Saudi Summit Loses Its Swagger as Elites Question Kingdom - Bloomberg:
It’s an investment summit in the shadow of a killing: stripped of the glitz and glamour of business titans who last year flew in to woo a young prince and be a part of his grand plans to transform his country’s economy.
Hosted by the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, the three-day conference that kicks off in Riyadh on Tuesday was meant to showcase the opportunities created by reform efforts to break the economy’s dependence on oil and unveil billion-dollar contracts in front of the world’s business elite. That was until the killing of government critic Jamal Khashoggi prompted dozens of finance and business leaders to pull out.
Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman -- who posed for selfies with hundreds of delegates at last year’s conference -- will be keen to show that it’s business as usual in the kingdom, even as European leaders and President Donald Trump demand more information on how the Washington Post columnist was killed at its consulate in Istanbul.
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