Saudi Arabia – News Stories About Saudi Arabia - Page 37

Dec 17, 2007 3:10 AM CST

King Abdullah Pardons Saudi Rape Victim

Acts out of compassion, but still believes jail time, lashes were 'fair'

(Newser) - A young Saudi gang rape victim whose case sparked worldwide condemnation when she was sentenced to a lashing and jail time for violating Islamic law has been pardoned, Al Jazeera reports. King Abdullah pardoned the woman in the "interests of the people" and out of compassion for the victim,...

OPEC Declines to Boost
Oil Output

Dec 6, 2007 10:33 AM CST

OPEC Declines to Boost Oil Output

$80 crude seems to be producers' new target; $3 gas isn't going anywhere soon

(Newser) - OPEC’s decision yesterday not to boost oil production, despite prices hovering around $90 a barrel, underscores a new reality, the New York Times observes: the oil producers aim to keep prices nearly that high—say around $80 a barrel—a target unthinkable a few years ago. In the US,...

208 Nabbed in Saudi Terror Raids

Nov 29, 2007 4:52 AM CST

208 Nabbed in Saudi Terror Raids

Hundreds arrested, oil attack foiled

(Newser) - Saudi Arabian security forces have arrested 208 suspected al-Qaeda militants reportedly plotting an attack on a major oil field, the BBC reports. Those busted included missile experts, assassination squads—and a 16-person "media cell" bent on promoting extremist ideology. The money men behind the militants were also nabbed.

Saudi Court to Review Rape Victim Sentence

Nov 28, 2007 11:46 AM CST

Saudi Court to Review Rape Victim Sentence

Prince about-faces, claims case is being used against country

(Newser) - Courts will take another look at the sentence of a gang-rape victim, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said yesterday, following an international outcry when the 19-year-old was handed a six-month prison term and 200 lashes. “What is outraging about this case is that it is being used against the Saudi...

All Eyes on OPEC for Oil Price Relief

Nov 26, 2007 4:18 AM CST

All Eyes on OPEC for Oil Price Relief

Saudis expected to boost output as prices close in on $100

(Newser) - With oil prices poised to pass the $100 mark any day now, a pair of reports speculates that OPEC will cool the overheated market by boosting oil production, the Wall Street Journal reports. One consulting firm said OPEC, spurred by Saudi Arabia’s increased deliveries to the US, could up...

Saudi Rulers: Rape Victim Caused Crime

Nov 25, 2007 7:23 AM CST

Saudi Rulers: Rape Victim Caused Crime

Had 'illegal affair,' failed to tell fiancé about attacks

(Newser) - Under international fire for sentencing a gang-rape victim to 200 lashes, the Saudi government yesterday said the woman violated Islamic law and caused the crime to take place by having an "illegitimate relationship" with a man not her husband. The rapists allegedly found the woman "in a compromising...

Supporters Detained as Sharif Flies to Pakistan

Nov 25, 2007 6:50 AM CST

Supporters Detained as Sharif Flies to Pakistan

Exiled Pakistani PM says he has no deal with Musharraf

(Newser) - Troops today rounded up hundreds of supporters of exiled prime minister Nawaz Sharif as he was about to land back in Pakistan. Tens of thousands of activists were expected to greet Sharif as he returned, but soldiers were to keep them at bay. "Let's see what happens," Sharif...

Saudis Will Attend Mideast Summit

Nov 23, 2007 11:23 AM CST

Saudis Will Attend Mideast Summit

But there won't be any 'theatrical shows' of affection for Israel

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia will attend next Tuesday’s Arab-Israeli summit in Maryland, Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said today, but he won't be shaking hands with any Israelis, the BBC reports. Prince Saud said at a meeting of the Arab League that the Saudis were reluctant to go, but since the...

Saudis, Libyans Fighting in Iraq

Nov 22, 2007 7:47 AM CST

Saudis, Libyans Fighting in Iraq

Captured intelligence shows most foreign insurgents are Saudis or Libyans

(Newser) - Most of the foreign insurgents fighting American troops in Iraq come from two so-called US allies in the war on terrorism—Saudi Arabia and Libya. Evidence was discovered in a September raid on a desert terrorist base that produced a mother lode of intelligence on the identities and hometowns of...

Saudis Defend Rape Victim's Sentence

Nov 21, 2007 5:07 PM CST

Saudis Defend Rape Victim's Sentence

Woman may have been meeting man trying to blackmail her

(Newser) - Responding to international outrage, Saudi Arabia's Justice Ministry is defending the punishment meted out to an 18-year old rape victim, and then doubled when she appealed. The ministry says her sentence was increased—to 200 lashes and 6 months in prison—not because she took her case to the media...

Saudi Rape Victim 'Crushed Human Being,' Husband Says

Nov 21, 2007 9:41 AM CST

Saudi Rape Victim 'Crushed Human Being,' Husband Says

Blames judge, not system, for sentence

(Newser) - The husband of the Saudi gang-rape victim sentenced to 200 lashes and 6 months in jail blamed one judge's vendetta—and not the Saudi judicial system itself—for her treatment "as a guilty person who committed a crime." He told CNN his wife has been a severely depressed,...

Dozens Invited to Mideast Peace Talks

Nov 21, 2007 4:14 AM CST

Dozens Invited to Mideast Peace Talks

White House presses Saudi Arabia and Syria, Olmert bolsters Abbas

(Newser) - The negotiating table may be packed Nov. 27 in Annapolis, when the Mideast peace conference brings together not only Israelis and Palestinians, but upwards of 40 other countries and institutions invited yesterday. The White House's priority is to persuade Saudi Arabia and Syria to attend the talks, to bolster the...

Musharraf Leaves Home to Mend Fences

Nov 20, 2007 3:50 PM CST

Musharraf Leaves Home to Mend Fences

Sudden trip to Saudi Arabia likely attempt to forge deal with old foe

(Newser) - Pervez Musharraf traveled to Saudi Arabia today, and the desperate Pakistani president may attempt to broker a power-sharing deal with the PM he ousted in a 1999 coup, Reuters reports. Nawaz Sharif has said he will not meet with Musharraf while emergency rule is in effect, but Musharraf relaxed the...

Gulf States May Dump the Dollar

Nov 20, 2007 2:31 PM CST

Gulf States May Dump the Dollar

Sinking greenback fuels inflation in booming Gulf economies

(Newser) - The flagging greenback is forcing oil-rich Gulf states to consider uncoupling their currencies from the US dollar to fight runaway inflation at home and the devaluation of their own currencies, the Wall Street Journal reports. Leaders are considering everything from an outright break to revaluing their own currencies to pegging...

Greenback Assaulted at
OPEC meeting

Nov 18, 2007 9:52 PM CST

Greenback Assaulted at OPEC meeting

Dollar a 'worthless piece of paper,' Iran's president says

(Newser) - Calling it a "small and worthless piece of paper,” Iran’s president today urged OPEC's members to drop the depreciating US dollar as its official currency. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad blamed President Bush for the dollar’s decline and its adverse effects. The comments highlight mounting tension among OPEC members,...

Chavez Warns of $200 Oil if US Strikes Iran

Nov 17, 2007 6:48 PM CST

Chavez Warns of $200 Oil if US Strikes Iran

But call to make OPEC 'geopolitical agent' rejected by Saudis

(Newser) - Crude oil prices could hit $150-$200 a barrel if Bush is “mad enough” to strike Iran, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warned today at the OPEC summit. “The basis of all aggression is oil,” said Chavez, arguing that OPEC should set itself up as “an active geopolitical...

Saudi Rape Victim Gets Jail for Appealing

Nov 16, 2007 7:36 PM CST

Saudi Rape Victim Gets Jail for Appealing

19-year-old woman earns 200 lashes and 6 months in prison

(Newser) - A Saudi woman who was gang-raped by 14 men has been sentenced to 200 lashes and 6 months in prison, the BBC reports. Her original crime was being in the car with a man unrelated to her, but her punishment was doubled and prison time added when she appealed the...

Oil Drops to
$91 as Rush
to $100 Stalls

Nov 14, 2007 7:37 AM CST

Oil Drops to $91 as Rush to $100 Stalls

Saudi oil minister blames speculators, says $60 is more like it

(Newser) - After gushing toward $100 a barrel, oil traded as low as $90.13 yesterday, closing at $91.17. Analysts said the downward pressure could continue as demand for oil slows and OPEC increases production, reports the Wall Street Journal. Saudi Arabia's oil minister, meanwhile, told the Globe and Mail that...

Pimp My
Airbus A380

Nov 13, 2007 10:10 AM CST

Pimp My Airbus A380

Billionaire Saudi prince plans to transform world's largest jet into flying palace

(Newser) - A billionaire Saudi prince plans to convert one of the world's largest passenger planes into a flying palace. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is the first purchaser of the luxury version of the double-decker Airbus A380, price tag $320 million-plus. And that's before he tricks it out with amenities that may...

Saudi King Meets the Pope

Nov 6, 2007 9:00 AM CST

Saudi King Meets the Pope

King Abdullah travels to the Vatican on his European tour

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah visited with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican today—the first official meeting of any pope with a reigning Saudi monarch. The visit comes as relations are improving between the Vatican and the Muslim world, the BBC reports. Still, the pontiff was expected to press Abdullah...