MSNBC Breaking: Saudi King Fahd has died, officials say

[arcos]

http://www.msnbc.com

No story yet, just the banner at the top of the page.


on edit:
From BBC (Thanks Englander!)

Reports from Saudi Arabia say that King Fahd has died.

The reports quote hospital officials and sources close to the royal family, and Saudi TV interrupted regular programmes with Koran readings.

King Fahd had been frail since suffering a stroke a decade ago and had delegated the running of the kingdom to Crown Prince Abdullah.

King Fahd had led the oil rich kingdom since 1982. More soon"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4734175.stm

[Fridays Child]

1. Ruh roh.

[KeepItReal]

3. No biggie...he has been outta action for awhile

His successor (back when he fell ill) was not too USA-friendly and was the reason why we had to bail most of our military forces out of Saudi Arabia and into Qatar, UAE and now Iraq it seems...

[Fridays Child]

9. Let's watch the market reaction.

[Lochloosa]

31. Keep an eye on Faux News for that information

I'm just saying...

[saigon68]

56. Good Riddance to bad Rubbish

[Algorem]

34. and price price of oil soars to $61+ now because he died

http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=13907892

Monday, 01 August , 2005, 15:28

Singapore: Crude oil prices soared past $ 61 a barrel to two-week highs as news broke that the ruler of the world’s largest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, died today. Today in Sify Finance

Minutes after the news of the Saudi Arabian kings death broke out in Singaposweet crude for September delivery spiked 60 cents to reach $ 61.11 a barrel, its highest in more than two weeks. It is currently at $ 61.07 a barrel, up 31 cents.

Prices were also supported by Iran’s threat yesterday to restart its nuclear enrichment program, sparking fears that tension between Tehran and Western nations could disrupt oil supplies from OPECs seconds largest exporter.

Oil futures hit an intraday record of $ 62.10 a barrel on July 7. Prices are around 40 per cent higher than year-ago levels but would need to reach $ 90 to reach the all-time inflated adjusted high set in 1980...

[jurassicpork]

63. Karl Rove constipated.

Price of natural gas shoots up.

Jesus fucking Christ, is there no reason too trivial to gouge us on gas prices?

JP
http://jurassicpork.blogspot.com

[anarchy1999]

35. Same thought I had. "ruh roh"! King Fahd dead August 1, 2005. * Jr. on

another month long "summer vacation" at the "Western White House"/ranch, aka, Crawford "pig' farm.

[JI7]

2. wasn't there a report he died a few weeks/months ago ?

[SoCalDem]

4. He's been "out of it" for YEARS..

This just makes it "official", and starts the clock ticking on the "prince wars".. Some have already met mysterious deaths..

[jobycom]

10. Yeah. He's been dead before. Wonder if he'll stay dead now.

[KeepItReal]

13. Think so...Reuters has it posted also.

<eom>

[JI7]

15. maybe it's just official now

but he really died a while ago.

didn't the pope die a day earlier but it was april fools day so they waited a day. remember the reports about how he died and then all the confusion .

[Hardrada]

5. This means the Bush clan

will be out of the country salaaming over there. Can we change the locks at the White House whilst they are absent?

[Fridays Child]

7. Good thinking!

:thumbsup:

[KeepItReal]

8. Bush & Co. may not be welcome in *this* day's Saudi Arabia

Interested to see how they pay their respects, though.

[Dover]

12. He'll probably be buried on the Crawford Ranch

along with the rest of his kin.......the Bushies.

[Fridays Child]

22. The Crawford Cretin may be rubbing elbows with the bin Ladens.

S'pose Papa bin Laden'll wanna hold hands with him? Can't wait for the pictures.

[despairing optimist]

62. I hope he rides a Segway to the funeral

[goclark]

49. He will be "busy with HARD work" on the ranch

He will not touch that foreign dirty soil with all of "those" people.

He only kisses the big Saudi's in his living room at the WH.

[mopinko]

46. can we lock up bolton?

maybe we can have him kidnapped while they are busy over there.

[Pacifist Patriot]

47. How do we get them on the Terrorist Watch List...

so they get detained when they try to return?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

6. CNN has nothing yet.

[katamaran]

11. Good thing I bought gas today....

[KeepItReal]

14. Yeah, not one oil tanker run aground, but gas prices will go up again

Damn

[Englander]

16. BBC - King Fahd of Saudi Arabia dies

" Reports from Saudi Arabia say that King Fahd has died.

The reports quote hospital officials and sources close to the royal family, and Saudi TV interrupted regular programmes with Koran readings.

King Fahd had been frail since suffering a stroke a decade ago and had delegated the running of the kingdom to Crown Prince Abdullah.

King Fahd had led the oil rich kingdom since 1982. More soon"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4734175.stm

[tritsofme]

17. Franco is still dead

nt

[xxqqqzme]

58. I thought of that as well!

Damn, we're old!

[tritsofme]

68. It made me feel even older

since no one else said it....

[still_one]

18. debka reported two weeks ago that he went critical

Saudi Arabia has just announced the death of King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz, 84, after a long illness. Crown Prince Abdullah, 83, has been de facto ruler since the king became indisposed.

http://www.debka.com/

[Theduckno2]

19. I just wonder if new leadership could bring a review of....

Saudi oil reserves. If the amount of reserves are adjusted downward, it seems inevitable that prices would rise considerably. :eyes:

[KeepItReal]

21. Why bother? Keep the lie alive...prices still would be high

When the lie becomes unsustainable, *then* make the adjustment, prices go even higher, right?

Just trying to think like a Bush & Co. oil man...

[Theduckno2]

25. But what if the lie is unsustainable to the Saudis?

I have to believe that oil is the only significant export of Saudi Arabia. Overstating their reserves would would tend to minimize profits and although their reserves are large, they are still finite. I agree that Bushco would like to maintain the status quo and look how long any action on global warming has been avoided. Yes, it's a pretty little bubble that Bushco lives in.

[still_one]

20. just came accross on Bloomberg

[bluestateguy]

23. Is there a law that requires me to be sad?

Hm?

[Binka]

24. No Fuck The Crusty Ole Douche Bag

The in fighting should be good though. New King Abdullah is a fucking number one assclown. Everybody hates the little shit kinda like Bush.

[LibertyorDeath]

26. Saudi Arabia's King Fahd Dies at 84

By ABDULLAH AL-SHIHRI, Associated Press Writer 5 minutes ago

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia's King Fahd, who moved his country closer to the United States but ruled the world's largest oil producing nation in name only since suffering a stroke in 1995, died early Monday, the Saudi royal court said. He was 84.
ADVERTISEMENT

Crown Prince Abdullah, the king's half brother and Saudi Arabia's de factor ruler, was appointed the country's new monarch.

"With all sorrow and sadness, the royal court in the name of his highness Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and all members of the family announces the death of the custodian of the two holy mosques, King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz," according to a statement read on state-run Saudi TV by the country's information minister.

Fahd died at approximately 2:30 a.m. EDT, a senior Saudi official in Washington told The Associated Press.
President Bush was alerted within minutes of Fahd's death, the official said on condition of anonymity. The king's funeral was to be held Tuesday evening, he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050801/ap_on_re_mi_ea/obit_fahd

[anarchy1999]

36. "Within minutes"? WTF and Why?

They (Bush's minions (Rove, Andy or maybe Condi?) woke his royal highness up for this news?

[progressivebydesign]

50. Okay. So they didn't tell Bush when Laura was evacuated...

.. and the White House, etc. was under alert from that small plane, but he was told about this dude "within minutes"????

WHY don't the republicans even fucking question the cozy and frighteneing relationship between Bush and the Saudis. The 9/11 terrorists were not Iraqis, they were not from Iran, they were not Syrian, they were Saudis. And to boot, Saudi is one of the biggest human rights violators on Earth. Doesn't anyone, besides us, even wonder if they are being played by Bush and the Saudi Royal Family?

[LibertyorDeath]

64. I'm sure they have "plans" for Saudi Arabia

This may help speed them up.

[ClintonTyree]

69. They snuck in and stuck a memo under his pillow.....

that he totally ignored when he DID wake up. He doesn't read, and if ANYONE had the balls to wake the little dictator from his rest they'd be drawn and quartered in the newly equipped White House dungeon.
bush likes to try our those torture devices on members of his staff before releasing them for use on the public. It's what keeps that "compassionate conservative" inside of him sharp and ready.

[opihimoimoi]

27. He leaves A record 67857662530098181273993873674 WIDOWS

and 3736487585968798.008 kids

Damn.....

[yorgatron]

29. does this mean donations to terrorists might slow down

at least for a little while?

[ticapnews]

30. How do we define marriage again? One man...

Infinite women...

Right? :P

[Judi Lynn]

28. Well, there's a promotion, at least, for Bush pal, the Crown Prince.

How we have always enjoyed those lovely photos we get to see whenever the guy graces this country with his presence....



Now he's the King, Abdullah will get to sit in the front seat of the golf cart.

King Fahd dies, Abdullah becomes new Saudi king
Mon Aug 1, 2005 4:00 AM ET

By Laith Abou-Ragheb
RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's King Fahd died on Monday and Crown Prince Abdullah was swiftly pronounced monarch of the world's largest oil exporter and key U.S. ally.

"With deep sorrow and pain, the royal court... mourns the death of The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd due to illness," said an official statement read out on state television.

A Saudi source said the kingdom's oil policy would not change after King Fahd's death.

Diplomats said they did not expect major changes in Saudi foreign policy under King Abdullah, who as crown prince has been running the day to day affairs of the Gulf Arab country since Fahd suffered a debilitating stroke in 1995.

The statement said Defense Minister Prince Sultan had become the kingdom's new crown prince. U.S. crude oil jumped up almost 50 cents a barrel after reports the king had died.
(snip/...)

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-08-01T075942Z_01_N01396834_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-SAUDI-KING-DC.XML

[Junkdrawer]

38. So the United States has a new King today...

Well, we still have the same governor, though...

[0007]

32. Will junior make the funeral of this creep?

[Robeson]

33. What do you think?....

...
http://www.ftlcomm.com:16080/ensign/desantisArticles/2002_600/desantis648/cover.jpg

[Cobalt Violet]

37. So is gas going to go up to $3.00 because of this?

:sarcasm:

[BiggJawn]

44. Yep.

That, and the news that one of the North Sea drilling platforms has ruined their last copy of "Odia does Odessa" (an oilman's favourite J-O flick!)

[sniffa]

39. i can't wait to see dubya as the distraught widow

throwing himseLf onto the casket and waiLing.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

42. And THAT will be the only funeral Herr Busch will attend.

[SHRED]

40. The Bu$hies have just lost a good friend

For the rest of us, a brutal dictator passes on into the bowels of hell, to be greeted by the spirits of those tortured to death under his rule.

[tanyev]

41. Poor Georgie.

He's going to have to interrupt his vacation to go to the funeral. He hates it when that happens. :cry:

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

48. Yes. He's only had 49 other trips to the ranch during his tenure.

Life is just so damned unfair sometimes.

[Lerkfish]

43. so, chimpboy will attend the funeral, even though on vacation...

even though he can't be bothered on vacation to protect his own country (well, actually, he'd be protecting it from himself, but I digress)

I predict, anyhow

[ClintonTyree]

70. He won't go.........

It's vacation time! Hell, if he can't be bothered to get up off his dead ass to read a PDB about Bin Laden attacking on American soil he's not going to leave the pig ranch for this little blip on his radar screen. One of his "lesser" toadies will have to suffice on this one.

[catmandu57]

45. If he does attend the funeral

Then, I'll be screaming thaty this miserable piece of shit can travel across the world to attend the funeral, but can't travel across town to Arlington to attend the funeral of someine who has died for his lie.

[emad]

51. Jonathan Aitken on Fahd's death:

Jonathan Aitken, former defence minister, hailed Fahd as a "warm, humorous, loquacious" man who would be remembered as a "great king" in the Arab world.

Mr Aitken, who dealt with King Fahd as defence procurement minister in John Major's administration, told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "I have very good memories of him. He was in personal terms a warm, humorous man.

"He was very much a king who ruled. He certainly ran the show. In a way, he was a great king inside Saudi Arabia, because he took the country through this sudden rush of oil money.

"Of course, mistakes were made, but if you look at the big picture, in terms of Saudi Arabia's development, its education, its progress, he was a king who took through the most tremendous advance in any Arab country's history.

"He will be remembered as a great king in the Arab world."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/08/01/ureaction.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/08/01/ixportaltop.html

[CountAllVotes]

52. not to worry!

We now have Prince Bandhar back in Saudi Arabia! Is this really a surprise? NEXT!

:kick:

[Jack Rabbit]

53. May all kings live long and happy lives -- in retirement

I recommend the following from my favorite Founding Father.

Address to the National Assembly of France
In opposition to the execution of King Louis XVI, 1792
By Thomas Paine

My hatred and abhorrence of absolute monarchy are sufficiently known; they originated in principles of reason and conviction, nor, except with life, can they ever be extirpated; but my compassion for the unfortunate, whether friend or enemy, is equally lively and sincere.

I voted that Louis should be tried, because it was necessary to afford proofs to the world of the perfidy, corruption and abomination of the French government.

The infinity of evidence that has been produced exposes them in the most glaring and hideous colors.

Nevertheless I am inclined to believe that if Louis Capet had been born in an obscure condition, had he lived within the circle of an amiable and respectable neighborhood, at liberty to practise the duties of domestic life, had he been thus situated I cannot believe that he would have shown himself destitute of social virtues; we are, in a moment of fermentation like this, naturally little indulgent to his vices, or rather to those of his government; we regard them with additional horror and indignation; not that they are more heinous than those of his predecessors, but because our eyes are now open, and the veil of delusion at length withdrawn; yet the lamentably degraded state to which he is actually reduced is surely far less imputable to him than to the constituent assembly - which, of its own authority, without consent or advice of the people, restored him to the throne . . . .

For myself, I freely confess that when I reflect on the unaccountable folly that restored the executive power to his hands, all covered as he was with perjuries and treason, I am far more ready to condemn the constituent assembly than the unfortunate prisoner, Louis Capet.

But, abstracted from every other consideration, there is one circumstance in his life which ought to cover or at least to palliate a great number of his transgressions, and this very circumstance affords the French nation a blessed occasion of extricating itself from the yoke of its kings without defiling itself in the impurities of their blood.

Read more.

And let us look forward to the day when that nation is governed by the people and we may simply refer to it as Arabia, not as Saudi Arabia as if it were the private fiefdom of a corrupt, decadent family.

[FighttheFuture]

54. Good news comes in dribbles.. better than nothing, though...

Good excuse to get Bush out of the country for awhile and some photo ops of his lips locked on the Saud's asses, once again. Will the sheeple notice?

[Deja Q]

55. CBS news.com just posted it:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/01/world/main712981.shtml

How many of his heirs like the US again?

:hide:

[carnie_sf]

57. We will never be free

until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest

[ProudDad]

59. HEAR, HEAR!!

"Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest."
- Denis Diderot

http://www.fraughtwithperil.com/blogs/ryuei/archives/000497.html

[nadinbrzezinski]

60. Cool so the backstabbing will now begin in earnest

can anyubody pass the popcorn?

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

[bemildred]

78. Indeed.

:popcorn:

[daleo]

61. Bandar Bush quit Washington for Saudi Arabia about a month ago

Undoubtedly, no coincidence.

[bemildred]

79. Yup. It's going to get bumpy now, I think. nt

[savemefromdumbya]

65. He was old

When is the United States of America going to 'free' Saudi from its archaic regime?

[Amonester]

66. Good news. Rejoice! Rejoice! We're gonna have a party! :-)

Alright. Now. About that promise made almost 5 years ago during an important political debate on TeeVee... D'ya think the Chimp will finally "ask" them to open up the spigot? Huh?

Yea. Tsss' about f'ing time! :sarcasm:

:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:

[Spider Jerusalem]

74. They can't; they're already producing at or near capacity...

simple fact which most people who whine about gas prices don't understand; price increase is due to increased demand + static supply. Simple economics.

[Amonester]

76. True. I knew that, but I used sarcasm without the icon. Sorry.

In fact, a majority of President Al Gore's supporters also knew that long before Chimpy made this moronic 'joke' during the debate...

Sadly, most of **'s ignorant 'base' believed in his obvious LIE on TeeVee (and still do!?!). So why they're not insisting their beloved 'Greatest Liar' should fulfill his five-year-old promise?

Guess they don't remember... (me not surprised!) :mad:

[burrowowl]

67. About frigging time!

Will his successor do anything better?
Not much, many women will be able to get a driver's license, but that is about it.

[Shipwack]

71. I hope Saudi women will get licenses...

That way they can practice in their own country instead of coming here to Bahrain to drive...

(Florida drivers have nothing on Saudi nationals, and Saudi women are further handicapped by the fact that they have little experience driving, except for when they vacation in other countries...)

[uppityperson]

72. I heard they buried him, means he must be all the way dead

Not just partly dead anymore.

[superconnected]

73. They do seem to be finally burying dead leaders - Arafat, Fahd, the pope

More! More!

[TankLV]

75. feh.

I could care less.

One less despot.

Oh, and by the way, 19 of the 911 terrorists were from saudi arabia - bunkerboy's family friends.

Just to keep it forefront.

[Broken_Hero]

77. Well...

We all gotta go sometime, later pal....