Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud died. He was 90.
Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz was appointed as the new king, state
television reported.
The announcement of Abdullah's death comes several weeks after the
state-run Saudi Press Agency said he was suffering from pneumonia and
had been admitted to the hospital.
Services will be held Friday afternoon at the Imam Turki Bin Abdullah
Grand Mosque in Riyadh, and many world leaders are likely to pay their
respects.
Jordan's King Abdullah cut short his visit to Davos, and is heading to
Riyadh, according to a Jordanian government source.
"King Abdullah's life spanned from before the birth of modern Saudi
Arabia through its emergence as a critical force within the global
economy and a leader among Arab and Islamic nations," U.S. President
Barack Obama said in a statement.
"As our countries worked together to confront many challenges, I
always valued King Abdullah's perspective and appreciated our genuine
and warm friendship. As a leader, he was always candid and had the
courage of his convictions."
--PUNCH
No comments:
Post a Comment