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The Abu Al-Abbas Battalion commander in Taiz, Adil Abduh Fari Uthman Al-Dhubhani (aka Abu Al-Abbas), was sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and Saudi Arabia on 25 October 2017 for his relations with Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and Islamic State (ISIS-Y). The former school teacher, who hails from Dhubhan in Al-Turba area, studied at the Salafi Institute in Dammaj, Sadah, founded by Sheikh Moqbil Al-Wadi, who died in 2002. He has been involved in anti-Houthi since the war began in 2015.

King Salman Bin Abdelaziz’s hospitalisation on 20 July showed the 84 year-old’s vulnerability, but also that the monarch since 2015 has lost none of the tough spirit that long made him the royal family ‘enforcer’ and mediator. Following the successful removal of his gallbladder, Salman chaired a cabinet meeting from hospital on 22 July, highlighting his legendary work ethic and allaying immediate concerns of his demise. However, by advertising the king’s frailties, the episode set Saudi-watchers once again to focusing on the succession. One school of thought has it that Salman’s infirmity might provide a credible excuse to justify his abdication – almost certainly in favour of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS).

Jockey Club chairman Prince Bandar Bin Khalid Al-Faisal was appointed chairman of the Equestrian High Commission by a royal order issued on 19 July.

Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani’s brother Sheikh Khalifa Bin Hamad was the focus of an eye-opening article in the Los Angeles Times on 16 July, which detailed his lavish lifestyle and some questionable financial arrangements during his time studying at the University of Southern California (USC).

Protesters have been returning to the streets of Iraqi cities in increasing numbers over the course of July, leading to a number of deaths and highlighting the fact that Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi has yet to come up with any clear solution to the many governance, infrastructure and economic problems which have long plagued the country. 

Four Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) nationals were sentenced to life in jail, and one to ten years, by the Federal Supreme Court, after being found guilty of disseminating information “with an intent to ridicule and damage the reputation and prestige of the state symbols”, UAE state news agency Wam said on 18 May. Wam said the five had been accused of spreading data, rumours and pictures on Twitter and other websites; as well as prison sentences, they were given a Dh1m ($0.27m) fine.

Politics: Disagreements between the autonomous Kurdish region and the federal Iraqi government in Baghdad have been a source of major tensions in recent years. The 2005 constitution stipulated that Iraqi Kurdistan had an identity distinct from Iraq, and was a federal entity recognised by Iraq and the United Nations; the 2010 Erbil agreement with Baghdad outlined how power would be shared. But the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has protested their lack of implementation, and relations with Baghdad have been acrimonious. Oil has been at the centre of the dispute, with Baghdad furious that Erbil signed production-sharing agreements with international oil companies (IOCs) without its say-so, and Kurdistan wanting to export oil independently rather than via the central state marketing organisation.

Yemen is in a very fragile state. After 33 years of rule, president Ali Abdullah Saleh relinquished power in February 2012, and Yemen entered a transitional period, intended to be two years long and to steer the country towards democracy and stability. Saleh’s successor, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, has inherited a nation beset by violence and competing factions. A smouldering insurgency in the north, secessionism in the south, a powerful jihadist movement and remnants of the old guard continue to threaten the political process. Hadi has made moves to restructure the military and neutralise potential enemies, but factional fighting in Sanaa continues apace.

The Kurdistan region of Iraq has great successes within its grasp, but remains threatened by its still unstable relationship with the rest of the country and neighbours in the region. The Iraqi parliament will soon start discussion on a series of oil sector laws which will potentially enshrine the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)’s right to issue contracts and hold licensing rounds.

POLITICS: Kuwait has been governed by the Al-Sabah family since the 18th century. It gained independence from Britain in 1961; a new constitution written that year confirmed the hereditary monarchy, but gave significant powers to an independent judiciary and an elected assembly. The emir – currently Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah – retains final say. Parties are banned, but associations and factions are active, creating opposition blocs in the 50-member Majlis Al-Umma (National Assembly) and the Gulf ’s most participatory politics. The downside of this experiment in partial democracy has been constant friction between the elected parliament and appointed government, which has often resulted in paralysis of the state.

The authorities have cracked down on Shia protests in Eastern Province. Orders from on high – including a Ministry of Interior statement on 5 March saying that demonstrations, marches and sit- ins contradict Sharia law and a similar message from the Majlis Al-Shura on 7 March – appear to have prevented a possible ‘day of rage’ scheduled for 10 March.

The past year has been a political rollercoaster for Kuwait, and there has been little progress in dealing with the system’s underlying problems. The opposition won a parliamentary majority in February but, in June, the emir dissolved parliament on a technicality. Fresh elections were held on 1 December, but were boycotted by the opposition, angry that the emir decreed a change to the electoral law, cutting the number of votes to one per person, a move the opposition says favours pro-government candidates.

Parliament has abolished 12 government ministries, reducing the administration to 34 ministries. Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki remains acting defence and interior minister, with the Al-Iraqiya bloc, led by Iyad Allawi, rejecting his recommendation that culture minister Saadoun Al- Duleimy becomes acting defence minister, instead proposing four candidates of its own.

The government of President Bashar Al-Assad has come under increased pressure as the Arab Spring has brought thousands of people demanding political reform onto the streets. But the regime continues to use heavy-handed tactics to cling on to power, resulting in violent clashes between protesters and the army.