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Politics: Established in 1971, the federation of seven emirates – Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm Al-Quwain is economically liberal and progressive, but remains politically conservative. Ultimate control is held by the emirate rulers, led by oil-rich, politically savvy Abu Dhabi and regional/global commercial hub Dubai. The federal government has legislative and executive jurisdiction over sectors including foreign affairs, security, defence, education, health, currency, electricity and immigration.

Eleven alleged Al-Qaeda fighters arrested just north of the Yemeni border in early April were experienced jihadists who carried with them the components for a staggering 35 suicide vests. This raises the alarming prospect that jihadist activity may be poised to burst out again, with this group emerging as the tip of the iceberg as Saudi security forces set to work investigating their ties in the search for a suspected network of safe houses and arms caches.

What is happening in Ras Al-Khaimah? Five years after he was replaced by his half-brother Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al-Qasimi, former Ras Al-Khaimah crown prince Sheikh Khalid Bin Saqr Al-Qasimi is employing PR companies and YouTube to signal his return to public life, promising a ‘pledge for progress’.

The cadre of politicians that loosely follow Moqtada Al-Sadr’s leadership did surprisingly well in the provincial elections, given they were largely written off as being politically splintered and militarily humbled after 18 months of pummelling by government forces, operated by their rivals and supported by the United States.

It is Houbara bustard hunting season, and the Pakistani government has made its annual announcement of which lucky Gulfis will get licences. Each year, the federal government hands out licences to favoured Gulf sheikhs, many of whom have held the same permit area for years, or inherited it from another family member.

MPs under pressure from constituents to secure loan bailouts are susceptible to government lobbying on economic development and reform measures. Debate over a bailout for indebted Kuwaitis has given Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s government unexpected leverage over

The greatest danger to the current Islamic Republican state comes not from foreign military action but from the possibility of a 'velvet revolution' internal wave of protest, believes Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Pasdaran) commander Brigadier General Mohammad Ali Jafari. That is why Jafari has overhauled security structures, to complete the absorbtion of the Basij militias

King Salman Bin Abdelaziz on 21 March received a US congressional delegation headed by Senator Benjamin Cardin (Democrat-Maryland). Other members included Senators Edward Markey (D-Massachusetts), Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) and Cory Gardner (Republican-Colorado). This comes ahead of President Barack Obama’s planned visit to the kingdom in April (see Politics). The royal audience was attended by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef, state minister Musaid Al-Aiban, culture minister Adel Altoraifi, foreign affairs and minister Adel Al-Jubair. Defence minister and second deputy premier Prince Mohammed Bin Salman separately met with the delegation.

Hot on the heels of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Salman, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed (MBZ) and a high-ranking delegation undertook a two-day official visit to Japan on 25-26 February, meeting Emperor Akihito, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and a number of other senior officials. He was greeted at Tokyo’s Haneda airport by Crown Prince Naruhito. While in Japan, he also met the Japanese minister of economy, trade and industry Toshimitsu Motegi. MBZ’s delegation included the chief of his court, Sheikh Hamed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

Senior military figures in Pakistan say they are increasingly worried that Middle East conflicts, stoked by the regional rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia, could exacerbate sectarian rifts within Pakistan. Behind the scenes, they have been calling for Pakistani political leaders to do more to try and mediate between Riyadh and Tehran, saying that Pakistan needs to convince Tehran that its efforts to encircle the Gulf Arab countries with Shia-dominated regimes will ultimately prove counter-productive, and to convince Riyadh that its export of radical Wahhabist ideology is similarly problematic.

The Serious Fraud Office is to crack down on companies that offer inducements or ‘kickbacks’ to foreign governments in return for preferential treatment. The move is a result of a new Bribery Act drawn up by the former Labour government after the SFO abandoned an enquiry into BAE Systems’ £43bn Al-Yamamah arms deals with Saudi Arabia.

Ras Al-Khaimah ruler’s court in mid-September announced the death of Sheikha Ghaya Bint Sultan Bin Salem Al-Qasimi

The family of the late Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdelaziz are selling palaces and other assets in Morocco, as they resolve inheritance issues and reorient the Al-Sultan’s interests. Prince Sultan spent long periods in his Agadir palace before his death on 22 October 2011

Alwaleed Bin Talal is launching a 24-hour news channel with the same talk of ‘press freedom’ that Al-Jazeera pioneered but with more potential political pitfalls than the Qatari-owned channel faced. The station will probably be based in Bahrain or Dubai, but Alwaleed is giving highest priority to building an audience in his national market

There is renewed speculation that the UAE’s two main airlines – and flagships for their respective emirates – Emirates and Etihad Airways may merge, after it emerged that the expensively assembled Abu Dhabi-based carrier has been offering its pilots the opportunity to move to Dubai-based Emirates for two years on secondment. Loss-making Etihad is in the midst of a restructuring effort that has seen it abandon its strategy of investments in struggling airlines in Europe and Asia, drop unprofitable routes, scale back its fleet and replace its management team.