Newsletter: City Pulse Dubai Memories of home by Salah Elmur Also this week: Dubai Design Week, Christie’s auction highlights and Levantine dining. By Rebecca Anne Proctor In Dubai, reporting on culture
Costa Rica's Grynspan extends lead in UNSG poll as Nusseibeh places fourth The Costa Rican candidate received 12 encourage votes in Thursday's UN Security Council straw poll. United Arab Emirates
Newsletter: Business & Tech Democrats’ win: What’s at stake for Gulf business The immediate concern for the region is whether Washington and Israel will resume strikes on Iran, potentially triggering further Iranian attacks on Gulf states. By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
Newsletter: FutureVerse US elections spotlight Gulf tech risks A sweeping victory by Democrats could put the White House’s recent Gulf dealings under greater scrutiny. By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Al Jazeera gains from Israel’s attempts to close it Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that Al Jazeera's Jerusalem office will be closed, but this is unlikely to affect the network's work or coverage of the Palestinian-Israeli situation. Legacy: Gulf
Egypt’s outer space ambitions face real world setbacks While Egyptian officials have said that the country’s first space agency would be launched in September 2018, the law to create it has not been introduced in parliament yet, to many Egyptians' chagrin. United Arab Emirates
Gaza set to become scene of Egypt-Qatar tug of war The Gaza Strip and Hamas are attracting attention from both sides as the Gulf crisis grows, but they might have to choose between longtime supporter Qatar on one side and the UAE, Egypt and Mohammed Dahlan on the other. United Arab Emirates
Netanyahu's crusade against Al Jazeera in Jerusalem In an effort to repair the damage to his image caused by the Temple Mount crisis, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he will attempt to shut down Al Jazeera's Israel bureau, again. Saudi Arabia
Moscow's shifting strategy in Yemen With the recent appointment of Ahmed Salem al-Wahishi as Yemen's ambassador to Russia, Moscow finds itself in a strong position to lead a political solution to the Yemen conflict. Saudi Arabia
Turkey flexing military muscle in Qatar Turkey is signaling a shift to "hard power" foreign policy by incrementally building its military presence in Qatar to a brigade-level force. Saudi Arabia
Trump administration looks to Oman for help navigating Middle East US officials, while wary about Oman's ties with Iran, seek Oman's assistance in resolving Qatar dispute. Legacy: Gulf
Tillerson calls on Saudi bloc to lift blockade on Qatar The US secretary of state, after meeting Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi today in Washington, called for the lifting of the blockade on Qatar as a sign of good faith. Legacy: Gulf
Turkey’s economic dilemma: Win Qatar or lose the Gulf? By backing Qatar, Turkey faces economic losses in the Gulf but improved economic ties with Iran Legacy: Gulf
Abu Mazen plays losing hand badly in Gaza Strip The Palestinian president faces a challenge from a bitter rival backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates; what is Saddam Hussein’s family doing in Qatar?; Russia and the United States wary of Turkish military intervention in Syria. Saudi Arabia
How Turkey fits into the Qatar puzzle Turkey's military presence in Qatar seems to be complicating an already complex situation for the coalition that recently cut ties with Doha. Legacy: Gulf
The real reason Hamas is flirting with dismissed Fatah leader Amid reports about Hamas meeting with dismissed Fatah leader and former opponent Mohammed Dahlan in Cairo, questions arise about the lack of transparency and the results of these meetings. United Arab Emirates