Saudi dissident: Royal family members were paid millions for family intel

Saudi dissident: Royal family members were paid millions for family intel

Special to WorldTribune.com LONDON — The Saudi royal family is said to have been engaged in regional bribery. A leading anonymous Saudi dissident, known only as Mujtahidd, asserted that senior Saudi officials as well as royal family members were receiving hundreds of millions of dollars from Gulf Cooperation Council states. Mujtahidd, deemed a pseudonym, identified […]

Saudi opposition reports King Abdullah has terminal lung cancer

Saudi opposition reports King Abdullah has terminal lung cancer

Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — Saudi King Abdullah was said to be dying of cancer. An opposition research group said Abdullah was diagnosed with lung cancer. The Washington-based Institute for Gulf Affairs, quoting sources in Saudi Arabia and the United States, said Abdullah was told he could be dead by the end of 2014. “The […]

Intel chief to administration: Saudi will no longer favor U.S. in future arms contracts

Intel chief to administration: Saudi will no longer favor U.S. in future arms contracts

Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — Saudi Arabia is emphasizing the diversification of its military suppliers, in a warning to the United States. Diplomats said the Saudi leadership has relayed a message to the administration of President Barack Obama of a change in future relations. The diplomats said Riyad would no longer favor U.S. defense contractors […]

Ailing Saudi king cuts recovery trip short over developments in Syria

Ailing Saudi king cuts recovery trip short over developments in Syria

Special to WorldTribune.com ABU DHABI — Saudi King Abdullah has cut short his vacation amid the intensification of the war in Syria. The king arrived on June 14 in Jedda after being in Morocco for two weeks. Abdullah, struggling with declining health, cut short his vacation in North Africa for what a government statement attributed […]

Selection of new Saudi intel chief: Regional power bid and act of desperation

Selection of new Saudi intel chief: Regional power bid and act of desperation

Special to WorldTribune.com Compiled by Miles Yu, Geostrategy-Direct.com WASHINGTON — The role of intelligence, long a means for projecting power in Mideast dictatorships, is changing. Saudi Arabia’s new intelligence chief could reverse the decline of the Gulf Arab oil power amid the threat from neighboring Iran, a report said. And, in Egypt, the intelligence service […]