Saudi Arabia

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Woman in Saudi Faces 40 Lashes for Mingling

(Newser) - A 75-year-old Syrian woman faces 40 lashes and 4 months in prison for mingling with two men in Saudi Arabia, CNN reports. Khamisa Mohammed Sawadi will also be deported for allowing the men to enter her home last year. The men, sentenced to lashings as well, told police that Sawadi...

Our Skivvies, Ourselves: Saudis Seek Female Sellers

Lingerie stores can employ women, but don't

(Newser) - Saudi women aren’t allowed to be alone in a room with an unrelated man, but they have to buy their undergarments from men, a situation some are calling unacceptable. In theory, women are permitted to work in shops selling women’s products, but the traditional society has, somewhat ironically,...

Yemen Releases 170 al-Qaeda Suspects

Prepares for sweep of al-Qaeda base

(Newser) - Yemen has freed 170 men suspected of having ties to al-Qaeda, reports AP. The men were released to tribal chiefs after signing pledges to renounce terrorism. Yemeni military spokesmen say troops are poised to sweep through the al-Qaeda stronghold of Marib. Though such releases have often raised US hackles, Yemeni...

Critics Blast Obama's Zinni Flip-Flop

They call yanking of Iraq ambassador post sign of transition chaos

(Newser) - Remember those fat times, back in December, when competence and seamless coordination were back in town? Oh well. Joining the parade of minor appointment-related slip-ups is the apparent bait-and-switch pulled on retired Gen. Anthony Zinni, reports Politico. Zinni was told he had the job of Iraq ambassador—then the rug...

11 Freed From Gitmo Disappear Into Terror Network

Saudi Arabia admits former detainees may be with al-Qaeda

(Newser) - Eleven Saudi nationals who were released from detention at Guantanamo Bay have likely rejoined terrorist groups, the Saudi government said yesterday. The prisoners participated in a rehabilitation program after returning to Saudi Arabia, but all of them have fled the country—probably to Yemen or Iran. The situation underscores President...

Yemen Is New Haven for al-Qaeda
Yemen Is
New Haven
for al-Qaeda
Jan 30, 2009 4:11 PM CST

Yemen Is New Haven for al-Qaeda

Group's numbers likely to see boost from freed Gitmo inmates

(Newser) - As the US prepares to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Yemen presents a problem: Despite government efforts, the country is becoming a safe haven for al-Qaeda operatives, the Economist reports. Rebuffed by anti-terror initiatives in Saudi Arabia and Iraq, jihadists have flocked to Yemen, where rugged countryside, weak...

Israel, Palestine Need Outside Support for Lasting Fix

Neighbors must be involved: Friedman

(Newser) - The dominant theory holds that the two-state solution is the answer to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But the war in Gaza has pushed tensions past the point where an equitable sharing of geography is enough, argues New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman. He wants a "five-state solution—Palestine, Egypt, Jordan,...

Freed Detainee Becomes Al-Qaeda Chief

After Gitmo, suspected in bombing of US embassy in Yemen

(Newser) - As Barack Obama prepares to close Guantanamo Bay, the story of Said Ali al-Shihri provides a cautionary tale. Released from the prison camp in 2007, the Saudi has become the deputy leader of al-Qaeda’s Yemeni branch and is suspected of involvement in the bombing of the US embassy there...

Top Saudi Cleric Backs Marriage of 10-Year-Old Girls

They're not too young, declares grand mufti

(Newser) - The top Muslim cleric in Saudi Arabia has issued a statement supporting marriage for girls as young as 10, reports CNN. "Those who think she's too young are wrong and they are being unfair to her," he declared. The statement follows the refusal last month by a Saudi...

Gulf Oil Powers Pump Green Into Clean Technology

States invest billions to keep atop energy-economy heap

(Newser) - Though the per-capita carbon footprint of the United Arab Emirates dwarfs that of most anywhere else, it and fellow Persian Gulf oil giants like Qatar and Saudi Arabia are becoming the unlikely cradle of green technology, the New York Times reports. Wary of the world’s dependence on crude and...

Pirates Free Saudi Tanker, Get $3M Ransom

Ship headed to safety after November capture

(Newser) - A Saudi tanker taken by Somali pirates in November has been freed after a $3 million ransom was paid, a pirate negotiator said. Pirates have left the ship, which is now headed to safety. The Sirius Star, which carried 2 million oil barrels and 25 crew members, was the largest...

Saudi Girl, 8, Can't Divorce Husband, 58: Court

Case must wait until girl hits puberty; she still lives with mother

(Newser) - An 8-year-old Saudi girl will remain married to her 58-year-old husband after a court struck down her mother’s request for a divorce, the Daily Mail reports. The hard-up father, who is divorced from the mother, signed a contract in August and received a dowry of about $7,400. The...

Clinton Donor List Loaded With Foreign Governments

Saudi Arabia tops list

(Newser) - Bill Clinton is disclosing all the donors to his foundation today, and the list is full of foreign interests, the AP reports. Saudi Arabia alone pitched in more than $10 million to Clinton’s causes. Governments from Norway, Kuwait, Qatar, Brunei, Oman, Italy, Jamaica, and India also pitched in, as...

OPEC Prepares to Slash Output
 OPEC Prepares to Slash Output 
Dec 17, 2008 1:46 AM CST

OPEC Prepares to Slash Output

Saudis lead push for record cut to pump prices to $75 a barrel

(Newser) - OPEC ministers are expected to back the biggest reduction in oil production in the history of the cartel when they meet today, Reuters reports. The exporters widely support a cut of 2 million barrels a day. Oil prices neared $43 per barrel yesterday, down over $100 from July. Officals from...

Reporter's Preteen Daughter Gets Pirates to Talk

Crew being treated well: pirates, captain

(Newser) - After a BBC reporter failed to get Somali pirates on the phone, her 12-year-old daughter begged for a chance to call them. "Mummy, mummy," she said from the back seat of their car. "I want to phone the pirates." At the end of her rope, the...

Saudis Go Hog Wild
 Saudis Go Hog Wild 
Nov 24, 2008 2:20 PM CST

Saudis Go Hog Wild

Motorcycles catch on in Muslim country

(Newser) - In the eyes of religious conservatives, this Saudi motorcycle gang may as well be the Hell’s Angels. But the Muslim professionals in the Riyadh Harley Owners Club do pull over to pray, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Despite the region's religious taboos, strict laws, and stereotypes, motorcycle riding is...

Girl Group Rocks Saudi Taboos
 Girl Group Rocks Saudi Taboos 
Nov 24, 2008 12:02 PM CST

Girl Group Rocks Saudi Taboos

The Accolade still underground but gaining popularity as youth push boundaries

(Newser) - The Accolade sounds like a typical female rock band: Its members have teased hair and facial piercings, and their clothing shocks passers-by as they tell a New York Times reporter about their new song with lyrics about a failed relationship. But the Accolade’s home base is conservative Saudi Arabia,...

Islamic Militants Vow to Take on Tanker Pirates

Promise to protect 'Muslim property'

(Newser) - Islamic militants have vowed to liberate a Saudi oil tanker seized a week ago by pirates off the Somali coast, reports CNN. Five armored vehicles arrived in the nearby Somali town of Harardhere filled with al-Shebab fighters, who told residents they would battle the pirates because the tanker, carrying $100...

Pirates Demand $25M for Saudi Supertanker

Saudis have ten days to pay up to save crew and oil

(Newser) - Pirates who seized a Saudi supertanker and its crew have demanded a $25 million ransom from its owners within 10 days, reports the Guardian. The Sirius Star, which is carrying 2 million barrels of oil, is one of an astounding 17 ships being held by pirates off the coast of...

Saudi Tanker Owners in Talks With Pirates

Saudi foreign minister pledges to eradicate Somali maritime threat

(Newser) - Negotiations are under way between Somali pirates and the shipping company that owns the Saudi Arabian oil supertanker they hijacked over the weekend, the BBC reports. The Saudi foreign minister could not say whether Vela International might agree to a ransom.

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