Tag Archives: Saudi Arabia

John Aravosis reports at AmericaBlog: Conservative media is crowing that unlike President Obama, Donald Trump did not “bow” to the Saudi King. And they’re right. He curtsied. Mind you, Trump’s odd genuflect to the Saudi king comes after a campaign in which Trump regularly savaged the Saudis as sexist homophobes. Trump did this in an attempt to suggest that Hillary …

ABC News reports: First lady Melania Trump stepped off Air Force One at King Khalid International Airport Saturday morning without a head scarf — following the example of her predecessor, Michelle Obama — and potentially creating a stir in this conservative Islamic country. Women here, including visitors and foreign dignitaries, are expected to be fully covered in public, including their …

The Associated Press reports: The Trump administration plans to announce $110 billion in advanced military equipment sales and training to Saudi Arabia this weekend as President Donald Trump visits the country, officials said Friday. U.S. officials familiar with the package said it would include Abrams tanks, combat ships, missile defense systems, radar, and communications and cyber security technology. The announcement …

The Associated Press reports: Saudi Arabia is making every effort to dazzle and impress President Donald Trump on his first overseas trip, seizing on the visit to cement itself as a major player on the world stage and shove aside rival Iran. The kingdom has arranged a dizzying schedule of events for the two days Trump will be in town …

New York City’s ABC affiliate reports: In a stunning action seeking to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for 9/11, the families of 800 victims have filed a lawsuit accusing the Saudis of complicity in the worst terror attacks on American soil. The legal action, filed in federal court in Manhattan, details a scenario of involvement by Saudi officials who are said …

Global thermonuclear war. It’s what Jesus would want. Via World Net Daily: Would you like to know how the United States can virtually eliminate global Islamic terrorism and world hunger with one stroke? Seize the oil wells of Saudi Arabia. If this sounds preposterous and unethical – “the U.S. doesn’t go on the offensive, and it certainly doesn’t ‘steal’ other …

The Washington Post reports: At least 111 Trump companies have done business in 18 countries and territories across South America, Asia and the Middle East, a Washington Post analysis of Trump financial filings shows. The business interests range from sprawling, ultraluxury real estate complexes to one-man holding companies and branding deals in Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Panama and other countries, including some …

USA Today reports: The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to override President Obama’s veto of legislation allowing lawsuits against foreign sponsors of terrorism, setting up an almost certain and historic defeat for the White House on the bill. The House is expected to follow suit within hours, making it the first veto of Obama’s presidency that has been overturned by …

The Associated Press reports: WikiLeaks’ global crusade to expose government secrets is causing collateral damage to the privacy of hundreds of innocent people, including survivors of sexual abuse, sick children and the mentally ill, The Associated Press has found. In the past year alone, the radical transparency group has published medical files belonging to scores of ordinary citizens while many …

According to a report in a Saudi newspaper, authorities are seeking to expand the death penalty for homosexuality to include those who merely say they are gay on social media. From Britain’s Mirror: The government in the Sunni Kingdom is reportedly demanding tougher punishments on those found guilty and claimed social media has caused a boom in homosexuality. According to …

Responding to the torching of its Tehran embassy, yesterday Saudi Arabia cut its diplomatic ties to Iran. A ripple effect is taking place today in pro-Saudi nations. The BBC reports: A number of Saudi Arabia’s allies have joined diplomatic action against Iran after the Saudi embassy in Tehran was attacked amid a row over the execution of a Shia Muslim …

Saudi actor Abdul Aziz al-Kassar is apparently so good looking that he was swarmed by female fans demanding selfies during a visit to a Riyadh mall. In swooped an officer from the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, who arrested al-Kassar for mixing with women unrelated to him. The Daily Mail reports: The shocking moment …

Via the Guardian: Four helipads will cluster around one of the largest domes in the world, like sideplates awaiting the unveiling of a momentous main course, which will be jacked up 45 storeys into the sky above the deserts of Mecca. It is the crowning feature of the holy city’s crowning glory, the superlative summit of what will be the …

Via Gulf News: A court in eastern Saudi Arabia has sentenced a homosexual man to three years in jail for engaging in “immoral acts”. The man, in his 30s, was also ordered to pay a SR100,000 fine by the court in the port city Dammam in the Eastern Province. According to a report in local news site Sabq, the man …

Dubai’s English-language Gulf News reports that a Saudi Arabia court has sentenced a young man to 450 lashes and three years in prison for attempting to meet other men via Twitter. The man, 24, was arrested after he posted several tweets calling for homosexual relations and expressing his readiness to meet gay men, local daily Al Watan reported on Tuesday. …

Gay Star News reports: Saudi Arabia police have arrested 35 people and accused them of being gay. The men, allegedly dressed in women’s clothes, were arrested at a beach resort in the western city of Jeddah. According to local reports, neighbors contacted the religious police complaining of the loud music being played at the party. The police took the arrested …

Via Gulf News: Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry has banned 50 given names including “foreign” names, names related to royalty and those it considers to be blasphemous. Saudis will no longer be able to give their children names such as Amir (prince), Linda or Abdul Nabi (Slave of the Prophet) after the civil affairs department at the ministry issued the list, …

CNN reports: Four Saudi men accused of dancing naked on the roof of a car and posting a video of the incident online have been sentenced to as many as 2,000 lashes and up to 10 years in prison, and fined thousands of dollars, a newspaper reported this week. A criminal court in Buraidah, Saudi Arabia, handed down the verdict …