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Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, one of the wealthiest and most powerful leaders in the world, died on Friday. King Abdullah was a powerful US ally who joined Washington’s fight against al-Qaeda and sought to modernise the ultraconservative Muslim kingdom with incremental but significant reforms, including nudging open greater opportunities for women. (Reuters)
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US President Barack Obama meets with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington in June 29, 2010. Obama praised Abdullah for taking 'bold steps' in advancing the Arab Peace Initiative. (Reuters)
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Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, left, stands next to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia as Britain's Prince Charles looks on during the ceremonial welcome for King Abdullah in London on October 30, 2007 . More than his guarded and hidebound predecessors, Abdullah assertively threw his oil-rich nation's weight behind trying to shape the Middle East. (AP)
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Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah (L) with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during a dinner prior to the start of the General Assembly Meeting of the Culture of Peace, at United Nations Headquarters, in New York in November 11, 2008. UN Secretary General condoled the death of Saudi King Abdullah, saying he has left a "tangible legacy" that can still show the path towards peace in the Middle East. (Reuters)
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Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah (R) speaks with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad at Riyadh airport in March 11, 2009. In Syria, Abdullah stepped indirectly indirectly into the civil war that emerged after 2011. He supported and armed rebels battling to overthrow President Bashar Assad, Iran's top Arab ally, and pressed the Obama administration to do the same. (Reuters)
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US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah talk before a meeting at the King's desert encampment in Rawdat al-Khuraim. Kerry called King Abdullah 'a brave partner in fighting violent extremism who proved just as important as a proponent of peace.' (Reuters)
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George W. Bush greets then Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. Bush called the Saudi king 'an important and able ally and a force for modernisation in his country'. (AP)
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Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, left, speaks with Prince Salman, the Saudi King's brother and Riyadh governor, right, before the king's departure to United States, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. On King Abdullah's death his half-brother Salman takes over as the absolute ruler of the world's top oil exporter and the spiritual home of Islam. (AP/Saudi Press Agency)
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Crown Prince Salman, who has been named the King after King Abdullah's death, gestures during a session at the Shura Council. King Salman has named his half-brother Muqrin as his crown prince and heir, rapidly moving to forestall any fears of a succession crisis at a moment when Saudi Arabia faces unprecedented turmoil on its borders.(AP/Saudi Press Agency)
