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Emir Sheikh Mishaal travelled to Riyadh on 30 January for talks with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, further cementing the bilateral relationship. Mishaal then went to Oman in early February to attend the inauguration of Duqm refinery with Sultan Haitham.

Sheikh Ali Bin Khalifa Bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa has been named secretary-general of the Royal Humanitarian Foundation, taking over from former oil industry executive Mustafa Al-Sayed.

Saudi ambassador to the US Princess Reema Bint Bandar has defended the idea of the season finale for women’s tennis being held in Saudi Arabia, following criticism of the idea by former stars Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova; Reema has also been speaking out about the Gaza war and the plight of Palestinians.

UAE state minister for foreign affairs Sheikh Shakhbut Bin Nahyan Al-Nahyan has been on another African tour in January, visiting the capitals of Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, as well as Angola’s Cabinda province, as the UAE look to continue recent momentum for investments and wider engagement in Africa.

Former Asir governor Prince Faisal Bin Khalid Bin Abdelaziz has purchased an unspecified stake in White Abarrio, ahead of the champion racehorse’s appearance in the $20m Saudi Cup on 24 February.

Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq Al-Said sailed to Khasab port in the isolated Musandam peninsula in mid-January for a meet-the-people tour and to inspect economic developments, directing local officials to push ahead with further housing and commercial projects.

Former finance minister Ali Sherif Al-Emadi has been fined almost $17bn and given a 20-year sentence by a Qatari court for money laundering and other charges. The court also sentenced Sheikh Nawaf Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani to six years in prison and fined him $227m for misuse of public funds.

In a noticeable uptick in President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan’s recent overseas travel, MBZ has gone to Azerbaijan and India to cement commercial ties, in his first visit to another Brics member since the UAE joined the big emerging economies’ club at the start of the year.

National Media Office chairman Sheikh Zayed Bin Hamdan Al-Nahyan was appointed to chair new holding company 2PointZero four days after it was set up. He will work alongside chief executive Mariam Bint Mohammed Almheiri, who also serves as the UAE’s climate change and environment minister.

In a reordering of some of UAE national security advisor Tahnoun Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan’s extensive commercial interests, the new 2PointZero holding company will take control of shares in firms including venture capital investor Chimera Investments, minerals investor International Resources Holding and cryptocurrency ‘miner’ Citadel Technologies.

Shortly after taking his oath of office on 20 December, new Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah used his speech to the National Assembly to complain that MPs and the government had “harmed the interests of the country”. Mishaal also criticised a series of pardons by this predecessor, the late Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, pointing to a potentially significant shift in style at the top in Kuwait – if the new emir’s forthright words prove more than PR.

GSN looks at some of the main contenders to be nominated as the heir apparent by incoming Emir Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Selection of another older generation crown prince is the likely outcome.

The late Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is unlikely to be remembered as one of Kuwait’s defining leaders, but he was an affable, honest man who was called upon to navigate a difficult political environment.

Oman’s Crown Prince Theyazin Bin Haitham had words of praise for President Vladimir Putin and one of Russia’s most senior bankers, Andrei Kostin, while in Moscow to attend an investment forum in early December. The visit to Russia, followed by a trip to Abu Dhabi a few days later to meet UAE President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, suggests the Omani crown prince may be seeking to build up his international profile.

Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq Al-Said has returned from back-to-back state visits to Asian powerhouses Singapore and India, in which boosting business was very high on the agenda.