Saudi Arabia

Nicki Minaj has pulled out of a concert at Jeddah World Fest in Saudi Arabia, citing the country’s poor record on LGBTQ rights and women’s rights, and its limits on freedom of expression. “After careful reflection I have decided to no longer move forward with my scheduled concert at Jeddah World Fest,” said Minaj to the AP. “While I want nothing more than to bring my show to fans in Saudi Arabia, after better educating myself on the issues, I believe it is important for me to make clear my...

At least seven foreign governments were allowed by the U.S. State Department to rent luxury condominiums at Trump World Tower in 2017 without congressional approval — which could violate the U.S. Constitution’s emoluments clause. Foreign governments sent 13 notes to the State Department asking permission to rent or renew leases in the New York residential tower, and Capitol Hill staffers said the requests were never submitted to Congress, reported Reuters. The governments of Iraq, Kuwait, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Thailand and the European Union were granted approval to rent a...

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Saudi Arabia last week announced it had beheaded 37 men for “terror-related” offenses in one of the largest mass executions in its history. One of the men was strung up and crucified as an example to others. Human rights groups accused the Saudis of obtaining the confessions of the men through torture. “Saudi Arabia’s supreme council of clerics, who are all ultraconservative Sunnis, said the executions were carried out in accordance with Islamic law,” Metro reports. CNN reported: “Many said they were totally innocent,...

Bill Maher and his panelists S.E. Cupp and Andrew Sullivan slammed George Clooney for his call for a boycott of the Dorchester Collection hotel group because it’s owned by the government of Brunei, which will shortly implement a punishment of death by stoning for gay sex. Said Maher: “This really bothers me because it’s chickenshit tokenism because, what about Saudi Arabia? If you really want to get back at them, stop driving. Don’t use oil.” Added Sullivan: “The nice thing about a free society is that you can have your...