As football superstars like Karim Benzema head to Saudi Arabia, and the kingdom announces a bombshell golf merger, we're asking what role sport plays in Saudi soft power. And is this a case of "sportswashing"? We speak to Yasmine Farouk, a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Elsewhere, thousands of Palestinian citizens of Israel have taken part in protests recently, amid a wave of crime within the minority group. In the latest attack, five people, including a 15-year-old, were shot dead near Nazareth last week. Experts say the spike in crime is linked to drugs and arms trafficking, as well as prostitution. Many within Israel's Palestinian community say the problem is made worse by discrimination and government neglect.
