[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on the Arabian Peninsula and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Arabian Peninsula Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week's roundup to ap@jadaliyya.com by Monday night of every week.]
Regional and International Relations
Breaking News … KSA accuses Hakim of smuggling explosives into Qatif city A news report on Saudi Arabia’s accusation of the Head of the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council, Ammar al-Hakim, of smuggling explosives to Qatif, on IraqiNews.
United Arab Emirates and Britain: best of friends An editorial condemning a Foreign Office spokesman’s laudatory remarks on the Gulf state and failure to mention the regime’s human rights abuses during the fourth Abu Dhabi Investment Forum, in The Guardian.
The UAE is not the intolerant society it’s claimed to be Abdul Rahman al Mutaiwee writes a response to the editorial Best of Friends, in The Guardian.
UK-Saudi relations strained by ‘support’ of Arab spring changes Ian Black analyzes the relations between the two countries following a parliamentary review of the UK’s relations with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, in The Guardian.
Reports and Opinions
Saudi Arabia plans female religious police A news report on the decision of the Saudi authorities to employ more women in the religious police, on BBC.
Kuwait’s emir warned at opposition protest A news report on a demonstration organized by the opposition in the aftermath of the emir’s decision to dissolve the National Assembly without announcing a date for new parliamentary elections, on BBC.
Kuwait police fire tear gas at protesters A news report on clashes between protesters and the police over changes in the Kuwaiti voting laws, on Al-Jazeera English.
Twitter Gives Saudi Arabia a Revolution of Its Own Robert Worth argues that though the Gulf kingdom did not have an Arab Spring, it still has a revolution, in The New York Times.
Crisis in Yemen
US drone kills al-Qaeda suspects in Yemen A news report on the death of seven people suspected of belonging to al-Qaeda in city of Jaar, on Al-Jazeera English.
Assault on Yemen base blamed on al-Qaeda A news report on an attack that left fifteen soldiers dead in Yemen following the US drone strikes earlier last week, on Al-Jazeera English.
Repression in Bahrain
Bahrain rights defender Maryam al-Khawaja pulls out of UNESCO ceremony over honor to Israel’s Peres Ali Abunimah writes on al-Khawaja’s withdrawal from the ceremony that honored the Israeli President Shimon Peres alongside her father, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, on The Electronic Intifada.
Bahrain: Urgent Appeal – “Al Eker” Village is Under Arbitrary Police Siege for more than 48 hours As a Collective Punishment A statement issued by Bahrain Centre for Human Rights condemning, and documenting, repressive measures taken by the government following the death of a policeman in the village of Al-Eker.
Two Narratives to Explain Unrest in One Bahrain Village Christine Hauser and Robert Mackey document the claims of both the opposition and the government on the developments in the village of El-Eker through posting videos and tweets, in The New York Times.
Bahrain charges four men with insulting king A news report on the imminent trial of four young men accused of insulting the king on their Twitter accounts.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International
Yemen: Security Forces Raiding Aden Hospitals A statement by HRW condemning the removal of wounded alleged militants from hospitals by force.
Bahrain: Teachers face further jail time after ‘nightmare’ verdict A statement by AI condemning the jail sentences of two Bahraini teachers who were active in the Bahrain Teachers’ Association.
Saudi Arabia must halt attempts to stifle peaceful protest A statement by AI calling upon Saudi authorities to withdraw their threats of dealing harshly with protesters in the kingdom.
Market and Business
Qatari cash divides Paris opinion Nadim Baba examines the mixed reactions of Qatar’s pledge to invest sixty-five million dollars in deprived neighborhoods in Paris, on Al-Jazeera English.
Saudi Arabia reveals plans to be powered entirely by renewable energy Fiona Harvey examines Prince Turki al-Faisal al-Saud’s assertion that the kingdom will make a shift towards low-carbon energy in the near future, in The Guardian.
Qatar announces £157m plan to rebuild Gaza A news report on the Qatari government’s pledge to rebuild Gaza.
Qatari’s Gaza Visit Spurs Hope, Concern Joshua Mitnick, Matt Bradley, and Alex Delmar-Morgan report on the Qatari emir’s visit to inaugurate multi-million dollar projects to rebuild Gaza, in The Wall Street Journal.
Culture
Secret cinema gently subverts Saudi Arabia’s puritanism David Batty writes on the launch of a secret cinema by a group of Saudi filmmakers, in The Guardian.
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