Ahmed Al Omran
Wall Street Journal
Saudi Arabia
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Past articles by Ahmed:
Saudi Arabia’s Royal Family Tree
For more than eight decades since the founding of the modern kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932, the title of king has passed along a line of brothers born to the first king, Abdulaziz ibn Saud. → Read More
Saudis Wrangle Over How to Have Fun
Saudi Arabia is engaged in a fierce debate over how to have fun, as the conservative kingdom wrangles over what forms of entertainment are appropriate as it tries to open up its economy. → Read More
Saudi Arabia to Increase Spending After Budget Deficit Shrinks
Saudi Arabia plans to increase spending in 2017 to stimulate economic growth after austerity measures helped shrink its deficit this year, the kingdom’s ministry of finance said as it unveiled its budget for next year. → Read More
Saudis Brace for More Economic Pain
The cost of living in Saudi Arabia rose over the past year as the kingdom contends with lower oil prices and slashes to subsidies. Now Saudis are girding themselves for additional cuts that risk provoking public ire. → Read More
Saudi Court Sentences 15 Men to Death for Spying for Iran
A Saudi court sentenced 15 men to death and others to prison for allegedly spying for Iran, after a trial criticized as unfair by lawyers. → Read More
Saudis Wager On Higher Oil Prices to Drive Economic Diversification
Saudi Arabia’s decision to push for an OPEC deal to reduce crude oil production and boost prices traces back to the Kingdom’s need to diversify its economy away from crude oil exports. → Read More
Saudi Oil Minister Sees Demand Rising Despite Renewables
Global appetite for oil and gas will continue to grow despite intensifying efforts to curb climate change, even as renewable energy plays an increasing role in the energy mix, Saudi Arabia’s powerful energy minister Khalid Al-Falih said. → Read More
Saudi King Appoints New Finance Minister
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Monday replaced longtime finance minister Ibrahim al-Assaf, a move that comes as the monarchy embarks on an ambitious economic program to wean the country off its dependence on oil. → Read More
Saudi Arabia Arrests Suspects Linked to Islamic State
Saudi Arabia has arrested more than a dozen suspects linked to Islamic State, the Ministry of Interior said, as part of moves to head off attacks inside the kingdom that mirrored similar assaults orchestrated in Europe. → Read More
Two Americans Held in Yemen Released
Two Americans held in war-torn Yemen were freed and flown to Oman on Saturday in preparation for their return to the U.S., Oman’s government news agency said. → Read More
Saudi-Led Coalition to Blame for Yemeni Funeral Bombing, Group Finds
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen wrongly targeted a funeral hall in an airstrike that killed 142 people, an investigation group affiliated with the coalition said. → Read More
Saudi Arabia to Meet With Investors on Potential Bond Issue
Saudi Arabia’s officials are meeting investors this week to gauge appetite for the country’s first international bond, a potential multibillion-dollar issue aimed at strengthening the kingdom’s finances strained by low oil prices. → Read More
Yemen Airstrike Spurs U.S. Review of Support for Saudi Military Campaign
Families in Yemen searched Sunday for victims of an airstrike that the U.N. said had killed more than 140 funeral mourners and wounded hundreds more, prompting the U.S. to begin a review of the Saudi-led military campaign. → Read More
Energy sittings
There’s an air of renewal in the energy world. From the appointment of new ministers to sustainable investment, it really seems as if there’s something new in the air. Is it for real? → Read More
Bold Contemporary-Art Scene Emerges in Saudi Arabia
Outspoken Saudi artists gain recognition at home and abroad; Taboos remain, including nudity and sculptures of living beings. → Read More
Saudi Offer on Syria Reflects Heightened Anxiety Over Outcome
Saudi Arabia’s proposal to send its troops to fight Islamic State in Syria—despite the risk of directly confronting Iran and Russia, on top of messy entanglements elsewhere—is a clear sign of how much the kingdom believes it has at stake in the war there. → Read More
Saudi Arabia Forms Group to Investigate Yemen Airstrike Claims
Saudi Arabia on Sunday announced the formation of an independent group to investigate claims of airstrikes that have led to civilian deaths in Yemen. → Read More
Saudi Arabia, Turkey Back Syria Opposition in Possible Peace Talks
Saudi Arabia and Turkey on Sunday came out in support of Syria’s opposition members, who are in Geneva for possible U.N.-sponsored peace talks with the Syrian regime. → Read More
Sectarian Tensions in Middle East Deepen as Saudi Arabian Allies Join Rift With Iran
Saudi Arabia and its closest Sunni allies escalated a confrontation with Iran that is laying bare the central tensions in the Mideast, as three countries cut or downgraded ties to Tehran. → Read More
Social Media Lifts Saudi Women in Vote
Saudi women used social media to reach voters and win seats in Saturday’s historic election—the first in which women were allowed to participate as voters as well as candidates. → Read More