The country has aggressively campaigned against militants since May 2003, two months after the U.S. declared war on Iraq, even though there have been no major attacks since February 2006. At that time, suicide bombers tried but failed to attack an oil facility at the Abqaiq oil complex, the world’s largest oil processing facility, in eastern Saudi Arabia.

However, the campaign, which has mainly focused on targeting expatriate residential compounds, oil installations and government buildings, did not take legal action against the militants until last year. Authorities wanted to put the trials of those accused of terrorism off as long as possible, in an effort to show the public that every effort was made to give the men a chance to renounce their crimes and be rehabilitated.

The Bureau of Investigation and General Prosecution issued a statement, saying the defendants were accused of belonging to the “deviant group,” a euphemism for al-Qaida. They were also accused of supporting and financing terrorism, going to areas of conflict to fight, and coordinating and communicating with “external parties that seek to conspire against national security by creating chaos and disrupting security.” The statement also said the charge sheets included “incriminating evidence of these dangerous acts and proof that every defendant has carried out the charges against him.”

Sheik Abdullah al-Saadan, the Justice Ministry spokesman, told Saudi TV that other suspected al-Qaida members have already been acquitted, but he did not give a definite number. The verdicts of the 330 convicted men can be appealed, Al-Saadan also said.

Here is the top ten from this past weekend found on eonline.com:

1. Brüno, $30.4 million
2. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, $28.5 million
3. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, $24.2 million
4. Public Enemies, $14.1 million
5. The Proposal, $10.5 million
6. The Hangover, $9.9 million
7. I Love You, Beth Cooper, $5 million
8. Up, $4.7 million
9. My Sister’s Keeper, $4.2 million
10. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, $1.5 million

This new resurgence, which is particularly occurring in coastal regions and areas of the Midwest and Northeast, is a result of the housing crunch, recession and higher gas prices that have slowed migration to the suburbs and residential hotspots of the South and West. Such western cities as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Portland, Oregon, also showed increased growth, also by a higher number of immigrants migrating to these gateway cities.

Population figures from last year also show that New York and Chicago had a higher birth rate than usual. Industrial centers in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn., Columbus, Ohio, and Lincoln, Neb., also saw increases, as their economies are focused in such growing industries as finance, health care, information technology and education.

In an effort to better serve these growing populations, President Barack Obama has pledged to upgrade mass transit and push energy conservation. However, Robert E. Lang, co-director of the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech, predicted that upscale, inner suburbs with developed transit systems will see surges in populations in the future.

“Cities are showing a continued vitality as hubs of activity even as some suburban and exurban areas go through tough times,” said William H. Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution. “It emphasizes the buoyancy of large established cities with diverse economies and populations.”

Frey and other demographers said many of the population shifts could be permanent, as people are going to flock to the Sunbelt region as intensely as earlier in the decade, before the housing bubble burst.
New York continued to be the most populous U.S. city, with 8.4 million residents. Los Angeles came in a distant second, with 3.8 million people.

Also in the post, which Palin’s spokeswoman, Meghan Stapleton, confirmed the governor wrote herself, she said that she was looking for ways to promote “less government intervention, greater energy independence, stronger national security, and much-needed fiscal restraint.”

But the governor has not yet revealed any major steps in her plan, instead casting herself as a victim and calling the response to her announcement “predictable” and out of touch.
“How sad that Washington and the media will never understand; it’s about country,” the Facebook statement said. “And though it’s honorable for countless others to leave their positions for a higher calling and without finishing a term, of course we know by now, for some reason a different standard applies for the decisions I make.”

Though the abruptness of her announcement has left many people speculating why she decided to leave, Palin’s attorney Thomas Van Flein insisted that legal action may be taken against people who spread fraudulent claims. “To the extent several websites…are now claiming as ‘fact’ that Governor Palin resigned because she is ‘under federal investigation’ for embezzlement or other criminal wrongdoing, we will be exploring legal options this week to address such defamation,” Van Flein said in a statement. He also told the Anchorage Daily News that Palin isn’t in any criminal legal jeopardy.

The FBI reiterated that claim Saturday, telling the Los Angeles Times that it isn’t investigating Palin’s activities as governor, a former mayor or in any other capacity. “There is absolutely no truth to those rumors that we’re investigating her or getting ready to indict her,” Special Agent Eric Gonzalez, the bureau’s Alaska spokesman, said.

But perhaps Palin is stepping down because her popularity in Alaska has decreased amid her ongoing ethics investigations. She also didn’t want to be a lame-duck governor, and was tired of the tasteless jokes aimed at her five children. She said she feels she could do more in another role.

When Palin steps down on July 26, Alaska Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will take her place. Parnell, who plans to run for re-election after finishing out Palin’s term, said he was shocked at first when he learned of his boss’ decision. “…nobody-unless they’ve been in her position and understood what she has gone through and dealt with and who she is as a person-really understands,” Parnell said.

Here is the top ten from this past weekend found on eonline.com:

1. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, $42.5 million (tie)
1. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, $42.5 million (tie)
3. Public Enemies, $26.2 million
4. The Proposal, $12.8 million
5. The Hangover, $10.4 million
6. Up, $6.6 million
7. My Sister’s Keeper, $5.3 million
8. The Taking of Pelham 123, $2.5 million
9. Year One, $2.1 million (tie)
9. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, $2.1 million (tie)

The outrage was sparked not only because the girl was so young, but also because a rape charge usually carries a sentence of between five years to life in prison. But Earls struck a deal with prosecutors that allowed 19 years of his 20-year sentence to be suspended.

Prosecutors in the case said that they only agreed to the plea agreement because the girl, who is now five, made contradictory statements during pretrial hearings. After she initially testified about the assault, she later claimed that she couldn’t remember the actual rape. She was also so traumatized that at one point she ran out of the room.

While the Oklahoma Legislature doesn’t have the power to remove a judge, lawmakers are asking that a legal process be started in which a judge can be removed by a special state court. “My general concern is: Are the courts protecting the children?” said Rep. Mike Ritze, R-Broken Arrow. “You have a convicted felon you’re looking at. You’ve got a (family member) that’s come forward and said she was raped by him. You’ve got the public outcry.”

But new accusations have surfaced after Earls entered his plea, further casting negative light on the judge, as one of Earls’ estranged relatives came forward and alleged he also raped her. Though that case has most likely exceeded the statute of limitations, the allegations could be used against Earl if another victim ever came forward.

Edmondson’s office is also looking into another case against Earls involving the girl’s brother. But those charges were initially dropped after the boy changed his story, and said he didn’t recall the incident.

Earls’ attorney, Tim Mills, has said that he thought Bartheld agreed to the plea because prosecutors didn’t want to risk an acquittal. District Attorney Jim Bob Miller said the plea deal was accepted with the approval of the girl’s family. The light sentence also came after a medical examination of the girl found evidence of a sexual assault, but no DNA evidence tying Earls to the crime.

Earls was released from prison in 2006 after serving nearly 10 years for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon of two children he was baby-sitting

During the interview with psychologist Terezinha Feres-Carneiro in a Rio de Janeiro hospital, Sean repeatedly said that he wants to stay in Brazil. When he was asked to draw his family, he drew his stepfather, sister and Brazilian grandparents.

The transcript’s release came after David made public comments that his current child custody hearings in Brazil have finally showed that he been legally barred from previous discussions over what would be best for David. During one of the hearings, his lawyer told the judges about reports by three court-appointed psychologists who found Sean was suffering.

Sean’s mother, Bruna Bianchi, who was married to David, took Sean for a two-week vacation in 2004 to her native Brazil and never returned. She divorced David in Brazil and married Lins e Silva. Bianchi died last year, and a Rio state court granted Lins e Silva temporary custody of Sean.

A lower court in Brazil later ruled that Sean would be returned to the U.S., but that decision was suspended after a petition was filed arguing that removing Sean from his current family environment would actually hurt him. Last week, Brazil’s Supreme Court rebuffed the petition, instead ruling the decision on the boy’s fate must be made by a federal court.

The case has been featured on such American shows as NBC’s Dateline. In an effort to help bring Sean back to the U.S., the website www.BringSeanHome.org has been set up.

Here is the top ten from this past weekend found on eonline.com:

1. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, $112 million
2. The Proposal, $18.5 million
3. The Hangover, $17.2 million
4. Up, $13 million
5. My Sister’s Keeper, $12 million
6. Year One, $5.8 million
7. The Taking of Pelham 123, $5.4 million
8. Star Trek, $3.6 million
9. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, $3.5 million
10. Away We Go, $1.7 million

However, other news outlets are reporting otherwise. TMZ, for example, is suggesting that Jackson’s ex-wife Debbie Rowe, who is the biological mother of Paris and Michael Jr., has the legal right to obtain custody of the two. According to Rowe’s former attorney, Iris Finsilver, even though Judge Stephen Lachs ruled in 2005 that her parental rights were terminated, as she gave all rights to Jackson, he later reversed the decision. Finsilver added that Rowe is indeed their legal parent and can gain custody of them if she chooses.

Rowe granted Jackson custody after they divorced, but sued the singer in 2006 in an attempt to regain custody. Jackson and Rowe settled out of court for undisclosed terms, with Jackson retaining custody.

If Rowe does claim custody, it’s unkown who would take care of Prince Michael, as he was carried by a surrogate mother in Europe. It’s unknown if the mother, whose name has not been released, would get custody of him.

While Jackson had claimed that his eldest children were conceived naturally, Rowe insists that Michael, Jr. and Paris were conceived through artificial insemination with donated sperm. So, “This is not a battle between a biological parent and a nonbiological parent,” NBC News’ legal analyst Dan Abrams said. “This is going to be, if (Debbie) Rowe gets involved, a biological parent versus the family of the caregiver.”

Abrams also questioned what’s in the best interest of the children. “Some people will say, ‘Well, [Rowe] gave up custody.’ But that doesn’t mean forever. Now that (Michael) Jackson has died, she can certainly come back into the picture and say, ‘Wait a second. It is in the best interests of the children to be back with me.’ ”