The United States urged ally Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to review cases of "prisoners of conscience" and lift travel bans and other restrictions imposed on women's rights activists previously released from jail.

Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, underestimated the importance of the murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying he was not important enough to kill and that he'd never read a Khashoggi article in his life.

The United Arab Emirates' Interior Ministry extended on Monday a decision to ground all private drones and light sports aircraft used for recreational purposes until further notice, state news agency WAM said.

Kuwait's cabinet has lifted many COVID-19 restrictions including a ban on foreign travel, a move that will also apply to those who are not vaccinated, Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah said on Monday.

Some of Iran's demands over lifting economic sanctions against it have not yet been addressed in the nuclear talks in Vienna, Iran's foreign minister said on Monday in Tehran.

Qatar's emir met the de facto ruler of the United Arab Emirates during an official event at the Beijing Winter Olympics, in the first such interaction between the two Gulf leaders since four Arab states agreed to end a dispute with Doha over a year ago.

The Saudi security authorities released Dawood Al-Marhoon after commuting his sentence from death penalty to 10 years in prison.

Yemen's Ansarullah group said on Monday it had fired a number of ballistic missiles at Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, and had also fired several drones at Dubai, the regional business hub.

The United Arab Emirates public prosecutors' office said on Wednesday it had summoned several people for sharing videos showing defence systems intercepting Monday's missile attack by Yemen's Houthi movement.

The United Arab Emirates has grounded most private drones and light sports aircraft used for recreational purposes for a month starting Saturday, the Interior Ministry said, following a deadly attack this week by Yemen's Houthis on the Gulf country.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen on Friday that reportedly killed at least 60 people in a detention center in the Houthi-held Saada province.

The New York Times, quoting informed sources, revealed the condition of Prince Muhammad bin Nayef, the former Saudi crown prince, who is being held under the supervision of the authorities, noting that he "suffers from permanent damage to his legs after being tortured in his solitary confinement."

Saudi authorities have released a princess and her daughter who had been detained without charge for nearly three years, her legal advisor said on Saturday.

Kuwait formed a new cabinet on Tuesday with a new finance minister and including three opposition lawmakers following a standoff between previous governments and the parliament.

Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, has been ordered by the High Court in London to provide a British record of more than 554 million pounds ($733 million) to settle a custody battle with his ex-wife over their two children.

A Gulf Arab summit in Saudi Arabia urged Iran on Tuesday to take concrete steps to ease tension while reiterating a call to include the region in talks between global powers and Tehran aimed at salvaging their nuclear agreement.

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan hosted Israel's prime minister, Naftali Bennett, on Monday in the first-ever public meeting between the United Arab Emirates' de facto ruler and an Israeli leader.

The Saudi Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing issued an urgent circular regarding the end of the extended period for the work of the current session of municipal councils, thanking the council heads and members for their efforts and fruitful contributions during this session.

Loujain Al-Hathloul, a prominent Saudi political activist is suing three former U.S. intelligence and military officials she says helped hack her cell phone so a foreign government, the Associated Press agency reported.

Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Doha on Wednesday on his first visit since Riyadh and several Arab allies imposed an embargo on Qatar in mid-2017 and set off a bitter dispute that was resolved only in January.