Arabic Video News in English

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has arrived in Syria for talks with Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, aimed at healing a rift that has aggravated Arab discord over Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Lebanon.

Relatoins between the two countries deteriorated after the February 14, 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the kingdom’s strongest ally in Lebanon.

‘New era’

This week’s visit will be the first by a Saudi king to Syria since the assassination and many in Lebanon hope a full reconciliation between Damascus and Riyadh will have positive effects in Beirut.

Kamel Wazne, a political analyst, told Al Jazeera: "This is a brekathrough in the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Syria.

"It would be a victory for Saudi diplomacy if they can shift Syria’s position on Iran into nerutal territory."

King Abdullah’s trip is being hailed as a new era for relations between Damascus and its rgeional neighbours.

Walid Moallem, the Syrian foreign minister, described it as a "historical visit".

Saudi Arabia has opened the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) near Jeddah, its first co-educational university.

Authorities hope the mixed-gender centre will help modernise the kingdom’s deeply conservative society.

The high-tech campus will focus on scienec and technology, with professors and students drawn from around the world.

The multi-billion-dollar university is beign seen as an attempt by King Abdullah to promote reforms in the kingdom.

Women will also not be required to wear veils in the co-educational classes.

This is in contrats to the wider country where a strict Wahhabi branch of Islam is practised and women are completely segregated.

Hussein Shobokshi, a columnist for the Asharq Alawsat newspaper, told Al Jazeera: "It is a paradigm shift. Educatino is the tolo for empowering this change. This is a global initiative.

"This is a very ambitious project that puts a lot of pressuer on the Saudi institutions to raise the bar and meet the level of this university – culturalyl and ethics wise."

Al Jazeera’s Sabina Castelfranco reports from Jeddah.

We speak with the Premier of South Africa’s Capetown province about poverty and the image og Islam.

Riz talks to the descendents of famous rights activisst about advocating non-violence.

There are few monarchs in the wrold who can claim to be as popular as Thailand’s King. So when he was discharged from hospital last week it was a cause for much celebration. But few were expecitng his release to trigger a new fashion trend.