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UAE President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (MBZ) appointed Staff Lieutenant General Engineer Issa Saif Mohammed Al-Mazrouei as chief of staff of the UAE Armed Forces, via a decree issued early January. It was the first time the role has changed hands in 18 years.

Kuwait Projects Company (Kipco) subsidiary Burgan Bank said on 10 January that it had gained approval from Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) to sell its 51.8% stake in Bank of Baghdad to Amman-based Jordan Kuwait Bank (JKB). The value of the transaction was not revealed, but Burgan said it would help it to avoid a rise in its non-performing loans ratio.

UAE Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD) chairman Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan inaugurated a marine research vessel in January.  The 50-metre Jaywun was built by Spain’s Freire Shipbuilding Company.

Bahraini Sheikha Muneera Bint Khalifa Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa was appointed director-general of the Mohammed Bin Mubarak Al-Khalifa Academy for Diplomatic Studies (MBMA) in December.

The White House briefed journalists in early December that Moscow may be preparing to supply fifth generation Sukhoi Su-35 fighter aircraft to Iran in 2023, in exchange for deliveries of Shahed-136 drones. Iranian pilots are apparently already in Russia training to fly the aircraft.

Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, are reportedly cautiously moving toward "soft normalisation or partial recognition" of the Taliban, amid fears that international terrorist organisations like the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) could exploit Afghanistan's security vacuum and pose a security threat to Gulf Arab countries.

After the excitement of the Fifa World Cup in Qatar in November and December, a rather smaller soccer tournament opened on 6 January in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. The 25th running of the Gulf Cup features the six Gulf Co-operation Council member states alongside Iraq and Yemen. It is the first time the tournament has been held in Iraq since 1979.

The UAE is to introduce a new federal law covering all non-Muslim foreigners, which will give women equal rights in proceedings for divorce, inheritance and custody of children. The measures will come into effect from 1 February 2023.

UK Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and United Nations at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon acknowledged frustration in his dealings with Gulf countries on human rights issues during a debate in the House of Lords (the UK Parliament’s upper house) on 24 November.

Kuwait executed seven people at the Central Prison on the morning of 16 November, including four locals and citizens of Ethiopia, Pakistan and Syria. The Public Prosecution said their various crimes included murder, kidnapping, possession of unlicensed firearms and adultery. It was the largest number of executions since 2017.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev appears to have hardened his posture towards Iran, telling a conference that bilateral relations were now worse than under the three previous Iranian leaders. The relationship between Baku and Tehran has become strained by several issues over recent years.

The Taliban regime's acting defence minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob was in the UAE for talks with senior UAE and United States figures in early December, in a rare overseas trip by a leading Taliban official.

Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah went back to Italy on 12 December, for what was officially termed a “private visit”. It comes just over seven weeks after the emir returned from his last trip to Italy for medical tests and was the fourth time he had travelled to the country in 2022.

UAE's Federal Vice President, Prime Minister and Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum received the winners of the seventh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Knowledge Award at his weekly majlis at Zabeel Palace in Dubai.

Issue 1158 leads with a story on the estimated $200bn plus investment  in infrastructure and related mega-projects spurred by the hosting of the 2022 World Cup in Doha. Politics coverage goes into detail on Qatar's various stadia as well as news of Houthi attacks on Yemeni energy infrastructure mooting talks of returning to LNG. The victory of forces aligned with the Southern Transitional Council in Abyan is also explored.  GSN looks into Bahrain's Majlis Al-Nuwab election on 12 November and the disputation of the official narrate by opposition groups. Defence and security coverage leads with an article on the deals made during the Bahrain International Air Show. GSN then looks at Tehran's missile advances alongside its expanding Moscow ties. This analysis then turns to Iranian strikes on Kurdish exiles.  Finance and business examines the the Ras Al-Khaimah Investment Authority hacking case against RAK authorities.  Risk Management Reports are on Yemen and regional and international organisations. The GSN View focuses on the UAE's preparations for its 51st National Day by implementing social reforms.