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Sheikha Jawaher Bint Hamad Bin Suhaim Al-Thani’s presence in Spain alongside her husband, Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, points to a slowly rising public profile for the first of the Qatari Ruler’s four wives.

Kuwait held its 13th Municipal Council elections on 21 May, with 38 candidates competing, including one woman. Some 438,283 Kuwaitis were eligible to vote.

GSN Risk Grade: C↑3↓ Fiscal balance: Finance and national economy minister Sheikh Salman Bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa insisted on 9 May that the government’s fiscal balance programme was on track to hit its target of balancing revenues and expenditure by 2024.

GSN Risk Grade: D↓5. Food protests: A sharp rise in the price of wheat and other staples has provoked protests around Iran. The Ministry of Agriculture cut subsidies on wheat imports on 1 May, in the face of rising international prices, which have been driven ever higher by the war in Ukraine, a major global supplier.

Allies of Iran-backed Shia party Hizbollah under-performed in Lebanon’s 15 May parliamentary elections, when they failed to secure a majority in the 128-seat National Assembly. The shake-up to the Lebanese political environment offers new opportunities for Gulf states that may be thinking about re-engaging with Beirut after a period of keeping their distance.

Saudi Aramco is said to be considering a stock market listing for its Aramco Trading arm. Analysts have predicted the unit could be valued at more than $30bn. Omani state energy company OQ is reportedly considering a sale of shares in some of its upstream and downstream assets. Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Nogaholding is due to complete a comprehensive energy strategy in six months, which could pave the way for an “asset monetisation” programme.

Saudi officials issued a statement on 16 May insisting that the futuristic city of Neom, under construction in the north-west of the kingdom, would be governed by the same rules that apply to the rest of the country in terms of security, defence and border protection.

The UAE Ministry of Defence has cut the length of national service for male recruits holding a high school diploma or above, from 16 to 11 months. However, those without a high school diploma will now have to serve three years, up from two years previously. The national service for female recruits will be 11 months, down from 12 months previously.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has appointed McDermott International as the design contractor for a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Fujairah. The 9.6m t/yr capacity plant is being developed to tap into the growing international demand for natural gas.

Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces chief of staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri inaugurated a drone factory in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on 17 May. Bagheri had arrived the previous day, to be greeted on arrival in the Tajik capital by chief of the general staff Lieutenant General Imomali Sobirzoda.

France has condemned the arrest of two of its citizens in Iran as 'baseless' and called for their immediate release. Several other French citizens have been arrested and convicted of spying in recent years.

Iran appears to have succeeded in placing at least one surveillance mini-satellite into orbit in late December, based on imagery released this month showing large parts of the Bahraini capital Manama, including the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet.

Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al-Qasimi, president of the Geneva-based International Publishers Association (IPA), has been in Argentina and Colombia to attend the Buenos Aires International Book Fair and the International Book Fair in Bogota.

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad made a surprise visit to Tehran this month for talks with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi. The trip came less than two months after the Syrian ruler was in Abu Dhabi.

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani has embarked on an extensive tour of foreign capitals over the past week, in a trip that seems designed to shore up hopes of a revived Iran nuclear deal and to bolster Qatari gas exports.