King Salman bin Abdulaziz has directed the Saudi government to invest $1 billion in Pakistan as a confirmation of the kingdom's "support for the Pakistani economy and the Pakistani people", a report from the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said on Thursday.

BEIRUT - Saudi Arabia released photographs of King Salman greeting ambassadors on Sunday, demonstrating that he is alive and well after a crackdown by his son against rival princes sparked widespread speculation that the king was dead or dying.