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Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah made a state visit to the UK in late November, the first such visit by Kuwait in 17 years. The emir was greeted by Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Charles in the centre of Windsor, before heading to Windsor Castle, where he was given a full ceremonial welcome.

Thirty of parliament’s 50 seats went to candidates who have not previously been MPs. Three seats went to women – Maasouma Al-Mubarak, who has held several ministerial positions and was elected in 2009, and two newcomers, Safa Al-Hashem, who has previously worked in the higher education ministry, and lawyer Thikra Al-Rashidi.

Kuwait faces a tense run-up to polling day on 1 December, with a court hearing on its controversial voting system and a large opposition rally expected in the final week of campaigning. The administrative court verdict is due on 26 November and will decide whether a recent Emiri decree changing the electoral law is legal.

Four Twitter users in Kuwait have been detained for ten days for insulting the emir, according to local newspapers. Seven people described as opposition sympathisers were arrested on 14 November, and remanded in police custody pending investigation into tweets deemed offensive and critical of Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah.

Kuwait’s Global Investment House (Global) will ask shareholders to approve a delisting of its shares, at an extraordinary meeting on 2 December. In a statement on 19 November, Global said it had so far failed to secure the regulatory waiver from Kuwait’s Capital Markets Authority (CMA) which it needs to implement a $1.7bn debt restructuring plan, and that it would ask shareholders to agree to removing the stock from the Kuwait Stock Exchange.

Opposition activists used social media to mobilise thousands of Kuwaitis on 4 November, defying police attempts to stop a protest against changes to the electoral law. The emir met four opposition leaders to discuss the crisis, but there has been no hint of a resolution to the standoff.

The recently created Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is seeking more Gulf and other sovereign wealth fund (SWF) partners to invest in projects which will mainly focus on Russia and its ‘near abroad’ neighbours.

Should Kuwait’s next election take place, as scheduled, on 1 December, it will be the sixth in a decade. Parliamentary polls have been held in July 2003, June 2006, May 2008, May 2009 and, most recently, February 2012. The following timeline notes some of the key events in the current crisis.

Kuwait has given final approval to a settlement with Iraq over Gulf war-era debts. Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah signed decree number 23 for 2012, endorsing the agreement reached by the two sides earlier this year to settle the dispute between Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) and Iraqi Airways.

Huge protests have brought Kuwait to a critical juncture, as the government tightens control and opposition leaders threaten to boycott elections now scheduled for December. But a conclusive outcome remains far from certain with deference to the Al-Sabah, disunity on both sides and the threat of outside interference all at play

On 7 October, Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah dissolved parliament again, meaning that elections must be held within 60 days – the second this year. The move was widely expected, following months of political limbo.The date for the polls has yet to be set.

When Qatar set up its gas export infrastructure, it focused on international markets. A regional energy specialist tells GSN why the rest of the region is paying the price – and why that is unlikely to change.

Kuwait’s emir has dissolved the National Assembly, meaning that elections must be held by 7 December. The move had been expected after a summer of crisis which saw one parliament declared void, and another fail to reconvene

Kuwait’s next election – if it takes place, as expected, before 7 December – will be the sixth in a decade. Parliamentary polls have been held in July 2003, June 2006,May 2008,May 2009 and, most recently, February 2012 (see main story).

Kuwait plans to raise the proportion of state revenue going into its Future Generations Fund (FGF) to 25% from 10%. State news agency Kuna said on 17 September that economy minister (and acting minister for education and higher education) Nayef Al-Hajraf had been told by the cabinet to raise the sum in the 2012/13 budget.