Saudi Arabia's admission -- after emphatic denials -- over the killing of critic Jamal Khashoggi is aimed at shifting the responsibility away from the powerful crown prince, whose position so far appears unshaken, analysts say.

The kingdom sacked two top aides to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as well three intelligence officials and arrested 18 Saudi suspects, in what some analysts called a scapegoating to quell the global outrage over Khashoggi's killing.

After 17 days of vehement denials, the kingdom's assertion on Saturday that the journalist was killed in a "brawl and fist fight" inside a Saudi consulate in Istanbul –- without revealing the whereabouts of his body -- fell on sceptical ears around the world.

Saudi Arabia had previously roundly rejected allegations by Turkish officials that Khashoggi was killed by Saudi agents who dismembered his body, insisting he had walked out of the consulate alive.

"Here is Saudi Arabia's biggest problem," said Michael Stephens, a Middle East expert at the Royal United Services Institute.

The inconsistences in the Saudi statements "now totally undermines their position," he said.

Aside from the crisis of credibility, the international furore over Khashoggi's disappearance prompted fevered speculation that the 33-year-old prince, widely known as MBS, was at risk of being unseated from power by other royal family members.

But that danger appears to have subsided, analysts say.

The prince has amassed power to a level unseen by previous rulers after sidelining potential rivals, with only 82-year-old King Salman -- the prince's father -- in a position to oust him.

But the monarch issued a royal decree on Saturday to form a ministerial committee -- headed by the prince -- to revamp the kingdom's intelligence services, indicating that he was keen for him to stay.

"Despite speculation that the crisis spells the end of Mohammad bin Salman, the recent announcements prove that the king still believes that the current line of succession is suitable," said Eurasia Group, a risk consultancy.

The unprecedented crisis apparently prompted the king -- who appears to have handed over day-to-day affairs to MBS -- to intervene, including handling a diplomatic outreach with Turkey and the United States.

'Aiming for accountability'

The king also ordered the sacking of deputy intelligence chief Ahmad al-Assiri and royal court media adviser Saud al-Qahtani, both part of Prince Mohammed's inner circle.

"The decision to remove members of Mohammad bin Salman's inner circle is designed to demonstrate real accountability in the process and distance the crown prince from the murder," Eurasia Group said.

But the dramatic moves early Saturday have yet to stem the tide of global condemnation of Prince Mohammed, whose image as a modernising Arab reformer has been tarnished with his crackdown on dissent.

It has also tainted his reform program known as Vision 2030 -- to prepare the kingdom for a post-oil era.

"Dismissing Saud al-Qahtani and Ahmad al-Assiri is as close to MBS as it is possible to go," said Kristian Ulrichsen, a fellow at Rice University's Baker Institute in the United States.

"Interesting to see if these moves prove sufficient to end the crisis. If the drip-drip of additional details continue, there's no buffer to shield MBS any longer."

US President Donald Trump also appears to have thrown his weight behind the prince, swiftly endorsing Saudi Arabia's explanation about the death of Khashoggi and calling it an "important first step".

But casting doubt on the claim that Khashoggi was killed during a fist fight, the Washington Post reported on Saturday that the CIA had listened to audio recordings from Turkish officials that show he was brutally killed and dismembered by a team of Saudi agents.

US authorities have so far officially denied listening to any recordings.

'No cover-up'

Pro-government Turkish media have also repeatedly claimed that Khashoggi was tortured and decapitated by a Saudi hit squad.

One Saudi agent identified by Turkey was said to be a frequent companion of Prince Mohammed, three others were linked to his security detail and a fifth is a high-level forensic specialist, according to The New York Times.

The kingdom's sudden admission on Saturday appears aimed at taking the heat off its rulers.

But people close to the Saudi leadership insist there was no cover up.

"The removal of two top officials, a cabinet ranking, very powerful and close advisor of MBS and the deputy head of intelligence ... cannot be written off as a cover up," tweeted Ali Shihabi, head of pro-Saudi think tank Arabia Foundation which is said to be close to the government.

But Shihabi himself contradicted the Saudi narrative, saying "Khashoggi died from a chokehold during a physical altercation, not a fist fight", citing a senior Saudi source.

Meanwhile, global calls are growing for Turkey to call on the UN secretary general to authorise an independent, international investigation in the case.

Turkey, on its part, vowed Saturday to reveal all it knows about the death of Khashoggi, but has yet to divulge details about the investigation.

"The Saudi regime must not be allowed to hide behind lies in order to literally get away with murder," said Summer Lopez, senior director of free expression at PEN America.

Saudi Arabia's admission -- after emphatic denials -- over the killing of critic Jamal Khashoggi is aimed at shifting the responsibility away from the powerful crown prince, whose position so far appears unshaken, analysts say.

Saudi Arabia's admission -- after emphatic denials -- over the killing of critic Jamal Khashoggi is aimed at shifting the responsibility away from the powerful crown prince, whose position so far appears unshaken, analysts say. The kingdom sacked two top aides to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as well three intelligence officials and arrested 18 Saudi suspects, in what some analysts called a scapegoating to quell the global outrage over Khashoggi's killing. After 17 days of vehement denials, the kingdom's assertion on Saturday that the journalist was killed in a "brawl and fist fight" inside a Saudi consulate in Istanbul –- without revealing the whereabouts of his body -- fell on sceptical ears around the world. Saudi Arabia had previously roundly rejected allegations by Turkish officials that Khashoggi was killed by Saudi agents who dismembered his body, insisting he had walked out of the consulate alive. "Here is Saudi Arabia's biggest problem," said Michael Stephens, a Middle East expert at the Royal United Services Institute. The inconsistences in the Saudi statements "now totally undermines their position," he said. Aside from the crisis of credibility, the international furore over Khashoggi's disappearance prompted fevered speculation that the 33-year-old prince, widely known as MBS, was at risk of being unseated from power by other royal family members. But that danger appears to have subsided, analysts say. The prince has amassed power to a level unseen by previous rulers after sidelining potential rivals, with only 82-year-old King Salman -- the prince's father -- in a position to oust him. But the monarch issued a royal decree on Saturday to form a ministerial committee -- headed by the prince -- to revamp the kingdom's intelligence services, indicating that he was keen for him to stay. "Despite speculation that the crisis spells the end of Mohammad bin Salman, the recent announcements prove that the king still believes that the current line of succession is suitable," said Eurasia Group, a risk consultancy. The unprecedented crisis apparently prompted the king -- who appears to have handed over day-to-day affairs to MBS -- to intervene, including handling a diplomatic outreach with Turkey and the United States. 'Aiming for accountability' The king also ordered the sacking of deputy intelligence chief Ahmad al-Assiri and royal court media adviser Saud al-Qahtani, both part of Prince Mohammed's inner circle. "The decision to remove members of Mohammad bin Salman's inner circle is designed to demonstrate real accountability in the process and distance the crown prince from the murder," Eurasia Group said. But the dramatic moves early Saturday have yet to stem the tide of global condemnation of Prince Mohammed, whose image as a modernising Arab reformer has been tarnished with his crackdown on dissent. It has also tainted his reform program known as Vision 2030 -- to prepare the kingdom for a post-oil era. "Dismissing Saud al-Qahtani and Ahmad al-Assiri is as close to MBS as it is possible to go," said Kristian Ulrichsen, a fellow at Rice University's Baker Institute in the United States. "Interesting to see if these moves prove sufficient to end the crisis. If the drip-drip of additional details continue, there's no buffer to shield MBS any longer." US President Donald Trump also appears to have thrown his weight behind the prince, swiftly endorsing Saudi Arabia's explanation about the death of Khashoggi and calling it an "important first step". But casting doubt on the claim that Khashoggi was killed during a fist fight, the Washington Post reported on Saturday that the CIA had listened to audio recordings from Turkish officials that show he was brutally killed and dismembered by a team of Saudi agents. US authorities have so far officially denied listening to any recordings. 'No cover-up' Pro-government Turkish media have also repeatedly claimed that Khashoggi was tortured and decapitated by a Saudi hit squad. One Saudi agent identified by Turkey was said to be a frequent companion of Prince Mohammed, three others were linked to his security detail and a fifth is a high-level forensic specialist, according to The New York Times. The kingdom's sudden admission on Saturday appears aimed at taking the heat off its rulers. But people close to the Saudi leadership insist there was no cover up. "The removal of two top officials, a cabinet ranking, very powerful and close advisor of MBS and the deputy head of intelligence ... cannot be written off as a cover up," tweeted Ali Shihabi, head of pro-Saudi think tank Arabia Foundation which is said to be close to the government. But Shihabi himself contradicted the Saudi narrative, saying "Khashoggi died from a chokehold during a physical altercation, not a fist fight", citing a senior Saudi source. Meanwhile, global calls are growing for Turkey to call on the UN secretary general to authorise an independent, international investigation in the case. Turkey, on its part, vowed Saturday to reveal all it knows about the death of Khashoggi, but has yet to divulge details about the investigation. "The Saudi regime must not be allowed to hide behind lies in order to literally get away with murder," said Summer Lopez, senior director of free expression at PEN America.

Saudi admission over Khashoggi's killing shields crown prince

Six days after Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared, US President Donald Trump tried to play down the crisis, saying "hopefully that will sort itself out".

It did not, and on October 10, amid a growing outcry, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and national security adviser John Bolton pressed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, in what one US official described as a "stern" phone call, to identify who was responsible for Khashoggi's disappearance or death.

Trump then seemed to give Saudi Arabia the benefit of the doubt, suggesting "rogue killers" may have been to blame and criticizing a growing view that this was a case of state murder.

He changed his tone once again late this week, raising the prospect of sanctions against Riyadh.

But when Saudi Arabia finally admitted on Saturday that Khashoggi was dead, saying he was killed in a fight inside the consulate, Trump said the official explanation was "credible" even as Republican and Democratic lawmakers responded with anger and disbelief.

Over the last two weeks, Trump has at times spoken of punishing Saudi Arabia but appeared reluctant to follow through against a close economic and security ally in the Middle East, a key player in ensuring the stability of global oil markets, and a major customer of arms deals that he says are "tremendous".

"Trump's dug himself into a hole," said Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East adviser to both Democratic and Republican administrations. "He will have to take some kind of action."

Behind the scenes, though, Trump's aides scrambled to craft a response, especially as the bipartisan outcry in the Washington establishment grew.

When news of Khashoggi's disappearance first broke, aides made clear to White House chief of staff John Kelly that the case was not going away, two senior White House officials said.

Kushner, who had cultivated a close personal relationship with the crown prince, commonly known as MbS, urged Trump to act with caution to avoid upsetting a critical strategic and economic relationship, a senior administration official said.

Kushner was heavily involved in making Saudi Arabia Trump's first stop on his maiden international trip as president last year.

As grim allegations emerged from Turkey about Khashoggi’s death and the Saudis stuck to their denials, Trump felt pressure from congressional Democrats and some of his own Republicans.

US&nbsp;Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican close to Trump, accused MbS of ordering Khashoggi's murder and called him a "wrecking ball" jeopardizing relations with the United States.

When Riyadh came out with its official version of what happened inside the consulate, Graham quickly tweeted he was "skeptical of the new Saudi narrative".

'Not a US citizen'

Trump sought to justify his muted response by pointing out the incident occurred in Turkey and that Khashoggi, a US&nbsp;resident and columnist for the Washington Post, was "not a United States citizen".

Critics accused Trump of trying to give the Saudis diplomatic cover and buy time for them to get their story straight, something Trump's aides denied.

At the same time, Peter Navarro, Trump’s White House trade chief and architect of his “Buy American” policy to ease restrictions on foreign arms sales, was stressing the importance of Saudi weapons deals and the implications for US&nbsp;jobs, another administration official told Reuters.

Trump repeatedly touted the $110 billion in weapons deals he announced during his visit to Saudi Arabia last year, and insisted around 500,000 US&nbsp;jobs were at stake. Experts have dismissed the sales and jobs numbers as highly exaggerated.

Some Trump aides raised doubts about the veracity of the Turkish government’s leaks of what it says happened to Khashoggi.

But as the days dragged on and evidence of Khashoggi’s death mounted, Trump's view began to shift, White House officials said.

He ordered Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to drop what he was doing and fly to Riyadh for talks at mid-week, and was then briefed by him at the White House on Thursday.

Critics slammed Pompeo for appearing to hold court in a festive manner with MbS, undercutting the severity of the US&nbsp;message.

But one senior White House official countered, saying Pompeo told the Saudi royals that “you need to give us some legitimate information soon, people aren’t just going to let it drag on.'”

Speaking to reporters during a trip to Arizona on Friday, Trump said he was ready to “listen to what Congress has to say” about actions to be taken in the Khashoggi case, yet also made clear he wanted to continue to protect defense contracts, and U.S. jobs dependent on them.

Congress has already triggered a mechanism for the U.S. Treasury Department to consider human rights sanctions against Saudi Arabia and some lawmakers have vowed to block further arms sales to Riyadh, a move that Trump is likely to oppose.

Six days after Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared, US President Donald Trump tried to play down the crisis, saying "hopefully that will sort itself out".

Six days after Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared, US President Donald Trump tried to play down the crisis, saying "hopefully that will sort itself out". It did not, and on October 10, amid a growing outcry, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and national security adviser John Bolton pressed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, in what one US official described as a "stern" phone call, to identify who was responsible for Khashoggi's disappearance or death. Trump then seemed to give Saudi Arabia the benefit of the doubt, suggesting "rogue killers" may have been to blame and criticizing a growing view that this was a case of state murder. He changed his tone once again late this week, raising the prospect of sanctions against Riyadh. But when Saudi Arabia finally admitted on Saturday that Khashoggi was dead, saying he was killed in a fight inside the consulate, Trump said the official explanation was "credible" even as Republican and Democratic lawmakers responded with anger and disbelief. Over the last two weeks, Trump has at times spoken of punishing Saudi Arabia but appeared reluctant to follow through against a close economic and security ally in the Middle East, a key player in ensuring the stability of global oil markets, and a major customer of arms deals that he says are "tremendous". "Trump's dug himself into a hole," said Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East adviser to both Democratic and Republican administrations. "He will have to take some kind of action." Behind the scenes, though, Trump's aides scrambled to craft a response, especially as the bipartisan outcry in the Washington establishment grew. When news of Khashoggi's disappearance first broke, aides made clear to White House chief of staff John Kelly that the case was not going away, two senior White House officials said. Kushner, who had cultivated a close personal relationship with the crown prince, commonly known as MbS, urged Trump to act with caution to avoid upsetting a critical strategic and economic relationship, a senior administration official said. Kushner was heavily involved in making Saudi Arabia Trump's first stop on his maiden international trip as president last year. As grim allegations emerged from Turkey about Khashoggi’s death and the Saudis stuck to their denials, Trump felt pressure from congressional Democrats and some of his own Republicans. US Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican close to Trump, accused MbS of ordering Khashoggi's murder and called him a "wrecking ball" jeopardizing relations with the United States. When Riyadh came out with its official version of what happened inside the consulate, Graham quickly tweeted he was "skeptical of the new Saudi narrative". 'Not a US citizen' Trump sought to justify his muted response by pointing out the incident occurred in Turkey and that Khashoggi, a US resident and columnist for the Washington Post, was "not a United States citizen". Critics accused Trump of trying to give the Saudis diplomatic cover and buy time for them to get their story straight, something Trump's aides denied. At the same time, Peter Navarro, Trump’s White House trade chief and architect of his “Buy American” policy to ease restrictions on foreign arms sales, was stressing the importance of Saudi weapons deals and the implications for US jobs, another administration official told Reuters. Trump repeatedly touted the $110 billion in weapons deals he announced during his visit to Saudi Arabia last year, and insisted around 500,000 US jobs were at stake. Experts have dismissed the sales and jobs numbers as highly exaggerated. Some Trump aides raised doubts about the veracity of the Turkish government’s leaks of what it says happened to Khashoggi. But as the days dragged on and evidence of Khashoggi’s death mounted, Trump's view began to shift, White House officials said. He ordered Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to drop what he was doing and fly to Riyadh for talks at mid-week, and was then briefed by him at the White House on Thursday. Critics slammed Pompeo for appearing to hold court in a festive manner with MbS, undercutting the severity of the US message. But one senior White House official countered, saying Pompeo told the Saudi royals that “you need to give us some legitimate information soon, people aren’t just going to let it drag on.'” Speaking to reporters during a trip to Arizona on Friday, Trump said he was ready to “listen to what Congress has to say” about actions to be taken in the Khashoggi case, yet also made clear he wanted to continue to protect defense contracts, and U.S. jobs dependent on them. Congress has already triggered a mechanism for the U.S. Treasury Department to consider human rights sanctions against Saudi Arabia and some lawmakers have vowed to block further arms sales to Riyadh, a move that Trump is likely to oppose.

Trump a reluctant critic of Saudi Arabia despite pressure to act

Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi criticised Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's "authoritarian rule" shortly before his death, in an interview published following confirmation he died at the kingdom's Istanbul consulate.

Speaking off the record to a Newsweek journalist working on a story about the Saudi leadership, he insisted he did not view himself as "an opposition" -- he just wanted "a better Saudi Arabia".

"I'm not calling for the overthrow of the regime, because I know it's not possible and is too risky, and there is no one to overthrow the regime," Khashoggi said.

"I'm just calling for reform of the regime."

He described Prince Mohammed as "an old-fashioned tribal leader" out of touch with Saudi's poor.

"Sometimes I feel that ... he wants to enjoy the fruits of First World modernity and Silicon Valley and cinemas and everything, but at the same time he wants also to rule like how his grandfather ruled Saudi Arabia," Khashoggi told Newsweek.

"He still doesn't see the people. When he sees the people, that's when the actual reform will start."

Khashoggi also criticised Prince Mohammed's lack of "proper advisers".

"He is moving toward a Saudi Arabia according to him, a Saudi Arabia according to Mohammed bin Salman only," said Khashoggi, who was himself a contributor to the Washington Post newspaper.

Khashoggi described two of the prince's aides -- sports chief Turki al-Sheikh and the since-dismissed media adviser Saud al-Qahtani -- as "very thuggish".

"People fear them. You challenge them, you might end up in prison, and that has happened," he said.

Khashoggi was last seen on October 2 entering his country's consulate in Istanbul.

His disappearance had been shrouded in mystery, with Turkish officials accusing Saudi Arabia of carrying out a state-sponsored killing and dismembering the body.

Saudi Arabia finally admitted early Saturday that Khashoggi had died inside the consulate in what it described as a "brawl".

The admission -- after persistent claims by the Saudi authorities that Khashoggi had left the consulate alive -- came following the threat of US sanctions.

The Saudi authorities have not yet said where his body is.

In the Newsweek interview, Khashoggi, whose disappearance tipped Saudi Arabia into one of its worst international crises, said pushback from the international community was vital to keeping the Saudi regime in check.

"That is our only hope," he said.

Also read:<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-admits-khashoggi-died-in-consulate-donald-trump-says-saudi-explanation-credible-172411"> Saudi admits Khashoggi died in </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-admits-khashoggi-died-in-consulate-donald-trump-says-saudi-explanation-credible-172411">fistfight</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-admits-khashoggi-died-in-consulate-donald-trump-says-saudi-explanation-credible-172411"> at </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-admits-khashoggi-died-in-consulate-donald-trump-says-saudi-explanation-credible-172411">consulate</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-admits-khashoggi-died-in-consulate-donald-trump-says-saudi-explanation-credible-172411">, Trump says explanation credible</a>

Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi criticised Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's "authoritarian rule" shortly before his death, in an interview published following confirmation he died at the kingdom's Istanbul consulate.

Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi criticised Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's "authoritarian rule" shortly before his death, in an interview published following confirmation he died at the kingdom's Istanbul consulate. Speaking off the record to a Newsweek journalist working on a story about the Saudi leadership, he insisted he did not view himself as "an opposition" -- he just wanted "a better Saudi Arabia". "I'm not calling for the overthrow of the regime, because I know it's not possible and is too risky, and there is no one to overthrow the regime," Khashoggi said. "I'm just calling for reform of the regime." He described Prince Mohammed as "an old-fashioned tribal leader" out of touch with Saudi's poor. "Sometimes I feel that ... he wants to enjoy the fruits of First World modernity and Silicon Valley and cinemas and everything, but at the same time he wants also to rule like how his grandfather ruled Saudi Arabia," Khashoggi told Newsweek. "He still doesn't see the people. When he sees the people, that's when the actual reform will start." Khashoggi also criticised Prince Mohammed's lack of "proper advisers". "He is moving toward a Saudi Arabia according to him, a Saudi Arabia according to Mohammed bin Salman only," said Khashoggi, who was himself a contributor to the Washington Post newspaper. Khashoggi described two of the prince's aides -- sports chief Turki al-Sheikh and the since-dismissed media adviser Saud al-Qahtani -- as "very thuggish". "People fear them. You challenge them, you might end up in prison, and that has happened," he said. Khashoggi was last seen on October 2 entering his country's consulate in Istanbul. His disappearance had been shrouded in mystery, with Turkish officials accusing Saudi Arabia of carrying out a state-sponsored killing and dismembering the body. Saudi Arabia finally admitted early Saturday that Khashoggi had died inside the consulate in what it described as a "brawl". The admission -- after persistent claims by the Saudi authorities that Khashoggi had left the consulate alive -- came following the threat of US sanctions. The Saudi authorities have not yet said where his body is. In the Newsweek interview, Khashoggi, whose disappearance tipped Saudi Arabia into one of its worst international crises, said pushback from the international community was vital to keeping the Saudi regime in check. "That is our only hope," he said. Also read: Saudi admits Khashoggi died in fistfight at consulate, Trump says explanation credible

Khashoggi criticised Saudi crown prince, called for 'reform of regime' in his last interview: Report

A complex man of contradictions, journalist Jamal Khashoggi went from being a Saudi royal family insider to an outspoken critic of the ultra-conservative kingdom's government. Now even Donald Trump fears he is dead.

In what might be his last ever column for The Washington Post, Khashoggi perhaps presciently pleaded for greater freedom for the press in the Middle East.

"The Arab world is facing its own version of an Iron Curtain, imposed not by external actors but through domestic forces vying for power," he writes, in the column released two weeks after he disappeared in Istanbul.

"We need to provide a platform for Arab voices," he argues.

Now it appears his voice may have been permanently silenced.

The Saudi journalist -- last seen on October 2 entering his country's consulate in Istanbul to obtain some marriage papers -- went into self-imposed exile in the United States in 2017 after falling out with Saudi's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

His disappearance has been shrouded in mystery, and triggered an international crisis for both Riyadh and Washington as Turkish officials have accused Saudi Arabia of a state-sponsored killing.

Riyadh has denied the kingdom gave orders to kill Khashoggi and agreed to investigate his death.&nbsp;

But the US president on Thursday said for the first time he now believes that Khashoggi is dead. "It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad," Trump told reporters.

Bin Laden to Muslim brotherhood

Khashoggi comes from a prominent Saudi family with Turkish origins.

His grandfather, Mohammed Khashoggi, was the personal doctor of Saudi Arabia's founder, King Abdul Aziz al-Saud. His uncle was the notorious arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi.&nbsp;

A friend of a young Osama bin Laden; a Muslim Brotherhood sympathiser; an aide to the Saudi royal family; a critic of the kingdom's regime and a liberal -- such conflicting descriptions have all been ascribed to Khashoggi.&nbsp;

After graduating from Indiana State University in 1982, he began working for Saudi dailies, including the Saudi Gazette and Al-Sharq al-Awsat.&nbsp;

When he was sent to cover the conflict in Afghanistan, a picture of a young Khashoggi holding an assault rifle and dressed in Afghani clothing was widely disseminated. Khashoggi did not fight in the country, but sympathised with the Mujahideen in the 1980s war against the Soviet occupation, which was funded by the Saudis and the CIA.&nbsp;

He is known to have been drawn to the Muslim Brotherhood's policies seeking to erase the remnants of Western colonialism from the Arab world.

It was this shared vision that brought him closer to a young Saudi called Osama bin Laden, who went on to found Al-Qaeda which carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

As a young journalist, Khashoggi interviewed bin Laden several times, garnering international attention. But later in the 1990s he distanced himself from the man who called for violence against the West.

'Too progressive'

Born in the Saudi holy city of Medina on October 13, 1958, Khashoggi spent his youth studying Islamic ideology and embraced liberal ideas.&nbsp;

But Saudi authorities came to see Khashoggi as too progressive and he was forced to resign as editor-in-chief of the Saudi daily Al-Watan in 2003 after serving just 54 days.&nbsp;

Over the years, he maintained ambiguous ties with Saudi authorities, having held advisory positions in Riyadh and Washington, including to Prince Turki al-Faisal, who ran Saudi Arabia's intelligence agency for more than 20 years.

When Faisal was appointed ambassador to Washington in 2005, Khashoggi went with him.

In 2007, Khashoggi returned to Al-Watan newspaper, lasting almost three years before being fired for "his editorial style, pushing boundaries of discussion and debate within Saudi society", according to Khashoggi's website.&nbsp;

He became close to Saudi billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal and together they launched in Manama a 24-hour news station, Al-Arab.&nbsp;

However, Bahrain -- a staunch Saudi ally -- shut it down in 2015 less than 24 hours after it broadcast an interview with an opposition official.&nbsp;

'Fear, intimidation'

Khashoggi fled Saudi Arabia in September 2017, just months after Prince Mohammed was appointed heir to the region's most powerful throne.

Months later, Prince Al-Waleed and hundreds of officials and businessmen were arrested in November 2017 in what the Saudis called an anti-corruption campaign.

In an article published in the Post last year, Khashoggi, whose 60th birthday was on October 13, said under Prince Mohammed -- the kingdom's de facto ruler -- Saudi Arabia was entering a new era of "fear, intimidation, arrests and public shaming".&nbsp;

He said he had been banned from writing in the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat for defending the Muslim Brotherhood which Riyadh has blacklisted as a terrorist organisation.&nbsp;

And he said Saudi authorities had banned him from using his verified Twitter account after he said the country should be "rightfully nervous about a Trump presidency".&nbsp;

Trump has expressed support for Crown Prince Mohammed, and his son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner has deliberately cultivated close ties with the prince, known as MBS.

Khashoggi, who was due to marry his Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz this month, has also criticised Saudi Arabia's role in the Yemen conflict and opposed a Saudi-led boycott of Qatar.

"For his domestic reform programme, the crown prince deserves praise. But at the same time, the brash and abrasive young innovator has not encouraged or permitted any popular debate in Saudi Arabia about the nature of his many changes," Khashoggi wrote in the British daily The Guardian in March.

"He appears to be moving the country from old-time religious extremism to his own 'You-must-accept-my-reform' extremism."

A complex man of contradictions, journalist Jamal Khashoggi went from being a Saudi royal family insider to an outspoken critic of the ultra-conservative kingdom's government.

A complex man of contradictions, journalist Jamal Khashoggi went from being a Saudi royal family insider to an outspoken critic of the ultra-conservative kingdom's government. Now even Donald Trump fears he is dead. In what might be his last ever column for The Washington Post, Khashoggi perhaps presciently pleaded for greater freedom for the press in the Middle East. "The Arab world is facing its own version of an Iron Curtain, imposed not by external actors but through domestic forces vying for power," he writes, in the column released two weeks after he disappeared in Istanbul. "We need to provide a platform for Arab voices," he argues. Now it appears his voice may have been permanently silenced. The Saudi journalist -- last seen on October 2 entering his country's consulate in Istanbul to obtain some marriage papers -- went into self-imposed exile in the United States in 2017 after falling out with Saudi's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. His disappearance has been shrouded in mystery, and triggered an international crisis for both Riyadh and Washington as Turkish officials have accused Saudi Arabia of a state-sponsored killing. Riyadh has denied the kingdom gave orders to kill Khashoggi and agreed to investigate his death. But the US president on Thursday said for the first time he now believes that Khashoggi is dead. "It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad," Trump told reporters. Bin Laden to Muslim brotherhood Khashoggi comes from a prominent Saudi family with Turkish origins. His grandfather, Mohammed Khashoggi, was the personal doctor of Saudi Arabia's founder, King Abdul Aziz al-Saud. His uncle was the notorious arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi. A friend of a young Osama bin Laden; a Muslim Brotherhood sympathiser; an aide to the Saudi royal family; a critic of the kingdom's regime and a liberal -- such conflicting descriptions have all been ascribed to Khashoggi. After graduating from Indiana State University in 1982, he began working for Saudi dailies, including the Saudi Gazette and Al-Sharq al-Awsat. When he was sent to cover the conflict in Afghanistan, a picture of a young Khashoggi holding an assault rifle and dressed in Afghani clothing was widely disseminated. Khashoggi did not fight in the country, but sympathised with the Mujahideen in the 1980s war against the Soviet occupation, which was funded by the Saudis and the CIA. He is known to have been drawn to the Muslim Brotherhood's policies seeking to erase the remnants of Western colonialism from the Arab world. It was this shared vision that brought him closer to a young Saudi called Osama bin Laden, who went on to found Al-Qaeda which carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. As a young journalist, Khashoggi interviewed bin Laden several times, garnering international attention. But later in the 1990s he distanced himself from the man who called for violence against the West. 'Too progressive' Born in the Saudi holy city of Medina on October 13, 1958, Khashoggi spent his youth studying Islamic ideology and embraced liberal ideas. But Saudi authorities came to see Khashoggi as too progressive and he was forced to resign as editor-in-chief of the Saudi daily Al-Watan in 2003 after serving just 54 days. Over the years, he maintained ambiguous ties with Saudi authorities, having held advisory positions in Riyadh and Washington, including to Prince Turki al-Faisal, who ran Saudi Arabia's intelligence agency for more than 20 years. When Faisal was appointed ambassador to Washington in 2005, Khashoggi went with him. In 2007, Khashoggi returned to Al-Watan newspaper, lasting almost three years before being fired for "his editorial style, pushing boundaries of discussion and debate within Saudi society", according to Khashoggi's website. He became close to Saudi billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal and together they launched in Manama a 24-hour news station, Al-Arab. However, Bahrain -- a staunch Saudi ally -- shut it down in 2015 less than 24 hours after it broadcast an interview with an opposition official. 'Fear, intimidation' Khashoggi fled Saudi Arabia in September 2017, just months after Prince Mohammed was appointed heir to the region's most powerful throne. Months later, Prince Al-Waleed and hundreds of officials and businessmen were arrested in November 2017 in what the Saudis called an anti-corruption campaign. In an article published in the Post last year, Khashoggi, whose 60th birthday was on October 13, said under Prince Mohammed -- the kingdom's de facto ruler -- Saudi Arabia was entering a new era of "fear, intimidation, arrests and public shaming". He said he had been banned from writing in the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat for defending the Muslim Brotherhood which Riyadh has blacklisted as a terrorist organisation. And he said Saudi authorities had banned him from using his verified Twitter account after he said the country should be "rightfully nervous about a Trump presidency". Trump has expressed support for Crown Prince Mohammed, and his son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner has deliberately cultivated close ties with the prince, known as MBS. Khashoggi, who was due to marry his Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz this month, has also criticised Saudi Arabia's role in the Yemen conflict and opposed a Saudi-led boycott of Qatar. "For his domestic reform programme, the crown prince deserves praise. But at the same time, the brash and abrasive young innovator has not encouraged or permitted any popular debate in Saudi Arabia about the nature of his many changes," Khashoggi wrote in the British daily The Guardian in March. "He appears to be moving the country from old-time religious extremism to his own 'You-must-accept-my-reform' extremism."

Jamal Khashoggi: From Saudi royal insider to open critic

Turkey searched the Saudi consulate in Istanbul for a second time overnight as part of a probe into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, while the French and Dutch finance ministers pulled out of a Riyadh investment summit amid global criticism of the kingdom.

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump said he was awaiting a full report on what had happened to Khashoggi from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after the envoy met with Saudi and Turkish leaders, and said he did not want to abandon his Saudi ally.

Turkish officials say they believe Khashoggi - a US&nbsp;resident and Washington Post columnist critical of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 and his body removed.

Saudi Arabia has denied involvement in Khashoggi's disappearance. Trump has speculated without providing evidence that "rogue killers" could be responsible.

How Western allies deal with Riyadh will hinge on the extent to which they believe responsibility for the affair lies with Prince Mohammed and the Saudi authorities.

Trump, who has forged closer ties with Saudi Arabia and the 33-year-old crown prince in an effort to counter Iranian influence in the region, has appeared unwilling to distance himself too much from Riyadh. He has cited tens of billions of dollars in potential arms deals.

Other Western nations have expressed concern about Khashoggi's disappearance, but face a similarly delicate situation in their dealings with the world's top oil exporter.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday he had cancelled his attendance at an investment conference in Riyadh next week, telling Public Senat TV: "The conditions are not right."

Dutch Finance Minister Wopka Hoekstra has also scrapped plans to attend, news agency ANP reported, while the Dutch government cancelled a trade mission to Saudi Arabia next month.

US&nbsp;Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said his plans to attend the Riyadh conference would be revisited on Thursday after US&nbsp;officials have a chance to consult Pompeo. Britain's Secretary of State for Trade Liam Fox's plans to attend have not been confirmed, a spokesperson said.

Audio recording

Turkish crime scene investigators left the Saudi consulate early on Thursday after searching the building and consular vehicles, a Reuters witness said. They used bright lights to illuminate the garden.

Earlier, the investigators spent nearly nine hours in the Saudi consul's residence, as did Saudi investigators. The Turkish team's search included the roof and garage and the use of a drone.

Turkish sources have told Reuters the authorities have an audio recording indicating Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate. Trump said the United States has asked Turkey for any audio or video evidence.

Turkey's pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper published on Wednesday what it said were details from audio recordings that purported to document Khashoggi's torture and interrogation.

The newspaper said Khashoggi's torturers severed his fingers during the interrogation and later beheaded and dismembered him.

A New York Times report cited a senior Turkish official confirming those details. Two Turkish government officials contacted by Reuters declined to confirm the report.

Turkey has not shared with the US&nbsp;government or European allies graphic audio or video evidence, seven US&nbsp;and European security officials have told Reuters.

The United States and allies have collected some intelligence through their own sources and methods, which partly confirms news reports based on leaks of audio recordings, four of the sources said.

Intelligence team

Turkish pro-government newspaper Sabah published preliminary evidence last week from investigators who it said had identified a 15-member Saudi intelligence team that arrived in Istanbul on diplomatic passports hours before Khashoggi disappeared.

One name matches a LinkedIn profile for a forensic expert who has worked at the interior ministry for 20 years. Another is identified in a diplomatic directory from 2007 as a first secretary at the Saudi Embassy in London.

Other names and photos of the 15 resemble officers in the Saudi Army and Air Force, as identified by previous Saudi media reports and in one case a Facebook profile.

A New York Times report, citing witnesses and other records, linked four suspects to Prince Mohammed's security detail.

Prince Mohammed has painted himself as the face of a new, vibrant Saudi Arabia, diversifying its economy away from reliance on oil and making some social changes.

But he has faced criticism including over the arrest of women activists, a diplomatic row with Canada and Riyadh's involvement in the Yemen war during which airstrikes by the coalition Saudi Arabia leads have killed civilians.

Khashoggi, a royal insider who once advised former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal, never shied away from criticising Saudi policies.

The Washington Post published a column it received from his assistant after he was reported missing in which Khashoggi condemns the crackdown on journalists by Arab governments and the failure of the international community to respond.

"As a result, Arab governments have been given free rein to continue silencing the media at an increasing rate," he wrote.

Turkey searched the Saudi consulate in Istanbul for a second time overnight as part of a probe into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, while the French and Dutch finance ministers pulled out of a Riyadh investment summit amid global criticism of the kingdom.

Turkey searched the Saudi consulate in Istanbul for a second time overnight as part of a probe into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, while the French and Dutch finance ministers pulled out of a Riyadh investment summit amid global criticism of the kingdom. US President Donald Trump said he was awaiting a full report on what had happened to Khashoggi from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after the envoy met with Saudi and Turkish leaders, and said he did not want to abandon his Saudi ally. Turkish officials say they believe Khashoggi - a US resident and Washington Post columnist critical of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 and his body removed. Saudi Arabia has denied involvement in Khashoggi's disappearance. Trump has speculated without providing evidence that "rogue killers" could be responsible. How Western allies deal with Riyadh will hinge on the extent to which they believe responsibility for the affair lies with Prince Mohammed and the Saudi authorities. Trump, who has forged closer ties with Saudi Arabia and the 33-year-old crown prince in an effort to counter Iranian influence in the region, has appeared unwilling to distance himself too much from Riyadh. He has cited tens of billions of dollars in potential arms deals. Other Western nations have expressed concern about Khashoggi's disappearance, but face a similarly delicate situation in their dealings with the world's top oil exporter. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday he had cancelled his attendance at an investment conference in Riyadh next week, telling Public Senat TV: "The conditions are not right." Dutch Finance Minister Wopka Hoekstra has also scrapped plans to attend, news agency ANP reported, while the Dutch government cancelled a trade mission to Saudi Arabia next month. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said his plans to attend the Riyadh conference would be revisited on Thursday after US officials have a chance to consult Pompeo. Britain's Secretary of State for Trade Liam Fox's plans to attend have not been confirmed, a spokesperson said. Audio recording Turkish crime scene investigators left the Saudi consulate early on Thursday after searching the building and consular vehicles, a Reuters witness said. They used bright lights to illuminate the garden. Earlier, the investigators spent nearly nine hours in the Saudi consul's residence, as did Saudi investigators. The Turkish team's search included the roof and garage and the use of a drone. Turkish sources have told Reuters the authorities have an audio recording indicating Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate. Trump said the United States has asked Turkey for any audio or video evidence. Turkey's pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper published on Wednesday what it said were details from audio recordings that purported to document Khashoggi's torture and interrogation. The newspaper said Khashoggi's torturers severed his fingers during the interrogation and later beheaded and dismembered him. A New York Times report cited a senior Turkish official confirming those details. Two Turkish government officials contacted by Reuters declined to confirm the report. Turkey has not shared with the US government or European allies graphic audio or video evidence, seven US and European security officials have told Reuters. The United States and allies have collected some intelligence through their own sources and methods, which partly confirms news reports based on leaks of audio recordings, four of the sources said. Intelligence team Turkish pro-government newspaper Sabah published preliminary evidence last week from investigators who it said had identified a 15-member Saudi intelligence team that arrived in Istanbul on diplomatic passports hours before Khashoggi disappeared. One name matches a LinkedIn profile for a forensic expert who has worked at the interior ministry for 20 years. Another is identified in a diplomatic directory from 2007 as a first secretary at the Saudi Embassy in London. Other names and photos of the 15 resemble officers in the Saudi Army and Air Force, as identified by previous Saudi media reports and in one case a Facebook profile. A New York Times report, citing witnesses and other records, linked four suspects to Prince Mohammed's security detail. Prince Mohammed has painted himself as the face of a new, vibrant Saudi Arabia, diversifying its economy away from reliance on oil and making some social changes. But he has faced criticism including over the arrest of women activists, a diplomatic row with Canada and Riyadh's involvement in the Yemen war during which airstrikes by the coalition Saudi Arabia leads have killed civilians. Khashoggi, a royal insider who once advised former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal, never shied away from criticising Saudi policies. The Washington Post published a column it received from his assistant after he was reported missing in which Khashoggi condemns the crackdown on journalists by Arab governments and the failure of the international community to respond. "As a result, Arab governments have been given free rein to continue silencing the media at an increasing rate," he wrote.

Turkey searches Saudi consulate again, as French, Dutch ministers cancel Riyadh trip

Saudi Arabia's interior minister rejected Saturday claims there were orders to kill missing Riyadh critic and journalist Jamal Khashoggi, describing them as "baseless allegations and lies".

Prince Abdel Aziz bin Saud bin Nayef added that his country was "in compliance with international laws and conventions," the official Saudi Press Agency reported him saying.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, vanished on October 2 after entering the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage.

Turkish police and numerous media have claimed he was tortured and killed at the consulate.

His case risks hurting not just fragile Turkish-Saudi relations but also damaging the image of the kingdom and its ties to the West as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman promotes a reform drive at home.

The Saudi minister, in the first ministerial reaction to the accusations about Khashoggi's killing, said he welcomed the cooperation between his country and Turkey to clarify the circumstances of the disappearance.

Saudi Arabia's interior minister rejected Saturday claims there were orders to kill missing Riyadh critic and journalist Jamal Khashoggi, describing them as "baseless allegations and lies".

Saudi Arabia's interior minister rejected Saturday claims there were orders to kill missing Riyadh critic and journalist Jamal Khashoggi, describing them as "baseless allegations and lies". Prince Abdel Aziz bin Saud bin Nayef added that his country was "in compliance with international laws and conventions," the official Saudi Press Agency reported him saying. Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, vanished on October 2 after entering the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage. Turkish police and numerous media have claimed he was tortured and killed at the consulate. His case risks hurting not just fragile Turkish-Saudi relations but also damaging the image of the kingdom and its ties to the West as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman promotes a reform drive at home. The Saudi minister, in the first ministerial reaction to the accusations about Khashoggi's killing, said he welcomed the cooperation between his country and Turkey to clarify the circumstances of the disappearance.

Allegations of orders to kill Khashoggi 'baseless': Saudi minister

Turkish police have concluded that prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered inside the Saudi mission in Istanbul after going missing Tuesday, an unnamed government official said Saturday.

"Based on their initial findings, the police believe that the journalist was killed by a team especially sent to Istanbul and who left the same day," the official told AFP.

The news came hours after police confirmed that around 15 Saudis, including officials, arrived in Istanbul on two flights on Tuesday and were at the consulate at the same time as the journalist.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, "did not come back out" of the building, police had told the state-run Anadolu news agency.&nbsp;

On the back of this preliminary investigation, Ankara announced Saturday it had opened an official probe into the journalist's disappearance.

A former government adviser who has been critical of some policies of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Riyadh's intervention in the war in Yemen, Khashoggi has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since last year to avoid possible arrest.

The Saudi crown prince earlier denied in an interview with Bloomberg that the journalist had been inside the consulate and said Turkish authorities could search the building.

"We are ready to welcome the Turkish government to go and search our premises," he said. The consulate is Saudi sovereign territory.

He added that "we will allow them to enter and search and do whatever they want to do... We have nothing to hide", in the interview published Friday.

Reacting to the news of his alleged murder, Khashoggi's Turkish fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, said she "did not believe he has been killed".

According to Cengiz, Khashoggi had visited the consulate to receive an official document for his marriage.

Turkey's foreign ministry on Wednesday summoned Saudi Arabia's ambassador over Khashoggi.

Khashoggi, who turns 60 on October 13, fled the country in September 2017, months after Prince Mohammed was appointed heir to the throne and amid a campaign that saw dozens of dissidents arrested, including intellectuals and Islamic preachers.

The journalist said he had been banned from writing in the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat, owned by Saudi prince Khaled bin Sultan al-Saud, over his defence of the Muslim Brotherhood which Riyadh has blacklisted as a terrorist organisation.

Khashoggi has also criticised Saudi Arabia's role in Yemen, where Riyadh leads a military coalition fighting alongside the government in its war with Iran-backed rebels.&nbsp;

Turkish police have concluded that prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered inside the Saudi mission in Istanbul after going missing Tuesday, an unnamed government official said Saturday.

Turkish police have concluded that prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered inside the Saudi mission in Istanbul after going missing Tuesday, an unnamed government official said Saturday. "Based on their initial findings, the police believe that the journalist was killed by a team especially sent to Istanbul and who left the same day," the official told AFP. The news came hours after police confirmed that around 15 Saudis, including officials, arrived in Istanbul on two flights on Tuesday and were at the consulate at the same time as the journalist. Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, "did not come back out" of the building, police had told the state-run Anadolu news agency. On the back of this preliminary investigation, Ankara announced Saturday it had opened an official probe into the journalist's disappearance. A former government adviser who has been critical of some policies of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Riyadh's intervention in the war in Yemen, Khashoggi has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since last year to avoid possible arrest. The Saudi crown prince earlier denied in an interview with Bloomberg that the journalist had been inside the consulate and said Turkish authorities could search the building. "We are ready to welcome the Turkish government to go and search our premises," he said. The consulate is Saudi sovereign territory. He added that "we will allow them to enter and search and do whatever they want to do... We have nothing to hide", in the interview published Friday. Reacting to the news of his alleged murder, Khashoggi's Turkish fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, said she "did not believe he has been killed". According to Cengiz, Khashoggi had visited the consulate to receive an official document for his marriage. Turkey's foreign ministry on Wednesday summoned Saudi Arabia's ambassador over Khashoggi. Khashoggi, who turns 60 on October 13, fled the country in September 2017, months after Prince Mohammed was appointed heir to the throne and amid a campaign that saw dozens of dissidents arrested, including intellectuals and Islamic preachers. The journalist said he had been banned from writing in the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat, owned by Saudi prince Khaled bin Sultan al-Saud, over his defence of the Muslim Brotherhood which Riyadh has blacklisted as a terrorist organisation. Khashoggi has also criticised Saudi Arabia's role in Yemen, where Riyadh leads a military coalition fighting alongside the government in its war with Iran-backed rebels.

Turkey says journalist was killed inside Saudi consulate: Report

Saudi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has brushed off comments from US President Donald Trump that Washington is "subsidising" the kingdom's military, Bloomberg reported Friday.&nbsp;

The crown prince insisted that the kingdom has always paid for armaments from the US.&nbsp;

"Ever since the relationship started between Saudi Arabia and the United States of America, we've bought everything with money," he told Bloomberg in an interview.&nbsp;

Last week Trump asked at a rally "when you have wealthy countries like Saudi Arabia, like Japan, like South Korea, why are we subsidising their military?"

"They'll pay us. The problem is nobody ever asks," he added.&nbsp;

Prince Mohammed downplayed any apparent rift with the US leader and said relations between the two allies remains strong.&nbsp;

"You have to accept that any friend will say good things and bad things. So you cannot have 100 per cent friends saying good things about you," he said.&nbsp;

"You will have some misunderstandings. So we put that in that category."&nbsp;

Saudi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has brushed off comments from US President Donald Trump that Washington is "subsidising" the kingdom's military, Bloomberg reported Friday.

Saudi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has brushed off comments from US President Donald Trump that Washington is "subsidising" the kingdom's military, Bloomberg reported Friday. The crown prince insisted that the kingdom has always paid for armaments from the US. "Ever since the relationship started between Saudi Arabia and the United States of America, we've bought everything with money," he told Bloomberg in an interview. Last week Trump asked at a rally "when you have wealthy countries like Saudi Arabia, like Japan, like South Korea, why are we subsidising their military?" "They'll pay us. The problem is nobody ever asks," he added. Prince Mohammed downplayed any apparent rift with the US leader and said relations between the two allies remains strong. "You have to accept that any friend will say good things and bad things. So you cannot have 100 per cent friends saying good things about you," he said. "You will have some misunderstandings. So we put that in that category."

Crown prince downplays Trump's statement on Saudi military

Turkish prosecutors have launched an investigation into the disappearance of prominent Saudi commentator Jamal Khashoggi, who has been missing for four days after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, broadcaster NTV reported on Saturday.

On Friday, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Saudi authorities would allow Turkey to search the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, after Turkish and Saudi authorities gave conflicting accounts of his disappearance.

Khashoggi entered the mission on Tuesday. Ankara said there was no evidence he left the diplomatic mission, while Riyadh says that he exited the same day.

Turkish prosecutors have launched an investigation into the disappearance of prominent Saudi commentator Jamal Khashoggi, who has been missing for four days after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, broadcaster NTV reported on Saturday.

Turkish prosecutors have launched an investigation into the disappearance of prominent Saudi commentator Jamal Khashoggi, who has been missing for four days after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, broadcaster NTV reported on Saturday. On Friday, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Saudi authorities would allow Turkey to search the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, after Turkish and Saudi authorities gave conflicting accounts of his disappearance. Khashoggi entered the mission on Tuesday. Ankara said there was no evidence he left the diplomatic mission, while Riyadh says that he exited the same day.

Turkey starts investigation into disappearance of Saudi journalist: Report

By Bill Law

On October 2, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi went into his country’s consulate in Istanbul. He has not been seen since. The Saudis claim he left the consulate the next day. But if that is true, why did he not immediately contact his fiancée who was waiting outside the building?

Turkish authorities say they have examined CCTV footage, and there is no evidence that Khashoggi did leave the consulate. They insist he is still inside, and, if that is the case, then he is being held against his will. The fear is that he may have already been spirited out of the country and flown to Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have a form for such shenanigans: In the past two years, three princes, members of the ruling House of Saud, have disappeared from European cities and turned up in Riyadh, victims of state-organised kidnappings.

Jamal Khashoggi has a long career as a distinguished journalist. In 2003, he was appointed editor-in-chief of the leading Saudi newspaper Al Watan. The job didn’t last long. Barely two months in, he was sacked for publishing articles critical of the conservative religious elite. His subsequent career followed the same trajectory. He is a brilliant journalist with a fiercely independent mind but with a wily pragmatism to know just how close to the red lines he could go. He returned to Al Watan in 2007 and managed to remain at its helm for three years. His general strategy was to survive in his post until an article that was just a tad too critical got him into trouble. Then he would lie low before re-emerging. That takes a great deal of courage, especially in a country like Saudi Arabia.

In 2010, Saudi business magnate Prince al-Waleed bin Talal asked Khashoggi to head his new media project, Al-Arab News Channel. It was envisioned as an independent, privately-funded Arabic news broadcaster, designed to offer objective, agenda-free coverage of current events in the region. Five years later it was finally launched in Bahrain’s capital Manama but was almost immediately shut down after airing an interview with a Bahraini opposition leader.

In September of 2017, Khashoggi, with other colleagues, left Saudi Arabia in the midst of a wave of arrests of clerics, academics and human rights activists. Amongst those arrested, and now facing charges that could lead to the death penalty, is the moderate cleric Salman al-Awdah.

Radical transformation

The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS as he is known, has embarked on a radical transformation of the Saudi economy and society called Vision 2030. Its intention is to wean the kingdom of oil dependency while at the same time creating a vibrant private sector with a diversified economy. And while Vision 2030 talks a good deal about transparency and fulfilling the wishes of the people, in reality, the model that MBS likes best is China’s, with its command economy controlled by an elite shaping a society where criticism is fiercely repressed.

Mohammed bin Salman followed up on the September 2017 arrests with what was called a campaign against corruption. Over 200 leading businessmen, including Waleed bin Talal, as well as senior members of the ruling family, were detained in a series of raids in November of last year. They were held at Riyadh’s five-star Ritz-Carlton Hotel and only released after agreeing to turn over the bulk of their assets and control of their companies to the government. Though the authorities claimed due process was followed, it was, in fact, a classic shakedown.

MBS had generated favourable global headlines with his decision to allow women to drive. However as the deadline approached in June of this year, he proceeded to arrest women activists who had campaigned for their rights. The message was clear: It wasn’t the pressure of activists that led to the decision, it was only the generosity of the crown prince that enabled the only women in the world banned from driving to finally be allowed to get behind the wheel.

Further arrests followed, including that of Samar Badawi, the sister of the jailed blogger Raif Badawi. Raif’s wife had fled to Canada with their children in 2012, and they are now Canadian citizens. When the government of Canada protested Samar’s arrest, as well as that of other women activists, the Saudis reacted with fury. Claiming infringement on their sovereignty, they recalled their ambassador, gave his Canadian counterpart 24 hours to get out of Riyadh and froze all new business and investment deals. Thousands of Saudi students studying at Canadian universities were ordered to come home.

In September, in a move with eerie and disturbing echoes of Stalinism, satire was banned: “Producing and distributing content that ridicules, mocks, provokes and disrupts public order, religious values and public morals through social media … will be considered a cybercrime punishable by a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of three million riyals ($800,000),” the kingdom’s public prosecution announced in a tweet.

And now Jamal Khashoggi has disappeared. In his first article for The Washington Post after leaving the kingdom, he had written: “My friends and I living abroad feel helpless. We want our country to thrive and to see the 2030 Vision realized. We are not opposed to our government and care deeply about Saudi Arabia. It is the only home we know or want. Yet we are the enemy.”

Repression deepens

Indeed as Vision 2030 shows signs of faltering, repression deepens. One of the ironies of the Mohammed bin Salman regime — and for those affected, it is a cruel one — is that individuals who were supportive of the vision very quickly fell under the suspicious gaze of this impetuous young man who started to see enemies everywhere.

The message that the young crown prince strives to impart in the West, at least, is that the kingdom is open for business; that it has returned to moderate Islam; allowed movie theatres to open; that it displays progressive thinking by, for example, granting women the right to drive; but arrests the women activists who campaigned for that right. The disconnect between many of the good economic reforms MBS wants to secure and the way he is using his power to crush dissent grows ever wider by the day. And it begs the question, What is he afraid of?

Was he worried that women campaigners, by seeking more rights, would undermine his authority? Did he think that Salman al-Awdah, with his 14 million Twitter followers, would seek to turn them against him? Did he fear that a fearless journalist writing for an influential Washington publication would weaken his standing in DC?

All of these people supported Vision 2030. They could have been his allies as he launched this bold and necessary project to transform the country. Instead, as Jamal Khashoggi wrote, he treated them as if they were the enemy. These are the anxieties not of a powerful leader, but of a man who is, in point of fact, displaying grave weakness.

I fear for Jamal Khashoggi, who went to the Saudi embassy in Istanbul in good faith. He is a good man and a fine journalist. His is a voice of reasoned criticism and wise comment that the Saudi crown prince should listen to. The thought that he might be forcibly repatriated back to the kingdom to face charges that could lead to a long prison sentence, or worse, fills me with dread. So I hope that good sense and common decency will prevail and he will be allowed to leave.

(Bill Law is an award-winning journalist)

(This article was originally published on The Fair Observer. Read the <a href="https://www.fairobserver.com/region/middle_east_north_africa/jamal-khashoggi-disappearance-istanbul-saudi-arabia-mohammed-bin-salman-middle-east-news-headlines-72519/">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

By Bill Law On October 2, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi went into his country’s consulate in Istanbul. He has not been seen since. The Saudis claim he left the consulate the next day.

By Bill Law On October 2, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi went into his country’s consulate in Istanbul. He has not been seen since. The Saudis claim he left the consulate the next day. But if that is true, why did he not immediately contact his fiancée who was waiting outside the building? Turkish authorities say they have examined CCTV footage, and there is no evidence that Khashoggi did leave the consulate. They insist he is still inside, and, if that is the case, then he is being held against his will. The fear is that he may have already been spirited out of the country and flown to Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have a form for such shenanigans: In the past two years, three princes, members of the ruling House of Saud, have disappeared from European cities and turned up in Riyadh, victims of state-organised kidnappings. Jamal Khashoggi has a long career as a distinguished journalist. In 2003, he was appointed editor-in-chief of the leading Saudi newspaper Al Watan. The job didn’t last long. Barely two months in, he was sacked for publishing articles critical of the conservative religious elite. His subsequent career followed the same trajectory. He is a brilliant journalist with a fiercely independent mind but with a wily pragmatism to know just how close to the red lines he could go. He returned to Al Watan in 2007 and managed to remain at its helm for three years. His general strategy was to survive in his post until an article that was just a tad too critical got him into trouble. Then he would lie low before re-emerging. That takes a great deal of courage, especially in a country like Saudi Arabia. In 2010, Saudi business magnate Prince al-Waleed bin Talal asked Khashoggi to head his new media project, Al-Arab News Channel. It was envisioned as an independent, privately-funded Arabic news broadcaster, designed to offer objective, agenda-free coverage of current events in the region. Five years later it was finally launched in Bahrain’s capital Manama but was almost immediately shut down after airing an interview with a Bahraini opposition leader. In September of 2017, Khashoggi, with other colleagues, left Saudi Arabia in the midst of a wave of arrests of clerics, academics and human rights activists. Amongst those arrested, and now facing charges that could lead to the death penalty, is the moderate cleric Salman al-Awdah. Radical transformation The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS as he is known, has embarked on a radical transformation of the Saudi economy and society called Vision 2030. Its intention is to wean the kingdom of oil dependency while at the same time creating a vibrant private sector with a diversified economy. And while Vision 2030 talks a good deal about transparency and fulfilling the wishes of the people, in reality, the model that MBS likes best is China’s, with its command economy controlled by an elite shaping a society where criticism is fiercely repressed. Mohammed bin Salman followed up on the September 2017 arrests with what was called a campaign against corruption. Over 200 leading businessmen, including Waleed bin Talal, as well as senior members of the ruling family, were detained in a series of raids in November of last year. They were held at Riyadh’s five-star Ritz-Carlton Hotel and only released after agreeing to turn over the bulk of their assets and control of their companies to the government. Though the authorities claimed due process was followed, it was, in fact, a classic shakedown. MBS had generated favourable global headlines with his decision to allow women to drive. However as the deadline approached in June of this year, he proceeded to arrest women activists who had campaigned for their rights. The message was clear: It wasn’t the pressure of activists that led to the decision, it was only the generosity of the crown prince that enabled the only women in the world banned from driving to finally be allowed to get behind the wheel. Further arrests followed, including that of Samar Badawi, the sister of the jailed blogger Raif Badawi. Raif’s wife had fled to Canada with their children in 2012, and they are now Canadian citizens. When the government of Canada protested Samar’s arrest, as well as that of other women activists, the Saudis reacted with fury. Claiming infringement on their sovereignty, they recalled their ambassador, gave his Canadian counterpart 24 hours to get out of Riyadh and froze all new business and investment deals. Thousands of Saudi students studying at Canadian universities were ordered to come home. In September, in a move with eerie and disturbing echoes of Stalinism, satire was banned: “Producing and distributing content that ridicules, mocks, provokes and disrupts public order, religious values and public morals through social media … will be considered a cybercrime punishable by a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of three million riyals ($800,000),” the kingdom’s public prosecution announced in a tweet. And now Jamal Khashoggi has disappeared. In his first article for The Washington Post after leaving the kingdom, he had written: “My friends and I living abroad feel helpless. We want our country to thrive and to see the 2030 Vision realized. We are not opposed to our government and care deeply about Saudi Arabia. It is the only home we know or want. Yet we are the enemy.” Repression deepens Indeed as Vision 2030 shows signs of faltering, repression deepens. One of the ironies of the Mohammed bin Salman regime — and for those affected, it is a cruel one — is that individuals who were supportive of the vision very quickly fell under the suspicious gaze of this impetuous young man who started to see enemies everywhere. The message that the young crown prince strives to impart in the West, at least, is that the kingdom is open for business; that it has returned to moderate Islam; allowed movie theatres to open; that it displays progressive thinking by, for example, granting women the right to drive; but arrests the women activists who campaigned for that right. The disconnect between many of the good economic reforms MBS wants to secure and the way he is using his power to crush dissent grows ever wider by the day. And it begs the question, What is he afraid of? Was he worried that women campaigners, by seeking more rights, would undermine his authority? Did he think that Salman al-Awdah, with his 14 million Twitter followers, would seek to turn them against him? Did he fear that a fearless journalist writing for an influential Washington publication would weaken his standing in DC? All of these people supported Vision 2030. They could have been his allies as he launched this bold and necessary project to transform the country. Instead, as Jamal Khashoggi wrote, he treated them as if they were the enemy. These are the anxieties not of a powerful leader, but of a man who is, in point of fact, displaying grave weakness. I fear for Jamal Khashoggi, who went to the Saudi embassy in Istanbul in good faith. He is a good man and a fine journalist. His is a voice of reasoned criticism and wise comment that the Saudi crown prince should listen to. The thought that he might be forcibly repatriated back to the kingdom to face charges that could lead to a long prison sentence, or worse, fills me with dread. So I hope that good sense and common decency will prevail and he will be allowed to leave. (Bill Law is an award-winning journalist) (This article was originally published on The Fair Observer. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi confirms a dangerous trend

Mystery surrounded the whereabouts of a prominent Saudi critic on Thursday after Riyadh announced he had left their consulate in Istanbul -- but Turkey and his fiancee said he had not been heard from since entering the building.

Jamal Khashoggi, a contributor to the Washington Post, went to the Saudi consulate on Tuesday to receive an official document for his marriage.

His fiancee reported him missing after the journalist, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the US since last year to avoid possible arrest, was not seen to emerge.

The former government adviser, has been critical of some policies of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Riyadh's intervention in the war in Yemen.

After an initial period of silence Saudi Arabia said the consulate was working with Turkish authorities "to uncover the circumstances of the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi after he left the consulate building" in a statement published Thursday by the state-run SPA news agency.

A senior Turkish official, however, said on Wednesday the journalist was being held at the consulate.

"According to information we have, this individual who is a Saudi national is still at the Istanbul consulate of Saudi Arabia," presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told reporters in Ankara.

He said the Turkish foreign ministry and police were closely monitoring the case, adding that Ankara was in touch with Saudi officials.&nbsp;

Khashoggi's Turkish fiancee has been waiting outside the consulate since Wednesday morning.

"I haven't received any news from him since 1 pm (1000 GMT) on Tuesday," 36-year-old Hatice, who would not give her family name, told AFP as she stood near barricades.

She said Khashoggi had left his mobile phone with her.

"We want to know his whereabouts. Where is Jamal?" she said. "We want him to come out of the consulate safe and sound."

'Very concerned'&nbsp;

The US State Department said it was investigating the matter.

"We... are very concerned about where he may be," the Washington Post's international opinions editor, Eli Lopez, said in a statement late Tuesday.

"It would be unfair and outrageous if he has been detained for his work as a journalist and commentator," Lopez said.

Turan Kislakci, a friend of Khashoggi and head of the Turkish-Arab Media Association, told AFP: "We are certain that Jamal is being held inside unless the consulate has a tunnel."

Hatice said Khashoggi had gone to the consulate to obtain documents for their own marriage to prove he was not married.

Reporters Without Borders said Khashoggi's disappearance was "extremely worrying," calling on Saudi and Turkish authorities "to do everything to ensure that this journalist reappears – free –- as soon as possible."

The Committee to Protect Journalists said the Saudi's disappearance was a cause for alarm "given the Saudi authorities' pattern of quietly detaining critical journalists".

In an article written for the Post in September 2017, Khashoggi wrote: "When I speak of the fear, intimidation, arrests and public shaming of intellectuals and religious leaders who dare to speak their minds, and then I tell you that I'm from Saudi Arabia, are you surprised?"

At about the same time, Khashoggi said he had been banned from contributing to the Al-Hayat daily, owned by Saudi Prince Khaled bin Sultan al-Saud.

The writer admitted to defending the Muslim Brotherhood, which did not appear to please the newspaper.

While Riyadh classifies the Brotherhood as a "terrorist organisation", Turkey is one of the group's main supporters.

The hashtag "#kidnappingofJamalKhashoggi" was one of the most shared in Arabic on Twitter since Tuesday evening.

Saudi Arabia, which ranks 169th out of 180 on the World Press Freedom Index issued by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), has launched a modernisation campaign since the 2017 appointment of Prince Mohammed as heir to the throne.

But the ultra-conservative kingdom, which won plaudits in June for lifting a ban on women driving, has drawn heavy criticism for its handling of dissent.

Khashoggi once said that before he left the kingdom, the Saudi government banned him from Twitter for warning "against an overly enthusiastic embrace of then-president-elect Donald Trump".

He is one of the rare Saudi journalists to condemn repression in the country. In one of his last tweets, he criticised the lawsuit filed against a Saudi economist, Essam al-Zamel, after his arrest by Saudi authorities.

Mystery surrounded the whereabouts of a prominent Saudi critic on Thursday after Riyadh announced he had left their consulate in Istanbul -- but Turkey and his fiancee said he had not been heard from since entering the building.

Mystery surrounded the whereabouts of a prominent Saudi critic on Thursday after Riyadh announced he had left their consulate in Istanbul -- but Turkey and his fiancee said he had not been heard from since entering the building. Jamal Khashoggi, a contributor to the Washington Post, went to the Saudi consulate on Tuesday to receive an official document for his marriage. His fiancee reported him missing after the journalist, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the US since last year to avoid possible arrest, was not seen to emerge. The former government adviser, has been critical of some policies of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Riyadh's intervention in the war in Yemen. After an initial period of silence Saudi Arabia said the consulate was working with Turkish authorities "to uncover the circumstances of the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi after he left the consulate building" in a statement published Thursday by the state-run SPA news agency. A senior Turkish official, however, said on Wednesday the journalist was being held at the consulate. "According to information we have, this individual who is a Saudi national is still at the Istanbul consulate of Saudi Arabia," presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told reporters in Ankara. He said the Turkish foreign ministry and police were closely monitoring the case, adding that Ankara was in touch with Saudi officials. Khashoggi's Turkish fiancee has been waiting outside the consulate since Wednesday morning. "I haven't received any news from him since 1 pm (1000 GMT) on Tuesday," 36-year-old Hatice, who would not give her family name, told AFP as she stood near barricades. She said Khashoggi had left his mobile phone with her. "We want to know his whereabouts. Where is Jamal?" she said. "We want him to come out of the consulate safe and sound." 'Very concerned' The US State Department said it was investigating the matter. "We... are very concerned about where he may be," the Washington Post's international opinions editor, Eli Lopez, said in a statement late Tuesday. "It would be unfair and outrageous if he has been detained for his work as a journalist and commentator," Lopez said. Turan Kislakci, a friend of Khashoggi and head of the Turkish-Arab Media Association, told AFP: "We are certain that Jamal is being held inside unless the consulate has a tunnel." Hatice said Khashoggi had gone to the consulate to obtain documents for their own marriage to prove he was not married. Reporters Without Borders said Khashoggi's disappearance was "extremely worrying," calling on Saudi and Turkish authorities "to do everything to ensure that this journalist reappears – free –- as soon as possible." The Committee to Protect Journalists said the Saudi's disappearance was a cause for alarm "given the Saudi authorities' pattern of quietly detaining critical journalists". In an article written for the Post in September 2017, Khashoggi wrote: "When I speak of the fear, intimidation, arrests and public shaming of intellectuals and religious leaders who dare to speak their minds, and then I tell you that I'm from Saudi Arabia, are you surprised?" At about the same time, Khashoggi said he had been banned from contributing to the Al-Hayat daily, owned by Saudi Prince Khaled bin Sultan al-Saud. The writer admitted to defending the Muslim Brotherhood, which did not appear to please the newspaper. While Riyadh classifies the Brotherhood as a "terrorist organisation", Turkey is one of the group's main supporters. The hashtag "#kidnappingofJamalKhashoggi" was one of the most shared in Arabic on Twitter since Tuesday evening. Saudi Arabia, which ranks 169th out of 180 on the World Press Freedom Index issued by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), has launched a modernisation campaign since the 2017 appointment of Prince Mohammed as heir to the throne. But the ultra-conservative kingdom, which won plaudits in June for lifting a ban on women driving, has drawn heavy criticism for its handling of dissent. Khashoggi once said that before he left the kingdom, the Saudi government banned him from Twitter for warning "against an overly enthusiastic embrace of then-president-elect Donald Trump". He is one of the rare Saudi journalists to condemn repression in the country. In one of his last tweets, he criticised the lawsuit filed against a Saudi economist, Essam al-Zamel, after his arrest by Saudi authorities.

Mystery surrounds Saudi journalist's consulate disappearance

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has warned Saudi Arabia's reformist Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over his "sinful projects", in a bulletin released Friday.

Prince Mohammed has spearheaded a string of policy changes in ultraconservative Saudi Arabia, including reinstating cinemas and allowing women to drive.&nbsp;

"The new era of Bin Salman replaced mosques with movie theatres," the Yemen-based jihadist group said in its Madad news bulletin, picked up by the SITE Intelligence Group.&nbsp;

He "substituted books that belonged to the imams... with absurdities of the atheists and secularists from the east and the west and opened the door wide for corruption and moral degradation," it said.

The Sunni jihadist group AQAP has flourished amid a complex war in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia heads a military alliance battling Shiite Huthi rebels.

In its statement, AQAP slammed April's WWE Royal Rumble event in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, near the Islam's most holy sites in Mecca.

"(Foreign) disbelieving wrestlers exposed their privates and on most of them was the sign of the cross, in front of a mixed gathering of young Muslim men and women," it said.&nbsp;

"The corruptors did not stop at that, for every night musical concerts are being announced, as well as movies and circus shows," SITE quoted it as saying.

AQAP in southern Yemen is the target of a long-running drone campaign by the United States, which regards it as the most dangerous branch of the extremist group.

Yemen's conflict has left nearly 10,000 people dead, tens of thousands wounded, and millions on the brink of famine.&nbsp;

The United Nations has called Yemen world's worst humanitarian crisis.&nbsp;

Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in the war between Yemen's Huthi rebels and the government of now-exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in 2015.

They have landed on a United Nations blacklist over the killing and maiming of children.&nbsp;

The Huthi rebels, linked to Iran, have also come under fire for neglecting to protect civilians and targeting the press and minorities.&nbsp;

The rebels have controlled the capital Sanaa since 2014.

Prince Mohammed has spearheaded a string of policy changes in ultraconservative Saudi Arabia, including reinstating cinemas and allowing women to drive

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has warned Saudi Arabia's reformist Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over his "sinful projects", in a bulletin released Friday. Prince Mohammed has spearheaded a string of policy changes in ultraconservative Saudi Arabia, including reinstating cinemas and allowing women to drive. "The new era of Bin Salman replaced mosques with movie theatres," the Yemen-based jihadist group said in its Madad news bulletin, picked up by the SITE Intelligence Group. He "substituted books that belonged to the imams... with absurdities of the atheists and secularists from the east and the west and opened the door wide for corruption and moral degradation," it said. The Sunni jihadist group AQAP has flourished amid a complex war in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia heads a military alliance battling Shiite Huthi rebels. In its statement, AQAP slammed April's WWE Royal Rumble event in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, near the Islam's most holy sites in Mecca. "(Foreign) disbelieving wrestlers exposed their privates and on most of them was the sign of the cross, in front of a mixed gathering of young Muslim men and women," it said. "The corruptors did not stop at that, for every night musical concerts are being announced, as well as movies and circus shows," SITE quoted it as saying. AQAP in southern Yemen is the target of a long-running drone campaign by the United States, which regards it as the most dangerous branch of the extremist group. Yemen's conflict has left nearly 10,000 people dead, tens of thousands wounded, and millions on the brink of famine. The United Nations has called Yemen world's worst humanitarian crisis. Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in the war between Yemen's Huthi rebels and the government of now-exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in 2015. They have landed on a United Nations blacklist over the killing and maiming of children. The Huthi rebels, linked to Iran, have also come under fire for neglecting to protect civilians and targeting the press and minorities. The rebels have controlled the capital Sanaa since 2014.

Al-Qaeda warns Saudi crown prince over 'sin'

Saudi authorities have released a fourth women's rights advocate following her detention in a sweeping crackdown against activists, a month before the kingdom lifts its ban on women drivers, campaigners said Friday.

Walaa al-Shubbar, said to be in her 20s, was among at least 11 activists arrested last week, mostly identified by rights groups as veteran women campaigners for the right to drive and to end the conservative Islamic country's male guardianship system.

News of her freedom comes after campaigners including Amnesty International confirmed the release of Aisha al-Mana, Hessa al-Sheikh and Madeha al-Ajroush, elderly activists well-known for being part of a group that launched the first Saudi protest movement in 1990 for the right to drive.

There was no immediate comment from Saudi officials and campaigners said the terms of their release are not known.

"We call on Saudi authorities to release all other human rights defenders unconditionally and immediately," said Samah Hadid, Amnesty International's Middle East director of campaigns.

"This wave of repression in Saudi Arabia must end. These arrests are completely unjustified."

Without naming those detained, authorities last week accused the detainees of "suspicious contact with foreign parties", providing financial support to hostile nations and attempting to undermine the kingdom's "security and stability".

The names of the four released activists did not appear in reports of state-backed media that branded the detainees traitors and "agents of embassies".

The detainees include three generations of activists, among them 28-year-old Loujain al-Hathloul, also held in 2014 for more than 70 days for attempting to drive from neighbouring United Arab Emirates to Saudi Arabia, and Aziza al-Yousef, a retired professor at Riyadh's King Saud University.&nbsp

Their fate remains unclear.

The Gulf Centre for Human Rights voiced concern that Hathloul, one of the most outspoken activists, was being held incommunicado, while other campaigners said the detainees had no access to lawyers and their whereabouts were unknown.

The crackdown has sparked a torrent of global criticism, casting a shadow on the kingdom's much-publicised liberalisation push launched by powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who recently undertook a global tour aimed at reshaping his kingdom's austere image.

The self-styled reformer has sought to break with long-held restrictions on women and the mixing of the genders, with the decades-old driving ban on women slated to end June 24.

"It seems Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman -- who presents himself as a 'reformer', having pledged to increase women’s employment and overseeing the royal decree allowing women to drive -- sees no irony in taking credit for the symbolic change, while targeting the women responsible for pushing for it," Amnesty said earlier this week.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-ahead-of-lifting-of-ban-on-woman-driving-7-womens-rights-activists-detained-138252">Saudi Arabia detains seven activists ahead of </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-ahead-of-lifting-of-ban-on-woman-driving-7-womens-rights-activists-detained-138252">lifting</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-ahead-of-lifting-of-ban-on-woman-driving-7-womens-rights-activists-detained-138252"> of driving ban</a>

Saudi authorities have released a fourth women's rights advocate following her detention in a sweeping crackdown against activists, a month before the kingdom lifts its ban on women drivers, campaigners said Friday

Saudi authorities have released a fourth women's rights advocate following her detention in a sweeping crackdown against activists, a month before the kingdom lifts its ban on women drivers, campaigners said Friday. Walaa al-Shubbar, said to be in her 20s, was among at least 11 activists arrested last week, mostly identified by rights groups as veteran women campaigners for the right to drive and to end the conservative Islamic country's male guardianship system. News of her freedom comes after campaigners including Amnesty International confirmed the release of Aisha al-Mana, Hessa al-Sheikh and Madeha al-Ajroush, elderly activists well-known for being part of a group that launched the first Saudi protest movement in 1990 for the right to drive. There was no immediate comment from Saudi officials and campaigners said the terms of their release are not known. "We call on Saudi authorities to release all other human rights defenders unconditionally and immediately," said Samah Hadid, Amnesty International's Middle East director of campaigns. "This wave of repression in Saudi Arabia must end. These arrests are completely unjustified." Without naming those detained, authorities last week accused the detainees of "suspicious contact with foreign parties", providing financial support to hostile nations and attempting to undermine the kingdom's "security and stability". The names of the four released activists did not appear in reports of state-backed media that branded the detainees traitors and "agents of embassies". The detainees include three generations of activists, among them 28-year-old Loujain al-Hathloul, also held in 2014 for more than 70 days for attempting to drive from neighbouring United Arab Emirates to Saudi Arabia, and Aziza al-Yousef, a retired professor at Riyadh's King Saud University. Their fate remains unclear. The Gulf Centre for Human Rights voiced concern that Hathloul, one of the most outspoken activists, was being held incommunicado, while other campaigners said the detainees had no access to lawyers and their whereabouts were unknown. The crackdown has sparked a torrent of global criticism, casting a shadow on the kingdom's much-publicised liberalisation push launched by powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who recently undertook a global tour aimed at reshaping his kingdom's austere image. The self-styled reformer has sought to break with long-held restrictions on women and the mixing of the genders, with the decades-old driving ban on women slated to end June 24. "It seems Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman -- who presents himself as a 'reformer', having pledged to increase women’s employment and overseeing the royal decree allowing women to drive -- sees no irony in taking credit for the symbolic change, while targeting the women responsible for pushing for it," Amnesty said earlier this week. Also read: Saudi Arabia detains seven activists ahead of lifting of driving ban

Saudi Arabia frees fourth activist after crackdown: Report

Weeks ahead of Saudi Arabia is to lift the ban from women driving, seven women's rights activists were arrested on Saturday by the authorities.

The reason for the arrest is not cleared yet but media reports quoted activists saying that it was an attempt to silence the voices of women. However, the state's new channel has reported that arrests were made for allegedly working with foreign powers.

According to media reports, pro-government media outlets&nbsp;have also posted their photos and accused them of being "traitors".

Seven people who have been arrested include two-man -- Loujain al-Hathloul and Eman ak-Nafjan -- also all of them have raised their voices against the woman driving ban in past.

Another two woman activists, Nagjan and&nbsp;Hathloul have also been detained. Hathloul has been detained twice in the past. In 2014 she was detained after she attempted to drive across the border from the United Arab Emirates.

She was again briefly arrested for several days in 2017.

Among the various other reforms under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman under his vision 2030, Saudi Arabia announced to lift the ban from women driving in September 2017. It will come into effect from June 2 and will allow women to drive cars, motorcycles and trucks.

Women drivers involved in road accidents traffic violations will be dealt&nbsp;at special centres established and run by women officials, noted an AFP report.

The vision 2030 is set to reduce the kingdom's dependence on oil and to diversify the economy and to also open up Saudi society.

Following these reforms, first film theatre was also opened in Riyadh, Saudi after a decade-long ban on theatres. Under which&nbsp;Saudi Arabia has reportedly planned to set up around 350 cinemas with over 2,500 screens by 2030 in hope to attract $1 billion through annual ticket sales.

Women are also allowed to join military services except the combat roles. The reforms have also allowed women to start their own business without taking permission from their husband or their guardian.

The reason for the arrest is not cleared yet but media reports quoted activists saying that it was an attempt to silence the voices of women

Weeks ahead of Saudi Arabia is to lift the ban from women driving, seven women's rights activists were arrested on Saturday by the authorities. The reason for the arrest is not cleared yet but media reports quoted activists saying that it was an attempt to silence the voices of women. However, the state's new channel has reported that arrests were made for allegedly working with foreign powers. According to media reports, pro-government media outlets have also posted their photos and accused them of being "traitors". Seven people who have been arrested include two-man -- Loujain al-Hathloul and Eman ak-Nafjan -- also all of them have raised their voices against the woman driving ban in past. Another two woman activists, Nagjan and Hathloul have also been detained. Hathloul has been detained twice in the past. In 2014 she was detained after she attempted to drive across the border from the United Arab Emirates. She was again briefly arrested for several days in 2017. Among the various other reforms under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman under his vision 2030, Saudi Arabia announced to lift the ban from women driving in September 2017. It will come into effect from June 2 and will allow women to drive cars, motorcycles and trucks. Women drivers involved in road accidents traffic violations will be dealt at special centres established and run by women officials, noted an AFP report. The vision 2030 is set to reduce the kingdom's dependence on oil and to diversify the economy and to also open up Saudi society. Following these reforms, first film theatre was also opened in Riyadh, Saudi after a decade-long ban on theatres. Under which Saudi Arabia has reportedly planned to set up around 350 cinemas with over 2,500 screens by 2030 in hope to attract $1 billion through annual ticket sales. Women are also allowed to join military services except the combat roles. The reforms have also allowed women to start their own business without taking permission from their husband or their guardian.

Saudi Arabia detains seven activists ahead of lifting of driving ban

Bangladesh, in a twist of irony, is looking to Saudi Arabia to fund a $ 1 billion plan to build hundreds of mosques and religious centres to counter militant Islam that for much of the past decade traced its roots to ultra-conservative strands of the faith promoted by a multi-billion dollar Saudi campaign.

The Bangladeshi plan constitutes the first effort by a Muslim country to enlist the kingdom whose crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has vowed to return Saudi Arabia to an undefined form of 'moderate Islam,' in reverse engineering.

The plan would attempt to roll back the fallout of Saudi Arabia's global investment of up to $100 billion over a period of four decades in support of ultra-conservative mosques, religious centres, and groups as an antidote to post-1979 Iranian revolutionary zeal.

Cooperation with Saudi Arabia and various countries, including Malaysia, has focused until now on countering extremism in cooperation with defense and security authorities rather than as a religious initiative.

Saudi religious authorities and Islamic scholars have long issued fatwas or religious opinions condemning political violence and extremism and accused jihadists of deviating from the true path of Islam.

The Saudi campaign, the largest public diplomacy effort in history was, nevertheless, long abetted by opportunistic governments who played politics with religion as well as widespread discontent fuelled by the failure of governments to deliver public goods and services.

The Bangladeshi plan raises multiple questions, including whether the counter-narrative industry can produce results in the absence of effective government policies that address social, economic and political grievances.

It also begs the question whether a change in Saudi Arabia has advanced to a stage in which the kingdom can claim that it has put its ultra-conservative and militant roots truly behind it. The answer to both questions is probably no.

In many ways, Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism and militancy, violent and non-violent, despite sharing common roots with the kingdom's long-standing theological thinking and benefitting directly or indirectly from Saudi financial largess, has created a life of its own that no longer looks to the kingdom for guidance and support and is critical of the path on which Prince Mohammed has embarked.

The fallout of the Saudi campaign is evident in Asia not only in the rise of militancy in Bangladesh but also the degree to which concepts of supremacism and intolerance have taken root in countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Pakistan. Those concepts are often expressed in discrimination, if not persecution of minorities like Shia Muslims and Ahmadis, and draconic anti-blasphemy measures by authorities, militants and vigilantes.

Bangladesh in past years witnessed a series of brutal killings of bloggers and intellectuals whom jihadists accused of atheism.

Moreover, basic freedoms in Bangladesh are being officially and unofficially curtailed in various forms as a result of domestic struggles originally enabled by successful Saudi pressure to amend the country's secular constitution in 1975 to recognise Islam as its official religion.

Saudi Arabia withheld recognition of the new state as well as financial support until the amendment was adopted four years after Bangladeshi independence.

In Indonesia, hard-line Islamic groups, led by the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), earlier this month filed a blasphemy complaint against politician Sukmawati Sukarnoputri, a daughter of Indonesia's founding father Sukarno and the younger sister of Megawati Sukarnoputri, who leads President Joko Widodo’s ruling party.

The hardliners accuse Ms Sukarnoputri of reciting a poem that allegedly insults Islam. The groups last year accused Basuki Tjahaja Purnama aka Ahok, Jakarta’s former Christian governor, of blasphemy and spearheaded mass rallies that led to his ouster and jailing, a ruling that many believed was politicised and unjust.

Pakistan's draconic anti-blasphemy law has created an environment that has allowed Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatives and powerful political forces to whip up popular emotion in pursuit of political objectives. The environment is symbolised by graffiti in the corridor of a courthouse in Islamabad that demanded that blasphemers be beheaded.

Pakistan last month designated Islamabad as a pilot project to regulate Friday prayer sermons in the city's 1,003 mosques, of which only 86 are state-controlled, in a bid to curb hate speech, extremism and demonisation of religions and communities.

The government has drafted a list of subjects that should be the focus of weekly Friday prayer sermons in a bid to prevent mosques being abused "to stir up sectarian hatred, demonise other religions and communities and promote extremism." The subjects include women rights Islamic principles of trade, cleanliness and health and the importance of hard work, tolerance, and honesty.

However, they do not address legally enshrined discrimination of minorities like Ahmadis, who are viewed as heretics by orthodox Muslims. The list risked reinforcing supremacist and intolerant militancy by including the concept of the finality of the Prophet Mohammed that is often used as a whip to discriminate against minorities.

Raising questions about the degree of moderation that Saudi-funded mosques and religious centres in Bangladesh would propagate, Prince Mohammed, in his effort to saw off the rough edges of Saudi ultra-conservatism, has given no indication that he intends to repeal a law that defines atheists as terrorists.

A Saudi court last year condemned a man to death on charges of blasphemy and atheism. Another Saudi was a year earlier sentenced to ten years in prison and 2,000 lashes for expressing atheist sentiments on social media.

Saudi Arabia and other Muslim nations have long lobbied for the criminalisation of blasphemy in international law in moves that would legitimise curbs on free speech and growing Muslim intolerance towards any open discussion of their faith.

To be sure, Saudi Arabia cannot be held directly liable for much of the expression of supremacism, intolerance and anti-pluralism in the Muslim world. Yet, by the same token, there is little doubt that Saudi propagation of ultra-conservatism frequently contributed to an enabling environment.

Prince Mohammed is at the beginning of his effort to moderate Saudi Islam and has yet to spell out in detail his vision of religious change. Beyond the issue of defining atheism as terrorism, Saudi Arabia also has yet to put an end to multiple ultra-conservative practices, including the principle of male guardianship that forces women to get the approval of a male relative for major decisions in their life.

Prince Mohammed has so far forced the country's ultra-conservative religious establishment into subservience. That raises the question whether there has been real change in the establishment's thinking or whether it is kowtowing to an autocratic leader.

In December, King Salman fired a government official for organising a mixed-gender fashion show after ultra-conservatives criticised the event on Twitter. The kingdom this week hosted its first ever Arab Fashion Week, for women only. Designers were obliged to adhere to strict dress codes banning transparent fabrics and the display of cleavages or clothing that bared knees.

In February, Saudi Arabia agreed to surrender control of the Great Mosque in Brussels after its efforts to install a more moderate administration failed to counter mounting Belgian criticism of alleged intolerance and supremacism propagated by mosque executives.

Efforts to moderate Islam in Saudi Arabia as well as Qatar, the world’s only other Wahhabi state that traces its ultra-conservatism to the teachings of 18th-century preacher Mohammed ibn Abdul Wahhab, but has long interpreted them more liberally than the kingdom, have proven to be easier said than done.

Saudi King Abdullah, King Salman’s predecessor, positioned himself as a champion of interfaith dialogue and reached out to various groups in society including Shiites and women.

Yet, more than a decade of Saudi efforts to cleanse textbooks used at home and abroad have made significant progress but have yet to completely erase descriptions of alternative strands of Islam such as Shiism and Sufism in derogatory terms or eliminate advise to Muslims not to associate with Jews and Christians who are labelled kaffirs or unbelievers.

Raising questions about Saudi involvement in the Bangladeshi plan, a Human Rights Watch survey of religion textbooks produced by the Saudi education ministry for the 2016-2017 school year concluded that “as early as first grade, students in Saudi schools are being taught hatred toward all those perceived to be of a different faith or school of thought.”

Human Rights Watch researcher Adam Coogle noted that Prince Mohammed has remained conspicuously silent about hate speech in textbooks as well as its use by officials and Islamic scholars connected to the government.

The New York-based Anti-Defamation League last year documented hate speech in Qatari mosques that were disseminated in Qatari media despite Qatar’s propagation of religious tolerance and outreach to American Jews as part of its effort to counter a United Arab Emirates-Saudi-led economic and diplomatic boycott of the Gulf state.

In one instance in December, Qatari preacher Muhammed al-Muraikhi described Jews in a sermon in Doha’s Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque as “your deceitful, lying, treacherous, fornicating, intransigent enemy” who have “despoiled, corrupted, ruined, and killed, and will not stop.”

No doubt, Saudi Arabia, like Qatar, which much earlier moved away from Puritan and literal Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism, is sincere in its intention to adopt more tolerant and pluralistic worldviews.

Getting from A to B, however, is a lengthy process. The question remains whether the kingdom has progressed to a degree that it can credibly help countries like Bangladesh deal with their demons even before having successfully put its own house in order.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Bangladesh is looking to Saudi Arabia for funds to build mosques and religious centres to counter militant Islam

Bangladesh, in a twist of irony, is looking to Saudi Arabia to fund a $ 1 billion plan to build hundreds of mosques and religious centres to counter militant Islam that for much of the past decade traced its roots to ultra-conservative strands of the faith promoted by a multi-billion dollar Saudi campaign. The Bangladeshi plan constitutes the first effort by a Muslim country to enlist the kingdom whose crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has vowed to return Saudi Arabia to an undefined form of 'moderate Islam,' in reverse engineering. The plan would attempt to roll back the fallout of Saudi Arabia's global investment of up to $100 billion over a period of four decades in support of ultra-conservative mosques, religious centres, and groups as an antidote to post-1979 Iranian revolutionary zeal. Cooperation with Saudi Arabia and various countries, including Malaysia, has focused until now on countering extremism in cooperation with defense and security authorities rather than as a religious initiative. Saudi religious authorities and Islamic scholars have long issued fatwas or religious opinions condemning political violence and extremism and accused jihadists of deviating from the true path of Islam. The Saudi campaign, the largest public diplomacy effort in history was, nevertheless, long abetted by opportunistic governments who played politics with religion as well as widespread discontent fuelled by the failure of governments to deliver public goods and services. The Bangladeshi plan raises multiple questions, including whether the counter-narrative industry can produce results in the absence of effective government policies that address social, economic and political grievances. It also begs the question whether a change in Saudi Arabia has advanced to a stage in which the kingdom can claim that it has put its ultra-conservative and militant roots truly behind it. The answer to both questions is probably no. In many ways, Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism and militancy, violent and non-violent, despite sharing common roots with the kingdom's long-standing theological thinking and benefitting directly or indirectly from Saudi financial largess, has created a life of its own that no longer looks to the kingdom for guidance and support and is critical of the path on which Prince Mohammed has embarked. The fallout of the Saudi campaign is evident in Asia not only in the rise of militancy in Bangladesh but also the degree to which concepts of supremacism and intolerance have taken root in countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Pakistan. Those concepts are often expressed in discrimination, if not persecution of minorities like Shia Muslims and Ahmadis, and draconic anti-blasphemy measures by authorities, militants and vigilantes. Bangladesh in past years witnessed a series of brutal killings of bloggers and intellectuals whom jihadists accused of atheism. Moreover, basic freedoms in Bangladesh are being officially and unofficially curtailed in various forms as a result of domestic struggles originally enabled by successful Saudi pressure to amend the country's secular constitution in 1975 to recognise Islam as its official religion. Saudi Arabia withheld recognition of the new state as well as financial support until the amendment was adopted four years after Bangladeshi independence. In Indonesia, hard-line Islamic groups, led by the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), earlier this month filed a blasphemy complaint against politician Sukmawati Sukarnoputri, a daughter of Indonesia's founding father Sukarno and the younger sister of Megawati Sukarnoputri, who leads President Joko Widodo’s ruling party. The hardliners accuse Ms Sukarnoputri of reciting a poem that allegedly insults Islam. The groups last year accused Basuki Tjahaja Purnama aka Ahok, Jakarta’s former Christian governor, of blasphemy and spearheaded mass rallies that led to his ouster and jailing, a ruling that many believed was politicised and unjust. Pakistan's draconic anti-blasphemy law has created an environment that has allowed Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatives and powerful political forces to whip up popular emotion in pursuit of political objectives. The environment is symbolised by graffiti in the corridor of a courthouse in Islamabad that demanded that blasphemers be beheaded. Pakistan last month designated Islamabad as a pilot project to regulate Friday prayer sermons in the city's 1,003 mosques, of which only 86 are state-controlled, in a bid to curb hate speech, extremism and demonisation of religions and communities. The government has drafted a list of subjects that should be the focus of weekly Friday prayer sermons in a bid to prevent mosques being abused "to stir up sectarian hatred, demonise other religions and communities and promote extremism." The subjects include women rights Islamic principles of trade, cleanliness and health and the importance of hard work, tolerance, and honesty. However, they do not address legally enshrined discrimination of minorities like Ahmadis, who are viewed as heretics by orthodox Muslims. The list risked reinforcing supremacist and intolerant militancy by including the concept of the finality of the Prophet Mohammed that is often used as a whip to discriminate against minorities. Raising questions about the degree of moderation that Saudi-funded mosques and religious centres in Bangladesh would propagate, Prince Mohammed, in his effort to saw off the rough edges of Saudi ultra-conservatism, has given no indication that he intends to repeal a law that defines atheists as terrorists. A Saudi court last year condemned a man to death on charges of blasphemy and atheism. Another Saudi was a year earlier sentenced to ten years in prison and 2,000 lashes for expressing atheist sentiments on social media. Saudi Arabia and other Muslim nations have long lobbied for the criminalisation of blasphemy in international law in moves that would legitimise curbs on free speech and growing Muslim intolerance towards any open discussion of their faith. To be sure, Saudi Arabia cannot be held directly liable for much of the expression of supremacism, intolerance and anti-pluralism in the Muslim world. Yet, by the same token, there is little doubt that Saudi propagation of ultra-conservatism frequently contributed to an enabling environment. Prince Mohammed is at the beginning of his effort to moderate Saudi Islam and has yet to spell out in detail his vision of religious change. Beyond the issue of defining atheism as terrorism, Saudi Arabia also has yet to put an end to multiple ultra-conservative practices, including the principle of male guardianship that forces women to get the approval of a male relative for major decisions in their life. Prince Mohammed has so far forced the country's ultra-conservative religious establishment into subservience. That raises the question whether there has been real change in the establishment's thinking or whether it is kowtowing to an autocratic leader. In December, King Salman fired a government official for organising a mixed-gender fashion show after ultra-conservatives criticised the event on Twitter. The kingdom this week hosted its first ever Arab Fashion Week, for women only. Designers were obliged to adhere to strict dress codes banning transparent fabrics and the display of cleavages or clothing that bared knees. In February, Saudi Arabia agreed to surrender control of the Great Mosque in Brussels after its efforts to install a more moderate administration failed to counter mounting Belgian criticism of alleged intolerance and supremacism propagated by mosque executives. Efforts to moderate Islam in Saudi Arabia as well as Qatar, the world’s only other Wahhabi state that traces its ultra-conservatism to the teachings of 18th-century preacher Mohammed ibn Abdul Wahhab, but has long interpreted them more liberally than the kingdom, have proven to be easier said than done. Saudi King Abdullah, King Salman’s predecessor, positioned himself as a champion of interfaith dialogue and reached out to various groups in society including Shiites and women. Yet, more than a decade of Saudi efforts to cleanse textbooks used at home and abroad have made significant progress but have yet to completely erase descriptions of alternative strands of Islam such as Shiism and Sufism in derogatory terms or eliminate advise to Muslims not to associate with Jews and Christians who are labelled kaffirs or unbelievers. Raising questions about Saudi involvement in the Bangladeshi plan, a Human Rights Watch survey of religion textbooks produced by the Saudi education ministry for the 2016-2017 school year concluded that “as early as first grade, students in Saudi schools are being taught hatred toward all those perceived to be of a different faith or school of thought.” Human Rights Watch researcher Adam Coogle noted that Prince Mohammed has remained conspicuously silent about hate speech in textbooks as well as its use by officials and Islamic scholars connected to the government. The New York-based Anti-Defamation League last year documented hate speech in Qatari mosques that were disseminated in Qatari media despite Qatar’s propagation of religious tolerance and outreach to American Jews as part of its effort to counter a United Arab Emirates-Saudi-led economic and diplomatic boycott of the Gulf state. In one instance in December, Qatari preacher Muhammed al-Muraikhi described Jews in a sermon in Doha’s Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque as “your deceitful, lying, treacherous, fornicating, intransigent enemy” who have “despoiled, corrupted, ruined, and killed, and will not stop.” No doubt, Saudi Arabia, like Qatar, which much earlier moved away from Puritan and literal Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism, is sincere in its intention to adopt more tolerant and pluralistic worldviews. Getting from A to B, however, is a lengthy process. The question remains whether the kingdom has progressed to a degree that it can credibly help countries like Bangladesh deal with their demons even before having successfully put its own house in order. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Can Saudi help Bangladesh in rolling back militancy?

Saudi Arabia is all set to open first cinema hall after more than 35 years in April and according to reports the first movie that is scheduled to screen is recent Marvel release 'Black Panther'.

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News agency Reuters reported citing Riyadh authorities that theatre will open on April 18 in the King Abdulla Financial district, Riyadh.

The building in which the theatre will open was originally built&nbsp;to be a symphony concert hall.

In 2017 as part of their new reforms to boost the economy and reduce its dependence on oil pushed by Crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia lifted the ban on cinema halls.

Though the country had cinemas around the 1970s but it was subsequently closed down.

Unlike other public places in Saudi Arabia, the theatre will not be segregated by gender. The main theatre will have the seating arrangement for 500 people. It will also have orchestra and balcony levels.

Three more screens are expected to be added by the mid-year. 
&nbsp; 
Chief Executive Adam Aron of AMC Entertainment Holdings said "we think it's going to be the prettiest movie theatre in the world," adding "It's a dramatic building," Reuters reported.

John Fithian, president of the US-based National Association of Theatre Owners said that "he met government officials in Riyadh in December to work out issues such as what type of material would be permitted on movie screens," Reuters reported.

"He believes most Hollywood movies will be allowed, though some will require editing," he added.&nbsp;

According to reports Saudi Arabia has planned to set up around 350 cinemas with over 2,500 screens by 2030 in hope to attract $1 billion through annual ticket sales.

Saudi Arabia is all set to open first cinema hall after more than 35 years in April and according to reports the first movie that is scheduled to screen is recent Marvel release 'Black Panther'

Saudi Arabia is all set to open first cinema hall after more than 35 years in April and according to reports the first movie that is scheduled to screen is recent Marvel release 'Black Panther'. × News agency Reuters reported citing Riyadh authorities that theatre will open on April 18 in the King Abdulla Financial district, Riyadh. The building in which the theatre will open was originally built to be a symphony concert hall. In 2017 as part of their new reforms to boost the economy and reduce its dependence on oil pushed by Crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia lifted the ban on cinema halls. Though the country had cinemas around the 1970s but it was subsequently closed down. Unlike other public places in Saudi Arabia, the theatre will not be segregated by gender. The main theatre will have the seating arrangement for 500 people. It will also have orchestra and balcony levels. Three more screens are expected to be added by the mid-year. Chief Executive Adam Aron of AMC Entertainment Holdings said "we think it's going to be the prettiest movie theatre in the world," adding "It's a dramatic building," Reuters reported. John Fithian, president of the US-based National Association of Theatre Owners said that "he met government officials in Riyadh in December to work out issues such as what type of material would be permitted on movie screens," Reuters reported. "He believes most Hollywood movies will be allowed, though some will require editing," he added. According to reports Saudi Arabia has planned to set up around 350 cinemas with over 2,500 screens by 2030 in hope to attract $1 billion through annual ticket sales.

Saudi Arabia to open first movie theatre on April 18

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may be seeking to revert his kingdom to an unspecified form of moderate Islam but erasing the impact of 40 years of global funding of ultra-conservative, intolerant strands of the faith is unlikely to be eradicated by decree.

Not only because ultra-conservatism has taken root in numerous Muslim countries and communities, but also because it has given opportunistic politicians a framework to pursue policies that appeal to bigoted and biased sentiments in bids to strengthen their grip on power. Nowhere is that more evident than in Asia, home to several of the Islamic world&#39;s most populous countries.

Examples of the fallout abound among recipients of Saudi largess. They include institutionalised discrimination in Pakistan against Ahmadis, a sect considered heretic by orthodox Muslims, as well as biased policies towards non-Muslims and Shiites in Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Basic freedoms in Bangladesh are being officially and unofficially curtailed in various forms as a result of domestic struggles originally enabled by successful Saudi pressure to amend the country&#39;s constitution in 1975 to recognise Islam as its official religion. The amendment was a condition for Saudi recognition of the young republic and the promise of substantial financial support.

Reports that Prince Mohammed in a dramatic gesture to Shiites, who have been discriminated against for years in the kingdom and demonised by its religious and political leaders as part of Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s public affairs war with Iran, plans to visit the Shiite religious citadel of Najaf in Iraq is likely to do little to change things on the ground in Muslim majority nations in Asia.

Neither will his meetings with Christian religious luminaries in Egypt and elsewhere even if they demonstrate that Saudi Arabia, the custodian of Islam&rsquo;s two most holy cities, is, under Prince Mohammed&rsquo;s guidance, embracing principles of inter-faith dialogue and religious tolerance.

Reporting on a visit to the ultra-conservative Indonesian region of Aceh, Islam scholar Kamaruzzaman Bustamam-Ahmad noted that &quot;supporters for anti-Shi&rsquo;ah in Aceh are Wahabism, an Islamic political party, a group of young Acehnese who finished their study in the Middle East....They play their role in urban areas. After the Tsunami (in 2004), many of pesantrens (religious seminaries) from Wahabism were built in Aceh. They received funding from &#39;outside&#39; Aceh.&quot;

Bangladeshi journalist Ahmedur Rashid Chowdhury, who fled his country after a failed assassination attempt by religious militants, recently sketched Bangladesh&#39;s migration from a nation founded with aspirations of &quot;economic, political and intellectual emancipation&quot; to one in which the &quot;will of the military and its leadership was key in shaping politics towards selfishness and subornation&rdquo; and &ldquo;political parties are willing to go to any length to hold on to power.&quot;

It was a process abetted by Saudi Arabia. Chowdhury noted that &quot;the healthy trend of democratic and progressive politics was never able to regain a footing in Bangladesh&quot; with freedom of speech and the press as one of its major casualties. Unlike human rights lawyer and writer Ikhtisad Ahmed, Chowdhury shied away from referring to the role of Saudi Arabia and Saudi-inspired ultra-conservatism in his country&rsquo;s political development.

One strand of ultra-conservatism, Salafism, that Saudi interior minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz wanted to elevate to an official Islamic school of thought shortly before his death in 2012, gained, according to&nbsp; Ahmed, currency under the coalition government in the first years of the 21st century formed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami, a controversial group that opposed the country&#39;s independence.

Like in Pakistan, of which Bangladesh was part until, 1971, the military as well as political parties maintained opportunistic ties to militants such as Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen and Harkat-ul-Jihad that were often as opposed to secularism as they were to Saudi-style monarchy.

As a result, Bangladesh, the world&rsquo;s fourth largest Muslim nation, is at the heart of a struggle between liberalism and ultra-conservatism that questions Saudi Arabia&#39;s legacy and is about reforms that go beyond anything envisioned by Prince Mohammed. It is a battle in which free-thinking, journalists, writers and intellectuals have paid a heavy price.

In the latest incident earlier this month, prominent scholar, award-winning science fiction author and outspoken critic of religious militants, Muhammed Zafar Iqbal was stabbed and seriously injured in a knife attack in the north-eastern town of Sylhet.

Iqbal was the latest victim of more than 30 machete attacks, shootouts, and bombings in Bangladesh in the past three years, including last year&#39;s assault on the Holy Artisan Bakery in Dhaka in which 22 hostages were killed.

The country&#39;s battle was fuelled by a 2010 Bangladesh Supreme Court decision to roll back the Saudi-inspired amendment of the constitution and restore secularism as its basic tenant as well as the execution of Jamaat-e-Islami leaders for war crimes during the 1971 Pakistani-Indian war that gave birth to Bangladesh.

In response, ultra-conservatives and militants demanded death for &quot;atheists and apostates&quot; who had demonstrated in favour of the death penalties, stricter anti-blasphemy legislation and a crackdown on alleged un-Islamic cultural practices.

To be sure, Saudi Arabia, a country that is itself in transition, is unlikely to be backing the ultra-conservatives and militants. Yet, their struggle and deep-seated polarisation in Bangladesh are offshoots of the kingdom&rsquo;s past ultra-conservative support and the creation of an environment in which politicians and state organs can opportunistically exploit religious sentiment.

Criticism of the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed&rsquo;s weak response to the violence, if not inaction, coupled with the battle for the soul of Bangladesh serves as evidence that reversing the fallout of four decades of Saudi promotion of ultra-conservatism as an anti-dote to Iranian revolutionary zeal will take time and often be volatile. The same is true for efforts to counter creeping ultra-conservatism in countries like Indonesia and Malaysia.

In fact, what the struggles in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia suggest is that today&#39;s culprits are not Saudi Arabia, even if it bears a responsibility, but politicians and/or national governments. Said Chowdhury: &quot;The failure to bring culprits to justice in many of the recent attacks in Bangladesh has &#39;been the deliberate goal of the government. It supports their ambition to continue holding on to power by silencing critics and pandering to the religious right&#39;.&quot;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the authors and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Reports that Prince Mohammed in a dramatic gesture to Shiites, plans to visit the Shiite religious citadel of Najaf in Iraq is likely to do little to change things on the ground in Muslim majority nations in Asia.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may be seeking to revert his kingdom to an unspecified form of moderate Islam but erasing the impact of 40 years of global funding of ultra-conservative, intolerant strands of the faith is unlikely to be eradicated by decree. Not only because ultra-conservatism has taken root in numerous Muslim countries and communities, but also because it has given opportunistic politicians a framework to pursue policies that appeal to bigoted and biased sentiments in bids to strengthen their grip on power. Nowhere is that more evident than in Asia, home to several of the Islamic world's most populous countries. Examples of the fallout abound among recipients of Saudi largess. They include institutionalised discrimination in Pakistan against Ahmadis, a sect considered heretic by orthodox Muslims, as well as biased policies towards non-Muslims and Shiites in Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia. Basic freedoms in Bangladesh are being officially and unofficially curtailed in various forms as a result of domestic struggles originally enabled by successful Saudi pressure to amend the country's constitution in 1975 to recognise Islam as its official religion. The amendment was a condition for Saudi recognition of the young republic and the promise of substantial financial support. Reports that Prince Mohammed in a dramatic gesture to Shiites, who have been discriminated against for years in the kingdom and demonised by its religious and political leaders as part of Saudi Arabia’s public affairs war with Iran, plans to visit the Shiite religious citadel of Najaf in Iraq is likely to do little to change things on the ground in Muslim majority nations in Asia. Neither will his meetings with Christian religious luminaries in Egypt and elsewhere even if they demonstrate that Saudi Arabia, the custodian of Islam’s two most holy cities, is, under Prince Mohammed’s guidance, embracing principles of inter-faith dialogue and religious tolerance. Reporting on a visit to the ultra-conservative Indonesian region of Aceh, Islam scholar Kamaruzzaman Bustamam-Ahmad noted that "supporters for anti-Shi’ah in Aceh are Wahabism, an Islamic political party, a group of young Acehnese who finished their study in the Middle East....They play their role in urban areas. After the Tsunami (in 2004), many of pesantrens (religious seminaries) from Wahabism were built in Aceh. They received funding from 'outside' Aceh." Bangladeshi journalist Ahmedur Rashid Chowdhury, who fled his country after a failed assassination attempt by religious militants, recently sketched Bangladesh's migration from a nation founded with aspirations of "economic, political and intellectual emancipation" to one in which the "will of the military and its leadership was key in shaping politics towards selfishness and subornation” and “political parties are willing to go to any length to hold on to power." It was a process abetted by Saudi Arabia. Chowdhury noted that "the healthy trend of democratic and progressive politics was never able to regain a footing in Bangladesh" with freedom of speech and the press as one of its major casualties. Unlike human rights lawyer and writer Ikhtisad Ahmed, Chowdhury shied away from referring to the role of Saudi Arabia and Saudi-inspired ultra-conservatism in his country’s political development. One strand of ultra-conservatism, Salafism, that Saudi interior minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz wanted to elevate to an official Islamic school of thought shortly before his death in 2012, gained, according to Ahmed, currency under the coalition government in the first years of the 21st century formed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami, a controversial group that opposed the country's independence. Like in Pakistan, of which Bangladesh was part until, 1971, the military as well as political parties maintained opportunistic ties to militants such as Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen and Harkat-ul-Jihad that were often as opposed to secularism as they were to Saudi-style monarchy. As a result, Bangladesh, the world’s fourth largest Muslim nation, is at the heart of a struggle between liberalism and ultra-conservatism that questions Saudi Arabia's legacy and is about reforms that go beyond anything envisioned by Prince Mohammed. It is a battle in which free-thinking, journalists, writers and intellectuals have paid a heavy price. In the latest incident earlier this month, prominent scholar, award-winning science fiction author and outspoken critic of religious militants, Muhammed Zafar Iqbal was stabbed and seriously injured in a knife attack in the north-eastern town of Sylhet. Iqbal was the latest victim of more than 30 machete attacks, shootouts, and bombings in Bangladesh in the past three years, including last year's assault on the Holy Artisan Bakery in Dhaka in which 22 hostages were killed. The country's battle was fuelled by a 2010 Bangladesh Supreme Court decision to roll back the Saudi-inspired amendment of the constitution and restore secularism as its basic tenant as well as the execution of Jamaat-e-Islami leaders for war crimes during the 1971 Pakistani-Indian war that gave birth to Bangladesh. In response, ultra-conservatives and militants demanded death for "atheists and apostates" who had demonstrated in favour of the death penalties, stricter anti-blasphemy legislation and a crackdown on alleged un-Islamic cultural practices. To be sure, Saudi Arabia, a country that is itself in transition, is unlikely to be backing the ultra-conservatives and militants. Yet, their struggle and deep-seated polarisation in Bangladesh are offshoots of the kingdom’s past ultra-conservative support and the creation of an environment in which politicians and state organs can opportunistically exploit religious sentiment. Criticism of the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed’s weak response to the violence, if not inaction, coupled with the battle for the soul of Bangladesh serves as evidence that reversing the fallout of four decades of Saudi promotion of ultra-conservatism as an anti-dote to Iranian revolutionary zeal will take time and often be volatile. The same is true for efforts to counter creeping ultra-conservatism in countries like Indonesia and Malaysia. In fact, what the struggles in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia suggest is that today's culprits are not Saudi Arabia, even if it bears a responsibility, but politicians and/or national governments. Said Chowdhury: "The failure to bring culprits to justice in many of the recent attacks in Bangladesh has 'been the deliberate goal of the government. It supports their ambition to continue holding on to power by silencing critics and pandering to the religious right'." (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the authors and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Saudi Prince Mohammed's religious moderation unlikely to change Asian realities

Likening Iran&#39;s leader to Adolf Hitler, Saudi Arabia&#39;s crown prince warned in a US television interview that if Tehran gets a nuclear weapon, his country will follow suit.

&quot;Saudi Arabia does not want to acquire any nuclear bomb, but without a doubt, if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible,&quot; Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in an excerpt of the interview that aired Thursday on &quot;CBS This Morning.&quot;

The 32-year-old Prince Mohammed said he has referred to Iran&#39;s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as &quot;the new Hitler&quot; because &quot;he wants to expand.&quot;

&quot;He wants to create his own project in the Middle East, very much like Hitler who wanted to expand at the time,&quot; Prince Mohammed said.

&quot;Many countries around the world and in Europe did not realize how dangerous Hitler was until what happened, happened. I don&#39;t want to see the same events happening in the Middle East.&quot;

The interview is scheduled to run on CBS&#39;s &quot;60 Minutes&quot; show on Sunday, two days before the crown prince&#39;s scheduled White House meeting with US President Donald Trump.

His comments come amid concerns over nuclear proliferation in the Middle East and just days after the kingdom put an atomic energy program on a fast track.

Although intended to reduce Saudi Arabia&#39;s dependence on oil, analysts warn the capacity to produce atomic energy could open a pathway to nuclear development for military purposes.

A 2015 nuclear agreement has placed curbs on Iran&#39;s nuclear program, but Trump has expressed a desire to scrap it, making its future uncertain.

The Saudi cabinet says its nuclear program will be in &quot;full compliance with the principle of transparency&quot; and meet nuclear safety standards &quot;in accordance with an independent regulatory and supervisory framework.&quot;

The country has accelerated plans to build 16 nuclear reactors over the next two decades, according to officials and analysts, at a cost of around $80 billion.

Saudi Energy Minister Khaled al-Faleh said in October that the nuclear program would start by building two reactors, each producing between 1.2 and 1.6 gigawatts of electricity.

'Saudi Arabia does not want to acquire any nuclear bomb, but without a doubt, if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible,' Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said

Likening Iran's leader to Adolf Hitler, Saudi Arabia's crown prince warned in a US television interview that if Tehran gets a nuclear weapon, his country will follow suit. "Saudi Arabia does not want to acquire any nuclear bomb, but without a doubt, if Iran developed a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible," Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in an excerpt of the interview that aired Thursday on "CBS This Morning." The 32-year-old Prince Mohammed said he has referred to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as "the new Hitler" because "he wants to expand." "He wants to create his own project in the Middle East, very much like Hitler who wanted to expand at the time," Prince Mohammed said. "Many countries around the world and in Europe did not realize how dangerous Hitler was until what happened, happened. I don't want to see the same events happening in the Middle East." The interview is scheduled to run on CBS's "60 Minutes" show on Sunday, two days before the crown prince's scheduled White House meeting with US President Donald Trump. His comments come amid concerns over nuclear proliferation in the Middle East and just days after the kingdom put an atomic energy program on a fast track. Although intended to reduce Saudi Arabia's dependence on oil, analysts warn the capacity to produce atomic energy could open a pathway to nuclear development for military purposes. A 2015 nuclear agreement has placed curbs on Iran's nuclear program, but Trump has expressed a desire to scrap it, making its future uncertain. The Saudi cabinet says its nuclear program will be in "full compliance with the principle of transparency" and meet nuclear safety standards "in accordance with an independent regulatory and supervisory framework." The country has accelerated plans to build 16 nuclear reactors over the next two decades, according to officials and analysts, at a cost of around $80 billion. Saudi Energy Minister Khaled al-Faleh said in October that the nuclear program would start by building two reactors, each producing between 1.2 and 1.6 gigawatts of electricity.

If Iran gets nuclear bomb, Saudi Arabia will follow suit: Crown Prince

Let&#39;s try to understand the Saudi graft purge in numbers. The target was 800 billion dollars. That&#39;s right!, that&#39;s the kind of money that the Saudi elite amassed through unfair means according to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Why was this anti-corruption drive so urgent? Because the economy of one of the world&#39;s biggest oil producers was running a budget deficit of 185 billion dollars. Sure enough, the crown prince blamed this gap on corruption. 
&nbsp; 
So much money has been made? Understandably, there&#39;s no official word on it but most reports estimate a haul of more than 100 billion dollars.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Almost 2000 bank accounts of princes, top bureaucrats and businessmen have been frozen to prevent the individuals under scrutiny from transferring their funds offshore. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The government is also eyeing their assets. Anti-corruption officials say that assets worth almost 300-400 billion dollars have been created through corrupt means.

The anti-corruption drive was so urgent because the economy of one of the world's biggest oil producers was running a budget deficit of 185 billion dollars

Let's try to understand the Saudi graft purge in numbers. The target was 800 billion dollars. That's right!, that's the kind of money that the Saudi elite amassed through unfair means according to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Why was this anti-corruption drive so urgent? Because the economy of one of the world's biggest oil producers was running a budget deficit of 185 billion dollars. Sure enough, the crown prince blamed this gap on corruption. So much money has been made? Understandably, there's no official word on it but most reports estimate a haul of more than 100 billion dollars. Almost 2000 bank accounts of princes, top bureaucrats and businessmen have been frozen to prevent the individuals under scrutiny from transferring their funds offshore. The government is also eyeing their assets. Anti-corruption officials say that assets worth almost 300-400 billion dollars have been created through corrupt means.

Saudi government recovers $100 billion as part of anti corruption purge

Prime Minister Theresa May defended Britain&#39;s links to security ally Saudi Arabia on Wednesday as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Queen Elizabeth for lunch on a high-profile visit that drew protests over Riyadh&#39;s human rights record.

A fiery exchange in parliament between May and opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn underlined tension in Britain over Prince Mohammed&#39;s trip, which was aimed at building a broader economic partnership between the two countries, but has sparked anger about alleged human rights abuses and the war in Yemen.

&quot;The link that we have with Saudi Arabia is historic, it is an important one, and it has saved the lives of potentially hundreds of people in this country,&quot; May said, pausing her answer briefly as opposition lawmakers cried &quot;Shame!&quot;. She was alluding to intelligence-sharing on Islamist militant suspects.

The debate took place as Prince Mohammed lunched with the British monarch on the first leg of a trip packed with displays of diplomatic affection designed to help widen long-standing defence ties into a more far-reaching partnership.

May later met Prince Mohammed at her Downing Street office, extending a warm diplomatic welcome to the conservative kingdom&#39;s heir apparent and agreeing a 65 billion pound ($90.29 billion) trade and investment target.

Britain is looking for trading partners as it exits the European Union, and energy powerhouse Saudi Arabia needs to convince sceptical investors about its domestic reforms.

&quot;This is a significant boost for UK prosperity and a clear demonstration of the strong international confidence in our economy as we prepare to leave the European Union,&quot; a spokeswoman from May&#39;s office said after the meeting.

But demonstrators gathered outside May&#39;s office amid a heavy police presence to protest at both countries&#39; role in Yemen, where war has killed around 10,000 people. A Saudi-led coalition intervened militarily in Yemen in 2015 and critics say Riyadh has been using British-supplied weapons in devastating strikes.

&quot;I don&#39;t believe that someone like Mohammed bin Salman should be welcomed in Britain,&quot; said Hassan Yassine, a 25-year-old customer service worker from London. &quot;It is definitely not ethical, bearing in mind what is going on in Yemen every single day, every single second, even as we speak.&quot;

Corbyn said British military advisers were &quot;directing the war&quot; in Yemen. May&#39;s spokesman said British personnel had no role in carrying out coalition air strikes, and were not involved in Saudi targeting decisions.

Strategic partnership

Police said a man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after an egg was thrown at a police vehicle as bin Salman&#39;s motorcade arrived in Downing Street.

Wednesday&#39;s first official engagement was a trip to Buckingham Palace to see Queen Elizabeth - a rare honour usually reserved for heads of state.

The Saudi delegation then met May at her offices to launch a UK-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council.

The meeting set out the mutual trade and investment target, which would include direct investment in Britain and new Saudi public procurement with British companies. This would be spread across sectors including finance, education, healthcare, renewable energy and defence, May&#39;s office said.

Britain is vying to land the stock market listing of state oil firm Saudi Aramco, but no decision is expected this week.

&quot;We would like the Aramco share option to be issued in the United Kingdom and we will continue to suggest the City would be the best place for it,&quot; junior foreign office minister Alistair Burt told parliament.

Later this month Prince Mohammed visits the United States, which also wants the lucrative listing, although sources said both countries might miss out.

British officials were privately delighted at the decision by Prince Mohammed, 32, to choose Britain as the major Western destination on his first foreign trip since becoming heir to the Saudi throne last year.

The British government is keen to develop a two-way trade and investment relationship, eyeing both an expanded market in Saudi Arabia for service sector exports, and attracting Saudi cash to finance domestic projects.

For his part, Saudi Arabia&#39;s ambitious heir wants to show that &quot;shock&quot; reforms have made his country a better place to invest and a more tolerant society.

Photographs posted online showed London taxis displaying advertising graphics welcoming Prince Mohammed, and electronic billboards around the capital promoted pro-Saudi messages with the hashtag #anewsaudiarabia.

Business deals are possible with British defence group BAE Systems and European weapons maker MBDA, and initial agreements could be concluded on gas exploration, petrochemicals and other industries, according to British and Saudi sources.

Royal treatment

The three-day visit will include a second Royal audience - dinner with the Prince Charles and Prince William on Wednesday - and a prestigious visit to May&#39;s country residence on Thursday.

The prime minister intends to use the private dinner at Chequers, a 16th-century manor house 40 miles (60 km) northwest of London, to further press her concerns over the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, her spokesman said.

The Saudi-led coalition is fighting the Iran-allied Houthi movement in Yemen in a campaign to restore its internationally recognised government, generating what the United Nations said in January is the world&#39;s worst humanitarian crisis.

Demonstrators are protesting against Britain for licensing 4.6 billion pounds of weapons sales to Saudi Arabia since 2015.

May said all arms sales were strictly regulated, that Saudi Arabia&#39;s involvement in the conflict was backed by the UN&nbsp;Security Council and her government supported it.

&quot;The prime minister and crown prince agreed on the importance of full and unfettered humanitarian and commercial access, including through the ports, and that a political solution was ultimately the only way to end the conflict and humanitarian suffering in Yemen,&quot; the statement from May&#39;s office said.

A fiery exchange in parliament between May and opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn underlined tension in Britain over Prince Mohammed's trip

Prime Minister Theresa May defended Britain's links to security ally Saudi Arabia on Wednesday as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Queen Elizabeth for lunch on a high-profile visit that drew protests over Riyadh's human rights record. A fiery exchange in parliament between May and opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn underlined tension in Britain over Prince Mohammed's trip, which was aimed at building a broader economic partnership between the two countries, but has sparked anger about alleged human rights abuses and the war in Yemen. "The link that we have with Saudi Arabia is historic, it is an important one, and it has saved the lives of potentially hundreds of people in this country," May said, pausing her answer briefly as opposition lawmakers cried "Shame!". She was alluding to intelligence-sharing on Islamist militant suspects. The debate took place as Prince Mohammed lunched with the British monarch on the first leg of a trip packed with displays of diplomatic affection designed to help widen long-standing defence ties into a more far-reaching partnership. May later met Prince Mohammed at her Downing Street office, extending a warm diplomatic welcome to the conservative kingdom's heir apparent and agreeing a 65 billion pound ($90.29 billion) trade and investment target. Britain is looking for trading partners as it exits the European Union, and energy powerhouse Saudi Arabia needs to convince sceptical investors about its domestic reforms. "This is a significant boost for UK prosperity and a clear demonstration of the strong international confidence in our economy as we prepare to leave the European Union," a spokeswoman from May's office said after the meeting. But demonstrators gathered outside May's office amid a heavy police presence to protest at both countries' role in Yemen, where war has killed around 10,000 people. A Saudi-led coalition intervened militarily in Yemen in 2015 and critics say Riyadh has been using British-supplied weapons in devastating strikes. "I don't believe that someone like Mohammed bin Salman should be welcomed in Britain," said Hassan Yassine, a 25-year-old customer service worker from London. "It is definitely not ethical, bearing in mind what is going on in Yemen every single day, every single second, even as we speak." Corbyn said British military advisers were "directing the war" in Yemen. May's spokesman said British personnel had no role in carrying out coalition air strikes, and were not involved in Saudi targeting decisions. Strategic partnership Police said a man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after an egg was thrown at a police vehicle as bin Salman's motorcade arrived in Downing Street. Wednesday's first official engagement was a trip to Buckingham Palace to see Queen Elizabeth - a rare honour usually reserved for heads of state. The Saudi delegation then met May at her offices to launch a UK-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council. The meeting set out the mutual trade and investment target, which would include direct investment in Britain and new Saudi public procurement with British companies. This would be spread across sectors including finance, education, healthcare, renewable energy and defence, May's office said. Britain is vying to land the stock market listing of state oil firm Saudi Aramco, but no decision is expected this week. "We would like the Aramco share option to be issued in the United Kingdom and we will continue to suggest the City would be the best place for it," junior foreign office minister Alistair Burt told parliament. Later this month Prince Mohammed visits the United States, which also wants the lucrative listing, although sources said both countries might miss out. British officials were privately delighted at the decision by Prince Mohammed, 32, to choose Britain as the major Western destination on his first foreign trip since becoming heir to the Saudi throne last year. The British government is keen to develop a two-way trade and investment relationship, eyeing both an expanded market in Saudi Arabia for service sector exports, and attracting Saudi cash to finance domestic projects. For his part, Saudi Arabia's ambitious heir wants to show that "shock" reforms have made his country a better place to invest and a more tolerant society. Photographs posted online showed London taxis displaying advertising graphics welcoming Prince Mohammed, and electronic billboards around the capital promoted pro-Saudi messages with the hashtag #anewsaudiarabia. Business deals are possible with British defence group BAE Systems and European weapons maker MBDA, and initial agreements could be concluded on gas exploration, petrochemicals and other industries, according to British and Saudi sources. Royal treatment The three-day visit will include a second Royal audience - dinner with the Prince Charles and Prince William on Wednesday - and a prestigious visit to May's country residence on Thursday. The prime minister intends to use the private dinner at Chequers, a 16th-century manor house 40 miles (60 km) northwest of London, to further press her concerns over the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, her spokesman said. The Saudi-led coalition is fighting the Iran-allied Houthi movement in Yemen in a campaign to restore its internationally recognised government, generating what the United Nations said in January is the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Demonstrators are protesting against Britain for licensing 4.6 billion pounds of weapons sales to Saudi Arabia since 2015. May said all arms sales were strictly regulated, that Saudi Arabia's involvement in the conflict was backed by the UN Security Council and her government supported it. "The prime minister and crown prince agreed on the importance of full and unfettered humanitarian and commercial access, including through the ports, and that a political solution was ultimately the only way to end the conflict and humanitarian suffering in Yemen," the statement from May's office said.

Theresa May defends Saudi ties as crown prince gets royal welcome in London

The tectonic changes taking place in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have left most, if not all, political and diplomatic pundits aghast. This is no Arab Spring &ndash; this is a sandy tsunami that too generated internally, without apparent cause, and probably with little local impulsion. Whoever felt that change is not possible by one man, the person then obviously has not run across the likes of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, MBS for short. Recent events also provide ample evidence that King Salman, his father representing the old guard, is now a mere titular head &ndash; the actual paradigm shift is towards the new generation, represented by MBS.

The uppermost question now in everyone&rsquo;s mind is, will he be able to sustain this frenetic pace? Where did his motivation come from &ndash; he is a sabra, having done his graduation from King Saud University; he is not one of the foreign-educated princes who might have been influenced by the so-called &lsquo;democratic principles&rsquo; of the free world. Most other princes have been more than affected by corrupt practices and power play.&nbsp; Therefore, it is all the more amazing to see this young, locally-educated prince expounding major visionary changes for his country &ndash; veering it away from the single oil-based industry, to a more innovative economy.

One thing is certain, and I say this from personal experience, you never can predict what goes on in the Arab mind. Years ago, in late 1990, just prior to the First Gulf War, I was seated at dinner with some Indian friends. Having just joined as the new Indian Military Attach&eacute;, and with war clouds on the horizon, it was but natural for the conversation to veer around to that. &ldquo;So, tell us Colonel, is war likely, and do we stay back or leave?&rdquo;.&nbsp;

Commanding all my years of military experience, and seeing what the Coalition Forces had arrayed against the Iraqis, I grandly said, &ldquo;No way &ndash; there will be no war. The Americans will tuck their tails and run; they don&rsquo;t want to see any more body bags and, the Iraqis will realise they will get clobbered if the Americans do stay and fight&rdquo;. The war started the very next morning, leaving me red in the face; so much for my understanding of the Middle East.&nbsp;

Lesson No 1, nothing is obvious or logical where the Arab mind is concerned. Lesson No 2 was that oil and greed were far greater motivators than principled behavior and, that it was legit to even cook up tales of &lsquo;WMDs in vast numbers&rsquo;,&nbsp; of &lsquo;ruthless dictatorships&rsquo; and such like drivel, to achieve their goal of area domination.

Where is the freedom and democracy that was promised &ndash; sadly the only educated, historically and culturally rich societies of Iraq, Syria and Iran were destroyed beyond repair or destabilised to such extent, that the battle goes on till this day. The US has always stood by the dictators, particularly, when it suited their national interests of controlling the source of energy supply and, once done, the same leaders become pariahs. Pure economics and self-interest, there had been no concern for the nations or their citizens.

Coming back to young MBS and his vision of a grand and modern Saudi Arabia. How has he been able to achieve all this in the face of opposition from the established order &ndash; his uncles, the royal princes, and the clergy? The Saudi National Guards (SANG)W, an elite and best-equipped force, was the fief of late King Abdullah bin Saud, and this mantle passed on to his son, Mitteb bin Abdullah.&nbsp;

SANG consists of Bedouin stock and are intensely loyal to their roots and to the royal household. No usurper (and MBS was certainly one) could have changed their loyalty; so, how did he manage to stage a &lsquo;palace coup&rsquo; against Prince Mitteb, and still attract their loyalty? How was Prince Muqqrin bin Saud, his uncle and heir apparent, sidelined? I met Prince Muqqrin, Governor of Hail Province, in 1992 during my tenure in Saudi Arabia &ndash; a British trained fighter pilot, he seemed to be fairly modern in his outlooks, and fitted-in into the natural hierarchal change in this orthodox society.

Same goes for the Royal Saudi Land, Sea &amp; Air Forces (SNLF), which come under Prince MBS, as Minister of Defence. A largely chocolate cream bunch of overweight and paunchy soldiers and leaders, SNLF was propped up merely for the cause of providing jobs and for defending the nation &ndash; but not in any real or serious way.

For the serious bit, Saudi oil assets and petrodollars bought the presence of the US, Western Forces and even an Armored Brigade from Pakistan. So suspicious were the royals of their own military, that if the armoured brigade was stationed in Tabuk (Northern Saudi Arabia), tank ammunition was kept thousands of miles to the South at Al Kharj (Near Riyadh); furthermore, keys to the depot were always with a royal!&nbsp;

In the recent tsunami, this ceremonial military too has been struck by an awesome sandstorm. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (General Abdul Rahman bin Saleh al-Bunyan) has been sacked and replaced by First Lieutenant General Fayyad bin Hamed al-Ruwayli. Senior hierarchy of the Defence Ministry has been removed, and a woman, Tammadur bint Youssef al-Ramah (name suggests she is a commoner) appointed as Deputy Defence Minister. Holy Moses &ndash; such a step was totally unthinkable, and&nbsp; conservatives must be turning in their graves.&nbsp;

Probable reason for this massive reshuffle is the poor performance of the forces in their fight against the Houthis in Yemen. Latter have struck Saudi land, sea and air assets with virtual impunity. Naturally, this has been upsetting for MBS and the Kingdom, having pumped in billions of dollars in arms purchases &ndash; the expected Return on Investment (ROI) has been zilch. Though the Saudis have been quick to dismiss adverse war results as the cause, it is most likely the underlying reason.&nbsp;

There is another fear ever-present amongst the royals &ndash; that of a military coup. It is for that reason they have tolerated the un-Islamic presence of US troops, as also a sizeable Pakistani military contingent, willingly given by the latter as quid pro quo for the financial lifeline assured by Saudi Arabia. By removing the top hierarchy, Prince MBS has consolidated his position.&nbsp; But he is &ldquo;riding a tiger&rdquo; and time will tell if he can get off without being eaten.

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

&nbsp;

The probable reason for this massive reshuffle in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the poor performance of the forces in their fight against the Houthis in Yemen.

The tectonic changes taking place in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have left most, if not all, political and diplomatic pundits aghast. This is no Arab Spring – this is a sandy tsunami that too generated internally, without apparent cause, and probably with little local impulsion. Whoever felt that change is not possible by one man, the person then obviously has not run across the likes of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, MBS for short. Recent events also provide ample evidence that King Salman, his father representing the old guard, is now a mere titular head – the actual paradigm shift is towards the new generation, represented by MBS. The uppermost question now in everyone’s mind is, will he be able to sustain this frenetic pace? Where did his motivation come from – he is a sabra, having done his graduation from King Saud University; he is not one of the foreign-educated princes who might have been influenced by the so-called ‘democratic principles’ of the free world. Most other princes have been more than affected by corrupt practices and power play. Therefore, it is all the more amazing to see this young, locally-educated prince expounding major visionary changes for his country – veering it away from the single oil-based industry, to a more innovative economy. One thing is certain, and I say this from personal experience, you never can predict what goes on in the Arab mind. Years ago, in late 1990, just prior to the First Gulf War, I was seated at dinner with some Indian friends. Having just joined as the new Indian Military Attaché, and with war clouds on the horizon, it was but natural for the conversation to veer around to that. “So, tell us Colonel, is war likely, and do we stay back or leave?”. Commanding all my years of military experience, and seeing what the Coalition Forces had arrayed against the Iraqis, I grandly said, “No way – there will be no war. The Americans will tuck their tails and run; they don’t want to see any more body bags and, the Iraqis will realise they will get clobbered if the Americans do stay and fight”. The war started the very next morning, leaving me red in the face; so much for my understanding of the Middle East. Lesson No 1, nothing is obvious or logical where the Arab mind is concerned. Lesson No 2 was that oil and greed were far greater motivators than principled behavior and, that it was legit to even cook up tales of ‘WMDs in vast numbers’, of ‘ruthless dictatorships’ and such like drivel, to achieve their goal of area domination. Where is the freedom and democracy that was promised – sadly the only educated, historically and culturally rich societies of Iraq, Syria and Iran were destroyed beyond repair or destabilised to such extent, that the battle goes on till this day. The US has always stood by the dictators, particularly, when it suited their national interests of controlling the source of energy supply and, once done, the same leaders become pariahs. Pure economics and self-interest, there had been no concern for the nations or their citizens. Coming back to young MBS and his vision of a grand and modern Saudi Arabia. How has he been able to achieve all this in the face of opposition from the established order – his uncles, the royal princes, and the clergy? The Saudi National Guards (SANG)W, an elite and best-equipped force, was the fief of late King Abdullah bin Saud, and this mantle passed on to his son, Mitteb bin Abdullah. SANG consists of Bedouin stock and are intensely loyal to their roots and to the royal household. No usurper (and MBS was certainly one) could have changed their loyalty; so, how did he manage to stage a ‘palace coup’ against Prince Mitteb, and still attract their loyalty? How was Prince Muqqrin bin Saud, his uncle and heir apparent, sidelined? I met Prince Muqqrin, Governor of Hail Province, in 1992 during my tenure in Saudi Arabia – a British trained fighter pilot, he seemed to be fairly modern in his outlooks, and fitted-in into the natural hierarchal change in this orthodox society. Same goes for the Royal Saudi Land, Sea & Air Forces (SNLF), which come under Prince MBS, as Minister of Defence. A largely chocolate cream bunch of overweight and paunchy soldiers and leaders, SNLF was propped up merely for the cause of providing jobs and for defending the nation – but not in any real or serious way. For the serious bit, Saudi oil assets and petrodollars bought the presence of the US, Western Forces and even an Armored Brigade from Pakistan. So suspicious were the royals of their own military, that if the armoured brigade was stationed in Tabuk (Northern Saudi Arabia), tank ammunition was kept thousands of miles to the South at Al Kharj (Near Riyadh); furthermore, keys to the depot were always with a royal! In the recent tsunami, this ceremonial military too has been struck by an awesome sandstorm. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (General Abdul Rahman bin Saleh al-Bunyan) has been sacked and replaced by First Lieutenant General Fayyad bin Hamed al-Ruwayli. Senior hierarchy of the Defence Ministry has been removed, and a woman, Tammadur bint Youssef al-Ramah (name suggests she is a commoner) appointed as Deputy Defence Minister. Holy Moses – such a step was totally unthinkable, and conservatives must be turning in their graves. Probable reason for this massive reshuffle is the poor performance of the forces in their fight against the Houthis in Yemen. Latter have struck Saudi land, sea and air assets with virtual impunity. Naturally, this has been upsetting for MBS and the Kingdom, having pumped in billions of dollars in arms purchases – the expected Return on Investment (ROI) has been zilch. Though the Saudis have been quick to dismiss adverse war results as the cause, it is most likely the underlying reason. There is another fear ever-present amongst the royals – that of a military coup. It is for that reason they have tolerated the un-Islamic presence of US troops, as also a sizeable Pakistani military contingent, willingly given by the latter as quid pro quo for the financial lifeline assured by Saudi Arabia. By removing the top hierarchy, Prince MBS has consolidated his position. But he is “riding a tiger” and time will tell if he can get off without being eaten. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Tsunami in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Riyadh&#39;s Ritz-Carlton will reopen on February 11, the hotel said Sunday, more than three months after it became a holding place of princes and ministers detained in an anti-corruption purge.

The luxury hotel was closed for business since the unprecedented probe was launched on November 4 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has consolidated his grip on power since his shock appointment as heir to the throne in June.&nbsp;

A hotel receptionist reached by phone confirmed to AFP that room bookings were available from noon on February 11.&nbsp;

The Ritz-Carlton&#39;s website had last month listed rooms as available from February 14. On Sunday it showed availability from February 11.&nbsp;

Many of the high-profile suspects, including billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, have been released in recent weeks in exchange for what officials have dubbed financial settlements.

Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb has said that $107 billion has been recovered so far in the crackdown in various forms of assets handed over that included property, securities and cash.

Prince Mohammed, the 32-year-old son of the king, has spearheaded the crackdown on corruption among members of the government and royal family over the past three months.&nbsp;

Some critics have labelled Prince Mohammed&#39;s campaign a shakedown and power grab, but authorities insist the purge targeted endemic corruption as the country prepares for a post-oil era.

&nbsp;

The luxury hotel was closed for business since the unprecedented probe was launched on November 4 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton will reopen on February 11, the hotel said Sunday, more than three months after it became a holding place of princes and ministers detained in an anti-corruption purge. The luxury hotel was closed for business since the unprecedented probe was launched on November 4 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has consolidated his grip on power since his shock appointment as heir to the throne in June. A hotel receptionist reached by phone confirmed to AFP that room bookings were available from noon on February 11. The Ritz-Carlton's website had last month listed rooms as available from February 14. On Sunday it showed availability from February 11. Many of the high-profile suspects, including billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, have been released in recent weeks in exchange for what officials have dubbed financial settlements. Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb has said that $107 billion has been recovered so far in the crackdown in various forms of assets handed over that included property, securities and cash. Prince Mohammed, the 32-year-old son of the king, has spearheaded the crackdown on corruption among members of the government and royal family over the past three months. Some critics have labelled Prince Mohammed's campaign a shakedown and power grab, but authorities insist the purge targeted endemic corruption as the country prepares for a post-oil era.

Riyadh's Ritz 'luxury prison' to reopen on February 1

Saudi Arabia began screening feature-length animated children&#39;s films this weekend in a makeshift theatre after a 35-year-old ban on cinemas was lifted in the conservative Islamic kingdom.

The first permanent theatres could open as early as March, part of a liberalising reform drive that has already opened the door to concerts, comedy shows and women drivers over the past year.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-lifts-decades-long-ban-on-cinemas-26491">Saudi Arabia lifts decades-long ban on cinemas</a>

For now, the authorities are sponsoring temporary settings, like the state-run cultural hall in the Red Sea city of Jeddah equipped with a projector, a red carpet and a popcorn machine.

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&quot;Until now, there is no infrastructure for movie theatres, so we are trying to take advantage of (alternative) venues to approximate the cinematic form,&quot; said Mamdouh Salim, whose Cinema 70 brand organised the week-long screenings.

&quot;We tried to use these films to be a starting point as the first cinematic screening after the decision on December 11 to permit movie theatres.&quot;

Cinemas were banned in the early 1980s under pressure from Islamists as Saudi society turned towards a particularly conservative form of religion that discouraged public entertainment and public mixing between men and women.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/thousands-of-saudis-sign-petition-to-end-male-guardianship-of-women-6874">Thousands of Saudis sign petition to end male guardianship of women</a>

But reforms led by 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have eased many of those restrictions, as the government tries to broaden the economy and lessen its dependence on oil.

In a nod to conservatives, films will be censored to make sure they remain in line with the kingdom&#39;s &quot;moral values&quot;.

More fun

After watching The Emoji Movie with his wife and daughter on Sunday evening, 28-year-old Sultan al-Otaibi said Saudis are happy to see movies in the theatre instead of staying at home.

&quot;It&#39;s more comfortable, more fun to have a change of scenery and an activity on the weekend. It is a step that was very late in coming but thank God it`s happening now.&quot;

Thousands of Saudis currently travel to Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and other countries for entertainment. The government wants to retain the money spent on those trips.

The authorities expect to open 300 cinemas with 2,000 screens by 2030, building an industry it hopes will contribute more then 90 billion riyals ($24 billion) to the economy and create 30,000 permanent jobs.

Regional and international cinema chains are also eyeing the Saudi market, keen to tap the spending power of the young people who make up roughly 70 percent of the population.

&quot;I want to see everything because it is something new for Saudi,&quot; said 30-year-old movie-goer Ibtisam Abu Talib. &quot;I hope everything is available - action, romance, children`s films, comedy. Everything, God willing.&quot;

The kingdom started screening feature-length animated children's films this weekend in a makeshift theatre

Saudi Arabia began screening feature-length animated children's films this weekend in a makeshift theatre after a 35-year-old ban on cinemas was lifted in the conservative Islamic kingdom. The first permanent theatres could open as early as March, part of a liberalising reform drive that has already opened the door to concerts, comedy shows and women drivers over the past year. Also read: Saudi Arabia lifts decades-long ban on cinemas For now, the authorities are sponsoring temporary settings, like the state-run cultural hall in the Red Sea city of Jeddah equipped with a projector, a red carpet and a popcorn machine. The first permanent theatres could open as early as March, part of a liberalising reform drive that has already opened the door to concerts, comedy shows and women drivers over the past year × "Until now, there is no infrastructure for movie theatres, so we are trying to take advantage of (alternative) venues to approximate the cinematic form," said Mamdouh Salim, whose Cinema 70 brand organised the week-long screenings. "We tried to use these films to be a starting point as the first cinematic screening after the decision on December 11 to permit movie theatres." Cinemas were banned in the early 1980s under pressure from Islamists as Saudi society turned towards a particularly conservative form of religion that discouraged public entertainment and public mixing between men and women. Also read: Thousands of Saudis sign petition to end male guardianship of women But reforms led by 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have eased many of those restrictions, as the government tries to broaden the economy and lessen its dependence on oil. In a nod to conservatives, films will be censored to make sure they remain in line with the kingdom's "moral values". More fun After watching The Emoji Movie with his wife and daughter on Sunday evening, 28-year-old Sultan al-Otaibi said Saudis are happy to see movies in the theatre instead of staying at home. "It's more comfortable, more fun to have a change of scenery and an activity on the weekend. It is a step that was very late in coming but thank God it`s happening now." Thousands of Saudis currently travel to Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and other countries for entertainment. The government wants to retain the money spent on those trips. The authorities expect to open 300 cinemas with 2,000 screens by 2030, building an industry it hopes will contribute more then 90 billion riyals ($24 billion) to the economy and create 30,000 permanent jobs. Regional and international cinema chains are also eyeing the Saudi market, keen to tap the spending power of the young people who make up roughly 70 percent of the population. "I want to see everything because it is something new for Saudi," said 30-year-old movie-goer Ibtisam Abu Talib. "I hope everything is available - action, romance, children`s films, comedy. Everything, God willing."

Saudi Arabia begins screening films after decades-long ban is lifted

Sports stadiums in Saudi Arabia will open their doors to women to attend football matches for the first time ever on Friday, the government has announced.

&quot;The first match that women will be allowed to watch will be Al-Ahli versus Al-Batin on Friday, January 12,&quot; the ministry of information said in a statement on Monday.

It said women would also be able to attend the second match on the following day and the third one on January 18.

Women from across the vast Gulf kingdom may be able to take advantage of this new freedom as the first match will be held in the capital Riyadh, the second in Jeddah on the Red Sea and the third in the eastern city of Dammam.

The kingdom, which has some of the world&#39;s tightest restrictions on women, has long barred women from sports arenas by strict rules on segregation of the sexes in public.

Under Saudi Arabia&#39;s existing guardianship system, a male family member, normally the father, husband or brother must grant permission for a woman&#39;s study, travel and a host of other activities.

But the conservative kingdom has in recent months eased some of its most notorious restrictions on women, including the lifting of a driving ban -- set to go into effect in June.

In September, hundreds of women were allowed to enter a sports stadium in Riyadh, used mostly for football matches, for the first time to mark Saudi Arabia&#39;s national day.

The easing of social controls comes as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looks to repackage the oil-rich nation as more moderate and welcoming.

The powerful crown princes&#39; Vision 2030 programme for a post-oil era stems partly from an economic motive to boost domestic spending on entertainment as the kingdom reels from an energy slump.

Saudis splurge billions of dollars annually on entertainment in the neighbouring tourist hubs of Bahrain and Dubai.

But as a part of the crown prince&#39;s reforms drive, Saudi Arabia announced in December it was lifting a decades-ban on cinemas with the first movie theatres expected to open in March.

&nbsp;

'The first match that women will be allowed to watch will be Al-Ahli versus Al-Batin on Friday, January 12," the ministry of information said in a statement on Monday

Sports stadiums in Saudi Arabia will open their doors to women to attend football matches for the first time ever on Friday, the government has announced. "The first match that women will be allowed to watch will be Al-Ahli versus Al-Batin on Friday, January 12," the ministry of information said in a statement on Monday. It said women would also be able to attend the second match on the following day and the third one on January 18. Women from across the vast Gulf kingdom may be able to take advantage of this new freedom as the first match will be held in the capital Riyadh, the second in Jeddah on the Red Sea and the third in the eastern city of Dammam. The kingdom, which has some of the world's tightest restrictions on women, has long barred women from sports arenas by strict rules on segregation of the sexes in public. Under Saudi Arabia's existing guardianship system, a male family member, normally the father, husband or brother must grant permission for a woman's study, travel and a host of other activities. But the conservative kingdom has in recent months eased some of its most notorious restrictions on women, including the lifting of a driving ban -- set to go into effect in June. In September, hundreds of women were allowed to enter a sports stadium in Riyadh, used mostly for football matches, for the first time to mark Saudi Arabia's national day. The easing of social controls comes as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looks to repackage the oil-rich nation as more moderate and welcoming. The powerful crown princes' Vision 2030 programme for a post-oil era stems partly from an economic motive to boost domestic spending on entertainment as the kingdom reels from an energy slump. Saudis splurge billions of dollars annually on entertainment in the neighbouring tourist hubs of Bahrain and Dubai. But as a part of the crown prince's reforms drive, Saudi Arabia announced in December it was lifting a decades-ban on cinemas with the first movie theatres expected to open in March.

This Friday, Saudi women to enter sports stadiums for first time

Apple and Amazon are in licensing discussions with Riyadh on investing in Saudi Arabia, two sources told Reuters, part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman&#39;s push to give the conservative kingdom a high-tech look.

A third source confirmed that Apple was in talks with SAGIA, Saudi Arabia&#39;s foreign investment authority.

Both companies already sell products in Saudi Arabia via third parties but they and other global tech giants have yet to establish a direct presence.

Amazon&#39;s discussions are being led by cloud computing division Amazon Web Services (AWS), which would introduce stiff competition in a market currently dominated by smaller local providers like STC and Mobily.

Riyadh has been easing regulatory impediments for the past two years, including limits on foreign ownership which had long kept investors away, since falling crude prices highlighted the need to diversify its oil-dependent economy.

Luring Apple and Amazon would further Prince Mohammed&#39;s reform plans and raise the companies&#39; profile in a young and relatively affluent market, which already boasts some of the highest internet and smartphone use in the world.

About 70 percent of the Saudi population is under 30 and frequently glued to social media.

A licensing agreement for Apple stores with SAGIA is expected by February, with an initial retail store targeted for 2019, said two sources familiar with the discussions.

Amazon&#39;s talks are in earlier stages and no specific date has been set for investment plans, they said.

Apple already holds second place in the Saudi mobile phone market behind Samsung, according to market researcher Euromonitor.

Amazon acquired Dubai-based online retailer Souq.com earlier in 2017, opening access for Amazon retail goods to be sold in the kingdom.

Both companies declined to comment, while SAGIA was not immediately available to answer questions about the discussions.

Lengthy courtship&nbsp;

While Saudi reform plans call for luring foreign investment broadly across sectors, officials have courted Silicon Valley players especially strongly over the past two years to complement their high-tech ambitions.

Prince Mohammed is an avowed technophile and has styled himself a disrupter in the model of Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates.

During an official visit to the United States last year he met executives at Facebook, Microsoft and Uber, in which the sovereign wealth fund he chairs later took a $3.5 billion stake.

Since then, he has also set up a $45 billion technology investment fund with Japan&#39;s SoftBank and announced plans to create a futuristic $500 billion mega-city with more robots than humans.

Apple and Amazon have both been on a Saudi priority list of foreign firms which officials hope to attract to further their reforms, one of the sources said.

&quot;Many tech multinationals now in Saudi Arabia are either vendors to the Saudi government or, in the case of Uber, have benefited from a sizable Saudi investment,&quot; said Sam Blatteis, who heads Dubai-based tech advisory MENA Catalysts Inc.

&quot;Amazon entering the Saudi market would be a step-change.&quot;

For Amazon, the move underscores how AWS is looking to take an early lead in selling data storage and computing services to customers in the Middle East.

AWS, the world&#39;s biggest cloud business by revenue, has embarked on a slower global expansion than No.2 Microsoft, which now offers cloud services in twice as many regions.

However, Microsoft has yet to announce plans for data centres in the Middle East, with three regions in India serving as its closest operations.

AWS said in September it would set up data centres for the region in neighbouring Bahrain.

The kingdom has been streamlining its many overlapping laws which could apply to cloud computing for more than a year in order to attract service providers.

If completed, a cloud deal could pave the way for an expansion of Amazon retail warehouses in Saudi Arabia.

Although Amazon operates its diverse business units separately, it has rolled out its near-full suite of retail, third-party marketplace and cloud services in countries of operation over time.

Apple stores would raise the profile of the company&#39;s products and offer repairs and community events in line with its strategy to brand its stores as &quot;town squares&quot;.

Both companies already sell products in Saudi Arabia via third parties but they and other global tech giants have yet to establish a direct presence.

Apple and Amazon are in licensing discussions with Riyadh on investing in Saudi Arabia, two sources told Reuters, part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's push to give the conservative kingdom a high-tech look. A third source confirmed that Apple was in talks with SAGIA, Saudi Arabia's foreign investment authority. Both companies already sell products in Saudi Arabia via third parties but they and other global tech giants have yet to establish a direct presence. Amazon's discussions are being led by cloud computing division Amazon Web Services (AWS), which would introduce stiff competition in a market currently dominated by smaller local providers like STC and Mobily. Riyadh has been easing regulatory impediments for the past two years, including limits on foreign ownership which had long kept investors away, since falling crude prices highlighted the need to diversify its oil-dependent economy. Luring Apple and Amazon would further Prince Mohammed's reform plans and raise the companies' profile in a young and relatively affluent market, which already boasts some of the highest internet and smartphone use in the world. About 70 percent of the Saudi population is under 30 and frequently glued to social media. A licensing agreement for Apple stores with SAGIA is expected by February, with an initial retail store targeted for 2019, said two sources familiar with the discussions. Amazon's talks are in earlier stages and no specific date has been set for investment plans, they said. Apple already holds second place in the Saudi mobile phone market behind Samsung, according to market researcher Euromonitor. Amazon acquired Dubai-based online retailer Souq.com earlier in 2017, opening access for Amazon retail goods to be sold in the kingdom. Both companies declined to comment, while SAGIA was not immediately available to answer questions about the discussions. Lengthy courtship While Saudi reform plans call for luring foreign investment broadly across sectors, officials have courted Silicon Valley players especially strongly over the past two years to complement their high-tech ambitions. Prince Mohammed is an avowed technophile and has styled himself a disrupter in the model of Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates. During an official visit to the United States last year he met executives at Facebook, Microsoft and Uber, in which the sovereign wealth fund he chairs later took a $3.5 billion stake. Since then, he has also set up a $45 billion technology investment fund with Japan's SoftBank and announced plans to create a futuristic $500 billion mega-city with more robots than humans. Apple and Amazon have both been on a Saudi priority list of foreign firms which officials hope to attract to further their reforms, one of the sources said. "Many tech multinationals now in Saudi Arabia are either vendors to the Saudi government or, in the case of Uber, have benefited from a sizable Saudi investment," said Sam Blatteis, who heads Dubai-based tech advisory MENA Catalysts Inc. "Amazon entering the Saudi market would be a step-change." For Amazon, the move underscores how AWS is looking to take an early lead in selling data storage and computing services to customers in the Middle East. AWS, the world's biggest cloud business by revenue, has embarked on a slower global expansion than No.2 Microsoft, which now offers cloud services in twice as many regions. However, Microsoft has yet to announce plans for data centres in the Middle East, with three regions in India serving as its closest operations. AWS said in September it would set up data centres for the region in neighbouring Bahrain. The kingdom has been streamlining its many overlapping laws which could apply to cloud computing for more than a year in order to attract service providers. If completed, a cloud deal could pave the way for an expansion of Amazon retail warehouses in Saudi Arabia. Although Amazon operates its diverse business units separately, it has rolled out its near-full suite of retail, third-party marketplace and cloud services in countries of operation over time. Apple stores would raise the profile of the company's products and offer repairs and community events in line with its strategy to brand its stores as "town squares".

Apple and Amazon in talks to set up in Saudi Arabia: Reports

A French chateau which sold recently for 320 US million dollars -- making it the world&#39;s most expensive house -- was bought by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin&nbsp;Salman, news reports said.&nbsp;

The house, the Chateau Louis XIV in Versailles near Paris, has indoor and outdoor pools, a private cinema, a squash court, two ballrooms, and a nightclub.

Other recent extravagant buys by Salman include a $500 million yacht and a $450 million Leonardo da Vinci painting.

Salman is also currently leading a massive crackdown on corruption in the&nbsp;kingdom which raises several questions over his acquisitions.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The crackdown has ensnared a number of other Saudi princes and businessmen.&nbsp;

The Saudi embassy in Washington called the news reports &quot;subjective&quot;:&nbsp;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
In spite of this subjective reporting that self serves their personal agenda, the silver lining here is that there&rsquo;s even more motivation to continually engage with the Press to share KSA&rsquo;s amazing transformational story under the guidance of our current leadership. <a href="https://t.co/uLuwM4p8tO">https://t.co/uLuwM4p8tO</a>
&mdash; Fatimah S Baeshen (@FatimahSBaeshen) <a href="https://twitter.com/FatimahSBaeshen/status/942117811941494784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The Chateau Louis XIV is modelled on 17th-century French castles but was actually only built a few years ago.

Salman is thought to have bought the house using shell companies.&nbsp;

The buyer, who was unknown at the time of the purchase in 2015, was later revealed by the news reports to be an&nbsp;investment company managed by Crown Prince Salman&#39;s personal foundation.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/will-pursue-terrorists-until-they-are-wiped-out-declares-saudi-arabias-crown-prince-salman-25283">Will pursue terrorists until they are wiped out, declares Saudi Arabia&#39;s crown prince Salman </a>

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/opinion-vision-2030-embodies-saudi-quest-for-modernity-26015">Vision 2030 embodies Saudi quest for modernity</a>

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-lifts-decades-long-ban-on-cinemas-26491">Saudi Arabia lifts decades-long ban on cinemas </a>

Crown Prince Salman is currently leading a massive crackdown on corruption in the?kingdom which raises several questions over his acquisitions

A French chateau which sold recently for 320 US million dollars -- making it the world's most expensive house -- was bought by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, news reports said. The house, the Chateau Louis XIV in Versailles near Paris, has indoor and outdoor pools, a private cinema, a squash court, two ballrooms, and a nightclub. Other recent extravagant buys by Salman include a $500 million yacht and a $450 million Leonardo da Vinci painting. Salman is also currently leading a massive crackdown on corruption in the kingdom which raises several questions over his acquisitions. The crackdown has ensnared a number of other Saudi princes and businessmen. The Saudi embassy in Washington called the news reports "subjective": In spite of this subjective reporting that self serves their personal agenda, the silver lining here is that there’s even more motivation to continually engage with the Press to share KSA’s amazing transformational story under the guidance of our current leadership. https://t.co/uLuwM4p8tO — Fatimah S Baeshen (@FatimahSBaeshen) December 16, 2017 × The Chateau Louis XIV is modelled on 17th-century French castles but was actually only built a few years ago. Salman is thought to have bought the house using shell companies. The buyer, who was unknown at the time of the purchase in 2015, was later revealed by the news reports to be an investment company managed by Crown Prince Salman's personal foundation. Also read: Will pursue terrorists until they are wiped out, declares Saudi Arabia's crown prince Salman Also read: Vision 2030 embodies Saudi quest for modernity Also read: Saudi Arabia lifts decades-long ban on cinemas

World's most expensive house costing $320m bought by Saudi crown prince: Reports

Saudi Arabia&#39;s crowned prince Mohammad bin Salman is leading with 19% votes for the TIME magazines &quot;Person of the year&quot;&nbsp;title.&nbsp;

He has left behind a number of influential people like Carmen Yulin Cruz, Hilary Clinton, and the social media campaign #MeToo.&nbsp;

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TIME magazines Person of the year poll. (Others)
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The poll began last week, which included 33 contenders in the running.&nbsp;

Also read:<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/after-arresting-top-leaders-saudi-arabia-threatens-iran-seals-border-with-yemen-23619" target="_blank"> After arresting top leaders, Saudi Arabia threatens Iran &amp; seals border with Yemen</a>

Although the title is &quot;Person of the Year&quot;, the criteria are actually quite broad. A person, a group, an idea or even an object can be selected as the winner by TIME&#39;s editors.

Saudi Arabia&#39;s Crown Prince&nbsp;Salman has become popular around the world for his rapid dominance to the top of Saudi Arabia&#39;s power format, for his aspiring reform plan and a shocking corruption purge of top officials and fellow princes.

Also Read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/will-pursue-terrorists-until-they-are-wiped-out-declares-saudi-arabias-crown-prince-salman-25283">Will pursue terrorists until they are wiped out, declares Saudi Arabia&#39;s crown prince Salman</a>

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/we-are-returning-to-what-we-were-a-country-of-moderate-islam-saudi-crown-prince-22844">We are returning to what we were -- a country of moderate Islam: Saudi crown prince</a>

Voting in the poll ends on December 4th and the results will be revealed on December 6th.&nbsp;

He has left behind a number of influential people like Carmen Yulin Cruz, Hilary Clinton and the social media campaign #MeToo

Saudi Arabia's crowned prince Mohammad bin Salman is leading with 19% votes for the TIME magazines "Person of the year" title. He has left behind a number of influential people like Carmen Yulin Cruz, Hilary Clinton, and the social media campaign #MeToo. TIME magazines Person of the year poll. (Others) × The poll began last week, which included 33 contenders in the running. Also read: After arresting top leaders, Saudi Arabia threatens Iran & seals border with Yemen Although the title is "Person of the Year", the criteria are actually quite broad. A person, a group, an idea or even an object can be selected as the winner by TIME's editors. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Salman has become popular around the world for his rapid dominance to the top of Saudi Arabia's power format, for his aspiring reform plan and a shocking corruption purge of top officials and fellow princes. Also Read: Will pursue terrorists until they are wiped out, declares Saudi Arabia's crown prince Salman Also read: We are returning to what we were -- a country of moderate Islam: Saudi crown prince Voting in the poll ends on December 4th and the results will be revealed on December 6th.

Saudi Arabia's Prince Mohammed bin Salman leads in Time 'Person of the Year' poll

Saudi&nbsp;Arabia&#39;s powerful&nbsp;Crown&nbsp;Prince&nbsp;called the Supreme&nbsp;Leader&nbsp;of&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;&quot;the new Hitler of the Middle East&quot; in an interview with the New York Times published on Thursday, sharply escalating the war of words between the arch-rivals.

The Sunni Muslim kingdom of&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Arabia and Shi&#39;ite&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;back rival sides in wars and political crises throughout the region.

Mohammed bin Salman, who is also&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;defence minister in the US-allied oil giant kingdom, suggested the Islamic Republic&#39;s alleged expansion under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei needed to be confronted.

&quot;But we learned from Europe that appeasement doesn&#39;t work. We don&#39;t want the new Hitler in&nbsp;Iran to repeat what happened in Europe in the Middle East,&quot; the paper quoted him as saying.

Tensions soared this month when Lebanon&#39;s&nbsp;Saudi-allied Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned in a television broadcast from Riyadh, citing the influence of&nbsp;Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and risks to his life.

Hezbollah called the move an act of war engineered by&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;authorities, an accusation they denied.

Hariri has since suspended his resignation.

Saudi&nbsp;Arabia has launched thousands of air strikes in a 2-1/2-year-old war in neighbouring Yemen to defeat the&nbsp;Iranian-aligned Houthi movement that seized broad swaths of the country.

Salman told the Times that the war was going in its favour and that its allies controlled 85 percent of Yemen&#39;s territory.

The Houthis, however, still retain the main population centres despite the war effort by a&nbsp;Saudi-led military coalition which receives intelligence and refuelling for its warplanes by the United States. Some 10,000 people have died in the conflict.

The group launched a ballistic missile toward Riyadh&#39;s main airport on Nov. 4, which&nbsp;Saudi&nbsp;Arabis decried as an act of war by Tehran.

Bin Salman said in May that the kingdom would make sure any future struggle between the two countries &quot;is waged in&nbsp;Iran&quot;.

For his part, Khamenei has referred to the House of Saud as an &quot;accursed tree&quot;, and&nbsp;Iranian officials have accused the kingdom of spreading terrorism.

Saudi?Arabia's powerful?Crown?Prince?called the Supreme?Leader?of?Iran?"the new Hitler of the Middle East" in an interview with the New York Times published on Thursday, sharply escalating the war of words between the arch-rivals

Saudi Arabia's powerful Crown Prince called the Supreme Leader of Iran "the new Hitler of the Middle East" in an interview with the New York Times published on Thursday, sharply escalating the war of words between the arch-rivals. The Sunni Muslim kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Iran back rival sides in wars and political crises throughout the region. Mohammed bin Salman, who is also Saudi defence minister in the US-allied oil giant kingdom, suggested the Islamic Republic's alleged expansion under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei needed to be confronted. "But we learned from Europe that appeasement doesn't work. We don't want the new Hitler in Iran to repeat what happened in Europe in the Middle East," the paper quoted him as saying. Tensions soared this month when Lebanon's Saudi-allied Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned in a television broadcast from Riyadh, citing the influence of Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and risks to his life. Hezbollah called the move an act of war engineered by Saudi authorities, an accusation they denied. Hariri has since suspended his resignation. Saudi Arabia has launched thousands of air strikes in a 2-1/2-year-old war in neighbouring Yemen to defeat the Iranian-aligned Houthi movement that seized broad swaths of the country. Salman told the Times that the war was going in its favour and that its allies controlled 85 percent of Yemen's territory. The Houthis, however, still retain the main population centres despite the war effort by a Saudi-led military coalition which receives intelligence and refuelling for its warplanes by the United States. Some 10,000 people have died in the conflict. The group launched a ballistic missile toward Riyadh's main airport on Nov. 4, which Saudi Arabis decried as an act of war by Tehran. Bin Salman said in May that the kingdom would make sure any future struggle between the two countries "is waged in Iran". For his part, Khamenei has referred to the House of Saud as an "accursed tree", and Iranian officials have accused the kingdom of spreading terrorism.

'New Hitler' in Iran should not repeat what happened in Europe: Saudi?Crown?Prince Salman

Saudi King,&nbsp;Salman, appointed two new ministers on Saturday to key security and economic posts, removing one of the royal family&#39;s most prominent members as head of the National Guard and boosting the kingdom&#39;s young crown prince.

The king also announced the creation of a new anti-corruption committee chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman which Al Arabiya TV said had already detained 11 princes, four current ministers and tens of former ministers. The suspects were not named.

The cabinet reshuffle saw Prince Miteb bin Abdullah replaced as minister of the National Guard by Khaled bin Ayyaf, while Economy Minister Adel Fakieh was removed in favour of his deputy Mohammed al-Tuwaijri, according to a royal decree carried by state-run media.

Prince Miteb, the preferred son of the late King Abdullah, was once thought to be a leading contender for the throne before the unexpected rise of Prince Mohammed two years ago.

He had inherited control of the National Guard, an elite internal security force built out of traditional tribal units, from his father, who ran it for five decades.

Prince Miteb was the last remaining member of Abdullah&#39;s branch of the family to hold a position in the upper echelons of the Saudi power structure.

The move consolidates Crown Prince Mohammed`s control of the kingdom&#39;s security institutions, which had long been headed by separate powerful branches of the ruling family.

Prince Mohammed, the king&#39;s 32-year-old son, already serves as defence minister and was named heir to the throne in a June reshuffle that sidelined his older cousin, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef who had also served as interior minister.

He has been responsible at the same time for running Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s war in Yemen, dictating an energy policy with global implications and behind the plans for the kingdom to build a future after oil.

Prince Mohammed, who has pledged to go after graft at the highest levels, will now also head up the new anti-corruption body, which was given broad powers to investigate cases, issue arrest warrants and travel restrictions, and freeze assets.

&quot;The homeland will not exist unless corruption is uprooted and the corrupt are held accountable,&quot; the royal decree said.

The country&#39;s&nbsp;new economy minister, Tuwaijri, is a former Saudi air force pilot and former chief executive of HSBC&rsquo;s Middle East operations who has led the economy ministry&#39;s programme to privatise some $200 billion of government assets.

He replaces Fakieh, who served as the point man for the kingdom&#39;s wide-ranging economic reforms since his appointment as economy and planning minister in 2015. 
A former food executive with a reputation for pushing through politically sensitive reforms, Fakieh had previously served as labour minister, health minister and mayor of Jeddah.

Fakieh faced down fierce opposition from the business community as labour minister when he established quotas for foreign workers to boost jobs for Saudis.

Under Prince Mohammed, Fakieh led the development of a national transformation plan and privatisation drive launched last year to end the kingdom&rsquo;s vulnerability to an unpredictable oil market.

His replacement comes as the kingdom makes adjustments to that plan, a process dubbed NTP 2.0.

The royal decree did not say whether Fakieh would hold any other government position. Former ministers often serve in advisory roles after leaving their posts.

The king also announced the creation of a new anti-corruption committee chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman which Al Arabiya TV said had already detained 11 princes, four current ministers and tens of former ministers.

Saudi King, Salman, appointed two new ministers on Saturday to key security and economic posts, removing one of the royal family's most prominent members as head of the National Guard and boosting the kingdom's young crown prince. The king also announced the creation of a new anti-corruption committee chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman which Al Arabiya TV said had already detained 11 princes, four current ministers and tens of former ministers. The suspects were not named. The cabinet reshuffle saw Prince Miteb bin Abdullah replaced as minister of the National Guard by Khaled bin Ayyaf, while Economy Minister Adel Fakieh was removed in favour of his deputy Mohammed al-Tuwaijri, according to a royal decree carried by state-run media. Prince Miteb, the preferred son of the late King Abdullah, was once thought to be a leading contender for the throne before the unexpected rise of Prince Mohammed two years ago. He had inherited control of the National Guard, an elite internal security force built out of traditional tribal units, from his father, who ran it for five decades. Prince Miteb was the last remaining member of Abdullah's branch of the family to hold a position in the upper echelons of the Saudi power structure. The move consolidates Crown Prince Mohammed`s control of the kingdom's security institutions, which had long been headed by separate powerful branches of the ruling family. Prince Mohammed, the king's 32-year-old son, already serves as defence minister and was named heir to the throne in a June reshuffle that sidelined his older cousin, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef who had also served as interior minister. He has been responsible at the same time for running Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, dictating an energy policy with global implications and behind the plans for the kingdom to build a future after oil. Prince Mohammed, who has pledged to go after graft at the highest levels, will now also head up the new anti-corruption body, which was given broad powers to investigate cases, issue arrest warrants and travel restrictions, and freeze assets. "The homeland will not exist unless corruption is uprooted and the corrupt are held accountable," the royal decree said. The country's new economy minister, Tuwaijri, is a former Saudi air force pilot and former chief executive of HSBC’s Middle East operations who has led the economy ministry's programme to privatise some $200 billion of government assets. He replaces Fakieh, who served as the point man for the kingdom's wide-ranging economic reforms since his appointment as economy and planning minister in 2015. A former food executive with a reputation for pushing through politically sensitive reforms, Fakieh had previously served as labour minister, health minister and mayor of Jeddah. Fakieh faced down fierce opposition from the business community as labour minister when he established quotas for foreign workers to boost jobs for Saudis. Under Prince Mohammed, Fakieh led the development of a national transformation plan and privatisation drive launched last year to end the kingdom’s vulnerability to an unpredictable oil market. His replacement comes as the kingdom makes adjustments to that plan, a process dubbed NTP 2.0. The royal decree did not say whether Fakieh would hold any other government position. Former ministers often serve in advisory roles after leaving their posts.

Saudi king sacks top ministers, gives more power to crown prince

Saudi King Salman on Wednesday named his son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince, completing a gradual removal of powers from the previous prince Mohammed bin Nayef, 57, who has been fired.

According to a royal decree issued by the official Saudi Press Agency, Mohammed bin Salman, 31, was also named deputy prime minister, and maintains his post as minister of defence.

Mohammed bin Nayef, a veteran law enforcer well-regarded in the West for his efforts to combat al-Qaeda, was also fired from his post as interior minister, the decree said.

The appointment of Mohammed bin Salman caps a tumultuous two years since Salman, 81, ascended the throne and named the thick-bearded Mohammed bin Salman deputy crown prince, or second in line to the throne.

In a conservative kingdom used to ageing leaders, the rise of the young prince symbolises the hopes of a youthful local population, more than half of which is under 25.

The hard-charging Mohammed bin Salman&#39;s public profile rapidly eclipsed that of the crown prince.

Mohammed bin Salman will take over from previous prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who has been fired

Saudi King Salman on Wednesday named his son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince, completing a gradual removal of powers from the previous prince Mohammed bin Nayef, 57, who has been fired. According to a royal decree issued by the official Saudi Press Agency, Mohammed bin Salman, 31, was also named deputy prime minister, and maintains his post as minister of defence. Mohammed bin Nayef, a veteran law enforcer well-regarded in the West for his efforts to combat al-Qaeda, was also fired from his post as interior minister, the decree said. The appointment of Mohammed bin Salman caps a tumultuous two years since Salman, 81, ascended the throne and named the thick-bearded Mohammed bin Salman deputy crown prince, or second in line to the throne. In a conservative kingdom used to ageing leaders, the rise of the young prince symbolises the hopes of a youthful local population, more than half of which is under 25. The hard-charging Mohammed bin Salman's public profile rapidly eclipsed that of the crown prince.

Saudi King's son named new Crown Prince

Saudi Arabia&#39;s deputy crown prince flew to the United States today for meetings with US President Barack Obama and UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, Saudi media reported. 
 
The visit of Mohammed bin Salman, whose powers include his role as defence minister, comes amid a diplomatic row with the United Nations and policy differences with the United States over the war in Syria and relations with Iran. 
 
Prince Mohammed, spearheading an ambitious plan to revamp the economy of the world&#39;s top oil exporter, will also travel to California where he is expected to meet company executives in Silicon Valley, the Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat newspaper said. 
 
The royal court said in a statement late on Sunday that the prince would discuss ways of strengthening relations with the United States, which have cooled under Obama&#39;s presidency. 
 
Saudi Arabia, a leading supporter of Syrian rebels fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad, has been critical of what it sees as foot-dragging by Washington over efforts to end the conflict. 
 
It has also urged Obama to take a tougher stand on what Riyadh sees as Iranian meddling in the affairs of Arab states. Iran denies such interference. 
 
Asharq al-Awsat quoted Saudi sources as saying that Prince Mohammed, a son of King Salman, would start his visit in New York where he was expected to meet the UN chief today. 
 
Ban said last week that Saudi Arabia had exerted &quot;unacceptable&quot; pressure on the world body after a UN report blacklisted a Saudi-led military coalition for killing children in Yemen, a charge denied by the kingdom. 
 
The United Nations removed the coalition from the list after Riyadh threatened to cut its funding of UN programs, diplomatic sources said. 
 
The prince would then meet Obama as well as secretary of state John Kerry and defence secretary Ash Carter in Washington, the newspaper said. 
 
State news agency (SPA) said that a number of senior officials, including finance minister Ibrahim Alassaf and commerce and investment minister Majid al-Qusaibi were part of a delegation accompanying Prince Mohammed, but it did not specify who he would meet during the three-day visit. 
 
Under broad economic reforms announced last week, which aim to free Saudi Arabia of its dependence on oil exports, the kingdom is seeking a big increase in foreign investment and tie-ups with foreign companies in non-oil industries including the technology sector.

Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil importer, is seeking tie-ups with foreign companies in non-oil industries, like the technology sector

Saudi Arabia's deputy crown prince flew to the United States today for meetings with US President Barack Obama and UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, Saudi media reported. The visit of Mohammed bin Salman, whose powers include his role as defence minister, comes amid a diplomatic row with the United Nations and policy differences with the United States over the war in Syria and relations with Iran. Prince Mohammed, spearheading an ambitious plan to revamp the economy of the world's top oil exporter, will also travel to California where he is expected to meet company executives in Silicon Valley, the Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat newspaper said. The royal court said in a statement late on Sunday that the prince would discuss ways of strengthening relations with the United States, which have cooled under Obama's presidency. Saudi Arabia, a leading supporter of Syrian rebels fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad, has been critical of what it sees as foot-dragging by Washington over efforts to end the conflict. It has also urged Obama to take a tougher stand on what Riyadh sees as Iranian meddling in the affairs of Arab states. Iran denies such interference. Asharq al-Awsat quoted Saudi sources as saying that Prince Mohammed, a son of King Salman, would start his visit in New York where he was expected to meet the UN chief today. Ban said last week that Saudi Arabia had exerted "unacceptable" pressure on the world body after a UN report blacklisted a Saudi-led military coalition for killing children in Yemen, a charge denied by the kingdom. The United Nations removed the coalition from the list after Riyadh threatened to cut its funding of UN programs, diplomatic sources said. The prince would then meet Obama as well as secretary of state John Kerry and defence secretary Ash Carter in Washington, the newspaper said. State news agency (SPA) said that a number of senior officials, including finance minister Ibrahim Alassaf and commerce and investment minister Majid al-Qusaibi were part of a delegation accompanying Prince Mohammed, but it did not specify who he would meet during the three-day visit. Under broad economic reforms announced last week, which aim to free Saudi Arabia of its dependence on oil exports, the kingdom is seeking a big increase in foreign investment and tie-ups with foreign companies in non-oil industries including the technology sector.

Saudi Prince to meet Obama to strengthen diplomatic ties