Amnesty International said Saudi Arabia engaged in “a horrendous execution spree” in 2015, when the number of people put to death was the highest for two decades, since 192 in 1995.
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Falling oil prices (Brent oil briefly sank below $30 for the first time since 2004 on Wednesday) and political climate surely contribute to existing tensions, but Saudi Arabia’s belligerence, according to Mohseni, indicates that the oil kingdom is trying to deal with what Riyadh perceives as recent strategic setbacks.
He said Pakistan will be sharing intelligence with Saudi Arabia to counter terrorism.
“It is too soon to say whether this is anything more than a rhetorical shift, but we not believe that they can pull a rabbit out of a hat and get their ageing fields to produce more than an additional 500 kb/d without a new wave of investment”, they added. The general director of Turkish real estate companies, Murad Koroum, said that the group met Saudi officials on the sidelines of the visit by Erdogan on December 29.
The standing committee endorsed the government’s policy towards Saudi-Iran tensions.
The adviser was also asked about the meeting between the Saudi defence minister and Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif at the GHQ. Pakistan has affirmed that any threat to Saudi Arabia’s territorial integrity will evoke strong response from Pakistan. “Pakistan has also always expressed its readiness to offer its good offices to brotherly Muslim countries for resolution of their differences”, the prime minister was quoted by his office as having told the Saudi deputy crown prince.
The iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia Capped ETF (NYSE: KSA), the only ETF exclusively dedicated to tracking stocks in OPEC’s largest member state, has struggled despite a low energy weight as oil prices have tumbled.
The curtailment of mass subsidies on utilities and lavish public spending marks a change, as the Arab state has previously been generous in redistributing its massive oil wealth – partly as a means to stave off public restiveness with absolutist rule.
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Iran has led military efforts along with the Iraqi army and volunteers in the fight against IS in Iraq.
