'Forbes' banned in Saudi over wealth report

Saudi Arabia has banned the latest issue of the Arabic-language edition of Forbes magazine for an article about the wealth of the king and other Arab leaders.

"The reason was a two-page report on the wealth of 15 ruling dynasties, seven of which are Arab.



Instead of ripping out the pages of the report, the authorities decided to ban the magazine altogether.


The report ranked King Abdullah third, behind the rulers of Brunei and the UAE.

Saudi authorities have ordered columns by Khalid al-Dakhil, a prominent Saudi analyst and university lecturer, to be ripped out of Forbes Arabia twice so far this year.

Authorities in the conservative kingdom also tear out pages from newspapers and magazines before they hit newsstands if they contain pictures deemed indecent.