#42

I just ran into this new article on Saudi Arabia and I think its the one article I’ve seen in a long time that gives me any really positive perspectives on the country and even the leadership. Its great to see the progress. I think if they can just continue focusing on the social / economic progress (and ultimately political process), and stop the really bad things that get all the negative press, eventually they will become more welcome in the western world:

The truth is, Mohammed, you have been responsible for the most radical social and religious reforms in Saudi Arabia’s modern history — liberating women to drive, easing the male guardianship system that required women to get permission from men for a variety of work and travel activities, curtailing the role of the religious police, permitting rock concerts and allowing women to attend soccer games and young boys and girls to mix normally.

These reforms were long overdue and are still insufficient. But none of your predecessors dared to attempt them, and the changes have been enormously popular, particularly with young women.

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#43

In the first ever media interview, Hevolution Foundation CEO Dr. Mehmood Khan told Al Arabiya English that the initiative aims to be the first non-profit to pursue age-related therapeutic breakthroughs. It is committed to funding global scientific discovery, and investing in private companies and entrepreneurs who are dedicated to advancing aging science.

“By accelerating scientific research, we can actually decelerate aging and its consequences,” Khan told Al Arabiya English. “We see aging as the second-most pressing challenge to humanity, after climate change.”

He continued, “Worldwide, the experience of aging is not improving very much. The average lifespan has risen dramatically over the past century or so, but the number of people with chronic diseases has also risen. We are living longer, but not necessarily better.”

The UK-Russian newspaper proprietor Lord Evgeny Lebedev has joined the board of a non-profit enterprise created by the Saudi Government, holding his position alongside Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – who, according to US intelligence services, personally approved the capturing and killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

The enterprise is called Hevolution – founded to research the science of anti-ageing, which is a preoccupation of many wealthy ‘philanthropists’.

Alexander Lebedev, Evgeny’s father and the source of the family’s wealth, was a KGB officer in London from 1988 to 1992.

Moving into the financial sector, Lebedev senior amassed vast personal wealth – listed as the 39th richest Russian by Forbes in 2008, with an estimated wealth of $3.1 billion, which diminished after one of his Russian newspapers published an exposé about Russian President Vladimir Putin and his alleged affair with a famed gymnast.

Evgeny Lebedev is a renowned figure in London high society and has seemingly been a close acquaintance of Crown Prince bin Salman for some time. Indeed, Evgeny hosted a dinner with him in 2018, during the latter’s state visit to the UK. They were joined by Virgin co-founder Richard Branson, whose spokesperson confirmed bin Salman’s attendance.

Moreover, Lebedev Holdings – which in turn owns the Evening Standard and Independent – has been accused by the UK Government of being part-owned by the Saudi state, due to a series of “unconventional, complex and clandestine” deals involving a Saudi businessman that resulted in a 30% acquisition of the firm.

#44