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Israel has named its chargé d’affaires to the UAE Eitan Naeh as its first ambassador to Bahrain. Naeh has previously served as ambassador to Turkey and was named as the temporary head of mission to Abu Dhabi in January.

Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah has been appointed to head Crown Prince Mishaal Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s diwan.

Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s favoured vehicle the Public Investment Fund (PIF) is to acquire a 25% stake in Emaar, the Economic City, to settle a debt of SR2.8bn ($755m) that the master developer of King Abdullah Economic City owed to the Saudi sovereign wealth fund.

Challenged by years of drift even before Covid-19 had a heavy impact on its economy, Oman has sought to revitalise its hydrocarbons industries since Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq Al-Said came to power. Institutions have been reconfigured and some big players continue to invest in gas, but overall the results are mixed.

Capital Governorate governor Sheikh Hisham Bin Abdulrahman Al-Khalifa has been named Ministry of Interior undersecretary for nationality, passports and residence affairs.

The UAE’s relationship with the United Kingdom has become characterised by warm state-to-state interactions and large investment deals. The wealth of Abu Dhabi coupled with the commercial drive of Dubai make an attractive partner for the idea of a ‘Global Britain’ that Prime Minister Boris Johnson likes to promote following the UK’s exit from the European Union.

Protocol often seems to overwhelm normal news flow in Bahrain, as senior officials – most of them from the Al-Khalifa family – receive foreign visitors and congratulate each other at dutifully-reported occasions and in myriad telegrams. Any hint of speculation about the balance of power in the ruling Al-Khalifa family remains deeply hidden.

An attempt by GCC secretary-general Nayef Al-Hajraf to convene a fresh round of dialogue in Riyadh for Yemen war belligerents appears to have failed, with the Houthis refusing to take part. However, there are signs of further Saudi-inspired political initiatives to break the stalemate on the ground, which could have significant consequences for President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the wider political process.

The Muscat Stock Exchange is to allow full foreign ownership of listed companies. In a brief statement issued on 28 March, the bourse said the cancellation of foreign ownership limits would make it more attractive to international investors.

All six Gulf Co-operation Council states abstained in a vote at the UN General Assembly on 7 April on suspending Russia from the UN Human Rights Council.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to roil global oil and gas markets – particularly in Europe where countries are chasing alternative supplies to reduce their heavy energy dependency on Russia.

The UAE and Kuwait will soon be sending ambassadors back to Tehran, for the first time since early 2016.

UAE's Fujairah Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Mohammed Al-Sharqi launched the Together, Hand in Hand community initiative, to help deal with the aftermath of storms which brought heavy rain and flooding to the emirate.

UAE's Sharjah Ruler Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi’s book The Biography of the Sultans of Kilwa has been published by Al-Qasimi Publications.

Italy’s Eni has made a 1-1.5 tcf gas discovery in Block 2 offshore Abu Dhabi. The find was made at the block’s first exploration well and followed an earlier find in a shallower part of the same well.