MAURITANIAN army officers overthrew the US-allied president yesterday, saying a military junta would temporarily rule the Islamic nation that has increasingly looked to the West as the government raised fears of a growing threat from al-Qaida linked militants.

MUSLIM leaders and Saudi princes bade farewell to King Fahd yesterday, saying prayers in a jammed mosque and then burying him in an unmarked desert grave in keeping with the kingdom’s austere version of Islam.

President McAleese has this afternoon offered condolences on behalf of the people of Ireland following the death of Saudi King Fahd.

The Spanish government declared today a day of mourning following the death of Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd, recalling the monarch’s contribution to peace in the Middle East and his strong ties with Spain.

Heads of state from around the world jetted into the Saudi capital of Riyadh amid tight security today to attend the funeral of King Fahd, the oil-rich country’s ruler for almost a quarter of a century who died yesterday from a long illness.

US President George Bush called newly appointed King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia today to express condolences over the death of King Fahd and to congratulate Abdullah on his succession to the throne.

Oil prices approached a new record today after news of the death of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia unsettled markets.

An emergency Arab summit scheduled to take place in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh in two days has been postponed following today’s death of Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd, said the Arab League secretary-general’s office.

Saudi Arabia’s ruler, King Fahd, died early today in a Riyadh hospital, according to an official where the monarch was being treated and an adviser to the royal family.

Saudi authorities hope King Fahd will be discharged from hospital in the next few days, Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said today in Cairo.

King Fahd of Saudi Arabia was in a stable condition today, medical officials said, a day after the monarch was taken to hospital for unspecified medical tests.

Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd, whose actions to strengthen the oil kingdom’s ties with the US brought down the wrath of Islamic militants, was taken to a Riyadh hospital yesterday apparently suffering from pneumonia.

King Fahd was taken to a Riyadh hospital today for medical tests, the Saudi Press Agency said.

The people of Saudi Arabia have raised more than £43m (€61.2m) for the tsunami victims in Asia in a telethon staged by the government after accusations that the oil-rich kingdom was not doing enough for those affected.

ARABS began the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in reflective mood as violence across much of their world brought reminders from their leaders of true Islam’s tolerant nature - backed by increases in security.

NEARLY two million Muslims jostled to "stone Satan" yesterday, a day after 251 pilgrims died here carrying out the same ancient ritual, provoking orders from King Fahd to modernise the holy sites of Mecca and Medina where tragedy strikes with terrible regularity.

SPAIN’S Costa del Sol is buzzing with expectation at the imminent opening of an entirely new concept that is set to radically alter the way golf is played in this hugely popular destination.

Tony Blair was returning from holiday tonight to face growing domestic and international unease over the possibility of war with Iraq.

Saudi Arabia issued a fresh warning against war with Iraq today despite US President George Bush’s attempts to convince America’s traditional ally.

Prince Sultan bin Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah, a nephew of Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd, was killed today in a car crash in Riyadh. He was 41.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair was today embarking on a new round of shuttle diplomacy to cement support for the coalition against terrorism as MPs returned to Westminster to debate the crisis.

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says Saudi officials have expressed concern that a war on terrorism could create harmful "secondary effects" in the Muslim world.