Lubna Olayan, Chief Executive Officer and Deputy Chairperson of Olayan Financing Company and Yasir al-Rumayyan, Chief Executive and Managing Director of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, attend the investment conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia October 23, 2018.
A major investment conference opened in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday amid international boycott over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Organized by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the three-day event aims to draw investments with a view to diversifying the kingdom’s oil-based economy.
Several major banks, corporations and businessmen have boycotted the conference, which is held under the shadow of an international outcry over Khashoggi’s murder at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.
Among boycotters of the conference are World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, billionaire philanthropist and Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong and British billionaire Richard Branson.
Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih on Tuesday admitted that Saudi Arabia was “in crisis” over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.“Saudi Arabia is going through a crisis,” al-Falih said in statements on the sidelines of a major investment conference in the capital Riyadh.He described Khashoggi’s killing as “abhorrent and cannot be justified”.Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, was last seen on Oct. 2 when he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.How the man behind Khashoggi murder ran the killing via SkypeAfter days of denying to know his whereabouts, Saudi Arabia last week claimed Khashoggi died during a fight inside the consulate.Saudi King Salman sacked the deputy of the intelligence service and a top aide and ordered the arrest of 18 suspects over the case.On the day of Khashoggi’s disappearance, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while he was still inside, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister admitted on Sunday that Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi Consulate but argued that the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was “not aware" of it.Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir claimed that it was a “rogue operation” by individuals who exceeded their responsibilities and later tried to cover things up.Erdoğan: Evidence shows Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murderedWebsite of Saudi investment conference hackedTurkey has not yet shared any information with any country on Khashoggi case: FMSaudi foreign minister pledges full probe into Khashoggi killing
Saudi Arabia ‘in crisis’ over Khashoggi: Minister
The New York Times, CNN, and CNBC have also announced they would not sponsor the event, and several prominent journalists have said they would not attend.
Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, was last seen on Oct. 2 when he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.
After days of denying to know his whereabouts, Saudi Arabia last week claimed Khashoggi died during a fight inside the consulate.
Saudi King Salman sacked the deputy of the intelligence service and a top aide and ordered the arrest of 18 suspects over the case.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Tuesday there were strong indications that Jamal Khashoggi's killing was planned and stated that attempts to blame it on intelligence operatives - Riyadh has suggested it was a rogue operation - "will not satisfy us."Erdoğan said that he does not doubt Saudi King Salman's sincerity, without elaborating. He also said the whereabouts of Khashoggi's body were still unknown and he demanded Saudi Arabia to reveal the identity of a "local cooperator" who purportedly took the body."The murder of Saudi journalist Khashoggi was premeditated," Erdoğan said, adding Khashoggi’s killing was a “political murder.”In a speech to parliament, Erdoğan did not mention Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who some U.S. lawmakers suspect ordered the killing. But he said Turkey would not complete its investigation into Khashoggi's death until all questions were answered.Lebanon’s Hariri hails Saudi effort on Khashoggi murder"Intelligence and security institutions have evidence showing the murder was planned.... Pinning such a case on some security and intelligence members will not satisfy us or the international community," the president remarked.“Consulate cameras had been removed,” Erdoğan said, adding that “the team who committed the murder was previously notified” that Khashoggi would be at the consulate.He said evidence proved Khashoggi was "brutally murdered,” and called for the 18 suspects in the case to stand trial in Istanbul.“Everybody, from the instructor of the murder to the implementer, should answer to clear mankind's conscience,” he said.Indonesia expresses condolences to Khashoggi familyIn his speech, Erdoğan also said that the Saudi government formally admitted to the killing of Khashoggi 17 days after his murder."The Vienna convention would not allow such a'brutal murder to happen," Erdoğan stated."Diplomatic immunity, which is a part of the Vienna Convention, will be debated," he remarked.Erdoğan said a Saudi team of 15 entered the consulate the day of the killing, and that three men from the team went on an exploration trip to Belgrad forest in Istanbul and Yalova, a 90-kilometre (55 mile) drive south of Istanbul.Website of Saudi investment conference hackedKhashoggi vanished after entering the consulate on Oct. 2 to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage.Erdoğan also extended his condolences to Khashoggi’s fiancée, his family and Saudi Arabia.Khashoggi was a U.S. resident who wrote columns for the Washington Post and a critic of the Saudi government, calling for reforms.After denying any involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi, 59, for two weeks, Saudi Arabia on Saturday morning said he had died in a fistfight at the consulate. An hour later, another Saudi official attributed the death to a chokehold, which a senior official reiterated.Turkey has not yet shared any information with any country on Khashoggi case: FMSaudi foreign minister pledges full probe into Khashoggi killingAK Party to continue cooperation with MHPTurkey's ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party will not form an alliance with the nationalist party for the 2019 local elections, but cooperation between the two parties will continue, Erdoğan said on Tuesday, after the nationalists pulled out of the alliance earlier.The People's Alliance between AK Party and the MHP was formed this February ahead of the June presidential and parliamentary elections, and continued in some forms between the two parties."We see the People's Alliance as one of the most important gains of our country recently, and we want to carry it into future," Erdoğan stressed, but added that it would run independently from the MHP in the March 2019 local election.The president said they never did anything which will harm the spirit of the alliance, adding that his party will not be involved in any action.Turkey's opposition MHP no longer seeks alliance in upcoming local elections, Bahçeli says
Erdoğan: Evidence shows Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered
On the day of Khashoggi’s disappearance, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while he was still inside, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister admitted on Sunday that Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi Consulate but argued that the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was “not aware" of it.
Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir claimed that it was a “rogue operation” by individuals who exceeded their responsibilities and later tried to cover things up.
SoftBank Group Corp Chief Executive Masayoshi Son has cancelled a speaking engagement at this week's Saudi Arabia investment conference but could still attend, the Wall Street Journal said on Tuesday, citing a conference representative.The cancellation comes as pressure mounts on Riyadh over the disappearance and death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, with many high-profile company executives pulling out altogether.Son's absence from the stage would be in marked contrast to last year's inaugural event, where the 61-year-old Japanese entrepreneur was a notable presence leading credence to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's efforts to bring foreign investment into the Gulf kingdom.A SoftBank spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Saudi stocks stumble amid Khashoggi killing falloutNearly half of the more than $93 billion raised last year to create SoftBank's Vision Fund came from Saudi Arabia, giving Son the firepower to make big bets in late-stage startups such as Uber Technologies Inc and shared office space provider WeWork Cos.SoftBank has repeatedly declined to comment on whether SoftBank management including Son would attend, even as executives from portfolio companies Uber and Improbable dropped out.Son's mix of visionary rhetoric and hard-headed business decisions has given him an oversized presence in the tech world.However alarm over Saudi's involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi has underlined his investment juggernaut's reliance on backers such as the kingdom at a time of rising political tensions.Turkey has not yet shared any information with any country on Khashoggi case: FMArm Holdings CEO Simon Segars has pulled out of the event, a source told Reuters on Monday. SoftBank acquired the chip designer in 2016.Bloomberg reported on Monday that SoftBank Chief Operating Officer Marcelo Claure would also not attend.
SoftBank CEO Son not to speak at Saudi conference, could still attend: WSJ
The website of an international Saudi investment conference hosted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been attacked by hackers.On the homepage of the 'Future Investment Initiative' website, hackers posted a fake image showing bin Salman holding a sword standing behind the murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi.The conference, nicknamed Davos in the Desert and slated to run Oct. 23 - 25, is bin Salman's attempt to diversify the country's oil-based economy.His plans, however, have become disrupted amid global outcry about Khashoggi's killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.Screenshots of the hacked website show the message: "Saudi regime is one of the sources for #Terrorism_Financing in the world.""For the sake of security for children worldwide, we urge all countries to put sanctions on the Saudi regime,” the message stated."The regime, aligned with the United States, must be kept responsible for its barbaric and inhuman action, such as killing its own citizen Jamal Khashoggi and thousands of innocent people in Yemen. The medieval Saudi regime is one of the sources of #Terrorism_Financing in the world."Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, had gone missing since entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After denying knowledge of Khashoggi's whereabouts for two weeks, Saudi Arabia on Saturday said he was killed during a "brawl" inside the consulate.His body has not been recovered, nor has Saudi Arabia explained its shifting narrative on what transpired.SoftBank CEO cancels speaking engagement at Saudi conferenceSaudi stocks stumble amid Khashoggi killing falloutSaudi foreign minister pledges full probe into Khashoggi killingSaudis use charm, fierce lobbying to gain power
Website of Saudi investment conference hacked