tagged w/ Saudi Arabia
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RIYADH, March 24 (Reuters) - Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia has arrested scores of militants accused of plotting attacks on oil facilities, in one of the biggest swoops by the kingdom in several years, state media said on Wednesday.
Those arrested included about 50 Saudis and dozens from Yemen, which jumped to the forefront of Western security concerns after a failed December bombing on a U.S.-bound plane claimed by the Yemen-based regional al Qaeda wing, the media said.
The militants were organised in three cells, two of which were planning to attack oil and security facilities in the oil-producing Eastern Province. They included a Yemeni who security officials describe as being a prominent member of al Qaeda.
"We seized belts of explosives which they were planning to use in suicide attacks," one security official said.
Most of the militants were arrested in the southern province of Jazan, near the border with Yemen. The dates of the arrests were not disclosed.
Islamist militants in 2003 launched a violent campaign to topple the U.S.-allied monarchy, killing nearly 200 people, including foreign residents.
But a security crackdown coupled with tighter controls on financing and the spread of militant ideas helped curb violence inside the kingdom after 2006. (Reporting by Souhail Karam; editing by Firouz Sedarat and Dominic Evans)RIYADH, March 24 (Reuters) - Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia has arrested scores of... more
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An incident from 2008, brought to light recently by the Washington Post, reveals just how discombobulated our nation's cybersecurity efforts actually are. A terrorist-tracking forum, created by the CIA and Saudi government, was shut down by the National Security Agency.
The message board was started by the CIA and Saudi government as a "honey pot" for gathering intelligence on extremist activities in the area. By all accounts, the strategy was working—the website saw significant terrorist traffic and provided a wealth of intelligence to both nations.
But according to the National Security Agency the site was a little too well-trafficked, and in 2008 it determined that the site was being used by terrorists to facilitate attacks against American forces in Iraq. A task force of officials convened and, despite the CIA's objections and one official's claim that the the NSA had no authority to do so, the plan to shut down the site went forward.
Taking down sites is tricky business, and along with the forum the Pentagon unit that was carrying out the operation accidentally took out 300 servers in Saudi Arabia, Germany and Texas. The Germans, as well as the Saudi officials who had lost a valuable intelligence resource, were not pleased with the disruption.
http://gizmodo.com/5497977/the-department-of-defense-covertly-dismantled-a-terrorist-message-boardcreated-by-the-ciaAn incident from 2008, brought to light recently by the Washington Post, reveals just... more
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Defense company BAE Systems PLC pleaded guilty to conspiracy on Monday and a judge imposed a $400 million fine, among the largest in the Justice Department’s efforts to combat overseas corruption in international business.
The defense contractor knowingly failed to ensure compliance with legal prohibitions on foreign bribery. The company’s conduct impeded U.S. efforts to be certain international trade is free of corruption, said acting Deputy Attorney General Gary Grindler.
The gain to BAES was more than $200 million from false statements and failures to disclose information to the U.S. government, according to court papers in the case. From 2000 to 2002, the company told the Defense and Justice departments that it would carry out compliance measures in accordance with anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and with similar foreign laws.
According to papers filed in the case, BAES took steps to conceal from the U.S. government undisclosed payments to marketing advisers who assisted in securing sales of defense items, and the company failed to scrutinize its relationships with some of the advisers. BAES paid some marketing advisers through offshore shell companies and encouraged advisers to establish their own offshore shell companies to receive payments from BAES, the papers added.Defense company BAE Systems PLC pleaded guilty to conspiracy on Monday and a judge... more
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A Saudi prince was today being questioned on suspicion of murder after his aide was found battered to death in a London hotel.
A maid found the body of a 32-year-old man who was suffering from severe head injuries when she went to turn down a room at the £520-a-night five-star Landmark Hotel in Marylebone Road. The prince, who is in his thirties, was arrested at the scene after questions were raised about his account of the incident. He is not covered by diplomatic immunity, police sources said.
The victim, a Saudi Arabian, was found on the floor of the third-floor suite on Monday. He is believed to have been staying in the suite with his employer. Scotland Yard revealed the cause of death as head injuries and strangulation.
One insider said the prince had been staying at the Landmark for the past month. He is believed to have been in London as a tourist and flew around the world accompanied by his aide. The suspect told police he was a cousin of King Abdullah.
Sources said that it appeared he was a middle-ranking member of the royal house of Saud.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23806906-saudi-prince-quizzed-over-aides-murder-in-pound-520-a-night-london-hotel.doA Saudi prince was today being questioned on suspicion of murder after his aide was... more
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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — The Saudi religious police launched Thursday a nationwide crackdown on stores selling items that are red or in any other way allude to the banned celebrations of Valentine's Day, a Saudi official said.
Members of the feared religious police were inspecting shops for red roses, heart-shaped products or gifts wrapped in red, and ordering storeowners to get rid of them, the official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.
Red-colored or heart-shaped items are legal at other times of the year, but as Feb. 14 nears they become contraband in Saudi Arabia. The kingdom bans celebration of Western holidays such as Valentine's Day, named after a Christian saint said to have been martyred by the Romans in the 3rd Century.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/11/saudi-valentines-day-auth_n_458158.htmlRIYADH, Saudi Arabia — The Saudi religious police launched Thursday a nationwide... more
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WTF: This is really Funny, Pakistani diplomat, Akbar Zeb reportedly denied accreditation as Pakistan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia from Saudi Arabian government because his name, Akbar Zeb, equates to “Biggest Dick” in Arabic. Lost in Translation yeah?WTF: This is really Funny, Pakistani diplomat, Akbar Zeb reportedly denied... more
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Tensions between the United States and Iran have heightened dramatically since President Obama decided to speed up the deployment of missiles and war ships to US allies in the Gulf which neighbor Iran.Tensions between the United States and Iran have heightened dramatically since... more
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13-Year-Old Saudi Girl Sentenced to 90 Lashes and Jail For Bringing a Cell Phone to School
A 13-year-old Saudi schoolgirl is to be given 90 lashes in front of her classmates after she was caught with a mobile camera phone.
The girl, who has not been named, was also sentenced to two months in jail by a court in the eastern city of Jubail.
She had assaulted her headmistress after being caught with the gadget which is banned in girl schools, said Al-Watan, a Saudi newspaper. The kingdom's use of such punishments has been widely condemned by human rights organisations.
Three years ago 16 schoolchildren, aged between 12 and 18, were each sentenced to between 300 and 500 lashes for being aggressive to a teacher.
http://www.atheistmedia.com/2010/01/13-year-old-saudi-girl-sentenced-to-90.html13-Year-Old Saudi Girl Sentenced to 90 Lashes and Jail For Bringing a Cell Phone to... more
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Drones could be used for civilian surveillance in the UK as early as 2012. Source: BAE
in the UK are planning to use unmanned spy drones, controversially deployed in Afghanistan, for the "routine" monitoring of antisocial motorists, protesters, agricultural thieves and fly-tippers, in a significant expansion of covert state surveillance.
The arms manufacturer BAE Systems, which produces a range of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for war zones, is adapting the military-style planes for a consortium of government agencies led by Kent police.
Documents from the South Coast Partnership, a Home Office-backed project in which Kent police and others are developing a national drone plan with BAE, have been obtained by the Guardian under the Freedom of Information Act.
more at link...
If you want to learn more about BAE, I recommend the PBS Frontline episode, Black Money, which I will be posting in the comment section.Drones could be used for civilian surveillance in the UK as early as 2012. Source: BAE... more
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Clean energy legislation passed by the House, now pending in the Senate, faces fierce opposition from the proprietors of fossil fuel companies, and much has been reported on how domestic oil and coal companies have flooded the debate with money, lobbying, and misinformation. These opponents of clean energy reform claim to be “standing up” for American jobs and security. However, according to an investigation by ThinkProgress, many of the lobbyists and right-wing operatives engineering the attacks on clean energy reform either work directly for petro-governments, or work for companies in the business of importing foreign oil:
– Nigeria’s Bayelsa State, the region of the country producing much of its crude oil, is registered with the Carmen Group as its representative in DC. The Carmen Group is run largely by lobbyist David Keene, who also manages the American Conservative Union. Keene has lobbied against clean energy reform and used his conservative organization to generate “grassroots” opposition to legislative efforts to move away from a fossil fuel based economy. Although the extent to which the Carmen Group “provide[s] general representation before the United States Congress” is unclear — as Justice Department disclosures indicate — the Nigerian state has lavished Carmen group lobbyists with $903,450 in payments since 2006. According to a report produced Monday by the State Department, Nigeria is at risk of becoming a haven for terror and extremism. In the past, Keene, the coordinator of the CPAC convention, has been caught auctioning off conservative grassroots support to his corporate lobbying clients for as much as $2 million dollars.
– The lobbyist-run front group Americans for Prosperity is perhaps the most active anti-clean energy group in the country. In addition to working furiously to orchestrate anti-clean energy themed tea parties, Americans for Prosperity is running anti-clean energy legislation ads, anti-climate change science ads, and is even barnstorming around the country with anti-clean energy “hot air” rallies. The organization was founded and is bankrolled by David Koch of Koch Industries, a major refiner of oil. Through Koch Industry subsidiaries — Koch Supply & Trading and Flint Hills Resources — Koch imports crude oil from a variety of foreign sources, including from Saudi Arabia and Nigeria.
– Currently, FreedomWorks is focusing their energy activism on supporting the status quo reliance on fossil fuels. Throughout 2009, as FreedomWorks leader Dick Armey organized tea party opposition to clean energy reform, he simultaneously worked for the lobbying firm DLA Piper on the account of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates. According to disclosure forms filed with the Justice Department, the UAE paid Armey’s lobbying firm at the time to help maintain the “development of UAE energy resources, which represent about 10 percent of global oil reserves.”
– Oil companies have attempted to demonstrate popular support for fossil-fuel dependence by hosting “Energy Citizen” rallies around the country, where employees of oil companies are bused in for large events. The “Energy Citizen” website claims that converting a clean energy economy would mean “less energy independence.” Ironically, the main sponsor of the Energy Citizen effort is the American Petroleum Institute, which is a trade association for companies like Chevron, Exxon Mobil, and Sunoco. These companies, in turn, are highly dependent on foreign oil imports — from countries including Algeria, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Libya, and Venezuela. For perspective, Exxon Mobil imports 27%, Valero 29%, and Chevron 36% of its oil from Persian Gulf countries alone
More at the link above:Clean energy legislation passed by the House, now pending in the Senate, faces fierce... more
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Saudi security authorities have seized 8.35 million narcotic pills worth SR292.28 million, Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman at the Interior Ministry, said Sunday.
Speaking to the Saudi Press Agency, he said the Captagon pills were hidden in heavy equipment tires carried on a truck. He did not say when the seizure took place. Al-Turki did say, however, that three Saudis and three foreigners were arrested when the drugs were seized.
He emphasized the government’s determination to prevent attempts to smuggle drugs into the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia imposes capital punishment on drug smugglers and traffickers.Saudi security authorities have seized 8.35 million narcotic pills worth SR292.28... more
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Nigeria's president, not seen since going into hospital in Saudi Arabia for heart treatment in November, has told the BBC he hopes to resume his duties.
LINK : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8453321.stmNigeria's president, not seen since going into hospital in Saudi Arabia for heart... more
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Hello and Happy New Year from an American friend. I hope your new year is one that offers both health, spirtual enlightenment and an opportunity to learn what you have gotten yourself into before its too late. Take a look at that man beside you, the one who will some day hand you a bomb and tell you to kill yourself and, maybe, dozens of women and children, many Muslims. Are you really sure he is who he says he is? Like the "Al Qaeda" leaders in Yemen, you know, the ones who Dick Cheney decided to release for some unknown reason, are you, maybe, taking orders from someone like this?
You remember Usama bin Laden, Sallahu Alayhi Wa Sallams, do you not? Remember why he said he had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks? He said the Koran would not allow it. Does not the Koran say this is sin? Look at poor Abdulmutallab, sitting in a prison in Milan, Michigan. How do you think he was helped thru airport after airport, all run by Israelis, put on a plane full of Muslims, men, women, families, going back to their home in Detroit, Fi AmanAllah, with orders to blow it up?
Do you think the people who walked him around passport control at Schipol Airport could have only done so with the highly secure special keys available only to the security company running the airport? Of course you know who these people are.
Let us say your are in Afghanistan. Did you ever wonder where all those brand new weapons come from? Look at the markings. Does it say "Made in India?" So, you are heading into Pakistan to kill Muslims with your new weapons from Israel and India. You think they were free?
Imagine the laughter in Tel Aviv and Mumbai.
You believe you are acting in Fi Sabillah (for the cause of allah)? Do you believe that America goes to war to make money for their defense companies and big oil? Are you aware that much of the ownership of America's military suppliers is from the Middle East? Without money from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the money financing the bombs and planes, Islamic money, would there be a war?
Many say they fight America because it is here, in an Islamic country, supporting a puppet government. America is here to fight you, you are here to fight them. Who is winning? Will you want a government like the Islamic Republic of Iran? There is now little difference between the government there today and the puppet dictatorship of the Shah. Patriots are being murdered by secret police now as they were 40 years ago.
Years ago, when America was cast out of Iran and hostages were taken, did not Iran turn to Israel to bargain with the Americans for weapons to trade? Perhaps giving away your trust without opening your eyes to what can be seen is unwise.
No matter if the US stays in Afghanistan or goes, India and Israel will control the country as they do so many others. If they don't, then China will. Look at the map. Only Pakistan has nuclear weapons, a powerful military and an elected government, albeit problematic and unstable.
You would destroy it and turn it over to India and Israel in the name of Islam.
Who do you serve?Hello and Happy New Year from an American friend. I hope your new year is one that... more
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Saudi Arabia says it is "satisfied" with the conclusion of last month's UN climate summit in Copenhagen.Saudi Arabia says it is "satisfied" with the conclusion of last month's... more
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A retired U.S. General has called for strip searches of all muslim men at airports and “threat-based” profiling, declaring that “in the next 30-100 days,” there is “very high probability a US airliner will come down.”
Retired Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney made the comments on a Fox News broadcast over the weekend.
“We’ve got to go to more than just the normal process that they’re talking about now,” he said on Saturday.
Full Story and Video of the General...http://ctpatriot1970.wordpress.com/2010/01/05/ret-u-s-general-promises-an-airliner-will-be-blown-up-within-100-days/A retired U.S. General has called for strip searches of all muslim men at airports and... more
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This report from Press TV includes an interview with a senior commentator on the reasons why there is a complete media blackout on the situation of the Houthi Shias and the Attacks on the Houthi ShiasThis report from Press TV includes an interview with a senior commentator on the... more
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The Saudi Arabian authorities must not carry out the imminent flogging and imprisonment of an elderly woman and two younger men, Amnesty International said today.
The Minister of Interior is reported to have ordered the immediate detention and flogging of a 75-year-old woman, Khamisa Mohammed Sawadi, along with two Saudi Arabian men known only as Fahad and Hadyan.
All three were found guilty in March 2009 of being in the company of members of the opposite sex who are not close relatives, known as khilwa. The verdict was subsequently upheld by a court of appeal. Attempts to lodge an appeal at the Supreme Court were recently rejected.
If imprisoned Amnesty International would consider all three to be prisoners of conscience as the organization considers the criminalization of khilwato be a violation of the right to freedom of expression and to privacy as set out in international human rights standards.
“It is abhorrent that an elderly woman is at risk of 40 lashes. The flogging of any individual is cruel and inhumane,” said Philip Luther, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme. “We urge the authorities to prevent the imprisonment and flogging of Khamisa, Fahad and Hadyan.”
Khamisa Mohammed Sawadi and Fahad were sentenced to 40 lashes and four months’ imprisonment, and Hadyan to 60 lashes and six months’ imprisonment. Khamisa Mohammed Sawadi was also sentenced to be returned to her native country Syria on completion of her prison term.
Background
Khamisa Mohammed Sawadi, Fahad and Hadyan were arrested on 21 April 2008 by members of the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (also known as the Mutawa’een or religious police).
At their first trial, Fahad and Hadyan stated in their defence that they were delivering bread to Khamisa Mohammed Sawadi. Fahad argued that the offence of khilwa did not apply since he was related to Khamisa Mohammed Sawadi, who breast-fed him when he was a child. The court, however, rejected this argument.
Flogging is mandatory in Saudi Arabia for a number of offences and can also be used at the discretion of judges as an alternative or in addition to other punishments.
Sentences can range from dozens to tens of thousands of lashes, and are usually carried out in instalments, at intervals ranging from two weeks to one month. The highest number of lashes imposed in a single case recorded by Amnesty International was 40,000 lashes. They were imposed this year in a case of a man tried on murder charges.The Saudi Arabian authorities must not carry out the imminent flogging and... more
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Saudi Arabia called for an independent investigation into Climategate Monday, warning that the scandal over stolen e-mails threatened to undermine the global-warming negotiations beginning in Copenhagen. We believe this scandal — or what has been referred to as the climategate scandal — we think this is definitely going to affect the nature of what could be trusted in our deliberations, the Saudi Arabian negotiator said.Saudi Arabia called for an independent investigation into Climategate Monday, warning... more
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A Lebanese national has been sentenced to death for "sorcery" by a court in Saudi Arabia, and could be executed at any time if his sentence is upheld by the Supreme Court. Another man has been sentenced to death for "apostasy" on grounds relating to "sorcery."
‘Ali Hussain Sibat, who is 46 and has five children, was arrested by the Mutawa’een (religious police) in May 2008, in his hotel room in the city of Madina. He had travelled to Saudi Arabia to perform a form of Muslim pilgrimage, the ‘umra. He was sentenced to death by a court in Madina on 9 November after secret court hearings where he had no legal representation or assistance. Although Amnesty International does not have precise details of the charges on which he was convicted, it has received reports that they were based on the accusation that he had engaged in "sorcery" and is concerned that this arose solely from his exercising his right to freedom of expression.
‘Ali Sibat was a presenter on a TV show on the Lebanese satellite station Sheherazade, where he gave advice and predictions about the future. His lawyer in Lebanon believes that ‘Ali Sibat was arrested because members of the Mutawa’een had recognized him from the show. 'Ali Sibat’s interrogators told him to write down what he did for a living, reassuring him that, if he did so, he would be allowed to go home after a few weeks. This document was presented in court as a "confession," and used to convict him.
In July, a court in the city of Hail sentenced to death another man on grounds relating to "sorcery." His name is unknown but has been reported in the Saudi Arabian press as “the magician of female TV presenters” because he included names of TV presenters in graffiti written on the walls of his house. Members of the Mutawa’een raided the man’s home on 22 February and according to the Saudi Arabian press found it covered in some 100,000 words of graffiti, including distorted verses from the Qur’an. Very little is known about his trial, but the court apparently convicted him on “apostasy” rather than “sorcery” charges according to a press report this was because he was considered "a beginner in the work of sorcery." The man has appealed.
PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in Arabic, English or your own language:
Urging the King to halt the execution of ‘Ali Sibat and the man sentenced to death in Hail in July, if their sentences are upheld by the Supreme Court;
Calling on the authorities to release ‘Ali Sibat and the other man immediately and unconditionally if they have been convicted solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression;
Urging the authorities to desist from charging and convicting people for "apostasy," as it violates the legitimate exercise of the right to freedom of expression and freedom of religion.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 19 JANUARY 2010 TO:
King and Prime Minister
His Majesty King ‘Abdullah Bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud
The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques
Office of His Majesty the King
Royal Court, Riyadh
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax: (via Ministry of the Interior)
+966 1 403 1185 (please keep trying)
Salutation: Your Majesty
Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior
His Royal Highness Prince Naif bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Al-Saud, Ministry of the Interior, P.O. Box 2933, Airport Road
Riyadh 11134
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Fax: +966 1 403 1185 (please keep trying)
Salutation: Your Royal Highness
The crime of “sorcery” is not defined, and has been used to punish people for the legitimate exercise of their human rights, including the rights to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, belief and expression. The criminalization of apostasy is incompatible with the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion as set out in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
At least 158 people were executed in 2007, and at least 102 in 2008. Since the beginning of 2009, a further 67 people are known to have been executed. Amnesty International is aware of at least 140 people currently on death row, of whom 104 are foreign nationals. The true figures are believed to be much higher.A Lebanese national has been sentenced to death for "sorcery" by a court in... more
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