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Abu Dhabi is pushing for further consolidation among the emirate’s banks, with Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) holding merger talks with both Union National Bank and Al-Hilal Bank. All three institutions are either wholly- or majority-owned by the emirate’s government.

John Leonard Monterona, Middle East co-ordinator for Migrante, a leading independent organisation representing Filipino expatriate workers, told GSN his group would like to see sponsorship completely abolished.

The astonishing allegation that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was behind a plot to kill Saudi ambassador to Washington Adel Al Jubeir has left many analysts baffled and the Western media scrambling for an explanation. One US-based analyst called it “just bonkers”.

In the division of labour between the regular Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN) and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN), the principles of decentralisation

An explosion in Bahrain on 9 December killed a policeman in the village of Damistan, south-west of Manama. The Interior Ministry named him as Jordanian national Ali Mohammed Ali, who was working in Bahrain as part of a security and training exchange agreement between Bahrain and Jordan. The ministry said it was a terrorist bombing, using a homemade device that was detonated remotely. The next day, there was another explosion in the village of Karzakan, which killed a Bahraini citizen and wounded an expatriate man.

UAE President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, who had a stroke in January, was not at a military parade to mark UAE National Day on 2 December. State news agency Wam said the event was held “under the patronage” of Sheikh Khalifa, but did not include him in the list of attendees; photographs showed Moroccan King Mohammed VI sitting between Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Dubai ruler Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited Zabeel Palace on 27 October for talks with Dubai ruler and UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum (MBR). The leaders witnessed the signing ceremony of a number of agreements between the UAE and Bangladesh, including one on security co-operation, and another on the transfer of sentenced persons. They also agreed on a plot of land in the diplomatic quarter of Dhaka for the construction of a UAE embassy. Also on 27 October, MBR and his son Sheikh Maktoum met Malaysian Prime Minister Mohammed Najib; among other things, they talked about the 10th World Islamic Economic Forum, which was to convene in Dubai from 28-30 October.

Former justice minister Najeeb Al-Nuami has been unable to leave Qatar since 8 January, when he received an SMS alerting him about the ban. Lawyer Al-Nuaimi complained the ban was “politically motivated”, the Doha News website reported on 9 February.

Kuwait, like many Gulf states, has been grappling with how best to deal with sociAl networking sites such as Twitter, which have given wings to dissent that in the past would not have left the realms of private conversation.

Bahrain’s destruction of the iconic Pearl monument in Manama on 18 March, and the ripping up of grass at the roundabout, symbolises one of the state’s most aggressive acts against its people. The circular monument became the base for the opposition movement, acting as a public space where people could meet and share ideas, much like Tunisians did in Tunis’ 7 November Square (newly named Mohammed Bouazizi Square), and Egyptians in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.

On 10 September, in a London courtroom packed with Gulf Keystone Petroleum (GKP) investors, Mr Justice Christopher Clarke comprehensively ruled in favour of GKP in its legal battle with former partner Excalibur Ventures. Excalibur had claimed it was owed a 30% stake in GKP’s huge Shaikan field, which could have been worth about $1.6bn according to some estimates. While most spectators expected a ruling in GKP’s favour, its unequivocal nature was a surprise. As Justice Clarke read out each part of his 13-point judgement to more than 100 investors who had filed in for the verdict (many of them unable to find seats), the buzz of excitement grew.

A source familiar with United Nations Special Representative to Yemen Martin Griffiths’ thinking has updated GSN on the painfully slow pace of the Stockholm-negotiated ceasefire in Hodeidah. Implementation arrangements are still being negotiated, under the chairmanship of Danish Lieutenant General Michael Lollesgaard, who we are told has won respect from both sides for his patience and tact. But the principal obstacle to achieving full implementation remains the Houthis’ fear that if they withdraw from the ports area, and are replaced by what the Stockholm agreement stipulates as being local forces, former members of local militias that the Emiratis have used to conduct much of the fighting in the area will fill the gap.

The US State Department on 15 September confirmed the role of the Omani government in securing the release of imprisoned hiker Sarah Shourd, who was arrested with two other Americans by Iran 13 months ago when walking in the mountainous Iranian/Iraqi border region

Qatar is expected to run its first deficit in 15 years in 2016, a sobering reminder that this gas-fuelled economy has its vulnerabilities, even though the fiscal pressures are more moderate than in most other Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states. The 2016 budget, approved by Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani on 17 December, plans for a deficit of $12.8bn (about 7% of GDP), based on an oil price assumption of $48/bbl, a modest cut in current spending and a slight increase in capital spending.

A Paris-based first cousin of Father Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani has made a televised statement criticising the Qatari authorities for a policy which allowed “hateful and bitter people to deepen their roots in Qatar and spread poison”. Sheikh Sultan Bin Suhaim Bin Hamad Al-Thani said he wanted to purge Qatar of “these outsiders”, who “only care about exploiting our country and using our resources”, and to protect the emirate from terrorist organisations.