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Kuwait has all but left behind its former status as a pre-eminent hub of regional diplomacy, as the leadership is widely perceived to have walked away from its role as mediator in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) and its neighbours. Concerned by this apparent inaction on the regional stage, GSN has been asking: why has Kuwait apparently retired from playing such a significant diplomatic role?

Gulf countries have despatched search and rescue teams, medical equipment, temporary housing and other relief supplies to Turkey and Syria in the wake of the devastating earthquake that hit in the early hours of 6 February. Qatar and the UAE were among the first to respond; flights left from Kuwait the following day. Aid has also been forthcoming from Saudi Arabia and Iran.

In his new book, 25 Days to Aden, regional risk and security expert Michael Knights – a former contributor to GSN – has offered an unprecedented view of the UAE as a rising, and effective, military power, as it became embroiled in the Yemen conflict.

Oman LNG signed a binding term-sheet agreement with China International United Petroleum and Chemical Company (Unipec) to supply 1m tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) a year for four years, starting in 2025. Oman LNG also signed a ten-year, 1m/yr deal with Turkey’s Botas Petroleum Pipeline Corporation.

Sheikha Mahra Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, a daughter of Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum and the Greek-born Zoe Grigorakos, graduated with a degree in international relations from an unspecified university in London. Mahra (sometimes known as Christina) will turn 29 years old later in February.

Emirati Sheikh Hazza Bin Sultan Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan has joined cryptocurrency venture IslamicCoin as a member of its advisory board. Hazza joins four other UAE royals who make up the current advisory board.

Assayida Ahad Bint Abdullah Hamed Al-Busaidi, wife of Oman's Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq Al-Said, inaugurated the Ministry of Social Development’s National Autism Centre in Al-Seeb early February. The facility is the first of its kind in the country.

Bahrain's Prime Minister and Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa inaugurated the King Hamad American Mission Hospital (KHAMH) in Aali on 26 January, 120 years to the day since the first American Mission Hospital (AMH) was opened in Bahrain under the name Mason Memorial Hospital.

The Industrialisation and Energy Service Company ("TAQA") announced the closure of its 100% acquisition of Al Mansoori Petroleum Services ("AMPS"), expanding TAQA's Well Solutions business internationally.

Qatar's Sheikh Thani Bin Hamad Al-Thani inaugurated the Aisha Bint Hamad Al-Attiyah Hospital in the Moroccan coastal city of Safi on 20 January, on behalf of Father Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani.

Sheikh Arhama Bin Saud Bin Khaled Al-Qasimi has been named director of the office of Ras Al-Khaimah Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Saud Bin Saqr Al-Qasimi. Arhama had previously served as director of the crown prince’s media office.

Emirates Water and Electricity Company (Ewec) issued a request for proposals (RFP) in January for a 1.5GW solar photovoltaic independent power project in the Ajban area of Abu Dhabi. It is the third major solar plant by Ewec, following the 1.2GW Noor Abu Dhabi and the 1.58GW Al-Dhafra projects.

UAE federal finance minister and Deputy Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum and his wife Sheikha Maryam Bint Butti Al-Maktoum added a third daughter to their family on 25 January, with the birth of Sheikha.

UAE Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) chairman Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan inaugurated a marine research vessel in January.  The 50-metre Jaywun was built by Spain’s Freire Shipbuilding Company.

A summit of regional leaders, held in Abu Dhabi on 18 January, appeared to be hastily arranged and did not include representatives from Saudi Arabia or Kuwait. It has nevertheless prompted widespread speculation about what may have been discussed and the meeting’s wider meaning. Such interest reflects its host’s apparently ever increasing prominence in international affairs.