The Latest Breaking News from ALQST

Elon Musk’s X latest to block Saudi dissident accounts inside kingdom

Exclusive: More than 60 accounts on X have been made unavailable in Saudi Arabia, after similar action on Snapchat and Facebook

The Guardian - UK · Aug 4

Meta and Snapchat blocking Saudi dissidents’ accounts

US social media firms acting on orders from Middle East kingdom accused of being ‘instruments of repression’

The Guardian - UK · May 22

‘Tainted victory’: Newcastle’s Saudi influence still divisive after success

Concerns about the club’s ownership remain strong despite the euphoria of ending a 70-year wait for a domestic trophy

The Guardian - UK · Apr 12, 2025

Saudi court ‘secretly’ hands 11-year sentence to women's rights activist

A Saudi court has recently sentenced women's rights activist Manahel al-Otaibi to 11 years in prison in a "secret hearing", according to two human rights groups who denounced the ruling as contradictory to the kingdom’s “narrative of reform and women’s empowerment”.

France 24 · May 3, 2024

Female fitness instructor jailed in Saudi Arabia over her 'choice of clothing'

Her sister only escaped prosecution by fleeing the country

Evening Standard · May 1, 2024

Saudi Arabia activist sentenced to 11 years in prison for ‘support’ of women’s rights

Manahel al-Otaibi, who promoted female empowerment on social media, was arrested under anti-terror laws

The Guardian - UK · May 1, 2024

Staff at France's EDF question involvement in futuristic Saudi city

Some employees of French energy giant EDF want the company to reconsider its involvement in a hydro-electric plant in the Saudi desert that would power Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's futuristic megacity Neom, following concerns over the project's sustainability and alleged human rights abuses.

Radio France Internationale · Apr 8, 2024

Saudi fitness instructor Manahel al-Otaibi latest targeted in crackdown on dissent in kingdom

A 29-year-old fitness instructor popular on social media in Saudi Arabia faces charges that could see her imprisoned over her posts, becoming the latest person targeted in a crackdown in the kingdom

The Independent UK · Jun 1, 2023

Silicon Valley and Saudi Arabia are still closely intertwined despite age-old controversy

Nearly 40 venture firms, from Andreessen Horowitz to Craft Ventures to Techstars, have accepted money from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.

Fortune · Apr 4, 2023