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King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies chairman, the former intelligence chief and diplomat Prince Turki Al-Faisal was awarded the Ghazi Mir Bacha Khan medal from Afghanistan on 8 October; it was presented by Afghan finance minister Mohammad Humayon Qayoumi and Kabul’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia Sayed Jalal Karim on behalf of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, during a ceremony at the Prince Sultan Bin Abdelaziz Hall in Riyadh’s Al-Faisaliah Hotel.

Former Youth Welfare and Olympic Committee head Prince Nawwaf Bin Faisal has again posted images of his uncle Prince Abdelaziz Bin Fahd (ABF - the youngest son of King Fahd) on social media. ABF was included in the group of those arrested in November 2017 and there were even rumours at the time that he had been killed resisting arrest; for some time his fate was not clear. In the latest footage, covered in nauseating style by Arab News, MBS is seen visiting his cousin ABF, along with interior minister Prince Abdelaziz Bin Saud Bin Nayef.

Anglo-Dutch supermajor Royal Dutch Shell has signed a $6.5bn deal with Qatar Petroleum (QP) to develop a petrochemicals complex at Ras Laffan Industrial City.

The buyer behind the world record $450m purchase of a Leonardo da Vinci painting of Jesus Christ at an auction in mid-November was named by The New York Times as Prince Bader (sometimes written Badr) Bin Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Farhan Al-Saud. The Al-Faharn branch prince was not previously known as a serious art buyer, which led to questions about his wherewithal for such an extravagant purchase, why the painting would interest him and what connection there might be to Abu Dhabi?

Reflecting growing bilateral ties in the sphere of defence planning, the US and UAE scripts on the seriousness of Iran’s nuclear programme are quickly coming into sync. Just over a month since the UAE Armed Forces Officers Club in Abu Dhabi hosted the first Middle East Missile and Air Defence Conference, a government-run think-tank issued statements that were unusually blunt in describing the nuclear threat to the region.

Two days after the UAE Armed Forces suffered two separate fatal aircraft crashes, minister of state for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash unilaterally declared that the UAE had completed its mission in Yemen and that its involvement in the Saudi-led coalition had changed focus – from a military campaign to civil development. Details of the military withdrawal had yet to be revealed as GSN went to press, but UAE forces are expected to be repatriated in phases over the next few months. There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Co-operation Council allies.

A diplomatic spat blew up between Manama and Baghdad in April, following a statement by Sairoon political movement (the largest in the Iraqi parliament) leader Muqtada Al-Sadr in which he called for an immediate end to the “wars” in Yemen, Bahrain and Syria, and for those countries’ rulers to step down. Bahrain condemned the powerful Shia cleric’s comments as an attempt to interfere in its internal affairs.

Senior United States Department of Defence officials have criticised the defence industry for inadequate quality control on missile defence programmes, saying the administration planned to use more fixed-price contracts.

The 30th summit of the League of Arab States, held in Tunis on 31 March, provoked a familiar round of diplomatic spats while, as usual, achieving little of note. Gulf Cooperation Council representation was led by heads of state including Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Bin Abdelaziz, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani and Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Sharjah Ruler Sheikh Sultan Bin Muhammad Al-Qassimi has been awarded an honorary doctorate in drama by the University of Sudan, in recognition of his support for theatres and the arts in the region. The award was presented to Sheikh Sultan on 5 March by the university’s chancellor Dr Awad Saad Hasan during a visit to the emirate. Sultan is, among other things, president of the Sharjah Performing Arts Academy.

Rhode Island-based Textron is in early-stage talks with Saudi Arabia over a possible deal for its Textron AirLand Scorpion light attack aircraft. No further details have been revealed at this stage, with chief executive Scott Donnelly telling analysts following half-year results that the discussion was “still in its formative stages”. The potential sale is the latest sign of movement following the much-hyped $110bn worth of defence deals announced by Saudi Arabia and United States President Donald Trump during the latter’s visit to Riyadh in May.

Two more prominent Saudis are facing trial for online comments deemed offensive to Islam. Novelist Turki Al-Hamad was arrested on 24 December following a series of tweets deemed offensive to Islam, and just days before, a court in Jeddah decided to try Raif Badawi, co-founder of an online forum for liberal debate, on charges of apostasy that could lead to the death penalty.

West Azerbaijan governor-general Mohammad Mehdi Shahriari has said Tehran and Ankara have agreed to open two further border crossings in a bid to expand bilateral trade flows. An agreement was reached during a recent visit by interior minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli to Turkey.

The Ajman leadership have been receiving condolences following the death of Sheikha Fatima Bint Ali Bin Huwaidin Al-Ketbi, wife of Ajman deputy ruler Sheikh Nasser Bin Rashid Al-Nuaimi. The Al-Ketbi family married into several of the Emirati ruling families – Ajman ruler Sheikh Humaid Bin Rashid’s first wife was an Al-Ketbi and the late Emirati president Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan’s most prominent wife was Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Al-Ketbi.

Riyadh has given $1bn to the Lebanese armed forces, to help them fight Islamist militants launching attacks from Syria. News of the donation was delivered by former Lebanese prime minister Saad Al-Hariri, who is close to the Saudi leadership, at a news conference at King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz’s palace in Jeddah on 6 August. Hariri said King Abdullah had told him he had issued the order to give the money, at a time when Lebanese security forces were engaged in a battle with Sunni Islamists for the town of Arsal.