Saudi king makes first appearance in two years

Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdelazizi on Thursday made his first public appearance in two years in soccer match in the western Saudi city of Jeddah.

The 89-year-old king had last appeared publicly on November 17, 2012, after undergoing a surgery at the King Abdulaziz Medical City in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

On Thursday, he attended a soccer match, the first to be held at the King Abdullah Sports City.

The king appeared in good health, according to a live broadcast of the match.

Press photos had showed the king with a nasal cannula during a recent meeting with US President Barack Obama.

However, on Thursday, he did not appear with the cannula.

Saudis get Internet hotline to the king

Saudi citizens can now petition 90-year-old King Abdullah directly and lodge complaints through an Internet site set up at the initiative of the monarch himself.

The portal tawasol.royalcourt.gov.sa, named after the Arabic word for communication, was launched on an experimental basis on Wednesday.

All messages are to be forwarded to the king.

"People will be able to inform the king about any shortcomings in the services offered by government agencies, and to take suitable action for the benefit of all citizens," the website says.

More and more Saudis are turning to social networking sites to demand improved living conditions.

However, the authorities, who block access to politically sensitive or pornographic websites, made several arrests in March for tweets deemed offensive to the king.

Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy where protests are banned.