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Doha is spending heavily on catering to visiting football fans’ artistic sensitivities during the World Cup, with the roll-out of Qatar Museums chair Sheikha Al-Mayassa Bint Hamad Al-Thani’s “outdoor museum” programme, involving some 40 pieces of public art.

DP World is a principal tool in the UAE’s economic relationship with Russia. The Dubai-based ports and logistics giant has established itself as a leading actor in eastern Europe; it has a sizeable presence in the Black Sea and nearby areas, handling trade into and out of Russia and neighbouring countries.

Qatar is gearing up for the start of the Fifa World Cup on 20 November, following a last-minute change in the tournament schedule. A massive public arts campaign is being rolled out – led by Qatar Museums chief Sheikha Al-Mayassa Al-Thani – to go alongside state-of-the-art stadium architecture. The authorities will be hoping sport and culture remain the focus, rather than criticism about workers’ rights or any untoward behaviour by fans, but as a Perspective article from GSN issue 1154 highlights, Qatar has successfully dealt with numerous other challenges in the run-up to being awarded the tournament in 2010.

Energy and shipping are at the heart of the warm relations between Russia and the UAE, providing Moscow with an outlet to the world that avoids western sanctions. It is a relationship that might rankle with Washington, but appears to be in line with local public opinion, with polling suggesting that more Emiratis value good relations with Russia and China than with the United States.

An exhibition focusing on the Prophet Mohammed’s flight from Mecca to Medina, The Hijrah Exhibition: In the Footsteps of the Prophet, has opened at the King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture (Ithra) in Dhahran, running until 30 April 2023. It is due to transfer to the National Museum in Riyadh from 30 June-30 November 2023, before embarking on what would be Ithra’s first international tour, with an itinerary still at the planning stage.

Air traffic control services at Afghanistan’s main international airports at Kabul, Kandahar and Herat are to be run by a UAE company, following a deal signed with the Taliban government.

Disgraced former Kuwait Public Institution for Social Security director Fahad Al-Rajaan died in London on 6 February, according to a report by the Kuwait Times. Al-Rajaan had fled to the UK amid accusations of embezzling public funds.

Saudi Arabia’s Royal Court advisor Ahmed Bin Abdelaziz Qattan has resumed his travels around Africa to elicit pledges of support for Riyadh’s bid to host the Expo 2030 fair.

Oman drew an audience of international oil companies and others to an event at London’s Mansion House in late July to push green hydrogen (GH2) and other ‘future fuels’ projects.

Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum’s majority-owned Dubai Holding investment vehicle is to become the second largest shareholder in Emaar Properties, following a $2bn deal to sell its interest in the Dubai Creek Harbour development for a mix of cash and shares.

The Saudi government is setting up a SR300bn ($80bn) fund to support the development of the futuristic city of Neom in the kingdom’s remote north-west corner.

Saudi Arabia’s Ajlan & Brothers (Abilitii) has signed an agreement with Israel-lined SolarEdge to explore renewable energy investments. The rare (possibly so far unique) public Saudi-Israeli deal was finalised on the sidelines of United States President Joe Biden’s mid-July visit to the kingdom by a company whose star has risen on Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s watch.

GSN Risk Grade – B↓2: Economic growth: An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission to Saudi Arabia said the country had managed the Covid-19 pandemic well and is well-positioned to weather the risks posed by the war in Ukraine.

Investment deals worth $7.7bn were announced during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Abdelaziz (MBS)’s Cairo trip on 20 June, involving well-established and well-connected companies.

Gulf Co-operation Council countries formally launched the process to negotiate a free trade agreement (FTA) with the UK. The GCC is the UK’s seventh largest export market.