Issue 914 - 9 December 2011
QATAR
SHEIKH ABDULLAH BIN NASSER: Napolitano talks
State minister for interior affairs Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al-Thani held talks with US homeland security secretary Janet Napolitano on 4 December.
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SHEIKHA ALIA BINT AHMED: UN permanent representative
Sheikha Alia Bint Ahmed Al-Thani has presented her credentials to UN director-general Qasim-Jomart Toqayev as the new Qatar representative.
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SAUDI ARABIA
BANDAR BIN KHALID: Media comments
Al-Watan newspaper chairman Prince Bandar Bin Khalid Al-Faisal has said the Saudi media environment is becoming more open despite changes to press laws.
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SALMAN BIN ABDELAZIZ: Abu Dhabi visit
New defence minister Salman Bin Abdelaziz, who seems still to be involved in the Riyadh governorship despite his brother Prince Sattam taking on the role, was in Abu Dhabi on 21 November as head of the Saudi delegation at the two-day Gulf Co-operation Council joint defence council meeting.
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KING ABDULLAH: Wife and daughter
King Abdullah’s most prominent wife, Hessa Bint Trad Al-Shaalan, who is president of the National Home Health Care Foundation, opened the Festival of Charitable Actions Care in Riyadh in late November.
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TURKI AL-FAISAL: Nuclear comments
Former Saudi ambassador to Washington and London Prince Turki Al-Faisal has suggested that Saudi Arabia might consider producing nuclear weapons if it found itself between atomic arsenals in Iran and Israel.
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MUDHI BINT SAUD: Funeral
Another daughter of King Saud has died. Mudhi died on 1 December, following the death of her sister Hajir in late November.
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Issue 912 - 11 November 2011
BAHRAIN
KING HAMAD: Egypt visit
King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa has visited Egypt, holding talks with Field Marshal Mohamed Tantawi on ways to strengthen relations, the kingdom’s ambassador to Cairo confirmed to Al-Ahram newspaper on 5 November.
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KUWAIT
EMIR SHEIKH SABAH: Meets UK heir to the throne
Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah met Prince Charles during his two-day visit to the country at the beginning of November.
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JABER AL-MUBARAK: Denies troop increase plans
Defence minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah has said there is no plan to increase US troop levels in the country after their withdrawal from Iraq.
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OMAN
SULTAN QABOOS: Vows to fight corruption
Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al-Said made an unusually forceful speech at the opening of the fifth session of the Council of Oman, addressing issues including corruption and free speech and emphasising that the country was not isolated from regional trends.
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SAUDI ARABIA
Crown Prince Sultan buried in Riyadh
The funeral of Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdelaziz, in Riyadh on 25 October, was attended by hundreds of royal family members.
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TURKI BIN FAISAL: Washington speech
Former Saudi ambassador to the US and now chairman of the King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies Prince Turki Bin Faisal Bin Abdelaziz has been in Washington.
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NAYEF BIN ABDELAZIZ: Hajj preparations
Newly appointed Crown Prince Nayef Bin Abdelaziz, who is chairman of the Higher Hajj Committee, arrived in Jeddah on 1 November to oversee preparations for the annual event, before moving to Mecca a few days later.
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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
ABDULLAH BIN ZAYED: Attends G20 summit in Cannes
Foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan led the UAE delegation to the G20 summit in Cannes
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UAE – ABU DHABI
MOHAMMED BIN ZAYED: Russian foreign minister
Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan has met Russian foreign minister Sergie Lavrov, who was visiting the UAE to take part in the first Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC)-Russia ministerial meeting for strategic dialogue.
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Issue 911 - 28 October 2011
QATAR
EMIR SHEIKH HAMAD: Europe visit
Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani has been in Poland, where he met President Bronisław Komorowski and Senate speaker Bogdan Borusewicz.
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SAUDI ARABIA
PRINCE MISHAAL: Returns to Riyadh
Allegiance Council head Prince Mishaal Bin Abdelaziz returned to Riyadh on 18 October
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TURKI BIN ABDELAZIZ: Back from Egypt
Long-time Cairo resident Prince Turki Bin Abdelaziz arrived in Riyadh on 24 October, presumably to attend Crown Prince Sultan’s funeral.
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UAE
ABDULLAH BIN ZAYED: Australia visit cements partnership
Abu Dhabi foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan has been in Queensland, where he helped to mark the state of construction for a new cyclone shelter in the coastal town of Proserpine.
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Issue 910 - 14 October 2011
SAUDI ARABIA
KING ABDULLAH: More back surgery
The Saudi authorities announced on 11 October that King Abdullah is to undergo further back surgery in Riyadh in the next few days.
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PRINCESSES: Funerals
One of the few remaining daughters (the 11th) of Ibn Saud, Princess Qumasha, died on 26 September.
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PRINCE MISHAAL: Whereabouts unknown
Allegiance Commission chief Prince Mishaal Bin Abdelaziz was not mentioned in any of the coverage of Princess Qumasha’s death - she was his full-sister.
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ROYALS: Weddings
Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Bin Khalid (who descends from a brother of Ibn Saud) married the daughter of Prince Sultan Bin Fahd Bin Abdelaziz on 28 September.
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KHALID BIN BANDAR: Pakistan
Prince Khalid Bin Bandar Bin Abdelaziz, commander of the Royal Saudi Land Forces arrived in Pakistan on 5 October to attend a joint military exercise called Samsam 4.
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MIQRIN & CO: Morocco
General Intelligence Directorate head Prince Miqrin Bin Abdelaziz and the newly-appointed deputy foreign minister Prince Abdelaziz Bin Abdullah were in Morocco on 30 September.
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PRINCES: Chinese meetings
On 10 October deputy foreign minister Prince Abdelaziz was in China, where he met Wang Gang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
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EASTERN PROVINCE PRINCES: Hospital visit
Eastern Province governor Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Bin Abdelaziz, his deputy governor Prince Jiluwi Bin Abdelaziz Bin Musaid and the assistant interior minister Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef Bin Abdelaziz visited a hospital on 7 October to see the security men who were injured in the recent unrest in the province.
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Issue 907 - 2 September 2011
REGION
SANDHURST: Passing out
The Sovereign’s Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst was held on 12 August. There were several overseas cadets who passed out with a view to being commissioned into the armed forces of their countries
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SAUDI ARABIA
SENIOR PRINCES: Home and away
Prince Salman Bin Abdelaziz returned home from his annual holiday in Marbella, Spain, in early August to receive condolences on the death of his wife, Sultana Bint Turki Al-Sudairi.
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AL-SAUD: Funerals
Prince Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al-Faisal died on 20 August while undergoing treatment for ill health in the United States. Mohammed, 68, was the son of Abdullah, the eldest son of King Faisal, and spent most of his career in the education ministry.
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Issue 906 - 5 August 2011
BAHRAIN
CROWN PRINCE SALMAN: High public profile
Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa has been seen in several western capitals (including London in May and Washington in June) over the past few months, but has also been travelling at home.
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SAUDI ARABIA
Foreign ministry post for Abdullah’s son
King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz appointed his son Prince Abdelaziz deputy foreign minister on 21 July. There has not been an official deputy for several decades, although there is a state minister for foreign affairs and another Al-Saud, Prince Turki Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al-Kabir, sometimes represents the Kingdom abroad.
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PRINCESS BASMA: Criticises Bahrain intervention
Princess Basma Bint Saud Bin Abdelaziz has publicly criticised the Kingdom’s intervention in Bahrain, telling the BBC’s Hardtalk programme that the government had committed a “faux pas” by sending in troops.
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AL-SAUD: Summer in Taif
Many of the royals are in Taif for the summer, among them the former Saudi Arabian National Guard (Sang) head Prince Badr Bin Abdelaziz, who left Riyadh on 20 July.
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KHALID BIN YAZID: Funeral
Prince Khalid Bin Yazid Bin Abdullah died aged 60 on 30 July. Khalid, who had one daughter, was descended from Abdullah Bin Abdelrahman Bin Faisal.
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PRINCESS SULTANA: Death of well-known philanthropist
Princess Sultana Bint Turki Bin Ahmed Al-Sudairi, wife of the Governor of Riyadh Prince Salman bin Abdelaziz and well-known philanthropist, died on July 31, the eve of Ramadan.
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Issue 905 - 22 July 2011
OMAN
SULTAN QABOOS: Visits to UAE and Qatar
Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al-Said has held talks with senior officials in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
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SAUDI ARABIA
CROWN PRINCE SULTAN: Still in the US
Crown Prince Sultan remains in the US, where he has undergone surgery. An official at the Saudi consulate in New York told AFP on 6 July: “He is in New York. He has been operated on.”
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SENIOR ROYALS: Marbella and Jeddah
Many Al-Saud have arrived in Marbella, Spain, a favourite summer destination for the family.
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OTHER SENIOR ROYALS: Meetings
Foreign minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and acting Riyadh governor Prince Sattam Bin Abdelaziz have been busy with meetings.
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ABDELRAHMAN BIN ABDELAZIZ: Opens training facilities
Defence and aviation vice-minister Prince Abdelrahman Bin Abdelaziz on 10 July opened new training facilities for the Strategic Missiles Force (SMF) school.
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SAUD BIN ABDELMUHSIN: Governorship extended
On 16 July, Hail governor Prince Saud Bin Abdelmuhsin Bin Abdelaziz had his term as governor extended for another four years. He has held the position since 1999.
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SAUD BIN NAYEF: Farewell visits to Spain
Following a 4 July decree under which Saudi ambassador to Spain Prince Saud Bin Nayef was appointed adviser and assistant to his father, interior minister Prince Nayef, Prince Saud paid a farewell visit to Spain’s King Juan Carlos.
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