Saudi Arabia: Faisal Bin Farhan takes over as Saudi foreign minister

Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Bin Abdullah Al-Saud was given a surprise promotion to foreign minister on 23 October, taking over from Ibrahim Bin Abdelaziz Al-Assaf who had only been in the post since last December. Faisal is a familiar face, having previously served at the Saudi embassies in Washington and Berlin. His background in the defence industry may also prove useful, along with his fluent English and German language skills. He was born in Frankfurt to a German mother.