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NEWS ABOUT: King Abdullah

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Saudi Heir to Throne Dies

Crown Prince Abdel Aziz al Saud was king's half-brother

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia's crown prince has died of colon cancer, but the country is expected to have an orderly process to figure out who is next in line to the throne, reports the BBC . Crown Prince Abdel Aziz al Saud was 85, according to the AP , and he reportedly died... More »

Saudi Female Driver Won't Be Lashed

Saudi King Abdullah overturns court ruling

(AP) - Saudi King Abdullah has overturned a court ruling sentencing a Saudi woman to be lashed 10 times for defying the kingdom's ban on female drivers, a government official said today. The official declined to elaborate on the monarch's decision. A Saudi court yesterday found Shaima Jastaina guilty of... More »

Saudi Women Get Right to Vote

But let's not rush into things: Wait til 2015, says King Abdullah

(Newser) - Good news for the ladies of Saudi Arabia: You can vote and even run for office, Saudi King Abdullah said today in an announcement that many are hailing as major progress for women's rights. Of course, there's a caveat: Abdullah's announcement won't take effect until after... More »

Saudi King Was Popping Viagra at 92

And he's 10 years older than we thought: WikiLeaks telegram

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia’s king isn’t letting age slow him down—even if he’s a decade older than the US thought he was. Even at 92, he hadn’t given up on romance, though he needed a little boost from Viagra, a WikiLeaks release shows. The US State Department... More »

Saudi King Condemns Syrian Violence

Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia withdraw ambassadors

(Newser) - With tanks continuing an onslaught against Syria’s uprising, Saudi Arabia’s king voiced harsh criticism of the crackdown and withdrew his ambassador to the country. “What is happening in Syria is not acceptable for Saudi Arabia,” King Abdullah said in a televised statement, calling on authorities to... More »

Obama Presses Saudis to Arm Libyan Rebels

No response yet to top secret request

(Newser) - The Obama administration is reluctant to take any obvious action to help rebels in Libya—so it's pressuring Saudi Arabia to do so instead, according to reports. Officials have asked the Saudis to airlift American weapons—paid for by the Saudis—into Benghazi. The Saudis haven't yet responded to the... More »

Cables Reveal Saudi Royals' Money Grabs

US messages detail royal welfare program, and royal schemes

(Newser) - The handouts Saudi King Abdullah is granting to his people are nothing compared to the handouts his family's thousands of princes and princesses have received over the past two decades. American diplomatic cables recently released by WikiLeaks detail the royal welfare program, which has cost the country an estimated $2... More »

Next Big Question: What Will Saudis Do?

Op-ed: King Abdullah has difficult choice to make soon

(Newser) - One crucial voice has yet to be heard from amid this Arab revolution, observes Jackson Diehl in Washington Post —Saudi Arabia. King Abdullah's regime is clearly nervous about the unrest, especially in next-door Bahrain, which also has a majority Shiite population that lives under Sunni rule. Abdullah will soon... More »

Saudi King Hands Out $37B

But some say they want reform, not money

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia has escaped, so far, the protests raging throughout the Arab world—and King Abdullah wants to keep it that way. He returned to his country today after a three-month convalescence in Morocco, where he was recuperating from back surgery, and before he arrived state media announced a... More »

As Mideast Seethes, Saudis Stand Alone

Kingdom feels encircled by enemies around the region

(Newser) - Popular unrest roiling the Middle East is is rocking the ultra-rich, ultra-conservative kingdom of Saudi Arabia, leaving its rulers feeling isolated both from regional allies and the United States alike, reports the New York Times . King Abdullah has called President Obama at least twice to voice his concerns about Egypt,... More »

Jordan's King Fires Cabinet After Protests

But opposition leader says they're not like Egypt

(Newser) - King Abdullah II cleared out his government today, after thousands of protesters took to the streets to demand the ouster of Prime Minister Samir Rifai, who many blamed for high fuel prices and slow political reform, according to al-Jazeera. The king has asked Marouf Bakhit, an ex-army general and former... More »

Egyptian Police Stand Down, Army Joins Protest

Chaos reigns in streets of Cairo

(Newser) - Protesters in Cairo once again defied curfew today, but this time the police largely stood by and let them do it, the LA Times reports. The military meanwhile seems to have switched sides; as protesters swarmed over Cairo’s central square, the officers stationed there threw off their helmets... More »

Saudi King Heads to US for Medical Treatment

Abdullah said to be 'in stable condition'

(AP) - Saudi Arabia's 86-year-old King Abdullah left home for the United States today to receive treatment for a blood clot and slipped disc. Saudi authorities have been unusually open in going public with the king's condition, apparently in an effort to prevent any speculation and reassure allies. Personal issues within the... More »

Saudi Prince on Trial for Strangling Servant

Battered man's body found in oil royal's bed

(Newser) - A Saudi Prince beat his male servant for weeks before strangling him in a gruesome lovers battle at a ritzy London hotel, a court was told yesterday. Prince Saud Bin Abdulaziz Bin Nasir Al Saud, grandson of King Abdullah, was videotaped kicking and punching Bandar Adulaziz on an elevator at... More »

Conjoined Palestinian Twins Inseparable, Likely to Die

Girls had made it out of Gaza to Saudi Arabia

(AP) - Saudi Arabia's health minister says conjoined Palestinian twins flown to Riyadh from the Gaza Strip cannot be separated and do not have long to live. The 2-week-old twin girls, joined at the chest, overcame immense obstacles to make it out of the Gaza Strip—including an Israeli blockade, rival Palestinian... More »

Saudi Prince Held in London Murder

Royal arrested after aide found beaten to death in hotel

(Newser) - A Saudi prince has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man believed to have been part of his entourage was found battered to death in a 5-star London hotel. Detectives were called in after staffers found the body at the Landmark Hotel, the Telegraph reports. The victim, a... More »

Karzai Seeks Saudi Help in Taliban Talks

Afghan president arrives in Riyadh

(Newser) - Hamid Karzai arrived in Riyadh today, hoping to secure Saudi Arabia’s help in peace negotiations with the Taliban. Karzai and his entourage will first make a pilgrimage to Mecca, then meet with King Abdullah tomorrow to discuss the reconciliation process. Abdullah has said his government won’t participate as... More »

This Year's Top Liberal Turkeys

Stimulus, President O-bow-ma get top billing

(Newser) - As we await tomorrow’s feast, conservative pundit Michelle Malkin gives us something to gnaw on, running down the year’s top turkeys:
  • The stimulus: The “Generational Theft Act” isn’t even a turkey, but a “Turbaconducken—the heart attack-inducing dish of roasted chicken stuffed inside a duck
... More »

Obama Granted Saudi King's Bling Award

'Goodness gracious,' says prez of golden top honor

(Newser) - President Obama was given Saudi Arabia's weightiest honor by King Abdullah yesterday, the Daily Telegraph reports. "Goodness gracious. That's something there," Obama exclaimed as he was presented with the thick gold chain and medallion of the King Abdul Aziz Order of Merit. The president put the necklace... More »

Obama Lands in Middle East, Ready to Make Tough Sell

(Newser) - Open arms and a full red carpet rollout greeted President Obama on his arrival in Saudi Arabia this morning, but the pleasantries will likely end when the policy talk starts, the New York Times reports. Obama wants the Arab nations to offer a peaceful gesture toward Israel, but Saudi officials... More »

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