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UK international trade minister Ranil Jayawardena visited Doha in early June, where he met commerce and industry minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Jassim Al-Thani. Jayawardena was also hosted by the Syrian-Qatari Al-Khayyat brothers, Ramez and Moutaz.

United Nations envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg told the UN Security Council on 14 June there had been no confirmed airstrikes inside Yemen, or cross-border attacks from Yemen, since the first country-wide ceasefire in six years, announced on 2 April. A 60-day extension to the truce was announced by Grundberg on 2 June.  

Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah suffered a “minor discomfort requiring rest”. The episode comes amid lingering concern about the health of Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Russian oil companies – under pressure from international sanctions due to the Ukraine war – are reportedly exploring the idea of setting up oil trading divisions in Dubai.

Dana Gas has suspended a project to expand output at the Khor Mor gas field, following a series of rocket attacks in Iraq.

Manea Bin Hamad Al-Mahdhel Al-Yami, a founding member of the Saudi opposition National Assembly Party (Naas), was killed in Lebanon on 9 July. In a statement on Twitter, Naas said he had been “assassinated in suspicious circumstances”.

Emirati minister of state Sheikh Shakhboot Bin Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al-Nahyan was in Seychelles as guest of honour at the celebrations to mark the Indian Ocean country’s national day. The UAE has funded a number of projects on La Digue island.

Saudi Arabia's foreign affairs minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Bin Abdullah and UAE foreign affairs and international cooperation minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan were among the attendees at a G20 foreign ministers meeting in Bali. Saudi Arabia is a full member of the G20, while the UAE was invited to take part by hosts Indonesia.

The Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) is to take over responsibility for maintenance of its Hawk aircraft engines from Rolls-Royce, while the Royal Army of Oman is to take charge of maintenance and repair services for its fleet of armoured personnel carriers from Turkey’s FNSS.

Qatar’s recent deals to bring five majors – Shell, TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips and Eni – into the $29bn North Field East (NFE) project underline Doha’s ambitions for its liquified natural gas (LNG) sector and Emir Sheikh Tamim’s political priorities, as QatarEnergy’s sales are redirected towards Europe.

Western oil majors have been pulling out of the Russian gas industry, but that presents opportunities for the likes of Saudi Aramco who are less concerned about the reputational impact of investing in Siberian resources.

There has been speculation that US President Joe Biden’s mid-July trip to Jeddah may be used as the moment to push forward with a deal for Saudi Arabia to be formally recognised as having control over two Red Sea islands that, until recently, were leased by Egypt.

Lawyers acting for Fawaz Al-Attiyah have written to UK foreign secretary Liz Truss calling for diplomatic immunity to be lifted on Qatar’s former premier Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Al-Thani (HBJ), who is currently listed as a minister counsellor at the Qatari embassy.

The High Court in London has ruled that lawyer and financial consultant Ronald Gibbs was wrong not to return a $25m fund he had been managing to Princess Deema Sultan Bin Abdelaziz, daughter of the late Crown Prince Sultan.

The US State Department has approved a $980m package of follow-on support for the UAE’s fleet of C-17 transport aircraft.