Princess Basma Bint Saud Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia spoke out during an interview with BBC about the many changes she would like to see in her country. Princess Basma, 47, is the youngest daughter of former Saudi Arabia’s ruler, King Saud, and niece to its current king. The princess currently lives in Acton, West London, and is a businesswoman setting up a series of restaurant chains in…
…#8217;s rights in Saudi Arabia are still defined by Islam and lack basic freedoms found in many Western cultures. Last September, King Abdullah announced that women will be able to vote and run in the 2015 local elections but Saudi Arabia is still the only country in the world that prohibits women from driving and it took huge efforts from the International Olympic Committee to persuade them to en…
…beheaded last month in Saudi Arabia in a car parking for being a "sorcerer" Abdul Hamid Bin Hussain Bin Moustafa al-Fakki, who was killed on September 20, is believed to have been the 44th person executed in Saudi Arabia this year – and the 11th foreign national. This year, a total of 17 people were executed in Saudi Arabia, which is more than for the whole of 2010. Lebanese…
or warnings about Richard Reid, the so-called shoe bomber who repeatedly tried to light a fuse in his shoe to bring down American Airlines flight 63 bound for Miami in December 2001. He also cited the 300-gram “ink-cartridge bombs” planted on two cargo planes headed for the US from Yemen in October 2010. Those explosives were intercepted in Dubai, and at an East Midlands airport in Great Britain….
…y Egyptians who feel resentment at the kingdom’s treatment of Egyptians. But Saudi authorities say Ahmed al-Gizawi was found by airport officials to be carrying drugs – allegedly more than 20,000 anti-anxiety pills – in his luggage. They doubt Ahmed al- Gizawi was on a pilgrimage, as they say he was not wearing white pilgrims’ clothes. Observers say it is the worst diplomat…
…y friend”, the Emir of Qatar, who has offered to put her up while the matter is resolved. Princess Maha Al-Sudairi arrived in Paris with her entourage on December 23 last year and booked out an entire 41-room floor of the Shangri-La. Up until then Princess Maha Al-Sudairi had been confined to a palace in the middle eastern state by Saudi King Abdullah after leaving behind a trail of unpaid bills w…
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, who was in his late 70s, has died “outside the kingdom”, the royal court has said. Prince Nayef, who was also deputy prime minister and interior minister, had left the country for a holiday and medical tests late last month. On 3 June, the deputy interior minister said the prince, who was 77 or 78, was in good health and…
…ociety will accept this,” the official said. It is not the first time a Saudi monarch has backed a controversial reform against domestic opposition. King Faisal, who introduced television in the 1960s and was eventually assassinated, insisted on introducing education for girls. Today, Saudi women graduates outnumber their male counterparts. …
International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that Saudi Arabia will send two female athletes to compete in the London 2012 Games. Sarah Attar will compete in the 800 m and Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani in the judo competition. The Saudi authorities lifted a ban on women from the Gulf kingdom competing in the Games last month. The public participation of women in sport is still fie…
…sinesses close for prayers five times a day. Although Saudi Arabia remains a deeply conservative country, King Abdallah has recently introduced some cautious political and social reforms. In September 2011, he announced that women would be given the right to vote and run in future municipal elections. …
…for Gulf Affairs, told Fox News: “This is where terrorism starts, in the education system. “They show students how to cut (the) hand and the feet of a thief.” The textbooks were printed for the 2010-2011 academic year and translated from Arabic by the institute. In one, for ninth-graders, students are taught the annihilation of the Jewish people is imperative. One text reads in part: “The h…
Saudi journalist Hamza Kashgari has been deported by Malaysian authorities over the accusations of insulting the Prophet Muhammad in a tweet. Police confirmed that Hamza Kashgari, 23, was sent back to Saudi Arabia on Sunday despite protests from human rights groups. Hamza Kashgari’s controversial tweet last week sparked more than 30,000 responses and several death threats. Insulting the pro…
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and her husband Prince Daniel are expecting their first child just over a year from the June 2010 fairytale wedding at Stockholm Central Cathedral. A Royal Court of Sweden statement, dated August 18, announced: “Their Royal Highnesses,The Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel are happy to announce that The Crown Princess is expecting thei…
…de the home. Saudi leader King Abdullah is seen as trying to cautiously introduce reforms, some aimed at loosening restrictions on women’s right to vote. IKEA, which posted net profits of almost 3 billion euros ($3.9 billion) last year, operates three branches in Saudi Arabia. …
’s flat mate Mohammed Bada described him as a devout Muslim and a soccer fan who is from the city of Medina in Saudi Arabia When they exploded around 2.50 p.m., they left victims covered in as many as 40 wounds each and attacked their lower extremities, leaving many needing amputations. Law sources told the New York Post that after the man was grabbed by police, he smelled of gun powder and said:…
Early life Her Majesty the Queen was born on 21 April 1926 in London, the first child of Prince Albert, The Duke of York, and his wife, formerly Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Third in line to the throne, it seemed unlikely that Princess Elizabeth would be Queen. However, shortly after the death of George V, the new King – her uncle Edward VIII – dramatically abdicated so he could marry…
People in Saudi Arabia are using social media websites to protest against a sudden increase in the cost of chicken. A Twitter campaign entitled Let it Rot is urging residents to punish traders, who it says have raised prices by as much as 40% in the past two weeks, by not eating chicken. The government has imposed a chicken export ban in a bid to boost supplies. However, there are fears that this…
…Some reports say Yemeni troops were involved, others that it was an air strike, possibly a US drone attack. Said al-Shihri, a Saudi national, was released by the US from detention in Guantanamo Bay in 2007. Yemen has previously announced it had killed Said al-Shihri and his death this time has not been confirmed. The Yemeni army has been fighting Islamist militants in the south of the country for…
New embarrassing details have emerged of the controversial Botswana elephant hunting trip Spain’s King Juan Carlos took with mysterious Princess Corinna. Twice-divorced Corinna zu Sayn Wittgenstein, 46, appeared on the cover of the June edition of Spain’s Vanity Fair magazine released today. The article claimed Princess Corinna has been the King’s unofficial companion on numerou…
Princess Charlene of Monaco looked as stunning as every as she attended the annual picnic at Le Parc Princesse Antoinette yesterday. Prince Albert and Princess Charlene looked in high-spirits as they met their subjects during the principality’s popular celebratory event. Prince Albert, who is one of the world’s wealthiest royals with a fortune of more than $1billion, was as cheerful a…
Princess Charlene of Monaco put the spotlight back on South Africa, hosting a lavish gala dinner in celebration of all things South African at the glitzy Monte Carlo Opera House on Saturday night. Princess Charlene, 34, attended South Africa Night with her husband, Prince Albert, and other family members, including her father, Mike and brother, Gareth. Resplendent in a black and gold lace dress a…
an interpreter called Corinne. But can it really be true that our very own Princess Diana was one of Juan Carlos’s most significant conquests? And that it was the relationship between her and the then 48-year-old king, in the prime of his romantic life, that finally put paid to any chance of reviving his marriage? It is certainly the case that Princess Diana, together with Prince Charles and their…
…gave a “good rehearsal” in his final time on stage hours before his death. Paul Gongaware, an executive for AEG Live, which was promoting Michael Jackson’s planned series of comeback concerts in 2009, resumed his testimony at the courthouse in Los Angeles after the jury was played a recording of the singer’s last performance on stage. The promoter watched the King of Pop performing at…
…ities could help him financially when his illegal debt-collection business was shut down by a court, he told Qatari news outlet Al Sharq. He was apparently denied the request because he was older than 35. It is not clear whether his actions are merely a publicity stunt or, if genuine, whether he would be able to carry out the sale without redress. Saud bin Nasser Al Shahry claims he is selling hi…
…is plot before anyone was harmed. “We will continue to investigate this matter vigorously and bring those who have violated any laws to justice.” According to US Justice Department, from the spring of 2011 to October 2011, Manssor Arbabsiar and his Iran-based co-conspirators, including Shakuri of the Quds Force, had been plotting the murder of the Saudi Ambassador. Manssor Arbabsiar was said to ha…
Did Amanda Berry's 911 dispatcher curse at her?The 911 dispatcher, who spoke to Amanda Berry after she escaped from the Cleveland house of horrors, is being investigated over claims he swore at the end of her emergency…
Travis Alexander home becomes tourist attractionThe family who now lives in the home where Jodi Arias killed her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander is treated to a constant stream of unwanted visitors who drive past the home…
Apple among America's big tax avoidersApple has been accused by US Senate of being "among America's largest tax avoiders". A Senate committee said Apple had used "a complex web of offshore entities" to avoid…
Oklahoma tornado kills at least 51 people as two entire schools flattened in MooreAt least 51 people have been killed after a huge tornado tore through Oklahoma City suburbs, with the death toll likely to rise. Worst hit was Moore, south of Oklahoma City,…
Travis Alexander case: Jodi Arias' attorneys file motion for mistrialYesterday, Jodi Arias' defense attorneys filed a motion for mistrial as one of their character witnesses scheduled to testify during the May 20, 2013, penalty phase on Arias'…
Richard DeCoatsworth: Philadelphia police recommended bringing charges of witness intimidation against former officerRecent reports revealed that Philadelphia police last year recommended bringing charges of witness intimidation against former officer Richard DeCoatsworth, once hailed as a…
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