King Abdullah returns to Saudi Arabia and announces new benefits for citizens

[News_Editor]

King Abdullah returns to Saudi Arabia and announces new benefits for citizens

2011-02-24 03:16:43 GMT+7 (ICT)

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA (BNO NEWS) -- Saudi Arabian King Abdullah on Wednesday returned to Riyahd from Casablanca, Morocco and announced new benefits fro citizens, the state-run SPA news agency reported.

King Abdullah arrived at King Khalid International airport after spending some time in the Moroccan capital to recover from back surgery. He was welcomed by a delegation of ministers and officials including Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz and Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz.

"King Abdullah has been following the country’s internal and external affairs throughout his stay abroad. He has always been enquiring about the condition of citizens and delivering directives to meet their needs," said Crown Prince Sultan Aziz.

Upon his return, King Abdullah announced the eleventh decree which granted rights and financial benefits for citizens; including compensation for employees in case of death, disability or handicap that prevents them from continue working between $16,000 to $26,600.

In addition, state employees will be given a 15 percent pay rise as well as injecting $10.7 billion to Saudi Arabia's development fund which grants loans to citizens for opening small businesses, acquiring a residence or getting married.

In November 2010, King Abdullah underwent successful back surgery in order to treat a slipped disc and a blood clot that was pressing on the nerves in his back. The 86-year-old Saudi Arabian leader was treated at the New York Presbyterian Hospital.

The royal Al Saud family has ruled Saudi Arabia for the last 60 years. King Abdullah is the 13th son of King Abdulaziz and came to power in 2005 after the death of King Fahd.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-02-24

[LaoPo]

.scared as they are that the unrest in the other Arab countries could spread to Saudi Arabia...

A country with 25 million people of which 5 million are non-Saudis.

With a work force of 7.3 million but of which 80% is non-Saudi.

And a GDP/per Capita of $ 24.200 in 2010 but I doubt if that also counts for the 80% workforce out of those 7.3 million

Go figure.

Facts from:

https://www.cia.gov/...ok/geos/sa.html

LaoPo

[endure]

Another autocrat trying desperately to buy the peasantry off.

[siampolee]

Bandit kings as usual bribing the locals.

We can rest assured that the worlds leading oil consuming countries and the worlds leading oil and gas producing companies are aiding and abetting this operation.

[Chicog]

Good job he happened to have 37 billion lying around, probably found it in his sock drawer.

[LaoPo]

Saudi Arabia king accused of misjudged bribery in attempt to avoid unrest

King Abdullah needs to implement political reform, scholars claim, as students plan 'day of rage'

• guardian.co.uk, Thursday 24 February 2011 21.04 GMT

• 

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah unveiled a social welfare package after returning to Riyadh airport from America where he has been receiving medical treatment. Photograph: Reu

Leading intellectuals in Saudi Arabia have warned that grand financial gestures are no substitute for meaningful political reform, after King Abdullah unveiled a $36bn (£22bn) social welfare package in advance of planned anti-government protests next month.

In a statement released on Thursday, a group of Saudi scholars called on the royal family to learn from recent uprisings in the Gulf and North Africa and to start listening to the voices of the kingdom's disenfranchised young people, some of whom are planning a "day of rage" on 11 March. Several Islamic thinkers, as well as a female academic and a poet, are among those adding their names to the declaration.

"The Saudi regime is learning all the wrong lessons from Egypt and Tunisia," said Shadi Hamid, director of research at the Brookings Doha Centre. "The unrest in the region is not fundamentally economic, it's fundamentally about politics. Economics plays a role but what the events of the past few months have shown us is that Arabs are looking for freedom, dignity and democracy – and if the Saudi leadership can't see that, then they're in trouble."

Saudi Arabia's 86-year-old monarch returned home this week from three months in hospital abroad, and immediately announced a vast package of welfare measures including new education and housing subsidies, the creation of 1,200 jobs and a 15% pay rise for all government employees.

Story continues here:

http://www.guardian....accused-bribery

LaoPo