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Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa rarely makes headlines beyond the Bahraini media, but the prime minister since 1970 (taking office nearly two years before formal independence in December 1971) always warrants attention, having proved to be a master in the game of political survival. The PM (second son of Sheikh Salman II, who ruled from 1942 to 1961) was the real force behind his brother’s throne until 1999, when Emir Sheikh Isa died. New ruler Sheikh (later King) Hamad Bin Isa stripped away some of his uncle’s powers, but Khalifa could not be dislodged.

The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) cadet who killed three US sailors and injured eight others at the Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida last December was regularly in touch with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), including the night before the attack, US attorney general William Barr told a news conference on 18 May. The Federal Bureau of Investigation found that Second Lieutenant Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani had joined the RSAF to carry out a “special operation”.

Aviation slump: The Arab Air Carriers’ Organisation (AACO), which represents airlines in the region, has called on governments to provide tax relief to airlines for at least two years and provide speedy financial support packages in light of the coronavirus crisis which has led to fleets being largely grounded amid travel bans and border closures. AACO says that more than 150,000 families across the region depend on the sector for their livelihood. It also wants governments to suspend slot usage rules at airports and exempt airlines from passenger rights regulations on a temporary basis, among other measures. AACO estimates that regional airlines lost some $8bn in revenue in the first quarter of this year as a result of the crisis.

Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has made the first visit to Egypt by an Iranian president since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, arriving in Cairo on 5 February ahead of an Organisation of Islamic Co-operation summit.

In the days preceding the US-Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) summit, attention focused largely on who would – or rather, would not – be attending. Much was made of the fact that Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Bin Abdelaziz would not be going, sending in his place Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef (MBN) and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS). The 10 May announcement came as something of a surprise, since, just two days earlier, White House spokesman Eric Schultz had told reporters travelling on Air Force One that US President Barack Obama and King Salman would have a pre-summit meeting on 13 May.

The situation in Qatif has deteriorated sharply since 2011. Historically, the Saudi government has given the predominantly Shiite population a relatively unfettered existence, at least by the Kingdom’s strict standards. Though almost unrepresented in the security forces or local government, Shia from Qatif have been allowed to establish Shiite cemeteries and husseiniyas, undertake open-air sermonising and the sale of Shia religious materials, and even publicly celebrate Ashura.

Abdelrahman Bin Nasir returns from US; Salman Bin Abdelaziz: Still on holiday; Mishaal Bin Abdelaziz returns home; Khalid Bin Abdullah's Frankel victory

Iraqi Kurds have a strong proclivity for placing all their eggs in one basket and putting their faith in foreign backers. In commercial terms, they placed all their hopes with US oil giant ExxonMobil in the past and are now falling just as deeply in love with Russia’s Rosneft, which is building a 30bcm/yr gas pipeline to Turkey. In the diplomatic sphere, the Kurds rejoined the federal Iraq project in 2003 on the basis of American guarantees, before adopting Turkey as their new backer after 2008.

Many Iraqis looked on with trepidation as an upsurge in terrorist attacks, apparently intended to create a new Sunni-Shia conflict, coupled with rising sectarian political tensions to mark the US’ formal withdrawal of troops, which took place a fortnight before the planned 31 December departure.

A court in Perpignan has ruled that an aircraft previously belonging to the late Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi cannot be seized by the Al-Kharafi family, who hoped to sell the Airbus A340 to partially recover a sum awarded by a Cairo arbitration court in 2013. The French judge ruled that the aircraft was Libya’s sovereign property. Squire Patton Boggs lawyer Carole Sportes, acting for Libya, called it “very satisfying to see the judge has recognised the fact this plane, which belongs to the Libyan state, has immunity from being seized”.

Armed clashes over control of Aden’s International Airport signal continued tension between rival factions in southern Yemen. Initial reports focused on a potential crisis between Saudi Arabia and the UAE (see article on page 4), and tensions have persisted after Sudanese forces, under orders from Riyadh, took over the airport. But the mid-February clashes were also symptomatic of the very complex challenges local factions pose to stability in this strategically vital province.

Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS)’s reputation may still suffer on (parts of) the international stage as a result of the destructive Yemen war, a fruitless boycott of Qatar and the lingering horror of journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, but the Saudi heir apparent’s position appears secure at home, despite occasional murmurings of disquiet within the family over his absolutist rule. An important element of his sustained appeal among some sections of the Saudi population – particularly the kingdom’s numerous youth – is his anti-corruption campaign.

The award of £15m in November 2015 to Janan Harb, a widow of King Fahd, in a London court is set for a retrial following a decision by the Court of Appeal. Harb had sued the late king’s son Prince Abdelaziz Bin Fahd for breach of contract after he failed to pay her a lump sum and transfer to her the title of two properties on Cheyne Walk – assets (she claims) were promised to her under an agreement made between Harb and the prince during a meeting at The Dorchester hotel in 2003. Lawyers for Prince Abdelaziz had always denied her version of events, saying Harb accosted him in the hotel lobby but he did not speak to her.

Re-elected

Anti-corruption committee, Marriages