In February of last year, Ahmed al-Saadoun, Kuwait's speaker of the parliament at the time dismissed the idea of a Gulf Union. In an interview with Al-Arabiya, he stated that Kuwait, with its open political system, could not withstand a union with the more authoritarian Gulf states.

Turkey announced on Sunday that it has arrested nine people over the twin car bombings that killed at least 46 people in the Turkish town of Reyhanli near the Syrian border, as Damascus denied its involvement in the attacks.