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Middle East

Iran

Iranians demand loan of treasure - 12 October
Iran has said it will cease cultural co-operation with the British Museum if a treasure is not lent to the nation. The Cyrus Cylinder is being held by the museum because of Iran's "post-election situation", an Iranian official told the country's Fars news agency. Hamid Baqaie said the museum's pledge to send the Babylonian artefact at another date was "just an excuse". The British Museum said its trustees "reaffirmed their intention to lend the Cylinder to Iran". Their statement added: "There are a number of issues and practicalities to be resolved, but the intention is to send it as agreed". - BBC News website 

See also :
China on hunt for looted treasure
Louvre to return Egyptian frescos

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Mazen Abdul-Jawa sentenced for TV sex talk to 5 years, 1 000 lashes - 7 October
A Saudi court on Wednesday convicted a man for publicly talking about sex after he bragged on a TV talk show about his exploits, sentencing him to five years in jail and 1 000 lashes. "I hope you will not consider the case closed," the lawyer said. "I will continue pursuing the TV channel, even if no one stands by me, until it gets the punishment it deserves". - Huffington Post website

Court claim over camel 'beauty' - 16 October
A $250 000 compensation claim has been made against Saudi Arabia's oil giant Saudi Aramco for causing the death of a prized camel, local press reports say. The case, to be heard on Monday, involves a three-year-old black camel which fell into a large hole dug in the desert to store crude oil. The camel's owner is quoted saying the beast had been entered in one of the region's popular camel beauty pageants. The compensation claim is based on the value experts put on the camel. - BBC News website

The name says it all . . . or not - 19 October
A Saudi woman is suing for divorce after she found out that her husband had branded her "Guantanamo" on his cellphone, a report said on Sunday. - IOL website

InfoUpdate : an Information Service supplied by the KwaZulu-Natal Law Society