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from any penalties for the Oct. 2, 2018, killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. U.S. intelligence, in a report released Feb. 26, concluded that the crown prince authorized the team of Saudi security and intelligence officials that killed Khashoggi. Rights groups and some journalists organizations criticized the decision not to punish the crown prince, saying it signaled impunity for the royal and other authoritarian leaders in the future.

FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 22, 2020, file photo, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends a virtual G-20 summit held over video conferencing, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's royal court says Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman underwent a successful surgery for appendicitis on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021, and left the hospital soon after the operation. The 35-year-old Prince Mohammed had laparoscopic surgery at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in the Saudi capital of Riyadh in the morning. But the public rebuke of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is still a touchstone in U.S-Saudi relations. Saudi officials have said Khashoggi’s killing was the work of rogue Saudi security and intelligence officials.

President Joe Biden is expected to speak to Saudi King Salman for the first time in Bidens just over a month-old administration. The language came in contrast to Biden's pledge as a candidate to make Saudi Arabia “a pariah” over the killing. The Saudi Arabia Embassy spokesman in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. U.S. intelligence findings are coming out more than two years after Khashoggi walked hand-in-hand with his fiancee to the Saudi consulate in Turkey. Once in office, Biden said he would maintain whatever scale of relations with Saudi Arabia that U.S. interests required.

FILE - In this March 22, 2018, file photo, an honor guard member is covered by the flag of Saudi Arabia, in Washington. Three young Saudi men who faced death sentences for acts they were accused of committing as minors have been handed a 10-year prison sentence instead, the Saudi Human Rights Commission said. The move comes nearly a year after Saudi Arabia ordered an end to the death penalty for crimes committed by minors. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)DUBAI – Three young Saudi men who faced death sentences for acts they were accused of committing as minors have been handed a 10-year prison sentence instead, the Saudi Human Rights Commission said. “But other young people like Ali are still facing the death penalty for childhood ‘crimes’ in Saudi Arabia.

Infantino overlooked FIFA's own significant issues with Saudi Arabia in the meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. That has not happened with beIN, which owns the rights to World Cup matches across the Middle East, outlawed in Saudi Arabia. FIFA did not say if Infantino challenged Prince Mohammed on human rights issues in Saudi, given the governing body's own code. Scrutiny over Infantino's links to Saudi Arabia in 2018 led to FIFA offering assurances that no nation would be allowed to fund its plans for new competitions. The takeover collapsed amid concerns about piracy and human rights complaints.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told reporters after the summit that diplomatic relations would be restored in full with Qatar, although no time frame was given. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are primarily concerned about Qatar’s ties with Iran. The rift between Abu Dhabi and Doha has been deepest, with the UAE and Qatar at sharp ideological odds. Egypt’s foreign minister also attended the meeting of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which comprises Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. Qatar's only land border with Saudi Arabia, which it relied on for the import of dairy products, construction materials and other goods, has been mostly closed since June 2017.

JERUSALEM – Israeli media reported Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Saudi Arabia for a clandestine meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which would mark the first known encounter between senior Israeli and Saudi officials. The Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, denied on Twitter that the meeting took place. While Bahrain, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates have reached deals under the Trump administration to normalize ties with Israel, Saudi Arabia so far has remained out of reach. But Saudi Arabia appears to have given its blessing to the decisions of its Gulf neighbors, the UAE and Bahrain, to establish ties with Israel. The kingdom approved the use of Saudi airspace for Israeli flights to the UAE.

DUBAI – Saudi Arabia's oil giant Aramco announced Monday it will issue international bonds as it seeks a cash infusion to help pay for billions of dollars in dividends the company promised shareholders before the global coronavirus pandemic sent oil prices plummeting. In a statement posted on the Saudi Tadawul stock exchange, the company said it plans to issue U.S.-dollar denominated bonds but did not specify the size of the issuance. Monday's announcement to issue bonds is aimed at raising capital needed to pay the promised dividends, which at $18.75 billion a quarter exceeds Aramco's current cash flow. The pandemic, which led to unprecedented lockdowns and border closures globally, also ultimately weakened demand for oil and pushed oil prices down. Saudi Arabia has cut production, along with other oil producers, to support oil prices from sliding further.

WASHINGTON – The family of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has filed a federal lawsuit accusing Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of personally ordering Khashoggi's brutal execution in order to silence the high-profile government critic. It names Prince Mohammed and a host of Saudi Ministry of Interior officials, accusing them of a “brutal and brazen crime” that was the result of “weeks of planning" and premeditation. Saudi officials initially offering conflicting accounts, including claiming that Khashoggi had left the building unharmed. In September, a Saudi court issued a final verdict sentencing five mid-level officials and operatives to 20-year jail sentences. The Saudi court did not implicate Prince Mohammed or other senior Interior Ministry officials.

DUBAI – Saudi Arabia, which is presiding over the Group of 20 countries this year, said Monday that the upcoming November gathering of world leaders will be held virtually amid the coronavirus pandemic. Saudi Arabia said the virtual summit Nov. 21-22 will be chaired by King Salman. The leaders of the G-20 last met virtually in March in a session hosted by King Salman. Rights groups and others had called for world leaders to boycott the summit in Saudi Arabia due to Khashoggi's killing, the kingdom’s human rights record and its continued detention of activists. Failing that, she said, it should be made conditional that Saudi Arabia releases imprisoned women’s rights defenders, human rights activists, journalists and others.

In this image made from UNTV video, King Salman of Saudi Arabia, speaks in a pre-recorded message which was played during the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, at UN headquarters. In delivering his remarks, he became only the second Saudi king to deliver a speech to the world assembly. And like his brother's speech 63 years prior, King Salman noted the sacred role of Islam in Saudi Arabia and the importance that entails. Saudi rivals Turkey and Iran also profess to champion Muslim causes worldwide as part of a broader struggle for leadership of Muslims globally. King Salman has backed his son by elevating him from near obscurity and handing him day-to-day decision making powers.

Member state flags fly outside the United Nations headquarters during the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)TANZANIA – The Latest from the U.N. General Assembly (all times EDT):8:10 p.m. But U.S.-backed Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó still put out his own online message during this year’s gathering of world leaders. Guaidó is recognized by nearly 60 nations as Venezuela’s president and has been in a nearly two-year standoff with Maduro. This week at the U.N. gathering of world leaders, African nations again have made it clear it’s time that changed.

FILE - This July 9, 2019, file photo shows a sign outside of the Twitter office building in San Francisco. The Saudi government recruited two Twitter employees to get personal account information of their critics, prosecutors said Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. Shirine Hossaini said Thursday that she and former Twitter employee Ahmad Abouammo worked together for several years at the headquarters of the Middle East Broadcasting Networks in Springfield, Virginia. He and Saudi citizen Ali Alzabarah are charged with being agents of Saudi Arabia without registering with the U.S. government. 1 a.m.U.S. prosecutors say Saudi Arabia recruited two Twitter employees to spy on thousands of accounts that included prominent opponents.

Participants watch Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman on a screen during his speech at the Future Investment Initiative forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019. The long-planned initial public offering of a sliver of Saudi Arabia's state-run oil giant Saudi Aramco will see shares traded on Riyadh's stock exchange in December, a Saudi-owned satellite news channel reported Tuesday as the kingdom's marquee investment forum got underway. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)RIYADH A planned stock offering of a small part of state-run oil giant Saudi Aramco "will come soon" and only at the direction of Saudi Arabia's crown prince, the kingdom's energy minister said Wednesday, further underlining the power of the 34-year-old royal. However, economic worries, the trade war between China and the United States and increased crude oil production by the U.S. has depressed energy prices. But the investment forum, coming a year after the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi saw investors shy away from Saudi Arabia, has had more people attend likely over the coming IPO.

FILE - In this Oct. 22, 2018, file photo, Saudi employees print badges of participants of the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. That would raise $100 billion he needs for his ambitious redevelopment plans for a Saudi Arabia hoping for new jobs, as unemployment stands at over 10%. Saudi Aramco said it "does not comment on rumor or speculation," but did not dispute the report. "It could be potentially damaging to the company, and then in the long term, damaging to the source of funding that has made Saudi Arabia so strong." ___Associated Press writer Malak Harb in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, contributed to this report.

FILE - In this Oct. 22, 2018, file photo, Saudi employees print badges of participants of the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Investors appear poised to move beyond the columnist's killing for one major reason: The long-discussed initial public offering of Saudi Aramco. The firm, formally known as the Saudi Arabian Oil Co., was founded in 1933 with America's Standard Oil. Saudi Aramco has sought to assure investors. "A strong Aramco meant a strong Saudi Arabia and a weakened Aramco a weakened Saudi Arabia," he once told the kingdom's first ruler.

(CNN) - Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman denied any personal involvement in the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi but took full responsibility as the country's leader during a CBS "60 Minutes" interview that aired Sunday night. "But I take full responsibility as a leader in Saudi Arabia, especially since it was committed by individuals working for the Saudi government." Riyadh initially denied any knowledge of the incident, but Saudi officials later claimed a group of rogue operators -- many of whom belong to the Saudi crown prince's inner circle --- were responsible for the journalist's death. The CIA concluded that the crown prince personally ordered Khashoggi's murder. A United Nations independent investigator released a report in June that said there is credible evidence the crown prince bears responsibility for Khashoggi's death.