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While Kuwait and Baghdad have been edging towards compromise in the war of words over Iraq’s Mubarak Al-Kabir port mega-project, tensions are being stoked by threats from an Iraqi militant group with strong Iranian connections. Washington shares Kuwait’s concerns about Kataib Hizbollah’s potential to further inflame tensions in the region

Kuwait | Iraq
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A plane belonging to General Khalifa Haftar made a brief visit to Abu Dhabi on 11 May, departing after just one hour on the ground at Al-Bateen Executive Airport, as noted by Israeli daily Haaretz editor Avi Scharf. There was no mention of his visit by the UAE official news agency and it is not clear who was on the plane or who they met.

Issue 974 - 18 July 2014

Nawaf Bin Faisal: Out of IOC

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Prince Nawaf Bin Faisal Bin Fahd Bin Abdelaziz, who in late June was replaced as head of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare (GPYW), has now resigned as president of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee. In a statement on 11 July, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said that, as a result, his membership of the IOC had also been ended. It is not clear why Prince Nawaf, who is in his 30s, is leaving the roles. He had been a national Olympic committee representative since 2006, and head of the GPYW since early 2011; in 2012, he left another role as head of the Saudi Arabia Football Federation.

Saudi Arabia
Issue 973 - 05 July 2014

Iraq: The Kurdish electricity model

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After the 1991 uprisings in Iraq, the Kurdish regions – Erbil, Sulemaniyah and Dohuk – were cut off from the national grid. For the rest of the nineties, Erbil and Sulemaniyah had to rely on supply from the hydroelectric power stations at Lake Dokan and Lake Derbandikhan, capable jointly of generating approximately 300-400MW during the summer months when conditions permit (i.e. there has been sufficient rain during the winter); Dohuk, meanwhile, was able to obtain limited power from Mosul.

Iraq
Issue 1060 - 25 May 2018

UAE: Rulers’ Ramadan pardons

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Well over 2,000 prisoners were released early from the UAE’s prisons, as rulers of the seven emirates indulged in their traditional habit of issuing pardons to mark the start of Ramadan. The largest batch – 935-strong – were released on the orders of President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

United Arab Emirates (UAE)
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The long-term liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply deal signed by Qatar Petroleum (QP) and Kuwait on 5 January could serve as a landmark moment in the region’s faltering progress towards a Gulf-wide energy network. The deal covers the delivery of 3m tonnes a year (t/yr) of gas over 15 years from 2022, double the 1.5m t/yr that Kuwait currently buys from Qatar. Fiscal terms remain confidential, but it looks a robust deal for both sides.

Kuwait | Qatar
Issue 985 - 22 January 2015

Yemen: Fighting in Sanaa

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Fierce fighting has erupted once again in the Yemeni capital, between Houthi fighters and the presidential guard. A ceasefire was put in place on 19 January, after hours of artillery and gun battles, but was short lived. Houthis managed to enter the presidential palace on 20 January, and shelled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s home; he was apparently inside, but unharmed. The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting on the rapidly deteriorating situation on 20 January. UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said he was gravely concerned, and called for the restoration of full authority to legitimate government institutions.

Yemen
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Controversy has erupted in Saudi Arabia over the position of Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, head of the Mecca branch of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. He first hit the headlines late last year after an interview in Okaz newspaper in which he spoke openly about ikhtilat, the mixing of unrelated men and women,

Saudi Arabia
Issue 1036 - 12 May 2017

UAE: Dubai economy shows resilience

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The Dubai economy appears to be growing relatively strongly, according to the Dubai Economy Tracker Index produced by local bank Emirates NBD. The index rose to 57.7 in April from 56.6 in March, the fastest rate of growth since February 2015 (anything over 50 points signals an expanding economy). Activity in the construction, tourism and wholesale and retail trade sectors all picked up, but margins are being squeezed and jobs growth is sluggish.

United Arab Emirates (UAE)
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Having decided not to go to the Camp David summit, King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa kept his regular appointment at the mid-May Royal Windsor Horse Show in the United Kingdom. As he did last year, the king spent some time at the event with Queen Elizabeth II, watching part of the International Endurance Race, which the king’s son Nasser Bin Hamad won for the second year running.

Bahrain
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The Saudi prince arrested in September following allegations that he assaulted several women at a mansion near Beverly Hills was released from felony charges on 20 October, after the Los Angeles District Attorney ruled there was not sufficient evidence against him. The Daily Mail website obtained court documents that confirmed the prince involved was a younger son of the late King Abdullah.

Saudi Arabia
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On 14 November in Beijing, state-owned Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) announced the official opening of Aramco Asia, a wholly owned affiliate of Saudi Aramco headquartered in the Chinese capital, and intended to serve as the “business and cultural exchange portal between Saudi Aramco and China”.

Saudi Arabia
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Foreign minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal has had back surgery in the US, a Royal Court statement said on 24 January. “Prince Saud… successfully underwent surgery on the vertebrae in the United States of America,” the court said. “[He] is having routine physiotherapy following the surgery.” Prince Saud, who is about 74, has had problems with his back for some time as well as other health problems; in August 2012, he had surgery to remove an intestinal obstruction, after which he spent time recuperating in the US.

Saudi Arabia
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Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al-Said has gifted £25,000 to a Scottish church, St Mary’s Episcopal in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, to help restore flags used in battle by the 2nd battalion of The Cameronians during the Zulu campaign in 1879. Reverend Ian Barcroft wrote to Qaboos via the embassy of Oman; a cheque arrived soon after the London embassy verified the letter. The Cameronians served in Oman during the late 1950s; the sultan subsequently copied The Cameronians 1st battalion’s distinctive badge, and Balmoral bonnets are worn to this day by the armed forces. Qaboos served with the 1st Battalion in Germany in the early 1960s.

Oman
Free

The Yemen conflict, and its complex blend of local and regional alliances, seems to be shifting into a new phase, which does not yet hold out the promise of peace for the tortured country. While the uneasy alliance of Houthi rebels and former president Ali Abdullah Saleh unravels in Sanaa, Saudi Arabia is increasingly taking over the UAE’s leading role in southern Yemen. Meanwhile, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Islamic State (IS) jihadists are making new tribal alliances that entrench their influence.

Yemen