[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
Kuwait ready to assist US in fighting terrorism and money laundering Kuwait asserts that it is ready to cooperate with the US justice department in the fight against money laundering and terrorism.
Yemen hands 29 Qaeda militants to Saudi Arabia: website The Yemeni ministry of defense hands over twenty-nine extremists affiliated with al-Qaeda to Saudi Arabia.
Kuwait says relations with Iran are ‘excellent’ The Kuwaiti foreign ministry undersecretary describes government relations with Iran as “excellent.”
Bahrain: EU Parliament resolution is a flagrant interference The Bahraini Council of Representatives criticizes the resolution that the European Parliament passed regarding the human rights situation in the Gulf state.
Kuwait Speaker leaves door open for all options on GCC pact Habib Toumi reports on the Kuwaiti parliament speaker’s avoidance of taking a stand on the Gulf Cooperation Council security agreement.
Bahraini Activist Zainab al-Khawaja Released A news article on the release, and potential upcoming detention, of the Bahraini activist.
Reports and Opinions
Saudi man who `disobeyed ruler` gets 10 years A Saudi court sentences a man to ten years in prison for protesting and publishing photos of demonstrations online.
Saudi Valentines defy the love police A news report on Saudis’ celebration of Valentine’s Day despite the ban on these celebrations by the religious police.
Trouble at the £1bn Burj Khalifa tower: Spiraling service costs see landlords falling behind on their bills Jim Armitage reports on the inability of residents who failed to pay their maintenance bills to have access to some facilities in the super luxurious building.
Oman court postpones three corruption trials The Court of First Instance postpones the trials in three corruption cases, in the oil sector, to March.
Ex-government officials in Oman jailed for abuse of office An Omani court sentences two ex-government officials to three years in prison on charges of abuse of office.
Repression in Bahrain
Clashes mark anniversary of Bahrain protests The Bahraini police used tear gas against protesters trying to reach the demolished Pearl Roundabout to commemorate the third anniversary of the 2011 uprising.
Bahrain protest attracts tens of thousands, no clashes Farishta Saeed reports on the massive protests that took place in Bahrain last week.
Bahrain: The silent revolution David Kode argues that the silence on the crackdown on Bahraini protesters and activists stands in stark contract to reactions to events in Syria and Libya.
Bahrain opposition unveils roadmap for talks The Bahraini opposition announces a roadmap to resume national dialogue, and reiterates the demand for a constitutional monarchy and equality in the kingdom.
Bahrain policeman dies after protest anniversary bombing The interior ministry announces the death of a police officer in a “terror blast” in Dair.
Bahrain arrests 29 ahead of protests anniversary The Bahraini authorities arrested twenty-nine people for rioting and vandalism in several villages last week.
Blast hits bus carrying police in Bahrain Three police officers are injured in a blast that targeted a bus carrying them last week.
Bahrain jails 2 for 15 years after police attack A Bahraini court sentences two men to fifteen year in prison on charges of attempting to kill police officers and possessing Kalashnikov rifles.
Crisis in Yemen
The risk of reporting US drone strikes Hyder Iftikhar Abbasi reports on Baraa Shiban, who received a disturbing phone call while investigating a drone strike on a wedding party that killed twelve people in December.
Al-Qaeda inmates freed in Yemen jail attack At least fourteen prisoners escaped after gunmen launched an attack on the main prison in Sanaa.
Attack on prison in Yemeni capital kills 11 Khalid Abdullah reports on the death toll of the attack on the main prison in Sanaa.
Yemen Al Houthi rebels slam federation plan as unfair The Houthis oppose the federal plan “because it divides Yemen into poor and wealthy regions.”
Briton missing in Yemen, possibly kidnapped - security source A British teacher has been reported missing in Sanaa.
Yemen protesters demand sanctions against Saleh Protesters in the northern provinces commemorating the third anniversary of the uprising demand that the former president be brought to justice.
Yemen foils attack on oil refinery Saeed Al Batati reports on the security services’ success in foiling an attack on an oil refinery in Aden.
Migrant Workers
Qatar World Cup: 400 Nepalese die on nation`s building sites since bid won Jamie Doward reports on the death toll of Nepalese workers building World Cup sites in Qatar.
Qatar 2022: Plans to protect World Cup workers unveiled Richard Conway writes on the publication of a “Workers’ Charter” by organizers of the 2022 World Cup, which aims to protect the rights of migrant workers.
Qatar commits to new welfare standards for World Cup workers Owen Gibson provides a detailed account of the outcry against the abuse of migrant workers in Qatar and the latest efforts to implement standards protecting the rights of workers.
The death toll in Qatar brings international shame on Fifa An editorial on the conditions of migrant workers in Qatar.
Fifa says there is little it can do about labour conditions in Qatar Ian Traynor writes about a FIFA executive who told the European Union parliament that the decision to hold the World Cup in Qatar cannot be reversed.
Eight years to the Qatar World Cup – but Fifa can act on forced labour now Jim Murphy argues that FIFA has an opportunity to exert pressure on the Qataris to improve the working conditions of foreign workers.
More than 450 Indian migrants dead in Qatar in 2012-13 A news report on the death toll of Indian workers in Qatar in the last two years.
Human Rights
Dispatches: Qatar’s Labor Reform Fall Short Nicholas McGeehan of Human Rights Watch argues that Qatar’s newly published Workers’ Welfare Standards does not go far enough to tackle the dismal record of workers’ rights in the country.
Bahrain: Continued use of politicized judiciary by the authority to keep activist Zaynab Al-Khawaja behind Bars The Gulf Center for Human Rights condemns the ongoing imprisonment of the activist.
Yemen: Freedom of the press at risk as nine media workers targeted in one week The Gulf Center for Human Rights deplores the targeting of nine journalists in Yemen.
Report: Bahraini Authorities Brutally Suppress Protesters on the 3rd Anniversary The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights documents that crackdown on protesters commemorating the third anniversary of the uprising in Bahrain.
Media
CPJ slams charges against Al Jazeera staff Sherif Mansour, the Middle East coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, asserts that the charges against Al Jazeera journalists are “baseless.”
Peter Greste`s parents welcome trial date for their son–video The father of the Australian Al Jazeera journalist held in Cairo speaks to reporters and welcomes the announcement of a trial date for his son.
Saudi Internet monitors turn focus on Syria-fuelled radicalism Angus McDowall reports on the new focus of the Saudi Ideology Security Directorate, namely the use of the Internet to recruit fighters for fighting abroad.
Saudi Arabia to shut down 41 news sites Saudi authorities shut down forty-one news sites for failing to regularize their status.
Saudi Arabia to shut down offending websites The Saudi regime decides to shut down websites that undermine faith and community values.
Saudi paper names first woman editor-in-chief in kingdom Somayya Jabarti becomes the first female editor-in-chief of a daily newspaper in the kingdom.
Arabic
الجولة الرابعة من الحوار البحريني: طبعة رديئة من نسخ قديمة
Abbas Bousafwan argues that the fourth round of the national dialogue in Bahrain is a bad version of the earlier editions.
البحرين: زينب الخواجة إلى الحرية
Bahraini authorities release human rights activist Zainab al-Khawaja, who spent a year in prison.
ثورة البحرين: الزهرة الاخيرة من الربيع العربي
Said al-Shihabi writes on third anniversary of the Bahraini uprising.
البحرين: دعوات حقوق الإنسان لا توقف القمع
Calls made by human rights organizations have not stopped the ongoing persecution of protesters and activists in Bahrain.
ملك البحرين يتجاهل الاحتجاجات
The Bahraini king ignores the protests commemorating the third anniversary of the uprising.
عاهل البحرين يدعو المعارضة لـاالتوافق’ قبيل مظاهراتها
The Bahraini king calls upon Bahraini opposition groups to reconcile one day before a demonstration on the third anniversary of the 2011 uprising.
البحرين: استمرار القمع مع دخول الاحتجاجات عامها الرابع
A news report on the ongoing repression in Bahrain as protests enter their fourth year.
هادي يعتمد تحويل اليمن إلى نظام فدرالي من ستة أقاليم وصنعاء عاصمة مركزية للدولة الاتحادية
Khalid Hamadi reports on the decision to divide Yemen into six federal regions with Sanaa as the capital of the federal state.
اليمن | هادي يطمئن المشككين: وحدة البلاد مصونة
The Yemeni president attempts to reassure skeptics that the unity of the country is not at stake.
البيض: قرار التقسيم لعبة ستأخذ وقتها ولا علاقة لجنوب اليمن بها
Ali Salim al-Beidh, the vice president of Yemen following the unification of northern and southern Yemens in 1990, describes the federal division of Yemen as a game that will expire with time.
اليمن | الحوثيّون والجنوبيّون يرفضون التقسيم
The Houthis and people in southern Yemen reject the federal plan “because it divides Yemen into poor and wealthy regions.”
ملايين اليمنيين يحتشدون في صنعاء ومدن أخرى تأييدا لنظام هادي ومطالبته باستكمال بقية أهداف الثورة
Khalid Hamadi writes on the demonstrations of millions of Yemenis in Sanaa and different cities in Yemen in support of the president on the third anniversary of the Yemeni uprising.
اليمن: فشل استخباراتي يقف وراء هرب سجناء القاعدة
An intelligence failure is blamed for the recent escape of prisoners affiliated with al-Qaeda from the main prison in Sanaa.
حتى لا تكون اليمن أضحوكة بين الأمم
Ahmed Nasr Hamaidan deplores the fighting among different groups in Yemen.
اليمن: نجاة مسؤول عسكري من الاغتيال
A military official survives an attempt on his life in Hadramut.
أقاليم اليمن: مستقبل المنطقة؟
Rabi` Barakat wonders if the division of Yemen into six federal regions may be the future of the region.
ولي العهد السعودي يلتقي مسؤولين باكستانيين
The Saudi crown prince meets with Pakistani officials during his visit to Pakistan.
تسليم 29 من متشددي ‘القاعدة’ في اليمن للسعودية
The Yemeni ministry of defense hands twenty-nine extremists affiliated with al-Qaeda to Saudi Arabia.
ديبلوماسيون: قلق الرياض من التشدد قد يجبرها على تعديل سياستها السورية
Saudi Arabia`s anxiety over increased extremism may force it to change its policy towards Syria.
سّر القلق السعودي
Rashad Abu Shawr analyzes the reasons behind the Saudi regime’s efforts to bring its nationals fighting in Syria back to the kingdom.
آل سعود في لبنان!
Thuraya Assi examines Saudi Arabia`s impact on the political scene in Lebanon.
ميشال سليمان والهبة السعوديّة
Asad AbuKhalil argues that the Lebanese president has given up caution and silence following the Saudi military grant to Lebanon.
حلم ‘وجدة’ الأخضر لهيفاء المنصور : رحلة الى عالم المرأة السعودية المحجوب
Aya al-Attasi describes the Oscar-nominated Saudi film, Wadjda, as a journey into Saudi women`s hidden world.
البرنامج الثقافي للمهرجان الوطني للتراث والثقافة( ندوات ومحاضرات)
The official program of the annual Janadriyya festival held in Saudi Arabia.