Saudi Arabia names new crown prince

Riyadh: Nayef bin Abdel-Aziz Al Saud, the kingdom’s tough-talking Interior Minister, was named heir to the Saudi throne following the death of the previous crown prince late last week.

Prince Nayef has led crackdowns on militants but has also shown favour to ultraconservative traditions, such as keeping the ban on women voting.

He is set to assume the throne upon the death of King Abdullah, 87, who is recovering from his third operation to treat back problems in less than a year.

Prince Nayef, 78, was also named Prime Minister in addition to keeping his job as Interior Minister.