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Activists: Saudi Forces Shoot Dead Shiite Protester

Saudi security forces clashed with Shiite protesters in the kingdom's oil-rich east at dawn on Friday, killing one person and wounding three, witnesses and activists said.

Security forces opened fire with live rounds after protesters hurled stones at one of their vehicles in the Shiite village of al-Awamiya in the Qatif region, witnesses said.

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British PM to Meet King Abdullah in Riyadh Friday

British Prime Minister David Cameron is expected Friday in the Saudi capital for talks with King Abdullah, SPA state news agency reported.

Cameron and the Saudi monarch will discuss "bilateral relations, and ways to strengthen them," said SPA, adding without elaborating that the two leaders will also discuss "regional and international issues of common interest."

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Saudi Hacker Posts More Israeli Card Details Online

The Saudi hacker who posted details of thousands of Israeli credit cards online, said overnight he had exposed 200 more and threatened to continue exposing the same number every day.

In a message on Pastebin.com, the hacker who calls himself 0xOmar, posted two links including what he said were "200 fresh working Israeli cards" a day after an Israeli hacker exposed than 200 details of what he claimed were Saudi-owned credit cards.

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Yemen PM on Gulf Tour to Seek Financial Help

Yemen's Prime Minister Mohammed Basindawa began a tour to the country's oil-rich Gulf neighbors on Monday to seek urgently needed aid for an economy approaching collapse.

Basindawa, formerly an opposition leader who is now leading a transitional government, heads in search of financial help while political tensions at home remain acute and protests continue against the deal that brought him to power.

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Hariri Says Assassination ‘Rumors’ Began by Broadcasts on BlackBerry

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri said on Monday that reports that he had escaped an assassination attempt were only news broadcasted through BlackBerry phones.

He said on Twitter that he will not “give any more information” about those allegations.

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Hariri Denies Escaping Assassination Attempt in Riyadh

Former prime minister Saad Hariri on Friday denied what he said was a “rumor” of a failed attempt on his life in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

“You might have heard the rumor about my so-called assassination in Riyadh. My presence here, now, is a natural denial of this lie,” Hariri said in English on the social networking website Twitter.

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Asian Economies Look to Keep Iranian Oil Flowing

China, the biggest buyer of Iran's oil, has publicly rejected U.S. sanctions aimed at Tehran's energy industry while American allies Japan and South Korea are scrambling to find a compromise to keep critical supplies flowing.

Beijing is buying less Iranian crude this month but analysts say China is unlikely to support an oil embargo. Instead, they say, the smaller purchases might be a tactic aimed at obtaining lower prices as the West squeezes Tehran.

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Riyadh Says 23 Wanted in Shiite Unrest

Saudi authorities announced Monday the names of 23 men wanted for involvement in trouble during the past few months in Shiite areas of the kingdom's Eastern Province.

The group is accused mainly of "possessing illegal firearms and opening fire on the public and police, in addition to using innocent people as shields," the interior ministry said in a statement carried by SPA state news agency.

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Saudi Says U.S. Jet Deal Aims to Maximize Defense

Saudi Arabia said Friday it has signed a deal to buy 84 new U.S. fighter jets to maximize its defense capabilities in order to protect the oil-rich kingdom.

The deal the United States said is worth $30 billion "ensures the kingdom receives the highest possible defense capabilities to protect its people and land," state news agency SPA quoted a Defense Ministry spokesman as saying.

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U.S., Saudi Sign F-15 Warplanes Deal Worth $29bn

The United States said Thursday it had sent a "strong message" to the Gulf region, as tensions rise with Iran, by signing a $29.4 billion deal to provide F-15 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.

The deal, which was signed over the weekend, will supply 84 new Boeing F-15SA aircraft and modernize 70 existing planes and include munitions, spare parts, training and maintenance contracts, U.S. officials said.

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