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King Salman Bin Abdelaziz had what officials described as a routine check-up at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Jeddah on 24 April, leaving the hospital on the same day.

As the GCC region’s big economic powers vie for global business, Dubai is reviving plans to turn Al-Maktoum International into the world’s largest airport, not least preparing for the challenge posed by Saudi Arabia’s eye-watering aviation strategy. The Dubai megaproject’s revival comes as Riyadh pushes to grab a big slice of the international aviation market – if Saudi carriers can overcome the challenge of securing sufficient planes, pilots and passengers needed to meet the kingdom’s hugely ambitious plans.

Iranian officials have been engaged in a flurry of meetings and phone calls with GCC member states, in a sign that Tehran may be trying to leverage regional anger over the Gaza conflict to improve relations with its Arab neighbours.

The Capital Market Authority has found 13 investors guilty of violating the Capital Market Law. Among those fined was former ambassador Turki Bin Abdullah Al-Dakhil.

Governor Prince Turki Bin Talal has launched a regional tourism ‘identity’ for Asir to promote his province, which officials say is slated to receive over $13bn for its development by 2030, the majority of which should come from the Public Investment Fund.

The volume of seizures of the amphetamine-like stimulant Captagon by Saudi border guards appears to have dropped sharply over the past year – it could be a sign the diplomatic rapprochement with Syria (the main source of the illegal drug) is bearing fruit, or it may just be that the authorities are being less transparent.

The Saudi government is reportedly scaling back its ambitions for some vastly expensive megaprojects, such as The Line linear city in Neom, in a sign that Riyadh is still struggling to attract the amount of foreign direct investment needed to underpin Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s long-term economic reform agenda, while the UAE leads rivals in drawing in FDI.

Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa travelled to Mecca in early April for talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and also sat in on MBS’ meeting with the visiting Pakistani prime minister.

The Onaiza corvette was launched at King Faisal Naval Base in Jeddah in early March, with another vessel from the Sarawat project arriving at the Royal Saudi Navy base later in the month. 

A deal between Abu Dhabi giant Adnoc and UK major BP to co-invest in Egyptian gas assets highlights how wealthy Gulf national oil companies are seeking lower-carbon expansion opportunities across Africa, with actors from Qatar and Kuwait also among those on the hunt.

Amnesty International has criticised a draft version of the Penal Code for Discretionary Sentences, which was leaked online in July 2022. The legislation sets out strict punishments for what are often vaguely-worded crimes and fails to guarantee freedom of expression or religion – which caused a diplomatic incident in early March involving a delegation from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom

Princess Fahda Bint Saud Bin Abdelaziz and Princess Fahda Bint Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz were both in their 70s and died in mid-March

King Salman Bin Abdulaziz flew into Jeddah on 9 March, amid fresh speculation about his state of health. His son, Crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman followed a few days later

Two former managers of PetroSaudi International, a company set up by Prince Turki Bin Abdullah, are facing bribery, money laundering and other charges over a 2009 deal with Malaysia’s 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which has been at the centre of a major corruption scandal for the past decade

A long-running investigation into millions of dollars’ worth of bribes paid to Prince Miteb Bin Abdullah and his associates in 2007-10 has ended with the two defendants walking free from a London court, after successfully arguing the payments had been approved by the British and Saudi authorities. One defendant’s lawyer told the court his client was being prosecuted to deflect attention from the UK government’s decades of dubious payments in the Gulf