Rattled Saudi king announces social sops

Returning to his kingdom Wednesday after three months abroad for medical treatment, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah promptly announced a number of non-political reforms, boosting social benefits for his people.

Clearly, the king was worried about the anti-regime uprisings that have rocked the region. Popular uprisings have toppled regimes in Tunisia and Egypt and infected neighbouring Bahrain.

The social and economic overhaul, estimated to cost around 145 billion Saudi riyals ($38.7 billion), include housing support, funding to offset inflation and guarantee of payment for students overseas, according to a series of royal decrees published by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA). 

King Abdullah, believed to be 86 years old, left for New York in November for treatment on a slipped spinal disc, which caused blood accumulation that put pressure on some nerves. He subsequently moved to Morocco to recuperate.

During his absence, mass unrest unseated the presidents of Tunisia and Egypt, while protests have rattled regimes in Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, Morocco, Algeria and Iran.

The king's half-brother, Prince Talal bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, told BBC Arabic last week that the oil-rich country could be harmed by the uprisings sweeping the Arab world unless it speeded up political reforms.