Saudi king shows support for heir on public tour despite Khashoggi crisis
Source: Reuters
WORLD NEWS NOVEMBER 7, 2018 / 1:16 PM / UPDATED 19 MINUTES AGO
Saudi king shows support for heir on public tour despite Khashoggi crisis
Stephen Kalin
6 MIN READ
RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabias King Salman has embarked on a domestic tour this week with his favorite son, demonstrating his support for his chosen heir despite the crisis spawned by the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Roads were lined with Saudi flags and images of the king and his son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, when they arrived in the central region of Qassim late on Tuesday. Distinguished figures greeted them and children offered flowers.
The tour is the latest public outreach by the 82-year-old monarch, apparently intended to shore up the power of Prince Mohammed, known as MbS, who has taken over day-to-day rule but whose international reputation was battered in the month since Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
State media said the king laid the foundation for new or planned projects worth $1.12 billion and ordered the release of some people from debtors prison in Qassim, a conservative province in the heart of the Arabian peninsula.
-snip-
Read more:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-khashoggi-family/saudi-king-shows-support-for-heir-on-public-tour-despite-khashoggi-crisis-idUSKCN1NC2IV