Crew being treated well: pirates, captain
BBC Nov 29, 08 6:40 PM CST
(Newser)
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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 frazzled mother agreed—and soon heard her girl giggling on the phone with pirates on-board the Sirius Star. The next day, the reporter told a BBC producer, who was inspired to call the pirates again.
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Motorcycles catch on in Muslim country
Christian Science Monitor Nov 24, 08 2:20 PM CST
(Newser)
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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 growing in popularity. The club now counts 300 members who ride together weekly.
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The Accolade still underground but gaining popularity as youth push boundaries
New York Times Nov 24, 08 12:02 PM CST
(Newser)
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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, and its members have turned taboo-breaking up to 11.
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Promise to protect 'Muslim property'
CNN Nov 23, 08 8:38 AM CST
(Newser)
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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 million in crude oil, is owned by a Muslim country, said a witness. "If the pirates want peace, they had better release the tanker," warned a spokesman for the militants.
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Saudis have ten days to pay up to save crew and oil
Guardian (UK) Nov 21, 08 2:37 AM CST
(Newser)
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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 Somalia.
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Saudi foreign minister pledges to eradicate Somali maritime threat
BBC Nov 19, 08 2:36 PM CST
(Newser)
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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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ANALYSIS
Attacked ship anchored off Somalia
BBC Nov 18, 08 10:43 AM CST
(Newser)
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The pirates who seized the Sirius Star have reportedly brought their massive prize to anchor off the coast of Somalia, the BBC reports. The Saudi oil tanker’s entire 25-person crew is believed to be safe, but the consequences for international shipping may be far-reaching, Roger Middleton writes in the Times of London.
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Ship loaded with oil is taken to Somalian port
BBC Nov 17, 08 11:36 AM CST
(Newser)
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Pirates flying the Liberian flag hijacked a Saudi Arabian oil tanker today, the BBC reports. The Sirius Star is now bound for the port of Eyl, Somalia, a common destination for pirates to unload their booty. Currently holding its full load of 2 million barrels, the Sirius Star contains one-quarter of Saudi Arabia’s daily oil output. "It's the largest ship that we've seen pirated," said a US Navy spokesman.
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Saudis rehabilitate terrorists using ideological approach
New York Times Nov 9, 08 1:12 PM CST
(Newser)
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Saudi Arabia has a particular brand of counter-terrorism: a cozy detention center where captured militants share their feelings, practice art therapy, snack on Twix, rumble on PlayStation, and leave with the prospect of a wife. The retreat, Katherine Zoepf writes in the New York Times magazine, is part of the kingdom’s rehabilitation program for jihadis, often age 18-36.
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Price will rebound with economy, likely to hit $200 a barrel in 2030
Financial Times (UK) Nov 6, 08 10:53 AM CST
(Newser)
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If today’s price of $60 per barrel of oil seems too good to be true, that’s because it is. Oil prices will rebound to $100 a barrel once the economy recovers, and climb toward $200 by 2030, the market’s most comprehensive review predicts. Output is declining at a steep natural rate of 9% while demand grows nearly unabated, the Financial Times explains.
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FINANCIAL CRISIS
Global woes descend on Persian Gulf oil economies with a fury
Wall Street Journal Oct 27, 08 9:51 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The financial crisis has finally struck the Persian Gulf—the one area of the world that had seemed immune—as a 50% plunge in oil prices since July and a raft of currency trades gone bad has led to the first bank bailout in the area. Kuwait’s central bank yesterday guaranteed deposits and arranged a cash infusion into one of the country’s largest banks, and Saudi Arabia pledged $2.3 billion in loans to low-income borrowers, reports the Wall Street Journal.
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ANALYSIS
Nearly 1K will be tried according to Islamic law
Economist Oct 24, 08 3:07 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The biggest mass prosecution of Islamist extremists in Saudi Arabian history is the latest clue that the kingdom’ anti-terror campaign in on track, the Economist reports. The Saudis plan to try 991 prisoners on charges ranging from committing terrorist violence to justifying it in religious sermons—and will do so under Wahhabist Islamic law, lending the proceedings more legitimacy.
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Wall Street Journal Oct 24, 08 7:14 AM CDT
(Newser)
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OPEC today decided to take 1.5 million barrels of oil per day off the markets to boost prices flirting with 16-month lows, the Wall Street Journal reports. The deep cut will take effect next month. “This slowdown in oil demand is serving to exacerbate the situation in a market which has been oversupplied for some time,” OPEC said in a statement.
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