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Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed Al-Maktoum, daughter of Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum (MBR), was the focus of renewed international media attention in mid-February, after the BBC’s investigative Panorama programme broadcast a number of video messages sent secretly to friends in which ‘the princess’ described being detained in a “jail villa” and fearing for her life.

London think tank the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)’s annual Military Balance shows that Oman retains its position of having the largest defence budget as a percentage of GDP, at 12%, up from 9.9% in 2019. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are in joint fourth place in the IISS rankings of the world’s biggest defence spenders, at 7.1% of GDP each. Iraq, the UAE and Qatar also make the global top 15 on this measure, with 5.8%, 5.6% and 4.4% of their respective GDPs.

Qatar and the UAE used Kuwait’s National Day on 25 February as the moment to name two roads after the late Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who died in September 2020.

The National Museum is setting up a new section dedicated to the late Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al-Said, giving an account of his life and featuring a number of items donated by his successor Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq Al-Said.

Fujairah Ruler Sheikh Hamad Bin Mohammed Al-Sharqi has laid claim to a cargo of crude oil seized by the United States, which alleges it came from Iran.

Dubai Crown Prince and Dubai Executive Council chairman Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum attended the ceremony for the 21st batch of graduates from the Rashid Bin Saeed Al-Maktoum Naval College in Al-Taweelah, Abu Dhabi on 9 March, posing for a photo with the graduating officers.

The corruption case against former prime minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah, former defence minister Khaled Jarrah Al-Sabah and four other senior officials is set to start on 14 April in the Ministerial Court. The court’s Investigative Committee, which is responsible for prosecuting high-ranked members of the ruling family, has demanded they be punished for mismanagement of government funds at the Ministry of Defence.

Sheikh Salman Bin Ahmed Bin Salman Al-Khalifa has been appointed president of the court of Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad, via a royal order issued by King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa on 3 May.

Shopping centre developer Prince Bandar Bin Khaled managed to have his name removed from a list of naturalised citizens published in Malta’s Government Gazette, according to an investigation by local publications The Malta Independent and MaltaToday.

International Publishers Association (IPA) president Bodour Bint Sultan Al-Qasimi, daughter of Sharjah Ruler Sultan Bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi, was in Tbilisi on 23 April to witness the Georgian capital formally taking over the title of Unesco World Book Capital from Kuala Lumpur.

Prime Minister and Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa arrived in Abu Dhabi on 10 May for a short visit. He held talks with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan at Al-Shati Palace and attended a banquet held in his honour before heading back to Manama the same day.

Dubai Deputy Ruler Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Al-Maktoum has been appointed chairman of the Ruler’s Court of his father, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum (MBR).

Crown Prince Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was in Saudi Arabia on 1 June for talks with his counterpart Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh. It was Sheikh Mishaal’s first official trip overseas since his appointment in October 2020.

Ruler Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi has raised the minimum wage for local citizens by 43%, to Dh25,000 ($6,800) from Dh17,500. It follows a Department of Social Services study into Sharjah living standards.

Dubai’s Emirates Group slumped to a Dh22.1bn ($6bn) loss in the year to end-March, its first non-profitable year in over three decades. Group revenues tumbled 66% to Dh35.6bn due to the impact of worldwide travel restrictions and border closures in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.