Saudi Arabia faces setback over missing journalist
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*RIYADH - Big companies have been pulling out of the Future Investment Initiative, an upcoming conference in Saudi Arabia.*
Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government, was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. The Turkish police believe he was killed and dismembered at the consulate. The Saudis have denied this.
The list of companies and individuals withdrawing from the conference, also called Davos in the Desert, is rising. The event will be held on October 23.
The conference is part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 project – the brainchild of the kingdom’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The project is strongly dependent on overseas investment.
So far, CNN, The New York Times, Bloomberg, Ariana Huffington who is the founder of the Huffington Post, The Economist’s Editor-in-Chief Zanny Minton Beddoes, The Financial Times, UBER CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, Viacom CEO Bob Bakish, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, CNBC and LA Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong have all announced that they won’t be attending or sponsoring the conference.
