This "partnership would help Fox News & U.S. to 'understand the Arab world better'"

By GottaLaff

SELL OFF: Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al Saud has offloaded a 9.09 percent stake in his Rotana Group to News Corp.
(GETTY IMAGES)

Let the comments begin:

Saudi based media group Rotana will sell shares to News Corp for access to the US firm's movie making and new media expertise to help boost its position in Arab media ahead of an IPO.

Rotana owns the Arab world's largest record label and about 40 percent of the region's movies - most of which are Egyptian - and operates 11 free to air television channels, two of which are through a partnership with News Corp.

Isn't this the same place from which the 9/11 terrorists ....?

Is Rupert palling around with...?

Oh but I kid. That's something you'd only hear on some biased outlet like... well, like....

...Fox.

Prince Alwaleed [...] holds a stake of about 7 percent in News Corp [...]

He said Rotana would benefit from News Corp's experience in television, movie production and new media, such as MySpace. [...]

News Corp Chairman James Murdoch said the deal expands News Corp's presence in a region with "a young and growing population where GDP (gross domestic product) growth is set to outstrip that of more developed economies in the years ahead". [...]

[Prince Alwaleed] said: "I don't visualise a situation whereby Fox News would be broadcasting in Arabic."

However, he said the partnership would help Fox News and the United States to "understand the Arab world better".

"Fox News is not the only media that is against Saudi Arabia ... It's an American syndrome".

Who would deny that ClusterFox is the perfect outlet to help us understand the Arab world better? They're so evenhanded and inclusive.

I couldn't be more excited for the U.S. I'm hopping from foot to foot in anticipation.

Thank you Rupes, for all you do.

H/t: Aphrodottie, 1kecko

Right-wing Saudi dynasty endorses Fox News dynasty

By GottaLaff

Think Progress has this little tidbit regarding the relationship between the Murdoch clan and Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al-Saud of Saudi Arabia, who happens to be the largest shareholder of News Corp... if you don't count Rupert's family:

The prince met with Murdoch last week to discuss a “future potential alliance with News Corp,” and he told Charlie Rose Wednesday about his respect for the Murdoch dynasty:

ALWALEED: I met with Mr. Rupert Murdoch and Mr. James Murdoch. We are always in tough. I’m second biggest shareholder there. And no doubt that News Corp is moving on all the fronts. You’ve seen how FOX rating is skyrocketing. … James is now managing Europe and Asia. … I’ll be the first one to nominate him to be the successor of Mr. Rupert Murdoch, god forbid if something happens to him. … I have full confidence in [James], full trust in him, and he’s capable. He’s really Rupert Murdoch in the making, and he’s almost there now.

How fun! Now we can see what's in store for the next election! Saudi Arabia can donate, News Corp can donate! It will be raining money!

Maybe the Dems can enlist some of their pals too! Haiti and Air America, and... ! Oh, wait...

No Saudi transfers planned in 'near term'

By GottaLaff

More delays:

The Obama administration has no plans to transfer Guantánamo Bay detainees to Saudi Arabia in the wake of the Christmas Day bombing attempt and bipartisan criticism about its policy of transferring detainees to countries hosting terrorist activity. [...]

“There are no Saudis slated for transfer in the near term,” the official said. “The three Saudis that were transferred in 2009 were subject to judicial review in Saudi Arabia following their transfer.”

The official did not define the term “judicial review” or say whether the detainees are in prison or have been prosecuted in Saudi courts.[...]

The White House has tried to push back against that argument in recent days, noting that it is not aware of any detainees released under the Obama administration who have returned to terrorist activity. The administration credits the Guantánamo Bay task force review process for evaluating detainees, which Obama instituted upon taking office last year. [...]

During Bush’s time in office, more than 500 detainees were released from Guantánamo Bay, including 108 who were sent to the Saudi Arabia rehabilitation program set up in 2003.

On a more positive note, here is a must-read uplifting piece, Guantanamo guard reunited with ex-inmates, that was sent to me by Lt. Col. Barry Wingard's (see links below for everything on Barry and his client, Fayiz al-Kandari) mother.

Fayiz, who has been imprisoned for the past 8 years, was hoping to get into a rehab program in Kuwait, but the recent terrorist activity, Republican fear mongering, and growing Democratic resistance are making that a whole lot more difficult, if not impossible.

As Jane Harmon just said on MSNBC, Gitmo is a "stain on our reputation."

******

All my previous posts on this subject matter can be found here; That link includes one specific to only Fayiz al-Kandari's story here. Here are audio and video interviews with Lt. Col. Wingard, one by David Shuster, one by Ana Marie Cox, and more. My guest commentary at BuzzFlash is here.

Lt. Col. Barry Wingard is a military attorney who represents Fayiz Al-Kandari in the Military Commission process and in no way represents the opinions of his home state. When not on active duty, Colonel Wingard is a public defender in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

If you are inclined to help rectify these injustices: Twitterers, use the hashtag #FreeFayiz. We have organized a team to get these stories out. If you are interested in helping Fayiz out, e-mail me at The Political Carnival, address in sidebar to the right; or tweet me at @GottaLaff.

If you'd like to see other ways you can take action, go here and scroll down to the end of the article.

Then read Jane Mayer's book The Dark Side. You'll have a much greater understanding of why I post endlessly about this, and why I'm all over the CIA deception issues, too.

More of Fayiz's story here, at Answers.com.

Terrorist Smuggles Bomb Inside His Body

Watch CBS News Videos Online

***Warning- Some graphic images***

I'm gobsmacked. How do you combat this? Full body imaging and/or body cavity searches for all security check points?

May I just say

for the record, that I can say beer, butt and trashcan in Polish, but am in no way fluent. Dumbass.

Added- HA! Seems General Petraeus has been hiding his secret Mooslim roots also and such.

Raw Video: Obama Arrives in Saudi Arabia

Poll: Mideast Arabs think very highly of Obama

It's been awhile since I posted a poll, and this is a good one.

WASHINGTON — As President Barack Obama prepares to journey to Egypt on June 4 to address the Muslim world, his overtures to the Middle East are paying off in positive feelings towards him from Arab peoples that far outpace the region's critical view of the United States itself, according to a new McClatchy/Ipsos Poll.

The poll of six Arab nations found that residents think that Obama will have a positive impact on the Middle East — a region marked by war, religious disputes, ethnic and sectarian violence — as well as on the United States and the rest of the world.

Obama scored highest in Jordan, where 58 percent of its citizens have a favorable opinion of him, 29 percent have an unfavorable view, 6 percent had no opinion and 7 percent didn't know.

Saudi Arabians have a 53 percent favorable opinion of Obama, followed by 52 percent in the United Arab Emirates. From there, Obama's popularity dips below 50 percent with a 47 percent favorability rating in Kuwait, 43 percent in Lebanon and 35 percent in Egypt. In none of these countries, however, was Obama's unfavorable rating higher than his favorable one.

In contrast, only 38 percent of Saudis have a favorable view of the United States, followed by 36 percent of Jordanians, 34 percent of UAE residents, 31 percent of Lebanese and 22 percent of Egyptians.

Saudi judge refuses to annul 8-year-old's marriage

By GottaLaff

Outrage Factor: Off the charts:

A Saudi judge has refused for a second time to annul a marriage between an 8-year-old girl and a 47-year-old man, a relative of the girl told CNN. [...]

The relative said the judge, Sheikh Habib Al-Habib, "stuck by his earlier verdict and insisted that the girl could petition the court for a divorce once she reached puberty." The family member, who requested anonymity, added that the mother will continue to pursue a divorce for her daughter.

The case, which has drawn criticism from local and international rights groups, came to light in December when al-Habib declined to annul the marriage on a legal technicality. The judge ruled the girl's mother -- who is separated from the girl's father -- was not the girl's legal guardian and therefore could not represent her in court, according to Abdullah al-Jutaili, the mother's lawyer.

The girl's father, according to the attorney, arranged the marriage in order to settle his debts with the man, who is "a close friend" of his. At the time of the initial verdict, the judge required the girl's husband to sign a pledge that he would not have sex with her until she reaches puberty, al-Jutaili told CNN. The judge ruled that when the girl reaches puberty, she will have the right to request a divorce by filing a petition with the court, the lawyer said.

Swell. In the meantime, she is forced to live with this guy, not with her own parents. Her separation from her family at such a young age, and her fear and dread, are enough to damage any child for life, tradition/legal technicality or not.

"It is incorrect to say that it's not permitted to marry off girls who are 15 and younger," Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh, the kingdom's grand mufti, said in remarks last January quoted in the regional Al-Hayat newspaper. "A girl aged 10 or 12 can be married. Those who think she's too young are wrong and they are being unfair to her."

Al-Sheikh reportedly made the remarks when he was asked during a lecture about parents forcing their underage daughters to marry.

"We hear a lot in the media about the marriage of underage girls," he said, according to the newspaper. "We should know that Sharia law has not brought injustice to women."

Sharia law is Islamic law. Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islam called Wahhabism.

CNN was unable to reach government officials for comment.

To reiterate my point:

Wajeha al-Huwaider, co-founder of the Society of Defending Women's Rights in Saudi Arabia, told CNN that achieving human rights in the kingdom means standing against those who want to "keep us backward and in the dark ages."

She said the marriages cause girls to "lose their sense of security and safety. Also, it destroys their feeling of being loved and nurtured. It causes them a lifetime of psychological problems and severe depression."

Saudis Report Plot To Assassinate Obama

And as usual, the comments at the CBS site are full of bile towards President Obama. They're never happy.

The Saudi Arabian newspaper al-Watan reported today that Turkish security services have arrested a man of Syrian origins Friday in connection with a plot to assassinate President Barack Obama during his current visit to Turkey.

The man, who was carrying an Al-Jazeera TV ID card in the name of M.G., confessed after his arrest that he was planning on stabbing the U.S. president with a knife during the Alliance of Civilizations summit held in Istanbul, adding that he had three other accomplices to help him execute his plan.

According to the paper, Turkish investigators were trying to verify whether the Qatari-based Arab TV channel has truly issued the ID card produced by the man, or if it’s a forged copy.

The suspect, a permanent resident of Istanbul, has been regularly attending all conferences and events relating to the Middle East held in the city.

About "Bow Gate"

In case you missed it, some on the right are having fits over a supposed "subservient" bow by President Obama to the Saudi king at the G20. Oops.

First ever h/t to Little Green Footballs with an added booya for honesty.

**Note- if you haven't eaten yet, check out the comments at the first link. Wacky doodle doesn't do them justice.

President Obama Gives First Interview To Arabic News Channel parts 3 & 4

From CSpan junkie via CNN. Transcript here.

President Obama Gives First Interview To Arabic News Channel parts 1 & 2

From CSpan junkie via CNN. Transcript here.

OPEC head says markets should brace for 'surprise' announcement

Nope, no problem with OPEC manipulating the markets at all. God forbid they should have to downsize the solid gold Rolls Royce fleet. At least it might keep people on the ball about their gas usage.

The head of OPEC said financial markets should brace for a "surprise" decision on oil output cuts by the cartel during its summit later this month.

Chakib Khelil, who is also Algeria's energy minister, has told The Associated Press that "a consensus has formed for a significant reduction of production levels" by the 14-member Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

(snip)

Markets are expecting an output reduction but Khelil suggested in an interview Saturday that it could be deeper than expected.

Khelil said the best way to boost oil rates is to "surprise" markets.

Oil prices settled at four-year lows Friday at $40.81 per barrel.

Pets banned in public in Riyadh

By GottaLaff

What would we do if this happened here? Forget about FISA, race, Britney, and Iraq, we'd have a revolution:

Religious police in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital, banned the sale of dogs and cats as pets and prohibited walking them in public.

An official of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice said the ban was because of "the rising phenomenon of men using cats and dogs to make passes at women and pester families," as well as "violate proper behavior in public."

Previous bans in Mecca and Jidda have been ignored and failed to stop pet sales. The commission official said pets would be confiscated if found outside with their owners.

Doggone it, I have a real bone to pick with the "religious police". Someone needs to nip this in the bud. This certainly gives one, ahem, paws. I, for one, would never roll over. I'd hound them to death until they overturned the ban. Those dirty dogs, "curs" them all.

Breaking- George W Bush Still Irrelevant

By Paddy


Yesterday I mused on the fact that Georgie was feeling a little miffed that he wasn't hogging the headlines of late, so he had to throw a hissy to get some media. I'm sure this will get him some teevee time, but probably not what he wanted.

RSS harmony-

Saudis see no reason to raise oil production now

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- Saudi Arabian leaders made clear Friday they see no reason to increase oil production until their customers demand it, apparently rebuffing President Bush amid soaring U.S. gasoline prices.

During Bush's his second personal appeal this year to King Abdullah, Saudi officials stuck to their position that they are already meeting demand, the president's national security adviser told reporters.

Followed by- Oil prices reach record $127 a barrel

He's not just a lame duck, he's a neutered duck.