Secret talks between Saudis and Houthis appear to make some progress

(December 2, 2019) Secret talks between Saudi Arabia and the Yemen Houthi movement appear to be making progress. Prisoners were released, medical patients have been evacuated and the number of attacks are down significantly.

The Stockholm Agreement

Prior to the recent talks there had been an agreement to solve some humanitarian issues such as access to ports for delivery of humanitarian aid. The Stockholm agreement had three main parts: "1 An agreement on the city of Hodeidah and the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa. 2 An executive mechanism on activating the prisoner exchange agreement.3 A statement of understanding on Taïz." Taiz is a city contested by both sides and Hodeiedah was a main port for the entry of humanitarian supplies essential for the many Yemenis facing starvation.

The agreement was in December of 2018 and raised hopes that the Yemen war could be ended. But as a recent article reports: "..those hopes faded quickly, as both sides accused each other of failing to implement the pact. Though the United Nations-led scheme has apparently foundered, separate talks between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia have Yemenis wondering whether some sort of peace may in fact be on the table. "

The talks

The Saudis have admitted there are "indirect, behind-the-scenes talks' with the Houthis, who control much of North Yemen and have the support of Iran. Oman that borders on Yemen has been brokering the talks. Early suggestions have been that the deal might be somewhat the same as the deal with southern separatists that ended fighting with the Saudis and separatist southerners with their UAE allies in Aden and adjoining areas. As the BBC reported: "Yemen's government has signed a power-sharing deal with separatists in the south of the country that is intended to end months of infighting.The two are meant to be part of an alliance with a Saudi-led multinational coalition that has been battling the rebel Houthi movement since 2015."

However, the deal with Saudis the UAE and separatists has upset the Hadi government does which does not like sharing power with the separatists. In the past, the Hadi government, that has the support of Saudi Arabia, has rejected any deal in which the Houthis get anything. In the Hadi view it is simply the legitimate government and the Houthis have no claim to any power.

New deal will be between Saudis and Houthis with no Hadi government involvement

The Saudis are interested in stopping attacks on its own soil by the Houthis. A Houthi source in Sanaa told Middle East Eye that the current talks are not part of the Stockholm agreement.'Saudi Arabia is pursuing a truce to protect its land and its people'"The Stockholm agreement was between the Houthis and Hadi’s government, but now the negotiations are between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia,” he said, on condition of anonymity."

The Hadi government is opting to still demand unconditional, indefinite rule over the whole of Yemen. However, the Saudis may be anxious for a deal with the Houthis that could involve some sort of power-sharing elements as well. Even an agreement for free elections could reduce any control of the Hadi government as its unpopularity in many places caused the Houthi rebellion in the first place.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman denies knowledge of torture of female activist

The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman denies any knowledge about the allegations of torture of a female activist. The allegations have also been denied by the public prosecutor.

Activist's family bring torture allegations

The family of Loujain al-Hathloul who was arrested in a crackdown last year have alleged that the campaigner has faced repeated torture and sexual harassment while in prison. The family also claims Loujain was threatened with rape. The torture was claimed to be overseen by the Saudi al-Qahtani the Crown Prince's "right-hand' man.

Hathloul is one of ten other women activists who are on trial on charges that are described as bogus by Amnesty International.

Hathioul is one among other detainees who have complained of being subject to electric shocks, flogging, and groping while in detention.

The deal to release Hathloul

An August article reports: "Saudi authorities have offered to release jailed activist Loujain al-Hathloul in exchange for her video testimony denying that she had been tortured and sexually harassed in prison, her family claimed on Tuesday. The Saudi state security has visited my sister in prison recently. They have asked her to... appear on video to deny the torture and harassment," her brother Walid al-Hathloul, who is based in Canada, said on Twitter."That was part of a deal to release her." "

Bin Salman's interview

In an interview on CBS Bin Salman replied when asked whether the torture reports were true said: "If this is correct, it is very heinous. Islam forbids torture. The Saudi laws forbid torture. Human conscience forbids torture." Bin Salman said he would personally follow up on the allegations. The public prosecutor has already ruled that the allegations are false. However, several human rights organizations have claimed to have verified the allegations.

Saudi Arabia's criminal code also prohibits torture but human rights organizations have routinely accused the Saudis of torture.

Bin Salman claims arrested activists have contacts with foreign agencies

Last year in another interview on CBS said: "They have connections with agencies of other countries. They have a network, connection with government people, leaking information for the sake these other governments. Secret intelligence.We have some of them with videos. We can show it to you." However, no such videos were ever released or seen by reporters.

Ironically the arrest of other Hathiloul and other prominent female activists who campaigned for the right of women to drive came just weeks before the government actually lifted the ban on women driving.

UN human rights experts urge that Hathloul be released

The experts released a statement saying: "It is shocking hypocritical that Ms al-Hathloul remains in prison for campaigning to change laws which have since been amended. Indeed, she should never have been imprisoned in the first place for exercising her fundamental rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association. In spite of recent improvements in Saudi Arabia's male guardianship laws, it is imperative that the world does not lose sight of the human rights concerns which persist in the country, as human rights defenders have continued to express."

Bin Salman involvement suspected in Khashoggi murder

Wikipedia reports on the murder: "The assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident, journalist for The Washington Post and former general manager and editor-in-chief of Al-Arab News Channel, occurred on 2 October 2018 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey and was perpetrated by agents of the Saudi Arabian government.[4][5] The exact cause of his death is unknown since his body has not been located or examined.[6][7][8] Government officials of several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, believe Khashoggi was murdered. Turkey in particular believes it was premeditated murder, and anonymous Saudi officials have admitted that agents affiliated with the Saudi government killed him.[6][9]"

The Saudis have never admitted that Bin Salman was involved but a critical UN report suggested that he be investigated. The CIA is reported to have concluded that Bin Salman ordered the Khashoggi murder.

US president is a strong supporter of BIn Salman.

Houthis and Saudis reach deal on ceasefire in the key Yemen port of Hodeidah

(July 16)Houthi and Saudi representatives have within the last 48 hours reached an agreement on board a UN ship in the Red Sea, according to UN officials. The deal would see the ceasefire at the port of Hodeidah enforced.

Ceasefire deal reached last year but not implemented

A ceasefire with troop withdrawals was negotiated last year, but failed to be completed as a May 11 article in the Guardian notes: "Yemen’s Houthi movement has begun unilaterally moving its forces out of key ports, the first practical progress under a ceasefire deal agreed last year. The retreat from areas in and around western Hodeidah was agreed at talks in Sweden in December but stalled over a lack of trust between two sides in the war. Both were meant to withdraw their fighters, leaving the United Nations to monitor shipments through the ports in Hodeidah. Shipments unloaded there provide a vital humanitarian lifeline to millions of Yemenis who now rely on aid to survive."

The Houthis have handed over the port to local groups, but getting the Saudi-led troops out of the area has been a problem except for the UAE troops as the UAE has willingly reduced it presence in Yemen as described in a report from the Middle East Monitor.

The new deal involves several rounds of de-escalation as well as new measures to enforce the ceasefire. Both sides agreed on a timetable for troop withdrawals from the area.

Hodeidah crucial to getting aid into Yemen

Hodeidah is Yemen's largest and most important port and as mentioned is crucial to getting aid into the country many of whose residents are starving or on the verge of it. The country has was also hit by a cholera epidemic as reported in September of 2017: "Yemen’s cholera outbreak has infected 612,703 people and killed 2,048 since it began in April, and some districts are still reporting sharp rises in new cases, data from the World Health Organization and Yemen’s health ministry showed on Tuesday."

Mark Lowcock of the UN described the humanitarian crisis in Yemen as "the worst crisis of all with 24 million people, 75 percent of the population, in need of humanitarian assistance."

The deal on the port of Hodeidah will ensure that any aid that is donated will be able to get through to Yemenis who need it.

Yemen imports over 90 percent of its food as most of the country is desert and cannot produce enough local supplies. Most of the imported food during the war comes through Hodeidah especially for the northern area controlled by the Houthis.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Saudi Arabia world's largest importer of armaments

While the US is the world''s largest exporter of arms, Saudi Arabia is the world's largest customer not just in the Middle East which purchases about a third of world arms exports but in the entire world.

Saudi Arabia the world's largest importer of arms

Over the last five years, Saudi Arabia global arms purchases have soared by 192 percent. As shown on the appended video from several years back, the Saudis purchase many arms from the US. The Saudis need to replace arms as they are locked in a long war with Yemen but the Saudis also want to build up their armaments to counter Iran. According to recent estimates, the Saudis now spend the third most of any country on their military behind the US, by far the largest, and then China. Saudi Arabia has now surpassed Russia, which is much larger both in size and population than Saudi Arabia.

Unlike Russia, China, or the US, the Saudis do not have the same significant military-industrial complex to make their own armaments and earn funds through exports. Instead the Saudis must import most of their arms from countries such as the US and the UK. As the oil economy begins to shrink and oil prices drop, the Saudis may find that their costly military arms budget that now eats up about 10 percent of their budget could become too costly to sustain.

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report

SIPRI reports that arms flowing to the Middle East have gone up 87 percent during last. The report shows that from 2014 to 2018 Saudi Arabia became the world's largest arms importer. Egypt, Algeria, and the UAE also were among the top ten of world arms buyers. The SIPRI report shows the US and European nations sell jets, jeeps and other other gear that is used in wars in Yemen and elsewhere.

Peter Wezeman, a SIPRI researcher told the Middle East Eye: “Weapons from the US, the UK and France are in high demand in the Gulf, where conflicts and tensions are rife. Russia, France and Germany dramatically increased their arms sales to Egypt in the past five years." The SIPRI report also mentioned that the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Israel are all arming to make ready for a potential conflict with Iran

Arming Middle East governments becoming more controversial for some

Patrick Wilcken of Amnesty International pointed out that many western arms ended up being used in actions that abused human rights as in Egypt's crackdown on political opponents, Israel actions against Palestinians and occupation of their lands, and the Saudi-led war in Yemen. Germany is one country that has finally taken a stand as it extended until the end of March a unilateral freeze on supplying arms to Yemen because of its war in Yemen and murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Jeff Abramson, scholar at the Arms Control Association said the US should follow the example of Germany: “Instead of being challenged, the US continues to claim a larger share of an expanding global arms market.As such, the US should take the lead in promoting responsible behaviour, rather than encouraging trade to repressive and irresponsible regimes, such as those in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.”

Previously published in Digital Journal

Saudi Arabia forced to introduce taxes as oil revenues plummet

Saudi Arabia residents have long enjoyed a tax-free existence supplemented by heavy subsidies on some products. With the steep decline in oil prices and revenues this is all changing.

Last June, the Saudi government agreed with the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council(GCC) to levy a 5 percent tax on certain goods. The GCC countries have already agreed to implement selective taxes on tobacco, and soft and energy drinks this year. The decline in oil revenue has led the Saudis to attempt to broaden its investment base so that it will rely less on oil revenue in the future.

The Saudi government is also trying to cut back on expenditures. It has frozen several major building projects and imposed a wage freeze on civil servants. Even cabinet ministers' salaries were cut. The government also cut fuel and utilities subsidies. Last year there was a record $97 billion deficit. The kingdom aims to balance its budget by 2020. The official Saudi Press agency said that the cabinet "had decided to approve the unified agreement for value-added tax" that would be implemented throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and that a royal decree had been prepared. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) had urged the GCC countries to adopt revenue-raising measures that included excise and value-added taxes as a means of helping them to adjust to low oil prices.

The value-added tax on tobacco and its products will be a whopping 100 percent according to an article in Al Arabiya. Dr Mohammed Yamani, who chairs an NGO that helps smokers quit smoking said that the tax should reduce the number of smokers saying: “The move is a positive and important step toward combating the unhealthy habit." 14 percent of Saudi teenagers and 7 percent of Saudi women smoke. Yamani said the tax on tobacco and products would be imposed in the second quarter of 2017. The same level of taxation is to be imposed on sodas and energy drinks.

There has been talk of taxes on remittances of expats to their home countries but so far no action has been taken. A sharp decline of oil revenue has taken place as the price of oil more than halved from over $114 dollars a barrel in 2014 to a little over $55 dollars a barrel now.

Saudi Arabia halts oil shipments to Egypt in spite of aid deal

Saudi Arabia has informed Egypt the oil shipments under a $23 billion aid deal agreed to in April have been halted indefinitely. The action suggests a deepening rift between the two countries.

Since President Abdel el-Sisi took power in Egypt in 2013, Saudi Arabia has been a major donor helping prop up Egypt's ailing economy. There may be a number of reasons behind the action. Some claim that the Saudis are frustrated with Egypt's lack of economic reforms. However, Egypt has accepted reforms required to obtain a loan from the IMF for $12 billion. Another reason may be Egypt's reluctance to be drawn into the Yemen conflict.

However, Saudi Arabia may be even more angry at Egypt's moves for a great rapprochement with Iran and warming relations with Moscow as a recent Al-Monitor article points out. This will lead to Egypt taking a less aggressive view toward removing Assad in Syria. All of this is counter to Saudi positions.

During a visit to Egypt in April, the Saudis agreed to provide Egypt with 700,000 tonnes of refined oil products per month for a period of five years but the shipments stopped in early October. Egyptian officials said that since the contract with the Saudi state oil firm Aramco is still valid they expected the shipments to begin again. However, yesterday Tarek El Molla, the Egyptian oil minister confirmed that shipments had stopped indefinitely. A ministry official said: "They did not give us a reason. They only informed the authority about halting shipments of petroleum products until further notice." This announcement comes just after a source in Molla's delegation said that he would visit Iran to try and negotiate new oil deals. A deal with Iran would represent a significant shift in relationships in the Middle East.

However, Molla, speaking to reporters in Abhu Dhabi, insisted that he was not going to Iran. An Iranian oil official also said that a report in Iranian media suggesting Molla would meet with his counterpart in Tehran yesterday was incorrect. Egyptian PM Sherif Ismail also confirmed that Egypt was not negotiating with Iran on importing oil products. However, two security sources and the source in Molla's delegation claimed that the minister had been scheduled to go, but when the news became public the visit was delayed. The Saudi's would be extremely angry if Egypt were to negotiate an oil deal with Tehran.

Saudi Arabia may also be somewhat miffed at the Egypt's State Council's decision that el-Sisi could not hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia as he had agreed to earlier.. President Sisi's decision was met by rare protests with many being arrested.

"28 pages" about Saudi involvement in 9/11 finally released

The US House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has at least released the secret "28 pages" from the 9/11 report which deal almost entirely with the relationship of the Saudi Arabian government to the attacks.

The White House claims even after the release that these pages prove that Saudis had nothing to with the attack. While there is, one might say, no smoking gun, there is plenty of circumstantial evidence that there were contacts between hijackers and individuals who were associated with the Saudi government. The full redacted text of the 28 pages can be read here.

Many political figures such as former Sen. Bob Graham and Congressman Rick Nolan have long been calling for release of the pages.Graham claimed the pages point a "very strong finger at Saudi Arabia."

The report admits: “While in the United States, some of the September 11th hijackers were in contact with or received assistance from, individuals who may be connected with the Saudi government.” FBI sources also believed that at least two of those individuals were Saudi intelligence agents. TheIntercept reports:One of the most notable figures mentioned is Omar al-Bayoumi, alleged by the report to have likely been a Saudi intelligence agent. Al-Bayoumi was in close contact with hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Midhar, providing them financial assistance during their time in the United States and even helping them find an apartment. Bayoumi in turn is believed to have been on the payroll of the Saudi Ministry of Defense and was regularly in receipt of large lump sums of money from the Saudi Ministry of Finance and other undisclosed arms of the government.

Bayouni was supposedly an employee of Ercan, a subsidiary of a company with substantial ties to the Saudi Defense Ministry. He was only confirmed to have gone to Ercan once. Nevertheless he received a $465 per month "allowance" from the company. After he met with the hijackers this was increased to $3,700 a month. Bayouni's wife also received $1200 a month from the wife of the former ambassador to the US. The two kept receiving the money until they left the US in July or early August of 2001.

Another important figure is Osama Bassnan a Saudi-citizen and associate of al-Bayoumi who lived in an apartment close by al-Hazmi and al-Midhar. He is reported to have said to the FBI that he did more for the hijackers than al-Bayoumi did. Bassnan and his wife received regular payments from the wife of former Saudi Ambassador to the US Prince Bandar bin Sultan. On one occasion Bassnan was said to have received a check directly from the prince's account. Bassnan said he was introduced to the hijackers by Bayouni. The CIA says they believe Bassman got a fake passport from the Saudi government. He was a known supporter of Al Qaeda, and had spoken of bin Laden as being like a god as far back as 1992. The money given to his wife by the wife of Prince Bandar bin Sultan totalling $74,000 dollars was supposedly for nursing services but there was no evidence such services were ever provided.

Saleh al-Hussayen, described as a Saudi Interior Ministry employee or official, stayed in the same hotel as one of the hijackers in the days before the attack. When interviewed by FBI officials, he kept passing out or feigning a seizure, terminating the interview. He later fled the US. Much of the material in the pages is not new but confirms statements already made.The Saudi government said that it welcomed the release of the pages claiming that they exonerate Saudi Arabia of any direct role in the attacks. However, it certainly does point to persons associated with the Saudi Government as having helped some of the hijackers. The report notes that Saudi authorities consistently refused to cooperate with investigators who were trying to discover more information about the hijackers. FBI agents and CIA officers complained to the 9/11 inquiry that the Saudis often failed to cooperate both before and after the 9/11 attack.

The report also mentions that several Saudi Naval officers had contact with the hijackers before the attack, but the entire section on this is mostly redacted so the details are not known. The Joint Inquiry tended to make light of the considerable evidence of Saudi involvement presented by the FBI and CIA claiming that the reports were not independently confirmed and that there could be "innocent explanations" for the aid provided to the hijackers. In spite of the spin put on what is in the pages by the US government and the Saudis, the pages contain plenty of circumstantial evidence supporting those who claim that the Saudis played a significant role in helping out at least some of the hijackers.

US expects $40 billion in foreign military sales this fiscal year.

For the fiscal year ending on October 1, 2016, the U.S. is on track to rack up $40 billion in foreign military sales. Exports sales are down from $46.6 billion last year, according to a top Pentagon official.

U.S. Navy Vice Admiral, Joe Rixey, head of the Pentagon Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) provided the statistics at the Farnborough International Airshow, saying: "We're tracking toward $40 billion. We're tracking toward our forecast. " While Rixey admitted that the total still could be different depending on what happens in the fourth quarter, Rixey did not think the Brexit will change U.S. sales to the UK. He cited two large UK purchases from Boeing just recently.

Rixey said global demand for U.S. helicopters and weapons remains strong. Rixey has created over 40 different initiatives to make the approval process quicker and more efficient in response to criticism that there were delays in handling the large number of requests. Industry officials and top U.S. military officials have complained about delays in approval of fighter jet sales to allies in the Gulf and elsewhere. However, Rixey noted that his agency only facilitated sales which first had to be approved by the U.S. State Department, Pentagon, and White House.

Stalled deals include a sale of 36 F-15 jet fighters to Qatar for $4 billion and a $3 billion deal to sell 24 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets to Kuwait. Both are built by Boeing. Rixey explained: "Anything that is in foreign policy review is actually part of the deliberate conversation. When we get stalled there, the system is not broken, but actually acting as intended. We’re having a debate about foreign policy."

Rixey noted that increasing demands cause stress for government agencies charged with evaluating proposals. Rixey said: "It’s not broken but it’s certainly burdened, with $47 billion (in arms sales approvals) in FY15, and we're approaching $40 billion this year. We’ve got to make sure that we get better." The decline this year from last is actually caused in part by the burdened system, according to Rixey. If the stalled Kuwait and Qatar deals had been approved the export total would have been slightly above last year at $47 billion.

The U.S. exports more weapons than any other country and the 2015 level was a record. Worldwide, the U.S. is responsible for 33 percent of military exports. The top recipient of U.S. arms from 2011-2015 was Saudi Arabia, closely followed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to research by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) which has been collecting data since 1968. However, the the largest military aid program, according to a recent report, is to go to Israel. The rest of the top 10 were: Turkey, South Korea, Australia, Taiwan, India, Iraq,

The State Department's 2017 budget request includes approximately $5.7 billion for Foreign Military Financing. In the proposed budget, the top five recipients of American foreign military financing will be Israel ($3.1 billion), Egypt ($1.3 billion), with lesser amounts going to Jordan, Pakistan, and Iraq. Other prominent exporters of arms are Russia, China, France and Germany. China is increasing its share of global arms exports rather quickly.

Measure to ban transfer of cluster bombs to Saudis defeated in US House of Representatives

The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly defeated a measure to ban the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia. The vote was 204 for and 216 against. The vote against the measure was made up of 200 Republicans but only 16 Democrats.

The Obama administration had urged Democrats to vote against the measure. The closeness of the vote shows the growing opposition against Saudi Arabia's conduct of the war which shows that cluster bombs were used several times and fragments show that some at least came from the U.S. This vote comes just as the Obama administration is reported to have quietly put a hold on transfer of cluster bombs to the Saudis.

However, the administration is obviously dead against a ban on sending the weapons to the Saudis. Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen of New Jersey, chair of the House Committee on Defense Appropriations, said during debate:“The Department of Defense strongly opposes this amendment, They advise us that it would stigmatize cluster munitions, which are legitimate weapons with clear military utility.”

The munitions scatter hundreds of thousands of miniature explosives over large areas often the size of several football fields. Some fail to explode leaving mine-like explosives that can kill civilians long after a battle. There is an international ban against cluster munitions as described in Wikipedia:The Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) is an international treaty that prohibits the use, transfer and stockpile of cluster bombs, a type of explosive weapon which scatters submunitions ("bomblets") over an area. The convention was adopted on 30 May 2008 in Dublin,[6] and was opened for signature on 3 December 2008 in Oslo. It entered into force on 1 August 2010, six months after it was ratified by 30 states.[2] As of April 2016, 108 states have signed the treaty and 100 have ratified it or acceded to it.[3]

Neither the United States, China, Russia, nor Israel have signed the treaty. Neither, have Yemen nor Saudi Arabia.The U.S. position is that they are militarily useful but should not be used in densely populated areas. Representative Hank Johnson from Georgia spoke in favor of the amendment saying: “Earlier this year, the Saudi-led coalition dropped cluster bombs in Yemen’s capital of Sanaa, specifically targeting known civilian neighborhoods. One of the buildings hit was the al Noor Center for Care and Rehabilitation for the Blind, which also has a school for blind children. The destruction of the school and the injuries sustained by the children was unbearably gruesome.”

The vote came just one day after Mohammed Bin Salman, the defense minister as well as Saudi deputy crown prince met with US lawmakers to discuss among other items "the threat posed by Iranian aggression in ..Yemen and the broader Middle East." The closeness of the vote encouraged, Sunjeev Bery, of Amnesty International who said: “This is a big deal for the U.S.-Saudi Arabia alliance, More and more members of Congress are clearly getting tired of selling Saudi Arabia bombs when it is dropping them on civilians in Yemen.”

While Canada is a signatory to the ban on cluster bombs, four Canadian financial institutions have invested $565 million in companies that manufacture the bombs. This information is revealed in the report released in Ottawa by the Dutch Peace Group PAX. The four are among a total of 158 companies worldwide that have invested a whopping $28 billion in companies connected to the weapons from June 2012 to April 2016. Paul Hannon, director of Mines Action Canada wants the Canadian government to issue guidelines to ban such investments by Canadian institutions. Hannon said:"These are inhuman and indiscriminate weapons and no financial institution should be investing in them. Whether it's because they don't realize that they're doing this, whether it's because they're such huge corporations, and one arm doesn't realize what the other arm is doing, that's fine. But they now need to understand."

Named in the report are the Royal Bank of Canada(RBC), Manulife Financial, Sun Life Financial and CI FInancial. CI claims it no longer holds any shares in the US company cited in the report. Royal Bank invested $132 million and Manuflie $48 million in the US firm Textron that manufactures the bombs. RBC said:"RBC is a responsible lender and practices a high level of due diligence prior to lending funds..Our policy prohibits directly financing equipment or material for cluster munitions. We are currently working towards extending this policy beyond lending."Manulife and Sun Life did not respond to a request to comment. Suzanne Ooserwijk, author of the report noted that the Royal Bank had taken positive steps to ban investments in cluster munitions but that their policy contained loopholes. As the appended video shows some of the cluster bombs used in Yemen by the Saudis come from the UK rather than the U.S.

Bin Ladin Group lays off 50,000 workers some yet to be paid

Fifty thousand foreign laborers have been fired by the Binladin Group construction company in Saudi Arabia. Some have not been paid salaries for the last four months.

In protests over the unpaid salaries, workers in Mecca set seven buses on fire. The workers were told to leave Saudi Arabia without their pay. The Saudi daily Okaz reported the bus fires were extinguished with no fatalities. It said the authorities launched an investigation into the incident. The paper did not mention the fire was part of a protest by the workers because they were not paid.

The company has a total of about 200,000 workers and is one of the Middle East's largest builders. The Al-Watan newspaper said Binladin had given the workers a permanent exit visa but many do not want to leave until they are paid. The workers are holding daily protests in front of the company offices in Mecca.

Saudi Binladin Group (SBG)] — with branches in Egypt, Lebanon, and the UK — was founded by Sheik Mohammed bin Laden Sayyid, who was the father of terrorist Osama bin Laden. He had over 50 children. Osama was removed as a shareholder in the business in 1993 and disowned by the family. The father had a close relationship with Saudi royalty, leading to many important contracts — including refurbishing mosques at Mecca and Medina. The declining price of oil has led to less construction projects for the company. The company is reported to have debts of up to $30 billion.The Saudi government had a budget deficit of nearly $100 billion last year. The company has not issued any statement on the protests or burning of the buses. The company has had a series of pay disputes with its workers this year. In March, many workers protested outside a company office demanding unpaid wages.

The company situation has been exacerbated by its being suspended from future contracts by the Saudi government: On 11 September 2015, while doing construction work in the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, one of the Group's cranes collapsed due to high winds causing 118 deaths and almost 400 injuries. As a result, the Saudi king suspended bin Laden’s family construction firm and banned the firm from taking new projects while having its current projects reviewed.

Preliminary investigation shows that the crane was not properly secured. BinLadin has yet to issue a public statement responding to their suspension.

U.S. bill to allow Saudis to be sued meets resistance

The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act introduced in the U.S. Senate would allow the possibility of lawsuits against any foreign nations found to be involved in funding a terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

The text of the act explicitly mentioned the 9/11 attacks in 2001. The bill appears to target Saudi Arabia in particular, a feature that has angered the Saudis. Saudi Foreign Minister, Adel Jubeir is said to have told the U.S. administration that if the bill was passed, Saudi Arabia would immediately sell $750 billion in US treasuries. This could cause interest rates to spike, damaging the US dollar and the U.S.economy.

Almost immediately, the White House was threatening to veto the bill and Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina a co-sponsor of the bi-partisan bill put a hold on the bill saying that it could come back to bite us. The president arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday April 20 for a meeting with King Salman and officials.

The State Department and the White House warned that U.S. citizens abroad could face retaliatory lawsuits.The bill has brought Democratic Senator, Chuck Schumer, into conflict with the Obama administration. Schumer said: "If Saudi Arabia participated in terrorism, of course they should be able to be sued. This bill would allow a suit to go forward and victims of terrorism to go to court to determine if the Saudi government participated in terrorist acts. If the Saudis did, they should pay a price."Josh Earnest, the White House spokesperson, claimed the bill would jeopardize "international sovereignty" and would put the U.S. at risk should other countries adopt a similar law. He said it was difficult to imagine a scenario in which President Obama would sign the bill. The bill would prevent Saudi Arabia and other countries from invoking their sovereign immunity in federal courts.

The House is awaiting Senate action before it goes ahead with its own bill introduced by Peter King, a New York Republican. Paul Callan, a CNN legal analyst pointed out that the law could result in countries retaliating against U.S. drone attacks. Callan said: "Which is why for almost 200 years, international law has recognized this concept of sovereign immunity that countries shouldn't really allow individual courts to sue other countries. It shall be worked down as a matter of foreign relations."While Saudi Arabia has not been implicated in the 9/11 attacks, there have long been suspicions that the Saudi royal family were involved. These suspicions have even been increased by the failure so far for the Obama administration to release 28 pages of an investigation into foreign involvement in the attacks.

There is no similar resistance to allowing a suit against Iran to go forward for a terror attack on marine barracks in Beirut. The US Supreme court ruled that Iran must pay nearly $2 billion from frozen assets to more than 1,000 Americans. The ruling relates to a 1983 bombing of U.S. Marine barracks that killed 241 Marines, as well as other attacks. In 2012 Congress passed a law that directed assets of Iran's Markazi bank be turned over to the families who were suing. Democrats and Republicans in Congress, and the Obama administration as well supported the families in this case.

Saudi Arabia has third largest military expenditures

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute(SIPRI) estimates global military spending at $1.7 trillion for the year 2015. This is the first year-on-year increase since 2011.

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Global military spending increased one percent from last year. The data was released to coincide with the start of the Stockholm Forum on Security and Development. The report can be found here.

The United States is by far the biggest spender on the military with more than a third of global spending. In second place is China. The big news is that Saudi Arabia is now in third place, ahead of Russia. Saudi Arabia's military spending has more than doubled since 2006. Recent spending increases may be due to Saudi attempts to defeat Houthi rebels in Yemen. A civil was has been raging for over a year including an extensive bombing campaign led by the Saudis. Military expenditures dropped in Venezuela by a whopping 64 percent, while in Angola it dropped 40 per cent.

The US spent $596 billion last year, a decline of 2.4 percent from 2014. China's expenditure rose by 7.4 percent to $215 billion. Saudi expenditures rose 5.7 percent to $87.2 billion. Russia's expenditure was $66.4 billion.

Sam Perlo-Freeman, head of SIPRI's group the measures military expenditures said: "Military spending in 2015 presents contrasting trends, On the one hand, spending trends reflect the escalating conflict and tension in many parts of the world; on the other hand, they show a clear break from the oil-fueled surge in military spending of the past decade. This volatile economic and political situation creates an uncertain picture for the years to come."Saudi Arabia is increasing military spending even in spite of the steep decline in oil prices as is Russia.

Military spending is growing in Asia and Oceania, Central and Eastern Europe and in some Middle Eastern states. After recent declines in the West spending is now leveling off. In Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean regions all show decreased spending. SIPRI notes that it includes in military spending much more than just expenditure on armaments:Military expenditure refers to all government spending on current military forces and activities, including salaries and benefits, operational expenses, arms and equipment purchases, military construction, research and development, and central administration, command and support. SIPRI therefore discourages the use of terms such as ‘arms spending’ when referring to military expenditure, as spending on armaments is usually only a minority of the total.

Saudi Grand Mufit says chess is "the work of Satan" and is forbidden

Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh responded to a question on a Saudi television show saying that chess was "the work of Satan," as were alcohol and gambling.

Chess is believed by many scholars to have originated in India in the sixth century AD. It spread to Persia and when the Arabs conquered Persia, they adopted the game and the game spread throughout the Muslim world and from there to southern Europe. During the Cold War, Russia was dominant in the game except for a period when the American,Bobby Fischer, became a U.S. hero for a time beating the Russians. He beat the Russian Boris Spassky in 1973 in a tournament held in Reykjavik Iceland. He refused to defend his title when chess authorities refused to meet his demands. Later he became anti-American and ended up in Iceland where he died in 2008:

 During the 1990s and early 2000s, Fischer lived in Hungary, Germany, the Philippines, Japan, and Iceland, and made increasingly anti-American and anti-semitic remarks on various radio stations. Possibly, as a result, his U.S. passport was revoked.[15][16][17] Unaware of the revocation, Fischer traveled to Japan, where he was arrested by Japanese authorities[18] and detained for more than eight months[19] under threat of deportation. In March 2005, Iceland granted Fischer full citizenship,[20] leading Japanese authorities to release him from prison.[21] Fischer flew to Iceland, where he lived until his death on January 17, 2008.[22]Fischer was arguably one of the best players ever.

Chess is still widely played across the Arab world even in Saudi Arabia. In spite of the danger of crossing religious authorities in Saudi Arabia, Musa Bin Thaily, a member of the Saudi Chess Association defended the game against the cleric's charges saying that the game had nothing to do with gambling and that the Association had held 70 events in Saudi Arabia. He even included photos that showed players posing with a UAE prince. Bin Thally also posted a photo of chess pieces that had crescent moons atop the king rather than the cross that is standard on the Staunton pattern often used in the west.

The Grand Mufti issued a fatwa, or religious decree, to the effect that chess was forbidden. Nevertheless, it appears that the Saudi chess association will go ahead with a chess tournament in Mecca. In his association of chess with gambling, the Mufti said: “It makes the rich man poor, and makes the poor man rich. It causes hostility and wastes time where it should not be spent.”

It is not clear how chess makes the rich man poor and the poor man rich. although if it did. that sounds to be not such a bad idea. As for wasting time and causing hostility, it could be argued that almost any competitive game could have these effects on some players. It remains to be seen whether the royal rulers will enforce the fatwa. Fatwas are not considered law but legal opinions or religious guidance.

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the Iraqi Shia religious authority, beat his Sunni counterpart to the punch by previously issuing rulings against the game. Indeed Christian churches and a number of authorities throughout its history have sanctioned chess: By the late 15th century, it had survived a series of prohibitions and Christian Church sanctions to almost take the shape of the modern game.

After the 1979 Iranian revolution chess was forbidden by senior clerics for the same reason as the Saudi Grand Mufti gave that it is associated with gambling. In 1988, Iran’s then supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, lifted the ban and said it was permissible as long as it was not a means of gambling. Iran now has its own confederation for playing chess. It regularly sends players to international tournaments. While many Muslim scholars distinguish chess from gambling in that it is a skill-based game, they are concerned that playing chess might distract players from religious duties. Placing bets on a match is strictly forbidden.

Palestinian poet sentenced to death for apostasy by Saudi court

A Saudi court sentenced Asharaf Fayadh, a Palestinian poet, to death for abandoning his Muslim faith, a form of apostasy punishable by death in Saudi Arabia and a number of other countries who implement Sharia law.

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Human Rights Watch researcher Adam Coogle reported on the sentence. Fayadh was first detained by the Saudi religious police in 2013 and rearrested and tried in the early part of 2014. At first a court sentenced him to four years in prison and 800 lashes, but after the sentence was appealed, another court sentenced him to death just three days ago.

The Saudi judicial system is based upon Sharia law with the judges being clerics from the Wahhabi school of Sunni Islam. In the groups' interpretation of Sharia law, religious crimes such as blasphemy and apostasy are punishable by death. This is an interpretation held by many Islamic scholars but not all. The issue is discussed at some length in the Wikipedia entry on apostasy in Islam. Other countries including Yemen, the UAE, and Afghanistan also have the death penalty as punishment for apostasy. Public support for the punishment varies from one Islamic country to another with Afghanistan having one of the highest levels of support.

In Saudi Arabia, liberal writer Raif Badawi was flogged 50 times after being sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for blasphemy. Although he remains in prison it appears that the international condemnation of the sentence has so far led to no repeat of the flogging. The judges need not sentence according to precedent but have leave to sentence according to their own interpretation of Sharia law. Hence Fayadh's first conviction was regarded as too lenient by the second cleric.

Sentences by lower courts can be heard by appeal courts and the supreme court. King Salman can pardon anyone. In Fayadh's case the lower court convicted him on the basis of a witness who claimed to have heard him cursing God, the Prophet Mohammad, and also Saudi Arabia. This last no doubt particularly irritates the monarchy. Evidence also came from a book he had written years ago. The appeals court sent the case back to the lower courts again to a different judge. That judge ruled out testimony from witnesses who had challenged the testimony of the prosecution witness. On November 17, he sentenced Fayadh to death.

Fayadh, 35, is a key member of the British-Saudi art organization. He has curated several art shows in Saudi Arabia. The recent death sentence was passed even though Fayadh repented. Often that would count to reduce the penalty. Fayadh told the Guaradian: “I was really shocked but it was expected, though I didn’t do anything that deserves death." Fayadh could still have his sentence changed by a higher court or be pardoned by King Salman.

Mona Kareem, an activist from Kuwait who leads a campaign for Fayadh's release, said the authorities promised Fayadh an appeal for years:“He was unable to assign a lawyer because his ID was confiscated when he was arrested [in January 2014]. Then they said you must have a retrial and we’ll change the prosecutor and the judges. The new judge didn’t even talk to him, he just made the verdict.”

Some of the poet's friends think that he is being severely punished because he posted on line a video showing the Saudi religious police lashing a man in public. The most one can expect from western leaders in response to this travesty of justice is a bit of a moral tongue-lashing. Arms shipments to the Saudis will continue as usual but at a quicker pace,as supplies have been used up in Saudi bombing, mostly in Yemen. The appended video shows the religious police busy forcing a woman to leave a mall because she has no gloves on.

Islamic State affiliate in Yemen claims credit for three attacks in port of Aden

An affiliate of the Islamic State in Yemen claimed credit for several attacks in the port city of Aden that had previously been blamed on Houthi rebels.

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Aden is now occupied by a coalition of Saudi-led troops, including many from the UAE, and local militia who support the internationally-recognized government of president Mansour Hadi. Until recently government officials have been in exile in Ryadh Saudi Arabia but some officials have now returned to set up government operations in Aden which will be designated the capital. Sanaa the former capital is still occupied by the Houthi rebels who have set up their own government. They also control much of the north west of Yemen although the Saudi-led bombing and ground campaign has driven them from several southern provinces.

Al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula(AQAP) has been able to control more territory as it has battled the Houthis often with the cooperation of local Sunni tribes who also oppose the Shia Houthis. However, the Houthis have the support of army forces loyal to former president Saleh. As in other countries, some Al Qaeda fighters have switched their allegiance to the Islamic State. In Yemen IS has so far been known mostly for terrorist attacks against the Houthis including attacks on mosques. However, Al Qaeda fought a guerilla war against the Hadi government when it was in power so it is hardly surprising that they should also attack the Saudis and others who support the Hadi government as it tries to re-establish itself in Aden. There are reports that Al Qaeda members received arms during the offensive to drive out the Houthis and they are also said to control part of the port city. Some of these fighters may have joined the Islamic State. AQAP controls a large area east of Aden including Mukalla the capital of Hadramawt province.

The official Saudi Press Agency previously blamed Houthi rebels for the attack. One attack targeted the 239 room Al Qasre Hotel and Resort which officials of the Hadi government are using as headquarters. Two other attacks were launched against locations used by UAE troops.

The IS affiliate in Aden circulated a message claiming responsibility for the attack and providing details. It said that a militant called Abu al-Adani attacked the hotel using a bomb-laden truck. He was followed by another bomber who drove a Humvee packed with explosives. The Central Operations Headquarters of the Saudi and Emirati Forces and the Emirati military administrative headquarters were also targets in separate attacks. The claims have yet to be independently verified. Neither Saudi, Emirati, or Yemeni officials would comment on the claims.

The UAE official news agency did say that the death toll included four soldiers from the UAE, although the Saudis said that one Saudi and three UAE soldiers were killed. Local fighters were also among the dead. The UAE has a large military presence in Yemen with 4,000 ground troops, tanks, armoured vehicles, and attack helicopters. On Sept. 4, 52 UAE soldiers and 10 from Saudi Arabia were killed when the Houthis successfully hit an ammunition depot. The new attacks by IS fighters adds to the already complicated set of combatants in the Yemen civil war that is reported to have killed more than 4,000 people and created a huge humanitarian crisis of displaced persons and a population on the brink of famine. There is no sign of any peace as the Hadi government and its allies appear to believe that they can win militarily.

The war has taken a heavy toll on Yemen. More than 4,000 people have been killed, and the humanitarian crisis has left the impoverished country on the brink of famine.