RIYADH: Saudi Arabia 's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has defended his bold reform plans, including the kingdom's decision to lift the ban on women driving, saying that "we were not like this in the past. "The prince said that "we want to go back to what we were: moderate Islam," speaking during a rare public appearance at a major investment conference in Saudi Arabia today.The heir to the throne says the kingdom will work to defeat extremist ideas and ensure that young Saudis live in harmony with the rest of the world. The panelists later lavished praise on the 32-year-old prince for his "passion", "vision" and "enthusiasm" but he interjected, saying he is only "one of 20 million people. "The Crown Prince has announced plans for a new $500 billion city to be built in the country's northwest that will be run entirely on alternative energy and be an innovation hub for the future.The project, dubbed Neom, will be built on untouched land along the country's Red Sea coastline near Egypt and Jordan. It's being attended by giants in the business world, corporate managers from some of the world's largest firms and top Saudi officials.

Source: Times of India October 24, 2017 16:29 UTC