Reformist Saudi Prince Talal bin Abdul Aziz, dies at 87
Riyadh, Dec 22: Saudi Prince Talal bin Abdul Aziz, a half brother of King Salman, died on Saturday at the age of 87, his billionaire son said.
"Prince Talal was called by God on Saturday," Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal wrote on Twitter.
The family will receive condolences on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at home in Riyadh, he added.
Defiantly liberal and dubbed the "Red Prince", Talal bin Abdul Aziz was known as a tireless advocate of reform, sometimes in defiance of the royal family.
He was a long-standing advocate of allowing Saudi women to drive, a right that was finally granted to female citizens this year.
Born in 1931, the prince headed the Arab Gulf Fund for Development, a UN body that promotes education and health in developing countries.
Under the influence of Egyptian president and champion of pan-Arab socialism Gamal Abdel Nasser, he set up the "Free Princes Movement" in the early 1960s, calling for substantive political change in Saudi Arabia.
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India offers condolences over Khamenei's death; Foreign Secretary Misri visits Iran embassy
New Delhi (PTI): India on Thursday condoled the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri conveying to the Iranian ambassador New Delhi's message of sympathy.
Misri visited the Iranian embassy and signed the condolence book on behalf of the government of India.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also released photograph of the foreign secretary's conversation with Iranian envoy to India Mohammad Fathali.
Khamenei was killed in an Israel-US strike on February 28.
Though India called for resolution of the West Asia crisis through dialogue and diplomacy, it chose not to react to Khamenei's killing.
Misri's visit to the Iranian embassy and signing of the condolence book assumed significance as several opposition parties had criticised the government for not reacting to Khamenei's death.
