On Nov. 11, more than a decade after the announcement of the project, the Louvre museum will open to the public. The announcement was made on Sept. 6 by the Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, together with the Director of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Manuel Rabaté.

Rabaté describes the Louvre Abu Dhabi as “a gift to the world” and promises that visitors “will encounter masterpieces from all historical periods and from all over the world.” Starting from Nov. 11 the Louvre Abu Dhabi will be fully operational with approximately 700 exhibits on display, half of which will be part of the museum’s permanent collection and the other half on loan from the Louvre museum in Paris, Musée d’Orsay and Centre Pompidou. One of the most awaited pieces is La Belle Ferronniére, which will become the first Leonardo Da Vinci painting displayed in the Middle East.

On Tuesday Aug. 29, just before the Eid al-Adha weekend, rulers of all seven emirates came to an agreement to pardon prisoners throughout the country. His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan ordered the release of 803 prisoners in Abu Dhabi and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum ordered the release of 543 prisoners in Dubai. Attorney General of Dubai, Chancellor Essam Issa Al Humaidan, said that the decision was a chance for prisoners to rejoin their families and start a fresh chapter in their lives.

The prisoners were set free as a result of their good conduct or their unresolved debts. Sheikh Khalifa will cover any remaining debts the prisoners may have. The UAE previously released prisoners ahead of religious holidays.

On Saturday Sept. 9, Saudi Arabia announced the suspension of talks with Qatar after a call initiated by the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Saudi Arabia accused Qatar of falsely reporting the matters discussed in the phone call to the local media.

Qatar News Agency reported on Saturday that a call took place between Sheikh Tamim and Crown Prince Mohammed but did not mention who initiated the call. The News Agency added that during the call Crown Prince Mohammed suggested the deployment of two envoys to settle the crisis in the Gulf, a proposal reportedly welcomed by Sheikh Tamim.

However, just after this account was published by QNA, a Saudi Foreign Ministry Official declared that the reports did not reflect the truth. This call follows last Thursday’s meeting at the White House between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kuwait’s Emir, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, to try to solve the diplomatic dispute between Qatar and the other Gulf States, the UAE included, over the accusations that the Qatari government funds terrorist organizations throughout the region.