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The European Union has sanctioned two UAE-based companies over commercial and military ties to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, while a leaked United Nations expert report says evidence of UAE arms supplies to the rebel RSF are ‘credible’.

The deal by which Edge Group is acquiring International Golden Group brings two of the UAE’s biggest defence equipment suppliers together under one roof.

Edge is to use its extensive surveillance technologies for a six-month anti-crime initiative in São Paulo; the very active UAE state-owned defence conglomerate has also agreed a tie-up with Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar.

The second former US Navy frigate to join the Royal Bahrain Naval Force has arrived in Manama.

Former Asir governor Prince Faisal Bin Khalid Bin Abdelaziz has purchased an unspecified stake in White Abarrio, ahead of the champion racehorse’s appearance in the $20m Saudi Cup on 24 February.

Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq Al-Said sailed to Khasab port in the isolated Musandam peninsula in mid-January for a meet-the-people tour and to inspect economic developments, directing local officials to push ahead with further housing and commercial projects.

Former finance minister Ali Sherif Al-Emadi has been fined almost $17bn and given a 20-year sentence by a Qatari court for money laundering and other charges. The court also sentenced Sheikh Nawaf Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani to six years in prison and fined him $227m for misuse of public funds.

A five-year contract for Bahrain Steel to supply Emirates Steel Arkan with iron ore pellets appears to be motivated by both commercial and geopolitical considerations, with the Abu Dhabi government-owned steel-maker saying it was designed to “strengthen economic ties within the GCC”.

Emir Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah’s first cabinet retained just three ministers from the previous administration in Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Sabah Al-Sabah’s new government. However, many of the new ministers have served in cabinets before as shown in GSN’s round-up of the new administration’s CVs.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is aiming to use its $23bn decarbonisation budget to develop its domestic and international carbon management platforms, following a wave of deal-making in December and January aimed at bolstering bolster the UAE’S energy transition credentials.

US major ExxonMobil has sold its interests in the West Qurna-1 oil field to the state-owned Basra Oil Company and Indonesia’s Pertamina, leaving China National Petroleum Corporation’s PetroChina arm as the biggest shareholder in this once widely-coveted asset.

Kuwait’s new Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Sabah Al-Sabah appears to have taken note of the recently enthroned Emir Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmed’s desire for change, with new ministers being appointed to all the major posts in cabinet, including defence, finance, foreign affairs and oil, while some portfolios have been rationalised to deliver more rational government.

Revised January 2024, this map of Yemen illustrates the extent of Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping between 19 November 2023 and 12 January 2024. Attack sites are marked on the map, with a text panel providing a brief note on each incident. An inset map of the region illustrates the estimated range of Houthi missiles. The base Yemen map is shaded to show areas of control by each faction in the war (September/October 2023), with the main areas of conflict marked. The map also shows the location of key infrastructure including roads, airports, oil, and gas fields, pipelines, refineries, oil tanker terminals and gas processing facilities.    

The issue leads with the response to the Houthis’ campaign against commercial shipping in the Red Sea, with Arab states pushing for Israel to end its bombardment of Gaza while trying to ensure the war doesn’t escalate into a regional conflagration. The issue also focuses on Kuwait, where new Emir Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has set a forthright tone to his rule by criticising the government and members of parliament (MPs), and distancing himself from pardons issued under his late predecessor Sheikh Nawaf Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. GSN also takes a closer look at Sharjah, which is looking to upgrade its infrastructure and increase capacity at its airport with a record budget worth $11bn announced for 2024. The independently-minded emirate has stood out among its UAE peers in its attitude to the Israel-Palestine conflict and much else. GSN's coverage includes a new Al-Qasimi family tree.      

Sharjah is looking to upgrade its infrastructure and increase capacity at its airport with a record budget worth $11bn announced for 2024. The independently-minded emirate has stood out among its UAE peers in its attitude to the Israel-Palestine conflict and much else.