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Remarkable progress in Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman acknowledged
Here is a rundown of developments after Mohammed bin Salman, widely known as MBS, became the crown prince of Saudi Arabia a year ago.
RIYADH: Here is a rundown of developments after Mohammed bin Salman, widely known as MBS, became the crown prince of Saudi Arabia a year ago.
King Salman ousts his nephew as crown prince and installs his 31-year-old son, Mohammed, as his heir in a royal decree issued on June 21, 2017.
Prince Mohammed retains his role as defence minister. This move caps a meteoric rise for the young prince.
Riyadh and three Arab allies accuse Doha of supporting "terrorists" and being too close to Saudi Arabia's archrival Iran in the same month. Qatar denies the charges.
In September 2017, authorities gather at least 20 people, including clerics and intellectuals, in the condemned crackdown on dissent by the crown prince.
In November, around 380 royals, ministers and business tycoons are arrested in a dramatic purge led by Prince Mohammed, about which the government says is a “move against corruption”.
Many that are held for weeks in the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton Hotel are released after agreeing financial settlements.
The world's only ban on female drivers is ended in June 2018 by announcing that they will be able to take the wheel.
Both sexes are allowed to attend concerts, and cinemas are reopened.
Prince Mohammed has brought about an astounding series of reforms.
However, some restrictions are still imposed on Saudi women and the authorities are accused of continuing crackdowns on rights activists.
In November 2017, the Prince accuses Iran of "direct military aggression" by supplying ballistic missiles to rebels in neighbouring Yemen.
A while ago, the Saudi forces obstructed a ballistic missile that was found near Riyadh international airport, which was fired by the rebels.
Riyadh joined in the Yemeni conflict in 2015 at the head of an Arab military coalition supporting the government against the Iran-allied Huthi rebels.
Prince Mohammed says that if Iran develops a nuclear weapon in 2018, Riyadh will do so too. He also correlated Iran's leader with Hitler in an interview with CBS television, saying he "wants to create his own project in the Middle East".
In March, the prince takes off for his first foreign tour, visiting Egypt and Britain, where he lunches with Queen Elizabeth II. He spends two weeks in the United States, where he meets Trump and other political and industry leaders, and he goes to Spain and France.
Prince Mohammed says in April that Israelis as well as Palestinians "have the right to have their own land".
King Salman later reasserts Riyadh's "steadfast" support for the Palestinian cause.
