Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the Saudi prince whose fortune is an estimated $19 billion, has invested $300 million—or 1.5% of his wealth—in the social networking service Twitter. He made the investment through his Kingdom Holding Company and Bloomberg News reports that Kingdom called it a "strategic stake": "A strategic holding means more than 3 percent, Ahmed Halawani, a Kingdom Holding director, said in an interview. That would give the San Francisco-based company a valuation exceeding $10 billion." more ›

The heir to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, died in a New York City hospital late last night. Prince Sultan, whose half-brother is King Abdullah bin Abd al-Aziz, was thought to be in his 80s—his official age is 80—and had been previously described as "frail." The Wall Street Journal reports, "The Saudi government did not reveal the cause of death. Prince Sultan was thought by outside experts to have been suffering from cancer. He was in New York City for treatment." more ›

Jewish groups are slamming Delta Airlines for entering into a partnership with Saudi Arabian Airlines, which, like all airlines, must comply with that country's rules about who flies into the Kingdom, and how. Saudi Arabia bans anyone with an Israeli stamp in their passport from entering the country, and it's widely believed that travelers with Jewish-sounding names are also kept out. Women flying into Saudi Arabia must adhere to the dress code and have a male escort waiting for them at the airport, and non-Islamic religious artifacts are not permitted. Of course, some of these nuances were lost in yesterday's sensational headlines about Delta Vs. Jews, with USA Today retracting an inaccurate article claiming that Delta flights traveling to Saudi Arabia would ban Jews. more ›

Yesterday the FBI arrested Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, 20, a student from Saudi Arabia majoring in business at South Plains College in Lubbock, Texas, and charged him with trying to detonate a weapon of mass destruction at a number of targets, including NYC. Investigators say Aldawsari sent himself an email with a link to real-time traffic cameras in NYC, and he allegedly sent himself an e-mail titled "Tyrant’s House," in which he listed the Dallas address for former President George W. Bush. Aldawsari is not believed to be associated with Al-Qaeda, but allegedly wrote in his journal that he wanted to create a new terrorist group that he would lead. more ›

So, remember that whole "Ground Zero Mosque" hullabaloo from last summer, which spurred a polarizing debate about a proposed Islamic community center for lower Manhattan that wasn't actually at Ground Zero? Newt Gingrich once said it was, "designed to undermine and destroy our civilization," while Mayor Bloomberg said, "I think it's fair to say that the mosque as an issue goes away on November 3 [the day after election day]." While it's pretty obvious Bloomberg was right, Gingrich and his fellow anti-mosque contingent may be happy to learn that the Saudi royal family is feeling out officials and community leaders about a plan to move the mosque to the West Village...to the shuttered St. Vincent's Medical Center. more ›

Saudi King Abdullah had a second surgery yesterday at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and his royal palace says it was a success. The 86-year-old leader of the world's top oil-producing country will now start physical therapy... which means he'll be sticking around the VIP section of the hospital a little while longer. more ›

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abd al-Aziz arrived in NYC on Tuesday for a medical stay and now he's "recovering" after surgery. The 87-year-old leader of the world's top oil-producing country, who had a blot clot form on a slipped disc and needed treatment, reportedly had a "successful operation." His brother, Crown Prince Sultan, also in his 80s, is in charge of the country, but is also described as "frail"; Reuters says, "The kingdom is keen to show its allies in Washington and elsewhere there will be no power vacuum as health problems beset its octogenarian rulers, but the question of whether a reformist or a conservative will take over remains a matter of concern." more ›

King Abdullah bin Abd al-Aziz of Saudi Arabia arrived at JFK Airport this morning for medical treatment and tests. Apparently the leader of the world's top oil-producing country suffered a slipped disc and a blood clot was pressing on his nerves, prompting the need for further treatment in the U.S. The country's health minister said, "I assure everyone that the king is in stable condition and enjoys good health and God willing will return in good health to lead this great nation." more ›

Last week, suspicious explosives-filled, Chicago-bound packages were intercepted in the U.K. and Dubai—apparently minutes before detonation—and set off concerns about similar cargo shipments from Yemen. Now, the NY Times reports, "Saudi intelligence officials warned the United States in early October that Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen was planning a terrorist attack using one or more aircraft, three weeks before a plot to send parcel bombs on cargo planes was foiled at the last minute, American and European officials said Friday." more ›

Thousands of pages of previously undisclosed documents compiled by lawyers for 9/11 victims' families probably won't be admissible in court. But they were passed along to the NY Times, which reports that they show Saudi "support for terrorist organizations" at least through 2006. Some documents, obtained from the Treasury Department through the Freedom of Information Act, include sworn statements from various witnesses detailing the transfer of millions of dollars from prominent Saudi charities to Al Qaeda and other extremist groups. At least one charity is controlled by members of the royal family, and another witness said in a sworn statement that he witnessed an emissary for a leading Saudi prince, Turki al-Faisal, hand a check for one billion Saudi riyals (now worth about $267 million) to a top Taliban leader in '98. The Justice Department, which recently urged the Supreme Court not to hear a lawsuit brought by families against the Saudi royal family, is now fighting to keep other leaked classified documents from surfacing in court. more ›

Less than a week before President Obama's visit to Saudi Arabia, the Justice Department has filed a brief before the Supreme Court urging justices not to hear a lawsuit brought by families of some of the 9/11 victims against the Saudi royal family. The lawsuit, which was formally filed by the families' insurance companies, contends that members of the House of Saud helped finance Al Qaeda preceding the 9/11 attacks. A district court threw out the lawsuit, finding that the Saudi royal family has legal protection under the Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act. The Justice Department says their filing had nothing to do with the President's upcoming visit, and was just "coincidental." (A spokesperson explains that the brief had to be filed soon because the Supreme Court is deciding whether to hear the case before their June recess.) Kristen Breitweiser, a leader of the families, tells the Times, "I find this reprehensible. One would have hoped that the Obama administration would have taken a different stance than the Bush administration, and you wonder what message this sends to victims of terrorism around the world." more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a person fatally injured under a train at 77th St. in Manhattan, a shooting at Neptune Ave and West 35th St. in Brooklyn, and a shooting on 133rd Ave. in Queens.
• A 24-year-old man killed his mother and brother and then dumped them in the Harlem River.
• Young teenagers are clamoring to learn about sex.
• Mayor Bloomberg feels that city parking placards are being abused and will start cracking down on their gratuitous use.
• A case 20 years in the making––the so-called "Pizza Connection"––was derailed and dismissed after decades of work. The prosecution of the $1.5 billion case was ruined when the defense revealed that all of the taped audio and video evidence was wiped clean.
• An investment group from Abu Dhabi has become the largest shareholder in Citigroup, following a large transaction approved by federal regulators. The middle eastern group replaces another individual as the largest stakeholder in the banking-investment firm: Prince Walid bin Talal of Saudi Arabia.
• They negotiated all night for 13 hours, but the union and producers could not come to an agreement. The Broadway strike continues. "Boo, Hiss!"
• Brooklyn goes Hollywood and Brownstoner.com has video.

Volatile Dutch actor Youssef Sjoerd Idilbi did two things that are almost unheard of during a Sunday performance of the play Is.Man at St. Ann’s Warehouse. The first warms our heart: He stopped his performance to confront an audience member about a ringing cell phone. His second move brazenly defied the theatrical tradition of ‘the show must go on’. Technical problems with the sound board had caused the cancellation of the previous night's performance; when those glitches resurfaced 20 minutes into the Sunday show, Idilbi tore off his microphone and stormed out of the theater. Awkward! more ›

EVENTS: Both Open House NY and The New Yorker Festival are upon us. You can check out more of OHNY's event here, and The New Yorker Festival here. Some picks: more ›

Representatives Anthony Weiner and Jerrold Nadler announced that they are introducing legislation to block a $20 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia. The Sun reports the pair stood in front of the Saudi Consulate, questioning the logic of the Bush administration's plan. Nadler said, "The folly of this arms deal is beyond belief. Saudi Arabia is the no. 1 exporter of terrorism in the world today." more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: an EMT was assaulted on Hazen St. at Rikers Island, a dead body in the water off Emmons and Ocean Aves. in Brooklyn, and another dead body in the water off Manhattan's Pier 11.
• The doctor taped swearing allegiance to Al Qaeda claims that his trip to Saudi Arabia to treat injured terrorists was actually just a ruse. He wanted to go to the Middle East to find out more about polygamy, so he could convince his objecting wife to let him marry some more women.
• The doctor who testified for the defense of Peter Braunstein, asserting that the fake firefighter rapist's brain is broken, is the same expert witness who said that mobster Vincent Gigante was probably suffering from dementia. After his conviction, Gigante admitted that he'd been faking it for 20 years.
• Another person was struck by a subway train this morning, and Brooklyn-bound 3 trains were halted between 148th St. and 96th St. in Manhattan while police conducted their investigation.
• Students at the International Leadership school are learning some type of lesson, as the charter school seems to have descended into anarchy. Four of eight original teachers were fired by the school's principal this year, another three teachers quit last week, and students conducted a walkout despite the principal's attempt to lock them in the school.
• The New York State Comptroller says that the state's budget does not add up and that spending is actually growing faster than Gov. Spitzer reported. Aides to Spitzer are saying that, as the new guy, the Comptroller just doesn't know how the budget in Albany works.
• National Guard Troops will soon be deployed to patrol PATH stations in New York and New Jersey. Rather than have permanent positions, Guard soldiers will pop up at random throughought the PATH system.
• When Brooklyn bloggers aren't blogging about their borough, they're meeting and talking about blogging about Brooklyn. And by extension, we've just added blogging about Brooklyn bloggers meeting and talking about blogging.

There are few birthdays we look towards with dread (ok, maybe our 30th). But as AIDS hits its 25th year since being discovered in the 1980s, detection, treatment, and understanding of the disease has come a long way yet has miles to go. There were 25 million new infections in the past 5 years with 15 million deaths over the same period. Currently 38.6 million people worldwide are infected (which is up from 37.3 million in 2005). Some drops in prevalence of the disease in Africa suggests that the rate of infection is slowing. more ›

As you may or may not know, we love the show How I Met Your Mother (one character even has a blog - not an entirely new idea, but we like it). Last week two of the characters on the show went to a lazer tag park and declared that the game was totally making a comeback within 2 months. So we wanted to get prepared, because we actually think lazer tag could be fun! more ›

Before he was even sworn in, the FDNY's newest muslim chaplain resigned yesterday amid concerns over a statement he made to Newsday reporter. When asked for his thoughts on 9/11 Imam Intikab Habib, 30, remarked that he doubted that hijackers could have brought about that kind of destruction that quickly and implied a larger conspiracy. Habib, who was born in Guyana, trained in Saudi Arabia and until recently taught in Queens, was due to be sworn in yesterday. However once the comments he made to Newsday were verified by the FDNY he was asked to resign or be fired. more ›

If any of you were worried that the world might actually be getting to be a safer place now that we've laid down the law in Iraq, have fear. Apparently, there are still at least three al Qaeda cells operating in Saudi Arabia. We know this because they managed to pull off three simultaneous suicide bombings. But wait, there's more: as of today, the State Department is closing our embassies in Saudi Arabia due to the heighted threat. And all of this comes we announced that we will be pulling our troops out of the Kingdom, which is what al Qaeda said they wanted in the first place. more ›

Creative Commons is a public domain content project that is launching in the next two weeks. I've always felt strongly that US copyright laws are way too restrictive, and are generally unfair to both the artist and the consumer. Some people out there are trying to change this, before the super-powered media conglomerates pass laws making downloading mp3s punishable by death. Just like in Saudi Arabia. Creative Commons » Home more ›