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	<title>WorldCategory: Saudi Arabia &#124; World &#124; TIME.com</title>
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		<title>WorldCategory: Saudi Arabia &#124; World &#124; TIME.com</title>
		<link>http://world.time.com</link>
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		<title>Saudi Women Can Now Ride Bicycles in Public (Kind of)</title>
		<link>http://world.time.com/2013/04/03/saudi-women-can-now-ride-bicycles-in-public-kind-of/</link>
		<comments>http://world.time.com/2013/04/03/saudi-women-can-now-ride-bicycles-in-public-kind-of/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 03 Apr 2013 19:42:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kristene Quan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Saudi Arabia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bicycles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[King Abdullah]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Olympics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[saudi women riding bicycles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Women's Rights]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://world.time.com/?p=79128</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Riding a bicycle is one activity that most take for granted, whether it is for recreational purposes or to get from Point A to Point B. But women in Saudi Arabia have been denied the opportunity to ride bicycles in public, until now. Saudi women can now ride motorbikes and bicycles, however, only in restricted, recreational areas, according to the Associated Press. The Saudi newspaper the Al-Yawm cited an unnamed official from the kingdom’s religious police saying that women are allowed to ride bikes in parks and recreational areas, but they have to be accompanied by a male relative and dressed in the full Islamic head-to-toe abaya, the AP reported. The official reportedly specified that women aren’t allowed to use bicycles for transportation purposes, “only for entertainment,” and they are being advised to avoid places where young men may congregate “to avoid harassment.” (MORE: Saudi Arabia to Tourists: We Are Just Not That Into You) The Think Progress blog from the Center for American Progress Action Fund wondered whether allowing women to ride bikes was a step forward for women’s rights in the country where an ultraconservative interpretation of Islam is followed. The blog noted that it was a baby step, in a series of other small steps in recent years. Last year, Saudi Arabia sent a woman to the Olympic Games in London – a first for the country. In 2011, King Abdullah granted women the right to vote and run in municipal elections starting in 2015. The Saudi King also recently appointed 30 women to the country’s consultative Shura Council, which is the closest thing it has to a parliament and was previously all-male. But Saudi Arabia, known for its stultifying, draconian morality laws, still has a long way to go. A recent TIME article looking at the expanding rights for women in Saudi Arabia noted the backlash against women in the Shura has been strong, but the counter-backlash has been equally as vocal. The article noted that, “From the outside, progress on women’s rights in the kingdom may<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&#038;blog=19871253&#038;post=79128&#038;subd=timeglobalspin&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Saudi Arabia</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://world.time.com/category/middle-east/saudi-arabia/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timeglobalspin.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/nf_saudi_arabia_sarah_attar_0402.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">timecontributor2</media:title>
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		<title>In Saudi Arabia, Women&#8217;s Voices Are Starting to Be Heard</title>
		<link>http://world.time.com/2013/03/27/in-saudi-arabia-womens-voices-are-starting-to-be-heard/</link>
		<comments>http://world.time.com/2013/03/27/in-saudi-arabia-womens-voices-are-starting-to-be-heard/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Mar 2013 21:51:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Aryn Baker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Saudi Arabia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Women]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://world.time.com/?p=78349</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Updated: April 1, 2013 Saudi Arabian television news anchors aren’t supposed to smile too broadly. After all, the news is serious business in this country. But when presenter Fouz Auwadh al-Khmali delivered the morning news for the state-run Al Akbaria channel on Jan. 11, she couldn’t stop grinning. On that day, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah announced that for the first time the names of the women he would appoint to the country’s consultative Shura Council, the closest thing the country has to a parliament. On air, al-Khmali read the names of the 30 women who would make history in the historically male-dominated kingdom. From that day forward a full 20% of the Shura would be represented by women. Little more than a month later, al-Khmali announced that the women had been sworn in, and would soon take their places at the country’s helm. “This is the beginning of a new era for Saudi women,” al-Khmali said backstage one recent morning as she prepared to go on air. “It’s about time women have a say — we are 50% of Saudi society, you know.” From the outside, progress on women’s rights in the kingdom may appear to be mired in tar. After all, women are still not allowed to drive, they can’t get a job or take a loan without the permission of a male family member, and their designated male guardians, usually a husband or a father, are notified via SMS every time they leave the kingdom. But from the perspective of women inside the country, dizzying changes are afoot. For the first time, female athletes represented Saudi Arabia at the Olympics last year in London. An employment ban has been lifted for female cashiers at supermarkets, and women have taken the place of men in lingerie and cosmetic stores across the country. And in Riyadh on March 26, Cabinet ministers issued a new law making national identification cards mandatory for all women, granting them identities independent from their families and paving the way toward lifting the onerous guardianship system that treats<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&#038;blog=19871253&#038;post=78349&#038;subd=timeglobalspin&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Saudi Arabia</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://world.time.com/category/middle-east/saudi-arabia/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timeglobalspin.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/saudi055.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">Fouz Auwadh al-Khmali</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">arynbaker</media:title>
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		<title>Saudi Arabia to Tourists: We Are Just Not That Into You</title>
		<link>http://world.time.com/2013/03/22/saudi-arabia-to-tourists-we-are-just-not-that-into-you/</link>
		<comments>http://world.time.com/2013/03/22/saudi-arabia-to-tourists-we-are-just-not-that-into-you/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Mar 2013 04:30:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Aryn Baker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Saudi Arabia]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://world.time.com/?p=75414</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Draped in a long black abaya, French tourist Virginie de Tinguy gingerly picks her way up a majestic stone staircase, careful to lift the heavy folds of fabric out of the way of her feet, lest she stumble on steps made smooth by centuries of use. The perilous climb to the top of a 13th century citadel is rewarded with a breathtaking view. Below her sprawls the ancient walled city of Al Ula, a labyrinthine warren of stone houses built so closely together that the second-floor balconies practically kiss, casting the alleys below into perpetual shade. Gray-green date-palm orchards lap at the city walls; beyond them a jagged red rock massif looms, tinting the horizon a dusty rose. “This is exceptional,” de Tinguy utters in rapturous French to her husband. “I never would have guessed there were places so beautiful in Saudi Arabia.” As if on cue, the call to prayer curls through the deserted alleys, beckoning long-departed residents to the recently restored 630-year-old mosque nearby. All that’s missing from this 1,001 Nights tableau is a flying carpet or a mustachioed genie. Not 20 minutes away by car, another extraordinary scene can be found: the carved stone tombs of the 1st century Nabataean trading center, Mada’in Saleh, now classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site — Saudi Arabia’s first. In between Al Ula and Mada’in Saleh lies a vast gathering of surreal rock formations, magenta and gold spires and tortured, wind-carved sandstone escarpments rising out of the dunes. It’s as if the Parthenon, the Grand Canyon and Colorado’s Garden of the Gods were all crammed together in an area not much larger than Manhattan. If it were anywhere else in the world, the sites would be crammed with camera-toting tourists. Instead, de Tinguy and her husband have the entire place to themselves, alone with their voluble and informed Saudi guide, who is in the process of explaining the mechanics of a primitive sundial that alerted local farmers when it was time to plant crops. “I could just spend days exploring this place,” says<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&#038;blog=19871253&#038;post=75414&#038;subd=timeglobalspin&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Saudi Arabia</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://world.time.com/category/middle-east/saudi-arabia/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timeglobalspin.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/atourism019-copy.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">Saudi Arabia Tourism</media:title>
		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">arynbaker</media:title>
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		<title>France May Aid Syrian Rebels Unilaterally If EU Doesn&#8217;t Lift Arms Embargo</title>
		<link>http://world.time.com/2013/03/14/france-may-aid-syrian-rebels-unilaterally-if-eu-doesnt-lift-arms-embargo/</link>
		<comments>http://world.time.com/2013/03/14/france-may-aid-syrian-rebels-unilaterally-if-eu-doesnt-lift-arms-embargo/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2013 17:32:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bruce Crumley</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[arab uprisings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[E.U.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Europe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[France]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gaddafi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Germany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Libya]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Qatar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[religion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saudi Arabia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Syria]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Terrorism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Turkey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[U.K.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[arms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bashar al-Assad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Britain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[civil war]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Damascus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Embargo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[European Union]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[François Hollande]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[London]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Military]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[paris]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[terrorism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UK]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://world.time.com/?p=75356</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[France has significantly upped its efforts to unblock Western military support for rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by calling for the European Union to lift its arms embargo in the conflict. In the most emphatic sign yet that Paris intends to get weapons and ammunition flowing to anti-Assad fighters, French Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius said March 14 that if the E.U. and other international partners fail to heed that call, France may act on its own to bolster rebel fighting capacity. “The position we’ve taken, with [President] François Hollande, is to demand a lifting the arms embargo… [as] one of the only ways to get the situation moving politically,” Fabius told France Info radio Thursday morning. Asked what France would do if its partners refused that request, Fabius indicated Paris would act unilaterally, reminding listeners that “France is a sovereign nation”. (MORE: Syria’s Many Militias: Inside the Chaos of the Anti-Assad Rebellion) That push isn’t the first time France has sought to extend aid to Syrian civilians and anti-Assad militias beyond the medical and humanitarian assistance it now provides. During a Jan. 28 conference on Syria in Paris, Fabius warned that continuing to withhold armaments to democratic forces within the Syrian resistance risked seeing large and powerful Islamist members of the anti-government coalition seize control of the country once the conflict ended. Fabius more recently escalated the tone of that message in a March 13 editorial in the daily Libération by describing what he called a Franco-British initiative. That consisted, Fabius said of seeking to bring a swifter end to the escalating massacre of the civil war by offering military as well as political and moral support to rebel forces. &#8220;More than 70,000 dead and a million refugees, the systematic destruction of a country: the second anniversary of the launch of the Syrian revolution is an anniversary of blood and tears,” Fabius wrote Wednesday. “We must convince our partners, particularly in Europe, that we no longer have any other choice than to lift the embargo on arms to<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&#038;blog=19871253&#038;post=75356&#038;subd=timeglobalspin&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Syria</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://world.time.com/category/middle-east/syria/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">girondins33</media:title>
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		<title>A Lack of Swordsmen May Lead Saudis to Abolish Beheadings</title>
		<link>http://world.time.com/2013/03/11/a-lack-of-swordsmen-may-lead-saudis-to-abolish-beheadings/</link>
		<comments>http://world.time.com/2013/03/11/a-lack-of-swordsmen-may-lead-saudis-to-abolish-beheadings/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 11 Mar 2013 18:50:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sorcha Pollak</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Saudi Arabia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[amnesty international]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[behading]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[death penalty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[execution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Human Rights Watch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[murder]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sri lanka]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United Nations]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://world.time.com/?p=74343</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Is this what progress looks like in Saudi Arabia? The kingdom is considering ending execution by beheading in favor of firing squads, reports the Egyptian English-language news website Ahram Online. A committee consisting of representatives from the Ministries of Interior, Justice and Health says there are shortages in government swordsmen and argue that a change to execution by firing squad would not violate Islamic law, the Saudi daily newspaper al-Youm writes. According to an official statement from the committee, “This solution seems practical, especially in light of shortages in official swordsmen or their belated arrival to execution yards in some incidents.” Execution by beheading in Saudi Arabia has continually been condemned by human-rights groups. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), at least 69 people were executed by beheading in 2012, while Amnesty International says 79 were killed under the death penalty in the same period. In 2012 HRW wrote, “Saudi Arabia has no penal code, so prosecutors and judges largely define criminal offenses at their discretion.” Rape, murder, armed robbery, drug trafficking and even suspected &#8220;sorcery&#8221; are punishable by death under Saudi Arabia’s Islamic law. (MORE: Sri Lankan Maids Become Victims in Saudi Arabia) The Saudi death penalty recently made headlines following the execution of Rizana Nafeek, a young Sri Lankan woman who was beheaded for the murder of her employers’ 4-month-old son. Nafeek arrived in Saudi Arabia in 2005 at age 17 but spent the next seven years in Saudi jails after the baby died under her care, writes CNN. The family of the boy believed he had been strangled by Nafeek, while she claimed he had choked on his milk. The young Sri Lankan immigrant had no access to a lawyer during her pretrial interrogation during which she said she was forced to sign a confession, notes CNN. The execution of this young woman revealed how “woefully out of step they [the Saudi justice system] are with their international obligations regarding the use of the death penalty,” said Philip Luther from Amnesty International. It highlighted how Saudi law tends<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&#038;blog=19871253&#038;post=74343&#038;subd=timeglobalspin&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Saudi Arabia</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://world.time.com/category/middle-east/saudi-arabia/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timeglobalspin.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/1592940281.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">Sri Lankan protesters</media:title>
		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">timecontributor6</media:title>
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		<title>Saudi Arabia Jails Two Leading Activists for 10 Years</title>
		<link>http://world.time.com/2013/03/11/saudi-arabia-jails-two-leading-activists-for-10-years/</link>
		<comments>http://world.time.com/2013/03/11/saudi-arabia-jails-two-leading-activists-for-10-years/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 11 Mar 2013 16:00:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jacob Templin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Human rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saudi Arabia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[abdullah al-hamid]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ACPRA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mohammed al-qahtani]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://world.time.com/?p=74297</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Mohammed Al-Qahtani and Abdullah Al-Hamid, two prominent Saudi human rights activists, were handed 10-year prison sentences this weekend, concluding a trial that began in June 2012, and has since gained international attention. Al-Qahtani, an economics professor, has been an outspoken critic of the Saudi judicial system and monarchy. He has spent most of his energy focusing on the arbitrary detention of political prisoners. In 2012, he pushed his criticism to dangerous levels when he demanded the country’s interior minister be tried for human rights violations. On Saturday, he was sentenced to 10 years in jail, and handed a subsequent 10-year travel ban. He was charged with nine offenses including co founding an unlicensed organization and turning international organizations against the Kingdom. His partner, Al-Hamid was sentenced to 11 years in prison &#8211; five years added to a six-year previous sentence that was pardoned. (WATCH: In Saudi Arabia, activists speak out online and in private.) As part of the ruling, their organization, the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA), has also been shut down and had their assets seized. ACPRA has been functioning since 2009, despite having their operations threatened and website shut down on numerous occasions, according to Al-Qahtani. The organization works with human rights groups outside of the country to help families of political detainees file claims against the Saudi government with the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions. “ACPRA is the only credible organization sending us cases and and doing this kind work. But it&#8217;s a great loss for the Saudi’s more than it is for the international organizations,” says Karim Sayed, a regional officer at Alkarama, a human rights NGO based in Switzerland. Sayed says that shutting down ACPRA will only fuel an increase in social unrest in Saudi Arabia. “In the last few months, we’ve seen demonstrations against arbitrary detention are multiplying&#8230; Instead of taking this opportunity to reform, they have made it worse.” I met Al-Qahtani in May of last year in Riyadh. He was under investigation then by the Ministry of Interior,<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&#038;blog=19871253&#038;post=74297&#038;subd=timeglobalspin&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Saudi Arabia</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://world.time.com/category/middle-east/saudi-arabia/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">templinj</media:title>
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		<title>Shopaholic Saudi Princess Flees France After Racking Up Millions in Debt</title>
		<link>http://world.time.com/2013/03/11/shopaholic-saudi-princess-flees-france-after-racking-up-millions-in-debt/</link>
		<comments>http://world.time.com/2013/03/11/shopaholic-saudi-princess-flees-france-after-racking-up-millions-in-debt/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 11 Mar 2013 07:33:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kristene Quan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Saudi Arabia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[France]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[french government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[King Abdullah]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[maha al-sudairi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nayef bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[paris]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[saudi arabian crown prince]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shangri-la hotel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shopping]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://world.time.com/?p=74111</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A Saudi Princess has fled France ahead of creditors demanding payment of millions of euros in outstanding debt — but she&#8217;s been forced to leave some treasures behind. Three storage units full of luxury goods stockpiled by Princess Maha Al-Sudairi, the ex-wife of the late Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, are to be seized in order to settle her unpaid bills, reports the the Independent. A French judge has ordered the storage facilities — inevitably dubbed“Aladdin’s caves” by the press — be opened and emptied of jewels, artworks, leather goods and clothes, which according to the Independent are estimated to be worth more than $15 million. (MORE: That’s Rich: Saudi Prince and Forbes in Spat Over Billionaire List) Over the last four years Princess Maha has run up — and, apparently, run out on — millions in hotel and shopping bills, the Independent reported.  The most recent incident was last June, when she left the Shangri-La Hotel in Paris with 60 members of her staff in the dead of night, leaving behind a bill for nearly $8 million.  She had taken over an entire 41-room floor in the hotel for six months. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia refused to pay for the Princess’s stay, which was the impetus for her exit at 3:30 a.m., according to the Sydney Morning Herald Tribune. Not quite finished with her time in Paris, the Princess moved to the nearby five-star Royal Monceau Hotel, which is owned by a “family friend,” the emir of Qatar, the Irish Examiner reported.  She left France a month later and hasn’t returned since. The contents of the Princess Maha’s three storerooms will be seized and may eventually be sold off to pay off her debts; however, according to the Independent, the legal proceedings will likely be long and complex, as the Princess has claimed diplomatic immunity and has declined to hire a lawyer to respond to the accusations against her. (MORE: A Death in The Family. Saudi Arabia’s Succession Saga) A spokesperson for the Shangri-La said the hotel<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&#038;blog=19871253&#038;post=74111&#038;subd=timeglobalspin&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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	<primary_category>Saudi Arabia</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://world.time.com/category/middle-east/saudi-arabia/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timeglobalspin.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/nf_shangri_la_paris_0311.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">timecontributor2</media:title>
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		<title>That&#8217;s Rich: Saudi Prince and Forbes in Spat Over Billionaire List</title>
		<link>http://world.time.com/2013/03/07/thats-rich-saudi-prince-and-forbes-in-spat-over-billionaire-list/</link>
		<comments>http://world.time.com/2013/03/07/thats-rich-saudi-prince-and-forbes-in-spat-over-billionaire-list/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 07 Mar 2013 07:36:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kristene Quan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Saudi Arabia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alwaleed Bin Talal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bloomberg billionaires]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bloomberg billionaires index]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forbes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forbes billionaires]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forbes' billionaires list]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kingdom holdings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[saudi prince]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://world.time.com/?p=73427</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia has publicly severed ties with Forbes magazine and its annual billionaires’ list after the magazine estimated his worth at $20 billion. The prince insists he’s worth a lot more, according to the Independent. The nephew of the current Saudi monarch, King Abdullah, is currently ranked No. 26 on Forbes’ 27th annual billionaires’ list.  But the Prince, whose Kingdom Holding Co. has investments in everything from Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. to Citigroup, put his own wealth at $29.6 billion – nearly $10 billion higher than Forbes’ estimate, the Independent reported. (MORE: Forbes: Slim World’s Richest for 4th Year in a Row) If Prince Alwaleed is correct, the figure would catapult him into the ranks of the top 10 wealthiest people in the world, ahead of Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and LVMH Chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault. Unimpressed with his Forbes ranking, the Prince will instead work with a rival rich list: the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.  The Bloomberg list, which started last year, ranks the Prince as the world’s 16th-richest person with an estimated wealth of $28 billion. The Saudi royal’s office said in a statement: “Prince Alwaleed has taken this step as he felt he could no longer participate in a process which resulted in the use of incorrect data and seemed designed to disadvantage Middle Eastern investors and institutions.” (MORE: These Are the Wealthiest People in America) Shadi Sanbar, the finance chief of Kingdom Holdings, added that the Prince has “worked very openly with the Forbes team over the years and have on multiple occasions pointed out problems with their methodology that need correction,” the Telegraph reported. However, Forbes isn’t budging.  The magazine published a piece on its website on Wednesday entitled “Prince Alwaleed And The Curious Case of Kingdom Holding Stock,” recounting how Sanbar attacked Forbes reporters and its methodology before the annual list was released.  The article also mentioned how it had been investigating Prince Alwaleed’s finances for several years. (MORE: Forbes Billionaires List:<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&#038;blog=19871253&#038;post=73427&#038;subd=timeglobalspin&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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	<primary_category>Saudi Arabia</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://world.time.com/category/middle-east/saudi-arabia/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timeglobalspin.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/nf_saudia_arabia_forbes_0307.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">timecontributor2</media:title>
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		<title>Detained, Tortured and Held Without Trial, a Saudi Political Prisoner Returns Home</title>
		<link>http://world.time.com/2012/12/10/detained-tortured-and-without-trial-a-saudi-political-prisoner-returns-home/</link>
		<comments>http://world.time.com/2012/12/10/detained-tortured-and-without-trial-a-saudi-political-prisoner-returns-home/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 10 Dec 2012 13:22:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jacob Templin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Saudi Arabia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ACPRA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[al-Ha'ir]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Human Rights Watch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interior]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kingdom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ministry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[political]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[prisoner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[riyadh]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://world.time.com/?p=58620</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On weekend mornings, Ghazi al-Harbi likes to give his daughter driving lessons. Raaf is only 9, and women can&#8217;t drive in Saudi Arabia anyway, but that doesn’t stop her from hopping on her dad’s knee and taking control of the wheel. “Its O.K., I’m in control, don’t be scared,” she belts out over her father’s laughter. He guides her through a roundabout in the small city of Tabuk and lets her steer them back home. Like most weekends, al-Harbi has a full day planned with his daughter. He’s spent the past seven years in prison and is now racing to get to know her. “I see my daughter and I don’t feel like she is my daughter. I am trying to bond with her, but I still feel she is not the daughter that I knew.” Al-Harbi’s daughter was only 2 years old when he was arrested at the King Faisal Air Base, just a few miles from his house. That’s where he served as an officer in the Saudi Ministry of Defense. He was accused of conspiring to commit treason and proposing demonstrations against the state. He denies both crimes. “I have never been out in a demonstration. I have never called for a demonstration. I was simply going from my work to my home. I was living my life for my family.” (MORE: Your Wife Has Just Left the Country: Saudi Arabia Implements SMS-Tracking System) Al-Harbi says he spent four years in jail before he defended the charges against him in a court of law. “In the presence of the judge, I was taken with my eyes blindfolded and my feet tied. I said their accusations were not true and I requested to see proof.” According to al-Harbi, the judge ruled that he had served his full sentence and should be set free. However, as a political prisoner, he was under the domain of the Ministry of Interior, Saudi Arabia’s powerful national-security agency. Al-Harbi says the Interior Ministry overruled the judge’s decision and kept him in prison for<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&#038;blog=19871253&#038;post=58620&#038;subd=timeglobalspin&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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	<primary_category>Saudi Arabia</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://world.time.com/category/middle-east/saudi-arabia/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timeglobalspin.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/time_ghaziprison_640a.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">templinj</media:title>
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		<title>After November: 5 Middle East Headaches That Await the U.S.</title>
		<link>http://world.time.com/2012/10/01/after-november-five-mideast-headaches-looming-for-the-u-s/</link>
		<comments>http://world.time.com/2012/10/01/after-november-five-mideast-headaches-looming-for-the-u-s/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 01 Oct 2012 09:45:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tony Karon</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Afghanistan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Egypt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[israel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Middle East]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Muslim Brotherhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Palestine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Qatar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saudi Arabia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Syria]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Abbas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[assad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[intervention]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Israel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Khamenei]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MEK]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Morsi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Netanyahu]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nuclear]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Palestinian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[peace process]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[refugee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Romney]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Taliban]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Turkey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[two state]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[withdrawal]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://world.time.com/?p=47201</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[1. Despite Netanyahu&#8217;s Retreat, Avoiding War with Iran Will Get Harder For all of his summer saber rattling and efforts to pressure the Obama Administration into stating imminent red lines for war with Iran, Israel&#8217;s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu effectively retreated at the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday. Despite the familiar apocalyptic rhetoric, Netanyahu took care to signal Israel&#8217;s cooperation with the Obama Administration on the issue. More important, he drew his own red line &#8212; somewhat confusingly, given the much lampooned graphic on which he relied &#8212; at Iran possessing a sufficient stockpile of 20% enriched uranium to reprocess into one bomb&#8217;s worth of highly enriched uranium. At present rates of enrichment, he claimed, that point would be reached next spring or summer. Leave aside the considerable body of expert opinion that holds that the U.S. would have a lot more time than Netanyahu suggests to respond to an overt move by Iran to build nuclear weapons, the Israeli leader nonetheless once again wound forward his doomsday alarm clock, setting it to ring sometime early next year. That seemed to take off the table the threat of an Israeli strike over U.S. objections before November&#8217;s election. But the occupant of the Oval Office early next year may face a more acute crisis: sanctions have not so far changed Iran&#8217;s nuclear calculations, and such concessions as Iran has offered by way of capping its nuclear work are not ones that the Obama Administration has been ready to accept as a basis for easing sanctions. Iran doesn&#8217;t trust the U.S. any more than the U.S. trusts Iran, and Tehran believes the real purpose of the sanctions is to create economic chaos in the hope of provoking an uprising against the regime. Such suspicions will have been heightened by Friday&#8217;s U.S. decision to remove the Mujahedin-e-Khalq, an exile armed group that fought for Saddam Hussein against Iran in the 1980s and which is widely reviled even among leaders of the opposition Green Movement, from the U.S. list of terrorist organizations. (MORE: Apocalyptic Talk Aside, Israel<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&#038;blog=19871253&#038;post=47201&#038;subd=timeglobalspin&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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	<primary_category>Syria</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://world.time.com/category/middle-east/syria/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timeglobalspin.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/aleppo.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">tkaron2010</media:title>
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		<title>The Toulouse Terrorist: Was He or Was He Not a Lone Wolf?</title>
		<link>http://world.time.com/2012/08/24/the-toulouse-terrorist-was-he-or-was-he-not-a-lone-wolf/</link>
		<comments>http://world.time.com/2012/08/24/the-toulouse-terrorist-was-he-or-was-he-not-a-lone-wolf/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 24 Aug 2012 12:29:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bruce Crumley</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Af-Pak]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Afghanistan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Algeria]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Egypt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Europe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[France]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saudi Arabia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Taliban]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Terrorism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[U.K.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Al-Qaeda]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[intelligence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[intelligence failure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jihad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mohammed Merah]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[terrorism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toulouse]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://world.time.com/?p=41824</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Was self-proclaimed al Qaeda member and Toulouse killer Mohammed Merah the lone wolf that French officials initially suggested? Or did he actually rely on active support of fellow radicals in both France and abroad in mounting his spree of slaying last March? Those questions were raised anew Aug. 23 by a story in French daily le Monde indicating Merah had far more numerous contacts with suspected extremists than previously known—and took pains to keep nearly 2,000 telephone calls to those people secret. Yet French authorities warn TIME that despite the sinister-sounding details of the Monde story, information in it doesn’t contradict what they’ve known for months. Nor, they add, do they reveal Merah had any significant assistance in conceiving and executing his three shooting attacks beyond training he received from al-Qaeda figures during a previously known visit to Pakistan. The story in Thursday evening’s edition of le Monde details recently declassified intelligence documents the paper viewed. Le Monde says the intelligence reports show that Merah—whose killing spree of seven people ended with his own death during a dramatic police siege March 22—made 1,863 calls or sent text messages to numerous people in 20 nations. Those spanned the U.K., Egypt, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Morocco and Bhutan—where Merah called nine different numbers&#8211;between September 2010 and late February 2011. Le Monde’s report also quotes intelligence analyses detailing Merah’s international travels during the same period, notably to Middle Eastern nations and Afghanistan. All that, the article proposes, seriously undermines the view counter-terrorism authorities have given that Merah was a self-radicalized &#8220;lone wolf&#8221;. The article says French intelligence services first kept an eye on Merah’s older brother Abdelkader—an outspoken Salafist figure in Toulouse—in 2008, as well as their sister Souad in 2010. At times, Mohammed Merah also appeared on their radar screen, leading French security services to start watching the young delinquent’s movements and contacts carefully. Indeed, following Merah’s 2011 trip to Afghanistan—and arrest and expulsion by U.S. forces as a security threat—the budding jihadist was himself placed under close surveillance. It was during<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&#038;blog=19871253&#038;post=41824&#038;subd=timeglobalspin&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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	<primary_category>Terrorism</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://world.time.com/category/terrorism/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timeglobalspin.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/toulouse_suspect_0322.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">girondins33</media:title>
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		<title>Must-Reads from Around the World, August 8, 2012</title>
		<link>http://world.time.com/2012/08/08/must-reads-from-around-the-world-august-8-2012/</link>
		<comments>http://world.time.com/2012/08/08/must-reads-from-around-the-world-august-8-2012/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 08 Aug 2012 11:31:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>TIME.com</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[arab uprisings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Asia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Borders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Burma]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[China]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Daily Briefing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Democracy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dictatorships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Diplomacy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Geo-political tensions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hamas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hizballah]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Human rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[israel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Middle East]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Military]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Minorities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Protests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Qatar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[religion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sanctions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saudi Arabia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Syria]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Terrorism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[U.S.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[1988]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[8-8-88]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[August 8]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bashar Assad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chinese communist party]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chinese President Hu Jintao]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dictator]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hu Chunhua]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inner Mongolia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ne Win]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new Cold War]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Yorker]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[proxy wars]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rangoon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reuters]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the guardian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Irrawaddy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[warmongering]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://world.time.com/?p=39230</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Internal Affairs &#8211; Reuters reports that Chinese President Hu Jintao is poised to promote close ally Hu Chunhua — the party boss of Inner Mongolia — to the Communist Party&#8217;s highest levels &#8220;in a bid to retain clout and preserve his legacy after retiring as party chief&#8221; early next year. The New York Times says the party is pushing back against a more outspoken military seeking greater influence over politics with &#8220;a highly visible campaign against disloyalty and corruption &#8230;&#8221; Intervention &#8211; The Guardian reports on Iranian moves to influence events in Syria and the broader region. &#8220;Iran has launched a new campaign to intervene in the Syrian crisis, sending its top officials across the Middle East, blasting U.S. &#8216;warmongering&#8217; and publicly backing a defiant Bashar Assad &#8230;&#8221; it wrote. Meanwhile, the New Yorker examines where Syria&#8217;s war may lead: &#8220;&#8230; We may well be speaking openly about a new Cold War &#8230; with new proxy conflicts yet to come.&#8221; Landmark &#8211; Burmese media in exile The Irrawaddy looks back at August 8, 1988, &#8220;when hundreds of thousands of Burmese from all walks of life joined a popular protest in the former capital Rangoon to topple the dictator Ne Win’s single party rule that had oppressed them for 26 years.&#8221; Its enduring significance: &#8220;&#8230; The day still stands as an important milestone in modern Burmese history — a day that marked the emergence of a full-fledged democracy movement &#8230;&#8221; Contemplating the Future &#8211; The illness and withdrawal from public view of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, &#8220;the rebel-turned-technocrat&#8221; who has ruled Ethiopia since 1991, has &#8220;given Ethiopians cause to contemplate what their nation — now enjoying one of the longest sustained periods of economic development in its history — might look like without him,&#8221; the Washington Post writes. Tola Benti, a young businessman who welcomes a change of leadership, said: &#8220;He&#8217;s like other leaders in Africa; some are better and some are worse, but all of them are addicted to power.&#8221; Mixed Messages &#8211; Germany&#8217;s Der Spiegel observes that while the West has largely been<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&#038;blog=19871253&#038;post=39230&#038;subd=timeglobalspin&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://world.time.com/2012/08/08/must-reads-from-around-the-world-august-8-2012/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Daily Briefing</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://world.time.com/category/daily-briefing/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timeglobalspin.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/aaaa2011-10-11t094153z_36986214.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">China&#039;s President Hu and Vietnam&#039;s Communist Party General Secretary Trong walk past guard of honour during welcoming ceremony at Great Hall of the People in Beijing</media:title>
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		<media:content url="http://1.gravatar.com/avatar/44310a1af940f994952d1e4db73096cd?s=96&#38;d=http%3A%2F%2Fs0.wp.com%2Fi%2Fmu.gif&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">TIME.com</media:title>
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		<title>The Secret Life of a Saudi Women&#8217;s Soccer Team</title>
		<link>http://world.time.com/2012/08/07/the-secret-life-of-a-saudi-womens-soccer-team/</link>
		<comments>http://world.time.com/2012/08/07/the-secret-life-of-a-saudi-womens-soccer-team/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Aug 2012 09:45:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jacob Templin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Saudi Arabia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[soccer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Arab]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Challenge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[female]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fitness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gulf]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gym]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Olympics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sarah Attar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sports]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[women]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://world.time.com/?p=39004</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Sarah Attar and Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani are making Olympic history as the first two women to represent Saudi Arabia. But inside their country, women are deprived of basic sports and fitness options. Beyond just sports, most women grow up without being allowed physical education and access to gyms. Those women who do play recreational sports must do it behind closed doors. Challenge, a women’s soccer team in Riyadh plays in friends&#8217; backyards. “I want to be an athlete, but I can’t be an athlete if I don’t have the equipment that makes me an athlete.” Says Rawh Abdullah, the captain of the team. In this video, she describes the challenges women face to stay active in one of the most conservative and draconian countries in the world.<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&#038;blog=19871253&#038;post=39004&#038;subd=timeglobalspin&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Saudi Arabia</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://world.time.com/category/middle-east/saudi-arabia/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">templinj</media:title>
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		<title>In Saudi Arabia, Dissent Is Alive and Well, but Only Online or in Private</title>
		<link>http://world.time.com/2012/07/12/in-saudi-arabia-dissent-is-alive-and-well-but-only-online-or-in-private/</link>
		<comments>http://world.time.com/2012/07/12/in-saudi-arabia-dissent-is-alive-and-well-but-only-online-or-in-private/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jul 2012 09:45:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jacob Templin / Jidda</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Middle East]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saudi Arabia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dissent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[free speech]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://world.time.com/?p=35280</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Riyadh polices its streets and cafes with a fearsome rigor but it doesn't seem to know how to shut down the chatter on Twitter and Facebook<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&#038;blog=19871253&#038;post=35280&#038;subd=timeglobalspin&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://world.time.com/2012/07/12/in-saudi-arabia-dissent-is-alive-and-well-but-only-online-or-in-private/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Saudi Arabia</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://world.time.com/category/middle-east/saudi-arabia/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timeglobalspin.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/saudi_arabia_0712.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">Saudi Arabia</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">templinj</media:title>
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		<title>Exclusive: French Officials Detail &#8220;Big Coup&#8221; Bust of Key Al-Qaeda Enabler</title>
		<link>http://world.time.com/2012/07/04/exclusive-french-officials-detail-big-coup-bust-of-key-al-qaeda-enabler/</link>
		<comments>http://world.time.com/2012/07/04/exclusive-french-officials-detail-big-coup-bust-of-key-al-qaeda-enabler/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Jul 2012 16:13:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bruce Crumley</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Af-Pak]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Afghanistan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Al-Qaeda]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bin Laden]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Crime]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Europe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[France]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[religion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saudi Arabia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Taliban]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Terrorism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tunisia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yemen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jihad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lebanon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Terror]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[terrorism]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://world.time.com/?p=34021</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One email confirmed receipt of money used to buy Kalashnikov machine guns. Another message expressed thanks for funds that went to the purchase rocket launchers. Still other missives discussed the recruitment and transport of volunteers to jihad, or sent information about traveling government officials who might be vulnerable targets for terrorist attacks. And those are just a few of countless internet exchanges French security officials are now pouring over following the arrest of a man accused of being a key enabler of communications between extremist groups allied to al-Qaeda around the globe. “This a very big coup, not only because of what we know from messages we’ve read, but because there are just so many more still waiting to be unencrypted and examined,” says a senior French counter-terrorism official, referring to the June 29 arrest of a 35 year-old Tunisian man in the southern city Toulon for suspected terror activity. “Here’s a guy who, as administrator of one of the biggest radical websites on earth, was the conduit of messages between the main jihadi groups in Yemen, Africa, Pakistan, Afghanistan and elsewhere, And we’ve got his files. It’s a big deal.” News of the arrest was revealed July 3 by French prosecutors, who claim they&#8217;ve established that the suspect had been involved in a range of activities on behalf of al-Qaeda-linked organizations. Those allegedly included overseeing secure internet communications, raising funds; recruitment and transport of aspiring jihadi for indoctrination and military training; and providing information about bomb-building and potential targets. Following his questioning Tuesday by Marc Trévidic, France’s leading magistrate in terrorism cases, the suspect was placed under official investigation for association with terror groups and related charges—a step akin to being charged under French law. According to French authorities who spoke with TIME, the suspect’s web activities shuttled encrypted messages between groups that included al-Qaeda’s core in Pakistan; the Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP); North Africa’s al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM); Fatah al-Islam in Lebanon, and others. French security officials described the Tunisian as the hub of<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&#038;blog=19871253&#038;post=34021&#038;subd=timeglobalspin&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Terrorism</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://world.time.com/category/terrorism/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timeglobalspin.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/int_terror_0704.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">France&#039;s top anti-terror judge Marc Trevidic poses during an interview with Reuters in Paris</media:title>
		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">girondins33</media:title>
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		<title>Must-Reads from Around the World, June 26, 2012</title>
		<link>http://world.time.com/2012/06/26/must-reads-from-around-the-world-june-26-2012/</link>
		<comments>http://world.time.com/2012/06/26/must-reads-from-around-the-world-june-26-2012/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jun 2012 12:05:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>TIME.com</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Asia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Borders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brazil]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Burma]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[China]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Daily Briefing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Democracy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dictatorships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Diplomacy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[E.U.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Europe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[France]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Geo-political tensions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Germany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Greece]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Human rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ireland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[italy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Latin America]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Middle East]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Military]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Minorities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saudi Arabia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Terrorism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[U.K.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BBC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Der Spiegel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dilma Rousseff]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[equestrian]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[euro]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eurozone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fernando lugo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kachin refugees]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kashmir]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northern Ireland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Olympic Games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[paraguay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Queen Elizabeth II]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[senate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Economist]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The New York Times]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[women]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://world.time.com/?p=32592</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Worst Case &#8211; Der Spiegel imagines &#8220;the unthinkable&#8221; &#8212; the implosion of the eurozone. &#8220;Nothing seems impossible anymore, not even a scenario in which all members of the currency zone dust off their old coins and bills &#8212; bidding farewell to the euro, and instead welcoming back the guilder, deutsche mark and drachma,&#8221; it said.  The magazine predicts this would cause &#8220;the destruction of trillions in assets and record high unemployment levels, even in Germany.&#8221; Mountain to Climb &#8211; The New York Times reports from the Indian-controlled region of Kashmir, where something resembling peace is bringing tourists back to the Himalayan territory. &#8220;But with the guns silenced, India must soon decide whether justice will be as welcome as the tourists,&#8221; it noted, adding: &#8220;Mass murderers walk the streets openly, having killed thousands of people who are buried in unmarked graves in scores of secret cemeteries.&#8221; Paraguayan Politics &#8211; The Economist assesses the continuing fallout from the removal of Paraguay&#8217;s (now former) President Fernando Lugo by the country&#8217;s Senate. It predicted that the outcome of the standoff may well depend on Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. &#8220;With the next Paraguayan election scheduled for April 2013, Ms Rousseff will need to act quickly if she decides to intervene on Mr Lugo’s behalf,&#8221; it wrote. Refusing Refugees &#8211;Reuters reports that Chinese authorities have expelled ethnic Kachin refugees fleeing fighting in neighboring Burma. Over 10,000 Kachin people have sought asylum in China since the end of a fragile 17-year truce between the Burmese government and several minority rebel groups last year. Human Rights Watch argues that China, having signed various international conventions on refugees, is obligated to protect the Kachin, but the Chinese Foreign Ministry denies this is the country&#8217;s responsibility. Historic Meeting &#8211; Queen Elizabeth II has begun a historic two-day tour of Northern Ireland, which will include a meeting with former IRA leader Paddy McGuinness, reports the BBC. In his first interview since the announcement was made, McGuinness describes the meeting as “taking a risk for peace.” The Queen is also expected to attend a church<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&#038;blog=19871253&#038;post=32592&#038;subd=timeglobalspin&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Daily Briefing</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://world.time.com/category/daily-briefing/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timeglobalspin.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/a2011-12-12t111901z_97642776.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">Euro coins are seen in this photo illustration taken in Rome</media:title>
		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">TIME.com</media:title>
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		<title>Yemen: What an Al-Qaeda Assassination Has Exposed</title>
		<link>http://world.time.com/2012/06/20/yemen-what-an-al-qaeda-assassination-has-exposed/</link>
		<comments>http://world.time.com/2012/06/20/yemen-what-an-al-qaeda-assassination-has-exposed/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 Jun 2012 15:41:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Sam Kimball / Sana&#039;a</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Al-Qaeda]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[arab uprisings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bin Laden]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Middle East]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saudi Arabia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Terrorism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yemen]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://world.time.com/?p=31789</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Stepping out the door of his home at 8:30 a.m. on Monday morning in Yemen&#8216;s port city of Aden, Brigadier Salim Ali Qatan, commander of the country&#8217;s southern military region, boarded a Toyota pickup truck  in a motorcade on the way to his office. The convoy moved slowly through the battered streets of the unstable southern city, wracked by a secessionist movement, collapsing services, and the constant threat of al-Qaeda incursion from nearby Abyan province. According to military sources who spoke to TIME, a man disguised as one of the city&#8217;s many beggars stepped into the road as the vehicles approached. Strapped under his clothing was a heavy belt jammed with explosives. Running up to Qatan&#8217;s vehicle as if to beg change from the window, the man detonated the ordnance, leaving the vehicle a tangled mess of metal, and body parts scattered over the streets. Early government reports claimed that the suicide bomber who attacked Qatan was a Somali national, but his identity remains unclear. What is known, however, is that al-Qaeda in Yemen, having gained territory in the country since the eruption of the revolution that led to the ouster of president Ali Abdullah Saleh, had cut the head off the military command that had put it on the defensive. (VIDEO: Volatile Yemen: Uprisings and Al-Qaeda) The terrorist group had suffered several recent blows at the hands of the Yemeni army. Indeed, Qatan had recently returned from directing military operations in Abyan province where the army last week ejected al-Qaeda from its strongholds of Jaar and Zinjibar, among others, in a lightning campaign that sent the militant organization on the run to towns further east. After Abd-Rabbuh Mansour Hadi was installed as Saleh&#8217;s successor to the presidency in February, Qatan became the leader of the 31st Armored Brigade and commander of Yemen&#8217;s southern military region. A source in Yemen&#8217;s Ministry of Defense said that there had already been many attempts on Qatan&#8217;s life because of his leading role in the war against al-Qaeda. &#8220;After his promotion [to southern region<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&#038;blog=19871253&#038;post=31789&#038;subd=timeglobalspin&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Yemen</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://world.time.com/category/middle-east/yemen/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timeglobalspin.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/03272924.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
		<media:thumbnail url="http://timeglobalspin.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/03272924.jpg?w=240" />
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			<media:title type="html">Funeral of Major General Salem Ali Qatan</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/6dff0b88b86ca8daec5423cd05debda9?s=96&#38;d=http%3A%2F%2Fs0.wp.com%2Fi%2Fmu.gif&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">howardc1</media:title>
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		<title>Saudi Arabia&#8217;s Heir to the Throne: Meet Crown Prince Salman</title>
		<link>http://world.time.com/2012/06/18/saudi-arabias-heir-to-the-throne-meet-crown-prince-salman/</link>
		<comments>http://world.time.com/2012/06/18/saudi-arabias-heir-to-the-throne-meet-crown-prince-salman/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Jun 2012 18:57:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Aryn Baker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Middle East]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saudi Arabia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[abdullah bin saud]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crown prince]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[monarchy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Royals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[salman]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://world.time.com/?p=31359</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced on Monday that Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud would be the new heir to the throne, after the sudden death of previous crown prince Nayef on Saturday. Prince Salman’s elevation to the next in line to the throne was not entirely unexpected — as a well-respected Minister of Defense and half brother to the current King, he was one of the top choices — but as the dust settles over this latest transition, Saudis and Saudi watchers alike will be fervently hoping that this time the new crown prince will stick around long enough to make it to the throne. Salman, who is 75, is the third prince to be appointed heir to King Abdullah, 87, since he came to power in 2005. Saudi Arabia, already threatened with fallout from the Arab Spring lapping at its authoritarian shores, can little afford the instability that interrupted lines of succession might bring. And as long as the rest of the world depends on Saudi oil, few nations will want to see anything but a steady hand at its helm. Salman, who has no known health issues beyond a bad back, is likely to be that reassuring presence, especially with King Abdullah’s inevitable decline into very old age. “A Saudi crown prince has more power and influence than an American Vice President,” says historian Robert Lacey, author of two books on the Saudi royal family. “And if the king is incapacitated, the channels of power run through the crown prince.” Salman is known as a decisive leader, hardworking and punctual — local taxi lore has it that when he was mayor of Riyadh, you could set your watch to his daily 8 a.m. motor cavalcade to the office. As the family disciplinarian who maintains a private jail for errant princes and spendthrift princesses who neglect to pay their bills, he is seen as just, incorruptible and pragmatic. He will safeguard the family’s interest, not in terms of material wealth but in terms of maintaining the supremacy of the<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&#038;blog=19871253&#038;post=31359&#038;subd=timeglobalspin&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://world.time.com/2012/06/18/saudi-arabias-heir-to-the-throne-meet-crown-prince-salman/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Saudi Arabia</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://world.time.com/category/middle-east/saudi-arabia/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timeglobalspin.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/int_saudi_0619_001.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">Saudi Prince Salman</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">arynbaker</media:title>
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		<title>A Death in The Family. Saudi Arabia&#8217;s Succession Saga</title>
		<link>http://world.time.com/2012/06/16/a-death-in-the-family-saudi-arabias-succession-saga/</link>
		<comments>http://world.time.com/2012/06/16/a-death-in-the-family-saudi-arabias-succession-saga/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 16 Jun 2012 12:59:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Aryn Baker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Democracy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Middle East]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saudi Arabia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crown prince]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heir]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nayef]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://world.time.com/?p=31045</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As Saudi Arabia mourns the death of Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, heir to the throne, there are likely to be as many gasps of apprehension as secret sighs of relief. It’s still not clear where Nayef, 78, was at the time of his death. Late last month he left Saudi for routine medical tests and a holiday at an unknown destination. Government officials, who said he was in good health as recently as June 3, had expected him back in the country “soon.” The death of Nayef, who was also deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, comes just eight months after the death of his brother and former Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, who was 86. Nayef’s appointment as crown prince last year was controversial in some circles, particularly among a younger generation of would-be leaders who perceived him to be more socially conservative and less reform minded than his brother the king. There were fears that if he were to take the throne he might overturn some of the King’s reforms, such as the promise that women would be able to vote, and run, for the first time in 2015’s local council elections. (OBITUARY: Crown Prince Nayef Has Died) But the death of a second heir to the throne in less than eight months threatens to upset the kingdom’s fragile stability. King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who, at 87, has outlasted two heirs, will have some difficult decisions to make in the coming days as he presides over the appointment of the next crown prince. King Abdullah’s third brother, former governor of Riyadh and current defense minister Prince Salman, 75 is a likely choice, though the king’s half brother and Foreign Intelligence Chief Prince Muqrim, at a relatively sprightly 68, is also a contender. With most of those directly in line to the throne hobbling about with canes, hip replacements or in wheel chairs, one could be forgiven for thinking of Saudi palaces as particularly well-appointed old age homes. The next few decades<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&#038;blog=19871253&#038;post=31045&#038;subd=timeglobalspin&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Saudi Arabia</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://world.time.com/category/middle-east/saudi-arabia/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timeglobalspin.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/600_2012-06-16t110828z_74864758.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">Nayef</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">arynbaker</media:title>
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		<title>Must-Reads from Around the World, June 11, 2012</title>
		<link>http://world.time.com/2012/06/11/must-reads-from-around-the-world-june-11-2012/</link>
		<comments>http://world.time.com/2012/06/11/must-reads-from-around-the-world-june-11-2012/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 11 Jun 2012 11:10:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Joe Jackson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[arab uprisings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bahrain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[China]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Daily Briefing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Democracy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dictatorships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Diplomacy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[E.U.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Europe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Geo-political tensions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mexico]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Middle East]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Protests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Qatar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saudi Arabia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[U.K.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[U.S.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[arab spring]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bailout]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bank]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cremation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drug War]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[drugs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eurosceptics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eurozone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[George Osborne]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Global Post]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gordon Brown]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gulf monarchies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hong kong]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hunan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leveson Inquiry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Li Wangyang]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[membership]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New York Times]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[presidential election]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[press]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[protest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[referendum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[South China Morning POst]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tiananmen dissident]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[unemployment]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://world.time.com/?p=29780</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Rising Anger &#8211; The South China Morning Post reports on protests Sunday in Hong Kong demanding Chinese authorities investigate last week&#8217;s suspicious death of Tiananmen dissident Li Wangyang. The demonstration came as officials in the activist&#8217;s Hunan province hometown claimed Li died &#8220;an accidental death&#8221; and his body was cremated at the request of relatives. &#8220;According to reports, Li&#8217;s family did not consent to an autopsy or his cremation,&#8221; it says. Too Close For Comfort – A week of high-profile defendants at the Leveson Inquiry kicks off today with former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Chancellor George Osborne appearing on the stand. The Daily Telegraph, which is live-blogging the day of testimony, reports that Brown admitted the Labour party “accepted too easily” a closed media culture and established that there is a line to be drawn over the relationship between politicians and the media: “You can serve up dinner, but you can’t serve up BSkyB as part of that dinner.” Counter-Revolution &#8211; Global Post examines Saudi Arabia&#8217;s efforts to stymie the Arab Spring in the region, but notes not all has gone to plan. &#8220;Riyadh is pushing a bold agenda to strengthen the long-standing union between its fellow Gulf monarchies, apparently to prevent the Arab world’s revolutionary fervor from spreading,&#8221; it writes. &#8220;The move was met with skepticism and outright hostility from neighboring states, which are reluctant to cede their growing autonomy.&#8221; Bailout Blues – After Spain’s banks were granted a bailout from the euro zone, The New York Times says the repeated pattern of rescuing banks around Europe is “like a comedy routine” and condemns the fact that it’s “only the banks that get rescued, not the unemployed.” It describes as “striking” the idea that European leaders “have no intention of changing the policies that have left almost a quarter of Spain’s workers … jobless.” New Tack &#8211; Ahead of Mexico&#8217;s July 1 presidential election, The New York Times analyzes the three leading candidates&#8217; strategies for the country&#8217;s deadly drug war, noting a major re-emphasis on reducing the violence in Mexico over blocking the flow of drugs to the U.S.<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=world.time.com&#038;blog=19871253&#038;post=29780&#038;subd=timeglobalspin&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Daily Briefing</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://world.time.com/category/daily-briefing/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">joejackson2011</media:title>
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