News Digest

Ailing Saudi king, 91, admitted to hospital for checks

Saudi Arabia’s ailing King Abdullah, 91, has been admitted to hospital for “medical checks,” the royal court said. The king, whose age and frequent hospitalisation have raised concerns about the future leadership of the key oil producer, was admitted to the King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, a court statement carried by the official SPA news agency said. Abdullah’s half brother Salman, 77, is next in line to the throne. He was named crown prince in June 2012 following the death of Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, may God keep him, entered today Wednesday … the King Abdulaziz Medical City of the National Guard in Riyadh to undergo some medical tests.

Statement released by Saudi royal court

Salman has been representing the king at most public events, including the latest Gulf summit in Qatar this month, due to the monarch’s ailing health. The king’s absence from the public gaze for some time last year prompted rumours on social media networks that his health was deteriorating. He underwent two operations in October 2011 and November 2012 to correct “ligament slackening” in the upper back.