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2010 Saudi Arabia archive
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| 2010 Archive – Saudi Arabia |
Protests and debate reflect increasing freedoms in Abdullah’s Kingdom
Political reform still looks far off – and few yet dare to discuss it openly. But almost everything else is on the agenda as Saudis push the limits of their freedom for argument and the Kingdom prepares to celebrate King Abdullah’s five years in power
Issue 882, 30 July 2010. more
Mira attempts to demonstrate support for more radical options
A test of the more tolerant mood in Saudi Arabia will come with the government’s response to the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia (Mira)’s new campaign to show it has genuine popular support for more radical political reform.
Issue 882, 30 July 2010. more
Abdullah on the move in attempt to defuse tribunal tensions
The Saudi monarch started a four-nation tour on 28 July aimed at strengthening inter-Arab relations. The King flew from his summer residence in Casablanca for the first leg of the mission, to Cairo, for talks with ailing Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Issue 882, 30 July 2010. more
Fox and Morin lose Saudi meetings
British defence minister Liam Fox’s planned three-day visit to Saudi Arabia in late July was called off at the last minute because no senior Saudi government official was around to meet him.
Issue 882, 30 July 2010. more
Border deal
The Saudi-Kuwaiti technical committee for border demarcation has signed a contract for New Zealand’s NZ Aerial Mapping to carry out the demarcation.
Issue 882, 30 July 2010. more
Defence procurement
Sikorsky gets MoI helicopter contract; Raytheon contract to deliver missiles to SANG; Potential $30m deal with US
Issue 882, 30 July 2010. more
Special court head removed
Al-Watan newspaper has reported that the authorities have removed the president and two other judges of the security court where trials are ongoing for hundreds of suspected Islamist militants.
Issue 881, 16 July 2010. more
King Abdullah cancels Paris trip
King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz Al-Saud has cancelled a mid-July trip to Paris, where he was due to open an exhibition on Arabian archaeology at the Musée du Louvre.
Issue 881, 16 July 2010. more
Oil industry fears policy shift
Comments in early July by King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz that oil production must be halted to leave resources for the next generation has provoked concern across the sector.
Issue 881, 16 July 2010. more
Bank Al-Jazira appoints new chief executive
Nabil Dawoud Al-Hoshan is the new chief executive of Bank Al-Jazira. He takes over from Ziad Tariq Aba Al-Khail.
Issue 881, 16 July 2010. more
Al-Qusayir’s arrest highlights role of wives and widows in Saudi terrorism campaign
There is always something new and surprising to learn about militancy in Saudi Arabia, and Al-Qaeda’s pledge to kidnap royals and foreigners has revealed interesting features of the evolving threat
Issue 880, 2 July 2010. more
King Abdullah makes rare trip overseas
King Abdullah left Saudi Arabia on 19 June for trips – including key talks with political leaders – to Morocco, Canada, the US and France. He travelled first to Casablanca – Morocco is a favourite of Saudi royals – and then to Toronto on 25 June to attend the G20 summit. He is being accompanied by a large delegation, said to number some 200.
Issue 880, 2 July 2010. more
Why Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula failed in 2003
Thomas Hegghammer, the groundbreaking scholar of Saudi Islamism and a long-time friend of GSN, has released his long-awaited book, Jihad in Saudi Arabia*, preceding it with a pithy report on the same issue for the Combating Terrorism Centre at West Point in February 2010.
Issue 880, 2 July 2010. more
Saudi Arabia/Yemen: Border controls
Marib governor Naji Abdelaziz Al-Zaidi in late June said that Yemen continues to work closely with Saudi security and intelligence on border controls. He said close co-operation was especially aimed at preventing Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula from using Marib’s desert area to cross the border.
Issue 880, 2 July 2010. more
Ursula Brennan’s Riyadh visit
Ursula Brennan, second permanent under secretary at the UK’s Ministry of Defence, has been in Riyadh for meetings.
Issue 880, 2 July 2010. more
Interior Minister's Haya comments
Interior minister and second deputy premier Prince Nayef Bin Abdelaziz has urged members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haya) to be more prudent and gentle in their dealings with people.
Issue 880, 2 July 2010. more
Saudi Arabia leads way on project financing deals
A cluster of new financing facilities has raised well over $10bn, boosting the GCC’s project finance market
Issue 880, 2 July 2010. more
Campaign to free Al-Reshoudi could signal a major breakthrough for reform
Lawyers believe the long fight for the release of human rights activist Sheikh Suleiman Ibrahim Al-Reshoudi is putting down markers for change and liberalisation in the Kingdom
Issue 879, 18 June 2010. more
Turki Bin Abdelaziz denies allegations
Cairo-based Prince Turki Bin Abdelaziz on 14 June issued a denial through the Saudi Press Agency that he had advised the Al-Saud to relinquish the throne and flee the Kingdom.
Issue 879, 18 June 2010. more
Al-Ayish appointed RSAF commander
King Abdullah has appointed Major General Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al-Ayish as commander of the Royal Saudi Air Force.
Issue 879, 18 June 2010. more
Al-Qaeda threat to Al-Saud and Christians
A senior member of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has called for supporters to kidnap Christians and Al-Saud members to secure the release of militants held in the Kingdom.
Issue 878, 4 June 2010. more
Saudi mediation cools tensions in Middle Gulf
Recent tensions between Manama and Doha are forecast to cool following reported mediation efforts by the Saudis. Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Hamad on 27 May rang Saudi King Abdullah to thank him for helping to appoint a new Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) head, a rotating post. Sheikh Hamad also rang Bahrain’s King Hamad to praise him for accepting the Saudi initiative. Qatari premier and foreign minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani was in Riyadh for talks with King Abdullah on 21 May.
Issue 878, 4 June 2010. more
Napolitano talks on Yemen
Several senior Al-Saud members turned out to greet US homeland security secretary Janet Napolitano when she visited the Kingdom to hold talks with King Abdullah and interior minister Prince Nayef Bin Abdelaziz.
Issue 878, 4 June 2010. more
Prince Salman's Europe tour, Afghanistan comments
Riyadh governor Prince Salman has been in Europe for meetings in Norway and Germany. In Norway, he met King Harald, foreign affairs minister Jonas Gahr Store and prime minister Jens Stoltenberg. Following the visit, Riyadh announced it would start the process of setting up an embassy in Norway.
Issue 878, 4 June 2010. more
Turki Al-Faisal on Iraq and US policy
Iraqi concerns about their neighbours’ intensions towards their country may have been underlined by comments from former Saudi General Intelligence Department chief and ambassador to London and Washington Prince Turki Al-Faisal, who has accused Iraqi prime minister Nouri Al-Maliki of trying to ‘hijack’ the results of the March general election.
Issue 877, 21 May 2010. more
Saudi Navy reshuffle
In early May King Abdullah issued a decree officially appointing Dakheel Allah Bin Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al-Waqdani as commander of Naval Forces.
Issue 877, 21 May 2010. more
Economic diversification the priority, social reform moves slowly onwards
Risk Management report
Issue 877, 21 May 2010. more
Cheney’s surprise visit
Former US vice president Dick Cheney paid a brief visit to the Kingdom, causing surprise in the Arab media.
Issue 876, 7 May 2010. more
Gender segregation row rumbles on as clerics make their views clear
Controversy has erupted in Saudi Arabia over the position of Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, head of the Mecca branch of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. He first hit the headlines late last year after an interview in Okaz newspaper in which he spoke openly about ikhtilat, the mixing of unrelated men and women, reportedly saying that forbidding such mixing was unknown to early scholars.
Issue 876, 7 May 2010. more
Sharia codification plans divide Saudi clerics
The Council of Ulema has approved King Abdullah’s plans to codify sharia law, but Sahwa preachers are divided over an issue that could significantly reduce their power
Issue 875, 23 April 2010. more
Patriotic stance of Shia leader
Sheikh Hassan Al-Saffar, de facto leader of Saudi Arabia’s Shias, has in recent months made a special effort to position himself as a patriotic national loyalist, despite the Kingdom’s recent military intervention against Zaidi Shia Al-Houthi rebels in northern Yemen. This is some measure of the success of King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz’s efforts to co-opt the Shia, particularly the large community in oil-rich Eastern province, into his support base.
Issue 875, 23 April 2010. more
King Abdullah visits Bahrain
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia paid a two-day visit to Bahrain, his first since coming to the throne in 2005.
Issue 875, 23 April 2010. more
Iraqis descend on Riyadh
Senior Iraqi officials have descended on Riyadh in an attempt to secure support for a new government.
Issue 875, 23 April 2010. more
US helicopter weapons-targeting system
The US Department of Defence has awarded Lockheed Martin Corporation a $46.2m contract to produce advanced helicopter weapons-targeting systems for the Apache helicopter fleets of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the Netherlands.
Issue 875, 23 April 2010. more
Nuclear no longer a dirty word as enthusiastic Gulf states line up to develop industry
The civil nuclear plans of GCC and neighbouring states point to a new assertiveness among Gulf economies, whose need to diversify energy sources is greater than the temptation to keep up with regional nuclear leaders Iran and Israel
Issue 875, 23 April 2010. more
Saudi-UAE naval clash over Dolphin pipeline points to brittle GCC relations
Both parties have yet to deny or confirm the incident, but a reported clash between Saudi and Emirati patrol boats has attracted much media attention and highlighted the potential for friction among GCC allies that has provoked renewed fears for Gulf security
Issue 874, 9 April 2010. more
Crown Prince Sultan: Out and about
In mid-March, Crown Prince Sultan toured the southern border region and inspected troops in Jizan. His large entourage included senior family members Bandar Bin Mohammed, Khalid Bin Fahd Bin Khalid, Khalid Bin Saad Bin Fahd (all of the Abdelrahman branch) and Sultan’s son Khalid.
Issue 874, 9 April 2010. more
$30m contract for Cubic
Cubic Corporation has won a contract worth more than $30m to supply small arms training systems to Saudi Arabia.
Issue 874, 9 April 2010. more
Behind veil of moderation, change edges forward
Opposition critics are exasperated by King Abdullah’s cautious tone, but significant reforms continue to advance
Issue 873, 19 March 2010. more
Security forces crackdown on literature
While the Riyadh book fair has attracted attention for all the right reasons, in a lesser-reported event, Saudi security confiscated the books of former literature professor and leading liberal Islamist Abdullah Al-Hamid.
Issue 873, 19 March 2010. more
Princess Sheikha: Funeral
Princess Sheikha Bint Abdelrahman Bin Faisal has died at the age of 95. She is thought to have been the eldest Al-Saud member.
Issue 873, 19 March 2010. more
Economy robust, but challenges remain, says Riyad Capital
The Saudi economy did better last year than most analysts expected, with the 2010 budget, the Kingdom’s largest, showing the government’s determination to support the economy through trying times, according to Riyad Capital’s latest Quarterly Saudi Economic Report.
Issue 873, 19 March 2010. more
Ernst & Young licence revoked
Saudi Arabia’s Capital Market Authority (CMA) has revoked Ernst & Young Saudi Arabia Consulting’s securities licence because of “several violations” of the Kingdom’s capital market law and implementing regulations.
Issue 873, 19 March 2010. more
US reports increase in violent crime against westerners in Saudi Arabia
A rise in crimes such as carjacking, mugging and harassment, and continued warnings of a possible terrorist attack as AQAP regroups, are testing the international security community
Issue 872, 5 March 2010. more
Kingdom pushing on with investment in projects, good growth forecast
Risk management report. Issue 872, 5 March 2010. more
Al-Khafji project launched in PNZ
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have launched the joint Al-Khafji offshore oil field development project in the Partitioned Neutral Zone (PNZ).
Issue 872, 5 March 2010. more
Yemen delegation
On 21 February, Crown Prince Sultan received a group of Yemeni tribal leaders. Two days later, he held talks with visiting Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in which he confirmed Saudi support for Yemen’s territorial integrity.
Issue 872, 5 March 2010. more
Doha powwow
Saudi Arabia continues to try to mend ties with Qatar, with further bilateral visits of senior leaders.
Issue 872, 5 March 2010. more
Aramco awarded Jizan refinery contract
State giant Saudi Aramco has been awarded the contract to build and finance a planned $10bn oil refinery at the Red Sea port of Jizan in the underdeveloped Jizan province on the Yemen border. The new 250,000-400,000 b/d refinery, part of the new Jazan Economic City, was intended to be Saudi Arabia’s first fully private sector-owned refinery.
Issue 871, 12 February 2010. more
New campaign group challenges Al-Saud
Islamist campaigners for constitutional reform have managed to sustain a permanent and openly declared organisation in the Kingdom for three months. Protests have usually consisted of one-off petitions or statements by groups of intellectuals, but the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA) is maintaining a campaign presence through a series of statements and ‘letters to the King’ on its website www.ksaright.org
Issue 870, 29 January 2010. more
Khalid bin Sultan: Ever prominent, Al-Abdullah alliance
Assistant defence minister Prince Khalid Bin Sultan (KBS) continues to dominate the news, with almost daily press statements.
Issue 870, 29 January 2010. more
King Abdullah: Busy as usual
King Abdullah has held meetings with a range of foreign dignitaries, including visiting Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Malaysian prime minister Mohammed Najib Bin Abdulrazak, Danish Crown Prince Frederik, Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi, Jordanian health minister Nayef Al-Fayez and US national security adviser James Jones.
Issue 870, 29 January 2010. more
Gulf states mediate in Palestinian-Israeli conflict
There have been a series of recent meetings between Gulf, Palestinian and US officials to try to restart talks on a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. White House national security adviser James Jones held talks with Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz and defence minister Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdelaziz on 12 January. He will also visit Israel and the Palestinian territories, and is due in the West Bank on 14 January to meet Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas.
Issue 869, 15 January 2010. more
Kingdom announces 2010 budget, with high spending on education and health
Risk management report, Issue 869, 15 January 2010. more
2010 Saudi Arabia archive
2008-2009 Saudi Arabia archive
2006-2007 Saudi Arabia archive
2004-2005 Saudi Arabia archive
2003 and earlier Saudi Arabia archives
Return to main GSN's World Saudi Arabia page
Select another country
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