2020-12-26: News Headlines

Alan MacLeod (2020-12-26). 'Freedom Is Blossoming': After Dismembering a Journalist, Saudi Arabia Goes on a PR Spree. commondreams.org Behind the media and money blitz, the kingdom remains one of the world's worst human rights violators—both at home and abroad. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/khashoggi_1.jpg

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-26). VIDEO: Fire devours famous restaurant in Riyadh. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 26 (MNA) — A large fire destroyed a famous restaurant in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Friday before the civil defense teams could manage to extinguish it.

Mustafa Abu Sneineh (2020-12-25). Al-Akhbar under cyberattack for reporting Saudi and Emirati bankrolling Israel deals. middleeasteye.net Al-Akhbar under cyberattack for reporting Saudi and Emirati bankrolling Israel deals | The Lebanese newspaper published a report on Riyadh and Abu Dhabi's plans to finance the new Arab normalisation agreements with Israel
| Fri, 12/25/2020 – 11: 56 | The reception space of the Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper office in Beirut (Screengrab\Haitham al-Mousawi) | The website of the Le…

Staff (2020-12-24). Yemen's Humanitarian Crisis Worsened Amid COVID. truthout.org For Yemen, 2020 has been an apocalyptic year, which has exceeded even the worst forecasts for a country that has in recent years been ravaged by war and humanitarian disaster. | The rapprochement between the Houthis — a political and armed movement that controls two-thirds of the population of Yemen's population — and Saudi Arabia at the end of 2019 was viewed with some optimism, yet new clashes have since broken out across the country. Even the outbreak of COVID-19 did not stop the violence. As a result of ne…

Ed Rampell (2020-12-24). 'The Dissident' Details the Life and Death of Jamal Khashoggi. progressive.org The spine-tingling film documents the assassination—and cyber hacking—of the Saudi journalist, dissenter, and activist.

MEE staff (2020-12-23). Hollywood 'wouldn't touch' Khashoggi documentary, director says. middleeasteye.net Hollywood 'wouldn't touch' Khashoggi documentary, director says | Award-winning director Bryan Fogel says film distributors 'look the other way' when it comes to human rights abuses in kingdom | Wed, 12/23/2020 – 21: 51 | Fogel also slams media companies for making deals with Saudi companies or taking Saudi investment (AFP/File image) | The director of an upcoming documentary about slain Saudi journalist Jamal…