The Royal Court announced the death of Prince Talal Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud on 15 December. Funeral prayers were held the following day at Imam Turki Bin Abdullah mosque in Riyadh, led by King Salman Bin Abdulaziz. Prince Talal’s eight surviving sons attended the prayers, including prominent businessman Prince Alwaleed and deputy governor of Asir region Prince Turki. (he was promoted to govenor a few days later) , as well as princes Khalid, Abdelaziz, Abdulrahman, Mansour, Mohammed and Mashhoor Bin Talal.
King Salman reshuffles in bid to protect MBS and shore up internal position
Saudi Arabia: Autocratic tendencies test international opinion as Khashoggi affair explodes
The disappearance and likely murder of the high-profile Saudi commentator is emblematic of the growing crackdown on dissent around the region, as younger generation autocrats concentrate their power. Riyadh was caught off-guard by the strength of international reaction to the Jamal Khashoggi affair, which has tested the west’s flirtation with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to an unprecedented extent – forcing other uncomfortable stories emerging from the region further down the news roster, including the spying charges placed against British academic Matthew Hedges in Abu Dhabi
Saudi Pushes Ahead With Its Entertainment Drive
Saudi Arabia Suffers Shock Collapse In Inward Investment
Saudi Arabia Eyes Up Canal Border Idea, Turning Qatar From A Peninsula Into An Island
Saudi Arabia: MBS goes to Washington, looking for support that may not always be there
The end of silent cinema in Saudi Arabia
Teething problems greet introduction of VAT in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
Saudi Arabia looks forward with trepidation to life in a brave new world fashioned by MBS
At the end of an unusually tumultuous year there are more questions than answers about the direction Saudi Arabia and the region are being taken in. An era of accelerated economic and social modernisation beckons in visionary autocrat Mohammed Bin Salman’s brave new world, provided predictions of political instability prove unfounded