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Saud of Saudi Arabia

Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (سعود بن عبد العزيز آل سعود; 15 January 1902 – 23 February 1969) was King of Saudi Arabia from 9 November 1953 until his abdication on 2 November 1964. During his reign, he served as Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 1953 to 1954 and from 1960 to 1962. Prior to his accession, Saud was the country's crown prince from 11 May 1933 to 9 November 1953. He was the second son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia.

Saud was the second son of King Abdulaziz and Wadha bint Muhammad Al Orair. The death of Saud's elder brother, Prince Turki, in 1919 poised Saud to become his father's successor; King Abdulaziz appointed him as the crown prince of Saudi Arabia in 1933. Saud served as a commander in Abdulaziz's conquests that led to the establishment of Saudi Arabia in 1932. He was the viceroy of Nejd from 1926 to 1932, and he also represented his father in neighboring countries. He played a role in the financial reforms of Saudi Arabia, preparing the first state budget in 1948 and establishing the Saudi Central Bank in 1952. Saud also oversaw the country's infrastructural development.

Upon his father's death in 1953, Saud ascended the throne and reorganized the government. He founded the convention that the king of Saudi Arabia presides over the Council of Ministers. Saud sought to maintain friendly relations with the United States, whilst also supporting other Arab countries in their conflicts against Israel. Under his reign, Saudi Arabia joined the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961. However, Saud's inability to counter the Saudi national debt brought him into a power struggle with his half-brother and crown prince, Faisal, culminating in the forced abdication of Saud and the proclamation of Faisal as king. Saud went into exile and made an unsuccessful attempt, supported by some of his sons, to take back the throne. He died in Athens, Greece, in 1969.

Early life and education
Prince Saud was born on 15 January 1902 in Kuwait City. The second son of Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman, he was born in the home of his grandfather Abdul Rahman bin Faisal. They lived in Sikkat Inazza district of the city where the family was staying after their exile from Riyadh. When his father conquered Riyadh in 1902, Saud followed him with his mother and brothers.

Prince Saud's full siblings were Prince Turki, Prince Khalid, Prince Abdullah and Princess Mounira. Of them Khalid and Abdullah died young. Their mother was Abdulaziz's second wife, Wadha bint Muhammad Al Orair, who was from the Bani Khalid tribe.

From the age of five, Prince Saud studied Sharia and the Quran under Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Mufaireej. He also learned archery and horse-riding amongst other things under the supervision of his father, as well as tribal lineages, and how to conduct peace agreements, and the art of wars, politics, diplomacy, and administration in the traditional Arabian ways. His formal tutors were his father's advisors, Abdullah Al Damluji and Hafiz Wahba.

Early career
Saud accompanied his father on his many expeditions and, participated in several campaigns during the unification of the Arabian Peninsula. His first political mission was at the age of thirteen, leading a delegation to Qatar. The first battle he fought was at Jarrab in 1915, followed by one at Yatab in the same year, then Trubah in 1919. In 1925, he stopped the Almahmal crisis in Mecca. During his tenure as viceroy of Najd Prince Saud criticized his father due to the limitations on the Ikhwan through the newspaper Umm Al Qura. However, he later fought to stop the Ikhwan revolt at the battle of Sabilla in 1929.

On 11 May 1933, Saud was appointed Crown Prince which was announced in Umm Al Qura newspaper. His uncle Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman did not pledge his allegiance to Saud as crown prince and before the gathering he left Riyadh for Mecca. Upon his appointment as crown prince, Abdulaziz told his son that he should be devoted to spreading Islam, take good care of his subjects, and pay attention to the advice of religious scholars. Saud then promised his father that he would listen to his father's advice.

The following year, King Abdulaziz sent two military expeditions; one of them was led by Crown Prince Saud, who regained Najran and advanced secretly through the rugged mountains in the northwest part of Yemen.

Following the end of the war with Yemen, Abdulaziz decided to encourage Saud to travel abroad. Accompanied by his father's adviser Fuad Hamza and physician Dr. Medhat Sheikh el-Ard and some others, he visited: Transjordan, Palestine, Iraq, Egypt and Europe where he represented his father at the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937. Saud struck a warm friendship with the young King Ghazi of Iraq, and earned plaudits from the Amir of Transjordan (later King Abdullah I of Jordan), who said to him: "in his character, he represented the choicest and purest of the traits and attributes of the Arabian Peninsula." When a crisis erupted between the neighboring Bahrain and Qatar, Saud visited the former in December 1937 in order to help sort out their differences. This was followed by other visits to the until the eve of the Second World War.

After the war, when the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine appeared to be imminent, and leaders of the various Arab States met at Inshas in Egypt during 1946 in order to review the situation under the Chairmanship of King Farouk of Egypt, Saud was again selected by his father to represent him and his country, and participated in the adoption of the famous resolution that declared that: "The Palestinian cause is the cause of all Arabs and not merely the Palestinians". In 1947, Saud visited the United States and met with President Harry S. Truman, and also met with leaders in Britain, France, and Italy, in order to acquaint the policymakers with his father's views and the unacceptability of the infringement of the rights of the Palestinians. Following Saud's visits, he concentrated on the first areas to be deemed in sore need of modernization and reform in view of increasing revenues and expenditures, these were the governance and handling the country's finances. After seeking advice and expert help from a number of friendly countries, primarily the US, the Saudi riyal was linked to the United States Dollar and apart from structural, regulatory, and procedural reforms within a revamped Ministry of Finance; a Central Bank under the name of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) was established during 1952.

In keeping with universal practice, a proper annual state budget had first been issued during 1948 and following the establishment of the above central banking body, SAMA, the third Saudi national budget for the year 1952 complied with internationally observed standards. During this period, technical co-operation, primarily in the guise of the arrival of 35 experts during 1952 and aimed at generating planned economic growth within the Kingdom also received a major boost.

Apart from financial and administrative reforms, the report presented to Abdulaziz by Prince Saud, had commended the implementation of a whole range of vital infrastructure projects relating to the improvement of facilities for the Pilgrims, so important to the Kingdom from a religious and economic point of view, water supply, roads, broadcasting service, health, municipal affairs, port improvements, customs reorganization, and higher education.

Plans for the paved road between Jeddah and Mecca had been announced by Saud during the Hajj of 1947, and the project for bringing water from the nearby Wadi Fatimah to Jeddah was also inaugurated by him shortly during November 1947. The Hajj of 1950 witnessed the establishment of the Mecca college that was later to be expanded and renamed Umm al-Qura University.

Many of these reforms, along with the complete reorganisation of the system of public administration, through the establishment or restructuring of new or existing ministries and departments, and conceived and recognised as the "Crown Prince's Reforms", issued from his Office by a Decree under his seal on 19 October 1952, were destined to be developed, built upon and some even implemented after the demise of Abdulaziz on 9 November 1953 and during Saud's reign as King. The traditional Consultative Council in Mecca, the Majlis-ash-Shura or Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia was expanded on 17 November 1952.

Earlier, on 19 October 1953, Abdulaziz had also appointed Crown Prince Saud as prime minister for the first Saudi Cabinet. Before that, he appointed him as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and Internal Security Units on 25 August 1953. During this period, the Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia, including the Air Force, were modernized on a large scale with American assistance. The Saudi Arabian Airlines fleet was also expanded by the purchase of four new 'Sky Masters' to primarily facilitate the transport of Pilgrims from their homes to the sites of pilgrimage and back, and also within the Kingdom. On 10 June 1953, Saud with the approval of his father also laid the foundation stone for the expansion and refurbishment of the Prophet's Mosque in Medina. Earlier on, following a visit, he had recommended to Abdulaziz the need for the adoption of this step, which the latter had sanctioned.

Reign
Saud succeeded his father Abdulaziz as King on 9 November 1953 upon the latter's death. He ascended the throne in a political climate very different from the time when his father Abdulaziz established his Kingdom.

During his reign one of King Saud's major advisors was Abdulaziz Al Muammar.

National policy
King Saud announced to the new council of ministers in his very first speech as King, that, while his father's reign was noted for military conquests, he intended his reign to be "a war on poverty, ignorance, and disease with the equitable application of the dictates of the holy Sharia laws to all without exception, and the creation of a strong army". In order to cope adequately with the responsibilities of this challenge, and facilitate realistically the implementation of his programme he initially doubled the number of ministries to ten by adding the portfolios of education, agriculture, health, commerce, and industry, plus two directorates: Labour and broadcasting and the bureau of public inspection in 1955, to the existing ministries of foreign affairs, finance, interior, defence, and communications. In 1953, the decision had already been taken to move the ministries, then located in Jeddah, to Riyadh, the country's official capital. This had called for the construction of suitable new buildings and the provision of adequate housing for employees. This was an ignition point for Riyadh's modernization and development. Saud's half-brother and crown prince, Faisal bin Abdulaziz, was appointed prime minister while retaining his former portfolio of foreign minister. A five years plan was started, as mentioned in King Saud's first cabinet speech in 1954. The same year King Saud established the Grievance Board which was attached to the council of ministers which became an independent body in 1955. The board was headed by Musaid bin Abdul Rahman, a young uncle of King Saud.

In January 1954 King Saud signed an agreement with Greek businessman Aristotle Socrates Onassis to establish a state-owned maritime tanker company. Given that the agreement was not in favor of the US interests it was soon terminated as a result of foreign pressures.

In 1957, King Saud also founded King Saud University in Riyadh. He clarified the duties and responsibilities of the cabinet minister in May 1958. He declared in 1960 that schools would be established to educate girls in religious matters, including Quran, creed, and fiqh as well as in other sciences which were acceptable in Islamic tradition such as house management, and raising and disciplining children.

Foreign relations
King Saud played a role of utmost importance on the regional, Arab, Islamic, and international political stages. He started his worldwide tours after finishing touring of his country's regions. He visited Arab and friendly countries for strategic and political purposes. He began his tour in 1954 in Egypt, followed by Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, and Pakistan.

He announced that his sole purpose was to "unify Muslims all over the world" so they would be like one strong body. King Saud believed in a non-alignment policy between the United States and the Soviet Union, which he discussed thoroughly with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru during an official visit to India. He also strove to keep the region free from coalitions and blocs that only served foreign interests and thus he refused to join the Baghdad Pact. Despite pressure exerted from the West, he approved upon meeting President Gamal Abdel Nasser and the Syrian President Shukri al-Quwatli in Cairo in March 1956 of making a joint statement regarding their understanding of security and defense matters, that coincided with other agreements in the financial, economical and development area.

In November 1955, King Saud granted a 16 million dollars loan to Syria for five years. He agreed to exchange products and exempt agricultural products from import-export license and custom duties. With the continuous Israeli assault on Jordan in 1955, King Saud invited military leaders of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan to Riyadh in order to discuss procedures to counter the aggression. He agreed to cover all expenses of reinforcing Jordan's National Guard and armed forces. He also supported the Algerian revolution against France, diplomatically and financially. King Saud made a statement inviting people to donate money for the revolution; the donations amounted to $1,200,000. The government donated one million dollars of that amount in 1956, and the rest of the donations were granted yearly. King Saud kept granting donations to Algeria and kept defending it until it established its independence in 1962.

Imam Ahmad bin Yahya of Yemen joined the Arab endeavors to unify their ranks when he signed the joint defense agreement with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. This event took place after the Imam's meeting with King Saud, President Gamal Abdel Nasser, and President Shukri al-Quwatli on 21 April 1956, following the Jeddah Pact between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Maintaining his support to the Arab countries after the nationalization of the Suez Canal Company on 26 July 1956, although the Egyptian Government did not consult him as it did with Syria in taking that decision contrary to his expectations as a military ally. He succeeded in strengthening his relation with King Faisal II of Iraq after a meeting held in Dammam on 20 September 1956. It was followed that same month and in the same place by a meeting with President Gamal Abdel Nasser and the Syrian President Shukri al-Quwatli during which he confirmed his total support for the Egyptian stand in this crisis. When Britain, France, and Israel invaded Egypt on 29 October 1956 as a result of the nationalization of the canal, King Saud declared a general mobilization and ordered the opening of enlistment offices.

He offered total assistance to the Egyptian government, personally supervising operations and welcoming Egyptian combat planes into his country for their protection. Among the first to enlist were Fahd bin Abdulaziz, Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Salman bin Abdulaziz and King Saud's son Fahd bin Saud, along with many other princes. As a means of exerting pressure on the British and French governments, he used a weapon never used before, when he blocked oil exports, banning all British and French tankers and other tankers carrying Saudi oil to these two countries. He also broke off relations with Britain and France.

King Saud had used this economic weapon for the first time although he was aware of the possible repercussions of such a procedure on the national economy. He sustained his support after the war so as to remove the aftermath of the aggression. He offered generous contributions, including 2 million Saudi riyals to the Egyptian Red Crescent to help victims of Port Said.

King Saud was still keen on keeping the region free of political and defense blocs that only support a superpower against another. Despite his solid relations with the American system, on which he relied in several areas because of the oil discovery and production, he seriously thought of canceling the American access for using Dhahran airport as a means of exerting pressure on the United States of America.

Despite traditionally intimate ties of his country with the United States of America, and the ingrained alienation of communism and Islamic beliefs, he refused to join the American sponsored the Baghdad Pact of 1955, (later on the Central Treaty Organisation – CENTO), – aimed at opposing the expansion of Communist influence in the region, despite the involvement of the fellow Arab State of Iraq in it, along with Iran, Turkey, Pakistan and Britain. Jordan, which also was keen to join the Pact and Syria as well, had been discouraged from doing so with the aid of political and financial pressure.

President of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower invited King Saud to undertake an official visit to the U.S. in 1957 since he believed that King Saud played a crucial role in implementing his doctrine of deterring and fighting communism in the Middle East and the Islamic countries. Once King Saud received the invitation he convened with Presidents Gamal Abdel Nasser and Shukri al-Quwatli in Cairo in January 1957. The three leaders agreed to try to convince Eisenhower to pressure the Israeli government to evacuate occupied Sharm El Sheikh that overlooks the Gulf of Aqaba and to withdraw to the borders of the previous truce on all frontiers.

He maintained his support to the countries at war with Israel, and signed a ten-year agreement with the Egyptian and Syrian presidents and with King Hussein of Jordan to ease Jordan's financial burdens as a result of this conflict. The annual Egyptian and Saudi financial assistance added up to five million Egyptian pounds from each of the two countries.

He also discussed with the American President his dispute with Britain over the Al Buraymi Oasis, an oil zone between the frontiers of Saudi Arabia, Oman and Abu Dhabi which was under British protection. The issue of the Al Buraymi Oasis was one of the issues that had been raised since the reign of his father King Abdulaziz and was still pending. After several clashes, the case went to international arbitration. When he accepted the American president's invitation to the United States he received a good welcome, but the Mayor of New York, Robert F. Wagner, Jr., refused to welcome the King because of his national and Islamic politics.

King Saud delivered an important speech during the banquet held by Dag Hammarskjöld, the Swedish UN Secretary-General in which he addressed the different aspects of the Arab complaints, in accordance with the UN charter and its powers. He invited all countries to value the charter and implement it in full; he also addressed the outcomes and repercussions of the Cold War. During his negotiations with the American president in Washington on 2 February 1957, the American President explained the principles and objectives of his doctrine, known as the Eisenhower Doctrine, and the effective role that he expected of him as a powerful friend of the United States of America and as an eminent Arab and Muslim leader in fighting the communist movement invading the Middle East and the Islamic countries.

Within this scheme, Dwight D. Eisenhower offered a 25 million dollar loan to the Saudi Government on 24 January 1957. In return, King Saud explained that he had refused Soviet Union military aid to fight Britain and that Britain's policy was what urged the Arabs to seek the Soviet Union's help. He also stressed that the "non-aligned" countries in the region were benefiting from Soviet aid more than the American allied countries were benefiting from American aid. He considered that this aid should double if the American President wished to succeed in his endeavors. King Saud asked Dwight D. Eisenhower to exert pressure on Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories of Palestine and settle the Palestinian cause, and to convince France to reach a settlement regarding the independence of Algeria. On the other hand, he promised to inform the Arabs of the Eisenhower Doctrine and its purposes; and to inquire about the Arab reaction on the official and officious levels before making any commitments. King Saud explained to the American President that a large bulk of his country's budget was allocated to development projects and to the five-year plan and that he needed military aid before being able to play any role expected from him in fighting Communism. The American government agreed to give him a 250 million dollar loan and all kinds of land, sea, and air weaponry, and to train the Saudi army on how to use them.

In return, the American government was to be granted facilities to use Dhahran airport for five years, after which it would be returned with all its equipment to the Saudi Government in 1962. Before briefing his Arab peers about the results of this visit and the Eisenhower Doctrine, King Saud visited Spain, Morocco, Tunisia and Libya and informed them of these results. In February 1957 he met the leaders of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan in Cairo and informed them of Dwight D. Eisenhower's objectives. Under the influence of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser and the Syrian President Shukri al-Quwatli, King Saud, wanting to support a unanimous Arab stand, decided to back up the Egyptian and Syrian Presidents in their decision not to contribute to the Eisenhower Doctrine.

When the Republic of Iraq decided to annex Kuwait in 1961 under Abd al-Karim Qasim, King Saud protested in international forums, declaring "any action against Kuwait is an action against Saudi Arabia."

Struggle with Faisal
Immediately after Abdulaziz's death, a fierce struggle erupted between his two eldest surviving sons, Saud and Faisal. The increase in oil revenues did not solve the financial problem associated with Saudi Arab debt, estimated to have been $US200 million in 1953. In fact, this debt more than doubled by 1958, when it reached $US450 million. The Saudi riyal lost half of its official value against the United States dollars. Both ARAMCO and international banks declined Saudi's demand for credit. Saud suspended the few government projects he had initiated but continued his spending on luxurious palaces.

In 1958, Saud was forced to delegate most of his executive powers to Faisal. Saud and Faisal fought an internal battle over the definition of political responsibilities and the division of government functions. Saud was often associated among other things with the plundering of oil revenues, luxurious palaces, and conspiracy inside and outside of Saudi Arabia while Faisal was associated with sobriety, piety, puritanism, thriftiness, and modernization.

The battle between the two brothers was fought over the role to be assigned to the Council of Ministers. Saud abolished the office of Prime Minister by royal decree, thus enforcing his position as King and de facto prime minister. Saud thought of himself as both King and prime minister whereas Faisal envisioned more powers being in his own hand as Crown Prince and deputy prime minister.

Forced abdication
King Saud's family members worried about Saud's profligacy and his inability to meet the challenge of Nasser's Egypt. Corruption and backwardness weakened the regime. Radio Cairo's anti-Saudi broadcasting was finding a receptive audience.

King Saud and Prince Faisal continued their power struggle until 1962 when Prince Faisal formed a cabinet in the absence of the King, who had gone abroad for medical treatment. Prince Faisal allied with Prince Fahd and Prince Sultan. Prince Faisal's new government excluded the sons of Saud. He promised a ten-point reform that included the drafting of the basic law, the abolition of slavery, and the establishment of a judicial council.

Upon his return, King Saud rejected Prince Faisal's new arrangement and threatened to mobilize the Royal Guard against his brother. In response, Prince Faisal demanded King Saud make him regent and turn over all royal powers to him. In this, he had the crucial backing of the ulema (elite Islamic scholars), including a fatwa (edict) issued by the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia, a relative of Prince Faisal on his mother's side, calling on King Saud to accede to his brother's demands.

King Saud continued his attempts to regain power and formed a cabinet in Jeddah in December 1963. He ordered the Mecca radio to announce the formation of his cabinet. The army forces loyal to Faisal besieged the radio station and did not allow the radio to broadcast it. In addition, Faisal gave an ultimatum to the king to leave Saudi Arabia.

Following these events Faisal ordered the National Guard to surround Saud's palace. In March 1964 Saud finally relented and named Faisal regent with full executive powers, effectively reducing himself to a figurehead. In November, the ulema, cabinet and senior members of the ruling family forced Saud to abdicate altogether, and Faisal became king in his own right. At the same time Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz was sent to Al Naṣariah Palace of King Saud to demand his and his sons' loyalty to the chosen king, Faisal. On 28 November 1964 an official announcement was made in Radio Mecca stating that 11 of Saud's sons had declared allegiance to King Faisal.

On 6 January 1965 Saud went to the palace with his uncle Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman to declare his allegiance to King Faisal.

Exile and later life
Following this event Saud left Saudi Arabia in January 1965. He was suggested to enter exile in Geneva, Switzerland, and then on to other European cities, but he settled in Athens. Later he unsuccessfully attempted to settle in Beirut. In 1966 Saud was invited by Nasser to live in Egypt; another report claims that King Saud went to Egypt under refuge granted by Nasser and stayed there from 1966 to 1967. King Saud was also allowed to broadcast on Radio Cairo. Some of his sons, including Prince Khalid, Prince Badr, Prince Sultan and Prince Mansour, joined him and supported his attempt to regain the throne. However, after the June 1967 Arab-Israel War, he lost the support of Egypt. In October 1967 he left Egypt and went first to Vienna and then to Athens where he remained until his death on 23 February 1969.

Personal life
Saud had 108 children and three wives at the time of his death. One of his many wives was Fawzia bint Nawwaf, a granddaughter of Nuri Al Shalaan, the Emir of the Ruwullah tribe. Only a few of his children have a public role.

His eldest son, Fahd, was minister of defense from 1956 to 1960. His youngest child is Basmah bint Saud. His third son, Muhammed, was sometime governor of Al Bahah Province and died on 8 July 2012. Prince Mishari, replaced his elder brother as Al Bahah governor with the rank of minister in August 2010.

Another son, Mishaal, was the governor of Najran Province from 1996 to November 2008. His son Abdul Rahman was a supporter of Al Nassr FC. One son, Badr bin Saud, was governor of Riyadh during his father's reign, while another son, Hussam, is a businessman.

One of his daughters, named Hajer, died outside the Kingdom following an illness on 17 November 2011. Her funeral prayer was performed at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh after Asr prayer. Another daughter, Noura, was the mother of the former deputy defense minister Fahd bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Saud and died in late July 2013. Another daughter, Hessah, was the first Saudi woman to become the principal of a school. His daughter Fahda is an artist.

In 2001, his daughter Buniah (born 1960) was arrested and charged with assaulting her maid in Florida. She was held for one night in prison and was released on bail of $5,000 and ordered to surrender her passport. After the death of his elder brother Turki, Saud married his wife, Muneera bint Obaid; their daughter, Al Anoud, died in January 2006 aged 83 and was buried in Mecca.

He was described as "although not as large as his illustrious father, King Saud is about six feet two inches (187 cm) in height and weighs well over two hundred pounds. Like his father, he has weak eyes, but he has also inherited Abdulaziz's magnetic smile and a keen sense of humor, which wins him many friends."

The "Red Palace" which King Abdulaziz built for King Saud and his mother was opened by the Ministry of Culture in 2019 to the public. It was Saudi Arabia's first concrete building and now exhibits displays about his life.

Death and funeral
King Saud died at the age of 67 on 23 February 1969 in Athens after suffering a heart attack. Two days before his death, he felt ill and asked his doctor Filnger from Austria to examine him. However, his physician arrived after he had died. In the morning of that day, Saud took a short walk on a beach with his daughter Nozhah, near the hotel where he used to live (Hotel Kavouri). His body was taken to Mecca then to Riyadh and the funeral ceremony took place at the Great Mosque in Mecca. He was buried next to his father's and grandfathers' graves at Al Oud cemetery in Riyadh.

Awards
Immediately after his accession to the throne Iranian ruler Mohammad Reza Pahlavi sent King Saud the highest decoration of the Imperial Iran, Order of Pahlavi.

During his reign, King Saud was the recipient of many honors and orders of various nations. In the formal portraits of King Saud in ceremonial uniform, he is wearing the breast stars of the following orders.

In the central display case, the following Orders are on display: It was during King Saud's reign that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia instituted, either in 1954 or 1955, its own series of orders, decorations, and medals. This series of awards consisted of the following:
 * Syrian Republic: Order of the Umayyads.
 * Lebanon: The Order of the Cedar.
 * Afghanistan: The Order of the Supreme Sun.
 * Kingdom of Libya: Star and Sash of the Order of Mohammed Ibn Ali El Senoussi.
 * Jordan: Star of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance.
 * Spain: Star and Sash of the Order of Civil Merit.
 * Greece: Star of the Order of Saint Mark.
 * Egypt: Collar of the Order of the Nile (1954)
 * Unknown: A poorly manufactured breast star – possibly a trial piece.
 * Order of King Abdulaziz
 * Star of King Saud
 * National Military Decoration
 * Efficiency Medal
 * Medal of Merit
 * Medal of Duty
 * Medal of Appreciation
 * Long Service and Good Example Medal
 * War Wounded Medal
 * Palestine Medal

title: Saud of Saudi Arabia


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Robert Thirsk

Robert Brent "Bob" Thirsk, (born August 17, 1953) is a Canadian retired engineer and physician, and a former Canadian Space Agency astronaut. He holds the Canadian record for the most time spent in space (204 days 18 hours). He became an officer of the Order of Canada (OC) in 2013 and was named to the Order of British Columbia (OBC) in 2012.

Life
Thirsk is from New Westminster, British Columbia and is married to Brenda Biasutti of Montreal, Quebec. They have three children. He enjoys spending time with his family, as well as flying, hockey, squash, and playing the piano.

He is a member of Professional Engineers Ontario, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute, the Aerospace Medical Association, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, and the International Space University.

He won the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta Gold Medal in 1976, and was the first recipient of the University of Calgary Distinguished Alumni Award (1985). In 1997, he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Professional Engineers of Ontario and was awarded honorary membership in the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia.

Education
Thirsk attended primary and secondary schools in British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba, attending Glenayre Elementary School (Port Moody, B.C.), R. T. Alderman Junior High and graduating from Calgary's Lord Beaverbrook High School. His post-secondary education began with receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Calgary in 1976, and continued with a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering from MIT in 1978, an M.D. from McGill University in 1982, and his MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management in 1998 as a Sloan Fellow. He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Calgary while in orbit on July 8, 2009. Fellow ISS crewmember Koichi Wakata placed the convocation cape on Thirsk, which was later removed due to it constantly floating up to his face. This event made Thirsk the first person ever to receive a university degree from space. In 2019, Thirsk was awarded an honorary D.Eng. from Carleton University in recognition of his outstanding career as a Canadian astronaut, his many contributions to scientific and health research, and his promotion of science education and lifelong learning.

CSA career
Thirsk was in the family medicine residency program at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Montreal when he was selected in December 1983 by the National Research Council of Canada to join the Canadian astronaut program. He began astronaut training in February 1984 and served as backup payload specialist to Marc Garneau for space shuttle mission STS-41-G, which flew October 5 to 13, 1984. He has participated in several parabolic flight experiment campaigns on board NASA's KC-135 aircraft and has been involved in various projects relating to space medicine, the International Space Station, mission planning, and education with the Canadian Space Agency. He led an international research team investigating the effect of weightlessness on the heart and blood vessels. His team designed and tested an experimental "anti-gravity suit" that may help astronauts withstand the effects of extended spaceflight on the cardiovascular system.

He served as Chief Astronaut of the Canadian Space Agency in 1993 and 1994. In February 1994, he was crew commander for the CAPSULS mission, a simulated 7-day space mission that involved the participation of several international investigators and three other Canadian astronauts. In 1994–95, Thirsk completed a sabbatical year in Victoria, British Columbia. During this year, he improved his skills in clinical practice, space medicine research and Russian language training.

On June 20, 1996, Thirsk flew aboard space shuttle mission STS-78 (the life and microgravity Spacelab mission) as a payload specialist. During this 17-day flight aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, he and his six crewmates performed 43 experiments devoted to the study of life and materials science. Most of these experiments were conducted within the pressurized Spacelab laboratory module situated in the orbiter's payload bay. The life science experiments investigated changes in plants, animals and humans under spaceflight conditions. The materials science experiments examined protein crystallization, fluid dynamics, and high-temperature solidification of multi-phase materials in microgravity.

While on STS-78, Thirsk wrote two columns for the Calgary Sun newspaper. This was the first occasion in which an astronaut wrote and filed a story to a newspaper—and had it published—while the astronaut was still in orbit.

In 1998, Thirsk was assigned by the Canadian Space Agency to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston to pursue mission specialist training. This training program involves advanced instruction on both shuttle and space station systems, EVA (spacewalking), robotic operations, and Russian language. Within the NASA Astronaut Office, Thirsk served as a CapCom (capsule communicator) for the International Space Station (ISS) program. CapComs participate in actual and simulated space missions as a communication link between the ground team at Mission Control and the astronauts in orbit. CapComs speak directly with the space station crew, and assist with technical planning for the mission and last-minute troubleshooting.

In October 2004, Thirsk served as the commander of the NEEMO 7 mission aboard the Aquarius underwater laboratory, living and working underwater for eleven days. As a back-up crewmember, Thirsk replaced fellow CSA astronaut Dafydd Williams, who had previously served as an aquanaut on the NEEMO 1 mission, due to Williams undergoing review of a temporary medical issue. Williams eventually served as the commander of NEEMO 9 in April 2006.

In 2004, Thirsk trained at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre near Moscow and became certified as a flight engineer for the Soyuz spacecraft. He served as backup flight engineer to European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Roberto Vittori for the Soyuz TMA-6 taxi mission to the ISS in April 2005. During the ten-day mission, Thirsk worked as Crew Interface Coordinator (European CapCom) at the Columbus Control Centre in Germany.

Thirsk was a member of the Expedition 21 crew on the International Space Station. He launched as a flight engineer on the Soyuz TMA-15 Soyuz mission on May 27, 2009, as a member of the Expedition 20 crew. He was the first Canadian astronaut to fly on a Soyuz. About this mission, Thirsk is quoted saying "It will be the supreme thrill of my life. Throughout the mission I will examine the long-term effects of zero gravity as both a test subject and a physician. My findings will undoubtedly contribute to the future understanding of space station living." He returned to Earth on Soyuz TMA-15 in November 2009.

During the ISS 20/21 flight, he was visited by two other Canadians: Julie Payette (Space Shuttle Endeavour STS 127) and space tourist Guy Laliberté on Soyuz TMA-16 at the end of September 2009. The meeting between Thirsk and Payette in July 2009 was the first time two Canadians met in space. He and the Soyuz TMA-15 crew returned to Earth December 1, 2009.

On April 12, 2011, Thirsk was awarded the Russian Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" – for outstanding contribution to the development of international cooperation in crewed space flight. In 2012, he was made a Member of the Order of British Columbia and in 2013 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada

Post-CSA career
From August 2012 to February 2014, Thirsk worked for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research as Vice President, Public, Government and Institute Affairs. The institute is the Canadian government's health research investment agency.

In September 2013, a Senior High School in Calgary, Alberta opened honoring Thirsk, named Robert Thirsk High School.

Thirsk became Chancellor of the University of Calgary on July 1, 2014.

In 2021 Robert made a trip to the UK where he gave a speech to Loughborough Grammar School.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Robert Thirsk


text:
Civic Act-up

Civic Act-up is a small pro-democracy political group in Hong Kong. It was founded on 24 September 2003 by a group of relatively young activists with the encouragement of Legislative Councillor Cyd Ho, to challenge the existing pro-government district councillors in Wanchai District in the 2003 District Council elections. There is no formal structure in the group.

Beliefs
The platform of the group includes pressing for universal suffrage for the Chief Executive and Legislative Council, improvements in urban design and transportation, paying special attention to youth, women and ethnic minority issues, and extending anti-discrimination laws to the areas of age, sexual orientation and race.

History
It was formed in the background of the 2003 July 1 march, where half of a million Hong Kong people showed up in the demonstration against the legislation of the Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23 and the Tung Chee-hwa administration. In the wake of the massive civil movement, Legislative Councillor Cyd Ho So-lan formed the Civic Act-up to contest in the Wanchai District in the 2003 District Council elections. Three out of five candidates of the group won in the 2003 District Council elections, with Cyd Ho defeated the pro-Beijing DAB's Legislative Councillor Ip Kwok-him in the Kwun Lung constituency in Central and Western District.

In 2004 LegCo elections, Cyd Ho, representing the Civic Act-up, lost her seat to DAB's Choy So-yuk with a narrow margin in Hong Kong Island due to tactical mistake of the ally Democratic Party. Cyd Ho revenged her defeat in the 2012 LegCo elections by winning in Hong Kong Island.

In 2012, Cyd Ho joined the Labour Party and ran under the Labour banner in the 2012 LegCo elections.

title: Civic Act-up


text:
House of Saud

The House of Al Saud (آل سُعُود ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi State (1727–1818), and his brothers, though the ruling faction of the family is primarily led by the descendants of Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman, the modern founder of Saudi Arabia. It forms a subtribe of the larger prominent ancient Banu Hanifa tribe of Arabia, from which well known 7th century Arabian theologist Maslama ibn Ḥabīb originates. The most influential position of the royal family is the King of Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarch. The family in total is estimated to comprise 15,000 members; however, the majority of power, influence and wealth is possessed by a group of about 2,000 of them. Some estimates of the royal family's wealth measure their net worth at $1.4 trillion. This figure includes the market capitalization of Saudi Aramco, the state oil and gas company, and its vast assets in fossil fuel reserves, making them the wealthiest family in the world and the wealthiest in recorded history.

The House of Saud has had four phases: the Sheikhdom of Diriyah (1446–1744); the Emirate of Diriyah (1727–1818), marked by the expansion of Salafism; the Emirate of Nejd (1824–1891), marked with continuous infighting; and the current state (1902–present), which evolved into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932 and now wields considerable influence in the Middle East. The family has had conflicts with the Ottoman Empire, the Sharif of Mecca, the Al Rashid family of Ha'il and their vassal houses in Najd along with numerous Islamist groups both inside and outside Saudi Arabia and Shia minority in Saudi Arabia.

The succession to the Saudi Arabian throne was designed to pass from one son of the first king, Abdulaziz, to another. The monarchy was hereditary by agnatic seniority until 2006, when a royal decree provided that future Saudi kings are to be elected by a committee of Saudi princes. King Salman, who reigns currently, first replaced the next crown prince, his brother Muqrin, with his nephew Muhammad bin Nayef. In 2017, Muhammad bin Nayef was replaced by Mohammed bin Salman, King Salman's son, as the crown prince after an approval by the Allegiance Council with 31 out of 34 votes. The king-appointed cabinet includes more members of the royal family.

Title
House of Saud is a translation of Al Saud, an Arabic dynastic name formed by adding the word Al (meaning "family of" or "House of") to the personal name of an ancestor. In the case of the Al Saud, the ancestor is Saud ibn Muhammad ibn Muqrin, the father of the dynasty's 18th century founder Muhammad bin Saud (Muhammad, son of Saud).

The surname "Al Saud" is carried by any descendant of Muhammad bin Saud or his three brothers Farhan, Thunayyan, and Mishari. Al Saud's other family branches like Saud Al Kabir, the Al Jiluwi, the Al Thunayan, the Al Mishari and the Al Farhan are called cadet branches. Members of the cadet branches hold high and influential positions in government though they are not in the line of succession to the Saudi throne. Many cadet members intermarry within the Al Saud to re-establish their lineage and continue to wield influence in the government.

All male members of the royal family have the title of Emir (Prince). However, the sons and patrilineal grandsons of Kings are referred to by the style "His Royal Highness" (HRH), differing from patrilineal great-grandsons and members of cadet branches who are called "His Highness" (HH), while the reigning king uses the additional title of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

Origins and early history
The earliest recorded ancestor of the Al Saud was Mani' ibn Rabiah Al-Muraydi, who settled in Diriyah in 1446–1447 with his clan, the Mrudah. The Mrudah are believed to be descended from the Banu Hanifa branch of the larger Rabi'ah tribal confederation. The Banu Hanifa played an important role in shaping the Middle East and Arabia from the 6th century, with prominent theologians such as Maslama ibn Ḥabīb descending from this tribe.

Mani' was invited to Diriyah by a relative named Ibn Dir, who was the ruler of a group of villages and estates that make up modern-day Riyadh. Mani's clan had been on a sojourn in east Arabia, near Al-Qatif, from an unknown point in time. Ibn Dir handed Mani two estates, called al-Mulaybeed and Ghusayba. Mani and his family settled and renamed the region Al Diriyah after their benefactor Ibn Dir.

The Mrudah became rulers of Al Diriyah, which prospered along the banks of Wadi Hanifa and became an important Najdi settlement. As the clan grew larger, power struggles ensued, with one branch leaving for nearby Dhruma, while another branch (the "Al Watban") left for the town of az-Zubayr in southern Iraq. The Al Muqrin became the ruling family among the Mrudah in Diriyah.

The name of the clan comes from Sheikh Saud ibn Muhammad ibn Muqrin, who died in 1725.

Emirate of Diriyah

The First Saudi State was founded in 1727. This period was marked by conquest of neighboring areas and by religious zeal. At its height, the First Saudi State included most of the territory of modern-day Saudi Arabia, and raids by Al Saud's allies and followers reached into Yemen, Oman, Syria, and Iraq. Islamic scholars, particularly Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab and his descendants, are believed to have played a significant role in Saudi rule during this period. The Saudis and their allies referred to themselves during this period as the Muwahhidun or Ahl al-Tawhid ("the monotheists"). Later they were referred to as the Wahhabis, a particularly strict, puritanical Islamic sect, named for its founder.

Leadership of Al Saud during the time of their first state passed from father to son without incident. The first imam, Muhammad bin Saud, was succeeded by his eldest son, Abdulaziz in 1765. In 1802, Abdulaziz's forces led 10,000 Wahhabi soldiers in an attack on the Shi'ite holy city of Karbala, in what is now southern Iraq and where Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad is buried. The Wahhabi soldiers killed more than 2,000 people, including women and children. They plundered the city, demolishing the massive golden dome above Hussein's tomb and loaded hundreds of camels with weapons, jewelry, coins and other valuable goods.

The attack on Karbala convinced the Ottomans and the Egyptians that the Saudis were a threat to regional peace. Abdulaziz was killed in 1803 by an assassin, believed by some to have been a Shi'ite seeking revenge over the sacking of Karbala the year before. Abdul-Aziz was in turn succeeded by his son, Saud, under whose rule the Saudi state reached its greatest extent. By the time Saud died in 1814, his son and successor Abdullah ibn Saud had to contend with an Ottoman-Egyptian invasion in the Wahhabi War (Ottoman-Saudi War) seeking to retake lost Ottoman Empire territory. The mainly Egyptian force succeeded in defeating Abdullah's forces, taking over the then-Saudi capital of Diriyyah in 1818. Abdullah was taken prisoner and was soon beheaded by the Ottomans in Constantinople, putting an end to the First Saudi State. The Egyptians sent many members of the Al Saud clan and other members of the local nobility as prisoners to Egypt and Constantinople, and razed the Saudi capital of Diriyyah.

Emirate of Nejd

A few years after the fall of Diriyah in 1818, the Saudis were able to re-establish their authority in Najd, establishing the Emirate of Nejd, commonly known as the Second Saudi State, with its capital in Riyadh.

Compared to the First Saudi State, the second Saudi period was marked by less territorial expansion (it never reconquered the Hijaz or 'Asir, for example) and less religious zeal, although the Saudi leaders continued to go by the title of imam and still employed Salafi religious scholars. The second state was also marked by severe internal conflicts within the Saudi family, eventually leading to the dynasty's downfall. In all but one instance, succession occurred by assassination or civil war, the exception being the passage of authority from Faisal ibn Turki to his son Abdullah ibn Faisal ibn Turki.

Present form
After his defeat at Mulayda, Abdul Rahman bin Faisal went with his family into exile in the deserts of eastern Arabia among the Al Murra bedouin. Soon afterward, however, he found refuge in Kuwait as a guest of the Kuwaiti emir, Mubarak Al Sabah. In 1902, Abdul Rahman's son, Abdulaziz, took on the task of restoring Saudi rule in Riyadh. Supported by a few dozen followers and accompanied by some of his brothers and relatives, Abdulaziz was able to capture Riyadh's Masmak fort and kill the governor appointed there by Muhammad bin Abdullah Al Rashid. Abdulaziz, reported to have been barely 20 at the time, was immediately proclaimed ruler in Riyadh. As the new leader of the House of Saud, Abdulaziz became commonly known from that time onward as "Ibn Saud" in Western sources, though he is still called "Abdulaziz" in the Arab world.

Abdulaziz spent the next three decades trying to re-establish his family's rule over central Arabia, starting with his native Najd. His chief rivals were the Al Rashid clan in Ha'il, the Sharifs of Mecca in the Hijaz, and the Ottoman Turks in al Hasa. Abdulaziz also had to contend with the descendants of his late uncle Saud ibn Faisal (later known as the "Saud Al Kabir" branch of the family), pretenders to the throne. Though for a time acknowledging the sovereignty of the Ottoman Sultans and even taking the title of pasha, Abdulaziz allied himself to the British, in opposition to the Ottoman-backed Al Rashidis. From 1915 to 1927, Abdulaziz's dominions were a protectorate of the British Empire, pursuant to the 1915 Treaty of Darin.

Abdulaziz won final victory over the Al Rashidis in 1921, making him the ruler of most of central Arabia. He consolidated his dominions as the Sultanate of Nejd. He then turned his attention to the Hijaz, finally conquering it in 1926, just months before the British protectorate ended. For the next five and a half years, he administered the two parts of his dual realm, the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd, as separate units.

By 1932, Abdulaziz had disposed of all his main rivals and consolidated his rule over much of the Arabian Peninsula. He united his dominions into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that year. His father, Abdul Rahman, retained the honorary title of "imam". In 1937, near Dammam, American surveyors discovered what later proved to be Saudi Arabia's vast oil reserves. Before the discovery of oil, many family members were destitute.

Abdulaziz sired dozens of children by his many wives. He had at most four wives at a time, divorcing many times. He made sure to marry into many of the noble clans and tribes within his territory, including the chiefs of the Bani Khalid, Ajman, and Shammar tribes, as well as the Al ash-Sheikh (descendants of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab). He also arranged for his sons and relatives to enter into similar marriages. He appointed his eldest surviving son, Saud as heir apparent, to be succeeded by the next eldest son, Faisal. The Al Saudi family became known as the "royal family", and each member, male and female, was accorded the title amir ("prince") or amira ("princess"), respectively.

Abdulaziz died in 1953, after having cemented an alliance with the United States in 1945. He is still celebrated officially as the "Founder", and only his direct descendants may take on the title of "his or her Royal Highness". The date of his recapture of Riyadh in 1902 was chosen to mark Saudi Arabia's centennial in 1999 (according to the Islamic lunar calendar).

Upon Abdulaziz's death, his son Saud assumed the throne without incident, but his lavish spending led to a power struggle with his brother, Crown Prince Faisal. In 1964, the royal family forced Saud to abdicate in favor of Faisal, aided by an edict from the country's grand mufti. During this period, some of Abdulaziz's younger sons, led by Talal ibn Abdul Aziz, defected to Egypt, calling themselves the "Free Princes" and calling for liberalization and reform, but were later induced to return by Faisal. They were fully pardoned but were also barred from any future positions in government.

Faisal was assassinated in 1975 by a nephew, Faisal ibn Musaid, who was promptly executed. Another brother, Khalid, assumed the throne. The next prince in line had actually been Prince Muhammad, but he had relinquished his claim to the throne in favor of Khalid, his only full brother.

Khalid died of a heart attack in 1982, and was succeeded by Fahd, the eldest of the powerful "Sudairi Seven", so-called because they were all sons of Ibn Saud by his wife Hassa Al Sudairi. Fahd did away with the previous royal title of "his Majesty" and replaced it with the honorific "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques", in reference to the two Islamic holy sites in Mecca and Medina, in 1986.

A stroke in 1995 left Fahd largely incapacitated. His half-brother, Crown Prince Abdullah, gradually took over most of the king's responsibilities until Fahd's death in August 2005. Abdullah was proclaimed king on the day of Fahd's death and promptly appointed his younger brother, Sultan bin Abdulaziz, the minister of defense and Fahd's "Second Deputy Prime Minister", as the new heir apparent. On 27 March 2009, Abdullah appointed Prince Nayef Interior Minister as his "second deputy prime minister" and Crown Prince on 27 October. Sultan died in October 2011 while Nayef died in Geneva, Switzerland on 15 June 2012. On 23 January 2015, Abdullah died after a prolonged illness, and his half-brother, Crown Prince Salman, was declared the new king.

Many princes and government officials were arrested in 2017 in an alleged anti corruption campaign by the king and crown prince. Then-United States President Donald Trump expressed support for the arrests.

Political power

The head of the House of Saud is the King of Saudi Arabia who serves as Head of State and monarch of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The king holds almost absolute political power. The king appoints ministers to his cabinet who supervise their respective ministries in his name. The key ministries of Defence, the Interior and Foreign Affairs are usually held by members of the Saud family, as are all of the thirteen regional governorships. Most portfolios, however, such as Finance, Labour, Information, Planning, Petroleum Affairs and Industry, have traditionally been given to commoners, often with junior Al Saud members serving as their deputies. House of Saud family members also hold many of the kingdom's critical military and governmental departmental posts. Ultimate power in the kingdom has always rested upon the Al Saudis, though support from the Ulema, the merchant community, and the population at large has been key to the maintenance of the royal family's political status quo.

Long-term political and government appointments have resulted in the creation of "power fiefdoms" for senior princes, such as those of King Faisal, who was foreign minister almost continuously from 1932 to 1975; King Abdullah, who had been commander of the National Guard since 1963 (until 2010, when he appointed his son to replace him); former Crown Prince Sultan, minister of defence and aviation from 1962 until his death in 2011; former Crown Prince Nayef who was the minister of interior from 1975 to his death in 2012; Prince Saud who had been minister of foreign affairs since 1975; and King Salman, who was minister of defense and aviation before he was crown prince and governor of the Riyadh Province from 1962 to 2011. The current minister of defense is Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the son of King Salman and crown prince.

Such terms of service have enabled senior princes to mingle their personal wealth with that of their respective domains. They have often appointed their own sons to senior positions within their own portfolios. Examples of these include Prince Mutaib bin Abdullah as assistant commander in the National Guard until 2010; Prince Khalid bin Sultan as assistant minister of defence until 2013; and Prince Mansour bin Mutaib as assistant minister for municipal and rural affairs until he replaced his father in 2009. In cases where portfolios have notably substantial budgets, appointments of younger, often full, brothers have been necessary, as deputies or vice ministers, ostensibly to share the wealth and the burdens of responsibility, of each fiefdom. Examples of these include Prince Abdul Rahman who was vice minister of defence and aviation under Prince Sultan; Prince Badr, deputy to King Abdullah in the National Guard; Prince Sattam, who was deputy governor of Riyadh during King Salman's term; and Prince Ahmed, who held the deputy minister's portfolio under Prince Nayef's interior ministry.

Unlike Western royal families, the Saudi monarchy has not had a clearly defined order of succession. Historically, upon becoming king, the monarch has designated an heir apparent to the throne who serves as crown prince of the kingdom. Upon the king's death, the crown prince becomes king, and during the king's incapacitation the crown prince, likewise, assumes power as regent. Although other members of the Al Saudis hold political positions in the Saudi government, it is only the king and crown prince who legally constitute the political institutions.

The royal family is politically divided by factions based on clan loyalties, personal ambitions and ideological differences. The most powerful clan faction is known as the 'Sudairi Seven', comprising the late King Fahd and his full brothers and their descendants. Ideological divisions include issues over the speed and direction of reform, and whether the role of the ulema should be increased or reduced. There were divisions within the family over who should succeed to the throne after the accession or earlier death of Prince Sultan. When Prince Sultan died before ascending to the throne on 21 October 2011, King Abdullah appointed Prince Nayef as crown prince. The following year, Prince Nayef also died before ascending to the throne.

Succession

Succession has been from brother to brother since the death of the founder of modern Saudi Arabia. Abdulaziz was succeeded by his son Saud who was succeeded by his half-brother Faisal. Faisal was succeeded by his brother Khalid who, in turn, was succeeded by his half-brother Fahd. Fahd was succeeded by his half-brother Abdullah, and Abdullah by his half-brother Salman, the current King. Salman appointed his half-brother Muqrin as Crown Prince in January 2015 and removed him in April 2015. Even Abdulaziz's youngest son was to turn 70 in 2015. Abdulaziz, in 1920, had said that the further succession would be from brother to brother, not from father to son. King Salman ended the brother-to-brother succession and appointed his 56-year-old nephew Muhammad bin Nayef as crown prince in April 2015, thus making the next succession from uncle to nephew. At the same time, King Salman appointed his son, Mohammad bin Salman, as deputy crown prince, thus making the next succession from cousin to cousin, as Muhammad bin Salman is the cousin of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef. However, in June 2017, Salman elevated Mohammad bin Salman to crown prince, following his decision to strip Muhammad bin Nayef of all positions, making his son heir apparent to the throne, and making the next succession from father to son, for the first time since 1953, when Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud succeeded his father, the founder of Saudi Arabia, Ibn Saud.

Amid international outcry over the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, members of the Saudi royal family were allegedly distressed over the prospect of the crown prince becoming the next king. It was reported that dozens of princes and members of the Al Saud family were interested in seeing Prince Ahmed become the next king instead. During his London tour, Prince Ahmed criticized the Saudi leadership. He was also one of the three members of the ruling family to oppose Mohammad bin Salman becoming the crown prince in 2017.

Wealth
In June 2015, Forbes listed businessman Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, a grandson of Abdulaziz, the first king of Saudi Arabia, as the 34th-richest man in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$22.6 billion.

As of 2020, the combined net worth of the entire royal family has been estimated at around US$100 billion, which makes them the richest royal family among all monarchs, as well as one of the wealthiest families in the world. Some estimates of the Royal Family's wealth put the figure as high as $1.4 trillion, which includes holdings in Saudi Aramco.

Opposition and controversy

Due to its authoritarian and quasi-theocratic rule, the House of Saud has attracted much criticism during its rule of Saudi Arabia. There have been numerous incidents, including the Wahhabi Ikhwan militia uprising during the reign of Ibn Saud. Osama Bin Laden, a critic of the US, was also a critic of Saudi Arabia and was denaturalized in the mid 1990s.

On 20 November 1979, the Grand Mosque seizure saw the al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca violently seized by a group of 500 heavily armed and provisioned Saudi dissidents led by Juhayman al-Otaybi and Abdullah al-Qahtani, consisting mostly of members of the former Ikhwan militia of Otaibah but also of other peninsular Arabs and a few Egyptians enrolled in Islamic studies at the Islamic University of Madinah. The Saudi royal family turned to the Ulema, who duly issued a fatwa permitting the storming of the holy sanctuary by Saudi forces, aided by French special ops units. According to Lawrence Wright, the GIGN commandos did first convert to Islam prior to the raid. Most of those responsible, including Al-Otaybi himself, were soon beheaded publicly in four cities of Saudi Arabia.

In January 2016, Saudi Arabia executed the prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr, who had called for pro-democracy demonstrations, along with forty-seven other Saudi Shia citizens sentenced by the Specialized Criminal Court on terrorism charges.

Since May 2017, in response to protests against the government, the predominantly Shia town of Al-Awamiyah has been put under full siege by the Saudi military. Residents are not allowed to enter or leave, and the Saudi military indiscriminately shells the neighborhoods with airstrikes, mortar fire along with snipers shooting residents. Dozens of Shia civilians were killed, including a three-year-old and a two-year-old child. The Saudi government claims it is fighting terrorists in al-Awamiyah.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman kept his own mother away from his father for more than two years, fearing that she would stop the king from giving eventual power to him. Princess Fahda bint Falah Al Hithlain, third wife of King Salman, was said to be in America for medical treatment. However, according to American intelligence, this was refuted, stating that she was not in the country.

Some Royals have been criticised for various human rights violations, including the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, treatment of workers, the Saudi-led intervention in Bahrain and the Yemen war.

The Reuters news agency reported on 23 June 2020 that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had allegedly threatened and intimidated a former intelligence officer, Saad al-Jabri, along with his family of adult children, from returning to Saudi Arabia from exile in Canada. Al-Jabri was a long-time aide to the former crown prince, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who was ousted in 2017. Al-Jabri allegedly has access to documents containing information sensitive and pivotal for the crown prince's leadership.

A group of intellectuals from Saudi Arabia, exiled in the US, UK, and elsewhere, launched a political party in opposition to the royal family ruling the kingdom. The launch of the party was announced in September 2020 and was launched on the 2nd death anniversary of Jamal Khashoggi. The National Assembly Party (NAAS – people in Arabic) was launched with the aim of gathering the support of people, both inside and outside Saudi Arabia, against the ruling royals King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Madawi al-Rasheed, a scholar, is also the co-founder of NAAS. Other members of the party include scholar Abdullah al-Aoudh, comedian and vlogger Omar Abdulaziz, and activist Yahya Assiri. The party's launch took place online from London as the Basic Law of Saudi Arabia prohibits the formation of political parties. Forming a political party is considered sedition, punishable with lengthy jail terms.

Some members of the royal family have ill-treated their employees, even while visiting other countries. For example, Princess Buni Al Saud, a niece of King Fahd, pushed the staff down the stairs. Another princess attacked her worker with the help of a bodyguard. A Saudi prince and his children abused their maids when they were in France.

Emirate of Diriyah

First Saudi state

Second Saudi state

Third Saudi state

Sons of King Abdulaziz
The list of King Abdulaziz's surviving sons, except for current Saudi monarch Salman, are as follows:

 * 1) Abdul llah bin Abdulaziz (born 1939) –  Former governor of Al Jawf Province. He was special advisor to King Abdullah from 2008 to 2015.
 * 2) Ahmed bin Abdulaziz (born 1942) –  Deputy minister of interior from 1975 to 2012; minister of interior from June 2012 to 5 November 2012.
 * 3) Mashhur bin Abdulaziz (born 1942)
 * 4) Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (born 1945) –  Director general of the General Intelligence Directorate from 2005 to 2012; former governor of Ha'il and Madinah provinces. He was appointed second deputy prime minister on 1 February 2013 and he was made crown prince on 23 January 2015 when his half-brother Salman became king. On 28 April 2015 Muqrin was granted resignation based on his request to start the next generation of the royals.

Royal Standard
The script on the flag is written in the Thuluth script. It is the shahada or Islamic declaration of faith:
 * The Royal Flag consists of a green flag, with an Arabic inscription and a sword featured in white, and with the national emblem embroidered in gold in the lower right canton.
 * لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا الله مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ الله
 * lā ʾilāha ʾillā-allāh, muhammadun rasūlu-allāh
 * There is no other god but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of God.

 * The Royal Standard consists of a green flag, in the center of the national emblem embroidered with gold.

title: House of Saud


text:
Talk:Chungking Express

Repeated song
Was "Dreams" is played several times? I remembered it to be only as end theme song. --Menchi (Talk)ü| â 09:26, 15 Dec 2003 (UTC)

 * The song is "Dream Person" (not "Dreams") by Faye Wong. It can be found on her album "Random Thoughts". Visit the Faye Wong page on Wikipedia for more information. The song plays when Faye is cleaning the apartment, and as well at the end of the film. Her song "Know Oneself and Each Other" (also found on "Random Thoughts") is as well in the movie very briefly during one of the bar sequences when Tony is sitting by the jukebox. Jason Gervais 17:03, 14 May 2006 (UTC)

Names and Fallen Angels
"Kaneshiro Takeshi" and "Wong Faye" aren't the english/western ways of putting their names. In English they're known was Takeshi Kanesiro and Faye Wong. I'd think it'd be logical to change the names to this because Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Wong Kar Wai in put into "western" form.

Also should it be mentioned that WKW filmed two additional stories that were intially planned to be told in Chungking Express, but were left out and fleshed out to form Fallen Angels. It also features Takeshi Kaneshiro. The story takes place in the same universe and has the same themes as Chungking Express.

 * Referring to your second paragraph: It's actually only one additional story, not two. Jason Gervais 17:10, 14 May 2006 (UTC)
 * JFYI, Wong Kar Wai is not the "western" form. Timmyshin (talk) 11:08, 19 December 2013 (UTC)

Forest or jungle?
The introduction gives two different literal translations of the Chinese title: Chungking Forest and Chungking Jungle. Someone who knows Chinese should correct whichever is wrong. In case there's a problem differentiating the two English words, a forest is a general term for a large tract of land in any climate which is covered with trees and undergrowth but which is not typically impenetrable. A person might fairly easily go for a casual walk through a forest. A jungle, in contrast, is typically in a tropical or at least very humid climate and has much denser vegetation than a forest, so dense that it is practically impenetrable; walking through a jungle would take a considerable amount of effort. Jungle is a more dramatic word than forest, so I would think it might be preferable, but since the intention is to give the literal meaning of the Chinese word, someone who knows Chinese well should make the correction.--Jim10701 (talk) 22:02, 9 January 2011 (UTC)
 * 森林 can mean either Forest or Jungle. 220.255.1.131 (talk) 14:05, 25 January 2015 (UTC)

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Plot
Yo. I find it a bit rich to be accused of "vindictive and unconstructive editing" when the very edit being undone was a compromise: keeping the information about the two-story structure while trimming the fluff.

Speaking of fluff:

 * "Except for a brief moment when the first story ends and the second begins, the two stories do not interconnect.
 * However, the three main characters from the second story each momentarily appear during the first."

is not important to plot and should be omitted. We're just trying to summarise the events of the film here, there's no need for a breakdown about "brief moments" when scenes overlap or which characters momentarily appear or whatever. See WP:PLOT, which states: "The plot summary is an overview of the film's main events, so avoid minutiae like dialogue, scene-by-scene breakdowns, individual jokes, and technical detail." Popcornduff (talk) 14:41, 17 January 2018 (UTC)

 * Sorry Popcornduff – I just saw the absence of subsection headings and lazily assumed you undid my edit entirely. I apologise. It's fine to edit for brevity but I think a bit of extra context is sometimes worth some wordiness too. Citobun (talk) 14:47, 17 January 2018 (UTC)
 * Well done for being one of the 1% of pissed-off Wiki editors who admits when they made a mistake (a 1% I sadly do not always belong to myself). As per my explanation above I've removed the information I consider superfluous again; I don't think we need to say the stories both involve heartbroken police officers when exactly this is explained in the summary itself. Popcornduff (talk) 14:53, 17 January 2018 (UTC)

Critical Response section update
Proposing removal of semi-pro review by James Berardinelli plus addition of other reviews equal in status to Roger Ebert and Sight & Sound. GimmeChoco44 (talk) 08:59, 10 February 2019 (UTC)
 * "Prolific" output by a writer can be applauded, but the purpose of the Critical Reception section is to show the range of reviews which had impact on the success/popularity of the film. The inclusion of this quote by "not a professional movie reviewer" seems self-serving.
 * Rolling Stone, Variety, New York Times would be justified additions, especially to demonstrate the film's varying range of praise and criticism.

Moving forward on revising critical response list. GimmeChoco44 (talk) 09:03, 21 February 2019 (UTC)

Name of Character played by Kaneshiro
From what I can see, his name 何志武 in pinyin should be He Zhiwu, not He Qiwu as written in the article. Can anyone else confirm this? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 135.0.186.38 (talk) 19:41, 25 June 2020 (UTC)

title: Talk:Chungking Express


text:
Abdul Rahman bin Faisal Al Saud (1850–1928)

Abdul Rahman bin Faisal Al Saud (عبد الرحمن بن فيصل آل سعود ʿAbd ar Raḥman bin Fayṣal Āl Saʿūd; 1850 – June 1928) was the last emir of Nejd, reigning from 1875 to 1876 and from 1889 to 1891. He was the youngest son of Emir Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah and the father of Abdulaziz, the founder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Early life
Abdul Rahman was born in 1850. He was the fourth and youngest son of Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah. He had three elder brothers: Abdullah, Saud and Mohammed. Saud was his full brother, and their mother was from the Ajman tribe. One of his sisters was Al Jawhara (died around 1930), who accompanied Abdul Rahman and his family in exile to Kuwait.

Royal civil war
After their father died in 1865, a struggle for power arose between Abdul Rahman's brothers Saud and Abdullah. Abdul Rahman and his brother Muhammad tended to align themselves with Saud. In 1871, after Saud had taken the capital Riyadh, Abdul Rahman was sent to Baghdad to negotiate with the Ottoman Empire for help. Unsuccessful after two years, he tried to take Al Hasa in the east where Abdullah was now based, but this also failed, and Abdul Rahman eventually returned to Riyadh. After Saud's death in 1875, Abdul Rahman was recognized as successor, but within a year Riyadh was taken by Abdullah and he was forced to abdicate.

In 1887 the sons of Saud bin Faisal, who kept up desultory hostilities against their uncles, managed to capture Abdullah. The Emir of Jabal Shammar, Muhammad bin Abdullah Al Rashid, was able to secure Abdullah's release in exchange for Abdul Rahman. Abdullah was taken to Ha'il and a Rashidi emir appointed him to govern Riyadh. Abdul Rahman was able to rise in revolt in 1887 and take and defend Riyadh, but his attempts to expand control ended in disaster. When he became the undisputed leader of the House of Saud in 1889, he attacked and regained Riyadh. However, Emir Muhammad's forces defeated the Saudis in the Battle of Mulayda, and Abdul Rahman and his family were forced to flee.

Later years
In 1891 the family fled to the desert of the Rub al-Khali to the southeast among the Al Murrah. Abdul Rahman recognised that they could not live by depending on the support from the tribes. Then, he and his family found refuge first with the Al Khalifa family in Bahrain and finally with the Al Sabah family in Kuwait. They were given permission by the Ottoman State to settle in Kuwait. While in Kuwait, Abdul Rahman was given a regular stipend by the Ottomans. He tried to make Wahhabist Islam widespread there and recreate the Saudi Dynasty. Mubarak Al Sabah, a member of the Kuwaiti royal family and future ruler of Kuwait from 1896, developed a rapport with one of Abdul Rahman's sons, Abdulaziz, who frequently visited Mubarak's majlis. However, Abdul Rahman did not visit the majlis and did not endorse Abdulaziz's closeness with Mubarak due to the latter's interest in fine silk clothes, smoking, and women.

After defeat at the battle of Sarif in February 1900, Abdul Rahman gave up all ambitions to recover his patrimony. In the battle he was actively supported by Mubarak Al Sabah. In December 1901 Abdul Rahman met with the Russian officials when the Russian Varyag cruiser visited Kuwait.

Following the capture of Riyadh in January 1902 by his son Abdulaziz, in May Abdul Rahman sent a message to Lieutenant Colonel C. A. Kemball who was the British political resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire asking the British Government to make a treaty with his son, but his proposal was not taken into consideration by the British due to their tendency to remain neutral in central Arabian affairs as well as due to their uncertainty about Abdulaziz's potential to consolidate his power in the region.

Abdul Rahman left Kuwait on 11 May and came to Riyadh where he was welcomed by Abdulaziz and a group of ulema. Abdulaziz asked the group to declare their loyalty to his father, but Abdul Rahman did not accept the offer stating that they should take an oath of loyalty to Abdulaziz. Then Abdul Rahman presented Abdulaziz a sword that had belonged to Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab.

Abdul Rahman actively attempted to secure the British protection which was not productive. At the beginning of 1905 he wanted to visit Kuwait to meet with Captain S.G. Knox, the first British political representative there, but it was not permitted by the British.

Abdul Rahman was styled Imam and considered the spiritual leader of the country, while Abdulaziz held secular and military authority. Abdulaziz succeeded Abdul Rahman as Imam in 1928 when the latter died. The latter acted as the ceremonial leader of the newly built state. However, during the formation years he was also acting ruler when Abdulaziz was out of Riyadh and helped him to organize the forces. In 1905 he represented Abdulaziz in the negotiations with the Ottomans following the capture of Qasim. Another significant meeting headed by Abdul Rahman was an assembly of Najdi tribal and religious leaders in Riyadh on 4 July 1924.

Personal life and death
Abdul Rahman had ten sons with different wives: Faisal (1870–1890), Abdulaziz, Mohammed, Saad I, Saud (1890–1965), Abdullah, Musaid, Ahmed, Saad II (1924–1955) and Abdul Mohsen. Abdulaziz was his fourth child. Ahmed was a member of the family council during the reign of King Khalid. Abdul Rahman's most famous daughter, Noura bint Abdul Rahman, was an important adviser to her brother King Abdulaziz. At least two of Abdul Rahman's daughters, Noura and Mounira, married the grandsons of their paternal uncle, Saud bin Faisal.

One of Abdul Rahman's spouses was Sara bint Ahmed bin Muhammad Al Sudairi who was the mother of Faisal, Noura, Abdulaziz, Bazza, Haya and Saad I. She died in 1910. Another of his spouses was Sara bint Jiluwi, daughter of his uncle Jiluwi bin Turki and the mother of Mohammed. Another spouse was Amsha bint Faraj Al Ajran Al Khalidi, the mother of Musaid.

Abdul Rahman died in June 1928  and was buried in Riyadh.


text:
Talk:The Bash Street Kids

Origin
The opening paragraph states one version of the strip's origin as (unverified) fact, then immediately follows it with Leo Baxendale saying otherwise. 79.71.40.7 (talk) 16:22, 1 March 2023 (UTC)

The 40th anniversary storyline
It would be great if someone could put a summary of the famous storyline that occured in early 1994, when the kids were 'modernised' and moved to a brand new school (I'd do it, but I don't have the issues). All a publicity stunt, of course, but it got quite a reaction. BillyH 10:00, 7 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Oh God yes, that was absolutely brilliant! Haha, I desperately want to read that strip now. --Imitationleather 06:39, 21 February 2006 (UTC)

 * The first part where the inspector closed down the school was in the 2004 annual, but the other two parts haven't been reprinted. The Beano and ITV's This Morning ran a poll, and of course everyone preferred the old version of the kids. Digifiend 09:56, 5 June 2006 (UTC)

 * Part of the story is here: http://uk.geocities.com/pjgdavidsutherland/Dennisthemenace2.html Digifiend 12:26, 8 June 2006 (UTC)

Teacher
Was Teacher's name ever given?

 * Not to my knowledge. The only way to find out would be to read every single strip! BillyH 15:21, 23 July 2005 (UTC)

THE KING OF C/P 4 LIFE $$$

 * The Bash Street School text stories in The Wizard in the 1950s probably mentioned Teacher's name, as other characters' names were expanded (Sidney's surname is Pye, Danny's full name is Danny "Death-Head" Morgan). However the school wasn't in Beanotown (probably because Beanotown didn't yet exist, rather than because it was in another comic) so it might not be canon. Also Spotty, Cuthbert, and Olive didn't exist yet, so weren't in the text stories. Digifiend 09:55, 5 June 2006 (UTC)

Sleepy Sam Snorer. Grumpy1313 (talk) 13:38, 10 November 2020 (UTC)

Two of the text stories are partially reprinted here, and in the first one he's Sleepy Sam Snorer, but in the second he's Weary Willie Watson. 79.71.40.7 (talk) 16:22, 1 March 2023 (UTC)

Beanotown location
I think Beanotown is supposed to be Dundee. So yes, it's in Scotland. Digifiend

-Edit-

Beanotown is definitely not located in Scotland, it has been referenced many times in the comic that the characters are in England —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.3.193.101 (talk) 03:01, 17 January 2009 (UTC)

Repeated Story
The bash street kids have maybe repeated some stories because there was a story about computer bugs which i have proof that the story was a reprint.Darkside2000 (talk) 11:48, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Anachronistic
I'm not sure it's true to say that the strip is "anachronistically frozen in the era in which it began" - did ordinary secondary school teachers still wear mortar boards and gowns as recently as 1954, other than for school photographs and formal occasions? I very much doubt it.

Surely when Leo Baxendale created Teacher, he was simply following a comic stereotype, rather than actually trying to portray him as a realistic teacher. 217.34.39.123 12:20, 30 April 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Bash street kids.JPG
Image:Bash street kids.JPG is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in Wikipedia articles constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.BetacommandBot 04:42, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

"'Real' Bash Street teacher revealed"
--Mais oui! (talk) 07:07, 30 December 2009 (UTC)
 * "The Beano’s mortarboard and gown-wearing master was modelled on George Moonie, the comic’s founding editor. Leo Baxendale, the cartoonist who created the character, has revealed that Moonie not only inspired Teacher but was also the basis for Minnie the Minx’s slipper-wielding father."

Other beano characters at the school
Should be noted that Dennis has also been seen is class 2B at very rare times. --82.152.210.80 21:00, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

In recent years, it would appear all Beano characters attend Bash Street, so Dennis might be in class 2A? At any rate, Roger The Dodger has definitely been confirmed as having the Bash Street Headmaster at his school, which I think proves it. Incidentially, most Beano characters (set in the present, so excluding Pirates of the Carabbeano, and also excluding toddlers Bea and Ivy) are in the same class. A bit odd, as I'd guess that Ernest and Daisy (Crazy for Daisy) and Ed (Numskulls) are older than most. Digifiend

Yes, in one Bash Street Kids strip from an annual, Roger appears, seemingly out of nowhere, but nobody is surprised to see him, so he must be in the same class. 109.145.30.197 (talk) 18:55, 14 December 2011 (UTC)

 * The Beano doesnt really do continuity occasionally other Beano characters are in the same class or just school and no mention of it is made. That example does imply that they are in the same class but the Beano lacks continuity so if something happens in one 'episode' it doesnt mean in another later episode that the event actually happened. Eopsid (talk) 19:10, 14 December 2011 (UTC)

 'erbert called them spectacles

 * My apologies, then spectacles is right. Daniel Quinlan 09:16, Dec 15, 2003 (UTC)

External links modified
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Spotty - how many spots?
The article refers to Spotty having "976 black spots covering his face" but I remember an annual from the 70s or 80s in which one of the stories relied on him having a total of 28 visible spots on his head, and I count 32 in the picture used in the article, implying that the other 944 must be either very small or under his chin. I don't have a date for that story, the plot involved a plague of ladybirds which Spotty managed to lead away after Teacher told them that ladybirds will sometimes accept an object with 28 spots as their leader. Pastychomper (talk) 12:18, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

Image deletion nomination(s)
One or more images currently used in this article have been nominated for deletion as violations of the non-free content criteria (NFCC).

You can read more about what this means and why these files are being nominated for deletion at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Comics.

You can participate at the deletion discussion(s) at Files for discussion/2020 May 1. If you are not familiar with NFCC-related deletion discussions, I recommend reading the post linked above first.

Sincerely, The Squirrel Conspiracy (talk) 05:46, 1 May 2020 (UTC)

Cast problems
At this time, Jonathan Kydd does anything wrong with voicing Wilfrid in The Beano Video and Sidney in The Beano Videostars. Susan Sheridan might be taking over voicing both of them in both videos. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.218.18.234 (talk) 16:27, 3 January 2022 (UTC)

title: Talk:The Bash Street Kids


text:
ISO/IEC 5218

ISO/IEC 5218 Information technology — Codes for the representation of human sexes is an international standard that defines a representation of human sexes through a language-neutral single-digit code. It can be used in information systems such as database applications.

The four codes specified in ISO/IEC 5218 are:
 * 0 = Not known;
 * 1 = Male;
 * 2 = Female;
 * 9 = Not applicable.

The standard specifies that its use may be referred to by the designator "SEX".

The standard explicitly states that no significance is to be placed on the encoding of male as 1 and female as 2; the encoding merely reflects existing practice in the countries that initiated this standard. The standard also explains that it "meets the requirements of most applications that need to code human sexes. It does not provide codes for sexes that may be required in specific medical and scientific applications or in applications that need to code sex information other than for human beings." Since its 2022 revision, the standard also states that its scope does not cover human gender identities and therefore does not provide codes for those.

ISO/IEC 5218 was created by ISO's Data Management and Interchange Technical Committee, proposed in November 1976, and updated in June 2022. The standard is currently maintained by the ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee (ISO/IEC JTC 1) subcommittee on Data management and interchange (ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 32).

This standard is used in several national identification numbers. For example, the first digit of the French INSEE number and the first digit of the Republic of China National Identification Card (Chinese: 中華民國國民身分證) are based on ISO/IEC 5218 values.

title: ISO/IEC 5218


text:
List of Swedish entrepreneurs

This is a list of Swedish entrepreneurs and business people.

 * Ola Ahlvarsson (born 1970), founder of Result
 * David Axmark, co-founder of MySQL
 * Percy Barnevik (born 1941), industry leader (ABB)
 * Per-Ingvar Brånemark (1929–2014), osseointegration, titanium dental prostheses
 * Gustaf Dalén (1869–1937), founder of AGA and Nobel Prize laureate
 * Nils Ericson (1802–1860), railroad pioneer (SJ)
 * John Ericsson (1803–1889), inventor and engineer (USS Monitor)
 * Lars Magnus Ericsson (1846–1926), founder of Ericsson
 * Joakim Fohlman, founder of Safer Uppsala County and the Foundation for Safer Sweden
 * Assar Gabrielsson (1891–1962), industrialist, co-founder of Volvo
 * Bertil Hult (born 1941), businessman, founder of EF Education First
 * Jonas af Jochnick (1937–2019), founder of Oriflame
 * Kerstin af Jochnick (born 1958), banker
 * Robert af Jochnick (born 1940), founder of Oriflame
 * Johan Petter Johansson (1853–1943), inventor
 * Ingvar Kamprad (1926–2018), founder of IKEA
 * Bert Karlsson (born 1945), owner and manager of Mariann Grammofon AB
 * Mathilda Hamilton (1864–1935), missionary and entrepreneur
 * Ivar Kreuger (1880–1932), industrialist and financier
 * Håkan Lans (born 1947), inventor
 * Per E. Larsson, CEO and businessperson
 * Gustav de Laval (1845–1913), founder of Alfa Laval
 * Beatrice Lesslie (1890–1967), ran the Gothenburg clothing firm Konfektions AB Lesslie
 * Birger Ljungström (1872–1948), engineer
 * Fredrik Ljungström (1875–1964), industrialist
 * Adolf H. Lundin (1932–2006), oil and mining entrepreneur
 * Alfred Nobel (1833–1896), industrialist, instituted the Nobel Prizes
 * Birger Nordholm (1897–1989), entrepreneur
 * Erling Persson (1917–2002), founder of Hennes & Mauritz
 * Markus Persson (born 1979), founder of Mojang AB, creator of Minecraft
 * Johanna Petersson (1807–1899), pioneering businesswoman from Ödeshög
 * Ruben Rausing (1895–1983), founder of Tetra Pak
 * Pär Olof Sandå (born 1965), entrepreneur, developer and stockbroker
 * Lars Olsson Smith (1836–1913), spirits manufacturer
 * Johan Stael von Holstein, founder of Icon MediaLab
 * Helena Stjernholm (born 1970), CEO of the financial firm Industrivärden
 * Frans Suell (1744–1818), founder of Malmö harbour
 * Johan Ullman (born 1953), working in ergonomy, occupational orthopedics
 * Torsten Ullman
 * Olof Wallenius (1902–1970)
 * Axel Wenner-Gren, founder of Electrolux
 * Jonas Wenström, industrialist
 * Sven Wingquist (1876–1953), engineer, inventor, industrialist, co-founder of SKF
 * Niklas Zennström, founder of KaZaA and Skype

title: List of Swedish entrepreneurs


text:
7.1 People Pile

7.1 People Pile was a loose pro-democracy political group in Hong Kong named after the mass protest on 1 July 2003. It was established on 10 August 2003. The group is formed by a group of young people mainly under their 30s. Its aim is to push ahead for democracy in Hong Kong by continuing the spirit of "people's power" in the 1 July protests.

Their platform includes a call for universal suffrage for the Chief Executive in 2007 and Legislative Council in 2008, opposing legislation to implement Article 23 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini-constitution, and demanding the Chief Executive, Tung Chee-hwa, to step down. The platform of the group also included the fight for full-fledged democracy, minority rights such as LGBT rights, gender equality, and the development of civil society.

The group filed three candidates in the 2003 District Council elections. All of them were defeated.

title: 7.1 People Pile


text: Talk:Erbium

title: Talk:Erbium


text:
User:Hémant~enwiki

Belgian contributor on french wikipedia, I occasionally make an incursion on the english side. If you read french, you can have a look at my home page on fr.

title: User:Hémant~enwiki