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

♪ saudi arabia's king abdullah has died at the age of 90. udi arabia's new king solomon promises continuity and unity and solidarity in the muslim world. ♪ hello and warm welcome from al jazeera and i'm in doha and also coming up, tie land's parliament votes to impeach the prime 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 abdullah's funeral, a 90-year-old ruler died in hospital after being admitted last month with a case of pneumonia and half brother 79-year-old solomon is the new king and has already spoken on saudi arabia television promising to continue the policies of the predecessor and rob matheson reports. >> translator: the world learns of the death of one of the few remaining absolute monarchs. >> reporter: the pass of power for abdullah was shaped from the birth by conservism. >> translator: the problems of the world caused by people rejecting

tell us your reaction when you first heard the news that king abdullah had died, and what do you thinkan? >> when the king was -- he was a highly respected ruler that has led his country into the 21st century developments. the king will be remembered in the peace efforts when he led and proposed the arab initiative for peace back in 2002. >> tavis the arab peace initiative with the israelis where they offered them a complete peace deal with every country in the mideast to go back to the 1967 boarders a peace deal the israelis rejected. >> yeah, that's right. he was a driving force, a very positive driving force within the arab world towards peace, towards helping each other. as for the relations with egypt, i must stress that this is a -- [ inaudible ] cooperation and understanding between saudi arabia and egypt. therefore, i expect this will continue and it will be -- >> mr. secretary, one of the greatest achievements many say of king abdullah was that he provided a period of great stability for saudi arabia and also instituting some much-needed reforms that critics say didn't go for

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 90 and had been in hospital for several weeks, suffering from pneumonia. before he came to power in 2005 he'd run the day-to-day affairs of the world's biggest oil exporter and producer in the previous decade, after his predecessor suffered a stroke. king abdullah pushed through

sympathy for the last of king abdullah, and the first contact with the new king salman. it's "inside story". >>> hello, i'm ray suarez american relations with modern saudi arabia is complicated. the state has sold advanced weapons equipment. trained saudis in their youth and watched the royal family fight those who fought hard to destroy israel a close ally. in 1973, saudi arabia and o.p.e.c. helped to type the u.s. economy into distress with massive rises in the price of oil. saudi arabia spread money across the muslim world, building mosques, hiring cleric distributing education materials, encouraging the growth of fundamentalist worship that has been a challenge to american interests around the world. at the same time saudi arabia has been willing, for instance in the gulf war to allied with the united states to expel iraq from kuwait and support the overthrow of the islamic state. friend foe - necessary. how has the u.s. government looked at saudi arabia. >> reporter: president obama and michelle obama arrived on the tarmac greeted by the new king. paying respects to

abdullah. let me just bring you a selection. jordan's king and egypt's president, actually they cut short their visit to davos at the world economic forum in switzerland to attend the funeral that you are seeing now. u.s. president barack obama, he hailed abdullah has a bold leader who took steps to advance the arab peace initiative. french president francois hollande, he described abdullah as a statesman whose work profoundly marks the history of his country. and a statement from tokyo, japan's prime minister shinzo abe, said that abdullah played a large role over a long time for peace and stability in the islamic world. and the british prime minister david cameron, he said that king abdullah had contributed to strengthening important religious dialogue. now, i think it's fair to say that the leaders who have managed to make it to riyadh for the funeral and the ceremonial are largely regional. we talked about the egyptian president trying to get there from davos. but i think it's knowles gulf and regional leaders who have managed to get ther

this hour is the death of saudi state television confirming the death of saudi arabia's king, king abdullah. we're back in a moment. this is al jazeera america. >> and breaking news at this hour is the death of saudi arabia's king, king abdullah, we believe at the age of 91 just information that i'm getting. and we want to talk to simon henderson, reporter for the financial times. he's actually on a bus. we may drop the call, but simon i appreciate your time. simon, i've got king abdullah pegged at 91 years old. i know that's close. am i on the number? >> you're on the number. he was important in 1923, so at some point this year he was going to be 92. i doubt whether he actually got to 92. >> so the reporting as you know from the saudi state television is that king abdullah has passed. what are your initial shouts? >> first of all it's a sad occasion. he's been a very hard working clean. not immensely progressive in social terms but a very firm sense of what he wants to do with saudi arabia. he's been probably a good friend to the united states as well, and his immediate legacy is one of di

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.

that is the problem king abdullah has had over the last five years. king salman takes over when they are facing challenges from the north and south. yemen and the east, iran. >> i think what you will see is a continuation of policies in place. that they will maintain a distance from iran even though with isis, they face a common threat and they have been in talks with iranians that they have not been in years. their biggest concern other than iran is to the south, the border conflict in 2009. there is a concern with isis to the north, although less so in terms of the border threat. the europeans, like america like australia, are concerned when they come home. >> thanks for coming in. the head of the american delegation to cuba has wrapped up her high-level visit to the island in a controversial manner. rebecca jacobs met a high number of cuban visitors. despite that visit and continuing disagreements, both sides to take pains to say the meeting was constr uctive. >> it is not every day there is a media stampede in cuba, especially one that leaves a cas

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

appreciate your time. >> no problem thank you. >>> let's take a closer look at king abdullah. >> reporter: the world learns of the death of one of its few remaining absolute monarchs. the path to power for abdullah was shaped from his birth by tradition and conservatism. >> translator: the problems of the world are caused by people jekting the principles of justice. terrorism and crime are the enemies of god and every religion and civilization. >> reporter: young abdullah was trouth religion, literature and science by islamic scholars. his mother was desended from bedouins. as crown prince he took control of the country in 1995 when the previous king had a stroke. ten years later, abdullah became king. there were hopes that the conservative kingdom would at least 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. >>> abdu

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

the same course as his predecessors. >> we're diagnose to continue with the approach of father, king abdullah assis who is followed by his sons we're going to continue to implement the qur'an and the character of prophet muhammad into our legislation. >> there is no former swearing-in ceremony for king salman but he'll be greeted by other members of the royal family and saudi arabia to show their allegiance. the former king has now been buried in a simple, unremarkable grave. >> now the saudi king's relationship with two american presidents at times generated headlines, but not for the reasons they might have wanted. king abdullah's government began a deck raids-long relationship between the u.s. and saudi arabia. libby casey. >> reporter: good evening stephanie. this relationship is important to both countries, president obama saying in a statement that he appreciated king abdullah's perspective and valleyed their friendship, which he described as farm warm and genuine. but the premiership between the united states and saudi arabia also holds undeniable tension. it's a 70-year alliance that

the death of king abdullah, the arrival of king salman and the pressures on the region this time on the program. what should the americans know about king salman. >> king salman is a very strong practitioner of politician in saudi arabia, since age 19. he was governor of riyadh. he has a gift for remembering and knowing people. the problem is that he's 80 years old. i don't think his health is going to be very well. he has alzheimer's disease. it's an early on set of alzheimer's. johns hopkins has treated and is on his team. this has raised a problem the fact that he's going to be a figure head at this age. there are two really power centers in the country. these two are going to be the decider of saudi domestic and foreign policy. >> as part of transition, they've already named a crown prince. so we know in affect if he lives who the next king is going to be. is it important that we know the crown prince. they have sent a very powerful signal to the population that they're ready to move to the next generation. >> is it important to signal that there is not going to be an unleashed figh

japanese government officials also express sorrow over king abdullah's death. he visited japan in 1998 when he was crown prince. >> translator: the late king played an important role not only in his own country but also in the islamic world. he contributed to global peace and stability for a very long time. >> suga added that king abdullah worked to enhance relations between japan and saudi arabia. he said the government is considering sending his special envoy to saudi arabia to offer official condolences. >>> decommissioning work at the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant has hit another setback. the plant's operator says it will not be possible to keep the schedule for cleaning up radioactive water at the site. tokyo electric power company president reported the delay to the head of the government's energy agency. >> translator: i am very sorry, it has not been possible to treat the water as planned. i am aware that the issue makes residents very anxious. >> there is a buildup of highly radioactive water at the site and runoff from nearby mountains

king had a stroke. 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

to try and smooth over the disagreements president obama paid a visit to king abdullah last spring but it was meetings between president george w. bush and then crown prints abdullah that showed the mutual dependence. saudis providing much needed oil. but strained relationships too 15 of the 19 hijackers responsible for the september 2011 world trade center bombing the two country's allies against saddam hussein. it is oil that often serves as both the glue and the source of friction between two countries. but both recognizing a need for each other on issues beyond oil. >> 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: now the new king is expected to maintain the same strategic policies as his predecessor, that extends to the relationships with the united states and the saudi oil policies john. >> the way the new king will treat this relationship, patricia sab sabg

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 tha

in saudi arabia the death of king abdullah tens of thousands are mourning in mecca. it's 7am. these are live pictures. the king half-brother will take his place. >> in yemen, a government in chaos, the president resigned under pressure from a rebel group. more on that in a moment. 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 glo

story, the new king of saudi arabia pledging to stay the course after the death of his brother king abdullah. king salman joining for solidarity among arab nations. we're joined by robert jordan former u.s. ambassador to saudi arabia who took the post after 9/11 and worked with the king to promote a stronger relationship between the two countries. ambassador, great to have you on the program. initially what is your reaction to the death of king abdullah and the relationship with saudi arabia? >> jenna this is of an era and king abdullah he sat a path toward reform that has a long way to go but i have a lot of confidence salman will continue on that path and he also -- [inaudible]. in ways that think will even make a stronger ally for us. >> it is no secret thaw took the helm of the ambassadorship at a really difficult time, the month after 9/11 and no secret at all that 15 of the 19 hijackers were from saudi arabia and i'm curious about your relationship and how you see your relationship our relationship with saudi arabia from that point on. and how you feel the country will continue to help

king abdullah's half brother salman immediately succeeded him. the 79-year-old had been performing many of his brother's responsibilities during the past year. and salman has promised to continue saudi arabia's current policies. and now with the death of king abdullah, the world's oldest monarch, anne-marie, is queen elizabeth. 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 involving an underage girl. >>> and later internet interview. president obama takes questions from some of the biggest stars on youtube. this is the "cbs morning news." iew 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 swa

he issued a statement and gave his condolences and said i always valued king abdullah and valued our friendship and relationship. george bush called him a king of allies. the monarch did not always push. he wanted stronger u.s. support for sunni rebels fighting in syria. the white house says vice president biden will lead a u.s. delegation to saudi arabia in the coming days to pay respects to the king's family. 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

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

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 what

not expected to live at long as king abdullah. prince. will he take one of the last living sons of the founding king or will he move to the next generation of grandsons, people that we have heard about? other figures that have been waiting in the wings. the crown prince was the defense minister. whoever gets appointed there is someone the u.s. will want to get to know. also if they were to go to this next generation those grandsons are a very different breed, closer to the united states. they have been educated there. they spend a lot of time in the united states and speak english. could be a lot more friendly to europe and the united states. at the same time, they don't have the formative experience their fathers learned at the knee of the founding king. could be willing to explore their options. the u.s. obviously has been planning for this a long time. a lot of intense conversation is going on tonight. >> stand by. i want to bring in on the phone a former u.s. ambassador to saudi arabia robert jordan. he was ambassador of the u

and read my column this week in "the washington post." >>> let's get started. >>> the death of king abdullah of saudi arabia while not unexpected has nonetheless sent slivers across the world. any leadership change in such a crucial country is aptd to cause concern. will the new king change course on oil, syria, relations with the west. let's start with the political. to talk about that i asked tony blair, the former prime minister of the united kingdom, to join me. tony blair, pleasure to have you on. >> thanks fareed. >> you knew king abdullah well. his reputation certainly some of his talk in the few times i had an opportunity to talk to him, were about reform and about change. but if you look at how much has changed in saudi arabia, it isn't that much. i mean women still can't drive. there still is segregation by the sexes. the religious establishment is still very powerful. they stilled a ed aadhere to a very puritanical version of islam. >> i think if you talk about it relative to say a country like the usa or britain, then that may be being a cat rat. but if you look at it relative to

amy kellogg takes a look at the king's life and legacy. >> reporter: king abdullah was the sixth monarchrabia. as king he also held the title of custodian of the two holy mosques and as such, wielded great influence over the entire muslim world. born in 1924 in riyadh to the founder of saudi arabia king abdullah aziz, he was one of 42 sons and only ascended to the throne at the age of 81. even at that advanced age, king abdullah was keen the modern ties deemly conservative kingdom but reform in a country with conservative and hard line car. s would have to move slowly. his reforms may not have been bold by western standards but they made a splash in the kingdom. he reined in the issuing of fatwas. he gave civil judges more power. he poenl the first female government minister in the kingdom as deputy minister of education. in tumors diversify the kingdom's economy and wean it off the dependence of oil he commissioned four cities to develop technology. he also gave his blessing to the country's first co-ed indicationalence constitution. the king abdullah institute for science and technolog

this after saudi arabia's king abdullah died on friday. king salman called for unity and solidarity following the death of his half brother and former king abdullah overnight. saudi arabia is the largest world exporter and he is expected to stick to the policy of keeping oil output steady. however oil prices jumped initially on the news of the death amid speculations there could be changes ahead. light crude at 46.56 up about .5%. brent crude trading at just below $50 barrel at 49.03. julia, i know you have our middle east correspondent and the question is could this change the leadership julia and hadley fuel a policy change around oil. >> well that's one of the crucial questions seema as far as the oil market is concerned. you just introduced hadley. she's here with me of course. before we get to the oil question just give us a sense of what king abdullah meant for saudi arabia. he was in power for two decades now and was a significant reformer. we'll get to oil and foreign policy as well. >> when you talk about a country in mourning they

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

and let's get started. ♪ >>> the death of king abdullah of saudi arabia while not unexpected has nonethelessent shivers across the world. any leadership change in such a crucial country is apt to cause concern. will the new king change course on oil, syria, relations with the west? let's start with the political. to talk about that i ask tony blair, the former prime minister of the united kingdom to join me. >> tony blair, pleasure to have you on. >> thanks, fareed. >> you knew king abdullah well. his reputation and certainlily his talk and the times i had an opportunity to talk to him were about reform and change. but if you look at how much has changed in saudi arabia it isn't that much. women still can't drive, there still is segregation by sexes, religious establishment is powerful and they still adhere to a very puritan cal version of islam. >> i think if you talk about relative to a country like usa or britain, that may be accurate. but if you look at it relative to where saudi was, where more young women in university than men, you have a situation where king abdullah was an author of

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 catch even the rebels off guard, amid the deepening crisis the u.s. pulled some staff out of our embassy in

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 debilita

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

years and the current leadership in saudi arabia will continue more or less the same policies that king abdullah had followed but they have to pay much more attention to regional issues than was the case in previous saudi monarchs. there is al-qaeda and arab peninsula and yemen which is in a situation and isis has its tentacles here and there in the region and many young saudis go off and join some of these militant groups these islamic militants groups like isis and others and there is a stress there within saudi society that causes small numbers of saudis to go off and join some of these militant groups and saudis have an internal problem about 7, 8, 9 years ago with thousands of militants and they were put down by the very able security services. [captioning change] >> stability is guaranteed. there's never been eight doubt about stability in saudi arabia. they've had several successions after the king was assassinated and occupation of the holy mosque. they've had stress says but made a smooth transition. the real issue is policy and addressing the internal disparities in terms of income, jo

east where people are living in fear. ♪ >>> tributes have been pouring in for saudi arabia's late king abdullahers from around the world have attended his funeral. power has now passed to abdullah abdullah's half brother, salmon. and one 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 le

he issued a statement expressing his condolences and said i always valued king abdullah's perspectives and appreciated our genuine and warm friendship. former president george w. bush called the king an important ally and said he had fond memories of his visits with him. but the monarch did not always agree with u.s. policies. king abdullah pushed the obama administration to take a tougher stand against iran's nuclear ambitions and he wanted stronger u.s. support for sunni rebels fighting in syria. the white house says vice president biden will lead a u.s. delegation to saudi arabia in the coming days to pay respects to the king's family. susan mcginnis, cbs news, washington. >>> king abdullah's half brother solomon immediately succeeded him. he had been perform many of his brother's responsibilities during the past year. >>> still ahead on wusa9, going for broke and little known glue company is spending its entire annual advertising budget on just one super bowl ad. we'll have that story plus another look at >>> hol la. we going to ball. >> dude pick up that penny. >> i wasn't loud as

those stories and more straight ahead. >> king abdullah of saudi arabia passed away. >> king abdullah was a powerful alwry of u.s. -- ally of u.s. >> degrade and defeat i.s.i.l. >> the battle against i.s.i.l. is not confined within the borders of iraq and syria. >> it's a huge task with no short cuts. >> 13 killed in donetsk after shelling hit a bus. the region's airport falling no the hands of pro-russian rebels. >> it's a blatant land grab. >> the numbers of whim edge murdered is -- women murdered is happening fast. >> grieving families of dead women is stunned that little is justice. >> sometimes the sword a mightier than the pen. >> there are times the freedom of speech is mightier than the sword >>> we begin with the death of saudi king abdullah. he passed away after a lengthy hospital visit. he was a powerful ally of the united states and a reformer. he opposed the arab springs. president obama praised the king writing: the president continued: the king's 79-year-old brother will take over the throne. king abdullah will be laid to rest form. let's bring in bernard hakkel a direc

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

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

later today the funeral for king abdullah will take place. he died at age 90 on thursday after coming down with pneumonia. his half brother has been declared the new king. the country which is so key to the u.s. war against isis and al qaeda in the middle east the leadership there is also largely in control of world oil prices. i want to bring in our senior international correspondent for the latest. good morning, nabia. >> reporter: good morning, john. the instability across the region and continuity will look for. that is what the king has said. he will offer to state television. he will maintain the same approach taken by his deceased half brother king abdullah. there are realities in terms of the differences between the two men that will be causing nervousness, not just in washington but other places that threaten to fight isis. king salman is seen to be closer to the kingdom's religious cleric establishment. he was part of the broader tract to osama bin laden. he is also very much within the conservative tradition in saudi arabia. believe

saudi tv is reporting that the country's leader king abdullah has died. he was 90 years old. ing in 2005 after his half-brother died. crown prince salman is now king of saudi arabia. the world's largest oil producer and site of the holiest site in islam. we'll be right back. push your enterprise and you can move the world. ♪ ♪ but to get from the old way to the new you'll need the right it infrastructure. from a partner who knows how to make your enterprise more agile, borderless and secure. hp helps business move on all the possibilities of today. and stay ready for everything that is still to come. introducing... a pm pain reliever that dares to work all the way until... the am. new aleve pm the only one to combine a safe sleep aid plus the 12 hour strength of aleve. i've been called a control freak... i like to think of myself as more of a control... enthusiast. mmm, a perfect 177-degrees. and that's why this road warrior rents from national. i can bypass the counter and go straight to my car. and i don't have to talk to any humans, unless i want to. and i don't. and nation

according to the country's state television saudi arabia's king abdullah has died at the age of 90. e king one of the most significant players in the middle east and the global economy had been in the hospital for several years suffering from a lung infection. his brother is being tasked to be the next king. but king abdullah's passing is still momentous. mohammed 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 fr

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 messa

the white house says the president will pay his respects after the death of saudi king abdullah. man from air force one to personally express his sympathies. this all highlights the importance of saudi arabia to the u.s. ambassador dennis ross is a former special mideast coordinator. he is also a fox news foreign affairs analyst. good to see you, ambassador. >> nice to be with you. thank you. >> absolutely. tell me, is it critical for president obama to show respects to the now deceased king abdullah there in saudi arabia? >> well i think it certainly helps. it's a measure of how we value the relationship. it will be something that is seen by the new saudi leadership and i emphasize new saudi leadership, not just king salman but those around him as well as an indication that the united states values the relationship very much. i think that's important right now, because i think not only do we have a common enemy in terms of isil but the saudis have a number of questions about us as it relates to how committed we are to iran and the effort to negotiate a deal, a nuclear deal with i

>> saudi arabia mourns the death of king abdullah. an i-sis threat 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 resignations. what's neck for yemen? hello and welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. now funeral services are just a few hours away from king abdullah. he passed away in morning at the age of 90. his brother assumed the throne a short time later. here is cnn's senior international correspondent. >> we can expect the funeral to be quite short. there won't be a lot of ceremony of the grave site. we can expect it to be perhaps running a little bit late to be an element of confusion in there as well. this is a huge gathering of people. i was in saudi arabia when king abdullah came to the thrown. t rather than a service because it's over very quickly. the hole in the ground the coffin very quickly lowered and covered with soil. will receive the guest for the royals who come to pay tri