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Human rights groups have expressed concern about the fate of Kenyan labour rights activist Malcolm Bidali, who was arrested on 4 May and taken in for questioning by the Qatari authorities. A week before his arrest Bidali had given a presentation to civil society organisations and trade unions about his experience of working in Qatar, since arriving in 2016 to work as a security guard.

Oman could revive plans to import Iranian gas via a subsea pipeline, provided the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal is reinstated, oil and gas minister Mohammed Al-Rumhy told S&P Global Platts on 17 May.

Crown Prince Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was in Saudi Arabia on 1 June for talks with his counterpart Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh. It was Sheikh Mishaal’s first official trip overseas since his appointment in October 2020.

Ruler Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi has raised the minimum wage for local citizens by 43%, to Dh25,000 ($6,800) from Dh17,500. It follows a Department of Social Services study into Sharjah living standards.

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has ruled that Iran owes an unspecified amount of damages to relatives of the 176 people who died on Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752, which was shot down by Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) missiles soon after taking off from a Tehran airport on 8 January 2020.

Foreign affairs minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Bin Jassim Al-Thani began a multi-country tour of North African states on 23 May, to discuss tensions and instability around the region. His first stop was Libya, where he had meetings with President Mohammed Manfi, vice-presidents Mossa Al-Koni and Abdullah Hussein Al-Lafi, key player prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah and foreign minister Najla Mangoush.

A keel-laying ceremony was held at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin on 26 May for HMS Saud, the first frigate to be produced under the Tuwaiq programme for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF). v

President Hassan Rouhani has ordered a ban on the mining of cryptocurrencies over the summer, in an effort to prevent electricity blackouts getting worse.

The growing popularity of Chinese armed drones may come into question in the coming years, according to a GSN analyst, not least because United States President Joe Biden’s administration has warned that purchases of weapons systems from China comes with a political price.

Dubai’s Emirates Group slumped to a Dh22.1bn ($6bn) loss in the year to end-March, its first non-profitable year in over three decades. Group revenues tumbled 66% to Dh35.6bn due to the impact of worldwide travel restrictions and border closures in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Two diplomats serving in the consulate-general in Kerala have reportedly left India and returned to the UAE, while members of the consulate without diplomatic status face trial on gold smuggling charges. The departed two, former consul-general Jamal Hussain Al-Zaab and ex-administrative attaché Rashed Khamis Ali Musaiqri, are no longer employed as diplomats.

Former Qatari prime minister and foreign minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasim Bin Jaber Al-Thani (HBJ) had some critical words for Qatar’s neighbours in a series of tweets on 6 June, the day after the fourth anniversary of the start of the boycott by Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE in 2017, which only ended in January.

Qatar Olympic Committee president Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani was given the International Swimming Federation (Fina)’s highest honour, the Fina Order, at the organisation’s general congress in Doha on 6 June.

Abu Dhabi Executive Office chairman Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan has been appointed to run the new UAE Genomics Council, which was set up by federal Vice President, prime minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum on 15 June. 

The Saudi Season of entertainment events is expected to return in Q4 21, as a popular element in the kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan. The programme will begin with the return of Riyadh Season, an amalgam of events, arts and cultural activities in the capital.