Tag Archives: Saudi

Delta Air Lines has shed some light on the airline’s intended route launch to Saudi Arabia, with the route being revealed as Atlanta-Riyadh. According to the carrier’s CEO, Ed Bastian, flights are slated to begin in the fall of 2026. The route follows Delta’s partnership with Riyadh Air. With Riyadh Air commencing commercial operations shortly, it will be interesting to …

Is there a disturbance in the force when it comes to Pokémon Legends: Z-A‘s week-one sales? Will Steam Deck compatibility help aid the Switch 2 on its road to becoming a handheld port machine? And why are Sims 4 creators abandoning EA’s official affiliate program? It’s another edition of Morning Checkpoint, Kotaku‘s daily roundup of gaming news and culture. People …

Late last month, Electronic Arts confirmed that it had struck a $55 billion deal to go private under new ownership including Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners, and the private equity firm Silver Lake. There are a lot of unanswered questions about what this means for EA and the industry at large, but now two US Senators …

Human Rights Watch has said comedian Aziz Ansari’s performance at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia was no laughing matter—and has refused his proposed donation. The top international rights organization has stated that it “cannot accept” money from Ansari or any of the other “over 50 global stand-up legends” who appeared on stage in the Middle Eastern kingdom. Instead, …

Earlier this month, comedians, including Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Pete Davidson, and Bill Burr, flew to Saudi Arabia to perform at the inaugural Riyadh Comedy Festival. The organizers claimed it was the largest comedy festival in the world, with over 50 international comedians performing stand-up, sketch, and improv. It was put on and paid for by the Saudi government as …

Jimmy Kimmel pressed comedian Aziz Ansari this week about his decision to perform at Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Comedy Festival, with Kimmel calling the Saudi government a “pretty brutal regime” and questioning why Ansari would “take their money.” Held in Saudi Arabia’s capital city, the Riyadh Comedy Festival began on Sept. 26 and ends Thursday. The event has hosted over 50 …

Aziz Ansari was among the comedians who recently traveled to Saudi Arabia to perform at the controversial Riyadh Comedy Festival, a decision that raised eyebrows and prompted questions from Jimmy Kimmel. Ansari appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday, October 6th, to promote his feature directorial debut, Good Fortune. Toward the end of the interview, Kimmel took the opportunity to ask …

The biggest hypocrites of the Riyadh Comedy Festival controversy are Bill Burr and Dave Chappelle, two comedians who have strongly criticized “cancel culture.”   Chappelle has often adopted the stance of the persecuted. After the release of a Netflix special, which stoked backlash from jokes that denied transgender identity, including from people who worked at Netflix, Chappelle responded on stage, “You …

Since Friday, Sept. 26, Saudi Arabia’s capital city has been hosting more than 50 comics performing in the kingdom’s inaugural Riyadh Comedy Festival, which runs through Oct. 9 and is advertised as “the biggest comedy festival in the world.” Participating stars, such as Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr, Tom Segura, Louis C.K., and Kevin Hart, are the major draws. Lesser-known names …

Electronic Arts made headlines this week when it announced a $55 billion deal to take the company private. Investors including private equity fund Silver Lake, investment firm Affinity Partners, and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund could radically change what EA will look like in the coming years. The EA deal is just one part of Saudi Arabia’s multi-billion dollar investments …