Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stoppage-time bicycle kick to cap Al Nassr’s 4–1 victory over Al Khaleej in their Saudi Pro League clash on Sunday night at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Al Nassr dominated early, with Joao Felix at the heart of the action. After two disallowed goals, the Portuguese forward finally broke the deadlock in the 39th minute, finishing a low cross into the bottom right corner.
Three minutes later, Felix won possession high up the pitch and set up Wesley, who curled a superb shot into the top corner to give the hosts a 2–0 lead at half-time.
Al Khaleej started the second half brightly and halved the deficit in the 47th minute through Hawsawi, who rifled a powerful strike into the top corner.
But Al Nassr regained control as the game wore on.
Sadio Mané restored the two-goal lead in the 77th minute, reacting quickest to a loose ball to curl home a fine first-time finish.
The visitors’ hopes of a comeback faded further when Kourbeli was shown a straight red card for stamping on Al Hassan’s foot in the 90th minute.
Ronaldo, who had earlier been denied several times by goalkeeper Moris and had a goal ruled out for offside, finally got his moment in added time.
In the 90+6 minute, he connected acrobatically with a floating cross from Boushal, sending a bicycle kick past Moris to seal the victory.
The 40-year-old records his 954th career goal and has now scored ten goals in nine league appearances this season.
The win extends Al Nassr’s push for a ninth straight victory as they continue their strong run in the Saudi Pro League with 27 points. (Punch)
Electronic Arts, the company behind video games like Madden NFL, Battlefield and The Sims, is being acquired for $US52.5 billion ($80 billion), in what could become the largest-ever buyout funded by private-equity firms.
The private equity firm Silver Lake Partners, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF, and Affinity Partners will pay EA’s stockholders $US210 per share.
Affinity Partners is run by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
If the transaction closes as anticipated, it will end EA’s 36-year history as a publicly traded company.
PIF, which was already the largest insider stakeholder in Electronic Arts, will be rolling over its existing 9.9 per cent stake in the company.
The commitment to the massive deal is in line with recent activity by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, wrote Andrew Marok of Raymond James.
“The Saudi PIF has been a very active player in the video gaming market since 2022, taking minority stakes in most scaled public video gaming publishers, and also outright purchases of companies like ESL, FACEIT, and Scopely,” he wrote.
“The PIF has made its intentions to scale its gaming arm, Savvy Gaming Group, clear, and the EA deal would represent the biggest such move to date by some distance.”
Electronic Arts would be taken private and its headquarters would remain in Redwood City, California.
The total value of the deal eclipses the $US32 billion price paid to take Texas utility TXU private in 2007.
EA’s initial public offering on the stock market came seven years after it was founded by former Apple employee William “Trip” Hawkins, who began playing analog versions of baseball and football made by Strat-O-Matic as a teenager during the 1960s.
Chief executive Andrew Wilson has led the company since 2013 and he will remain in that role, the firms said on Monday, local time.
“Electronic Arts is an extraordinary company with a world-class management team and a bold vision for the future,” Mr Kushner, who serves as CEO of Affinity Partners, said.
“I’ve admired their ability to create iconic, lasting experiences, and as someone who grew up playing their games — and now enjoys them with his kids — I couldn’t be more excited about what’s ahead.”
This marks the second high-profile deal involving Silver Lake and a technology company with a legion of loyal fans in recent weeks.
Silver Lake is also part of a newly formed joint venture spearheaded by Oracle involved in a deal to take over the US oversight of TikTok’s social video platform, although all the details of that complex transaction have not been divulged yet. (ABC)
Team Brazil capped off an impeccable weekend in Nigeria with a thrilling win at the E1 Lagos GP, seizing the maiden race in Africa to claim their first win in the all-electric powerboat series on Sunday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Powered by their pole position from Saturday’s qualifying, Team Brazil duly capitalised from the group races to the final, with Timmy Hansen delivering a flawless performance on the water.
They had the fastest time in the practice session and topped the qualifying race on Saturday before winning the final on Sunday.
They beat Team Blue Rising, owned by Indian cricket icon Virat Kohli, to second place while Team Drogba Global Africa, which is co-owned by Ivory Coast football legend and former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and Gabrielle Lemaire, finished third.
Team Brazil got 38 points for their win, taking their tally up to 89 points. However, they are still far off from the title in seventh position, ahead of the final race of the season next month in Miami.
“We came to Lagos and we had a fantastic time. It is important with the race format to have the best starting lane, so you want to start on the inside, and we had it. Thanks to the team, I had a brilliant start, and it was smooth sailing,” Hansen told our correspondent.
There was no place on the podium for suspects Team Rafa and Team Brady, who have been in a tussle at the top of the championship standings ahead of the E1 Lagos GP.
However, Team Brady remains top of the championship standings despite finishing fourth. Their 19 points from an electrifying weekend in Lagos take them up to 154 points.
They are still separated from Team Rafa, owned by tennis legend Rafael Nadal by three points. Piloted by Cris Lazarraga and Tom Chiappe, Team Rafa finished fifth in Lagos with 17 points, taking their season’s tally to 151points.
Kohli’s Blue Rising remains third in the standings with 145 points.
The E1 is an all-electric powerboat race which began last year in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Lagos became the first city in Africa to host the championship.
The E1 Lagos GP was also the penultimate race of the season, setting the tone for the championship battle ahead of the season finale in Miami next month.
Speaking to journalists during the championship on Sunday, the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, described the first-of-its-kind event in Africa as a demonstration of the state’s commitment to innovation and clean energy.
“Hosting the E1 series is not just about sports, it is about innovation, environmental responsibility, and putting Lagos on the global map for future-focused development,” Sanwo-Olu said. (Punch)
The leaders of six countries, including France, have moved to recognise Palestinian statehood at a high-level summit ahead of the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting in New York.
Alongside France, which co-convened the meeting with Saudi Arabia on Monday in New York, Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta and Monaco said they were recognising a Palestinian state.
Leaders from Australia, Canada, Portugal and the United Kingdom, which formally made the move to recognise Palestine a day earlier, also spoke at the meeting.
“We have gathered here because the time has come,” Emmanuel Macron said at the summit convened to revive the long-delayed two-state solution to end the Israel-Palestine conflict.
“It falls on us, this responsibility, to do everything in our power to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution,” Macron said.
“Today, I declare that France recognises the state of Palestine,” he said.
The additional countries recognising Palestine now join some 147 of the 193 UN member states that had already formally recognised Palestinian statehood as of April this year.
With more than 80 percent of the international community now recognising the state of Palestine, diplomatic pressure has ramped up on Israel as it continues its genocidal war on Gaza, where more than 65,300 Palestinians have been killed and the has been enclave turned into rubble.
Spain, Norway and Ireland recognised Palestinian statehood last year, with Madrid also imposing sanctions on Israel for its war on Gaza.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told the summit on Monday that a two-state solution was not possible “when the population of one of those two states is the victim of a genocide”.
“The Palestinian people are being annihilated, [so] in the name of reason, in the name of international law and in the name of human dignity, we have to stop this slaughter,” Sanchez said.
Macron, in his speech to the summit, also outlined a framework for the creation of a “renewed Palestinian Authority”. The post-war framework envisages an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) that would assist in preparing the Palestinian Authority (PA) to take over governance in Gaza.
PA President Mahmoud Abbas commended the countries that had recognised Palestine. He made his statement to the conference by video because he was denied a visa by the administration of US President Donald Trump to attend the UNGA this week.
“We call on those that have not yet done so to do so to follow suit”, Abbas said, adding that the PA also demanded “support for Palestine’s full membership in the United Nations”.
Israel and the US, which are becoming increasingly isolated internationally on the issue, boycotted the summit, with Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, describing the event as a “circus”.
Although the vast majority of UN member states now recognise Palestinian statehood, new UN member states must have the support of the UN Security Council, where the US has used its veto to block Palestine from becoming a full UN member state.
Speaking at the summit, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated his support for the two-state solution, framing it as the only viable path towards peace after years of failed negotiations and ongoing violence.
Guterres said that statehood for Palestinians “is a right, not a reward”, rejecting US and Israeli claims that it was a reward for Hamas.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, thanked Macron and the UN chief for their efforts towards a two-state solution, which he said is “the only way to achieve just and lasting peace”.
He said the conference comes at a time when “the Israeli occupation authorities continue their aggression and their brutal crimes” against Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel also continues its “violations in the West Bank, and its repeated attacks on Arab and Muslim countries, with the most recent attack on Qatar”, he said.
“These actions underline Israel’s insistence on continuing aggressive practices that threaten regional and international peace and stability and undermine efforts of peace in the region,” he added. (AlJazeera)
President John Dramani Mahama has turned to experienced hands in his latest diplomatic appointments, nominating former NDC National Vice Chairman Alhaji Said Sinare as Ghana’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia – a familiar terrain for the seasoned diplomat who previously held the same position during Mahama’s first term.
The July 21 appointment letter from the Presidency, sighted by our newsroom, forms part of a broader reshuffle that sees eight new envoys deployed to strategic posts including South Korea, Italy and Kenya. But it’s the Saudi Arabia posting that’s generating the most buzz in diplomatic circles, given the Gulf nation’s growing importance to Ghana’s economic interests.
“Sinare isn’t just going as an ambassador – he’s going as Ghana’s chief negotiator in one of our most critical bilateral relationships,” a Foreign Ministry insider revealed. “From oil deals to Hajj arrangements and infrastructure financing, Riyadh has become too important to leave to inexperienced hands.”
The ever ambitious diplomat brings rare credentials to the table, having previously served as Ghana’s top envoy in both Saudi Arabia and Egypt. His deep understanding of Arab diplomacy and extensive network across the region are seen as major assets at a time when Ghana is seeking to attract Middle Eastern investment.
Political analysts view the move as part of Mahama’s strategy to rebuild Ghana’s diplomatic corps with proven performers. “This is back-to-basics foreign policy,” remarked University of Ghana international relations professor Nana Akosua Ankomah. “Rather than political appointments, we’re seeing the return of career diplomats who know how to open doors for Ghana.”
The appointment has been widely praised within government circles, with NDC executives describing Sinare as “the right man to reconnect Ghana with our Gulf partners.” His supporters point to his track record of facilitating Saudi investment in Ghana’s energy sector during his previous tenure.
As Ghana positions itself to benefit from shifting global economic alliances, these ambassadorial selections suggest a clear foreign policy direction. With Sinare back in Riyadh, expectations are high for tangible results in Ghana-Saudi relations – from increased oil cooperation to better conditions for Ghanaian migrant workers.
The Foreign Ministry is expected to complete accreditation processes within weeks, paving the way for what many hope will be a new chapter in Ghana’s economic diplomacy. For Sinare, it’s an opportunity to build on his legacy; for Ghana, a chance to solidify crucial Gulf partnerships at a time of global uncertainty. (Vanguard)
Prince Al Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal, known to millions as Saudi Arabia’s “Sleeping Prince”, has died after spending 20 years in a coma, his family announced on Saturday.
The prince, a nephew of billionaire Saudi Arabian investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, had been in a coma since being admitted to hospital following a car accident in 2005.
A family statement posted on X expressed “profound sadness and sorrow” over the death of the prince. It said his funeral will take place in Riyadh on Sunday.
Over the years, he became a symbol of hope and endurance, with many across the Arab world keeping him in their prayers and wishing for his recovery.
Videos and photographs of Prince Al Waleed connected to a life-support machine have been shared by members of his family over the years. One showed him covered with a Saudi Arabian flag with the words “Our Country is in Our Hearts”.
In a video shared by his family five years ago, he was seen moving his fingers, giving hope to wellwishers who had hoped to see him make a full recovery. (National)
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo says he will not play at this month’s Club World Cup after turning down offers from participating teams.
The 40-year-old is out of contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr at the end of June.
In May, Fifa president Gianni Infantino raised the prospect of Ronaldo joining a team involved at the Club World Cup after Al-Nassr’s failure to qualify.
“I will not be at the Club World Cup,” said Ronaldo.
“Some teams reached out to me. Some made sense and others did not, but you can’t try and do everything. You can’t catch every ball.”
Ronaldo posted on social media that “the chapter is over” following Al-Nassr’s final league game of the season in May, leading to speculation he was set for a move.
However, sources have told BBC Sport that the club are confident of extending Ronaldo’s deal.
Speaking before Portugal’s Nations League final against Spain on Sunday (20:00 BST), Ronaldo said a decision on his future was “almost final”.
The striker joined Al-Nassr in 2023 after the termination of his deal with Manchester United.
He has scored 99 goals in 111 appearances for the club, including 35 times in 41 matches last term.
Ronaldo scored the winner in a 2-1 victory against Germany on Wednesday to book Portugal’s spot in the Nations League final. (BBC)
Campaigners have welcomed the release of a Saudi PhD student at Leeds University who was sentenced to 34 years in prison for posting tweets in support of women’s rights.
Salma al-Shehab, 36, is understood to have left the prison in Saudi Arabia where she was being held and has been reunited with her two young children.
“It is fantastic news,” said Lina al-Hathloul, head of monitoring and advocacy at the Europe-based Saudi rights group ALQST. “She has not seen her children during her whole four years of imprisonment.”
Al-Shehab was arrested while on holiday in Saudi Arabia in January 2021. Campaigners say she was kept in solitary confinement for more than nine months before she was brought before Saudi Arabia’s specialised criminal court.
She was initially sentenced to serve three years in prison for the “crime” of using a website to “cause public unrest and destabilise civil and national security”.
An appeals court later handed down the new sentence– 34 years in prison followed by a 34-year travel ban – after a public prosecutor asked the court to consider other alleged crimes.
The additional charges included the allegation that al-Shehab was “assisting those who seek to cause public unrest and destabilise civil and national security by following their Twitter accounts” and by retweeting their tweets.
Amnesty International said her “crime” was no more than “posting tweets in support of women’s rights”.
Last March an open letter was signed by more than 300 academics, students and employees at Leeds University calling for al-Shehab’s immediate release. It said she had been jailed “on the basis of peaceful tweets”.
Al-Hathloul said al-Shehab had had a hard time in prison. “It has been difficult for her,” she said. “Not seeing her kids, not knowing whether she could complete her PhD. She was originally sentenced to six years, then it was increased to 34 years and then it was reduced to 27 years and then 4 years. It has been a nightmare really not to even be able to trust the judiciary and its decisions
“She is very strong. Salma is a very brave woman. She went on hunger strike to complain about the conditions.”
In June 2023 the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) found her detention to be arbitrary and called for her immediate release.
Al-Hathhoul said al-Shehab was not an exception. “She is symbolic of a pattern. She was released because of this pressure but many more others still remain in prison for the same charges.”
The battle now was to get al-Shehab’s travel ban lifted so she could return to Leeds where she is a dental student, al-Hathhoul said. (Guardian)
Saudi Arabia has condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s suggestion that the kingdom’s land be used to establish a Palestinian state.
In a statement on Sunday, the Saudi Foreign Ministry accused Netanyahu of attempting to “divert attention” from Israel’s ongoing “crimes” in Gaza, including “ethnic cleansing”.
“The kingdom affirms that the Palestinian people have a right to their land, and they are not intruders or immigrants to it who can be expelled whenever the brutal Israeli occupation wishes,” said the Foreign Ministry.
On Thursday, Netanyahu responded to an interviewer on Israel’s Channel 14 who misspoke by saying “Saudi state” instead of “Palestinian state”.
“The Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there,” Netanyahu said.
The interviewer replied that it was an idea worth exploring.
The exchange drew angry reactions from Arab states, including Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq, as well as the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
“These dangerous and irresponsible statements confirm the approach of the Israeli occupation forces in their disrespect for international and UN laws and treaties and the sovereignty of states,” said GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry thanked the “brotherly countries” for denouncing Netanyahu’s remarks.
Discussions of the fate of Palestinians in Gaza had already been upended by an earlier shock proposal from United States President Donald Trump for the US to “take over” and “own” Gaza, resettling Palestinians elsewhere in a move that would amount to ethnic cleansing. That suggestion, amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, has also been roundly condemned by Arab leaders.
Trump has also said Saudi Arabia would not require the formation of a Palestinian state as a precondition to normalise ties with Israel, a claim Riyadh has repeatedly denied.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 61,700 Palestinians including about 18,000 children, and wrecked much of the enclave’s infrastructure. More than 14,000 more people are missing and are presumed to be dead.
The Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7 that sparked the war killed 1,139 people and seized more than 250 captives, dozens of whom are still believed to be in the enclave. (AlJazeera)
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