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09 Dec 2010 10:47

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World: Cablegate: Know a prince and Saudi? Well then, it’s time to party

  • The full range of worldly temptations and vices are available – alcohol, drugs, sex – but strictly behind closed doors.
  • A leak from Wikileaks’ Cablegate series • Suggesting that Saudi Arabia is in fact not as conservative as it seems behind closed doors. Apparently, it goes like this; the Vice Police tends to go after people into sex/drugs/alcohol, but they tend to leave Saudi princes (of which there are thousands) alone – especially if they have a direct lineage to King Abdullah. So, as a result, if a Saudi prince is at your party, it’s time to GET DOWN. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Nov 2010 00:19

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U.S., World: Five random facts from Wikileaks’ diplomatic cable leak

  • one China was behind the hack attack that led Google to temporarily withdraw from the country. (Duh.)
  • two Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah wants the U.S. to attack Iran to kill off its nuclear program. (Hmm.)
  • three The Afghan vice-president came a-knockin’ in the UAE with $52 million dollars in his luggage.
  • four The U.S. worries about Silvio Berlusconi’s tight friendship with Vladimir Putin, but not Leo’s.
  • five Obama would only meet with Slovenia if they took a Gitmo detainee from the U.S. Wow. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Nov 2010 15:55

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World: Saudi Arabia arrests dozens of suspected terrorists in raid

  • 149 number of people the Saudis arrested on terrorism charges
  • 124 number of Saudi nationals among the 149 people arrested
  • 19 number of al-Qaeda terror cells who had members arrested
  • $600k amount of money Saudi police found among the terror cells source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Oct 2010 10:27

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U.S.: U.S., Saudi Arabia: Let’s make a (massive ongoing weapons) deal!

  • $60
    million     the size of the weapons contract the U.S. plans to sign with the Saudi government
  • 20
    years     the length of said contract; the U.S. is signing it to help protect its security and economic interests source
  • Will Congress object to the deal? If Congress has any issues with the deal (which includes upgrading older equipment, along with new F-15s and helicopters) they have 30 days to raise them. A senate panel has already been given the tip-off.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Sep 2010 18:35

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Cats!: Blanket-chewing kitties always warm our hearts

  • Catstravaganza is a worldwide affair. And to that effect, one of our most passionate regular readers, @khakhov, sent along some particularly cute kitty photos from the island of Mauritius. We have to admit, anytime a cat chews on a blanket, it melts our hearts and makes us feel a bit too cheery inside:
  • A pretty tasty snack There are many awesome things about this photo – the claws, the chewing – but our favorite is the ultra-colorful eyes.
  • Some pretty serious navel-gazing “Look at that serious little upside-down face,” @khakhov tells us. That’s only one part of what makes this photo cool. We dig the disorientation.
  • Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article listed somewhere else as the home point for this wonderful cat. Sorry about that. We owe Khadeja an apology. We swear it won’t happen again! 🙁
Posted by Ernie Smith • 3 Comments • Permalink

26 Aug 2010 18:42

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World: Saudis violently punish overworked maid for complaining

  • 24 nails hammered into the maid who dared complain source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Aug 2010 09:54

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World: BlackBerry comeback: RIM charms the heck out of Saudi Arabia

Good news to Saudi citizens: After making some progress, BlackBerry maker RIM scored a deal with the country and earned a reprieve. So your phones will work. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

03 Aug 2010 22:24

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Tech: Will RIM cave to foreign pressure on BlackBerry data processing?

  • NO caving could damage business relationships source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Mar 2010 10:55

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World: Amnesty International says China executed a lot of people last year

  • 1000’snumber of people executed in China last year, according to Amnesty International – note the lack of firm number here
  • 714 number of people executed in 17 other nations last year, including Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the United States source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Nov 2009 09:36

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Biz, World: Investors looking for an out from the mirage of Dubai

  • The question right now is is it just a Dubai issue or is the whole UAE in trouble, does Abu Dhabi still have enough cash to help Dubai?
  • Merrill Lynch sales manager in emerging markets equity Amr Aboushaban • Describing shaken investor confidence in the Middle East after Dubai said it couldn’t repay billions in loans. There are other areas in the region – most notably Abu Dhabi – that might be able to help the Middle East’s largest sign of unparalleled wealth, but investors are scrambling to keep their money safe in other regional financial havens as a result of the news. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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