Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has been called "The King of Hearts" by many of his countrymen, referring to what they believe are his compassionate attempts to reform his ultra-conservative kingdom.
"We live in a bad neighborhood," one of King Abdullah's top advisors is telling me. "Sometimes, no matter how hard we try or how much progress we make, political events in this part of the world overwhelm them." Actually, it's even tougher than that for Jordan. They say oil and water don't go together, but sadly here they do. Jordan happens to be severely lacking in both: it currently imports 96% of its energy needs and is the fourth-poorest country in the world in terms of water resources.
Saudi Arabia's Cabinet was reassured Monday about the condition of its crown prince, according to state-run media, amid mounting speculation about his health.
Wajeha al-Huwaider picked up her passport, got in a taxi, and headed from her home in eastern Saudi Arabia to the nearby island kingdom of Bahrain -- a 45-minute drive that many Saudis take to get away for the weekend.
Saudi Arabian authorities Wednesday announced the convictions of 330 people accused of taking part in terrorist plots, with an unspecified number receiving prison sentences.
A judge in Saudi Arabia has said husbands are allowed to slap their wives if they spend lavishly, a Saudi newspaper reported this past weekend. In one fell swoop, the judge debased Islam, vilified the kingdom and disregarded the ideals the Saudi monarch himself embraces.
Saudi Arabia's crown prince was convalescing Saturday in Morocco where he arrived this week after surgery for an undisclosed illness in New York City, the state-run Saudi Press Agency said.
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah on Friday appointed Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz to be the nation's second deputy prime minister, making him second in line to the kingdom's throne, the state-run Saudi Press Agency said.
A Saudi Arabian court has sentenced a 75-year-old Syrian woman to 40 lashes, four months imprisonment and deportation from the kingdom for having two unrelated men in her house, according to local media reports.
Saudi Arabia's religious police detained two male novelists for questioning last week after they attempted to get the autograph of a female writer at a book fair in Riyadh, according to local media reports.
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has been called "The King of Hearts" by many of his countrymen, referring to what they believe are his compassionate attempts to reform his ultra-conservative kingdom.
"We live in a bad neighborhood," one of King Abdullah's top advisors is telling me. "Sometimes, no matter how hard we try or how much progress we make, political events in this part of the world overwhelm them." Actually, it's even tougher than that for Jordan. They say oil and water don't go together, but sadly here they do. Jordan happens to be severely lacking in both: it currently imports 96% of its energy needs and is the fourth-poorest country in the world in terms of water resources.
Saudi Arabia's Cabinet was reassured Monday about the condition of its crown prince, according to state-run media, amid mounting speculation about his health.
Wajeha al-Huwaider picked up her passport, got in a taxi, and headed from her home in eastern Saudi Arabia to the nearby island kingdom of Bahrain -- a 45-minute drive that many Saudis take to get away for the weekend.
Saudi Arabian authorities Wednesday announced the convictions of 330 people accused of taking part in terrorist plots, with an unspecified number receiving prison sentences.
A judge in Saudi Arabia has said husbands are allowed to slap their wives if they spend lavishly, a Saudi newspaper reported this past weekend. In one fell swoop, the judge debased Islam, vilified the kingdom and disregarded the ideals the Saudi monarch himself embraces.
Saudi Arabia's crown prince was convalescing Saturday in Morocco where he arrived this week after surgery for an undisclosed illness in New York City, the state-run Saudi Press Agency said.
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah on Friday appointed Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz to be the nation's second deputy prime minister, making him second in line to the kingdom's throne, the state-run Saudi Press Agency said.
A Saudi Arabian court has sentenced a 75-year-old Syrian woman to 40 lashes, four months imprisonment and deportation from the kingdom for having two unrelated men in her house, according to local media reports.
Saudi Arabia's religious police detained two male novelists for questioning last week after they attempted to get the autograph of a female writer at a book fair in Riyadh, according to local media reports.
Conjoined Egyptian twin boys Hassan and Mahmoud, who were successfully separated in Saudi Arabia Saturday, are recovering and are expected to lead normal lives, officials said.
Conjoined Egyptian twin boys Hassan and Mahmoud, who were successfully separated in Saudi Arabia Saturday, are recovering and are expected to lead normal lives, officials said.
Facetime with Stuart Pearce, CEO, Qatar Financial Centre
What could be bigger than the appointment of the first female minister in Saudi Arabia?
The appointment of a Saudi woman as a vice minister in the country's government is a "first step" for women's rights in Saudi Arabia, but "more serious changes" are needed, an outspoken advocate said Sunday.
Saudi King Abdullah has appointed a woman to the council of ministers for the first time as part of a Cabinet reshuffle, networks including Saudi state-run Channel One reported Saturday.
An outspoken Saudi human rights advocate who was imprisoned without charge for nearly eight months was freed this weekend, according to a fellow human rights activist.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, on a tour of the Gulf, said he is seeking hundreds of billions of dollars to boost the International Monetary Fund's reserves
Most Asian stocks were lower on Tuesday, a day after record-breaking lows that also saw U.S. main indices down, while Europe reined in earlier losses to contain the damage.
Stocks in Asian and Pacific markets were mostly lower on Monday, coming off another tortuous week of trading, as investors sold on fears of a global recession.
The Saudi Arabian Stock Exchange dipped slightly Sunday, a day after King Abdullah announced he would invest billions of Saudi riyals into the market.
The Saudi Arabian Stock Exchange began the week Saturday with its largest decline in four years, a reaction to the world's tumbling markets and oil prices, an economist said.
Taliban leaders are holding Saudi-brokered talks with the Afghan government to end the country's bloody conflict -- and are severing their ties with al Qaeda, sources close to the historic discussions have told CNN.
In a groundbreaking meeting, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia recently hosted talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban militant group, according to a source familiar with the talks.
Viewpoint: A combination of tough policing and soft inducements, as well as revulsion at al-Qaeda's carnage in the Arab world, has curbed extremism in Saudi Arabia
A businesswoman, a mother of four, an international fashion icon, a woman committed to making the world a better place for women and children -- Queen Rania of Jordan is truly changing the world.
We rely on it to power our everyday lives, and it drives the economy worldwide, but oil faces an uncertain future in the 21st century. Black gold is increasingly expensive, environmentally damaging and, in the view of some experts, increasingly scarce.
When King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia entered the cavernous ballroom in the basement of the Jeddah Hilton Sunday, the room rose to its feet. Cell phone cameras flashed. Delegates whispered. And reporters placed bets on whether he would say anything newsworthy.
Saudi King Abdullah confirmed Sunday that his country will increase daily oil production from 9 million barrels to 9.7 million in the near future to counter the sharp rise in international oil prices.
The average price of gasoline rose nearly 10 cents over the past two weeks, according to a survey released Sunday.
Saudi King Abdullah confirmed Sunday that his country will increase daily oil production to 9.7 million barrels from 9 million to counter the sharp rise in international oil prices.
Saudi Arabia is willing to produce more oil if customers need it, the kingdom's oil minister said Sunday
The Saudis have finally promised to increase oil output. But energy experts are skeptical it will bring much relief
A Saudi Arabian political science professor who is an outspoken human rights advocate was taken into custody this week by the country's secret police, his wife said Friday.
The government said Friday that it would halt deliveries to the strategic oil reserves, and in quick response, oil prices retreated from a record high near $128 a barrel.
President Bush is appealing to oil-rich Saudi Arabia to increase production just as oil prices have hit another record high
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has called for a dialogue among monotheistic religions -- including Judaism
High oil prices paining U.S. consumers is a key topic of Vice President Dick Cheney's talks Friday with Saudi King Abdullah
Other faiths have long been banned from operating openly in Islam's birthplace. A Vatican-Saudi dialogue may change that
Not so long ago predictions that oil would break the $100 barrier seemed fanciful, alarmist even. But here we are, with the price of a single barrel of oil now into three digits and beyond.
This is not the first oil boom to deliver windfall revenue to the world's leading oil exporter, Saudi Arabia.
Women in Saudi Arabia can now stay in a hotel or a furnished apartment without a male guardian, according to a government decision
Who knew that President Bush loves "bling-bling," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice finds strawberry juice just dandy, and some White House journalists like to munch on goat brains?
President Bush, on his first visit to this oil-rich kingdom, delivered a major arms sale Monday to its ally in a region where the U.S. casts neighboring Iran as a menacing threat
Saudi King Abdullah's letter pardoning a rape victim from 200 lashes and six months in prison for appearing in public with an unrelated male also included a pardon for the man she was with, according to the Saudi Justice Minister.
Saudi King Abdullah has pardoned a rape victim who had been sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in prison in a case that sparked international attention, a Saudi newspaper has reported.
Most Saudi Arabia citizens interviewed in a poll oppose terrorism and want closer ties with the United States. But many Saudis remain opposed to making peace with Israel, according to what researchers call an unprecedented survey of the kingdom.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad landed in the Saudi Arabian city of Medina for the first stop in the Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Three scenes from the new battle for global economic supremacy:
GCC Annual Summit: This week, MME goes to Doha, Qatar for the 28th GCC Annual Summit.
President Bush said Tuesday that Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah "knows our position loud and clear" on the punishment of the victim of a gang rape.
U.S. presidential candidates Wednesday condemned Saudi justice after a rape victim was sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in jail.
A Saudi Arabian human rights attorney is asking the government to allow him to represent a woman who was gang-raped -- and then sentenced to prison for speaking out about the case.
Saudi Arabia could have helped the United States prevent al Qaeda's 2001 attacks on New York and Washington if American officials had consulted Saudi authorities in a "credible" way, the kingdom's former ambassador said in a documentary aired Thursday.
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has begun his visit to the UK as controversy continues over issues related to the Middle Eastern kingdom.
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has stirred up controversy ahead of a rare visit to Britain which begins Monday, accusing British authorities of ignoring intelligence that could have prevented the 2005 London bombings
In this week's Marketplace Middle East, we take a look at Saudi Arabia's economic outlook. SABB, one of the Kingdom's biggest banks, projects that oil revenues will come in at $165 billion this year. What are the other key facts about the largest country on the Arabian Peninsula?
Hundreds of camels have died in Saudi Arabia this week from a mystery ailment.
Saudi King Abdullah was due to arrive in Spain on Monday, his first trip to a Western country since he ascended to the throne two years ago.
The current juncture in Middle East diplomacy presents a golden but final opportunity to resolve the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to Jordan's King Abdullah.
1. Mexico Rapid approval of the 2007 budget, a well-targeted anti-crime initiative, and the launch of new social programs could boost Felipe Calderón's presidential credibility and support.
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has warned Vice President Dick Cheney that Saudi Arabia would back the Sunnis if the United States pulls out of Iraq, according to a senior American official.
Vice President Dick Cheney is on his way back to Washington after a daylong whirlwind meeting with Saudi Arabian King Abdullah.
Part of the deal at the Clinton Global Initiative currently taking place in midtown Manhattan is that when someone agrees to commit money to a project, they get to come up on stage with President Clinton, sign a document, and get a picture.
Jordan's King Abdullah II on Saturday vowed to back a crackdown on al Qaeda after confirming that four people from the terror group carried out the Amman hotel attacks -- three suicide bombers and the wife of one of the attackers.
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia called the threat of al Qaeda in his country "madness and evil," and vowed to ABC's Barbara Walters that his nation would "eliminate this scourge" of terrorism.
Saudi security forces have killed a man in Medina they said was the leader of al Qaeda on the Arab Peninsula, an interior ministry official told CNN.
Top clerics, tribal chiefs and Saudi officials have pledged allegiance to King Abdullah in a traditional Islamic investiture ceremony that bestows his legitimacy.
Muslim leaders and Saudi princes have bid a final farewell to King Fahd before his body was buried in an unmarked grave in a desert cemetery in keeping with Saudi Arabia's austere Islamic tradition.
Saudi Arabia will continue to pump oil "to the best of our capability, with a reasonable price" under its new leader, King Abdullah, a top Saudi diplomat said Monday.
Saudi Arabia's King Fahd -- whose reign was marked by unprecedented prosperity, but whose close ties with the United States stirred the passions of Islamic militants -- has died, Saudi Arabia's information minister announced Monday.
Key U.S. ally Saudi Arabia has named Abdullah its new monarch to succeed King Fahd who has died after guiding the world's largest oil exporter through 23 turbulent years.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced a cease-fire agreement in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Tuesday. Following is a transcript of Abbas' speech:
The following is a list of world leaders and representatives that CNN has confirmed will attend Yasser Arafat's funeral in Cairo, Egypt:
A prominent U.S. Muslim leader told a court that he was involved in an alleged Libyan plot to assassinate Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.
Jordan's King Abdullah has praised his nation's security services for thwarting a terrorist plot he said would have killed thousands of civilians.
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