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Saudi Beheads National for Murder

Saudi Arabia beheaded on Tuesday one of its nationals convicted of murdering a fellow Saudi in the western Mecca region, the Interior Ministry said.

Nemr al-Subaie had shot dead Hunaitem al-Subaie following a dispute between them, the Ministry said in a statement carried by SPA state news agency.

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Saudi Beheads Pakistani for Drug Trafficking

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday beheaded by the sword a Pakistani man convicted of drug trafficking, the interior ministry said.

Aqeel Khan Mohammed Riyad was convicted of attempting to smuggle heroin into the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom, the ministry said in a statement carried by state news agency SPA.

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Saudi Arabia Recalls Envoy from Sri Lanka

Saudi Arabia has recalled its ambassador from Colombo in a tit-for-tat move amid tensions after a Sri Lankan nanny convicted of murder was beheaded in the kingdom, the official SPA news agency reported.

"Based on the decision by the Sri Lankan government to withdraw its ambassador from the kingdom, the (Saudi) foreign ministry has recalled its ambassador in Sri Lanka for consultations," SPA reported late Tuesday quoting a ministry spokesman.

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Jumblat Slams Adoption of Orthodox Proposal, Describes Joint Committees Session 'Sad Day'

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat lashed out at the adoption of so-called Orthodox Gathering electoral draft-law by the joint parliamentary committees on Tuesday, describing it as a “sad” day.

The “proposal takes us back to isolation and divides the Lebanese entity,” Jumblat said in comments to An Nahar newspaper on Wednesday.

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Saudi Women Take Seats in Shura Council for First Time

Thirty Saudi women took seats in Saudi Arabia's Shura Council, for the first time in the ultra-conservative kingdom's history, as they were sworn in before King Abdullah on Tuesday at his palace in Riyadh.

The women took their seats in the same room with their 130 male colleagues and were sworn in collectively, state television said.

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Beirut Airport Police Thwart Drug Smuggling to Saudi Arabia

Beirut airport security officers have thwarted an attempt to smuggle narcotic pills to Saudi Arabia, the state-run National News Agency reported on Tuesday.

NNA said that the officers searched a 25-year-old Jordanian after suspicion fell on him.

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Posters Mocking Saudi King in Response to al-Rahi's Caricature

The Internal Security Forces removed on Tuesday posters mocking Saudi King Abdullah in a move considered as a response to a caricature published in a Saudi newspaper on Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi.

According to Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) the posters were erected in the areas of Jal el-Dib and Fanar.

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Jumblat: Respecting Baabda Declaration, Suleiman's Principles Will Redirect Arms away from Syria

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat noted on Monday that constantly debating the possession of arms outside of the authority of the state will not help resolve this issue, stating that President Michel Suleiman had clearly stipulated that the national dialogue will help settle this dispute.

He said in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa website: “Adhering to Baabda Declaration and Suleiman's principles is necessary to redirect the arms to their rightful role away from the Syrian crisis.”

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Report: Jumblat Official Visit to Riyadh 'Optimistic'

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat held “positive” talks with Saudi officials over the weekend, local newspapers reported on Monday.

The three-day official visit was considered as an attempt to bridge the gap between the Druze leader and Saudi Arabia after ties worsened in 2011.

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Sudan, Saudi Navies in First Exercises

The navies of Sudan and Saudi Arabia have launched their first joint military exercises in the Red Sea, Sudan's official SUNA news agency reported on Sunday.

The training is to run until Wednesday and focus on anti-smuggling operations and "boosting security and stability", SUNA quoted Sudan's military spokesman Sawarmi Khaled Saad as saying.

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