The big heat around Qatar's World Cup

This year's tournament promises a sobering experience.

Saturday, November 19, 2022 Welcome to the latest edition of the Reuters Weekend Briefing, which brings you the news you need to know about the big soccer tournament in the Gulf, the epic collapse of FTX, Taylor Swift's upset over the Ticketmaster fiasco and more. Stay cool, Doha, Qatar, Nov. 18, 2022. REUTERS/Marko Djurica Qatar offers a World Cup like no other Pre-game show: The 12 years leading up to Qatar's hosting of the tournament were beset by predicaments and criticism over everything from the Gulf State's treatment of foreign workers who sweated to build the venues to its attitudes toward the LGBT+ community and people who drink alcohol. It's also hot. Starting Sunday: We have details on the opening ceremony, and we learned that female referees, officiating at a men's World Cup for the first time, won't face restrictions based on cultural or religious grounds in matches involving conservative nations. And there are the matches, which Reuters will cover in depth. Talk is cheap except when it's FTX Analysis: Founder Sam Bankman-Fried may have harmed his defense in the face of mounting legal challenges over the collapse of his cryptocurrency exchange. Legal experts say he's been talking too much. The company has begun a review of its assets. Investigation: We heard from the man brought in to clean things up that this is an unprecedented mess. Expect that mess to spiral as U.S. bankruptcy overseers spar with Bahamian regulators over who handles what. Do you want Trump on Twitter? Musk wants to know Your timeline shows the latest tweets: "Vox Populi, Vox Dei," or "The voice of the people is the voice of God." Elon Musk invoked the Latin phrase in a poll asking followers whether he should reinstate Donald Trump's account. What's happening? Musk said he wants staffers to sign up for "long hours at high intensity" or leave. Many left. Expect firmer numbers to emerge along with a clearer picture of what that means for the social-media platform's stability and resilience. War-crimes expert joins Justice Dept. Trump probes Continuing case: Jack Smith will oversee the investigations related to Donald Trump, including the former president's handling of sensitive documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Next week: A prosecutor urged jurors to convict Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers, and four associates over the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The defense is due to complete its closing arguments on Monday before jurors begin deliberations. Nearly half Ukraine's energy system is disabled Reports from the ground: Kyiv city authorities warned that a "complete shutdown" of the capital's power grid was possible, and Ukraine's prime minister said almost half the country's energy system had been disabled by Russian attacks. Snapshots: Reuters will continue to share breaking news and analysis from Ukraine all weekend. Before I forget... A California judge sentenced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes to more than 11 years in prison for defrauding investors, getting a bunch of nations to agree to a unified document on handling climate change turned out to be as hard as it might seem, Kim Jong Un revealed his daughter for the first time at an ICBM test, and Taylor Swift said fans trying to buy tickets to her shows through Ticketmaster suffered the equivalent of several bear attacks. Finally, I referred last week to the Netherlands World Cup squad as a "soccer club." This is incorrect, and I do regret the error. We think you may like this: Reuters Daily Briefing All the news you need to start your weekdays. Subscribe Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Weekend Briefing is sent once a week. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here. To manage which newsletters you're signed up for, click here. Want to stop receiving this email? Unsubscribe here. Follow Reuters on social media Reuters Terms & Conditions and Privacy Statement   © 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036