Oman switched to a fiscal surplus in the first four months of the year after it cut public spending amid low oil prices and the coronavirus crisis, official figures showed.

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.

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 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.

Oman will ban movement into and out of the governorate of Muscat from April 10 until April 22, the high committee for combating the coronavirus outbreak said in a tweet on Wednesday.

The Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, has pardoned 599 prisoners jailed for various offenses, including 336 foreigners, the state-run Oman News Agency said on Twitter on Wednesday.

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.

Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways said on Monday that effective immediately only citizens of the United Arab Emirates or diplomats will be able to board its flights from overseas destinations and only if their final destination is Abu Dhabi, the airline said on twitter.

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.

Emirati prison authorities should consider the conditional and appropriate release of prisoners living with HIV who have been denied regular access to lifesaving medication as the number of COVID-19 cases in the UAE increases, Human Rights Watch said today.

The U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State confirmed on Wednesday that three personnel had been killed in a rocket attack on a military camp in Iraq and that about a dozen additional personnel were wounded.

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.

Kuwait will halt all commercial flights to and from the Gulf Arab state starting Friday and until further notice, with the exception of cargo flights, state news agency KUNA said on Wednesday.