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Bahrain's General Sports Authority chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) president Sheikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa was in Riyadh to attend the opening ceremony of the 2023 World Combat Games, the first time the martial arts event has been held in the Arab region.

Sharjah Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Bin Sultan Al-Qasimi named Adel Ahmed Ali Alwan Al-Naqbi as director of the Ruler's Court in Dibba Al-Hisn – a part of the emirate on the Gulf of Oman coast which borders Oman's Musandam peninsula.

Sheikh Mubarak Bin Fahad Bin Jassim Bin Mohammed Al-Thani was named as Qatar's ambassador to Oman. Mubarak has previously served as ambassador to Azerbaijan (2008-14) and Serbia (2015-21).

Dubai Deputy Ruler and federal finance minister Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum opened the Expand North Star 2023 exhibition and conference at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Emirati Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Juma Al-Maktoum has been involved in a number of business deals around Africa. During the Covid pandemic, he was connected to efforts to sell Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in several countries in Africa and Asia. 

There appeared to be limited interest from the Gulf region in China's third Belt and Road Forum for International Co-operation.  The UAE was the most notable Gulf presence, sending Ras Al-Khaimah Ruler Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al-Qasimi to lead its delegation. 

A Dubai-based company backed by a well-connected but relatively low-profile member of Dubai's ruling Al-Maktoum family has been signing deals across Africa to generate carbon credits – while generating some controversy in the process.

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khalid Bin Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan opened the eighth World Investment Forum, organised by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

Turkish attacks: Türkiye (Turkey) launched a sustained aerial bombardment of Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK) bases in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) in early October, following a suicide bombing at the Ministry of Interior building in Ankara on the opening day of the month, a few hours ahead of the reopening of the Turkish parliament after a three-month summer recess.

Kuwait was one of 15 countries elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council. It will serve a three-year term, starting 1 January 2024, alongside Albania, Brazil, China, France and others. The 47 seats on the council are distributed on a regional basis.

The Palestinian issue has been steadily sidelined in the minds of most leaders in recent years, but that all changed with Hamas' brutal attack on Israel on 7 October and the devastating bombardment of Gaza that has followed. With the death toll quickly running into the thousands and claims of war crimes being levelled against both sides, Gulf governments are scrambling to deal with the fallout.

The turmoil that has broken out in Israel and Gaza in recent days may lead to a recalibration by Yemen's Houthis of what they should put on their list of demands and how much pressure they can exert on Saudi Arabia in any further rounds of talks. It might also concentrate minds in Riyadh about the need to secure a viable settlement in Yemen, so that the land beyond its southern border is not a long-term harbour of potential danger.

The extent to which Iran knew about, or helped with, the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel remains a point of conjecture. Some were quick to point the finger of suspicion at the Tehran regime, which is undoubtedly a major supplier of military materiel to Hamas and the driving force behind the 'Axis of Resistance' that is now confronting Israel.

UAE President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (MBZ) made a surprise visit to Doha early October, ostensibly for the opening of the International Horticultural Expo 2023 but, in reality, to cement and expand relations between the two countries’ leaderships.

Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, in recognition of her fight for women’s rights. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said the award also recognised all those who had demonstrated over the past year against the Iranian regime's oppression of women.