1,300-year-old Islamic note may solve mystery Nov 19, 2008
Ghabban, a member of the Supreme Commission for Tourism, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, added that it also "shows evidence of a fully-fledged system of diacritical marks.". A paper describing the find appears in the latest issue of the journal Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy. (MSNBC -- Technology)
* SOUTH AFRICA 2010: Socceroos looking to keep their 100 percent record Nov 18, 2008
In Group B, South Korea, who made the semi-finals on home turf in 2002, face a daunting game against Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, while Ali Daeis Iran play the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Abu Dhabi. The group is finely poised with South Korea, Iran and Saudi Arabia on four points after two games, while North Korea have four points after three matches. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Saudis could amaze any alien Nov 18, 2008
Let's say that after settling into his hotel in Riyadh, Marvin went to the nearest public park wearing his best religious regalia, set up his portable shrine, prayed and thanked the Martian gods for his safe arrival on Earth. In the blink of an alien's inscrutable eye, poor Marvin would have found out that -- extraterrestrial or not -- he's still an infidel. (Toronto Sun)
Barack Obama brings hope of Iran talks, says Shimon Peres Nov 17, 2008
The veteran politician, who turned 85 this summer, also told The Times that he expected Israel to achieve peace with its Arab neighbours within his life time, and even predicted that he would one day visit Damascus and Riyadh. His upbeat message will no doubt be dismissed by many in the Middle East as the musings of a lifelong optimist. (Times Online)
Saudi women cheer protest car ride Nov 15, 2008
18 years on, drivers and passengers recall galvanizing drive through Riyadh ... Saudi women who made headlines when they broke the ban on driving in November 1990 gathered recently to mark the 18th anniversary of the day they got into cars and drove around Riyadh ... RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - In an ornate living room, a group of women gathered around coffee and date cakes to celebrate the afternoon 18 years ago when they got into cars and drove the streets of Riyadh, a stunning defiance of Saudi... (MSNBC -- International)
Saudi investors in the dark as index falls Nov 14, 2008
By Abeer Allam in Riyadh. Published: November 14 2008 01:51 | Last updated: November 14 2008 01:51. (FT.com -- Markets)
Saudis step into Pakistan's quagmire Nov 13, 2008
This means the emerging nexus of Washington, Riyadh and Islamabad, through the Pakistani military, will deal directly with the militants on a case-by-case basis, and according to strategic contacts who spoke to Asia Times Online, a breakthrough is expected within the next few months. Syed Saleem Shahzad is Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief. (Asia Times Online)
Egyptians Protest Doctor's 1,500-Lash Saudi Sentence Nov 12, 2008
Egypt's state-owned Middle East News Agency later reported that Cairo's ambassador to Riyadh, Mahmoud Auf, met with the powerful mayor of Riyadh, Prince Salman, to discuss "the status of Egyptian expatriates in the kingdom.". El-Arabi is in a jail in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah and is believed to have received at least one of his weekly installments of 70 lashes so far. (Fox News)
Arab-Israeli Tensions Shadow U.N. Religion Summit Nov 12, 2008
Riyadh has refused any diplomatic recognition of the Jewish state until the status of Jerusalem is resolved ... Although the Israeli press has examined the issue of future relations between Riyadh and Jerusalem, the Arab press has spent most of its time pointedly asking: "Who invited the Jew?" ... Riyadh's ambassador in Lebanon, Abdul Aziz Koja, told several Arab newspapers, "The president of the General Assembly addressed invitations to all U.N. member states.". (Newsmax)
Saudi government sues tobacco importers Nov 11, 2008
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia The Saudi health minister says his government has filed a $34 billion lawsuit against importers of cigarettes from international tobacco companies, including U.S. firms. Minister Hamad al-Manie tells The Associated Press the government wants compensation for the cost of treating illnesses caused by smoking. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Business)
Report: Terrorists use cash, avoid financial ties Nov 10, 2008
"Several U.S. officials compared Kuwait's present efforts against terrorist financing to Saudi Arabia's before the May 2003 attack in Riyadh, when the Saudi's first realized the extent of the threat on their hands," the report said, citing interviews with unnamed State and Defense Department officials. The United Arab Emirates runs its financial monitoring system well "on the surface" but has just two analysts responsible for combating the financing of terrorist activities in one of the Middle... (MSNBC -- International)
Facebook boosts participation in rare Saudi hunger strike Nov 10, 2008
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - The government studiously ignored a two-day hunger strike staged last week by Saudi human rights activists, but organizers said they were pleased with the participation and media attention that their protest drew. "They ignored us," hunger striker Fowzan Mohsin Al Harbi said of the authorities. (Christian Science Monitor)
Saudi Arabia Talking ... Tolerance? Nov 7, 2008
President Bush sits with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah inside the Royal Terminal at the Riyadh-King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh May 16. Critics are blasting the United Nations for hosting a meeting to talk about religious and cultural tolerance sponsored by Saudi Arabia, a country in which the U.S. government has said religious freedom is non-existent. (Fox News)
Saudi king seeks sense of Obama policy on U.S. trip... Nov 7, 2008
RIYADH, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Wary about the direction of U.S. policy in the region, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah will have a chance to put out feelers to president-elect Barack Obama during a visit to the United States next week ... Diplomats in Riyadh say the Saudi rulers felt comfortable with outgoing president George W. Bush, based on a history of close personal ties with the Bush family and the Republicans ... Riyadh shares U.S. concerns that Iran's nuclear energy programme is a cover for plans... (The Drudge Report)
Saudi hunger strikers risk arrest for protest Nov 7, 2008
The protesters' demands centre on the cases of 11 prisoners who are being held in Jeddah and Riyadh jails without charge ... The most high-profile prisoner is Matrouk al-Faleh, a political science professor at Riyadh's King Saud University, who was arrested in May after publishing a report criticizing conditions in Saudi jails. (Globe and Mail)
15 killed, dozens hurt in Baghdad bombings Nov 5, 2008
(Hadi Mizban/Associated Press) By Riyadh Mohammed and Katherine Zoepf New York Times News Service / November 5, 2008. . (Boston Globe)
President Asif Ali Zardari met Saudi King Abdullah on Tuesday as he arrived on a two-day visit to seek support for the Friends of Pakistan initiative Nov 5, 2008
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan. Wednesday, November 05, 2008. (Daily Times, Pakistan)
Rare Saudi Arabia protest tests limits of political speech Nov 5, 2008
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - As hunger strikes go, the 48-hour fast that Fowzan Mohsin al-Harbi and 39 other Saudis plan to stage this week is not likely to have a dramatic outcome ... "It's just a symbol to [draw] attention to our case," says Mr. Harbi, who works at King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology in Riyadh ... Perhaps the best-known of the 11 detainees is Matrouq al-Faleh, who was arrested in his office at Riyadh's King Saud University, where he teaches political science, in May. (Christian Science Monitor)
British PM seeks Saudi, Qatari help Nov 5, 2008
"The Saudis will, I think, contribute like other countries, so we can have a bigger fund worldwide," he said after a three-hour meeting with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah late Saturday in Riyadh. The IMF already has dipped into its $250 billion reserves to provide emergency loans to Iceland, Hungary and Ukraine totaling $30 billion. (CNN -- World)
Foreign news in brief Nov 5, 2008
Another source with a major customer of state oil firm Saudi Aramco also confirmed that he saw evidence that Riyadh had cut supplies in November. Neither source was able to give an estimate on how much exports had been cut in total. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Business)
British PM Visits Terrorist Rehab Center Nov 3, 2008
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 2, 2008 ... British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, center, meets former detainees who have been linked to terrorism in the past and now are held at a 'halfway house' in Riyadh during his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia on Nov. 2, 2008 ... Brown met with suspected terrorists who had been detained at Guantanamo Bay as he toured a de-radicalization facility on the outskirts of Riyadh. (CBS News)
Saudi activists plan public hunger strike Nov 3, 2008
Mohammad al-Qahtani, a Riyadh-based college professor who also hosts a television show, said he was excited about participating ... The most prominent of the detained dissidents is Matrouk al-Faleh, who was arrested in May in the capital, Riyadh, for criticizing conditions in the kingdom's jails. (Boston Globe)
Brown Expects Saudi Financial Help Nov 3, 2008
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, left, speaks with Saudi Foreign Minster Prince Saudi al-Faisal, upon his arrival at King Khaled airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) (AP). (ABC News -- Wire)
Brown calls for more Gulf investment Nov 3, 2008
Gordon Brown met King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh ... The PM visited the "correctional" centre, on the outskirts of the capital Riyadh, where inmates are encouraged to re-engage with mainstream Saudi society through religious and psychological education. (BBC News -- Europe)
* Brown seeks billions for IMF Nov 3, 2008
CONTRIBUTE: The British prime minister said that a significant amount of extra money needed to boost the funds reserves should come from oil-rich countries AP, RIYADH Monday, Nov 03, 2008, Page 10. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he is seeking hundreds of billions of dollars to top up the IMF reserves to bail out financially stricken countries as he continued a tour of the Gulf yesterday. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
UK PM visits Saudi 'terror centre' Nov 3, 2008
Mr Brown said he hoped Riyadh would offer help for troubled economies across the world, before leaving for Qatar for further meetings. Unusual visit. (BBC News -- Africa)
Saudi Official: 2003 Terror Plot Against US Foiled Nov 3, 2008
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia foiled a 2003 terror plot by militants who planned to hijack a plane and blow it up over a densely populated American city, a Saudi official said Sunday. The official said the plan, first reported Sunday in government-guided Al-Watan newspaper, was for the attackers to transit through the U.S. to another destination so they could avoid applying for hard-to-get American visas required for Saudis. (Newsmax)
Gordon Brown Aims to Boost IMF Reserves Nov 3, 2008
(RIYADH, Saudi Arabia) British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, on a tour of the Gulf, said he is seeking hundreds of billions of dollars to boost the International Monetary Fund's reserves to bail out financially stricken countries. Brown also said Britain wants to attract investment from sovereign wealth funds in the region, just as a deal by Barclays PLC to receive up to $11. (Time.com)
* Sport Briefs Nov 3, 2008
Coach Huh Jung-moo included Lee in his 25-man squad for the Nov. 19 game in Riyadh. Manchester Uniteds Park Ji-sung, AS Monaco striker Park Chu-young and Borussia Dortmund defender Lee Young-pyo were also called up to the squad announced yesterday. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Sports)
MIDEAST CALLED ON TO SHORE UP IMF Nov 3, 2008
"If we are to stop the spread of the financial crisis, we need a better global insurance policy to help distressed economies," Mr. Brown, a former finance minister, told reporters in Riyadh. "That is why I have called for more resources for the IMF.". (Globe and Mail)
PM calls for oil price stability Nov 2, 2008
Gordon Brown met King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh ... The UK prime minister held talks with Saudi ruler King Abdhullah at the King"s Palace in Riyadh. He was expected to stress the Gulf nations must maintain their oil production levels to avoid "spikes" in oil prices. Everybody has got a part to play in solving this world downturn and I think the oil-rich states will want to play their part Gordon Brown Before his departure, he denied he would be going with a "begging bowl" and said the... (BBC News)
British PM calls on Gulf states to give funds to the IMF Nov 2, 2008
AFP/Saudi Press Agency/Ho Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz (R) welcomes British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in Riyadh on November ... RIYADH (AFP) British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Sunday it is in the interests of oil-rich Gulf states to give funds to help countries hit by the world financial crisis ... By boosting the IMF's current 250 billion dollar bailout facility, Brown told British and Saudi business leaders in Riyadh, Gulf states could prevent financial "contagion" spreading. (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
Brown seeks cash for IMF as China, India feel crisis Nov 2, 2008
RIYADH (Reuters) British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Sunday called for billions of dollars in extra funding for the International Monetary Fund to prop up struggling economies, while Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said maintaining China's strong domestic growth was his priority ... Brown, speaking in Riyadh, said oil-producing Gulf States and China should contribute money for the IMF to lend to countries at risk of financial collapse ... In Riyadh, Brown said the IMF needed hundreds of billions... (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
China, India feel crisis; Brown seeks Gulf help Nov 2, 2008
Business minister Peter Mandelson, in Riyadh with Brown, said Europe should not discourage investment by foreign governments, the day after Britain's Barclays tapped Abu Dhabi and Qatar for the bulk of a 12 billion investment. Brown's tour precedes a global summit in Washington on November 15 at which Brown and some other world leaders will press for reform in the international financial system. (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
Truck falls into Oakland canal, 1 dead Nov 2, 2008
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Sunday he expects Saudi Arabia to contribute to the International Monetary Fund's bailout reserves after he promised business leaders in the Gulf that they would have a say in any future new world economic order. SYDNEY, Australia - Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch says the ongoing metamorphosis of China and India from historic backwaters into economic powers will help reshape the world in the next few decades. (News Central Portal Site, CA)
British PM calls on Gulf states to give funds to the IMF Nov 2, 2008
RIYADH (AFP) - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Sunday it is in the interests of oil-rich Gulf states to give funds to help countries hit by the world financial crisis ... By boosting the IMF's current 250 billion dollar bailout facility, Brown told British and Saudi business leaders in Riyadh, Gulf states could prevent financial "contagion" spreading. (Yahoo! Asia News)
Embraceable ewes: A Saudi sheep pageant Nov 1, 2008
On the evening of Oct. 30, 2008, some 4,000 men assembled on a lit-up stretch of desert just north of Riyadh covered with hundreds of carpets ... On Thursday evening, some 4,000 men assembled on a lit-up stretch of desert just north of Riyadh covered with hundreds of carpets. (MSNBC -- International)
Gulf Citizens Beg for Bailouts as Stock Rout, Oil Slump Spell End for Boom Nov 1, 2008
Many of the projects being marketed in the Gulf today will get shelved,'' , chairman of Riyadh-based financial advisory firm Swicorp, said Oct. 7 ... 7 billion into a government-run bank in Riyadh to provide no-fee loans to low- income citizens ... If prices drop by $15 a barrel from the $60 to $70 mark, then they will probably not break even in terms of their budgets,'' said , chief economist at Saudi British Bank in Riyadh. (Bloomberg)
Saudi luxury car sales strong despite global crisis Oct 29, 2008
Harley Davidson motorbikes have also taken off, with clubs for aficionados in Riyadh and Jeddah. Mamdouh Khayyat, managing director of Fast Auto Technic Co. which imports Ferrari and Maserati sports cars, said he was expecting luxury sales to hold up. (Yahoo News)
Bush's Unexpected Bright Spot Oct 28, 2008
Foreign ministers from Amman to Abu Dhabi to Riyadh are eager to aggressively confront Iran, and are in the process of signing arms agreements with the United States for exactly that purpose. To be sure, the threat of a nuclear Iran is very real and is certainly disconcerting, but for once the U.S. warnings of that threat are not falling on deaf ears, and the United States will not have to meet the threat alone. (CBS News)
Financial Storm Hits Gulf Oct 27, 2008
Gulf finance ministers met Saturday in the Saudi capital of Riyadh to discuss a unified response to the same seize-up in local credit markets that has plagued the U.S. and Europe and now threatens government and privately funded projects across the Gulf. Kuwait and the rest of the region have a long history of government bailouts and generous subsidies for citizens. (Wall Street Journal)
Khazanah buys 10% of Saudis Jadwa Investment for RM270m Oct 27, 2008
The official signing ceremony was held in Riyadh on Saturday with Khazanah represented by managing director Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar and Jadwa by its chairman, Prince Faisal Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud. Jadwa is a premier fully Shariah compliant investment company counting from among its shareholders the leading Saudi business families and is chaired by Prince Faisal. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Saudi king to attend UN interfaith dialogue Oct 27, 2008
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia The ruler of conservative Saudi Arabia said he plans to attend a meeting at the United Nations next month to discuss his initiative to promote interfaith dialogue, the official Saudi Press Agency reported. In remarks carried by the agency late Saturday, King Abdullah, whose country bans non-Muslims from openly practicing their religion, called for religious tolerance and said such dialogue is the duty of every human being. (Yahoo News -- Politics)
OPEC Regimes: The "Change They Need" in U.S. Foreign Policy Oct 27, 2008
The leading forces in this club are Riyadh, Tehran and Caracas. Hugo Chvez of Venezuela and Rafael Correa of Ecuador are anti-Western socialist/populist leaders. (Human Events Online)
A little early for a victory dance? Oct 25, 2008
A little early for a victory dance. An Atlanta blog with a little bit of opinion about a lot of things. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
OPEC to cut oil production by 5 percent Oct 25, 2008
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Friday announced a slash in oil production of about 5 percent, or 1 ... " Mr. Halff notes that members of OPEC, which supplies 40 percent of the world's petroleum, often secretly go over their assigned quotas or fail to reach them because of production problems. Under the new production regime, Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, is supposed to cut its daily output of 8.9 million barrels a day by 466,000... (Christian Science Monitor)
OPEC Risks Split Over Oil Production Cuts as Economies Reel, Prices Plunge Oct 23, 2008
Saudi Arabia, where officials haven't made any comments before this week's meeting, is likely to resist a cut of more than 1 million barrels because it's conscious of the political response in the U.S. and other consuming countries, said , chief economist at Saudi British Bank in Riyadh. King Abdullah. (Bloomberg)
Almost 1,000 to face Saudi terror trials Oct 22, 2008
The detainees have "direct connections" to the cells and bombings over the past five years -- since the 2003 bombings at a compound where Western contractors lived in Riyadh, said Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki, spokesman for the Interior Ministry. (CNN -- International)
Official: 991 charged in Saudi terror plots Oct 22, 2008
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi authorities have indicted 991 suspected militants on charges that they participated in terrorist attacks carried out in the kingdom over the last five years, the interior minister said Tuesday. The legal proceedings mark a significant step in Saudi Arabia's fight against terror. (MSNBC -- International)
Hundreds face Saudi terror trials Oct 22, 2008
Analysts say Riyadh has been reluctant to try suspected militants, fearing a backlash by domestic sympathisers. "In the past few years, the kingdom has been the target of an organised terrorist campaign linked to networks of strife and sedition overseas," Prince Nayef said in a statement reported by the Saudi Press Agency. (BBC News -- Africa)
Saudi Arabia indicts 991 suspected Al Qaeda militants Oct 22, 2008
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia has begun the judicial process for putting on trial nearly 1,000 suspected Al Qaeda militants accused of terrorist-related crimes dating back to 2003, the Saudi Interior Minister announced ... Prince Naif said that 90 civilians, both foreigners and Saudis, were killed in 30 violent operations between May 2003, when three residential compounds in Riyadh were targets of suicide bombers, and a foiled attack on an oil-processing plant in 2006 ... The Justice... (Christian Science Monitor)
A Sunni-Shiite battle of the website hackers Oct 22, 2008
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Sunni-Shiite tensions have been on vivid display in cyberspace as hundreds of religiously oriented websites on both sides have fallen prey to retaliatory hacking raids ... "Someone from Alaska can say, 'I'm Sunni,' or 'I'm Shiite,' " says Ali Jomaa, an IT expert in Riyadh. (Christian Science Monitor)
Saudi Arabia, Citing Security, Delays Iraq Embassy Oct 22, 2008
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia said Tuesday it would delay sending an ambassador to Baghdad, saying there was no point sending a diplomat who would end up forced to remain inside a "fortress" to stay safe. Several of Iraq's mainly Sunni neighbors have sought over the last year to restore ties damaged by Saddam Hussein's rule and the U.S.-led invasion, as violence in Iraq has declined. (Newsmax)
Saudi Arabia prepares first al-Qaeda trials... Oct 21, 2008
Security was tight around Riyadhs general court where 10 judges began viewing the case against the men prepared by prosecutors ... All the people involved are implementers, inciters and supporters, al-Riyadh newspaper said, adding they may include men who fought in Afghanistan, Iraq and militants extradited to Saudi Arabia recently from other countries ... Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula began a campaign to destabilise the US-allied Saudi government in 2003 with two suicide bomb... (The Drudge Report)
Saudis try 75 militant suspects Oct 21, 2008
Judges at the court in Riyadh are looking at evidence put forward by prosecutors, though it is not known when full trials will begin. More than 200 people were killed in the campaign of violence linked to al-Qaeda between 2003 and 2006. (BBC News -- Africa)
Saudi beheads man for murder Oct 21, 2008
The Interior Ministry says Fawzy al-Bady was executed in Riyadh on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islam under which people convicted of murder, drug trafficking, rape and armed robbery can be executed. (International Herald Tribune -- Travel)
991 suspected Saudi militants indicted Oct 21, 2008
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) The Saudi interior minister says that authorities have indicted 991 suspected militants in the kingdom's first terrorism trial. The Saudi Press Agency quotes Prince Nayef as saying that the trial involves some 30 terrorist attacks that have killed 164 people since 2003. (AL.com)
Saudi to put almost 1,000 in dock for Qaeda trials Oct 21, 2008
RIYADH, (AFP) - Saudi Arabia said it plans to put in the dock a total of 991 defendants in the first trials of Al-Qaeda suspects in kingdom after more than five years of deadly Islamist violence. "We have started to bring before the judiciary 991 people implicated in various incidents," Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdel Aziz told the official SPA news agency late on Monday. (Yahoo! Asia News)
Analysts: 1 million barrel OPEC cut not enough Oct 20, 2008
But analysts said Riyadh is well aware that developing nations, in particular, will not be silent if presented with steep cuts that could undermine U.S. and European-led efforts to stave off a global recession and shore up financial markets. PFC Energy's Kiwan said while other cuts could follow the expected reduction of 1 million barrel per day, the immediate focus is on halting the price slide. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Pair jailed, fined for sex on Dubai beach Oct 16, 2008
But what most foreigners don't know and what the government is not advertising is that beneath the liberal facade is a legal culture based on Islamic laws and tribal rules that looks a lot more like Riyadh than Las Vegas. While the laws are not always enforced, it is illegal for couples in Dubai to hold hands, hug or kiss in public much less have sex on the beach. (MSNBC -- International)
In global crisis, oil insulates Gulf Oct 16, 2008
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Against the backdrop of an imploding global financial system, one of the world's richest men unveiled plans to build the world's tallest building in Saudi Arabia ... "Gulf countries are going to feel the pinch," says Howard Handy, chief economist at Samba Financial Group in Riyadh. (Christian Science Monitor)
Saudi Prince Aims For The Sky Oct 15, 2008
"Jeddah is not as well developed as Riyadh," Alwaleed said in an interview with Forbes. Within five years, he aims to change that. (Forbes -- Technology)
Amnesty condemns Saudi executions Oct 14, 2008
Riyadh's Justice Square witnesses public beheadings ... On Friday in downtown Riyadh the crowds gather at Justice Square, outside the grand mosque. (BBC News)
Dow booms for a day Oct 14, 2008
What Riyadh needs most at the moment is for its current mediation efforts with the Taliban in Afghanistan to produce results on the ground. Riyadh has long been pursuing a policy behind the scenes to co-opt certain elements of the Taliban with an aim of dividing and conquering the jihadist insurgency in Afghanistan ... Faced with economic collapse, a raging insurgency and escalating U.S. pressure on the Pakistani-Afghan border, the Pakistanis have a great deal of incentive to cooperate with... (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Saudi prince to build world's tallest building Oct 13, 2008
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal says he will build the world's tallest building in the Saudi city of Jeddah. Sunday's statement by his firm, Kingdom Holding Company, says the building will be more than a kilometer (3,281 feet) high and will be part of a larger project that will cost 100 billion Saudi riyals (US$26. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Business)
