Representative Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, expressed his "continued concern" over Loujain Hathloul's treatment in a letter sent to Saudi Arabia's US ambassador, Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud.

The number of novel coronavirus cases in the six Gulf Arab states has doubled in a month to more than 400,000, as the region's two biggest economies this week fully lifted curfews imposed to combat the infection.

Saudi Arabia will end a nationwide curfew and lift restrictions on businesses from Sunday morning after three months of lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, state news agency SPA quoted a source in the interior ministry as saying on Saturday.

State oil giant Saudi Aramco started laying off hundreds of employees this month, two sources familiar with the matter said, as global energy companies reduce their workforces in response to the coronavirus crisis.

Instances of Saudi bullying against Bahrain are increasing. After it was recently revealed that the Saudi authorities do not allow Bahrain to conduct any surveys in the northern and western Gulf of Bahrain.

The family of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi said on Friday that they had forgiven the men who murdered their father, paving the way for a legal reprieve for five defendants sentenced to death for the October 2018 killing.

Saudi Arabia will enforce a countrywide 24-hour curfew during the five-day Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday later this month to help stem the spread of the coronavirus, the interior ministry said on Tuesday.

The Saudi Minister of Finance and Acting Minister of Economy and Planning, Mohammad Al-Jadaan, announced on Monday (May 11, 2020) that the Kingdom has taken a number of measures to mitigate the negative effects of the Coronavirus pandemic, including suspending the cost of living allowance and raising the value added tax.

Saudi Arabia will take strict and painful measures to deal with the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the finance minister said on Saturday, adding that "all options for dealing with the crisis are open".

Commenting on the reports of the death of Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamid, a prisoner of conscience who died while in custody in Saudi Arabia, Lynn Maalouf, from Amnesty International, said: "We were shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Dr. Abdullah Al-Hamid while in detention because of his peaceful activities."

Saudi Ambassador to Bahrain Sultan bin Ahmed bin Abdulaziz confirmed that 965 Saudi nationals were evacuated from Bahrain.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman approved an extension of the kingdom's curfew until further notice due to the rate at which the coronavirus is currently spreading, the state news agency (SPA) reported early on Sunday.

A Republican U.S. senator introduced legislation on Thursday to remove American troops from Saudi Arabia, adding pressure on the kingdom to tighten its oil taps to reverse the crude price drop that has hurt domestic energy companies.

Dozens of members of the ruling Saudi royal family have been infected with coronavirus in recent weeks, the New York Times newspaper reported.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Wednesday it was halting military operations nationwide in support of U.N. efforts to end a five-year war that has killed over 100,000 people and spread hunger and disease.

Saudi Arabia placed its capital Riyadh and other big cities under a 24-hour curfew on Monday, locking down much of the population as the largest Gulf Arab country expanded efforts to stem the spread of the new coronavirus.

Saudi Arabia will impose a nationwide curfew starting on Monday after reporting a jump of almost a quarter in coronavirus cases, while the United Arab Emirates will suspend all passenger flights as of Wednesday, state media reported.

Saudi Arabia has temporarily suspended travel of citizens and residents and halted flights with several states due to coronavirus fears, state news agency SPA said on Thursday citing an official source at Interior Ministry.

Saudi Arabia has detained three senior Saudi princes including Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, the younger brother of King Salman, and Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, the king's nephew, for allegedly planning a coup, sources with knowledge of the matter said.

Saudi Arabia's decision to close its land border (including the border with Bahrain via the King Fahd Causeway) is to come into effect on Saturday (March 7, 2020) night. Its decision comes within a series of precautionary measures taken by the Kingdom to counter the Coronavirus.