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The UAE’s hosting of the COP28 climate summit in November comes just as Gulf companies and investors are playing an ever-bigger role in electricity supply industries across Africa. Among the most prominent players, Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power has been an early mover and Abu Dhabi-backed Infinity Power is now developing gigawatts of new capacity.

Emirates Water and Electricity Company (Ewec) said it had received four bids to develop the 1,500MW Al-Ajban solar PV plant as an independent power project (IPP). It is Ewec’s third major PV project in Abu Dhabi and will bring the state-owned Abu Dhabi Power Corporation subsidiary's total solar capacity to around 4GW.

Saudi Arabia is dedicating more attention to southern Yemen, even as it continues efforts to secure a peace agreement with the Houthis in the north. A key aim for Riyadh is ensuring Yemen remains unified. However, this strategy means Saudi allies continue to clash with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), which is pushing for independence.

Candidates vying for a seat in the UAE's Federal National Council will be able to spend up to AED3m ($816,000) in the run-up to voting on 4-7 October, after the National Election Committee (NEC) raised the campaign spending limit from the previous AED2m. In previous elections to the advisory body, most candidates have spent well below the threshold.

The United States Department of Justice has accused dual US/Israeli citizen Gal Luft of trying to broker the sale of Iranian crude oil to China and the sale of Chinese-manufactured weapons to Gulf countries, in contravention of US law.

Gulf Co-operation Council foreign ministers were in Moscow on 10 July for the sixth round of the Russia-GCC strategic dialogue – the first time the meeting had been held in Russia since 2016. Moscow appeared keen to ensure the Ukraine war did not dominate the talks.

The UAE has pledged a further $15m to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (Unrwa) to help residents of Jenin, following the Israeli military assault on the West Bank city’s refugee camp in early July.

The UAE's federal cabinet agreed to set up a Ministry of Investment, with Mohammed Hassan Al-Suwaidi named as the inaugural investment minister. The cabinet also approved a federal law to set up a Financial Stability Council, which aims to underpin stability in the markets and monitor associated risks.

The launch of the Saudi-backed Hadhramaut National Council on 19 June has underlined fears that Yemen could break up into three distinct areas, with the Houthis controlling Sanaa and other parts of the north, while the rest of the country is divided between the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council and other groups supported by Saudi Arabia.

A contract signed in December has given the well-connected UAE company Primera Group the right to export and process much of Democratic Republic of Congo's artisanal gold, attracting scrutiny and criticism inside and outside the African country.

Ras Al-Khaimah (RAK) Ruler Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al-Qasimi has continued a recent spate of international travel, leading the UAE delegation to the St Petersburg International Economic Forum in Russia mid-June on behalf of President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nayhan (MBZ) – despite the fact that MBZ himself was also at the event.

UAE state-owned defence group Edge has signed a partnership and cooperation agreement with the Brazilian Navy for the development of long-range anti-ship missiles.

There are many reasons for environmentalists to be suspicions about the UAE's stewardship of the upcoming UN Climate Conference COP28, but it could prove a historic mistake for the mostly western critics to underestimate the summit's president-designate Sultan Al-Jaber. While detractors fear the event is morphing into a vehicle for hydrocarbons industry lobbying, the UAE claims it is serious about renewable energy and is recruiting a potentially powerful southern alliance to its side.

Ras Al-Khaimah’s Sheikh Humaid Bin Khalid Al-Qasimi has been appointed chairman of The Rare Age Technologies, a Dubai-based group which aims to use blockchain technology to make museums and art galleries more accessible.

The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) kept the UAE on its 'grey list' of jurisdictions under increased monitoring. The UAE is one of 26 jurisdictions on the grey list, alongside the likes of Jordan, Turkey and Yemen. The inter-governmental watchdog also kept Iran on its 'black list' of high-risk jurisdictions, alongside North Korea and Myanmar.