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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.

A five-year contract for Bahrain Steel to supply Emirates Steel Arkan with iron ore pellets appears to be motivated by both commercial and geopolitical considerations, with the Abu Dhabi government-owned steel-maker saying it was designed to “strengthen economic ties within the GCC”.

Emir Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah’s first cabinet retained just three ministers from the previous administration in Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Sabah Al-Sabah’s new government. However, many of the new ministers have served in cabinets before as shown in GSN’s round-up of the new administration’s CVs.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is aiming to use its $23bn decarbonisation budget to develop its domestic and international carbon management platforms, following a wave of deal-making in December and January aimed at bolstering bolster the UAE’S energy transition credentials.

US major ExxonMobil has sold its interests in the West Qurna-1 oil field to the state-owned Basra Oil Company and Indonesia’s Pertamina, leaving China National Petroleum Corporation’s PetroChina arm as the biggest shareholder in this once widely-coveted asset.

Kuwait’s new Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Sabah Al-Sabah appears to have taken note of the recently enthroned Emir Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmed’s desire for change, with new ministers being appointed to all the major posts in cabinet, including defence, finance, foreign affairs and oil, while some portfolios have been rationalised to deliver more rational government.

The issue leads with the response to the Houthis’ campaign against commercial shipping in the Red Sea, with Arab states pushing for Israel to end its bombardment of Gaza while trying to ensure the war doesn’t escalate into a regional conflagration. The issue also focuses on Kuwait, where new Emir Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has set a forthright tone to his rule by criticising the government and members of parliament (MPs), and distancing himself from pardons issued under his late predecessor Sheikh Nawaf Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. GSN also takes a closer look at Sharjah, which is looking to upgrade its infrastructure and increase capacity at its airport with a record budget worth $11bn announced for 2024. The independently-minded emirate has stood out among its UAE peers in its attitude to the Israel-Palestine conflict and much else. GSN's coverage includes a new Al-Qasimi family tree.      

Revised January 2024, this map of Yemen illustrates the extent of Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping between 19 November 2023 and 12 January 2024. Attack sites are marked on the map, with a text panel providing a brief note on each incident. An inset map of the region illustrates the estimated range of Houthi missiles. The base Yemen map is shaded to show areas of control by each faction in the war (September/October 2023), with the main areas of conflict marked. The map also shows the location of key infrastructure including roads, airports, oil, and gas fields, pipelines, refineries, oil tanker terminals and gas processing facilities.    

Sharjah is looking to upgrade its infrastructure and increase capacity at its airport with a record budget worth $11bn announced for 2024. The independently-minded emirate has stood out among its UAE peers in its attitude to the Israel-Palestine conflict and much else.

The Al-Qasimi family has old origins, especially compared to some of the region’s younger ruling families. They are part of the Qawasim tribe, a leading sub-section of the widespread Sunni Huwalah. The Huwalah migrated between Persia and Arabia, and produced other well-known families, such as the famous Qatari merchants the Darwish. Members of the Qawasim are a key base of support for the Al-Qasimi. This family tree illustrates how the line of succession has changed between branches of the family and shows how the current Emir is connected to his crown prince and deputy rulers.

Efforts to bring the Gaza conflict to an end continue, with little apparent prospect of short-term success. Arab states are pushing for Israel to end its bombardment but there is just as much focus on trying to ensure the war doesn’t escalate into a regional conflagration. A key challenge is the Houthis’ campaign against commercial shipping in the Red Sea, which Washington and allies are struggling to counter despite a major attack on targets in Yemen on 12 January.

The emirate’s authorities deployed some 1,200 police to enforce the ban on celebrations, in a move which underlined Sharjah’s willingness to plough its own furrow.

Emir Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah has repeatedly called for a new approach to overhaul Kuwait’s factionalised politics and boost economic reform – a position he restated in his inaugural address on 20 December. But changing a system that appears to encourage stasis rather than co-operation will not be easy for Kuwait’s new, 83 year-old ruler. 

The Saudi government said its non-oil mineral resources are now thought to be worth some $2.5trn, based on recent discoveries and rising demand for rare earth elements. It is following the UAE’s lead in looking to strike deals with African mineral producers such as Democratic Republic of Congo.

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.