Yet the Saudi stock market suggests that something is amiss. In the week to March 2nd its main index plunged by 14%. All but a couple of Saudi Arabia’s 11 close neighbors facing a degree of unrest, and those two, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, have tiny native populations, proportionally even greater hoards of cash, and traditions of openness and tolerance that contrast starkly with Saudi Arabia.

The kingdom in the middle has largely avoided regional ills, bar Islamist radicalism. Despite a rigid, state-imposed conservatism that shuns any semblance of democracy, the aged leading princes, and the unsavory antics of lesser princes lording it over them, Saudi Arabia’s 25m inhabitants have rarely protested loudly. The few who have, in polite petitions or the odd display of anger, particularly by members of the oppressed Shia minority who number around 10%, have usually been coerced or co-opted by royal largesse into silence.

By allowing for a margin of free speech, personally responding to citizens’ appeals, upholding religious orthodoxy and keeping a grip on well-equipped and loyal security services, the ruling family has so far parried demands for real reform.

They may again succeed. It is hard to imagine a crowd of 1m pampered Saudis gathering in any of the kingdom’s sprawling cities to shout for their rights, as Egyptians have. It is even harder to imagine a Saudi king hunkered like Libya’s Muammar Qaddafi, ranting as his realm unravels.

Yet the Arab awakening is prompting the kingdom’s own malcontents to raise their voices. At least three petitions calling for radical political reform have recently circulated online. The most serious, signed by more than 1,500 prominent Saudis, including both liberals and Islamists, calls for 12 measures to turn the kingdom into constitutional monarchy, with powers balanced between an independent judiciary, an accountable executive and an elected parliament. A separate Facebook initiative has even called for Saudis to join a “day of rage” on March 11th, in emulation of the protest that sparked Egypt’s revolution.

Few expect a big turnout and few think the 87-year-old king will suddenly heed demands for change. Aside from blocking the petitioners’ websites, Saudi authorities have responded by arresting a Shia cleric who backed the call for a constitutional monarchy in his Friday sermon. The king’s huge package of extra aid, which included household-debt relief, bigger housing loans and a 15% raise for state workers, was a standard response to public pressure.

Yet this time those pressures may not so easily subside. Inspiring examples of people’s empowerment in neighboring countries are not the only reason. The increasing disconnect between Saudi subjects and their rulers, growing stresses in Saudi society, and troubles inside the ruling family all point to turbulence ahead.

Whereas 70% of Saudis are under the age of 30, and their medium age is 19, the Saudi cabinet Minister’s average age is 65. Some senior princes have held their jobs as ministers or provincial governors for decades; one has governed the Northern Borders Province since 1956. Whereas 40% of Saudi youths have no jobs and nearly half of those in work take home less than 3,000 riyals ($830) a month, every prince (of whom there are probably 7,000-8,000) gets a monthly stipend ranging from a few thousand dollars up to $250,000, according to an estimate in a WikiLeaks cable.

In forums where Saudis are able to express discontent, anger is rising. Out of 1,600 asked in a recent web poll to rate the credibility of statements by Saudi officials, 90% ticked “untrustworthy”. Asked what would come of a government inquiry into flooding that struck the kingdom’s second city, Jeddah, in January, killing ten, 85% said “nothing”. Skepticism was understandable, since an even deadlier wave of rainwater mixed with sewage engulfed the city last winter, prompting another investigation and promised cures. In a silent comment, Saudis exchanged a cartoon depicting the royal seal’s crossed swords over a palm tree as crossed mops over a bucket.

Explore our interactive map and guide to the Arab League countries

King Abdullah himself is fairly popular, but the brothers in line to succeed him, Crown Prince Sultan, at least 83 and said to be a victim of Alzheimer’s disease, and the long-serving interior minister, Prince Nayef, now 77 and said to be suffering from diabetes and osteoporosis, are not.

Even the king is no longer immune to criticism. The last of the petitioners’ 12 demands includes a pointed rebuke to him for lavishing the past few years’ record oil revenues on giant new cities and a new university costing $12 billion. Such funds, say the petitioners, have been squandered in “expensive, cost-ineffective projects”.

Source:  The Economist

Ministers are expected to announce today that a settlement has been reached with at least seven men in a combined pay-off likely to run into millions of pounds. One of the former detainees could receive compensation worth around £1m, ITV News reported last night.

They claimed that agents both from MI5 and MI6 were complicit in their degrading treatment by turning a blind eye to their "rendition" to the United States detention camp and to the torture of some of them. British officers have been accused of providing questions to be used in the interrogation of some of them.

Allegations made by the former detainees include that some of them were subjected to the controversial practice of waterboarding. One claims to have lost the sight in one eye after it was rubbed with a rag soaked in pepper spray.

The men in line for payments include Binyam Mohamed, Bisher al- Rawi, Jamil el-Banna, Richard Belmar, Omar Deghayes, Moazzam Begg and Martin Mubanga.

They had been pursuing a court case which would have required the Government to surrender hundreds of thousands of confidential documents.

It is understood that negotiations had been taking place between Government lawyers and the representatives of the Guantanamo claimants, with two QCs acting as independent arbiters. David Cameron, who told the Commons in July of his frustration that the security services were "paralysed by paperwork" as they prepared for court cases, sanctioned the payments.

Exact details of how much the men receive are unlikely to be disclosed. Some are British citizens; the others resident after claiming asylum. The High Court has been notified that a settlement has been reached.

Downing Street today confirmed that a Commons statement would be made on the subject. A spokesman had said last night that Mr Cameron was clear that "we need to deal with the totally unsatisfactory situation where for the past few years the reputation of our security services is overshadowed by allegations about their involvement in the treatment of detainees held by other countries".

When claims of MI5 collusion into the torture of one of the men, Binyam Mohamed, first became public, the then Shadow Justice Secretary, Dominic Grieve, now the Attorney General, called for a judicial inquiry into the allegations and for the matter to be referred to the police.

Court papers revealed last year how Mr Mohamed's genitals were sliced with a scalpel and other torture methods employed were so extreme that, according to one court official, waterboarding was "very far down the list of things they did".

Now ministers will hope that the payments will draw a line under an embarrassing controversy that has dogged the British Government for several years.

But the move using taxpayers' money will generate huge controversy, provoking accusations that ministers had bought the men's silence.

The confessed waterboarder is a marked man. If he travels abroad, other countries can—and should—nab him and try him for the crime of torture.

In his memoir and in last week’s NBC interview, Bush acknowledged ordering waterboarding.

He says the lawyers told him it wasn’t torture. But he got bad legal advice.

Attorney General Eric Holder has recognized waterboarding as torture. So has the State Department, as the great civil liberties Bill Quigley points out at the Center for Constitutional Rights.

Given that, Holder has an obligation to press charges against the former president. But neither Holder nor his boss has the guts to do that. And what a shame that is!

Prosecutors in other countries, however, may not be so spineless. “Under international law, anyone involved in torture must be brought to justice, and that does not exclude former President George W. Bush,” said Claudio Cordone, senior director of Amnesty International.

“If his admission is substantiated, the USA has the obligation to prosecute him,” Cordone said, adding ominously: “In the absence of a U.S. investigation, other states must step in and carry out such an investigation themselves.”

Under the Geneva Conventions and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, countries that have ratified the accords have a binding obligation to exercise jurisdiction over those accused of grave breaches. (See “Stripping Rumsfeld and Bush of Impunity,”)

So if I were Bush (and what a horrifying thought that is!), I’d cancel those plans to visit Spain or Germany or any other country where some prosecutor, somewhere, respects international law.

Matthew Rothschild is the editor of The Progressive magazine

Here are back-to-back news broadcasts on the mystery missile fired off the coast of Los Angeles, yesterday evening, Monday November 8, 2010: MSNBC's national cable network and Los Angeles' CBS affiliate, KCBS TV.

Both report that a large missile was fired 35 miles off the coast of Los Angeles at sunset, giving a breathtaking backlit view of a rocket and its massive contrail. MSNBC's Pentagon reporter, Jim Miklaszewski says he was told by an official there that "It cannot be something that was planned," and that they wouldn't be conducting tests in such a highly-populated area without informing the people first. MSNBC host, Chuck Todd replies to Jim, "It's 12 hours out, you'd think that every missile in US custody would be accounted for and yet — nothing."

Los Angeles' KCBS field reporter, Marcella Lee says she'd spoken with several representatives of the US Air Force and Navy and that neither had a missile launched scheduled on Monday.

As the day progressed and the Pentagon continued to appear clueless as ever, John Pike from Globalsecurity.org claimed that it was clearly an airliner and the contrail was an
"optical illusion." However, the FAA reported detecting "nothing" on its scopes.

Lee was able to get into the home of former Deputy Secretary of Defense, Robert Ellsworth who said that his best guess wasthat it was an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile launched from a sub and that conceivably, with Obama currently visiting Asia, that this was done to demonstrate military muscle: "That we can do this."

Couldn't "we could do this," back in the '60s or '70s? And and if it were about "our" muscle, why would the missile be aimed *towards land?* Speaking of which, there are no reports of this thing landing anywhere…

Chat sites across the Internet were abuzz that this was either a Chinese or Russian ICBM "warning shot" and that the Pentagon knew exactly who fired the missile but feared causing a public panic if this were revealed. President Obama cut short his visit to Indonesia…

Hundreds of police officers accompanied by land authority officials arrived in the city on Saturday night. They had bulldozers and trucks, and said they were carrying out a court order, according to Mayor Faiz Abu-Sahaban.

The mayor said residents built the mosque before they had permits.

However, he said, a "mosque is not something you can demolish, instead you can grant permits."

The mayor said resolving the issue through dialogue was better than razing the mosque.

"Demolitions bring only trouble," he said.
Residents protested the demolition and threw stones at the police, who used rubber bullets to disperse them, he said.
"This will only encourage the extremists," the mayor said. "We want to live in peace together. We don't want trouble, the aim is to prevent more destruction."

Residents started rebuilding the mosque Sunday morning, he said, and declared a strike in protest of the demolition.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the mosque was razed early Sunday to honor a July court ruling.

Rosenfeld said five residents were arrested.
Rahat is home to more than 50,000 Bedouins and is just north of the southern city of Beer Sheva.

The Bedouins are an Arab Muslim minority and are citizens of Israel.They have lived in the Negev desert for centuries leading a Nomadic lifestyle.

Israel started to try and settle them in permanent towns a few decades ago. However half of them still live in unrecognized villages with no basic rights or municipal services.The other half who live in permanent towns are socially and economically disadvantaged with the lowest income in the country.

By Russia Today

Washington's denying it ignored numerous cases of Iraqi torture and killing over the past six years. The allegations stem from 400,000 secret U.S. files on the war in Iraq, leaked by the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks. The documents detail U.S. forces handing prisoners over to Iraqi interrogators, despite overwhelming evidence of inhumane treatment.

Many detainees were said to have died violent deaths. U.S. military officials say their orders were not to intervene directly. Washington's refusing to investigate the allegations, despite an outcry from half a dozen Arab countries.

Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern says the American media's now trying to divert public attention from the WikiLeaks report, by slamming its founder Julian Assange…

Broadcaster and journalist Lauren Booth, 43 – Cherie Blair’s half-sister – said she now wears a hijab head covering whenever she leaves her home, prays five times a day and visits her local mosque ‘when I can’.
She decided to become a Muslim six weeks ago after visiting the shrine of Fatima al-Masumeh in the city of Qom.

‘It was a Tuesday evening and I sat down and felt this shot of spiritual morphine, just absolute bliss and joy,’ she told The Mail on Sunday.
When she returned to Britain, she decided to convert immediately.
‘Now I don’t eat pork and I read the Koran every day. I’m on page 60. I also haven’t had a drink in 45 days, the longest period in 25 years,' she said.

'The strange thing is that since I decided to convert I haven’t wanted to touch alcohol, and I was someone who craved a glass of wine or two at the end of a day.’

Refusing to discount the possibility that she might wear a burka, she said: ‘Who knows where my spiritual journey will take me?’

Before her awakening in Iran, she had been ‘sympathetic’ to Islam and has spent considerable time working in Palestine. ‘I was always impressed with the strength and comfort it gave,’ she said of the religion.

Miss Booth, who works for Press TV, the English-language Iranian news channel, has been a vocal opponent of the war in Iraq.

In August 2008 she travelled to Gaza by ship from Cyprus, along with 46 other activists, to highlight Israel’s blockade of the territory.

She was subsequently refused entry into both Israel and Egypt.

In 2006 she was a contestant on the ITV reality show I’m A Celebrity .  .  . Get Me Out Of Here!, donating her fee to the Palestinian relief charity Interpal.

She said she hoped her conversion would help Mr Blair change his presumptions about Islam.

Influential position: Lauren Booth hopes her conversion will have an influence on how her brother-in-law – Tony Blair – views Islam

During her visit to Iran last month, Booth wrote a public letter to Mr Blair asking him to mark Al-Quds (Jerusalem) day – a protest at Israel's occupation of Palestine.

'In the final chapter [of his autobiography] you say we need a "religious counter attack" against Islam. And by "Islam" you mean the Al Quds rallies, the Palestinian intifada (based on an anti Apartheid struggle Tony, NOT religious bigotry), against every Arab who fails to put their arms in the air as the F16 missiles rain on their homes and refugee camps and sing a rousing chorus of ‘Imagine all the people…’

The holiday declaration on Eid’l Fitr was contained in Proclamation No. 26 signed by the President last Thursday.

“To promote cultural understanding and integration, the entire Filipino nation should have the full opportunity to join their Muslim brothers and sisters in the observance and celebration of Eid’l Fitr,” the proclamation read.

“In order to bring the religious and cultural significance of the Eid’l Fitr to the fore of the national consciousness, it is necessary to declare Friday, September 10, 2010, as a regular holiday throughout the country,” it added.

Eid’l Fitr, an Islamic festival of renewal, reconciliation and peace that marks the end of the holy month of fasting, is a regular holiday in the country based on Republic Act No. 9177. The proclamation noted that the Muslim world celebrates Eid’l Fitr for three days after the end of the month of fasting.

This year, the date for the celebration of Eid’l Fitr for 2010 has been determined to fall on Friday, September 10.

The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos earlier recommended to Malacañang to declare September 10 as holiday to observe Eid’l Fitr.

This developed as Marawi Bishop Edwin dela Pena will join three Muslim non-government organizations (NGOs) in distributing food and gifts, consisting of toiletries, to prisoners in the provincial and city jail on Tuesday, September 7.

“This is to show them that we Christians are sympathizing with them,” Dela Pena said, over Church-run Radyo Veritas 846 on Friday. “We will give the food in the evening because they don’t eat in the morning…” he added.

Dela Pena said that the food distribution program also coincides with the Feast of the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

“The Maranaos also have high regards for Mama Mary, so we want her to serve as a bridge for unity,” Dela Pena said.

But the prelate stressed that this is not the first time that Christians and Muslims will join forces in a program since they also cooperated in other programs during Christmas.

“We do this program during the Ramadan but during Christmas, they also coordinate with us. They also join us in giving gifts,” said Dela Pena.