King Abdullah news stories on Newser

Saudi King Fires Adviser After Remarks on Women

Sat, 12 May 2012 07:34:15 CDT

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has dismissed an ultraconservative adviser after he publicly criticized reforms aimed at easing restrictions on women. Sheik Abdul-Mohsen al-Obeikan had told a local radio station that officials were working to Westernize and secularize the country's laws by "legalizing taboos." The "situation is a very dangerous one...

Saudi Heir to Throne Dies

John Johnson — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 05:41:57 CDT

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 at...

Saudi Female Driver Won't Be Lashed

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 18:54:16 CDT

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 violating the...

Saudi Women Get Right to Vote

Polly Davis Doig — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 09:41:44 CDT

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 this Thursday's elections, so...

Saudi King Was Popping Viagra at 92

Matt Cantor — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 14:45:05 CDT

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 telegram from 2008 says...

Saudi King Condemns Syrian Violence

Matt Cantor — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 11:07:05 CDT

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 stop “the killing machine...

Obama Presses Saudis to Arm Libyan Rebels

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 07:30:00 CST

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...

Cables Reveal Saudi Royals' Money Grabs

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 13:48:08 CST

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...

Next Big Question: What Will Saudis Do?

John Johnson — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:45:05 CST

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 have...