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On 18 March, Sultan Qaboos received Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak for talks.

The Shibam bomber, Abdulrahman Mehdi al-Ajiri, has been quickly profiled, giving an interesting insight into the new generation of Al-Qaeda in Yemen. Al-Ajari was born in the Al-Salam (Peace) district of Sanaa in 1990. He spent most of his life in the Al-Jamhori Hospital area in Taiz, a city associated with strong recruitment of Islamist militants for the Afghan jihad in the 1980s and 1990s. Al-Ajiri is not the only

The region stretching from the Bosphorus to the Gulf must accommodate itself to a new strategic reality, as the United States – under new management and with a harrowing roster of domestic issues to resolve – disengages from Iraq, while focusing hard on Afghanistan and its neighbours.

Ruler Sheikh Saqr Bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi received a message of allegiance signed by 120,000 of his people as part of celebrations surrounding the 60th anniversary of his rule.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh in February travelled to Russia for high-profile talks with President Dmitry Medvedev, his mentor Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. While talks mainly centred on arms deals, Saleh also met the head of Russian oil giant Gazprom. Yemeni state media reported officials signed a '$1bn deal' to buy Russian equipment, including fighter planes, helicopters and tanks. This included the purchase of MiG-29 planes, helicopters, T-80 and T-72 tanks, and armoured vehicles. Local observers have long speculated that Yemen could be one of several regional states to host Russian bases in the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean,

A two-year inquiry by the UK's Charity Commission into the operations of The Palestinians Relief and Development Fund (Interpal) was completed on 26 February. It concluded "that it could not verify that the material it examined suggesting certain partner organisations funded by the Charity may be promoting terrorist ideology or activities." The inquiry was opened on 13 December 2006 after a BBC documentary called Faith, Hate and Charity alleged that the majority of Interpal's funding was sent to local partners in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs), and that a number of these promoted the ideology of Hamas (GSN 803/7). However, the Commission found that "the charity maintained clear financial audit trails in its delivery of aid for humanitarian purposes." But it does say that Interpal's close ties with the Union for Good must end.

The Islamic Constitutional Movement is the voice of mainstream organised moderate Sunni Islamism in Kuwait. Although it has attempted to push government policy in a more conservative direction on social issues - such as the separation of university classes for men and women - the group has steered a centrist and measured course on economic matters, combining traditional Islamist welfare concerns with a broad acceptance of the case for phased economic liberalisation

Sheikh Nasser Mohammed is suffering a political realignment, with the Islamic Constitutional Movement’s move from cabinet to grilling sponsor reflecting an erosion of support for his government.

Emir: Diplomatic meetings, Sherborne promotion, Tamim Bin Hamad: French military co-operation,Kasi Al Thani: In the news again

Saud Al-Faisal: Syria visit, angers Ayatollahs, Turki Bin Faisal: Allegiance Council member dies, Military princes: Service extended, Fahd Al-Abdelrahman: Marriage to Bandar daughter, Mishaall Bin Abdelaziz: In Cairo, Adila Bint Abdullah: Takes up girl’s case

Khalifa Bin Zayed: Exxon meeting

Oman has all the ingredients for becoming the Gulf’s most attractive tourist and living destination, but projects remain prey to the vagaries of local politics, as well as more recent credit crunch concerns. A case in point seems to be the legal dispute over ownership of Blue City – said to be the Sultanate’s largest real estate development, costing an estimated $20bn – that for more than three years has pitted Bahrain’s Al-Janahi business family against the local Cyclone company.

At the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Sheikh Abdelaziz Bin Humayen Al-Humayen has been appointed head, replacing Sheikh Ibrahim Bin Abdullah Al-Ghaith. The new head of the religious police (known as the Mutawa) has described their role as

It will take more than a reshuffle to resolve the deep-seated contradictory pressures within Saudi Arabian politics and society. Even so, King Abdullah’s recent personnel changes send a powerful signal at a time of renewed succession concerns.

Sheikh Abdelrahman Bin Abdelaziz Al-Colleyia was named chairman of the Supreme Court, with ministerial rank. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Fahd Bin Saad Al-Dosari was appointed Supreme Administrative Court president with ministerial rank.