![Gulf countries selling off oil assets have been careful to structure deals so they do not lose control over their energy empires [File: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg]](/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/1a366b940c4247ceb4fede82da15e313_18.jpeg?resize=570%2C380)
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait have all accelerated plans to sell billions in energy assets.
Kuwait
![In its statement, OPEC+ 'highlighted the continuing recovery in the global economy' but also noted 'that COVID-19 cases are rising in a number of countries, despite the ongoing vaccination campaigns, and that the resurgence could hamper the economic and oil-demand recovery' [File: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/371300227.jpg?resize=570%2C380)
World oil consumption will rebound by a vigorous six million barrels a day this year, according to OPEC+ estimates.
![The brutal murder comes two months after Kuwaiti activists launched a nationwide campaign to end sexual harassment and violence against women [File: Yasser al-Zayyat/AFP]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/000_8WH9Q4.jpg?resize=570%2C380)
Murder sparks calls for stricter punishment for perpetrators after woman is killed by man released on bail.
![A handout picture released by the Jordanian Royal Palace on March 23, 2021 shows Jordanian King Abdullah II speaking during a meeting with the speaker and heads of a number of committees at the House of Representatives in the capital Amman [File: Jordanian Royal Palace/ AFP]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/000_96L4B6.jpg?resize=570%2C380)
Support for King Abdulla comes as former Crown Prince Hamzah bin Hussein says he is under house arrest.
![The worsening rift between Kuwait’s emir-appointed government and elected The infighting diminished public confidence, caused instability and hastened the country’s debt crisis [File: Yasser al-Zayyat/AFP]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/000_8Z32R3.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
PM Sheikh Sabah swapped out four ministers whose selection had angered various lawmakers.
![Since the agreement last month, air and travel links have resumed between Qatar and the four states [File: Stephanie Mcgehee/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2012-11-14T120000Z_697082852_GM1E8BE1MK101_RTRMADP_3_KUWAIT.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
Delegations meet in Kuwait weeks after agreement made in Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ula to end blockade of Qatar.
![The Kuwaiti Health Ministry announced 899 new coronavirus infections on Monday, bringing the total number of cases to 184,989 [File: Yasser Al-Zayyat/AFP]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/000_1825RX.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
The closure won’t affect shipping operations, while citizens and domestic workers would be allowed to return.
![Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt agreed in January to restore diplomatic, trade and travel ties with Qatar, which had been severed in 2017 [Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/6N0A8308.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
Delegations from two neighbouring countries meet in Kuwait, weeks after agreement to end diplomatic rift.
![Kuwaiti fashion blogger Ascia Al Faraj, who has more than 2.5 million social media followers, sparked the campaign [Screengrab/Youtube]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/sss.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
Women in the Middle East nation speak about daily harassment they go through as they launch their own #MeToo movement.
![Kuwait has seen an increase in infections since January [Yasser al-Zayyat/AFP]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/000_8ZY6KF.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
The move comes as Saudi Arabia also imposes new restrictions, including a 10-day suspension of events.
![Kuwait, which is contending with the twin pressures of COVID-19 and lower oil prices, needs crude at $90 to balance its new budget [File: Yasser Al-Zayyat/AFP/Getty]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/kuwait.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
Though it’s a high-income country, years of lower oil prices have forced Kuwait to burn through its reserves.
![Kuwaiti exiles read a local newspaper announcing the start of the Gulf War in Dubai in this January 17, 1991 file photo. Thousands of Kuwaitis fled their country in 1990 after it was invaded by Iraqi forces. [File: Greg Bos/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/1991-01-17T000000Z_873467841_RP2DRIQYFYAA_RTRMADP_3_GULF.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
This is the final episode in a three-part series on Operation Desert Storm and the people who lived it.
This is part two in a three-part series on Operation Desert Storm and the people who lived it.
This is the first in a three-part series on Operation Desert Storm and the people who lived it.