U.S.-Saudi relations face scrutiny ---------------------------------------------- Saudi Arabia is moving to release some political prisoners and repair relations with regional rivals as it prepares for a policy reset with U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration ---------------------------------------------- QATAR Jan 4: Saudi- led bloc of UAE, Bahrain and Egypt ends three-year blockade of Qatar Jun 2017: Bloc accuses Qatar of supporting extremism and using state-run Al Jazeera as propaganda weapon against neighbours ---------------------------------------------- RUSSIA Mar-Apr 2020: MbS and Vladimir Putin clash, triggering oil price war between Riyadh and Moscow ---------------------------------------------- POLITICAL PRISONERS Feb 10: Loujain al-Hathloul, Saudi women’s rights activist released after 1,001 days in prison Feb 4: U.S.- Saudi citizens Salah al-Haidar, Bader al-Ibrahim temporarily released after being detained in 2019 Jan 14, Walid al-Fitaihi: U.S.-Saudi citizen sees prison sentence reduced ---------------------------------------------- ASSASSINATION Oct 2018: Crown prince triggers global outcry after Saudi-critic and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi (inset above) is killed and dismembered inside Saudi consulate in Istanbul Oct 2019: Riyadh enforces informal boycott of Turkish goods following incriminating and macabre leaks through Turkish media over Khashoggi killing. Saudi imports of Turkish goods fall from $221 million to just $16m in 2020 ---------------------------------------------- CANADA Aug 2018: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) cuts diplomatic ties and trade with Canada following call for release of women’s rights activists ---------------------------------------------- YEMEN Feb 4: U.S. President Joe Biden halts support to Saudi- led six-year war in Yemen. Decision follows order to block sale of smart-bomb technology to Saudi Arabia. Administration appoints special envoy to Yemen to help end civil war ---------------------------------------------- Sources: AFP, Bloomberg, Reuters Pictures: Associated Press, Amnesty Int. © GRAPHIC NEWS words: 265