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Qatar and the UAE have thrown their weight behind plans to develop a trade route linking Europe and the Gulf via Iraq – a move which suggests Abu Dhabi may be looking more seriously at potential alternatives to the India-Europe trade corridor running through Israel, which it had backed prior to the Gaza war.
Lana Nusseibeh has stepped down as the UAE’s permanent representative to the Untied Nations, after more than a decade in New York, notably while the UAE filled a seat on the Security Council in 2022/23.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa Al-Sudani travelled to Washington, Houston and Michigan in April, holding talks with US President Joe Biden, major energy and defence companies and members of the Iraqi diaspora.
Buenos Aires is seeking to arrest Ahmad Vahidi over the bombing of a Jewish community centre in which 85 people were killed, after Argentina’s highest court found Iran to blame for the events 30 years ago.
Some $35bn worth of potential deals were announced during the Omani leader’s two-day state visit to neighbouring UAE, with the project to develop a rail link between Sohar port and Abu Dhabi now officially up and running – and among measures that could help improve previously sometimes strained relations.
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Maktoum Bin Juma Al-Maktoum’s private office Alpha MBM Investments has aligned with Abu Dhabi-based Venom Blockchain to develop central bank digital currencies and stablecoins in Uganda, Somalia and Central African Republic, as the ambitious junior member of Dubai’s ruling family and interests in Abu Dhabi move further into African business.
The volume of seizures of the amphetamine-like stimulant Captagon by Saudi border guards appears to have dropped sharply over the past year – it could be a sign the diplomatic rapprochement with Syria (the main source of the illegal drug) is bearing fruit, or it may just be that the authorities are being less transparent.
Distantly related to Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid, Sheikh Ali announced plans to set up a $500m family office in the Chinese territory in March, but that now appears to have been pushed back until late May.
Four export deals have been signed by Oman LNG since mid-April, covering more than 4m t/yr of liquefied natural gas supplies and taking the total deal flow so far this year to 4.6m t/yr.
Output at the three-field Belbazem block is due to ramp up to 45,000 b/d, helping Abu Dhabi National Oil Company on its wat to reaching its target of 5m b/d production capacity by 2027.
Dubai’s transport sector was badly affected as more than one year’s worth of rain fell in a day across the UAE, leaving a clean-up operation that is likely to be expensive, although the authorities are trying to shield locals from much of the initial cost.
Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ is buying a 49% stake in Alpha Dhabi Construction Holding, following a major real estate deal involving ADQ and IHC, another part of national security adviser Sheikh Tahnoun Bin Zayed’s business empire.
The G42 artificial intelligence company chaired by UAE national security adviser Sheikh Tahnoun Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan has raised funds from the US tech giant in return for an unspecified shareholding and a seat on the board.
Former military officer Sheikh Zayed Bin Hamdan, who suffered serious injuries in a helicopter crash in Yemen in 2017, has become an influential official with a role in some of the most sensitive media and AI dossiers backed by his Bani Fatima uncles.
Allies and enemies are anxiously waiting to see if the Israeli government will escalate regional conflict further after more than 300 projectiles were fired from Iran at Israel on 13-14 April in Tehran’s retaliation to the Israeli strike that killed IRGC commanders in Damascus. Most of the drones and missiles were shot down, but a few hit Israeli military bases, causing limited damage.
