Saudi Arabia

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December 2007
- Saudis Foil Hajj Attack
  
  Al Arabiya | Dec 22, 07 6:27 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - As millions of Muslims completed the annual Hajj pilgrimage yesterday, Saudi police said they'd arrested a group that had been planning attacks, Al Arabiya reports. An official said the al-Qaeda suspects, detained at cities across the country, had been intent on disrupting the ritual and causing "security confusion." Mecca itself was not believed to have been the terror plot's target. More »
- Companion in Saudi Rape Case Pardoned
  
  CNN | Dec 19, 07 1:06 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The companion to the Saudi rape victim who was convicted of a crime for being alone with him, and then pardoned after an international uproar, has himself been pardoned, CNN reports. Saudi Arabia's minister of justice confirmed this—and by implication revealed that the man, kidnapped along with the woman by the seven men who raped her, also suffered at the men's hands, and also faced charges—in a call to Saudi TV. More »
- King Abdullah Pardons Saudi Rape Victim
  
  Al Jazeera | Dec 17, 07 3:10 AM CST
  
  (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, though he is still "convinced and sure that the verdicts were fair," an official said. More »
November 2007
- 208 Nabbed in Saudi Terror Raids
  
  BBC | Nov 29, 07 4:52 AM CST
  
  (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. More »
- Saudi Court to Review Rape Victim Sentence
  
  Associated Press | Nov 28, 07 11:46 AM CST
  
  (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 government and people,” said Prince Saud al-Faisal. More »
- All Eyes on OPEC for Oil Price Relief
  
  Wall Street Journal | Nov 26, 07 4:18 AM CST
  
  (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 output by as much as 720,000 barrels a day. More »
- Saudi Rulers: Rape Victim Caused Crime
  
  CNN | Nov 25, 07 7:23 AM CST
  
  (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 situation" with a man on a beach, CNN reports. More »
- Saudis Defend Rape Victim's Sentence
  
  CNN | Nov 21, 07 5:07 PM CST
  
  (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 but because new evidence was uncovered. They didn't disclose the new evidence, but her attorney told CNN that his client was abducted after meeting with a man he believes was trying to blackmail her. More »
- Saudi Rape Victim 'Crushed Human Being,' Husband Says
  
  CNN | Nov 21, 07 9:41 AM CST
  
  (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, ill, "crushed human being" since the attack in 2006, when they were engaged. She's given up her education, and is too fragile to speak publicly. More »
- Chavez Warns of $200 Oil if US Strikes Iran
  
  BBC | Nov 17, 07 6:48 PM CST
  
  (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 agent.” Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah countered, saying “Oil shouldn’t be a tool for conflict, [but for] development.” More »
- Saudi Rape Victim Gets Jail for Appealing
  
  BBC | Nov 16, 07 7:36 PM CST
  
  (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 original sentence. Judges said she tried to use the media to influence them; her lawyer says the sentence violates both Sharia law and international conventions. More »
- Oil Drops to $91 as Rush to $100 Stalls
  
  Wall Street Journal | Nov 14, 07 7:37 AM CST
  
  (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 prices have been jacked up by speculation and should be near $60. More »
- Saudi King Meets the Pope
  
  BBC | Nov 6, 07 9:00 AM CST
  
  (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 on allowing Christians in Saudi Arabia to worship more freely. More »
October 2007
- After Gaffes, Queen Hopes to Placate Saudis
  
  Times (UK) | Oct 30, 07 11:00 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Queen Elizabeth will have to put on a brave face when she welcomes Saudi King Abdullah today, following yesterday's gaffe-filled beginning to his London visit. Abdullah's widely reported outburst over the 7/7 attacks left Downing Street open-mouthed, writes the Times of London, but then Britain's foreign secretary skipped a meeting with his Saudi counterpart. More »
- Saudi King: Britain Lax on Terror
  
  BBC | Oct 29, 07 1:44 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Britain needs to do more to fight international terrorism, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah says. Speaking on the eve of the first official visit to the UK by a Saudi ruler in 20 years, the monarch said his government passed along intelligence that could have averted the 7/7 bombings "but unfortunately no action was taken," the BBC reports. More »
September 2007
- Saudi Women Want to Drive
  
  BBC | Sep 18, 07 1:13 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A group of Saudi women is trying to regain a “stolen right”: driving. The group will deliver a petition to King Abdullah this week demanding the right to get behind the wheel. But prospects for lifting the world's only ban on female drivers are cloudy, the BBC reports, because of concerns about women mixing freely with men. More »
August 2007
- Mystery Illness Kills Camels
  
  Reuters | Aug 19, 07 11:10 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - In Saudi Arabia, hundreds of camels have suddenly died for unknown reasons—232 were counted in the last four days in the Dawasir Valley, 250 miles south of Riyadh, Reuters reports. The Agriculture Ministry denies that an infectious disease is behind the deaths and blames problems with animal feed. Owners have been promised compensation for the lost animals, which are big business in the desert. More »
- Rice Pushes Peace Talks With Olmert, Abbas
  
  Reuters | Aug 1, 07 1:12 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Condoleezza Rice took her diplomatic tour to Jerusalem and the West Bank today, hoping to rekindle peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian government of Mahmoud Abbas. Rice comes bearing a promise from Saudi Arabia to support the peace conference proposed by the White House for later this year, Reuters reports. More »
July 2007
- White House Proposes $43B in Mideast Military Aid
  
  Reuters | Jul 30, 07 3:48 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - More than $43 billion in US military aid is earmarked for the Middle East, Reuters reports, part of a strategy to fight terrorism and counterbalance Iran. The outlays, which require congressional approval, include $13 billion to Egypt, $30 billion to Israel, and an unspecified amount to Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced today. More »
- Bush Plans Huge Arms Deal With Saudis
  
  New York Times | Jul 28, 07 8:43 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The White House is proposing a $20 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia and five Gulf neighbors, despite increasing dismay over the Saudis' undermining the US-backed Iraqi government, the New York Times reports. The deal, likely to generate resistance in Congress, makes no demands for Saudi cooperation on Iraq; its aim is to counter Iranian power in the region. More »