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Saudi Arabia has an estimated $500bn “stashed away in US treasuries” (bonds), as one expert puts it. And the view being ordered from above – from King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz down – is that “more of this will be invested at home, as was signalled by lifting the limits on the amount the PIF [Public Investment Fund, chaired by Finance Minister

Deep concerns across the region about political developments in Iran and Israel, communal tensions and ever more spats over policy between Gulf Co-operation Council member states (all discussed in Politics, below) are starting to claim victims – which seem to include the semi-public rapprochement between Israel and Qatar’s determinedly independent-minded leadership.

Exasperated by Haq's persistent campaigning, the authorities arrested the extra-parliamentary opposition group's president Hassan Mushaima, human rights commission head Abdeljalil Al-Singace and outspoken Shiite scholar Mohammed Habib Almuqdad on the night of 25-26 January. Al-Singace was released after 24 hours but remains on bail and is subject to a travel ban. Mushaima and Almuqdad remained in solitary confinement, and were denied contact with their families or lawyers, as GSN went to press.

Reports of an upcoming sale of the Russian-built SA-20 systems to Iran will focus Israeli minds on the need to acquire F-22 fighter aircraft technology, whose export is currently banned by US law

While Netherlands Crown Prince Willem-Alexander was touring Dubai his wife Princess Maxima met with Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum’s wife Sheikha Haya.

Saudi Arabia’s Groupe Ahmed Saleh Bughchan is also present in Mauritania, holding the licences for Blocks Ta-14, Ta-26, Ta-36, Ta-37, Ta-61, Ta-62, Ta-63. Ahmed Saleh is from Jeddah’s Bughchan family; like many other important business families in the Kingdom (the Bin Laden, Binzagr and Bin Mahfouz), the Bughchan are originally from Yemen’s Hadhramaut region. The family has a range of interests including transport, construction, drinks, perfume and telecommunications, and owns shopping malls, hotels and a hospital.

According to the ScienceDaily.com website, Prince Abdelrahman, son of Prince Bandar Bin Abdulaziz (GSN 820/7), is carrying out research at Queen’s University.

Gulfis have played a role in developing Sudan’s upstream oil industry, and the comings and goings of regional investors continues. Last March saw the entry of Kuwait’s Kharafi Group, which bought a 3% stake in the Chinese-led Petrodar Operating Company from Dubai-based Al-Thani Investments, which has recently been selling off some of its Africa interests.

Iraq’s border areas are a wild frontier, marked by intense mafia activity and low-level tribal violence. But the security situation is becoming more manageable than seemed likely even one year ago.

Despite approaching legislative elections, Yemen’s president will worry more about northern security, jihadist groups and the return of Guantanamo detainees than the political challenge from a quarrelsome opposition. But no one is yet focused on the real long-term danger – economic disaster as oil revenues collapse.

Kingdom Holding Company posted a $8.26bn net loss in Q4 08, compared with a gain of $68.2m in Q4 07.

Prince Khalid Bin Sultan has been in the news this month for his meetings with senior Pakistani military officials and French staff officers.

Thirty-year-old Prince Saud Bin Abdelrahman Bin Saud Bin Abdelaziz married a daughter of Prince Bandar Bin Abdelaziz on 14 November. Bandar has ten daughters.

Russia’s Gazprom has made a deal with Kuwait’s Noor Financial Investment Company to set up a joint venture targeting exploration and production work in Russia and the Middle East. The signing of a bilateral agreement on civil nuclear co-operation with George W Bush’s administration prior to the Republican president’s departure from office has raised some eyebrows in the United States, for fear that it will spark a ‘nuclear arms race’ in the region.

The credit crunch is slowing down the pace of investments, but the announcement that a Dubai government flagship is to ‘invest $16bn’ in Nigeria serves as a reminder of the extent to which Gulf investors have sought out new business in Africa. GSN has tracked the move of Gulf business players into the continent over a long period, and can record some real investments as well as the usual welter of statements of intent that mark the entry of apparently ever more Arab investors into African business.