saudi arabia's king abdullah has died. and a new king is solomon and promising continuity and calling for unity and solidarity in the muslim world. ♪ live from doha also coming up thailand's parliament votes to impeach foreign minister for her role in a controversial rice subsidy program. and turning a new page in u.s. cuba relations historic talks turn to normalizing ties between the two countries. ♪ world leaders started to arrive in saudi arabia for king abdul's funeral, 90-year-old ruler died in hospital after being admitted last month with a case of pneumonia and half brother 79-year-old prince solomon is the new king and has spoken on saudi television promising to continuing the policies of the predecessor and rob reports. >> translator: the world learns of the death of one of its few remaining absolute monarch, the path to power for abdul abdulaziz was shaped from the birth by tradition and conservatism. >> translator: the problems of the world are caused by people rejecting the principles of justice, terrorism, and

ten years later abdullah became king.orld hopes the conservative saudi arabia kingdom would open up. >> during his reign he has inspired a greater openness in two particular areas, for women and in freedom of expression. there is an outburst of criticism, social criticism and also of government policy in saudi arabia that has happened with the, let's say tolerance to some degree of the saudi government. >> reporter: he inherited a kingdom in an oil boom and terrorism and unemployment and accusations of corruption. he restructured the company and joined the world trade organization and encouraged more private enterprise but that failed to address the prospects of jobless young saudi and granted women the right to vote and run for office and issued id cards and allowed for the first time to do business without involving a male guardian. but domestic concerns gave way to global ones when the united states was attacked on september the 11th 2001. 15 of the 19 hijackers were saudi citizens and took on al-qaeda when they began

king abdullah of saudi arabia has died. he was 90 years old. he'd been in hospital for several weeks, with pneumonia. well, the new monarch has made clear, there'll be no change of direction for the country, following the succession. in his first public address, king salman abdullah he's half brother, calls for unity and solidarity among muslims. the new king has also tweeted a message. he says i ask god to help me succeed in my service of the dear people and realize their hopes the protect our country and the nation's safety and stability. saudi arabia, of course has vast oil resources, it's the biggest oil producer in the world and also the most influential member of omeck. along with king abdullah the country has been a key ally of washington as well most recently joining the u.s. coalition to carry out air strikes against the islamic state group in syria and iraq. as for the funeral for king abdullah that's set to take place shortly following afternoon prayers. >> reporter: the official announcement from the world court

king abdullah was the sixth saudi monarch. the country's first ruler, unifying the desert kingdom in 1932. on his death in 1952 succession past to his sons. the eldest first. by the time he took the throne king abdullah was already in his 80s. in nearly a decade of ruling on behalf of his brother, he began opening the door to reform. the events of september 11 2001 crystallized the choice before the saudi royal family. 15 of the 19 al qaeda hijackers who attacked the united states were saudis. and al qaeda was also targeting the saudi establishment and its allies. under abdullah's leadership the country slowly squashed al qaeda, forcing the remnants underline, and sidelining radical preachers. at the same time the king began investing the country's oil wealth in creating jobs for the future. embarking on a massive building program. king abdullah economic city just one of several such mega projects creating cities from the ground up. providing not just accommodation for a workforce, but new industries an acknowledgement that oi

, the late abdullah, to king salman. so we'll keep an eye on that. but james, i would like your take on saudi arabia and the region. in particular, the saudis have been very very strong in their opposition to any kind of influence. do you see that going forward as something that the saudis will continue to push? >> i think they are. we're talking now about the great schism within islam, between shia and sunni, and this is a real struggle for power in the region. and the saudis are intensely nervous about what appears to be a potential rackbetween the u.s. and iran. they've always been acutely worried about the possibilities that iran could have a nuclear weapon, but now they're worried that iran may be politically in the ascendency. so the now king will face enormous challenges but he does come to the job with a history of being highly respected within his family something authoritarian within the family. >> is he seen as more -- either of you can tell me this. is he seen as more conservative more cautious than the late

yemen had ruled for decade by ali abdullah saleh. there wases a brokered deal, but hadi was the only candidate on the president ballot. he never got fullbacking many of whom still support saleh. that support became apparent when houthis were taking mortar tore with almost no resistence from the army. there were protests against inflation, corruption, and became an alternative to state authority. hadi did try to make amendments. he announced a national dialogue with over 500 members including all of yemen's tribes and leaders. but in his resignation letter he said did he not receive support from the regime party and houthies. he was a western ally. he promised to fight al-qaeda. it has been running training camps in the country. it made gains in southern yemen around the 2011 up rising. it's been beaten back since then but what it will do next is an ongoing concern now that yemen is entering another bout of uncertainty. al jazeera. >> yemen's houthi rebels are calling on their supporters to gather in the streets of sanaa. the presiden

thousands gather for the funeral of king abdullah. we look back at his legacy and forward to the man who is replacing him. >>> also on the news hour yemen slides deep into chaos after the resignation of the government and the president. >>> ukraine's conflict has claimed 5,000 lives, says the u.n. we are in the country's east where people are living in fear. >>> and heading for a radical shift, greeks will soon vote in an election that could see the left party come to power. >>> first to saudi arabia where the funeral has been held for king abdullah who has ruled since 2005 and died early on friday morning, local time. tributes have been pouring in. erica wood reports. >> reporter: dignitaryies from all over the middle east and beyond arrive to pay their respects to heard seen by many as a reformer. among them the mayor of kuwait. after they arrived they gathered for a simple funeral, lasting less than an hour the ceremony was a chance for foreign dignitaries to greet his family including his successor. international leaders passed on

king abdullah built an university in his name. for the first time men and women can study side by side. the activists say that the kingdom is still stifling and harsh. women can't travel or mary without permission of a male guardian. and saudi arabia is the only country to ban women were driving. a ban that some women have challenged by climbing the heightened wheel. the time has come for women to take charge of everything aspect of their lives. being allowed out is the very least of which going from a to b is minimum human right. >>> there are reported discrimination. just this month, a woman in mecca accused of murder beheaded with a sword. if all this video a blogger writes he's accused of. >> he made promises but didn't follow through. >> activists have condemned the nothing. so have the state department. many activists say the u.s. is afraid of letting human rights upset its relations with one of its strongest partners in the unstable middle east. >> not that our concerns have changed, but we're going to give them certainly a

secretary general was speaking earlier about king abdullah. he said that the king leave as tangible legacy that can still be used to promote peace throughout the middle east. when you control 10% of the world's oil reserves and rich enough to spend your way out of trouble, there's no doubt of your importance on the world stage. we are see that go here at davos, as various discussions you'll hear in the corridor center on the price of oil right now it's saudi arabia's policy to drive down the price of oil per barrel in an effort to affect the sea of competitors. that's hurting a lot of oil producing nations, saudi arabia trying to stave off new producers, shale producers particularly in the u.s. among the nations hurt now venezuela and russia at the moment, saudi arabia can afford to ride out this oil price sitting as it is on an $800 billion cushion much of that amassed under the stewardship of the late king abdullah. now let's get reaction from beirut. nicole johnston is there. >> here in lebanon, three days of natural mourning was announced.

the youngest son of king abdullah and the end of the line of king abdullah. also they have designated the minister of interior as the deputy prince and the second deputy prime minister so the number three position. not a guarantee of succession but at the powerful signal that they are ready to move to the next generation. >> is it important to signal and unleash a fight among many sons. >> it's important that king salman sent a signal of stability at the top, over the next 30 years. prince mukran was a fighter pilot, training at cram well undergraduate. he went to montgomery. he served as the governor for 20 years. the governor of medina for six years, before becoming head of intelligence and was replaced next to king abdullah in the last few years. an avible person. very connected to people. i think we'll find a credible successor. >> ali, there are pressures on saudi society for modernization. all around - is it a good time to be running saudi arabia. >> i think we heard the story before, during the revolution. the awed -- saudi monarchy like to portray us

as saudis mourn the death of king abdullah. the two corinthians often see eye to--the two countries often see eye to eye but often don't. you heard mike viqueira's overview of the visit. you were our man in riyadh for four years. did that basically scan with what you know of the place and doing business with the two countries? >> absolutely. the first issue is offering condolence. it's a wonderful tradition in that part of the world. three days of condolence after the passing. the fact that you've brought a delegation that goes back four different presidencies, people that knew king abdullah sends a very powerful signal of respect and i'm sure that was embraced and treasured by the people there. there are substantive issues to talk about. not just between the president and king salman, but other members of the delegation be they on the defense side, the intelligence community and also members of congress that get a say and the relationship as well. so i think it was a very powerful signal. >> are these two countries really frie

after abdullah. reform and human rights. death penalty after a series of grizzly and botched executions, the u.s. supreme court takes up the lethal injection controversy. >>> guns confiscated at, why the number is rising every year. and rock 'n' roll legend john oats. >> the u.s. backed the government in yemen. now washington is watching it crumble driven out of power. the country is in chaos on the verge of civil war. fears that are amplified by the growing threat of al qaeda. more from stephanie sy. >> hundreds of protestsors in the southern at this city of taes are calling for reform. >> translator: we demand president hadi go back and do not succumb tofully group. >> reporter: rebels are now in complete control of sanaa after storming government buildings on monday. parliament and presidential buildings are surrounded. the parliament, president and intelligence chief under house arrest. houthi leaders were allegedly targeted in two boaments bombings today. the u.n. special envoy tried to bring the factions together on th

the king of saudi arabia king abdullah has died. there's a new king. king solomon who will be the new king. stay with us for continuing coverage. dramatic developments unfolding. i'm wolf blitzer. erin burnett outfront starts now. >>> outfront next breaking news. saudi arabia's king abdullah is dead. the king of the number one ally in the arab world. the leader of the largest export of oils. we have brebreaking details. >>> time is running out for two hostages. >>> black man shot and killed by a police officer during a routine traffic stop. all of this caught on dash cam video. was it justified? let's go outfront. good evening. much more on our breaking news. the death of the king of saudi arabia. first, i want to get to this issue we're dealing with with the hostages as the clock is kicking down at this moment. time is running out for the hostages held by isis. we have less than six hours before the deadline expires. the threat to murder two japanese men until $200 million is paid. officials are in a desperate race against time. they are trying to com

saudi arabia's king abdullah has died. the 90-year-old monarch had been admitted to hospital with pneumonia at the end of december. one of the most powerful and richest men in the world, king abdullah was considered a moderate reformer and -- in a highly conservative country. president barack obama called him a steadfast ally while the israeli president has praised his grounded, considered, and responsible leadership. however, amnesty international says the human rights conditions under king abdullah were far from commendable. >> the saudi arabian regime seems insensitive to human rights and dignity. unfortunately, they are also protected by many western countries because they have oil and are seen as allies in the fight against terrorism. in fact, when you violate human rights at the level saudi arabia does, you are breeding terrorism. you're not fighting terrorism. >> king abdullah has been succeeded by his half-brother. the new monarch addressed his country this friday saying he will maintain the same approach as his pr

king abdullah was a firm ally of the west. at home he had to tread a careful path as to not antagonize the deeply conservative religious clerics. saudi arabia remains the only country in the world where women are for been to drive. >> there are lot of practices in saudi arabia that don't fit well with practices in britain. one thing king abdullah did was modernize the country substantially. there are more women in higher education than there are men in saudi arabia. this would have been unthinkable a few years ago. >> saudi women still need a male relative's permission to travel mary, or started business. >> you can be a millionaire but you need a man to manage her day-to-day business. you still need a man to sign you out to leave the country. you still need a man to drive you around. >> the saudi government has been receiving condolences at embassies around the world. king abdullah is being generally mourned, but critics say that his reforms did not go nearly far enough and that the saudi authorities must learn how to tolerat

p÷ throne after the death of 90-year-old king abdullah.he new monarch promises to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor. yemen's political turmoil deepens. the president and prime minister we sign as rebels tighten their grip on the capital. russian-backed rebels are in control of donetsk airport after the deadliest clashes in ukraine since september. those are the top stories we are following. also this hour in business --

ten years later abdullah became king.re were hopes that the fiercely conservative kingdom would at least open up. >> during his reign he has inspired an openness in two particular areas, for women and in freedom of expression. there is an outburst of criticism in saudi arabia that has happened with the -- let's say tolerance to some something of the saudi government. >> reporter: unemployment and accusations of corruption. he encouraged more private enterprise. but that failed to address the prospect of jobless young saudis. he granted women the right to vote and to run for office and they were allowed to do without involving a male guardian. but domestic concerns gave way to global ones when the united states was attacked on september 11th, 2001. 15 of the 19 attackers were saudi citizens. his record on human rights however, has remained controversial. activist who demanded change ended up in jail and political parties and public demonstration demonstrations were banned. king abdull la's next major challenge was iran. th

power has now passed to abdullah abdullah's half brother, salmon.ne of the late monarchs grandsons has been named as deputy crown prince. we will have more on that in a moment. but first erika woods reports on the funeral. >> reporter: dignitaries arrive from all over the world to pay their respects. among them the mayor of kuwait the prime minister of egypt, and the leaders of neighboring countries. after they arrived they gathered for sample funeral, lasting less than an hour the ceremony was a chance for foreign dig that tears to greet the family. international leaders passed on their respects through statements. the kingdom of bahrain said: >>> and u.s. president barack obama said as a heard, he was always candid and had the courage of his convictions: and a similar sentiments from the former president of israel. >> it's a real loss for the middle east and real loss for the peace in the middle east. he was an experienced leader and a wise king. >> reporter: the u.n. secretary general said: and it's a legacy that standings out in saudi history, o

first, the death of king abdullah. his rein started long before his ainitial ascension 10 years ago. >> reporter: he was one of the world's few remaining monarchs. king abdullah's years as carbon prince might have marked his legacy stronger than king. he became de facto ruler when his predecessor had a stroke. at the time he was crowned prince but with an amount of power and influence. he was known to foreign diplomats as devout conservative and strong ties to the beddoe win tribes. when he took the throne he had to overcome pressure from clerics to condition his reform programme, aimed at bringing together islamic traditions with the needs of a state. granted women the right to vote and run for office and issued i.d. cards torefor women, allowing them to do business. domestic concerns gave way to global ones when the united states was attacked on 1911. 15 of the hijackers were saudi arabia citizens. there was a cam pain of bombing against westerners his clermy told him to stop preaching intolerant versions of islam in

king abdullah was laid to rest on friday after his death at the age of 90. the ceremony was short and somber in keeping with tradition. king salman takes over a country surrounded by turmoil, particularly in yemen to the south and iraq to the north. let's bring in cnn live from jordan. before we look at the challenge ahead for the if you king what will happen today because the ceremonies continue it don't they? >> reporter: yes. over the next several days max, the royal court will be open for those who are coming to pay tear respects to the royal family and to the saudis. we are expecting this in the next several hours to see the arrival of world leaders and dignitaries, will you go king abdullah of jordan here who cut short his visit to the world economic forum, the president of ee swript and also prince charles will be headed to saudi arabia and also vice president joe biden yesterday announcing that he will lead in the coming days a presidential delegation that will be going to saudi arabia. so today we expect to see more of those world leaders and dig th

ten years later abdullah became king.re were hopes that the fiercely conservative saudi kingdom would at last open up. >> during his reign he has inspired a greater openness in two particular areas in -- for women and in freedom of expression. there is an outburst of criticism, social criticism and also of government policy in saudi arabia that has happened with the -- let's say tolerance to some degree of the saudi government. >> reporter: he inherited a kingdom basking in an oil boom yet beset by terrorism, unemployment. he encouraged more private enterprise. but that failed to address the issue of unemployment among young audis. women were avowed to vote. but domestic concerns gave way to global ones when the united states was attacked on september 11th, 2001 15 of the 19 hijackers were saudi citizens. the took on al-qaeda. his record on human rights however, has remained controversial. activists who demanded change through petitions ended up in yale, and political parties and public demonstrations were banned. king ab

abdullah is succeeded by his brother.n is 79 years old and is said to be in poor health and suffering dementia. abdullah was seen as a reformer. he was a key u.s. ally in the fight against extremist groups like al qaeda and isis. president obama praised abdullah for takinge inging bold steps and advancing the peace initiative. unrest in yemen and syria has resulted in a power vacuum in the region. saudi arabia produced enough oil barrels to satisfy 11% of oil demand. in the wake of abdullah's death, oil prices surged this morning with brent crude rising nearly 2%. i am joined tonight by steve clemons and michael o'hanlen. steve, what are the geopolitical implications here? there are a lot of compliments coming from world leaders and the loss of this saudi arabian leader, what does it mean? is it going to have a big shift in policy at all for saudi arabia? >> well the bottom line ed is it could have a big shift. there's no monarchy in the world that gets rid of a king and gets a new king as quickly in place as saudi arabia

kingr king abdullah hasking abdullah has died. he has been ill for some time. tonight, saudi television replaced television with koranic mes messages. this is part of a pilgrimage and how many turned up to mourn the late king. but observers say that the crowd seemed larger than they ordinarily would be at this hour. his hand picked successor king solomon is relatively young by saudi standards. the king that is chose enn will be vital to the united states as well as the economic clout they hold as the world's leading oil exporter. there is a lot to talk about. nic robertson is monitoring the situation there, and so is bob bear baer who has seen it all in that region over the years, and christiane amanpour joining us via phone. d when he officially took the throne but he was still considered a reformer. though a reformer in a very conservative context of saudi arabia. >> reporter: well, anderson, that's right. king abdullah was king far short of time. he was ruler of saudi arabia since 1995. sort of dates back to when his predecessor king saud developed a debilit

abdullah explained his views on such groups before the u.n. assembly in 2008. >> ( translated ): the problems of the world are caused by people rejecting the principles of justice. terrorism and crime are the enemies of god and every religion and civilization. >> woodruff: in online postings today, supporters of both al- qaeda and the "islamic state" cheered abdullah's death and painted him as a u.s. puppet. but secretary of state john kerry spoke in glowing terms, in davos, switzerland. >> and i was privileged to spend many hours with the king, as a senator and particularly over the last two years. i saw him a few months ago. he was obviously not well, but he was courageous, great sense of humor, even in the midst of all the crises. >> woodruff: the crises fall now to king salman, who's 79. he's already moving to ensure the line of succession, naming his 69-year-old half- brother muqrin as crown prince, and his nephew, mohammed nayef, age 55, as second-in-line. salman faces the immediate challenge of yemen, on his southern border, where the g

and king abdullah, backed that oil min sister in his move. in fact one of the last things he said to his subjects from his sick bed, when he told the people of saudi arabia, you know, that they were going to withstand these lower prices. that he had commitment to that and saudi arabia would come out better and more secure in the future. so i thought it was kind of interesting that when there was a change of power, it created that fear. now after these assurances, the markets actually calmed down. we saw oil prices rally after word of the death became confirmed. rises have settled down a little bit. but i still think the marketse on edge here. they really don't know if the new contending, king saud, will have power king abdullah had. on top of that you have increased geopolitical risk in the region with yemen and all other issues going on in the middle east and markets are really unsure whether he is going to be able to handle it and keep a lid on dissent as well as king abdullah had. jenna: there are so many facts going on. we underscored tha

king abdullah from saudi arabia. dead.ve a piece on the life of king abdullah in just a minute. >>> back here in the u.s. we continue our profile of possible 2016 presidential contenders. with a look at ohio governor john kasich. >> so help me god. >> with those words republican john kasich began his second term as ohio's governor. ohioans clearly wanted him to stay. on election night in have november, he won 86 of the state's 88 counties, even carrying some democratic strongholds. >> there is one thing people in my political party don't always understand. economic growth is not an end unto itself. economic growth provides the means whereby we can reach out and help those who live in the shadows. >> i think the problem in america today is that the folks out there don't think the politicians understand them. and it is my job as governor to sell problems. >> do you think your party overall has overgrown? >> how do you get everyone like our minority community, how do we get them to share in the prosperity? we are a divided co

king abdullah's half brother solomon immediately succeeded him. the 79-year-old had been performing many of his responsibilities during the past year. and solomon has promised to continue the current policies nunld with the death of king abdullah, the world's oldest monarch, anne-marie, is queen elizabeth. >> susan mcginnis. thank you, susan. >>> coming up queen elizabeth's son making a royal response. prince andrew speaks out for the first time about a sex scandal with an underaged girl. >>> and later internet interview interview. president obama takes some of the biggest questions from those on youtube. this is the "cbs morning news." leaking, going too often, and the strong sudden need to go. ask your urologist if botox® can help calm your bladder. ...and reduce your daily leakage episodes. the effects of botox® may spread hours to weeks after injection, causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away as difficulty swallowing speaking, breathing, eye problems loss of bladder control... ...or muscle weakness can be a sign of a life-threat

following king abdullah's death. if you look to history books, the first two saudi kingdoms in the 18th and 19th centuries, wracked by internal family squabbles, exploited by enemies and given this turmoil in this region, the royals in saudi will want to present an image of stability and strength. it's the internal machinations as they emerge will be the most important to watch. any sense of a coup within an absolute monarchy would meet unprecedented and decisive action. so watch this space as it becomes clear now who the king new solman has put in place. >> those international machinations are always key. now to the political upheaval in yemen. the country's president, prime minister and cabinet all resigning under pressure from rebels, who now appear to control the capital. the yemeni government was a key u.s. ally in fighting al qaeda. the u.s. embassy remains open at this hour, but for how long? barbara starr joins us live from the pentagon. what do we know? >> of course, saudi arabia watching its neighbor, yemen

there was some debate when king abdullah abdullah's health was bad about moving up the chain becausey new generation. with that next generation do you have a significant change. >> nic robertson people will be watching very closely who will be attending this funeral, not only who will represent the united states but other world powers. sgr one of them we can expect will be general cc from egypt. we understand he wasdignitaries to meet. some of the people visiting may provide a little awkwardness for some of the dignitaries coming. that's not going to be the issue of the day. from britain we would expect to see prince charles. it would be important for some of the other royal families in europe. again, for european leaders in the say way for possibly president obama. it will be important for the europeans to show their solidarity as well. this time when europe the united states and the gulf countries that's begun to play a much more significant role in the gulf taking a much stronger elite position on the issue of syria and fighting isis at the time where there's greater unity. we can

a few hundred meters away is the village of sultan abdullah. two days ago it was the sea of heavy fighting between the islamic state in iraq and kurdish peshmerga forces. peshmerga now control the village, but it's still within the range of isil fire. we were advised against going in to the village. >> it's the front line. the mortars almost daily. every day, there is a mortar between us and them. >> unexploded bombs litter the area around the camp. they say isil has killed some of their men. a few kilometers blind the sultan abdullah front lines is the village of. alama, destroyed military vehicles and walls riddled with bullet holes are stark reminders of the battles fought here. >> in some of the villages recently overtaken by the peshmerga, life is slowly returning to normal as more

later today, the funeral for saudi arabia's king abdullah. he died at age 90 after coming down with pneumonia. his half brother, prince salman has been declared the new king. the country is key to the u.s. war against isis and al qaeda in the middle east. key to stability in the region. let's bring in the correspondent nic robertson for the latest. good morning, nic. you describe this king as someone who by person standards certainly not up to western standards on human rights and religious freedom. a step ahead of his peers. >> reporter: he certainly was and the continuity that the saudi monarchy tries to maintain and handing power and established the crown prince and now king salman. now all of this is projecting that stability. what we saw king abdullah do in last few years of his reign is expand the saudi army. up to $150 billion defense spending projecting over the next few years. salman in that context, if he continue was that spend and that vision will be a strong ally for the united states and the region. king abdullah had watched wha

but king abdullah's passing is still momentous.ohammed has more. >> reporter: he was one of the world's few remaining absolute monarchs but his years as crown prince might have marked his legacy even more strongly. at the time he was crown prince but a tremendous amount of power and influence. he was known as devout and conservative with strong ties to the country's bedouin ties. but even then he pushed for change. >> he has inspired a greater openness in two particular areas, in -- for women and in freedom of expression. there is an outburst of social criticism and also of government policy in saudi arabia that has happened with the -- let's say tolerance to some degree of the saudi government. >> reporter: when the took the thrown in 2005, abdullah had to overcome pressure from conservative clerics to continue his reform program, aimed at bringing together islamic traditions with the needs of a modern state. he worked to trim the high-spending habits of his family and tackled youth unemployment. he all thes paved the way for muni

>> this is a discussion i used to have with king abdullah. his attitude was, look there is in some ways a very conservative country. we're doing the change but let us do it at our own pace. you can always have a debate as to whether you should accelerate and go faster and so on. but what he was really trying to do i think, was create these vehicles of change in the country. for example, saudi aramico is the oil company. not run like many oil companies around the world but really a well run company. the university here establishes, the king abdullah university of science and technology. men and women treated equally. educated equally. and the term science and technology was chosen for a reason. so i think his view would be that he was moving as fast as he could. i think it was only maybe in the '60s or '70s that in saudi television was accepted. so you can have that debate. i think provided the direction continues along ot past of modernization. then i think it will be good for saudi arabia. and we need saudi arabia to be successful. as you ca

king abdullah not only stabilized that region. he also lowered oil prices. >> speaking of money, let's get down to business on this friday with landon downey. good morning to you. >> reporter: oil prices spiked upon news of the death of king abdullah. the saudi arabia is the most powerful member of opeck. amc also has an all-day extravaganza showing all eight movies the day before the oscars. sboem super bowl sunday is also super shopping sunday. >> let's get you some sports action right now. a huge upset at the australian open. in college hoops alabama ties arkansas at 91-91 in overtime. with second left bobby tips in the game-winner. they win 93-91. it got kind of ugly on the court in women's hoops. after getting tide up at the basket brieanna -- he is not calling it a retirement. >> retirement means you go off to a beach somewhere or you know sit in a rocking chair on the front poorchd drink your coffee. i'm actually going to have to get a real job now. >> gordon is leaving open though the option of competing in selected events

king abdullah of saudi arabia the custodian of the two holy mosques. saudi arabia has been an island of stability in the midst of the fire storms of the middle east. but it is also home to the most puritan puritan puritanica version of islam. is it part of the problem or the solution? i will ask tony blair about that and much else. >>> also the price of oil has fallen by more than half in the last six months. oil revenues make up 90% of the saudi government's income. will it weather this storm? >>> i will talk to financial times martin wolf about saudi arabia and its addiction to oil money. >>> then all eyes are on the european economy in 2015. will it descend into deflation? i'll talk with the finance minister of one of europe's fastest growing countries, george osborn councillor of the united kingdom. inequality was the talk of the week from the u.s. congress to the congress here. what is the answer? i'll gunfire you my solutions and show you a place here in switzerland where the world's privileged traveled in order to begin to understand the lives o

king abdullah took power in 2005 after his father died. he led the country that plays a key role in the middle east. saudi arabia was the birth place of islam and has the world's largest oil output. he was known as a power ally of the united states. following the 9/11 terror attacks, he led the crackdown against terrorism in his country. most of the people involved in the attacks were saudi nationals. king abdullah also supported the rebellion in syria against bashar al assad. he also encouraged improvements to women's social status. he appointed 30 women to the nation's top advisory council. the state-run television said in an announcement that he has been succeeded by his brother king solomon. analysts say that he will continue king abdullah's policy concerning crude oil and diplomacy. the u.s. president has issued a statement saying that abdomen took bold steps in advancing the arab peace initiative, an endeavor that will outlive him as an endearing contribution to the search for peace in the region. the statement also says as a leader

the death of king abdullah. saudi tv making the statement yesterday with a statement from his half brother prince salman. he has taking on his responsibilities from the last year. reaction coming in from around the globe. john kerry traveling here overnight. he said king abdullah was a man of wisdom and said the us. lost a friend. >> prices at this hour look like they are up slightly. just over 1.2%. wti up about 56 points. to 46.87. we'll talk more in just a moment but first a round up of other big stories we're watching this

from phillips >> saudi arabia mourns the death of king abdullah.reat with japanese hostages has opinion passed. will they become the neck victims of the brutal terror group? and a key american ally in complete disarray after a day of

bush and the then crown prince abdullah. selling the kingdom sophisticated arms and weapons but the relationship between bush and abdullah strained at times too. 15 of the 19 hijackers responsible for september 11th 2001 terrorist attack were saudis and during the iraq war in 2003, abdalla refused to allow u.s. bases in saudi arabia for what he called an illegal occupation. a different tone than during the first gulf war the two countries allies against saddam hussein. it is oil that served as glue and friction between two countries but both recognizing a need for each other on issues beyond oil. >> and his work on interfaith understanding, i remember as a young senator meeting with him and listening to him and being encouraged by his commitment to putting together an interfaith conference and efforts to bring people together to create better understanding. >> reporter: and the new king is expected to maintain the same strategic policy as his predecessor, john and that extends to the relationship with the united states, and

king salman is closer than king abdullah abdullah. you have yemen and iraq and syria close by. you have the approach between iran and the united states. saudi's rivalry, how will that play out given that the king is more hard lined in terms of relationships with the shi'a state. moving beyond, that the reforms that king abdullah put in place in terms of women's right to vote in the municipal elections this year. it is interesting in terms of indicators of how much the reformists king salman will have within the kingdom for now with the hard line and conservative reputation that a lot of those hard fight rights some could look shakier. >> nami thank you. >>> happening this morning, another key u.s. ally in the middle east is really on the brink of chaos. this could open the door to al qaeda. the government of yemen is in shambles as the president and prime minister and cabinet all resign in the space of a few hours. officials say they want to wash their hands of destructive political chaos in the deal that gives more rebel insurgents more power. until now, the government of yeme

let me ask you about king abdullah. he was called a reformer and in his death there is outcry and comments coming from around the world. but there is a great deal of story on the human rights abuses in saudi arabia. how do you square the two if they can be squared, david about the king and the legacy as he leaves. >> it is a really important question. the king and the crowd around him cultivated a image of a reformer and celebrity cult. but describing king abdullah as a reformer is saying a decripit turtle as a race car driver. it is saudi arabia continuing in that direction moving forward. and the appointment of the interior minister as one of the next individuals in line for the throne is a discouraging sign. he's held a hard line against terrorist groups like al-qaeda he's the individual whose ministry is responsible for the attacks on nonviolent human rights groups like bloggers. >> that is a question we can have common goals with isis, but do we have common value asks can we look at next saudi leaders and say they

leaders gather in saudi arabia for the burial of king abdullah. the country's new king calls for unity. yemen faces a dangerous power vacuum after the country's president is forced to step down. and no end in sight -- rebels in eastern ukraine turn their backs on a piece deal with kiev, sparking rush concerns of a major offense at -- fresh concern of a major offenseive. let's begin with what is very much a top news story -- the election set to take place this weekend increased. >> yes, the big story inside greece and outside greece, trying to figure out what investors and markets will do in the outcome to this election. the standoff could be triggered with the european union and imf lenders and push the country close to bankruptcy or an exit from the eurozone. in the run up to the polls greeks have been anticipating a dramatic change in the school policy. >> with an eye on victory in the polls over the last two years the party has moved away from their hard left rhetoric adopting a more conciliatory stance on europe yet, sticking to one major mess

king abdullah did not like president obama. in fact, a lot of people i know that are quite close to the late king abdullah said the king could not stand president obama because the president was supportive of the arab spring because the president did not support hosni mubarak, turned his back on hosni mubarak in egypt, so this close personal bond between the president and the late saudi leader i think is people being polite at time of national funeral. >> he said i always valued king abdullah's perspective and enjoyed our warm friendship. thank you for that report. >>> saudi arabia is the largest oil exporter and king abdullah's death is having big impact on oil prices. coming up we will look at that on the impact it could have on gas prices at home. >>> we turn to developments in yemen. another key u.s. ally in the war on terror on base for al qaeda in the arabian peninsula, after being under siege days from rebels, the country's president has resigned and the prime minister also quit. reuters reports the move appeared to catc