Stories under this heading cover the Gulf and the Red Sea regions, including the Arabian Peninsula, Iran and the countries bordering the Red Sea.
The UAE emirate of Dubai has announced that it has scrapped the 30% tax on alcohol, and will no longer charge for personal alcohol licences.
Known as the Gulf's "party capital", where expatriates outnumber nationals by nine to one, Dubai has historically been more attractive to tourists and wealthy foreign workers than its neighbours, partially because of its tolerance of a more liberal lifestyle.
Despite this, the high alcohol tax had led to residents often driving to Umm al-Quwain and other emirates to buy alcohol in bulk.
On Thursday (13 October), the Iraqi parliament elected Kurdish politician Abdul Latif Rashid as the new president, ending a year-long deadlock. He is a 78-year-old engineer who served as the minister of water resources from 2003 to 2010.
Three men, Shadli, Atallah and Ibrahim Al-Huwaiti, have been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for refusing to evict their homes in the Tabuk region. It was announced on Monday (10 October).
In Yemen, the Houthi
China's efforts to extend its influence in the Arab World are set to get a boost in December, with the first Arab-Chinese summit due to be hosted by Saudi Arabia.
The Arab League stated that it represents a milestone in the strategic partnership between Arab countries and China. The League's assistant secretary-general, Khalil Al-Thawadi, stated this during the opening of the third China-Arab Forum for Reform and Development, which was held through the digital platform with the Chinese side.