UAE's Nusseibeh comes in fourth in latest UNSG straw poll: What to know The latest straw poll puts Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan in first place, Argentina's Rafael Grossi in second, Guyana's Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett in third and the UAE's Lana Nusseibeh in fourth place. United Arab Emirates
Canada, UAE sign trade pact as Ottawa seeks to diversify beyond US The agreement is set to broadly lift tariffs on key products as Canadian officials hope to boost bilateral trade to $7 billion within a decade. United Arab Emirates
UAE battles tanker oil spill as war's environmental toll mounts Gulf oil spills have become more frequent since the beginning of the US-Israel-Iran war on Feb. 28. United Arab Emirates
Newsletter: City Pulse Dubai Dubai steps back onto the runway Also this week: French-Japanese dining, Kenyan sculpture and a Cairo bookseller’s memoir By Rebecca Anne Proctor In Dubai, reporting on culture
Saudi Arabia engages Iraq at Iran's dismay Iraq's rapprochement with Arab Sunni countries including Saudi Arabia is putting increased pressure on Iran. Saudi Arabia
Iranian return to hajj could help end Saudi deadlock The resumption of Iranian participation in the annual hajj pilgrimage may help pave the way for an end to the diplomatic deadlock between Riyadh and Tehran. Saudi Arabia
Egypt, Sudan stray further apart over Gulf crisis Egypt is doubling down on its efforts to convince African countries to take a stance against Qatar, while Sudan decided to take a neutral position over the Gulf crisis. Saudi Arabia
Trump administration presses Middle East on religious freedom Secretary of State Rex Tillerson committed the United States to fighting for religious liberty around the world with the release of the annual International Religious Freedom Report. Legacy: Gulf
What’s next for GCC-Iraq ties after Sadr's UAE visit? Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has made trips to Saudi Arabia and the UAE to meet with Gulf leaders, but improving Iraq-GCC ties will be no easy task. Saudi Arabia
South Yemen leader vows to continue fight against 'rebels' in north After his return from a tour that included Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the head of Yemen's South Transitional Council, talks to Al-Monitor about pressing local and regional issues. Legacy: Gulf
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