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The Kuwait Investment Authority’s London office has seen another senior departure, following a period of bruising court cases in which it has been accused of a cynical approach to employment cases

Tehran and Washington have both responded to a final draft for a new deal on Iran’s nuclear programme that was circulated by European Union high representative for foreign affairs and security policy Josep Borrell in late July.

The political arena remains in a delicate position, with Iran-backed Shia bloc the Co-ordination Framework and supporters of cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr holding rival demonstrations in Baghdad and the work of key national institutions put on hold.

The Houthis, Saudi-led coalition and Yemeni government agreed a further two-month extension to their cease-fire, taking it to early October. The terms are the same as the previous two periods, but all have given a commitment to intensify efforts to expand the terms of the truce, first agreed in April and extended by 60 days in June.

Governments across the Gulf are enjoying another boom in  oil  and gas prices, which is all the more welcome given the fiscal crunch in many economies caused by the Covid pandemic.

GSN Risk Grade: C↑3↓ Election preparations: Elections for the Majlis Al-Nuwab (Council of Representatives) are due to be held in November, with 40 single-seat constituencies up for grabs. In preparation, the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs has reportedly written to local political societies to warn them they should only meet representatives from foreign embassies in co-ordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with a MFA representative in attendance.

UAE Sheikha Shamma Bint Mohammed Bin Khalid Al-Nahyan was in London for a series of meetings in July and August, in her capacity as chair of the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalid Al-Nahyan Cultural and Educational Institutions.

Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) has secured a $567.5m facility from Standard Chartered Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation for the Saudi-Egyptian interconnection project.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) is investing $200m in service stations in Egypt.

UAE President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (MBZ) made another trip to Europe, with an official visit to Greece, where he held talks with President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and other officials.

Disgraced former Kuwait Public Institution for Social Security director Fahad Al-Rajaan died in London on 6 February, according to a report by the Kuwait Times. Al-Rajaan had fled to the UK amid accusations of embezzling public funds.

Saudi Motorsport Company (SMC) chairman Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Bin Abdullah Al-Faisal signed a memorandum of understanding with Spain’s Dorna Sports to bring top-flight motorbike racing to the kingdom.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (Nedsa) and the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (Nedaja) were both involved in attempts to seize United States Navy (USN) unmanned surface vessels (USV) in late August and early September.

Doha is spending heavily on catering to visiting football fans’ artistic sensitivities during the World Cup, with the roll-out of Qatar Museums chair Sheikha Al-Mayassa Bint Hamad Al-Thani’s “outdoor museum” programme, involving some 40 pieces of public art.

The Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) formally received the corvette Al-Jubail in a ceremony at King Faisal Naval Base. It is the first ship from the Sarawat Project to enter service.