tagged w/ King Abdullah
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WWH – Except! Against women, children, the poor, the elderly, any one in Bahrain. Doctors and nurses, students, warm blooded animals and any one the United States needs torturing.WWH – Except! Against women, children, the poor, the elderly, any one in... more
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It’s Friday, noon prayers are over in Cairo, and protesters are considering the risks of storming the Presidential Palace and taking over the State TV building right now. Military leaders are considering their options. Their constitutional duty is to protect President Mubarak. He did not make their job easy by refusing to resign yesterday and concede power to them. The people would support them in a move to seize control. According to Al Jazeera's English Live Blog, “Massive crowds in Tahrir are chanting ‘the people and the army are hand in hand’.” Others report that mid level army officers have joined the ranks of the protesters.
ABC’s Christiane Amanpour reported this morning that Mubarak left the palace after he delivered his speech yesterday, for parts unknown. Latest reports from AJ Live Blog, claim that “Mohamed Abdelllah, senior member of (the) ruling party, said that ..Mubarak was heading to Sharm el-Sheikh.”
It appears that the US may have brokered an honorable exit for Mubarak to undergo an extended hospital stay in Germany. Elke Hoff, security policy spokesperson of coalition partner Free Democratic Party, said she would welcome Mubarak's early departure for Germany if it helps to stabilize the situation in Egypt. "This is not a political asylum," she said. Earlier reports suggested that Israel had offered the beleaguered President asylum.
Where’s Mubarak? But what we all want to know, did he pack his money bags? The more interesting questions to consider are how big is the Mubarak family fortune, where did it come from and can it be returned to benefit the Egyptian people?
Al Jazeera, The Guardian and others have reported that the Mubarak family fortune could reach $70bn, with cash in British and Swiss banks plus UK and US property. Anti-government demonstrators have been chanting this number, while denouncing Mubarak’s lies and corruption. US new sources MSNBC and Forbes
are ridiculing this figure as highly exaggerated, since it would place Mubarak in first place, ahead of Gates and Buffett, as the world’s richest man, ignoring the caveat that the figure also includes the wealth of his sons and wife. MSNBC cites various unidentified US government agencies that offer a miserly estimate of the family’s wealth, between $2 and $3 billion, with very little of it likely to be recovered.
While the US has been delivering about $1.5 billion in annual aid to the Egyptian government, the source of Mubarak’s wealth is largely indeterminate. Continued US aid is sure to become a political hot potato in the US, while congressional conservative Ron Paul starts to rumble for a complete cut-off and Saudi’s Prince Abdullah offers to match US aid from his own coffers in that event.
The US has an interest in downplaying the looting of Egypt by Mubarak, since much of that loot can from the pockets of suffering US taxpayers. CNC offers a wide spectrum of possible sources, including a form a corporate tithing where “Foreigner enterprises that wish to do business in Egypt are commonly asked to give a free 20 per cent stake to prominent Egyptians.” Could the wealth that this practice would bring to the tables of Mubarak and his cronies during a 30-year reign rival that of that gained “legitimately” by Microsoft’s dictatorship of computer software systems?
But for a deeper look at hiding wealth, you must read the comments and counter arguments to Kerry A. Dolan’s observation that “(w)e at Forbes don’t claim to know how much Mubarak is worth, but it’s very unlikely to be anywhere near as much as $70 billion.” An Argentinean commenter offered the view that with only one Argentine billionaire identified on the Forbes list of billionaires, there are at least fifteen billionaires missing that he could count in his own experience there.
Commenter longliveegypt, who claims to be an American businessman born in Egypt, offered this view in reponse to Dolan and Forbes’ opinion:
“The MAIN source of funding is the USA military Aid. Mubarak family has and had exclusive contracts to transport the $1.3B of military equipment plus assortment of other service contracts for 30 years or maybe more. Mubarak is the only person in Egypt who controls the military budget (no monitoring by the parliament or central accounting office etc. In fact a brother of law (sic) of Mubarak (the brother of Suzanne Mubarak was indicted in Maryland for the same). But the paperwork was fixed to give it some legitimacy and the money still rolls in.
Finally watch Hussain Salem and the oil and natural gas investment. Mr. Salem operate as confidential agent for Mr. Mubarak. I know !!
Unfortunately many of these sources are shrouded in secrecy and your own statement that the amount of Mubarak riches is exaggerated is untenable either. Take your own view with a big grain of salt as well.”
In my view, we need to follow the money and keep peeling back the truth. Our tax dollars need to support the aspirations of the Egyptian Pro-Democracy Movement. We must demand that the US pursue the return of treasure Mubarak claims as his own, and put it to work for people struggling to live and be free, both in Egypt and in the US.
Echoing these sentiments, a video posted on Youtube shows a solidarity protest song titled Sout al Horeya, The Sound of Freedom, by Moustafa Fahmy, Mohamed Khalifa, and Mohamed Shaker.
"I went down and I said I am not coming back, and I wrote on every street wall that I am not coming back.
"All barriers have been broken down, our weapon was our dream, and the future is crystal clear to us, we have been waiting for a long time, we are still searching for our place, we keep searching for a place we belong too, in every corner in our country.
"The sound of freedom is calling, in every street corner in our country, the sound of freedom is calling..
"We will re-write history, if you are one of us, join us and don't stop us from fulfilling our dream.
The sound of freedom is calling.It’s Friday, noon prayers are over in Cairo, and protesters are considering the... more
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The unrest which began in Tunisia and spread to Egypt has also produced some demonstrations in Jordan, on a much smaller scale. Jordan’s King Abdullah decided to head off larger protests by dissolving his government today, and appointing a new Prime Minister.
Somewhat disturbingly, this is exactly what a January 18 report from Voice of America says Jordan’s Islamic Action Front asked the King to do. The Islamic Action Front is the Jordanian political arm of – you guessed it! - the Muslim Brotherhood. They’ve been holding rallies in front of the Jordanian parliament ever since the Tunisian uprising entered its terminal stage.
Hopefully the new Jordanian government will not be crafted to please the Islamists, but instead follow King Abdullah’s instructions to “take practical steps, quick and concrete, to launch a process of genuine political reform, comprehensive development, and take genuine steps towards strengthening democracy,” as long as democracy doesn’t strengthen to the point where it no longer functions at the pleasure of a king.
The old Prime Minister, Samir Rifai, was “blamed for a rise in fuel and food prices, and slowed political reforms,” according to the Associated Press. The new Prime Minister looks to be Marouf al-Bakhit, the current Jordanian Director of National Security. Al-Bakhit has held the job before, back in 2005, and has also served as ambassador to Israel. He retired from the Jordanian armed forces 1999 after a 35-year military career, concluding with the rank of major general. He was educated in both California and England.
The largest protests to date are getting under way in Egypt today. We’ll soon know if King Abdullah’s moves are enough to preserve the Jordanian monarchy.
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=41524The unrest which began in Tunisia and spread to Egypt has also produced some... more
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A former Pakistani army commander said that the disclosure of classified documents by the whistleblower site of Wikileaks is a US plot to create rift among friendly and neighboring states.
“The US has a hand in this plot, and these reports (posted by the WikiLeaks website) are part of the US psychological warfare,” former Chief of the Staff of the Pakistani Army General Mirza Aslam Beg told FNA in Islamabad on Tuesday.
He stated that the US could prevent the leak of information if it wanted to do so, and warned that the real plot and conspiracy pursued by these reports will be unraveled in future.
Aslam Beg further reiterated that the CIA and Israel’s spy agency Mossad have launched efforts to weaken and destabilize Pakistan, and WikiLeaks reports are part of these efforts.
The remarks by the Pakistani figure came after US embassy cables posted by WikiLeaks website sparked hot reactions in the region.
In one cable, the WikiLeaks claimed, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, a close ally of Pakistan, reportedly called Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari the main cause of his country’s woes.
Pakistani President’s office responded on Monday that the leaks were “no more than an attempt to create misperceptions between two important and brotherly Muslim countries”.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8909091183A former Pakistani army commander said that the disclosure of classified documents by... more
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Saud Bin Abdulaziz Bin Nasir al Saud, 34, who is a grandson of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, killed Bandar Abdullah Abdulaziz on February 15 after abusing him for weeks, the court heard.
The 32-year-old victim was found with severe injuries including bite marks on his cheeks in a bloodstained bed in the suite at the Landmark Hotel, which he was sharing with the prince, prosecutors said.Saud Bin Abdulaziz Bin Nasir al Saud, 34, who is a grandson of Saudi Arabia's... more
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If you thought the executives at Goldman Sachs were the kings of backroom finance, think again.
Goldman Sachs, meet Saudi King Abdullah.
A new gambit by the oil-dealing kingdom would have Western oil guzzlers paying for using less oil. Sounds like the opposite of reality, you say? The Saudis say it's the only way they'll be able to afford helping the fight against global warming.
The New York Times frames the Saudi idea as, "if wealthy countries reduce their oil consumption to combat global warming, they should pay compensation to oil producers."
Saudi climate negotiator, Mohammad al-Sabban, described the position as a “make or break” measure for the oil-heavy kingdom in the lead-up to global climate negotiations in Copenhagen. In an email exchange with the times, al-Sabban said wealthy Western countries like the United States should help the Saudis with "economic diversification" by paying for oil they don't even use.If you thought the executives at Goldman Sachs were the kings of backroom finance,... more
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Saudis give nod to Israeli raid on Iran
Saudis give nod to Israeli raid on Iran
Uzi Mahnaimi in Tel Aviv and Sarah Baxter
The head of Mossad, Israel’s overseas intelligence service, has assured Benjamin Netanyahu, its prime minister, that Saudi Arabia would turn a blind eye to Israeli jets flying over the kingdom during any future raid on Iran’s nuclear sites.
Earlier this year Meir Dagan, Mossad’s director since 2002, held secret talks with Saudi officials to discuss the possibility.
The Israeli press has already carried unconfirmed reports that high-ranking officials, including Ehud Olmert, the former prime minister, held meetings with Saudi colleagues. The reports were denied by Saudi officials.
“The Saudis have tacitly agreed to the Israeli air force flying through their airspace on a mission which is supposed to be in the common interests of both Israel and Saudi Arabia,” a diplomatic source said last week.
Although the countries have no formal diplomatic relations, an Israeli defence source confirmed that Mossad maintained “working relations” with the Saudis.
John BoltSaudis give nod to Israeli raid on Iran
Saudis give nod to Israeli raid on... more
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Jun 24, 2009 22:46
UN's Gaza war crimes probe to screen hearings live
The United Nations team which is investigating alleged war crimes committed during Operation Cast Lead, last January, announced on Wednesday that it would broadcast the hearings it plans to hold with Palestinian and Israeli victims live.
The team, led by veteran war crimes investigator Richard Goldstone, will hold the hearings in Gaza City on Sunday and Monday, UN officials said.
Spokeswoman Doune Porter said that the hearings would be broadcast and the media would be allowed to view them from a separate room.
She said Wednesday that the team also would hold hearings in Geneva on July 6-7 under the same conditions.Jun 24, 2009 22:46
UN's Gaza war crimes probe to screen hearings live... more
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Israel PM told to keep silent on 'Palestinian state':
The heat is on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from within his own right-wing party to resist US pressure and not utter the words "Palestinian state" in a keenly awaited policy speech.
http://snipurl.com/k0528
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U.S. official: Content of Netanyahu's Sunday speech 'not adequate':
The proposals to be outlined in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech on Sunday will not be enough to satisfy the Obama administration, a senior U.S. official was quoted as saying on Friday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1092452.htmlIsrael PM told to keep silent on 'Palestinian state':
The heat is on... more
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Gaza: No Right To Life
Must Watch 7 Minute Video Report
With the lack of medical services in Gaza, critically ill patients must travel into Israel for treatment. Many are asked to collaborate with Israeli intelligence services before they receive aid. It has been alleged that if they refuse to become informers they are refused medical treatment.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22821.htmGaza: No Right To Life
Must Watch 7 Minute Video Report
With the lack of... more
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Does This Look Like Victory?
Starving Afghan Family Displaced by US Airstrike
Must watch One Minute Video
Exclusive footage from the recent US airstrikes in Afghanistan provides a sobering look at the dire situation on the ground.
One Minute Video
Exclusive footage from the recent US airstrikes in Afghanistan provides a sobering look at the dire situation on the ground. http://rethinkafghanistan.com/cc2.php
Posted June 12, 2009Does This Look Like Victory?
Starving Afghan Family Displaced by US Airstrike... more
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War Is Sin
By Chris Hedges
War exposes the lies we tell ourselves about ourselves. It rips open the hypocrisy of our religions and secular institutions. Those who return from war have learned something which is often incomprehensible to those who have stayed home. We are not a virtuous nation.War Is Sin
By Chris Hedges
War exposes the lies we tell ourselves about... more
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The move weakens the grip of Islamic hard-liners. He dismisses a top fundamentalist cleric and the head of the religious police, and appoints a woman to a ministerial post for the first time.
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia weakened the hold of Islamic hard-liners Saturday by appointing the first woman to a ministerial post and dismissing a leading fundamentalist cleric and the head of the nation's powerful religious police.
The surprising government reshuffle indicated that the 84-year-old monarch was frustrated with the pace of reform in a kingdom uneasily balanced between moderates and ultra-conservatives. By broadening the voices of modern Islamic thinkers, King Abdullah apparently is trying to refashion the religious establishment at a time the country faces the global financial crisis and renewed threats from Al Qaeda militants.The move weakens the grip of Islamic hard-liners. He dismisses a top fundamentalist... more
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The decision by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to hold an interfaith conference under the auspices of the United Nations is bold, courageous and potentially far-reaching.
To many people, especially in the West, his initiative may seem unremarkable. In fact, it is a major step forward in the long march to a relationship between Islam and other faiths that is not one of confrontation or distrust but of peaceful co-existence.
King Abdullah is not only the ruler of Saudi Arabia. He is the keeper of the two Holy Mosques, the religious sites at Mecca and Medina which, together with Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, constitute three of the leading holy places of Islam. He is also the leader of a nation that critics say has been slow to modernize, with fraught consequences for the rest of the world. But King Abdullah's decision to offer the hand of friendship and mutual respect to other religions by initiating the conference, which began Wednesday, has big implications - as the criticism of his initiative from some corners of the Islamic world indicates.The decision by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to hold an interfaith conference under... more
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King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. His cause as crown prince in the 1990s and as reigning monarch since 2005 has been to settle as many disputes as he can in this region of clashing faiths, millennial rivalries and chronic conflagrations. They are all related, as he sees it, from Palestine to the price of oil, from Iraqi death squads to Iranian nukes to the risk of global recession, each cancroid problem feeding off the other.King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. His cause as crown prince in the 1990s and as reigning... more
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"Al-Qaeda Number 3, Abu Yahya al-Libi has issued a new video urging the killing of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah for his moves towards inter-faith dialogue with Pope Benedict XVI.
A photo of King Abdullah and Benedict XVI taken during Abdullah's historic visit to the Vatican last November has been posted with the video to publicise it on Islamist websites.
A caption beneath the photo repeats part of al-Libi's video message. It reads: 'He (Abdullah) has made religion a joke and has done so in public with Jews, Christians and Muslims. He has thrown those fighting for Islamism into jail...and has fraternised with those who have offended the Prophet, notably the adulator of the Cross, the Vatican's Pope.'
Al-Libi concludes the message with a call to kill King Abdullah for having betrayed Islam.
The Libyan-born militant is believed to have fought alongside al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan."
"Al-Qaeda Number 3, Abu Yahya al-Libi has issued a new video urging the killing... more
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King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz held a competition to design a new cultural centre for Saudi Arabia that would reflect the history of oil that has made the country so rich. This awe-inspiring design by Snøhetta won over other entries from world renowned architects including Zaha Hadid and Rem Koolhaas.
The building which is due to open to the public in 2012 will contain a world-class library with a "cafe-like" atmosphere, a cinema, a "Children's Education Centre" aimed at 2-12's, a museum and much more. The site is located on Dammam Dome next to Prosperity Well No.7, the first oil well in Saudi Arabia to yield commercially viable quantaties of oil.King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz held a competition to design a new cultural centre for... more
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In a meeting Tuesday with Saudi King Abdullah, Bush begged OPEC to increase oil production. On Monday Bush announced his intention to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia.
Are we trading weapons for oil with Saudi Arabia? In a meeting Tuesday with Saudi King Abdullah, Bush begged OPEC to increase oil... more
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