Legal Manager
Kanoo Group "Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo Co. Ltd." - Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Job Description
The purpose of this role is principally to manage the legal department , its staff and resources in the provision of high quality legal advice and support to various departments, associated companies and joint ventures of Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo Company Limited LLC both in Saudi Arabia and internationally, as allocated.
In this role you will be involved in a broad range of corporate and commercial legal matters, potentially ranging from drafting and negotiating commercial agreements, to advising on laws and regulations, dealing with disputes and litigation and the establishment of joint ventures and corporate transactions. You will be expected to become a subject matter expert in one or more specified areas of legal work or legal knowledge.
As the Legal Manager, you will also have responsibility to assist the Group Legal Manager/ Company Secretary in the arrangement, co-ordination, monitoring and control of legal advice and contracts entered into by all of the Company’s commercial units.
The Legal manager will also work with and have reporting to him other Legal Advisers, local nationals and legal services providers (including potentially in a supervised or supervisory role) and report to the Group General Counsel/ Company Secretary and also have technical reporting responsibilities to the Saudi Arabian Company Board
Qualifications:
• You must be a Qualified Lawyer, solicitor or barrister (admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction).
• Hold a current practicing certificate (or equivalent membership of recognised professional law body)
• >5 years post qualification experience, preferred in a corporate legal department or private practice.
• Broad corporate and commercial legal experience required.
• Experience in any of the following areas advantageous- Power and Energy, Engineering and Construction projects, Transportation and Logistics, Travel and Tourism
• Experience of managing a team of lawyers providing services
Skills
• Excellent analytical ability and drafting skills.
• Effective English language communication.
• Effective Arabic language communication
• Service orientated with commercial awareness.
• Ability to work on a diverse range of client matters, whilst maintaining an overview of the Company's long-term commercial goals.
• Ability to influence senior management and owners of a company
Monday, 6 April 2015
Uneasy Arab world gives Iran nuclear framework a cautious welcome
Saudi Arabia has given a qualified public welcome to the US-led nuclear agreement with Iran, saying it hopes a final deal will strengthen stability and security in the Middle East and beyond. Its cautious response suggests it is not convinced that will prove to be the case.
State media reported on Friday that King Salman had conveyed the carefully-worded message during a telephone conversation with Barack Obama, maintaining the kingdom’s position of avoiding an open confrontation with the US while warning about, and confronting, Iran’s regional ambitions.
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator receives hero's welcome in Tehran
Read more
The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) also pointedly said that Obama had raised the issue of the crisis in Yemen, where the Saudis are leading a military intervention against Houthi rebels they say are backed by Tehran, with the goal of restoring President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power. The US is supporting operation Decisive Storm, as is Britain.
Salman “expressed his hope that reaching a final binding deal would strengthen the stability and security of the region and the world,” the SPA reported.
Oman, the Gulf state politically closest to Iran, which brokered secret nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran in 2012, hailed the Lausanne agreement as historic.
Riyadh has signalled in the past that it might seek nuclear warheads from its ally Pakistan if Tehran were to develop them. It has had to accept, however, that Obama’s goal is to prevent proliferation and, unlike Israel, has refrained from open criticism of the emerging deal.
Barack Obama says historic agreement with Iran meets core objectives
Read more
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the Gulf’s hawks, fear Iran’s international rehabilitation through the nuclear agreement will ease its political and economic isolation and embolden its designs in the Arab world. They will be pressing hard to ensure that Washington keeps up pressure on Iran on other fronts, diplomats say.
It is commonly said, with considerable exaggeration, that Tehran now controls four Arab capitals: Damascus, where it is helping keep President Bashar al-Assad in power; Beirut, where its ally Hezbollah is a powerful force; Baghdad, where Iran is helping the Shia-led government fight Islamic State jihadis; and now Sana’a in Yemen.
Obama said on Thursday that he had invited Gulf leaders to a spring summit at Camp David to discuss security cooperation, a sign he knows he will need to work hard to keep the Saudis and their partners on side. Another pointer to changing US priorities was that the president called King Salman before speaking to the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu.
Israel will not accept Iran nuclear deal, says Binyamin Netanyahu
Read more
The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) comprises Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. Qatar, like Oman, has cordial ties with Iran. Egypt, which is taking part in the Yemeni intervention, shares Saudi views.
Sami al-Faraj, a Kuwaiti security advisor to the GCC, expressed unease at the deal. “If Iran ever gets away with possessing a nuclear capability one day, we will consider the international community responsible for that at these negotiations,” he said. “We will feel free to go and look for a counterweight.”
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Other Arab governments did not comment publicly on the agreement, perhaps because Friday is a holiday. Turkey’s foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, said he “hoped the parties will reach a final agreement by 1 July”, but said Iran must do more to achieve this objective.
Sir William Patey, a former British ambassador to Riyadh, said this week that Saudi Arabia faced a dilemma over the nuclear issue. “They don’t want Iran to become a nuclear power and they will be as sceptical as the Israelis are as to whether this is going to be a real deal. On the other hand they won’t want to be forced into making a difficult decision.
“They will be sceptical but they won’t be critical and they will learn to manage. Their worst fears won’t be realised. There will be all sorts of obstacles to the sort of Iranian-American relations that the Saudis fear. If Iran could be brought into a regional security arrangement that’s something they would learn to adjust to.”
Obama “said our disagreements with Iran on its political behaviour and its using proxies to destabilise the region, that’s still there,” the Saudi political scientist Khaled al-Dakhil told Reuters. “And the sanctions related to these differences will remain in place. If that’s the case, as it looks now, then I believe the agreement will be acceptable to the Saudis.”
Media in the UAE reported that key economic sectors – re-exports, logistics, retail, banking and insurance – are already looking ahead to sanctions easing after June and Iran’s return to business as usual, especially in Dubai.
State media reported on Friday that King Salman had conveyed the carefully-worded message during a telephone conversation with Barack Obama, maintaining the kingdom’s position of avoiding an open confrontation with the US while warning about, and confronting, Iran’s regional ambitions.
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator receives hero's welcome in Tehran
Read more
The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) also pointedly said that Obama had raised the issue of the crisis in Yemen, where the Saudis are leading a military intervention against Houthi rebels they say are backed by Tehran, with the goal of restoring President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi to power. The US is supporting operation Decisive Storm, as is Britain.
Salman “expressed his hope that reaching a final binding deal would strengthen the stability and security of the region and the world,” the SPA reported.
Oman, the Gulf state politically closest to Iran, which brokered secret nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran in 2012, hailed the Lausanne agreement as historic.
Riyadh has signalled in the past that it might seek nuclear warheads from its ally Pakistan if Tehran were to develop them. It has had to accept, however, that Obama’s goal is to prevent proliferation and, unlike Israel, has refrained from open criticism of the emerging deal.
Barack Obama says historic agreement with Iran meets core objectives
Read more
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the Gulf’s hawks, fear Iran’s international rehabilitation through the nuclear agreement will ease its political and economic isolation and embolden its designs in the Arab world. They will be pressing hard to ensure that Washington keeps up pressure on Iran on other fronts, diplomats say.
It is commonly said, with considerable exaggeration, that Tehran now controls four Arab capitals: Damascus, where it is helping keep President Bashar al-Assad in power; Beirut, where its ally Hezbollah is a powerful force; Baghdad, where Iran is helping the Shia-led government fight Islamic State jihadis; and now Sana’a in Yemen.
Obama said on Thursday that he had invited Gulf leaders to a spring summit at Camp David to discuss security cooperation, a sign he knows he will need to work hard to keep the Saudis and their partners on side. Another pointer to changing US priorities was that the president called King Salman before speaking to the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu.
Israel will not accept Iran nuclear deal, says Binyamin Netanyahu
Read more
The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) comprises Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. Qatar, like Oman, has cordial ties with Iran. Egypt, which is taking part in the Yemeni intervention, shares Saudi views.
Sami al-Faraj, a Kuwaiti security advisor to the GCC, expressed unease at the deal. “If Iran ever gets away with possessing a nuclear capability one day, we will consider the international community responsible for that at these negotiations,” he said. “We will feel free to go and look for a counterweight.”
Advertisement
Other Arab governments did not comment publicly on the agreement, perhaps because Friday is a holiday. Turkey’s foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, said he “hoped the parties will reach a final agreement by 1 July”, but said Iran must do more to achieve this objective.
Sir William Patey, a former British ambassador to Riyadh, said this week that Saudi Arabia faced a dilemma over the nuclear issue. “They don’t want Iran to become a nuclear power and they will be as sceptical as the Israelis are as to whether this is going to be a real deal. On the other hand they won’t want to be forced into making a difficult decision.
“They will be sceptical but they won’t be critical and they will learn to manage. Their worst fears won’t be realised. There will be all sorts of obstacles to the sort of Iranian-American relations that the Saudis fear. If Iran could be brought into a regional security arrangement that’s something they would learn to adjust to.”
Obama “said our disagreements with Iran on its political behaviour and its using proxies to destabilise the region, that’s still there,” the Saudi political scientist Khaled al-Dakhil told Reuters. “And the sanctions related to these differences will remain in place. If that’s the case, as it looks now, then I believe the agreement will be acceptable to the Saudis.”
Media in the UAE reported that key economic sectors – re-exports, logistics, retail, banking and insurance – are already looking ahead to sanctions easing after June and Iran’s return to business as usual, especially in Dubai.
Yemen war will backfire on Saudi Arabia Iran MPs
"The Al Saud regime should know that the fire rekindled [in Yemen] will engulf it and will impose heavy costs on the Muslim world," a group of 262 legislators said in a statement on Sunday.
“The formation of a fabricated coalition will further complicate problems in the Muslim world and the [Middle East] region,” the statement read, adding that support of the US, the Israeli regime and their allies for Saudi Arabia’s blatant violation of an independent nation’s sovereignty runs counter to international conventions.
Saudi Arabia’s attack on Yemen and the killing of Muslim and innocent people in the country proved that Al Saudi is serving the interests of enemies of Islam instead of reinforcing unity and dignity among Muslims, it pointed out.
The Iranian parliamentarians expressed their support for the popular uprising of the Yemeni nation and strongly condemned foreign intervention in the impoverished country, saying the Muslim Yemeni people would undoubtedly resist aggressors with full force.
The statement came on the same day that Iran’s Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani said Tehran supports negotiations among representatives from all parties involved in the Yemeni crisis and described national dialog as the only way to end the conflict.
“Such military aggression, irrespective of its objectives, is a blow to the Muslim Ummah and benefits the Zionist regime [of Israel] and major powers. The aggressive countries must explain why they are using their facilities to deal a blow to a Muslim state,” the top Iranian legislator said in a telephone conversation with Speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Sunday.
Saudi Arabia’s air campaign against Yemen started on March 26 without a UN mandate in a bid to restore power to the country's fugitive president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.
However, Ansarullah fighters say Hadi lost his legitimacy as president of Yemen after he in February fled the capital to Aden, where he sought to set up a rival base. Hadi stepped down in January and refused to reconsider the decision despite calls by Houthi revolutionaries.
Houthi fighters continue advancing southward, while they have also stepped up fighting against al-Qaeda terrorists and secured many areas from the militants.
“The formation of a fabricated coalition will further complicate problems in the Muslim world and the [Middle East] region,” the statement read, adding that support of the US, the Israeli regime and their allies for Saudi Arabia’s blatant violation of an independent nation’s sovereignty runs counter to international conventions.
Saudi Arabia’s attack on Yemen and the killing of Muslim and innocent people in the country proved that Al Saudi is serving the interests of enemies of Islam instead of reinforcing unity and dignity among Muslims, it pointed out.
The Iranian parliamentarians expressed their support for the popular uprising of the Yemeni nation and strongly condemned foreign intervention in the impoverished country, saying the Muslim Yemeni people would undoubtedly resist aggressors with full force.
The statement came on the same day that Iran’s Parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani said Tehran supports negotiations among representatives from all parties involved in the Yemeni crisis and described national dialog as the only way to end the conflict.
“Such military aggression, irrespective of its objectives, is a blow to the Muslim Ummah and benefits the Zionist regime [of Israel] and major powers. The aggressive countries must explain why they are using their facilities to deal a blow to a Muslim state,” the top Iranian legislator said in a telephone conversation with Speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Sunday.
Saudi Arabia’s air campaign against Yemen started on March 26 without a UN mandate in a bid to restore power to the country's fugitive president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.
However, Ansarullah fighters say Hadi lost his legitimacy as president of Yemen after he in February fled the capital to Aden, where he sought to set up a rival base. Hadi stepped down in January and refused to reconsider the decision despite calls by Houthi revolutionaries.
Houthi fighters continue advancing southward, while they have also stepped up fighting against al-Qaeda terrorists and secured many areas from the militants.
Yemen Houthi fighters seize presidential palace in battle for Aden
Fighting has escalated in the southern Yemeni city of Aden, the last redoubt of loyalists to Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, the exiled president, with Houthi rebels reportedly seizing the presidential palace, and Saudi Arabia refusing to rule out a ground invasion of its embattled neighbour.
As the conflict progressed, aid workers warned of an imminent food crisis and a lack of medical supplies in Yemen, the poorest Arab country, part of a broader humanitarian crisis that threatens to unravel the fragile state.
“The issue of using ground troops is always something that is on the table,” Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi ambassador to the US, said, according to Reuters.
Houthi fighters and troops loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former president who was ousted in 2012 after Arab spring-style protests, battled their way into the heart of Aden on Thursday despite a week of punishing air raids by a Saudi-led coalition that is seeking to stem their advance.
The presidential palace, a cluster of colonial-era villas perched atop a rocky hill that juts into the Arabian Sea, was Hadi’s last bastion before he fled to Saudi Arabia last month. Yemeni security officials quoted by the Associated Press said it had fallen into rebel hands.
A resident of Aden whose son was killed battling the Houthis told the Guardian by telephone that violent street battles were raging throughout the city, with local popular committees and young people fighting disorganised street battles and resisting the advancing rebels.
“They learned street fighting from the Americans to combat al-Qaida and now they have turned against the people,” he said of Saleh’s troops, which are aiding the Houthis.
He said there was no organised leadership of the Aden residents taking on the Houthis, and that his home had been partially burned as a result of the Houthi and Saleh fighters firing indiscriminately.
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Residents of Aden’s central Crater district told Reuters that Houthi fighters and their allies were in control of the area by midday on Thursday, deploying tanks and foot patrols through its otherwise empty streets after heavy fighting in the morning.
The Houthi advance appears to be aimed at seizing as much ground as possible to strengthen their hand in any future power-sharing negotiations, but it is unclear if they can hold the city, given the presence of homegrown resistance to their rule and the ongoing street battles.
Their progress also threatens an escalation by Saudi Arabia, which has not ruled out a ground invasion. The coalition, which is backed by the US, also includes Egypt, most of the Gulf states, and Pakistan.
However, senior US military official in Washington played down the possibility that Saudi Arabia would send in ground forces.
“I don’t think they’re going to do that. I think they are arraying their forces along their border to prevent a Houthi incursion,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “They’re postured defensively.”
Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-led states in the region are concerned about Iran’s growing sphere of influence in the Middle East, and accuse the Houthis of being puppets of the Islamic republic, which has opposed the Yemeni operation, known as Decisive Storm.
Brig Gen Ahmad Asiri, the coalition’s Saudi spokesman, told a press briefing on Wednesday that the operation would continue, saying fighter jets had targeted Houthi-held ballistic missiles, air defences and weapons depots, and troop positions backing the Aden assault. He added that the coalition did not do so inside the city to avoid civilian casualties.
Asiri also accused the Houthis of bombing al-Mazraq refugee camp, where at least 29 people were killed on Tuesday, saying the coalition was not responsible for the attack.
He said the coalition’s naval assets had taken full control of the waters surrounding Yemen to enforce a blockade on the Houthis.
He also said a Saudi soldier was killed in an attack on a border post near northern Yemen, the coalition’s first casualty.
The Aden resident who asked not to be named urged the coalition to “take responsibility” and land troops to remove the Houthis from the city.
He said: “Our hope is great in God and our brothers, that they are responsible. They took us into war and only used planes but if they land well-trained forces these militias would be routed.”
He said the humanitarian situation in the city was tragic and his son would have survived the wounds he sustained in fighting if there had been medical supplies and specialist doctors still in the city.
Action Against Hunger, one of the few organisations still operating in Yemen, said the humanitarian situation was “dire and worsening daily”, and it was all but impossible to import basic food staples because of airport and port closures and the no-fly zone over the country.
Hajir Maalim, the organisation’s country director, who is in Yemen, told the Guardian the country was facing a “humanitarian catastrophe” amid signs of food shortages in the cities including Sana’a, the capital.
Yemen had 850,000 children under five who suffered from acute malnutrition; 160,000 of those were severely malnourished and needed immediate care or they faced the risk of death, he said.
In addition, mothers suffering from malnutrition were increasingly vulnerable as the fighting escalated, he said, adding that the country faced additional challenges providing nutrition because Yemen relied on imports for 90% of its food, a particular problem given the ongoing blockade on the country and the continued fighting.
He said more Yemenis were likely to risk fleeing the country by boat or becoming internal refugees, traveling to remote villages with little access to basic services.
The UN high commissioner for refugees said 32 Yemenis had already arrived in Somalia, taking refuge from the fighting.
Doctors Without Borders said on Thursday that it was “facing real difficulties sending in more supplies and personnel due to the closure of ports and airports, and due to the active fighting and bombing”.
The organisation said it had treated 580 wounded people in its emergency surgical unit in Aden over seven different waves of mass casualties.
As the conflict progressed, aid workers warned of an imminent food crisis and a lack of medical supplies in Yemen, the poorest Arab country, part of a broader humanitarian crisis that threatens to unravel the fragile state.
“The issue of using ground troops is always something that is on the table,” Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi ambassador to the US, said, according to Reuters.
Houthi fighters and troops loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former president who was ousted in 2012 after Arab spring-style protests, battled their way into the heart of Aden on Thursday despite a week of punishing air raids by a Saudi-led coalition that is seeking to stem their advance.
The presidential palace, a cluster of colonial-era villas perched atop a rocky hill that juts into the Arabian Sea, was Hadi’s last bastion before he fled to Saudi Arabia last month. Yemeni security officials quoted by the Associated Press said it had fallen into rebel hands.
A resident of Aden whose son was killed battling the Houthis told the Guardian by telephone that violent street battles were raging throughout the city, with local popular committees and young people fighting disorganised street battles and resisting the advancing rebels.
“They learned street fighting from the Americans to combat al-Qaida and now they have turned against the people,” he said of Saleh’s troops, which are aiding the Houthis.
He said there was no organised leadership of the Aden residents taking on the Houthis, and that his home had been partially burned as a result of the Houthi and Saleh fighters firing indiscriminately.
Advertisement
Residents of Aden’s central Crater district told Reuters that Houthi fighters and their allies were in control of the area by midday on Thursday, deploying tanks and foot patrols through its otherwise empty streets after heavy fighting in the morning.
The Houthi advance appears to be aimed at seizing as much ground as possible to strengthen their hand in any future power-sharing negotiations, but it is unclear if they can hold the city, given the presence of homegrown resistance to their rule and the ongoing street battles.
Their progress also threatens an escalation by Saudi Arabia, which has not ruled out a ground invasion. The coalition, which is backed by the US, also includes Egypt, most of the Gulf states, and Pakistan.
However, senior US military official in Washington played down the possibility that Saudi Arabia would send in ground forces.
“I don’t think they’re going to do that. I think they are arraying their forces along their border to prevent a Houthi incursion,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “They’re postured defensively.”
Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-led states in the region are concerned about Iran’s growing sphere of influence in the Middle East, and accuse the Houthis of being puppets of the Islamic republic, which has opposed the Yemeni operation, known as Decisive Storm.
Brig Gen Ahmad Asiri, the coalition’s Saudi spokesman, told a press briefing on Wednesday that the operation would continue, saying fighter jets had targeted Houthi-held ballistic missiles, air defences and weapons depots, and troop positions backing the Aden assault. He added that the coalition did not do so inside the city to avoid civilian casualties.
Asiri also accused the Houthis of bombing al-Mazraq refugee camp, where at least 29 people were killed on Tuesday, saying the coalition was not responsible for the attack.
He said the coalition’s naval assets had taken full control of the waters surrounding Yemen to enforce a blockade on the Houthis.
He also said a Saudi soldier was killed in an attack on a border post near northern Yemen, the coalition’s first casualty.
The Aden resident who asked not to be named urged the coalition to “take responsibility” and land troops to remove the Houthis from the city.
He said: “Our hope is great in God and our brothers, that they are responsible. They took us into war and only used planes but if they land well-trained forces these militias would be routed.”
He said the humanitarian situation in the city was tragic and his son would have survived the wounds he sustained in fighting if there had been medical supplies and specialist doctors still in the city.
Action Against Hunger, one of the few organisations still operating in Yemen, said the humanitarian situation was “dire and worsening daily”, and it was all but impossible to import basic food staples because of airport and port closures and the no-fly zone over the country.
Hajir Maalim, the organisation’s country director, who is in Yemen, told the Guardian the country was facing a “humanitarian catastrophe” amid signs of food shortages in the cities including Sana’a, the capital.
Yemen had 850,000 children under five who suffered from acute malnutrition; 160,000 of those were severely malnourished and needed immediate care or they faced the risk of death, he said.
In addition, mothers suffering from malnutrition were increasingly vulnerable as the fighting escalated, he said, adding that the country faced additional challenges providing nutrition because Yemen relied on imports for 90% of its food, a particular problem given the ongoing blockade on the country and the continued fighting.
He said more Yemenis were likely to risk fleeing the country by boat or becoming internal refugees, traveling to remote villages with little access to basic services.
The UN high commissioner for refugees said 32 Yemenis had already arrived in Somalia, taking refuge from the fighting.
Doctors Without Borders said on Thursday that it was “facing real difficulties sending in more supplies and personnel due to the closure of ports and airports, and due to the active fighting and bombing”.
The organisation said it had treated 580 wounded people in its emergency surgical unit in Aden over seven different waves of mass casualties.
Treating Saudi Arabian Jihadists With Art Therapy
There are golf carts and palm trees and an Olympic-sized pool at the Mohammed Bin Naif Counseling and Care Center, a sprawling complex on the outskirts of Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh.
Once a holiday resort, the walled compound still looks like one — and not a rehabilitation center for convicted terrorists.
In the past year, the country has expanded counter-terrorism laws that make it illegal for Saudis to fight in Syria and Iraq. The kingdom has also expanded the terrorism rehab centers.
More than 3,000 young Saudi men graduated from the program since it began in 2008, including 120 former prisoners from a U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay.
The centers only work with inmates not convicted for violent crimes. The Saudis claim a success rate of more than 80 percent of the detainees returning to their families as well-adjusted members of Saudi society.
On my visit, the inmates are kept out of sight, except for a handpicked star graduate, 29-year-old Badr al-Anzi. Two years ago, he was set to join the militants of the self-declared Islamic State. Now he's a model of rehabilitation.
"I wanted to go to jihad," explains al-Anzi, who has a wife and three daughters. His plan was to travel to Syria with his cousin and brother, but he was arrested when he tried to pick up his passport at a government office.
After a six-month jail sentence, al-Anzi was sent to the rehab center. His treatment was intense, with psychological counseling, religious re-education, vocational training, plus financial incentives. Al-Anzi now attends college on a scholarship. He had help finding a job.
Once a holiday resort, the walled compound still looks like one — and not a rehabilitation center for convicted terrorists.
In the past year, the country has expanded counter-terrorism laws that make it illegal for Saudis to fight in Syria and Iraq. The kingdom has also expanded the terrorism rehab centers.
More than 3,000 young Saudi men graduated from the program since it began in 2008, including 120 former prisoners from a U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay.
The centers only work with inmates not convicted for violent crimes. The Saudis claim a success rate of more than 80 percent of the detainees returning to their families as well-adjusted members of Saudi society.
On my visit, the inmates are kept out of sight, except for a handpicked star graduate, 29-year-old Badr al-Anzi. Two years ago, he was set to join the militants of the self-declared Islamic State. Now he's a model of rehabilitation.
"I wanted to go to jihad," explains al-Anzi, who has a wife and three daughters. His plan was to travel to Syria with his cousin and brother, but he was arrested when he tried to pick up his passport at a government office.
After a six-month jail sentence, al-Anzi was sent to the rehab center. His treatment was intense, with psychological counseling, religious re-education, vocational training, plus financial incentives. Al-Anzi now attends college on a scholarship. He had help finding a job.
Behold the proposed new Kingdom Tower for Jeddah Saudi Arabia
Behold the proposed new Kingdom Tower for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia — at one full kilometer in height, about twice the size of New York’s new Freedom Tower.
The Kingdom Tower comprises 252 floors of mixed market apartments, hotel rooms, and offices. It is an axiom that imperial societies build their greatest monuments just before they collapse, so consider this a portent for the oil empire of Saudi Arabia. There will always be an Arabia — well something will occupy that desolate region — but it may not be the private domain of the Saud clan much longer, especially as war breaks out across the Middle East and Persia.
This will give you some idea of the scale. A year ago I went on on a junket to Dubai (a panel to discuss the development of a proposed a new urban quarter). The opening night cocktail party was held at the top of the Burj Khalifa. I took a cab to the base of the damn thing, looked up at the top, and almost blew chunks. Well, I guess some people enjoy being trapped 2500 feet up in the air.
The Kingdom Tower comprises 252 floors of mixed market apartments, hotel rooms, and offices. It is an axiom that imperial societies build their greatest monuments just before they collapse, so consider this a portent for the oil empire of Saudi Arabia. There will always be an Arabia — well something will occupy that desolate region — but it may not be the private domain of the Saud clan much longer, especially as war breaks out across the Middle East and Persia.
This will give you some idea of the scale. A year ago I went on on a junket to Dubai (a panel to discuss the development of a proposed a new urban quarter). The opening night cocktail party was held at the top of the Burj Khalifa. I took a cab to the base of the damn thing, looked up at the top, and almost blew chunks. Well, I guess some people enjoy being trapped 2500 feet up in the air.
Famous cheating scandals in Hollywood
Movies, television, music — name the fraternity and it has seen numerous cases of infidelities. Cheating scandals are perhaps that one curse that has haunted Hollywood since time immemorial and 2015 almost seems to be witnessing a boom of sorts in that area. We give you a lowdown of a few celebrity couples who found themselves in the line of fire following a nasty and public cheating scandal.
Miley Cyrus and Patrick Schwarzenegger
They seem to be very happy in each other’s company but all hell broke loose when pictures of Patrick with another girl on his spring break came out. No one really knows what’s going on with the couple right now, even though news of them working on their relationship is doing the rounds.
Kourtney Scott and Scott Disick
The couple has had a volatile relationship from the beginning, thanks to the show Keeping up with the Kardashians. The news of Scott Disick having an affair with Kourtney’s sister, Kendall, shocked everyone. None of these speculations ever saw the light of the day and with Disick’s troubles with rehab gaining spotlight, the rumours were soon quelled.
Chris Brown and Karrueche Tran
Chris and Karrueche have had a tumultuous relationship for long. When news of Chris Brown’s illegitimate child with Nia Amey came out, speculation was rife whether Karrueche would consider this the last straw in their romance. Karrueche admitted on a talk show that she still has feelings for him, but wouldn’t consider getting back with him.
Zayn Malik and Perrie Edwards
Zayn Malik has officially left One Direction and millions of young fans are still nursing their broken hearts. But looks like they aren’t the only ones. Zayn cheating on his girlfriend Perrie Edwards came as a big shock to everyone. However, the couple seems to be giving their relationship another shot after the two
Miley Cyrus and Patrick Schwarzenegger
They seem to be very happy in each other’s company but all hell broke loose when pictures of Patrick with another girl on his spring break came out. No one really knows what’s going on with the couple right now, even though news of them working on their relationship is doing the rounds.
Kourtney Scott and Scott Disick
The couple has had a volatile relationship from the beginning, thanks to the show Keeping up with the Kardashians. The news of Scott Disick having an affair with Kourtney’s sister, Kendall, shocked everyone. None of these speculations ever saw the light of the day and with Disick’s troubles with rehab gaining spotlight, the rumours were soon quelled.
Chris Brown and Karrueche Tran
Chris and Karrueche have had a tumultuous relationship for long. When news of Chris Brown’s illegitimate child with Nia Amey came out, speculation was rife whether Karrueche would consider this the last straw in their romance. Karrueche admitted on a talk show that she still has feelings for him, but wouldn’t consider getting back with him.
Zayn Malik and Perrie Edwards
Zayn Malik has officially left One Direction and millions of young fans are still nursing their broken hearts. But looks like they aren’t the only ones. Zayn cheating on his girlfriend Perrie Edwards came as a big shock to everyone. However, the couple seems to be giving their relationship another shot after the two
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